by JK Accinni
She feigned sleep as the smell became stronger. She thought she heard a yelp but, as she strained to hear more, the only sound she identified was the sound of bees buzzing; louder then softer, rising in pitch then fading.
She froze at the sound of something being dragged across the floor. She felt it pass in front of her then stop. She heard no more as the buzzing of bees faded in the distance, and then she was left again in complete silence.
As her heart continued its frenetic beating, she took a deep breath, hoping it would slow her respiration to a more normal level. Absently, she ran her hands through her hair. What the . . . ? Perplexed over a strange sensation, she withdrew her hand. Shaking it to rid herself of the softness that had clung to her fingers, she was unable to see the clumps of her hair as they fell from her scalp and fingers to land in her lap like spent tufts of gossamer.
What the heck was that? Gathering courage, she reached up to her face again and ran her hand over her head, swatting at imaginary bugs. Finding nothing in the air around her head, she relaxed, breathing in relief as more of her hair silently detached from her head to lie unseen about her shoulders.
The minutes ticked by. Before long they piled up as hours. Ginger Mae’s stomach ached with a relentless acknowledgment of hunger and thirst. Her psyche begged for the darkness to go away. She needed light. It was only in the light that she could begin her hunt for . . . for . . . for what? she wondered. Her mind searched, confusion wearing her down. I have to find it. It was only then that she could begin to figure out how to get back home. She didn’t know where she was but she knew instinctively that this wasn’t her beloved Earth. But what? What do I need to find?
Before long, her tears stopped. Her strength taxed to its limits, she slept.
Crash— Ginger Mae snapped out of her sleep and sat up. What was that? Sniffing the air, she recognized the unmistakable dreaded burning smell. Huddled tightly on her pad she drew herself into a ball, hoping to be overlooked, if only she could make herself small enough.
She strained her ears, desperate to catch the sound of something familiar. She sensed the presence of others: movements and a thump. The darkness pressed in on her. She clamped her hand over her mouth to prevent herself from screaming out in fear. The sounds stopped as suddenly as they’d begun, the burning smell receding. The darkness froze her in place as her tears welled up again.
From out of the silence and the darkness, she heard a scrape.
“Hello,” she ventured, her voice timid and tremulous. She was greeted by nothing more than silence. “Is anyone there?” The silence slapped her in the face again. Frightened yet mollified, she curled back into a ball to return to sleep. Who knew what trouble the singular sound would bring her? Maybe it was just her imagination or wishful thinking. Her mind eventually switched off to suck her deeper into the blackness.
The black void now her constant companion, her only escape became sleep: The sleep of the innocent that promised temporary oblivion yet insidiously and unknowingly robbed her of her memory. For it was during her sleep that the residue of the minute toxic substance contained in the hot burning smell—the odor that terrorized her so—was fractionally destroying the cells in her brain. In the part of the brain that stored memory; the essence of who we are and who Ginger Mae had been.
When Aliens Weep is now available
Due Late 2015
Alli Sun
An interracial thriller in 1940's Charleston South Carolina featuring the wanderings of a young orphan who takes to the streets with an unusual set of pups rescued from a deliberate drowning to solve one of the South's biggest and most horrifying crimes as she begins the overwhelming journey to discover who her parents are.
Author’s Page
J. K. Accinni was born and raised in Sussex County before moving to Randolph, New Jersey, where she lived with her husband, five dogs and eight rabbits, all rescued, and currently resides in Sarasota, Florida. Mrs. Accinni’s passion for wildlife conservation has led her all over the world, including three trips to Africa, where ten years ago she and her husband fell in love with a baby elephant named Wendi who had been rescued by a wildlife group. That baby is the inspiration for the character Tobi, the elephant featured in her fourth book titled Hive.
The character of Caesar is inspired by a real life iconic tiger from Big Cat Habitat and Gulf Coast Sanctuary in Sarasota. A portion of the proceeds from her third book, Armageddon Cometh, will be donated to the sanctuary in support of the enormous expense required to house and feed the displaced wildlife in their care. Mrs. Accinni invites her readers to visit bigcathabitat.org to view the astounding facility and plan a visit with your family.
Mrs. Accinni also invites you to visit her webpage at www.SpeciesIntervention.com, where information on The Big Cat Habitat and Gulf Coast Sanctuary can also be viewed. Readers are encouraged to comment about the book or your own creature experiences.
