I thought I'd share the next snippet from my retelling of Swan Lake. You met Anna, Odette's nobler friend, who is accompanying her to the party where Siegfried will announce his engagement to Odette. Time for a wrench in the works, and here it comes.
“Anna?”
Groaning, she poked her head out from under her wing and shook her feathers.
“Ah!” Her scream sounded more like a quack and the feet she could just barely see were definitely webbed.
“Anna?” The call sounded wrong. She could understand her name, but the voice was honking.
Looking to her right, she found a swan, nesting on the shore of a lake and stretching her neck toward Anna.
“Odette? What has happened to us?”“I don’t know. I remember the carriage and then I woke up here. I didn’t believe in magic.”
“Magic. I guess that’s what it is. But who? And why?”
“I don’t know. I’m just glad you’re here. Although, I wish it hadn’t happened to you.”
Anna turned away from Odette, waddling toward the rising sun. “Let’s sit up there. “People will be looking for us and they might see us there, or we will see them.”
“Anna, how will they know it’s us?”
“Don’t think about that now, just move.” With her bill, she nipped Odette’s wing.
“Fine, I’m going.” Ruffled feathers puffed out before falling back into place.
The ridge was a good vantage point, high enough to see a great distance.
“Oh no,” Anna slumped.
“What? What did you see?”
“The palace. You can just barely see it. That carriage must have driven all night to bring us so far.”
Odette cocked her head. “I don’t see—oh, there! But that’s miles away.”
“Yes.” Anna tucked her head under her wing again, desperate to go back to sleep so she could wake from this nightmare.
“But we can fly, can’t we?” Odette fluttered her wings several times before folding them up again. “I don’t know how.”
Oh, poor birds. Don't worry, though. They learn to fly soon enough!
Check out all the other great teases this week. I won't miss them again!
Check out all the other great teases this week. I won't miss them again!
