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Friday, 7 April 2017

A-Z Challenge 2017 - F is for Fusterbury

Welcome to Day 6 of the A-Z Challenge 2017. This month I'm sharing my "Black & White Snippets" - snapshots of some of the characters, places and concepts that populate my forthcoming YA dystopian trilogy, Black & White. There won't be a lot of details or spoilers - just short scenes and vignettes that give you a hint of the world I've created. Today, it's F for Fusterbury.


Imagine a city full of filth and disease. There’s precious little plant life as most of the streets are taken up by a quagmire of mud, while the houses are tumbledown shacks held together by spit and goodwill. People greet each other with smiles and nods, but the next minute will be gripped by a fit of hacking coughs that sees them bent double in agony. Children draw lines in the mud and construct elaborate games. Needless to say, people look out for each other, knowing that they haven’t got long. It’s a young population, with an average age of 25, a testament to this debilitating plague. There’s no governing structure, no system in place – but a lot of love.
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16 comments:

  1. moon7 April 2017 at 10:04

    I wonder if and how they (at least, some of them)will be saved .
    I love the way you describe the scene, evoking sadness and anticipation in the reader.
    Best wishes,
    Moon

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  2. Alex J. Cavanaugh7 April 2017 at 11:03

    Time to move.
    A good message for us all to remember - be kind to one another.

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  3. Keith's Ramblings7 April 2017 at 12:34

    At least they have each other. What a desolate place.

    The Fish Inn, Amble Bay

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  4. Tasha Duncan-Drake7 April 2017 at 12:49

    At least they look after each other and clearly creativity comes for the absence of anything else as the children play. Such a rich idea in a short snippet.
    Tasha
    Tasha's Thinkings - Shapeshifters and Werewolves
    https://tashasthinkings.blogspot.co.uk/

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  5. Anita Sabat7 April 2017 at 13:23

    Hope all becomes fine with their world.
    Though love is great, still they need to address the problems in the surroundings viz. coughing etc that plague them.

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  6. Nilanjana Bose7 April 2017 at 13:56

    An illustration of what can happen if we don't look after the environment? That was my first thought. Good that they have each other for support.

    Nilanjana
    Madly-in-Verse

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  7. A Tarkabarka Hölgy7 April 2017 at 14:41

    That's a very interesting setting! I like the "looking out for each other" part. It would be so easy to make it a cutthroat place, but not nearly as interesting.

    The Multicolored Diary: WTF - Weird Things in Folktales

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  8. Click7 April 2017 at 20:54

    It's great that you can convey so much of the place in so few words.

    Cait @ Click's Clan

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  9. PJ7 April 2017 at 21:52

    Is there anyway to escape? Is anyone working on a cure? So sad and yet there is comfort - beautiful.

    Highlands Days of Fun

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  10. Shari Elder7 April 2017 at 23:32

    Love the name. And the "held together by spit and goodwill" brilliantly captures mood and tone. Well done.

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  11. Hilary Melton-Butcher8 April 2017 at 08:23

    Hi Nick - what a way to live .. but I'm sure many did when the plague was around ... doing what they could for themselves and others ...

    Fusterbury is a wonderful name ... cheers Hilary

    http://positiveletters.blogspot.co.uk/2017/04/g-is-for-goose-gobbling-or-otherwise.html

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  12. Darla M Sands8 April 2017 at 14:49

    Wow! This is chilling. Nicely done.

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  13. JazzFeathers8 April 2017 at 20:23

    Wow! That's a description and quite a vivid one.
    Your story sounds quite grim.

    @JazzFeathers
    The Old Shelter - 1940s Film Noir

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  14. Liz A.9 April 2017 at 03:51

    Doesn't sound like a very nice place.

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  15. Anmol Rawat9 April 2017 at 15:33

    But they have each other and that may serve as the key to their freedom!
    *My mind running wild*

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  16. Cathy Kennedy10 April 2017 at 10:55

    Nick, WOW, sounds a lot the early 20th century where many adults didn't make it out of their 20s. So very sad! Have you ever looked at some old photos to realize the people in them are young but they look so old? It's so crazy! Living in horrible health conditions age the body physically. I've lived more than two life times and should be dead if I lived in Fusterbury. :) Happy a2zing!

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