Monday 10 April 2017

A-Z Challenge 2017 - H is for Hedgeson

Welcome to Day 8 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 H for Hedgeson.


Hedgeson loved playing gravball. The feeling of freedom he got from being able to run across the walls and ceiling of the pitch – each of which had its own gravity field installed – was like nothing else. He was aware that the rest of his life – going to school, even mealtimes thanks to the preset times on the food dispenser – was regimented, and that was the way he liked it. Everything in its proper place. His friends and teammates felt the same, embracing the status quo. That was, except for Wellesbury, their captain. He couldn’t exactly put his finger on it, but this gifted player always gave the impression of being somewhere else in his mind. On the pitch, he was totally in the zone, but off it… some of the things he said gave Hedgeson pause. He’d snap out of it, hopefully. Everyone knew that questioning things wasn’t a good idea.

27 comments:

Sophie Duncan said...

Hedgeson sounds like a noticing sort, even if he doesn't like questioning the status quo - where's that going to lead him, I wonder?
Sophie
Sophie's Thoughts & Fumbles - Dragon Diaries

moon said...

Wow! Intimidating military -like regime . Look forward to reading your book, Nick.
Best wishes
Moon
https://aslifehappens60.wordpress.com

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Nick - ah - Wellesbury ... the one to watch - which Hedgeson was obviously good at given his ability to be many places ... interesting .. cheers Hilary

http://positiveletters.blogspot.co.uk/2017/04/h-is-for-horse.html

Nilanjana Bose said...

Yeah, questioning does tend to ruin everything,doesn't it? Scary place!

Nilanjana
Madly-in-Verse

Ronel Janse van Vuuren said...

Sounds like his perfect world is about to come to an abrupt end... Happy A-to-Z-ing.

Cathy Kennedy said...

Nick,

Oh, I'd find it awful difficult to live in a world where questioning wasn't a good thing. I'd be branded a trouble maker for sure! While your book is fiction, I know there are people like this and that's really scary. Hedgeson's character is interesting! Thanks for visiting over the weekend. I'm a bit late but finally made it. Have a good week ahead and happy a2zing!

~Curious as a Cathy
#AprilA2Z Art Sketching Through the Alphabet Letter "H" + #4M

Keith's Ramblings said...

Ask no questions, you'll be told no lies. Don't quite know why I said that, but it was the first thing that came into my mind!

Amble Bay's Village Hall!

Natalie Aguirre said...

Glad at least this wasn't regimented. Sounds like a scary world.

Tasha Duncan-Drake said...

Hedgeson sounds like the sort who could be trouble or could be in for a rude awakening.
Tasha
Tasha's Thinkings - Shapeshifters and Werewolves

Darla M Sands said...

Chilling. Well done.

http://darlamsands.blogspot.com/

A Tarkabarka Hölgy said...

Gravball sounds like a game I'd enjoy playing! :D

The Multicolored Diary: WTF - Weird Things in Folktales

Ruth Schiffmann said...

What a great idea for the challenge, Nick. I'm enjoying reading these snippets!

The Cynical Sailor said...

Very interesting snippet! Makes me want to know more about this world that he lives in.

Laurel Garver said...

I suspect the little taste of freedom he gets from grayball will become something he increasingly craves in other areas of life.

https://laurelgarver.blogspot.com/2017/04/h-happiness.html

C.D. Gallant-King said...

Man gravball reminds me of that underwater soccer/basketball game from Final Fantasy 10. God I wasted so much time playing that stupid game.

JeffO said...

Interesting world you've got going there, Nick. I look forward to more!

Jean Davis said...

Sounds like Wellesbury is my kind of character. I hope he doesn't get anyone else in trouble for all his troubling comments...though that makes for a great story.
Discarded Darlings - Jean Davis, Speculative Fiction Writer, A to Z: Editing Fiction

Yolanda Renée said...

Caught up, all interesting characters. Love the way you're doing this!

Liz A. said...

That sounds like a fun sport. But I'm not liking this world they live in one bit.

John Davis Frain said...

OMG, lemme play some gravball!

Unknown said...

Love the excerpt, makes me want to read more!
Damyanti

Anna Tan said...

Gravball sounds interesting.
So does Wellesbury. People pushing the status quo is always a good thing.

Anna

Deepa said...

I know someone like Hedgeson in real life. he is not a very liked person in the team though

A Peice Of My Life

Carrie-Anne said...

That's a quite unique sport!

Anonymous said...

This installment makes me shudder. I'm not a fan of going along with the status-quo. Make some waves! ;)

~Patricia Lynne aka Patricia Josephine~
Story Dam
Patricia Lynne, Indie Author

Anmol Rawat said...

But will the freedom he experiences while playing gravball last?

JazzFeathers said...

Ground for a great story here. I can sense the conflict ;-)

@JazzFeathers
The Old Shelter - 1940s Film Noir