Hey, some snippets!

Hey, some snippets! Enclosed in Write the Story:

A Strange Request at a Piano Bar [orig. November 2020]

A new hotel, the Sassafras, had opened up on the other side of town. Henry walked in, limping slightly. He had sprained his ankle after slipping on the ice outside. His face was a mask of pain. The hotel’s bar featured a huge grand piano. He made his way over to it. Then he saw River was sitting on the piano itself, smiling and crunching into an apple. This was quickly becoming awkward. 

“Hey River, where’s Izzy?”

“Oh, she’s with Missy and Zoe, and they’re coming by later to watch me play.” She gave the apple a playful twirl. “So what do you want me to play?”

Henry paused to consider this query. “Moonlight Sonata?”

“Nah, too easy,” River giggled at him.

“Juvenile Controversy, by Headless Juggernaut?”

Headless Juggernaut was a metal band fronted by their friend Sergei.

“Sure, I can do that,” River said. She started to play, her fingers a carnival of activity. The room filled up as she played on.

“Sorry,” she said, “I’m a bit rusty.” Henry had never known she even played piano. Her rust could have reached oxidation levels, and he never would have noticed. 

A Family Mystery Uncovered [orig. Today]

It was a Sunday. Missy and Zoe were bored. This wasn’t new, but with River and Henry taking care of baby Izzy, it felt like there was a hole in their lives. It was no secret that Izzy was Henry’s daughter. But when Brandon had found out, he hadn’t taken it well. He had torn the wallpaper in the baby’s room he had so meticulously appointed. While Missy sat at the table with a notebook, Zoe was figuring out items for an upcoming tot-swap. 

None of them were actually siblings. But they were still an interracial family. Well, when you included Henry, for the most part. Zoe herself was half-Asian. There had been some curiosity if her dad was ethnic Japanese, Japanese American, or belonged to the Ainu. The Ainu were one of the indigenous peoples of Japan. But he had been born and raised on the island. Then he moved to Hawaii and met his future wife there. They were both entrants in a canoe marathon. It didn’t seem like something that was in-demand at the time, but it was what it was. Now Missy and Zoe had to figure out how to redo the nursery.