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why Eloise trusts Kevin Usher

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why Eloise trusts Kevin Usher
Post by runsforcelery   » Sun Jun 11, 2017 12:14 am

runsforcelery
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In case you've ever wondered exactly why Kevin Usher is one of the tiny handful of people in the universe Eloise Pritchart trusts with zero reservations, here are a few paragraphs from the short story "Our Sacred Honor" which will be appearing soon in Bryan Thomas Schmidt's Infinite Stars anthology.

There's a reason Eloise and Kevin were lovers once . . . and why either one of them would die for the other in a heartbeat.

Rose, do not threaten me over this! I got her through it in the end, after all! :)

___________________________________



“Do you know what time it —?”

Kevin Usher stopped dead as he opened his door and the doorbell stopped buzzing.

Eloise Pritchart stood there, her dark slacks streaked with something far darker, the cuffs of her white blouse black and stiff, her face still smeared with streaks of dried blood her mopping hands had missed. There was more blood in her hair, under her fingernails, and the nightmare heart of hell was in her eyes.

“Eloise?” he said very, very softly.

“Kevin,” she replied, and his jaw clenched. He’d never heard that flat, cold deadness from her.

He moved wordlessly aside and she stepped past him so the door could close behind her. She looked around his living room as if she’d never seen it before, but he didn’t think she was really seeing it now, either. She simply stood there, hands by her sides, her expression empty.

He touched her shoulder, and she let him steer her as if she were a mannequin as he seated her in one of his well-worn armchairs.

“Eloise?” he said again and she blinked. Then, slowly, those desecrated eyes focused upon him..

“She’s gone, Kev.” The words were no longer dead, and his heart flinched from the endless ocean of pain that filled them, instead. “She’s gone,” she said again. “Just . . . gone. I’ll never see her again. Never hug her. Never —”

Her voice broke, her shoulders quivered, and she buried her face in her hands. She jackknifed forward in the armchair, and he went to his knees beside her, wrapping his arms about her, as the sobs tore loose at last and ripped the heart right out of her.


"Oh, bother!" said Pooh, as Piglet came back from the dead.
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Re: why Eloise trusts Kevin Usher
Post by cthia   » Sun Jun 11, 2017 1:04 am

cthia
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Posts: 14951
Joined: Thu Jan 23, 2014 1:10 pm

runsforcelery wrote:In case you've ever wondered exactly why Kevin Usher is one of the tiny handful of people in the universe Eloise Pritchart trusts with zero reservations, here are a few paragraphs from the short story "Our Sacred Honor" which will be appearing soon in Bryan Thomas Schmidt's Infinite Stars anthology.

There's a reason Eloise and Kevin were lovers once . . . and why either one of them would die for the other in a heartbeat.

Rose, do not threaten me over this! I got her through it in the end, after all! :)

___________________________________



“Do you know what time it —?”

Kevin Usher stopped dead as he opened his door and the doorbell stopped buzzing.

Eloise Pritchart stood there, her dark slacks streaked with something far darker, the cuffs of her white blouse black and stiff, her face still smeared with streaks of dried blood her mopping hands had missed. There was more blood in her hair, under her fingernails, and the nightmare heart of hell was in her eyes.

“Eloise?” he said very, very softly.

“Kevin,” she replied, and his jaw clenched. He’d never heard that flat, cold deadness from her.

He moved wordlessly aside and she stepped past him so the door could close behind her. She looked around his living room as if she’d never seen it before, but he didn’t think she was really seeing it now, either. She simply stood there, hands by her sides, her expression empty.

He touched her shoulder, and she let him steer her as if she were a mannequin as he seated her in one of his well-worn armchairs.

“Eloise?” he said again and she blinked. Then, slowly, those desecrated eyes focused upon him..

“She’s gone, Kev.” The words were no longer dead, and his heart flinched from the endless ocean of pain that filled them, instead. “She’s gone,” she said again. “Just . . . gone. I’ll never see her again. Never hug her. Never —”

Her voice broke, her shoulders quivered, and she buried her face in her hands. She jackknifed forward in the armchair, and he went to his knees beside her, wrapping his arms about her, as the sobs tore loose at last and ripped the heart right out of her.

If I may get a hall pass from kzt for missing class and having to ask this question...

Who is Bryan Thomas Schmidt and why is "Our Sacred Honor" in one of his anthologies? And is the Honor in the title our Honor?

.
Last edited by cthia on Sun Jun 11, 2017 1:05 am, edited 2 times in total.

Son, your mother says I have to hang you. Personally I don't think this is a capital offense. But if I don't hang you, she's gonna hang me and frankly, I'm not the one in trouble. —cthia's father. Incident in ? Axiom of Common Sense
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Re: why Eloise trusts Kevin Usher
Post by Fireflair   » Sun Jun 11, 2017 1:04 am

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I'm sure Rose will appreciate this teaser. It's nice to see some of the back story of the various characters who emerged to be decent and good people. Especially in Haven, where it was always known by the reader that they weren't all bad people.
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Re: why Eloise trusts Kevin Usher
Post by Robert_A_Woodward   » Sun Jun 11, 2017 1:24 am

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Joined: Sun Aug 09, 2015 10:29 pm

cthia wrote:
runsforcelery wrote:In case you've ever wondered exactly why Kevin Usher is one of the tiny handful of people in the universe Eloise Pritchart trusts with zero reservations, here are a few paragraphs from the short story "Our Sacred Honor" which will be appearing soon in Bryan Thomas Schmidt's Infinite Stars anthology.

There's a reason Eloise and Kevin were lovers once . . . and why either one of them would die for the other in a heartbeat.

(Snippet Deleted)


If I may get a hall pass from kzt for missing class and having to ask this question...

Who is Bryan Thomas Schmidt and why is "Our Sacred Honor" in one of his anthologies? And is the Honor in the title our Honor?

Schmidt is the editor of 8 anthologies (several for Baen), see http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/ea.cgi?164576. _Infinite Stars_ is described as having 24 stories in best selling and classic universes (14 new, 10 reprints). My suspicion is that "Our Sacred Honor" is a reference to the final sentence of Declaration of Independence.

.
----------------------------
Beowulf was bad.
(first sentence of Chapter VI of _Space Viking_ by H. Beam Piper)
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Re: why Eloise trusts Kevin Usher
Post by roseandheather   » Sun Jun 11, 2017 1:43 am

roseandheather
Admiral

Posts: 2056
Joined: Sun Dec 08, 2013 10:39 pm
Location: Republic of Haven

runsforcelery wrote:In case you've ever wondered exactly why Kevin Usher is one of the tiny handful of people in the universe Eloise Pritchart trusts with zero reservations, here are a few paragraphs from the short story "Our Sacred Honor" which will be appearing soon in Bryan Thomas Schmidt's Infinite Stars anthology.

There's a reason Eloise and Kevin were lovers once . . . and why either one of them would die for the other in a heartbeat.

Rose, do not threaten me over this! I got her through it in the end, after all! :)

___________________________________



“Do you know what time it —?”

Kevin Usher stopped dead as he opened his door and the doorbell stopped buzzing.

Eloise Pritchart stood there, her dark slacks streaked with something far darker, the cuffs of her white blouse black and stiff, her face still smeared with streaks of dried blood her mopping hands had missed. There was more blood in her hair, under her fingernails, and the nightmare heart of hell was in her eyes.

“Eloise?” he said very, very softly.

“Kevin,” she replied, and his jaw clenched. He’d never heard that flat, cold deadness from her.

He moved wordlessly aside and she stepped past him so the door could close behind her. She looked around his living room as if she’d never seen it before, but he didn’t think she was really seeing it now, either. She simply stood there, hands by her sides, her expression empty.

He touched her shoulder, and she let him steer her as if she were a mannequin as he seated her in one of his well-worn armchairs.

“Eloise?” he said again and she blinked. Then, slowly, those desecrated eyes focused upon him..

“She’s gone, Kev.” The words were no longer dead, and his heart flinched from the endless ocean of pain that filled them, instead. “She’s gone,” she said again. “Just . . . gone. I’ll never see her again. Never hug her. Never —”

Her voice broke, her shoulders quivered, and she buried her face in her hands. She jackknifed forward in the armchair, and he went to his knees beside her, wrapping his arms about her, as the sobs tore loose at last and ripped the heart right out of her.


I'm gonna kill you. Just as soon as I finish crying my eyes out. :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry:

Oh, God, my baby. I know exactly when this is in her timeline and I can't even.... ::uncontrollable sobbing::

In other news, I am terrified, flattered, and gleeful in equal measure that His Celeryness is so well acquainted with my... feelings regarding Haven's President. I hope he also understands that I am Constitutionally obliged to threaten him anyway. :twisted: (No, seriously. I'm pretty sure it's somewhere in the Haven Constitution. Or at least my Constitution. :lol: )
~*~


I serve at the pleasure of President Pritchart.

Javier & Eloise
"You'll remember me when the west wind moves upon the fields of barley..."
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Re: why Eloise trusts Kevin Usher
Post by Dauntless   » Sun Jun 11, 2017 8:49 am

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ah I can guess where this is in eloise's life.

i'll admit i would prefer if this story was coming from one of your anthlogies still i'll see what other stories are listed for it and consider buying it.

hopefully even if you don't get Bryan Thomas Schmidt's book this will become available (in a year or 2) for those who don't get that book.

as to why Eloise trusts Kevin, it is going to be simple, he will help her bury the bodies. assuming Eloise leaves enough to be buried.
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Re: why Eloise trusts Kevin Usher
Post by n7axw   » Sun Jun 11, 2017 5:46 pm

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I don't know, but I suspect this snippet refers to what happened to Eloise's sister which in turn launched Eloise on her career as an Aprilist...

Don

-
When any group seeks political power in God's name, both religion and politics are instantly corrupted.
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Re: why Eloise trusts Kevin Usher
Post by kzt   » Sun Jun 11, 2017 6:59 pm

kzt
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n7axw wrote:I don't know, but I suspect this snippet refers to what happened to Eloise's sister which in turn launched Eloise on her career as an Aprilist...

I vaguely remember the April part of that refers to a large scale demonstration where peep security got out of hand...
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Re: why Eloise trusts Kevin Usher
Post by roseandheather   » Sun Jun 11, 2017 7:12 pm

roseandheather
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Joined: Sun Dec 08, 2013 10:39 pm
Location: Republic of Haven

kzt wrote:
n7axw wrote:I don't know, but I suspect this snippet refers to what happened to Eloise's sister which in turn launched Eloise on her career as an Aprilist...

I vaguely remember the April part of that refers to a large scale demonstration where peep security got out of hand...


Yes, and a number of people were killed, but not Estelle Pritchart - Eloise lost her sister to gang violence, which prompted her to join the already-extant April Tribunal.
~*~


I serve at the pleasure of President Pritchart.

Javier & Eloise
"You'll remember me when the west wind moves upon the fields of barley..."
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Re: why Eloise trusts Kevin Usher
Post by cthia   » Sun Jun 11, 2017 8:13 pm

cthia
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Rose, you are aware that after 624 posts, I don't think Eloise and Keven were ever paired in the Cupid thread. At least I don't recall arrows being sent their way anyways, lest it was my day off, or the day I 'cough' accidentally shot myself and fell in love with Stacey.

That can't get back to headquarters. LOL

Son, your mother says I have to hang you. Personally I don't think this is a capital offense. But if I don't hang you, she's gonna hang me and frankly, I'm not the one in trouble. —cthia's father. Incident in ? Axiom of Common Sense
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