The Castle Karlstadt – Excerpt 10
The priest led me to what I assumed was his vestry. There were five men already in attendance within. They were introduced to me in what I presumed was their standing in the local community. The first was the Mayor, who looked totally unprepared for this meeting, he seemed to be totally bewildered by the proceedings.
The second was the Lieutenant commanding the local militia, who were there it seemed to keep order, but no reason was offered, why? The third was more interesting to me, another priest but by his looks, a zealot, He had that look, more warrior than priest. I was usually a good judge of character. I liked this man on sight. I had the feeling that you could rely on him, come what may?
The third man introduced himself, ‘I am Doctor Friedrich Eisner of the Vienna University, I am a protégé of the renowned Van Helsing!’ which I thought was all well and good, but I still had no clue where all this was leading. Or for that matter who the hell Van Helsing was?
The final member of the quintet was introduced to me as Bruno, the local blacksmith and the strongest man in the area. I could believe that, he was tall about 5.10 with a barrel chest and muscular arms and legs, he was bald and bullet headed, but he looked a formidable character. Unfortunately I disliked him on sight, I knew the type, he would resent taking orders from a relative stranger, he would bear watching.
I looked around the room, taking in the assemble group, than shaking my head in consternation said,’ OK! I know who you are! Why am I here? and more to the point, what do you want from me, there must be something?
(C)Damian Grange 2019
That last guy’s description was awesome!
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Thank you so much, I’m truly amazed by how this has been received. It was just an extra for a book of horror stories I am planning to release later this year.
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You know what, Malcolm, of all the bloggers I have read on WordPress this past year, I feel you are the most professional. I mean, each time I read the excerpts from The Castle Karlstadt, I feel like I’m reading a famous classic novel.
I wish the world gets to read this soon. It is beyond praise. It’s professional, skilled, superb, crisp writing.
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He is quite the professional!!! Consistent too, which is hard sometimes.
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Bear in mind that he is a seasoned warrior, so certain things become second nature, thank you so much for your comment!
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Consistency is hard indeed, you said it! Kudos to writers like Malcolm who teach us dedication by example!
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Thank you so much Isha, your comment leaves me feeling very humble, when I wrote this I don’t think I had a clue to its potential!
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I think not only does it have potential, but it is ready to be published and reach new peaks of popularity!
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I am so delighted by all the support that I have received, that I am planning a sequel which I hope will be as successful!
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The description of the priest (zealot) was perfect. Your descriptions are always on point.
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I try to portray what I see in my minds eye, in a story like this each of the characters has a role to play!
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Okay, I’m hooked. I really love the way you describe things, I mean, it’s just enough to give you a picture but not so much as to give away all the mysteriousness of it. I think that’s the toughest part in writing gothic horror. You’re doing a tremendous job. This reminds me of an old Italian classic film that I had watched, it’s called ‘I vampiri’. It was a first of its kind then, 1950s I think.
Anyway, I can’t wait for the next update Sir. 🙈
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Thank you so much for your generous comment, I’m truly amazed at the response this particular story has aroused!
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This is getting better by the line
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I’ve had so much positive response from this, that I have started to write a sequel!
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