The Divine Epidemic - Update · 12:01am Jan 23rd, 2019
Wow, it been two and a half months and I still haven't updated Epidemic? Huh. Heck, I haven't even posted a blog promoting the story yet. Guess this is it.
Anyway, the reason why the next chapter is taking so long is that it's taking a lot of work. Like, so much work. Too much work. So much, I had to rewrite the entire thing because of how awful it was. But, with the new draft completed, I'm very confident that the chapter is of distinct quality. Therefore, as soon as my editor goes over the chapter, and as soon as I go over his suggestions, the next chapter of Epidemic will finally be published.
This is a story I'm treating very diligently, so I can't just say, "Done." and publish the chapter right away. Hopefully, updating progress won't be so slow upon the next chapter, where we'll finally get to meet Alias, Goddess of Doubt (and Oracle of Possible Prophecies)!
Without further ado, for those of you who have been anticipating the next chapter (Anyone? C'mon, anyone? There has to be somebody out there waiting...), I've decided to share a little unedited snippet from the draft I'm working on.
Have fun.
It was impossible to believe―dreadful to believe―absolutely, positively dreadful to believe. OddLuck has already lived in this city for seven months. Seven months. Seven months―where did the time go? Every day it’s get up before noon, go to work, get off of work, then try to go to sleep by twelve in the morning but procrastinate and not go to bed until four in the morning. The next day is promise yourself that you will do better in the future and that the future is eventually, but not be bothered to do anything until then because it’s better to wait for things to get better.
This is how OddLuck has been living her life for the last seven months.
For the last seven months, this is how OddLuck has lived.
This is how she has lived for seven months.
In repetition.
What happened at college no longer mattered to her. What mattered now is she had no job, she barely has enough money to pay the bills, and her roommate is completely bonkers. Not bonkers as in “P. Gander bonkers” but quite bonkers for an ex-homeless mare who thinks she was plucked straight from medieval times.
Why, it almost seemed as if OddLuck’s life was leading somewhere―knee-deep in a puddle of nowhere.
In truth, OddLuck wouldn’t know where her life was heading even if it hit her in the head.
And it did.
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This is what OddLuck saw in her confused daze as she laid against the cold, hard ground of Neighpalm St., trying to figure out what the heck happened and how she got to this point. Eventually, her vision cleared and she was able to see what it was that hung in the sky before her.
Roadblock
Head still pounding, she stared up at the sign, trying to figure out where it came from. A construction worker, exhaustion plain on his face, saw the mare lying on the ground and ran over to help her up.
“Why is there a Roadblock on Neighpalm Street?” OddLuck asked, rubbing her temples as she tried to come out of her sudden stupor.
“The Mayor has closed off all the streets so that his wife can deliver her babies safely along the way to the hospital.”
“The Mayor’s wife is pregnant?”
“I thought the same thing at first. Take a look for yourself.”
Head still pounding, she looked past the roadblock sign and cupped a hoof over her eyes to shadow them from the sun blocking her view. Sure enough, in the middle of the intersection, blocking any and all traffic from getting through, was the mayor attempting to push a cart full of dozens of babies uphill.
His wife was watching from inside the cart. Growing impatient, she got out and pushed alongside him. “Push honey, push!” the Mayor screamed.
The sheer weight of the cart, not to mention the addition of the dozen babies inside, all well fed, made it extremely difficult to budge uphill. She screamed in agony as her muscles began to ripple. “Go to Tartarus!” she yelled. “My mother was right about you! We’ll never win the Amazing Baby Race at this point!”
“We can do it, honey! Think of the babies! We’ll never make a statement on the importance of fertility if we don’t deliver them on time to the hospital. These babies will be pregnant one day then die the next―that’s how life is!”
OddLuck looked towards the commotion, then at the crossing guard, then back at the commotion, at the crossing guard, back at the commotion, at the roadblock sign, then back at the crossing guard, and said, “Well, I hope it goes well.”
Fun Fact: The first three chapters were all meant to be one chapter. But it was growing so big that editing became tedious, so I decided to separate them. The third chapter should be the round-up of the setting.
