Last week I shared the first chapter of a new story in my newsletter. I’ve decided to share it here, because it’s new and I’m thinking about how it’ll progress as a story. I’d love to know what you think.

Millie shoved the little white table in frustration. It was only a small room, and the table was in the wrong spot. It kept getting in her way. She suspected the problem with the position of the table had little to do with the piece of furniture and more to do with her mood. She always wanted to rearrange the furniture when she was in one of her moods.

“This would be a little easier if I had help, or if it wasn’t so hot!” she told Fetch the dog. Fetch just looked at her with those deep brown Jack Russell eyes, full of love for his human.

Stifling hot and humid, the sort of heat that permeated everywhere. One of those days in Queensland where the mercury rises early in the morning and stays there. “I’ve lived here for over forty years, and I’m still not used to the temperature.” She grumbled, turning the fan on. The strobe effect of the fan annoyed her, so off went the fan. Until Millie could stand it no longer and turned it on again.

“I should’ve moved to Scotland when I had the chance,” Millie muttered. With her kids spread across the globe it’d been tempting to move to the one place where she truly felt at home. “I wouldn’t have to worry about bushfires in Scotland.” Early spring and the temperatures were already in the mid-thirties. “I just hope it rains soon.” She stood back and surveyed the room. “I suppose this is okay.” Millie knew she was procrastinating, distracting herself. She took a tea light candle off the large corner bookshelf, placed it on the table and lit it.

“Time for focus Millie.”

The task she had been putting off for the last three weeks, had to be finished today. Millie looked through her notebook, at the recipes for gluten free pizza, the banana muffins and pumpkin soup. She flicked through to the back pages. Instructions for growing herbs in containers. Opening her diary, she noted that it was nearly time to think about Christmas as well. So many things to do. 

Back to the candle. “I lit this to help me focus and then I got distracted. I know I take on too many projects at once,” she said in exasperation.

Millie found it difficult to focus. She often wondered if it was too much coffee and chocolate, or not enough. Something else she wanted to work on. One day. She took a deep breath in and slowly released it. It was a dark moon tonight. Time to release what is no longer useful. Time to clear away all the old and stagnant energy.

On the shelf, her first attempt at a sage smudging stick taunted her. Millie held it over the flame and watched and listened as the dried herbs, sage and eucalypt leaves crackled and popped, ignited by the candle. “Not bad for a beginner,” she grinned at her pup. Fetch’s tailed wagged furiously. At fifty something, Fetch was her first dog. “Oh my goodness Fetch, each time this thing hisses and pops I think it’s going to burst into flames.”

Despite its wonky appearance, Miller was especially proud of the herb sage smudge stick, made from plants growing in her garden. She painstakingly cut the stalks, choosing those with lots of leaves. After leaving them to dry for a couple of days, she tied them together, sage, peppermint, rosemary, lavender, basil and a few eucalyptus leaves. She hung it on the clothes horse to dry. Pleased at the way the herb bundle turned out, Millie walked around her home, wiggling the smudge stick in the corners, over the bed, the chair and the desk in particular. Even into the bathroom. “I’m only learning, but it makes sense, using nature to clear away negative energy and to help focus.”

Once she was satisfied with the smudging of her home, Millie dipped the end of the herb stick in the few drops of water lingering in the kitchen sink. She left the remnants of the smudge stick to dry and extinguished the candle burning in her office. “Focus, focus, focus,” she muttered as she dropped some orange and peppermint essential oils on to the small white table. The house smudged, the table refreshed, furniture moved around, now for focus.

Millie remembered she had a new pink notebook, a gift from a friend. She picked up the notebook and her purple pen and went to make a cuppa. The kettle boiled, the coffee and milk in her cup, she decided it was too hot to sit outside and wandered back into her office. The aroma of the essential oils making her smile.

“Focus, focus, focus” she muttered as she opened the notebook.

“What are my options? What do I want to do? I can see if there are any childcare or teaching jobs.” She made a note to find the contact details of the local schools and childcare centres. “I could look at selling my herbs to the local restaurants too,”

Just as Millie was about to list all her options and the projects she wanted to focus on, there was a huge crash. It sounded like a shelf crashing down. ‘What now?’ She muttered as she jumped up to go and investigate.

“I’m sorry love, I didn’t mean to knock that over. I don’t remember that plant stand being in that corner.” Her husband Floyd sounded apologetic and a little embarrassed.

“That’s okay hun, I moved that plant stand a few days ago. I thought I told you, but I must have forgotten to. Would you like me to make you a cup of tea?” Millie was sure she had told Floyd before she moved the stand, but it didn’t really matter. No one got hurt. She’d repot the plants later. “I will probably move that plant stand down the back of the garden, out of the way.” She led Floyd inside to the dining room table and helped him sit down.

“Thanks love. I don’t know what I would do without you.” Floyd smiled.

“Luckily, I’m not planning on going anywhere.” Millie placed a tray on the table with a cup of chamomile tea for Floyd, peppermint tea for herself and a plate with two muffins. Sitting across from Floyd, she asked, “Did you hurt yourself when you bumped into the plant stand?”

“I’m okay. Not more aches and pains than normal.” Floyd always suffered a significant level of pain. Broken bones in his back from an incident over twenty years ago, and muscle aches in his neck and hips was a reality he lived with each day.

“Well why don’t you spend some time in the man cave, with some loud music and tinker. I will come and get you when it is lunch time,” Millie suggested as she handed Floyd one of the muffins. “I made your favourite, apple and cinnamon.”

“You spoil me,” he responded, munching on the muffin.

Once Floyd was safely tucked away in his shed, Millie looked at her notebook, “There is no way I can concentrate or focus now,” she grumbled to herself. She walked outside to inspect the damage to the plant stand.

“I don’t know what I was thinking,” she told the willy wagtail watching from the safety of the wattle. “I should have left this near the garden shed, instead of being lazy.” While the plant stand wasn’t in the middle of the path from the house to the shed, it probably didn’t belong this close to the house. Millie had thought it was easier to remember to water the plants if they were close to the house. It would be safer and easier if she moved it back down near the shed.

As she took the plastic seed trays out of the stand, she looked around for somewhere to put them while she moved the stand.

“I daren’t leave these on the ground even for five minutes, just in case Floyd comes out of the shed and trips on them,” she said with a sigh. Less than fifteen minutes later the plant stand was covered with shade cloth, at the side of the garden shed, sheltered from the wind. The seed trays and pots were safely in the structure, and had been given a light misty watering.

Collecting some tomatoes, lettuce and a cucumber to add to the lunchtime salad Millie groaned. So much for focus. It was almost time to prepare lunch.”

Fetch followed Millie. He spent half his day with Floyd and the rest of the time with Millie. “Oh Fetch,” she sighed. “How do I go back to work and leave Floyd at home by himself all day? I the doctor hasn’t diagnosed a specific health condition that means I can’t leave him by himself. I just don’t feel comfortable leaving him for a long period of time.” Fetch stared at Millie adoringly, hoping for a piece of chicken. She bent down and placed some chicken in the bowl.

Hearing Floyd making his way from the shed, she stopped her discussion with Fetch.

Do you like the new chapter? Should I continue with the story?