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Lauren
Lv 4
Lauren asked in Arts & HumanitiesBooks & Authors · 10 years ago

What do you think? (Prologue)?

This is a prologue to a story I'm writing... I know it's long but prologues are usually a page long or so, and you don't have to read all of it! :) Let me know what you think.

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A drop of rain fell from the cloudless night sky and landed on the man’s cheek, sliding down like a tear. He didn’t notice as it glided coyly down to his neck, hanging there as a small bead of water.

The man restlessly paced back and forth, muttering inaudibly to himself. The quiet calm of the night did nothing to heal his affliction of anxiety.

Occasionally, he would stop to glower at the dark expanse above him. The look was menacing, yet there was apprehension in his eyes. He fiercely wished that he wasn’t under the open sky, where he felt so exposed and vulnerable.

He resumed his agitated walk, the hems of his black trousers slinging in the mud. He was bare-chested and without shoes, but showed no signs of being cold as he impatiently scanned the sky again. His obsidian hair fell down to his ears, and his sharp eyes were the color of sapphire jewels.

The man wrung his hands fitfully, and his eyes swept the hill for signs of movement. He was unsettled by the stone buildings that stood towering and erect, casting dark shadows that made for easy hiding places.

Suddenly, there was the sound of fluttering wings behind him. The black-haired man quickly spun around, and relaxed when he recognized the other man striding toward him.

This man had golden hair flecked with brown and piercing green eyes. His expression was somber as he stopped a few yards away. He wore a plain, white tunic with two long slits in the back, and clothing his legs were soft, white trousers. A silver chain hung from his neck, the pendant winking silver in the moonlight.

“Ezekiel, brother. I wish I could say it is good to see you.” His voice was grave, and he spoke in a language that only the ancients of the world could understand.

“Michael.” The man called Ezekiel inclined his head in respect. “You should not have come. You know the risk.”

“I do,” Michael agreed. “But you are in dire need of my aid.” Ezekiel scowled, but Michael held up a hand. “Do not let your pride get in the way now, brother. You have lost too much already.”

The fire faded from his eyes, and Ezekiel sighed. “You are right. Why did you call me here, Michael?”

Michael’s eyes flashed dangerously. “You have disobeyed. It is only a matter of time before Father begins to gather the archangels and send them to rid of the filthy Nephilim and imprison you and the rest of the fallen in Perdition. You cannot hide from them without help.”

“Then you are here to help me?” Ezekiel inquired, unfazed by his words.

“Yes,” Michael said, and drew the silver chain from around his neck. He tossed it to the man in front of him, who automatically caught it in his palm.

Ezekiel studied the pendant that hung from the links of silver. It was a shining depiction of a wooden cross, lines etched into the metal to show texture. A single, detailed serpent was coiled around it, the head snaked around the top of the cross. Every scale was clear and defined. The eyes were two miniscule rubies and seemed to be watching him. The man snorted. “Do not fool me, Michael. This is a caduceus. It represents health and prosperity, does it not?”

“It is not a caduceus.” Michael said severely, his eyes narrowing. “You know as well as I do that the serpent is a symbol of deceit and lies. This necklace has been cursed to favor evil, and it will hide your location from all angels.”

Ezekiel raised his eyes from the pendant to the man who gave it to him. “Does that include you?”

“It does.”

“Very well.” Ezekiel slipped the necklace over his head so the serpent hung just below his sternum.

“There is one other thing you should know.” Michael said, his voice a warning.

“What is it?” Ezekiel asked impatiently. Now that he had an advantage, he wanted to be as far away as possible from a potential enemy.

“The archangels are not the only ones who will want you imprisoned in Perdition.” The words sent cold chills down Ezekiel’s back, but he was smart enough to keep a neutral expression.

“Who else, then?” he demanded.

“The prisoners themselves. It will not take them long to grasp the fact that their dear brother is not with them. They will know you somehow managed to elude punishment, while they did not. Their fury will be the foundations of nightmares. It is not impossible for them to escape, Ezekiel. Be careful.”

Ezekiel laughed sardonically. “I am anything but careful, Michael. How do you think I got here in the first place? I’ll be prepared for their tricks, however. I remember them better than they will realize.”

“Then remember this, brother.” Michael’s voice had suddenly gone cold. “I did not come here out of our friendship. I came here

Update:

because I expect you to return the favor. Not now, but someday, I will collect.”

The fallen angel chuckled. “I do not doubt it, brother. Goodbye.” He arrogantly turned his back on Michael, and walked away into the obscurity of the night.

Update 2:

Yes, this is a fallen angel/romance book, and yes, I know that there is a million and one books about this type of thing. But this is a book for my own entertainment, I'm not hoping for a publishing or anything. I just would like to know if I am any good! Thanks.

4 Answers

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  • 10 years ago
    Favorite Answer

    I don't really like how awkward the dialogue is, but I do like how you made it a little more fanciful to get into the spirit of things. I do like the story's plot, it's very unique and I'd definitely read it. However, what age group are you trying to appeal to? Teenagers? Adults? Children? The vocabulary is so... mature, and college level that a lot of teenagers would have difficulty understanding the book. It is a little confusing, but I like that in a prologue. It makes me want to read more of the story. Of course, you're going to have to go back and edit the story, because it does need a few spelling and grammatical checks here and there, but overall, it's very nice.

    Hope this helped! :)

  • Laura
    Lv 4
    5 years ago

    Prologues are challenging. Usually they aren't necessary and the material can be fed into the story. One of the best resources I've come across regarding prologues and how best to write them and if they are needed, is a book called Between the Lines by Jessica Page Morrell. I'd suggest looking up the book as it will answer your questions.

  • 10 years ago

    Well, first of all, if you're writing this for yourself and your own entertainment, why care whether other people find it "good"?

    Anyways, the thing that struck me first is how unnatural the dialogue feels. I mean, they are angels so surely they wouldn't speak like California valley girls or poor people on the other side of the planet, but there's still something really artificial about it. Almost like you're trying too hard.

    And since the section you've posted is really dialogue-heavy, that's about as far as I can honestly comment on it. All we know is that it's about fallen angels/romance, but the snippet here doesn't really deal intensively with really any of it other than two angels "talking" to one another.

    ...that's all.

    :)

  • 10 years ago

    It's great. I love ur adj's!

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