And so it begins.  

This month my Blue Clue is a bit more scary – so if you’re not a horror fan this won’t be to your liking.

The concept of Infusion Blue is that an entity, I’m initially calling The Presence, begins appearing on Earth, bringing with it terrifying happenings.

First, I will give you some background info and let you know what’s going on in this particular scene.  Then you’ll see an excerpt from the manuscript.

What is it? 

Reports in the news describe it as a rash of crimes, a serial killer, even terrorism, but there is a small group who believe that’s simply not true – and they begin to conduct their own investigation.

Michael Peller, Francine Mathews, Jeff Mason, Trisha Thomas and Clayton Bishop form an unlikely alliance purely by chance, and they all bring something different to the table.

Francine’s wedding.  

The weather was perfect.  Not a cloud in the sky.  And so Francine and Grant both believed when they looked out the window that morning that the heavens were smiling down on their special day.

And it all ended up going off without a hitch, despite near misses. The photographer who discovered his car would not start got a ride from a kindly neighbor.  The florist who got up at the crack of dawn for an emergency shipment of roses got the job done and was way ahead of schedule.  And the lead singer in the band awoke to find that the cold he feared was coming on had been nothing more than a bit of sneezing and coughing the day before.  Yes, all was well.  So it seemed.

Out of the blue.  

Nothing feels quite like that moment when the bride and groom take the floor for their first dance.  It’s magical and every person who has had this experience remembers it for the rest of their lives.  In this case though, that may not require a very long memory.

Their dance finished and the music changed to a faster tune, bringing everyone up on their feet.  Young and old alike enjoyed the fun of feeling a snappy beat and laughing at themselves.

Thelma McIvor, Grant’s maternal grandmom, did a neat jitterbug with his best man. Grant laughed and shook his head, wondering how or when Robbie ever learned how to dance.

And the whole scene was alive with excitement.  It was the perfect wedding reception, as far as Grant was concerned, and looking over at his new wife, Francine Matthews, oh, now Francine Henderson, his smile lit up his face like a Christmas tree.  She’s what makes this so perfect, he mused, she’s the magic ingredient.

Next there was to be the “Return Of The Garter”, a tradition started generations back in Grant’s family, where the best man replaces the bride’s garter after the toss and catch.

Grant saw the white chair with the blue ribbons on it being carried to the center of the dance floor, and all five of his groomsmen gathering around Robbie, who took his place next to it.  His beautiful Francine was escorted to the scene, laughing, and sat down, adjusting the position of her chiffon dress.

The music changed again, and the band starting playing an old, but very appropriate, ’60s era song, “I Want To Take You Higher”.  Grant heard it and started laughing even louder.

It had a surreal feel to it, that moment right before Robbie knelt down next to Francine and slid the delicate blue garter over her shoe and started up her leg.  All the guests got into it as the band  sang out “take you higher!” and Grant couldn’t resist allowing it to go just a few inches more, closer to Francine’s thigh, before raising his hands to call it to a halt.

The blur.  As it were. 

A strange sound could be heard in the large banquet hall.  The crystal chandeliers suspended overhead responded to it and began to tinkle softly at first, but that grew louder and louder as they swayed dangerously.

Guests began to cover their ears and watch in horror as their champagne glasses swelled until they exploded. Francine and Robbie stayed where they were, glued to the spot.  All the laughter and music had now stopped at this perfect wedding reception.

Was it a roar?  No.  Was it a growl?  No, not that either.  Instead it was a blue blur that covered everyone and everything in the room, while making a low, humming kind of sound.

Grant saw the blur intensify in the center and move steadily toward Francine.  Robbie was frozen in place, terrified.  Francine shrank back from it, and started to scream. Aside from the hum of the blur, it was now the only sound in the room.

Heroism.  Bold and true.

Excerpt from my work in progress manuscript:  

Grant forced himself to move.  His arms and legs were somehow heavier than ever and it was an effort to pull a foot up from the floor to walk. But he managed to free himself from a force he could only feel but not see, and rushed to come between his bride and what was now clearly an attacker.  

Witnesses to what happened next gave quite different accounts:  

Grandma Thelma.  “I looked for my grandson.  I did!  I couldn’t find him!  He vanished!  He just vanished!”

Bill Connors, Grant’s college roommate.  “He walked into some kind of blurry blue mist.  Like a fog.  Christ!  It ate him.  I heard it!”  

Robbie Young, his best man.  “I – I couldn’t see anything at all.  I was blinded by some kind blue veil.  But the smell!  It was sickening!” 

Debbie Mathews, Francine’s kid sister and maid of honor.  “It broke him apart!  The blue fog!  It tore up Grant!  I could hear his bones cracking!”  

And so I will leave all of you dedicated horror fans with another Blue Clue.  Be back next month!

JANUARY’S BLUE CLUE

Happy New Year