Christy Grace Scarlet Pen
The Hannah Carmichael Chronicles (Part One) is now an official eBook!
You can grab your copy, the first 30 can be free if you join the CGSP Readers List, but for the rest (Updated and Re-designed) is available now, so make sure to check it out and enjoy a spy adventure!
See You in the Adventures!
Christy Grace
What is a skill that you’ve always wanted to have?
Hannah Carmichael – super spy extraordinaire – woke up with amnesia, but confusing skills. She can shoot a gun, has excellent reflexes and other puzzling skills. Similar to Jason Bourne, it’s a little unsettling to know that you got these skills somehow, but don’t remember how, or why.
Thinking about skills though, got me to thinking. If I could wake up tomorrow and have ANY skill I want, what would it be?
I thought a little about having a sensible skill, like excellent Maths skills, or a nose which can smell where money is buried in the couch, even an eidetic memory (or for those who don’t know what that means, ‘photographic’), but in the end I decided on something a little more exciting.
If I could wake up tomorrow with just one skill, it would be the ability to surf like a pro with no fear! I love the idea of surfing, but the one time I tried it, I fell flat on my face, my fear of sharks kept me out of deep water, and I gave up. I know, I know, surfing takes practice and blah, blah… but for me, it wasn’t worth the bother. Plus it doesn’t help that I am such a clumsy human being, that I think if I was to stand up long enough, I would end up crashing into a dolphin.
I live in Australia, so i’m close to the ocean, it’s just not something i’ve set time aside to pursue. So, waking up tomorrow with the ability already inside me, yeah, that would be pretty cool.
What’s a skill that you would like? If you could wake up tomorrow and just HAVE it, what would you choose? Let me know in the comments!
And if you want to check out Hannah Carmichael discovering her skills without her memory, head to the link below:
https://atomic-temporary-148610121.wpcomstaging.com/2020/02/25/skills/
See You in the Adventures!
Christy Grace
Susan walked through the aisles at the supermarket and frowned. All the frozen vegetables were nowhere to be seen, just like the other shelves.
The panic over the world outside, had caused ‘panic buying’ but because she hadn’t gotten in on it, there was now nothing on the shelves.
Sighing and rolling her eyes, she pushed her trolley further down the aisle, hoping that the next freezer door held something on the other side. A wide smile spread across her face as she spotted it, the last bag of frozen peas. Excited, Susan leant down and yanked open the door, reaching deep into the bottom of the freezer. A woman with red hair beside her suddenly dove down as well, and grabbed the corner of the same bag.
“That’s mine! I saw it first,” The woman screamed, looking left and right. With no witnesses, she yanked at the bag. Susan refused to let go of the bag which was rightfully hers, “No you didn’t.” She said as she pulled back on the bag.
The woman scowled and pulled harder, splitting the bag open and allowing all the peas to clink onto the floor. They scattered along the tiles and the woman dropped the bag, shuffling her trolley away with a scowl, “You were right. It is your bag,” She said as she disappeared around the corner.
Susan exhaled and shook her head, still nobody in the aisle to witness the incident. She was sure the guys in the camera rooms were laughing, and were going to let her deal with it herself. The thought of leaving it for someone else to clean briefly popped into her mind, but she shook it loose and dropped onto her hands and knees, picking up as many peas as she could.
As she scooped up the last of the peas, Susan spotted a piece of another vegetable. It was red, and she reached forward for it, her fingers slipping as it made contact. It wasn’t solid; it wasn’t a vegetable. Soup. Someone must have dropped some sort of tomato soup, or sauce on the floor. She groaned and wiped the substance on her dark jeans, getting up onto her feet and putting the broken bag of dirty peas into the front part of her trolley. She’d hand it to a staff member and explain what happened. Maybe she’d mention the sauce stain while she was at it.
Steven took the bag of frozen peas from the customer and waited until she had disappeared into another aisle before he rolled his eyes and turned to Abigail.
“People are getting worse. This damn panic buying.”
Abigail rolled her eyes in return and nodded, “Yeah. But what can we do about it?” She pulled her restock trolley closer towards the end of the aisle and smiled, “Do you want me to check out the sauce stain?”
Steven shook his head, “Nah. Keep restocking, I’ll grab a rag and deal with it.”
He moved towards the frozen aisle with a small rag, his footsteps landing hard on the ground. He’d been on shift for seven hours already, and was almost finished. Then he could go back to his wife and kids. Although with the kids stuck doing school at home, maybe the extra hour would be a blessing in disguise.
As he reached the freezer, he frowned at the large puddle of what appeared to be tomato soup. The woman had only said it was a smudge, but this was a large puddle. He kept moving closer and checked for other customers. With nobody else around, Steven froze as he leant over the top of the freezer.
It had been emptied out of vegetable packets, but something else had taken it’s place. The woman was stuffed into the corner, a large wound on the back of her head. Her eyes were wide open, but no part of her was moving. Steven saw the blood trail leading to the puddle of what he had thought was soup and dry heaved.
Taking a breath, Steven slid the door open and reached his hand down to check for the pulse he was sure wasn’t there. Pushing back her hair he felt her neck, the cold already reaching his own hand. When he was satisfied that she was dead, he pulled is radio out of his belt and pushed down to talk.
“We have a situation in Aisle Seven with a red headed woman.”
See You in the Adventures!
Christy Grace
I was at a local shop today, and I came across an important concept from a place of deep humiliation and hurt. Yes, I am going to share a very vulnerable story with you all so sit back and prepare for my, sadly, uncommon turn of events.
I feel like after this whole pandemic situation, people are starting to go back to life in somewhat of a more normal state, and their tolerance for patience, kindness and respect have gone down a touch. I’m hoping this isn’t too pessimistic a world view (as in general, I tend to be quite positive when I look at the ‘human condition’ and possibility for redemption).
While at a store, however, I was reminded that words matter. They can hurt, they can sting and cut at someone. They can be the difference in someone’s day being good to bad (or vice versa), and they can be spiteful, and stick with someone for years – if not, an entire life.
I try to make sure my words are positive – because words can also bring joy, peace, fulfilment, acceptance, love, kindness and shift your perspective.
This instance, was not the latter – it was in fact, the former.
Queues these days can sometimes appear complicated – because of ‘social distancing’ we are forced to make sure we stay at arms length. This leads to confusion on occasion, with WHERE a line begins, and ends. This was such an occasion.
I entered a store where the line was marked with those ‘keep 1.5 meters away’ spots on the floor. The shelves behind that line, were filled with objects you could peruse, and talk with staff about purchasing whatever took your fancy. As I entered the store, I saw where I thought the line began, and where a group of people were chatting away – quite a fair distance from the line, and Certainly several of those helpful ‘spots’ away from the woman at the front of the counter. So, I went with it and moved behind her in what I was sure was the line.
Apparently, I was wrong.
Now, i’m not a rude individual. I go out of my way to be polite, courteous and kind to everyone – regardless of if they have decided that today isn’t their day for patience.
However, the gentleman behind me had clearly decided that today was not his day for patience and kindness.
I don’t like making scenes, so when I heard the man behind me comment to his friend that I was ‘pretending to be ignorant’ after pushing in line, I stood still in utter Shock. I was not only taken aback that he had ASSUMED my intention was to push in line and pretend I didn’t realise, but also that instead of tapping me on the shoulder (without actually touching my shoulder of course – that 1.5 meter rule!) and saying ‘excuse me, the line is actually back there’. No. He chose to instead, passive aggressively tear me down, and try to humiliate me.
When I first heard the comment I thought, surely he wasn’t referring to me. I was, after all, not trying to be rude or push in line – and had no problem waiting my turn. Nope, I must have been mistaken. When it happened a SECOND time with another of his friends, this time I was sure. He had meant me.
But, how could he mean me? Surely he had to realise that him standing WAY out of the line with several friends having a chat wouldn’t have looked like he was actually in line, shouldn’t he? No. He had clearly decided that I was just rude, and pretending not to notice him.
Ordinarily, I would have turned around and apologised, then moved down the line – but this was different. He had Completely and utterly humiliated me, past a point where I for-see having enough dignity to be able to correct my very honest, mistake.
Because that’s what it was; a mistake.
You can’t assume somebody’s intentions.
You can hear their words and see their actions, but only they know what the intent was behind those words or actions.
When you say words that you know are going to hurt somebody, my question is why? Why wouldn’t you just kindly pull that person aside (be it a stranger in a store, or a family member, friend or work colleague) and point out a mistake, inconsistency or comment/action they may not even be aware of.
Okay, perhaps I let this man’s actions affect me a little more than they needed to. But when you’re humiliated and hurt beyond a point of possibility to correct mistakes, isn’t that wrong? Shouldn’t it be everyones mission/goal to spread positivity, instead of negativity and hurtful comments?
Next time, maybe i’ll just send someone else to do my shopping for me.
Or maybe i’ll go in with a more cautious eye as to whoever is also shopping around me.
But, should I really have to approach something this way? We should be more aware of what we say, and how that will affect others. Like it or not, what you say has meaning to someone else – and it can be hurtful.
What are your thoughts? Do you find that people are being downright rude these days? What about their words, are they being kind to people around them?
See You in the Adventures!
Christy Grace
“The Plan is going perfectly.”
“What do you mean perfectly? Everything’s going wrong!”
“That’s why we have a Plan B.”
When you make a plan, do you automatically come up with a backup… just in case?
There are advantages for having a backup plan. When that pesky spy you didn’t want crashing your operation tries to stop you, what else is there but to have a PLAN B?
CGT needed a lot of Plan B’s when Hannah Carmichael came along. Their latest one, was to kill those they couldn’t control (Check out the link at the end of this post for what happened with THAT plan b).
But what about normal Plan B’s – the ones that don’t involve spies or life and death?
A plan B for if it rains on your wedding day, or the movie you picked is sold out? What about your favourite restaurant not having a table for you?
Do you come up with backups, just in case?
I don’t know about for normal life decisions (like the movies or having dinner), but when it comes to committing a crime, a heist or some other sort of dangerous activity – plan B (and c, d, e, f etc) would probably be a good idea. NOT that i’m saying it’s okay to commit such acts, or that we should be thinking about these things on a regular basis, but what happens to a police officer who doesn’t have a backup plan (or the training procedures in place for an alternate option). On a bust, the criminals throw something at you that you didn’t expect… did you come up with a backup plan?
I was thinking about the Plan B idea, and it feels a little like you don’t have faith in your Plan A, but on the flip side, that you’re thinking of every possible outcome. So where do you land on Plan B’s? I think for something life altering, maybe we should have one….
I’d love to hear your thoughts, so comment below 😀
If you want to read what CGT’s Plan B was, check out the link below and join the super spy Hannah Carmichael:
https://atomic-temporary-148610121.wpcomstaging.com/2020/02/11/senseofhumour/
Hope your Plan B’s are going okay during times of lockdown and isolation!
See You in the Adventures!
Christy Grace
Enjoy the Furious Fiction from April 2020! I did 😀
The lemon, wedding cake wobbled in my arms. I shifted it, then continued to walk alongside the dirt road. I was still miles from the venue, and the rain from last night was not helping as I sidestepped another puddle. That damn car had always seemed to have it in for me, always breaking down at the most important moments of my life.
I checked all three tiers of the cake and smiled; they were still tied securely with large yellow ribbons. It had been a challenge to get the same yellow pigment in the rosettes, but I was proud of the final match.
A stone on the path pierced through my thin shoe and into my foot. I yelped, and felt my masterpiece once again shifting. Desperately, I tried to balance the heavy cake, managing to gain control once again. As if in slow motion, I watched as the cake topper slid further towards the edge of the top tier. In a panic, I tried to stabilise the cake and save the bride and groom. The movements worsened my dilemma, and I watched helplessly, as the icon of happily ever after slid off the cake, landing in a nearby puddle.
The topper splashed muddy water onto the bottom of my lemon yellow dress, and I groaned. There was less than an hour until the ceremony, and my heart began to sink; I was going to miss the wedding.
A car behind me honked and I turned, still trying to maintain balance. The man behind the wheel smiled, popping the locks to the passenger seat and motioning with his head for me to get in. I smiled wide and slid the cake inside, returning to the puddle for the bride and groom topper. As I jumped into the car and we continued towards the hotel, I revealed my traumatic ordeal. The man, also a guest at the wedding, kindly stepped on the gas, rocketing towards the event.
We arrived just as the harp started to play, and the bride began her decent down the aisle. I thanked the gentleman, then sidestepped the guests, sneaking quietly towards the catering area. The apron I was wearing now had dirt and flour covering the surface, but I ignored it and shuffled backwards, pushing my ass through the swinging door to the kitchen.
Once I’d passed the cake off to the other catering staff, I sucked in a deep breath. As the panic dissipated, I peeked my head out through the door and smiled. Guests began to cheer as the bride and groom shared their wedding day kiss.
I’d done it.
See You in the Adventures!
Christy Grace
A secret company which works in the shadows of the spy community. Claiming to be a force for good, but really a force for profit, war and chaos!
Sound familiar? (Apart from every other spy movie out there) – That’s because Hannah Carmichael (my super spy character) is dealing with such an agency called CGT!
These shadowy agencies are fun for a conspiracy hit in a spy story, but the way they operate is similar to the feelings some people are having right now. Stuck in the shadows, in a dark place with the light not shining through yet.
Some of us are trapped in lockdowns and self isolation which feels dark and we are being bombarded with negative thoughts, emotions and options.
I’ve had some tough days and a tough week over the last few months, but there were some things that I discovered about myself, about negativity and about bringing the light into my situation – which you can as well!
I love light. It pierces the dark so amazingly, that it just doesn’t exist anymore. Hannah Carmichael is trying to bring CGT out of the shadows and into the light, where it can be examined and stopped! That’s what we should be doing to our own shadowy agencies. Our thoughts that we are alone, that things will never go back to a place of ‘normal’, that we aren’t enough. These thoughts, these negative feelings and emotions need to be brought out of the shadows and into the light. Why? Because you take away their power.
Once you bring something to the light; you talk about it, admit it (even to yourself), work through whatever triggered it, and move through it – you take away it’s power. An unspoken word can often have more power than a spoken word. It’s hard to admit that you’re struggling, it’s hard to admit that you need help, it’s hard to take a step towards the light. It might seem comfortable where you are in the shadows; nobody will understand, I’ll sound crazy, people will think i’m just complaining all the time – NO!
Bringing a thought to light, takes away it’s power and allows your brain to process it and move on.
So in these times of isolation, reach out to someone, reach out to a helpline, and smash your shadows with the light!
If you want to see how Hannah Carmichael is looking at smashing CGT into the light, check out the link below:
https://atomic-temporary-148610121.wpcomstaging.com/2020/03/10/gunstoacquire-hcc67/
I hope you’re all doing okay, and staying safe.
See You in the Adventures!
Christy Grace
Keep checking back for what this means… Can you guess? Feel free in the comments
See You in the Adventures!
Christy Grace
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