The whispered voices and unsettling dreams were puzzling enough, but when the visions began, disquiet crept into Sarah Richards heart.Living a joyless and unfulfilled existence, Sarah’s life, however, is ordered and routine. But one autumn morning she sees a figure waving to her, the figure of a man more ghostly than real.Several times he appears, but is the spectre harmless, or are his intentions malevolent?Disturbed and intrigued, Sarah endeavours to understand the mystery, to identify her unknown stalker.But with each visitation, she becomes ever more bewildered, and as her ordered life begins to unravel, she questions the reality of all that she knows, and with mounting horror, even her own sanity.
Song Of The Robin by R V Biggs was published in paperback in April last year. As part of the #RandomThingsTours Blog Tour I am delighted to share an extract from the book with you today.
The muted melody
of a popular Christmas song emanated from loudspeakers somewhere nearby and
mingled with the loud hum of voices and general background noise. While she
waited for Rachel, Sarah busied herself with people watching… a pastime she
often enjoyed. Some bought coffee and mince pies or assorted cakes from a
nearby coffee shop. Others queued for baked potatoes from a vendor who offered
a variety of fillings from an old-fashioned oven on wheels. There was a boutique
and a shoe shop close by, packed with younger women looking for pre-Christmas
bargains or party dresses.
Sitting on
her own, she shivered and pushed her hands into her pockets. She felt as if someone
was watching her again and scanned the faces looking for anyone familiar.
This is annoying.
Where was
this notion coming from? She was not in the habit of suffering from unwanted
emotions, and little happened to her that was unexpected. Nor had she
experienced anything out of the ordinary that robbed her of choice or
self-control, so she stood up and walked to the balustrade that ran around the
balcony of the indoor shopping mall.
Sarah
stopped at the rail and peered down onto the ground floor, searching for any
familiar face, though the futility of doing so didn’t escape her. It was
impossible to be seen by someone who stood on the ground floor, but still she
scrutinised everyone.
Without
success, Sarah lifted her gaze and shifted her attention to the level where she
stood. Amongst the hundreds of people milling around she recognised no one and
in frustration turned back to the bench. As she did so, she spotted a
stationary figure looking in her direction.
Through the
gap between two enclosed glass elevators she saw a man standing immobile amidst
the shifting sea of people.
He was
looking straight at her.
In an
instant, Sarah recognised him as the man who had waved to her earlier, but this
time a worried expression softened his features as he began to walk around the
balcony heading in her direction.
To her consternation
and increasing fear, a second figure appeared behind the man, but this figure
was featureless, pure white in colour and did not move. A halo hovered around
the shape, a radiance that itself was white but threaded through with shades of
purple. The aura spread out several yards and wafted back and forth as if moved
by a gentle breeze. Even as she heard her name whispered once more, recognition
furrowed her brow. Here was the same figure she had dreamt of, the figure that
made her think of an angel. But that was a within a dream. How could she see
such a spectacle with her waking eyes? Her whole body shivered as icy fingers
played under her skin. Dragging her eyes back towards the man as he moved
closer, she could hear him speaking her name as if he were whispering in her
ear though he was still at least fifty yards away. Rooted to the spot, Sarah
stared at him and with mounting horror noticed he was still visible even when
other people walked in front of him. Her whole sense of logic and reality began
to crumble as he then walked through a group of shoppers who stood chatting,
and all the while the brilliant white glare shimmered in the background.
A sudden
light touch brushed Sarah’s arm, and she jumped so much she let out a loud
squeal.
She whirled
around to a shocked Rachel.
‘Christ,
where were you then!’ Rachel hissed, looking around in embarrassment. They were
both aware of inquisitive eyes staring at them, but the shopping frenzy soon
returned to the masses and no one paid any more attention.
Rachel
grabbed her friend by the arm and began walking.
‘C’mon. You
need coffee and I need an explanation as to why you’re behaving oddly this
morning.’
In her
urgency, Rachel pulled her friend back the way they had come and then taking
the quickest route out to the street, steered Sarah down an escalator and into
the open air.
Sarah was
hardly aware of her movements… even though she stumbled several times as Rachel
hurried towards Caffé Nero. Instead, her mind focussed on one thought and a
thought that confounded her. Just as Sarah turned away when Rachel touched her
arm, and despite the puzzling white figure, she half fancied the image of the
man had shrunk to the size of a small child. A child?
As they
emerged from the shopping centre, the weather had taken a turn for the worse
and they walked in silence. Stinging raindrops lashed them in the face as they
ran across Victoria Street and around the corner to the coffee shop. Once
inside, Rachel spotted an empty table in a quiet corner by the window and made
Sarah sit before she wandered off to place their order.
Still
wracked with confusion at what had just occurred, Sarah took off her hat and
coat and then sat still, hands on her lap, staring unseeing out of the window.
After a few
moments her vision drifted back into focus, and to her dismay she saw the man
now standing across the street by a newsagent’s shop. This time he was alone
and stayed where he was, gazing in her direction.
Sarah
dragged her eyes away and lowered her head, fixing her sight on the table in
front. Feeling disconnected again as if observing from a distance, she saw herself
lean forward, fold her arms as if for protection and, for the first time, felt
a faint flutter of panic.
R V Biggs lives in a
small ex-mining village near Wolverhampton, England, with his wife Julie, and
Mags the black lab. He has four grown up children and six grandchildren.
Walking with the dog is a
favorite pastime and much of the story line for his first novel was developed
during these lengthy outings.
Robert worked for 35
years in telecommunications but changed career paths to a managerial supporting
role within a local Mental Health NHS trust. It was during the period between
these roles that the concept for Song of the Robin was born.
Robert is a firm believer
that destiny and co-incidence exist hand in hand and this conviction extends to
his writing. He has a passion for holistic well-being and after first-hand
experience of the potential healing powers of Reiki, a form of energy therapy,
took a Reiki level 1 training course to heighten his spiritual awareness.
Robert’s experiences in these areas helped conceive the ideas that led to Song
of the Robin and its sequel Reunion, novels with central themes of fate, love
and the strength of family. His writing however is not fantasy but is set in
modern times involving real people living real lives.
Twitter @RVBiggs
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