The Inbetween

by Sue Kendrick

It was the time they call the inbetween. When trees raise bare and withered arms to keening skies. When wild fowl move like grey shades over leaded waters. The time when the lord of the green has long gone to the summer land and he who they call the winter king rides out from the land of shadows with death on his helm and a sword of ice in his hand.

Arwyn has lived long and knows much and knows well the power of the inbetween, but the future was ever a canvas painted by the past! Short story 5,000 words plus.

26 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 19, 2012

About the author

I am a freelance writer living on a small farm in Leicestershire. I've written hundreds of articles on various subjects, predominately covering farming, the countryside and folklore.

I've been commissioned by two publishers to write books on sheep keeping, Showing Sheep For Pleasure And Profit and Lambs For The Freezer

I've also self-published a book on freelance writing, FEE-Lance Writing The Complete Guide To A Profitable Writing Businessand recently a short story as a Kindle ebook The Inbetween

Reviews

[Bill Hiatt · Rating 5 out of 5]

As an English teacher with more than 30 years of experience, I know how rare it is for someone to truly love language, but it is clear to me that Sue Kendrick does. She doesn't just write; she creates art. She works with deliberately archaic language that fits her setting, but she uses that language as if she grew up speaking it.

The author's ability to create an engaging storyline is at least equal to her command of the language. The struggle between paganism and Christianity in early medieval Europe has had many literary treatments in the past, and will have more in the future. Inevitably, each writer has a different take on that friction. Ms. Kendricks' portrayal of a virtuous pagan female elder and a downright evil monk who share a complicated past is an original twist on this popular subject matter.

My only reservation about the content of this story is that it absolutely begs for prequels and sequels. Such a short story barely scratches the surface of the imaginative world that Ms. Kendrick has created. If I thought that was all there were ever going to be, I couldn't give the story five stars, but I have every confidence that the author will continue to explore the world she has begun to create.

[Kath Middleton · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a beguiling short tale of the Dark Ages and in its rendering, it echoes some of the Arthurian legends. It's set in Lynbury Hall at the time of Yule and the old blind lady, Arwyn, reminisces as she receives two visitors, one less welcome than the other. The language is deliberately poetical and a little antique and suits its legendary style.

I enjoyed the story and its almost lilting style. I would have liked a stronger ending - to me it felt as though it just stopped - but that's a personal preference. On the whole, it was very nicely done.