The Gift
My thoughts:
This story came about as my response to Denise’s challenge for Father’s Day. In my stories, I had mentioned Ginny’s father but, until now, he was little more than a name. The story The Gift brings Lt. Colonel Robert F. Lake to life.
In Absence, I had hinted at the fact that Tony Straker and Bobby Lake knew each other. As I’ve said before, I tend to write in little bits in my stories, which are part of a series or saga, to create an overarching theme.
I open the story with Ginny waking up and walking quietly out of her now shared bedroom. The reader doesn’t know for sure that it’s Ginny and Ed until the middle of the next paragraph. This story takes place just after Virginia and Ed had returned from Dreamland and both faced death in the emergency landing of Seagull X-Ray. Because of this, Virginia has reassessed some things in her life. Her first marriage ceremony was as tepid as the marriage itself turned out to be and she wants her wedding to Ed to be something to remember.
Through my story arc, I have shown a mutual attraction between these two people, but for various reasons, they dance around their feelings, an emotional dance that lasts for over two years. Even after they acknowledge their feelings for one another, it still takes six weeks for them to take the next step. I did this to keep my saga in line with what was shown on the screen. Once they cross the line of intimacy, things move very quickly.
Virginia’s thoughts naturally turn to her father as she realizes that she won’t be walked down the aisle by her dad. Being Father’s Day, only adds to her dismay. She grabs her father’s journal, a gift from her mother, and loses herself in it. It’s now that Ed walks into the room and waits for her to notice him. I enjoyed writing about Ed and Ginny discussing their shared family history.
The flashback focuses on the events leading up to Robert Lake’s ill fated mission to the German city of Dresden during the war. Here I mirrored the two couples, past and present. Like I did in Absence, I meld history and fiction, something I really enjoy doing. I spent quite a bit of time getting the places and dates right. The Dresden raid, historically, was one of the most controversial allied actions of World War Two. I tried to fictionally make some sense of the action by introducing the concept that some factions of the German High Command were collaborating with the aliens during the war.
Virginia’s dad came to life much easier than I thought he would, and it was a real treat to put him and Jim Henderson in the company of real life historical figures, to the likes of Winston Churchill, General Dwight Eisenhower, and Air Marshall Arthur “Bomber” Harris. He turned out to be a very likeable character and it saddened me to have to write about his demise.
The relationship between Lynn and Robert just seemed to flow onto the paper. I loved the part where Bob says goodbye to his unborn child, calling her by name. I also enjoyed the conversation that Lake had with Tony Straker and Charlie Johnson. Of course Lt. Colonel Lake names his aircraft after his wife. He’s a romantic guy.
The saddest part is when Jim Henderson arrives to tell Lynn that her husband is lost, I cried when I wrote it. I see Jim Henderson as having a significant impact on Virginia’s life, a point that comes to light later on.
When the story returns to the present, Ed is comforting his fiancée, who is just now coming to terms with the loss of her father. I loved the thoughts that Ed was pondering while he was comforting her. Once again, their tender moment is interrupted and the two of them find themselves on the way to HQ to deal with the latest crisis. I suspect that would be a common occurrence for these two.
The title bore a dual meaning, the gift of the journal, and the gift of each other.
I am trying to figure out a way for Virginia to meet her father, I have a couple of ideas, and we’ll just have to see which one pans out.
I hope everyone enjoyed this story; it’s going to be one of my favorites.
Matt
My thoughts:
This story came about as my response to Denise’s challenge for Father’s Day. In my stories, I had mentioned Ginny’s father but, until now, he was little more than a name. The story The Gift brings Lt. Colonel Robert F. Lake to life.
In Absence, I had hinted at the fact that Tony Straker and Bobby Lake knew each other. As I’ve said before, I tend to write in little bits in my stories, which are part of a series or saga, to create an overarching theme.
I open the story with Ginny waking up and walking quietly out of her now shared bedroom. The reader doesn’t know for sure that it’s Ginny and Ed until the middle of the next paragraph. This story takes place just after Virginia and Ed had returned from Dreamland and both faced death in the emergency landing of Seagull X-Ray. Because of this, Virginia has reassessed some things in her life. Her first marriage ceremony was as tepid as the marriage itself turned out to be and she wants her wedding to Ed to be something to remember.
Through my story arc, I have shown a mutual attraction between these two people, but for various reasons, they dance around their feelings, an emotional dance that lasts for over two years. Even after they acknowledge their feelings for one another, it still takes six weeks for them to take the next step. I did this to keep my saga in line with what was shown on the screen. Once they cross the line of intimacy, things move very quickly.
Virginia’s thoughts naturally turn to her father as she realizes that she won’t be walked down the aisle by her dad. Being Father’s Day, only adds to her dismay. She grabs her father’s journal, a gift from her mother, and loses herself in it. It’s now that Ed walks into the room and waits for her to notice him. I enjoyed writing about Ed and Ginny discussing their shared family history.
The flashback focuses on the events leading up to Robert Lake’s ill fated mission to the German city of Dresden during the war. Here I mirrored the two couples, past and present. Like I did in Absence, I meld history and fiction, something I really enjoy doing. I spent quite a bit of time getting the places and dates right. The Dresden raid, historically, was one of the most controversial allied actions of World War Two. I tried to fictionally make some sense of the action by introducing the concept that some factions of the German High Command were collaborating with the aliens during the war.
Virginia’s dad came to life much easier than I thought he would, and it was a real treat to put him and Jim Henderson in the company of real life historical figures, to the likes of Winston Churchill, General Dwight Eisenhower, and Air Marshall Arthur “Bomber” Harris. He turned out to be a very likeable character and it saddened me to have to write about his demise.
The relationship between Lynn and Robert just seemed to flow onto the paper. I loved the part where Bob says goodbye to his unborn child, calling her by name. I also enjoyed the conversation that Lake had with Tony Straker and Charlie Johnson. Of course Lt. Colonel Lake names his aircraft after his wife. He’s a romantic guy.
The saddest part is when Jim Henderson arrives to tell Lynn that her husband is lost, I cried when I wrote it. I see Jim Henderson as having a significant impact on Virginia’s life, a point that comes to light later on.
When the story returns to the present, Ed is comforting his fiancée, who is just now coming to terms with the loss of her father. I loved the thoughts that Ed was pondering while he was comforting her. Once again, their tender moment is interrupted and the two of them find themselves on the way to HQ to deal with the latest crisis. I suspect that would be a common occurrence for these two.
The title bore a dual meaning, the gift of the journal, and the gift of each other.
I am trying to figure out a way for Virginia to meet her father, I have a couple of ideas, and we’ll just have to see which one pans out.
I hope everyone enjoyed this story; it’s going to be one of my favorites.
Matt
