TITLE: Secret
GENRE: YA Secret
A dozen people file into the cabin on the shore of Lake Okeechobee, each carrying an ebbó. They hand their offerings to me as they enter. Fruit. Polished pebbles. A bottle of rum. A bit of cake on a red plate. I place their ebbós on the altar, a cloth-draped table pushed against the wall. Painted statues of saints crowd its surface. Candles nest on plates piled high with herbs. A stone face with eyes and mouth made of shells sits in the place of honor at the table’s center.
One by one, the men and women make their way across the oaken floor through patches of sunlight. Some nod or speak my name as they pass me. We all wear white to show respect. Colored beads hang around our necks.
The people wait patiently for their priest. These followers of Santeria call him Babalawo.
I call him grandfather.
CONTEMPORARY.
ReplyDeleteThough it was a bit tricky with the unfamiliar words and terms, however I knew what Santeria was from an episode of CSI. The last line really clinches it. This is a great opening.
FANTASY
ReplyDeleteThis could just be a cultural thing, but I feel like I'm in a different time or place with some subtle magic about to happen. The mention of priests/religion make me think of fantasy, but I write fantasy with a god system so I may be biased :p
Contemporary, though with the religious ceremony happening I also get a sense of mystery. The characters are behaving in a normal way in a normal setting. The ceremony, unusually in blanket contemporary, make me think mystery.
ReplyDeleteIt reads fantasy to me with the made up word (unless it's just in a language I don't know, in which case, apologies for my ignorance).
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure. Voice feels contemporary but setting could be historical, contemporary or fantasy.
ReplyDeletedystopian? Only because this religious ritual is unfamiliar and a little strange.
ReplyDeletecontemporary or fantasy - I'm not sure whether the ritual/vocab is real yet.
ReplyDeletePARANORMAL
ReplyDeleteBecause I think Santeria is associated with black magic? Forgive me if that is an inaccurate assumption. Lake Okeechobee is in Florida . . . so this is the real, modern (I think) world, although it has a cultural/tribal vibe.
Historical fiction - i feel like i'm in a different time/place - but a realistic one rather than fantastical.
ReplyDeleteParanormal
ReplyDeleteThe florida everglades, Santeria, the priest,
sounds like some kind of voodoo magic
I can't tell.
ReplyDeleteThese kind of sound like words from a real language, but I'm not sure if the setting is historical or contemporary. It's also possible the words are made up and this is a fantasy or science fiction setting.
I can't tell. Could be contemporary or could be historical fiction, hard to tell because the religious ritual seems very traditional with no hints at modern culture. The voice doesn't give any clues either.
ReplyDeleteI'll go with contemporary and that this is part of a religious ceremony or cultural ritual. Feels very Native American. Beautifully written as well
ReplyDeleteContemporary or recent historical. The unfamiliar words suggest a different culture, but the objects (red plates, statues, cabin) suggest a more current time period.
ReplyDeleteGenre per author: Contemporary speculative fiction, or paranormal.
ReplyDeleteThanks for all the interesting comments!
I knew it was spec fic from the logline. :) But I made my guess based on the lines only. I love the idea for this one!
Delete