Day 3: 5,000 Words

It was already day three and the words were coming fast and rapid for Sally. There was a reason why she came to the beach. Her story, that's why. She always got up at six in the morning to come to the beach, because that was one of the settings in her story.

"Oy, how is it going, Lass?"

She looked up from her Surface tablet as Stephen neared her Sunday morning spot on the beach. Both wore sweatshirts because of the chill that ran along the sands and the waves. Even the gulls were having a hard time flying around. At some points, she noted, the birds seemed to be hovering in the air, not moving at all.

Stephen had a chair of his own, and a tablet like hers. That was a curious thing to see.

"I thought I would join you in a sit down." Stephen said as he put the tablet case in the sand next to her bag. "I thought about it, and since I have all the time in the world on my shoulder, maybe I would like to do this Nano writing thing myself."

"It's never too late, day three you have to have five thousand words done. Are you a plotter or a pantser?" Sally asked as Stephen set up his own chair in the sand next to her.

"A what and a what?" He asked, looking over at her as he sat in his chair, reaching for his own tablet.

"A plotter is someone who plots everything that's going to happen in the story. A pantser is someone who writes by the seat of their pants. I did about a week of preplanning before November first, the area, the people, history and some character creations. Then I decided what was going to happen first and what was going to happen last, and I was going to see how the middle turned out as I write it."

"Well then I'm just a bleedin' pantser. I only started last night. I'm up to two thousand words or so words."

"That's actually really good, Stephen. Remember, it's not quality but quantity as you go along."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Just keep writing."

"Just keep swimming, just keep swimming," Sally said in a sing-song voice.

Stephen snorted a laugh as he started up his tablet.

It was a thing to see, two people sitting in lawn chairs on the beach, wind blowing madly across the sand, even the gulls were in a foul mood. The man walking the dog down the beach stopped as he saw the larger man and lithe younger woman sitting next to each other. They were writing in this cold air.

"The sun should be out today." Stephen said as he looked over at Sally tapping away at her keyboard.

"That's good. Maybe the wind won't be as chilly. Don't you go to that Catholic Church on Main Street?" She asked. "It's Sunday you know."

"Ah, yeah, morning services don't start for two more hours. It's only eight AM. How long have you been out here?"

"Since six," She shivered slightly. "Maybe I should go inside. How is your word count?"

"It's good. I got to three thousand in the thirty minutes we've been out here. I suppose we should be gettin' inside." Stephen said as he stood up, wincing because he hadn't moved his shoulder the entire time he was there. "Maybe I'll get a good idea when in Church."

"That would be a good thing." She stated as she stood up as well. "And Mom doesn't want me getting a cold with sitting in the cold this way. I feel like and Eskimo waiting over an ice hole fishing."

"Then why come out to the beach this early?"

"Because, it's one of the only quiet times I have. Since my brother has been in trouble with the law, the house is not quiet. Daniel has no other place to live, otherwise on the street."

Stephen knew that there was some drama happening in the Gallagher household, but nothing like a young man going to the extremes like stealing his younger sister's car.

"Did you report that he took the car?"

"He's my brother, Stephen, he's family." She put her tablet in its case as she picked up her lawn chair.

"He did something wrong, Lass. I would report my own sister if something like that ever happened."

She grimaced. "Don't worry, I took the keys with me this time. They don't leave my pocket." She patted her jeans and looked over at him. "I'll see you later, Stephen. After church would you like to come over to my place and have a writing session with me?"

"Love to, Lass." He smiled.

The way to the beach was an inlet that started at the end of their cul-de-sac. It was only accessible on foot. Sally lived five houses down from the inlet and Stephen lived three houses from it. So Stephen stopped at his house first and then Sally went on to hers, waving as she went.

Eighteen, Stephen had to remind himself as he got ready for church. Eighteen bleedin' years old, he was old enough to be her Da. That was something Stephen didn't want to talk about.

It was a good thing that she was willing to get out and be around people again.

"It was never easy for her after the break in. I mean the man broke in through her window…" David said during one of their many Guiness gathers, as the man coined it. "She was in the room when it happened. Her screaming woke us up. Ever since then she has spent eight years afraid of people."

But she was different now. She was opening up to him, to other people. Staying with a group of teens when all they wanted to do was talk about Sheamus could not have been easy for her but she grew to accept it.

"Maybe this Nano thing is good." He said looking down at his tablet that was still in its carry case.

Thinking about it, he grabbed the case on the way out of his house, heading to Church afterwards.

After church and after changing out of his cloths, Stephen headed off towards the Gallagher house where he rang the doorbell. Through an open window he could hear the booming music of rap coming what he assumed was Daniel's room.

Moments later the door opened and there was Rochelle Gallagher standing in front of him.

"Stephen, David is working."

"Oh, I came to see Sally, if that is no problem. We're doing this NANOWRIMO together, writing separately of course."

"Of course. Come in, she's at the kitchen island." Rochelle stepped back and let the red haired burly man.

And sure enough she was sitting at the kitchen island where her mother said she would be. She had on a pair of headphones, blocking out the loud music that was playing upstairs.

"Ey, lass." He tapped her shoulder putting his own tablet down on the counter. She turned to look up at him and smiled as she slid the headphones off. "How's the story?"

"It's okay, so far. How's yours going?"

"I want to catch up for today and then really get a kick on it tomorrow."

"So sit down and catch up. Sorry about Daniel, he's on a strike."

"For what?"

"Mom and Dad gave him the option of getting a job to pay off getting a car or he can leave."

"Ah. Well, I think we can write for a while before quitting for the day. Don't you have lessons tomorrow?" He asked setting up the tablet.

"I do. I still plan on going to the beach at six in the morning. My tutor doesn't come by until noon."

After a bit of small talk, and drinks served by Sally's mother, the two of them spent half an hour silently writing on the tablets. The only thing that was annoying was Daniel's music.

"Thanks for the time, Rochelle." Stephen said as he was heading to the front door.

"Thanks for being a friend to my daughter. She's opening up more and more with this." Rochelle replied before saying goodbye and closing the door behind him.

Sally watched Stephen leave, through her window. An idea sparked in her mind suddenly and she bounded over to her tablet to get it out and onto her Word Document.

Yeah, another update in the same day. How do you like it?