The “2nd Project Proposals” are a series of three proposals I will write and post in order for readers to help me choose what my other project to work on is in addition to PFN. Each proposal will be posted by one week before the next is released. At the end of the three weeks, a poll will be up in the Facebook Group. Members will vote on which proposal will be my second project. This is proposal 1.
The Silent Secret
Title subject to change. Book cover created using Canva
The Plot
Twenty years ago, at a lakeside celebration for the graduating seniors of Black Pine High, popular cheerleader Haley Sullivan went missing. Presumed dead the town mourned her and honored her at graduation.
Now, decades later, everyone from her friend group, including Lucy Sawyer, her childhood friend, received postcards from Black Pines, with no return address and the words “have you forgotten about Haley?”
Lucy decides to go home to Black Pines, just in time for her high school reunion, to try to unravel the mystery of what really happened to Haley.
Facts
Black Pines is a town I’ve had living in my mind for about five years now. There’s a whole backstory for it. If chosen I’d make a post detailing the town. I recently decided the town is located in Montana.
Random Generators play a part in several aspects of this story. Mostly the title and character names.
The whole story has been floating in my head for a couple years now and was going to be my first premium story.
No matter what proposal is chosen, the story will be solely available via premium. It will be posted chapter by chapter on a weekly basis. I will NOT begin posting until I’m at least several chapters in advance.
Premium is currently set at $10 a year. I feel that’s a reasonable amount.
Once the story is fully written and edited, it will be made available as either a paperback or hardcover, when I self-publish.
Voting
Voting will begin after all proposals are posted, one week after the third proposal. The poll will be on the Facebook group and will run for two weeks before I call it. (Facebook polls have no option for closing). Closing date will be indicated on in the poll.
If you’d like to hear me read this story instead, or perhaps follow along, check out the CrashdLanding Podcast!
Book Cover created with Canva
“I say, I’m the oldest, I make the rules!” Ed said, slamming his hands down in the table, disrupting the sheets and forms atop it.
“And I say we go with my idea!” Bea said, crossing her arms over her chest.
“And I say we charge in with guns blazing and tear the place UP! WOOHOO!” Xavier said gesturing with dual finger guns raised
The elder two looked at him like he was crazy. He always was a little wild, ever since they were little.
“Okay, okay,” Ed began again, after a minute. “Let’s maybe grab a snack, sit down, and we’ll talk this out.”
“Fine.” Bea reluctantly agreed.
After they’d all eaten, and were no longer hangry. They got back to planning.
“Now that we’re all done with that,” Ed began, I say we just start at the beginning.”
Bea and Xavier nodded in agreement.
“What’s the mission again.” He asked them.
“I still say gu—.”
“NO.”
Xavier crossed his arms. “Fine.” He mumbled.
“If it comes down to us needing guns then something has gone terribly wrong.” Ed said.
“But it probably wouldn’t hurt, just for protection, just in case.” Bea said.
Xavier’s eyes lit up. “I know just who to ask!” They all knew who he’d ask.
“Okay, we’ve satisfied someone, now, back to the important part.” Ed said. “How are we going to get the painting back?”
The painting in question was one by their famous aunt, C.F. Keathley. It was called, “A Woman’s Wish”. The subject was a lighthouse on a cliff. It wasn’t her best work, but it had meaning. It also had a hidden secret. The painting had been accidentally sold at an estate sale two years prior. Their aunt had gone missing and was declared legally dead by her husband, their evil uncle. Because of her fame, the painting fetched a hefty price, and the uncle and soon moved to Japan with his new wife.
“Sofia gave us the name of the person who has it, he’s a museum curator, right?”
“Yes, his name is Roderick Bridges.” He said, looking at a sheet of paper. “He runs the Umbratic Museum of Modern Art.” Ed said, “Apparently he’s wanted to have a installation of Aunt C’s art there for years.”
“Umbratic is a weird word.” Bea said. She googled it. “It means shadowy. That’s questionable.”
“Not funny ha ha, funny weird.” Xavier said. “I’ve contacted Pops. He’ll have what we need ASAP.” The elder too nodded. Pops was code name for their supplier. He got them what they needed when they needed it. He was also a cantankerous old man, stubborn and set in his ways. “He said it’ll cost us, though.”
“He always says that.” Bea said.
“Okay, back to the plan.” Ed said. “We need to get into the museum, find the painting, and get it out.”
“First we need to figure out where it is.” Bea said. “Its been two years since it sold, it could be on display, or still in storage. Or maybe he’s had it cleaned.” She opened up the Umbratic’s website. “It says here they’re having a gala in two days, introducing an exhibition called, “Missing in Art” featuring works created by artist who are missing or deceased.”
“That would be a really big exhibition.” Ed said.
“Right?” Bea agreed. “Anyway, there’s a few of Aunt C’s paintings on display, including the lighthouse!”
“We need to get into that Gala!” Ed said.
“Wait,” Bea said, pausing. “Does that mean what I think it means?”
“Yeah, probably.”
“FANCY DRESSES?!” Bea asked, wide eyed.
“Fancy dresses,” both boys said in unison.
She squealed loudly.
“You want Pops to get that too?” Xavier asked.
“NO!” The two eldest agreed.
From there they had the whole thing figured out.
Scope out the museum two days before the gala, get a feel of the place, possibly security. They would join the gala; it was established that Pops could obtain the tickets. At the gala they would cause a ruckus, an important skill they’d honed as children. Xavier, who probably shouldn’t have knives, would find a way to remove the painting from it’s frame.
“What if there’s some type of sensor in the frame in case of theft?” Xavier asked.
“The alarms will already have been raised by this point, the only problem would be if you’re fast enough.”
“Oh, that’s not a problem.” He winked.
“Good, because this whole plan is hinging on your speed,” Bea said.
“No, the whole plan is hinging on whether or not that painting holds the information we need to find C and Mom.”
Procrastination slapped me right in the face and said, “just don’t do anything at all” and i listened. I managed to get it written and posted by midnight but added some things after, like the images. Once I got started I really enjoy the idea, so I might make any more I add to this short story part of premium. Let me know what ya think!
What Do You Think of When you hear Giant African Land Snails?
If its something like this, we have a similar imagination. Snail image borrowed from Here. Image thrown together in Canva.
This morning, as I was avoiding going in to work, and reading news on Yahoo!, when I stumbled upon a very interesting article. This article is titled “Effort begun to eradicate giant African snails in Florida” and it is literally about snails that eat buildings.
Into the thing in the poorly made Canva clickbait above, well, that’s just who I be. And we don’t judge here. We are a judge free zone.
However, it is true that these guys do literally eat buildings. They apparently enjoy the delicious delicacy of plaster and stucco. They also, like a true multitasking invasive species, carry diseases.
The article specifically mentions something called the rat lungworm, which, I’m not going to think to hard about, because well, look what my brain did with a giant snail. I have a very literal mind. But the rat lungworm can cause meningitis in humans.
And guess whose to blame for this chunky shelled slug (yes I’m sure there’s a difference) being in our country and not where its native.
Yup.
Apparently we imported them as pets. Yes, I can imagine being bag-checked at an airport. First, they at some point had to ask someone, “do you have anything to declare?”
“Oh just a giant land snail.” And then they all laugh.
And then later, they check the bags and there’s a slimy shelled creature. Is it apparent I’ve never been on a plane?
But the problem with these dudes isn’t just that they eat buildings, or carry diseases, but they enjoy 500 other things to eat, that we eat too. Including but not limited to (cause these are hungry boys) peanuts, beans, cucumbers, and melons.
They also share a characteristic with rabbits. I’m quite sure you know what I’m talking about but just in case: they make a lot of babies. The giant African land snail can lay up to 1200 eggs a year.
Now I absolutely have to bring up the most ridiculous fact in this entire article: they had to mention that Nikki Fried (cool name BTW) who is commissioner of the state Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, is a Democrat. I’m not entirely sure what the importance of that was, maybe besides the fact that she’s running for governor. Maybe her determination to eradicate the snails again will help her win. But we don’t Politic here either, my dudes.
Yes, I did just gloss over the whole again part. It was for dramatic effect. Did I do it right? Yes, they had this issue not once but twice before. The most recent campaign—see what I did there since shes’s running for gov—took ten years and they captured 170,000 snails in Miami-Dade County. “I think they missed one or two” would be funny to put here, if the county of the current invasion, Pasco County, wasn’t several counties away.
A visual
So far, this go ‘round, they’ve managed to capture 1,000 snails in the area they quarantined (I know the snails hate that word as much as we all do). The snails were initially spotted by a homeowner, and the properties involved (meaning having their buildings gnawed on by snails) are being treated with a molluscicide bait. Hole up imma google that. A pesticide against slugs. There’s one called Sluggo 😂.
The slugs are illegal to own without a permit. The fact that you can get a permit for a snail, and own this thing, despite its obvious problems… well that just sounds like Florida to me. Its also illegal to move them or dirt out of the quarantine area. Floridians are expected to call 888-397-1517 if they see one of the distinctive snails. These bad boys can grow up to 8 inches long and “have a distinctive whirled, brown mottled shell.”
They are also not the escargot type of snail. Thanks for that.
Gross.
I had a vision one building-eating snails in my head all day, so, now you can too!
Crash Landing 
