From just before the release of INSIDE in October, through almost Christmas, I was in one of the longest and most frustrating bouts of writer's block I've ever encountered.
I'm happy to say that all of that changed a few days before Christmas 2019.
There's just something about the Napa Valley in winter. I've never been one to enjoy winter, no matter where I've lived- and Napa was no different- until now.
Most of this past winter, the rains and clouds came in, keeping the mornings dark and dreary, and often not letting up into well the afternoon.
But there was something in particular that was intriguing and inspiring as I made my drive up the scenic and well traveled 29N from Napa to St. Helena. The fog would hang heavy and dense in the morning, coating the trees and the beautiful Mayacamas mountain range in a shroud of mystery. I can't tell you how many times
while making that drive, I thought to myself, "There's a story there. I'm just not sure what yet."
A few days before Christmas, I found the story. Or perhaps, the story found me, rolling in with the fog through the mountains, calling out to me with its haunting melody.
Dahlia and Sarah are a regular, everyday married couple. But one day, anything but regular happens in their world.
Dahlia goes out to walk the dog Henry, at 5:30am like she always does. And like most days in the winter, the fog looms nearby on their property. But on this particular day, Henry is terrified of the fog and doesn't want to get anywhere near it. But Dahlia doesn't mind.
She gets too close, in fact, and lost inside the fog, for what she believes is only five minutes.
When she returns however, her wife Sarah informs her that she's been missing for ten years. Sarah is overjoyed, and overlooks the strangeness surrounding Dahlia's return- even the most obvious- Dahlia hasn't aged at all.
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