The Van Helsing Conjecture – Excerpt No. 262

“It’s okay to say you miss someone,” Julia said. “Mom would say that whenever I went off for a school trip or camp.”

“The difference is,” Clara said. “If I keep absorbing old gods, will I be able to remain a distinct and dominant personality?”

The flames were done licking the pan. Julia pulled it out from the fire. She did not delay for long letting it drop on the wet grass nearby which began sizzling.

“I can’t imagine it,” Julia said. “Entirely distinct personalities, with thousands of years of rivalries and baggage.”

“Nailed it,” Clara said. “In a way, I’m afraid that I’ll eventually lose myself amongst the voices.”

a dimly lit, cinematic photograph featuring a scorching hot cast iron pan, its metal glistening with dew, sitting atop a lush, wet grass lawn on a misty night, with the pan's sizzling butter or oil droplets glistening in the faint moonlight, surrounded by an eerie, dark silhouette of trees in the background, with a shallow depth of field blurring the ambient environment, emphasizing the pan's textures and the sizzling sounds it evokes, in a warm, earthy color palette with hints of greens and yellows, captured with a low-angle shot and a wide aperture to create a sense of intimacy and drama.

Disclaimer: This novel is an work in progress and readers may encounter grammatical errors and inconsistencies. Please view this a draft and not a published work.