So we don't write enough, eh?

Someone says we don't write enough. I think I mostly write too serious of stuff. Maybe that's because when I finally get the chance to write, I'm burdened by something. Or maybe I just need to spout off at someone outside of my family and this is the only way to get anyone to listen. lol

I'm not goofy tonight, but here's something else. I'll post the opening to a novel I'm going to write sometime. Had a 10-year-old critique it for me once. She was tough! I'll see if the rest of you are as demanding.

Kalya glanced at the murky waters below as they crossed the drawbridge. There was a kind of dark life in those depths that crept into the very stones of the castle. Despite the lack of comforts on the road, she would miss the late autumn sunlight and clean air. Now as she and Dahy, her sole companion, escort, and guard on this journey, passed through the gates, Kalya imagined they were actually sinking into the moat. The stones were cold and dank and smelled of being in one place for too long. Even the sun struggled to pierce the thick shadows of the courtyard.

When they entered the palace, a heavy oak door slammed in the face of what little sun had slipped over the wall. A few flickering torches clung to their perches on the wall, but the shadows traveled freely along the corridor. The news of their arrival raced through the dark corners. It jumped from guard to servant. Soon the whole palace would know about it. Of course, knowing a thing and being able to do something about it are entirely different.

Kalya could almost hear the whispers preceding them down the hall. The travelers would be received immediately by the king. Anyone coming from the Great King at Altara would not be kept waiting. As the guard accompanying them opened the doors into the king's hall, they were met by a blast of warm air laden with the scent of bread, roasted venison, and hot cider. Suddenly, she felt an odd mixture of homesickness and comfort. Thoughts of a hot meal that did not include travelers jacky and a bed without rocks or stray tree roots made her smile. Life in the castle was not so bad. Her feelings of dread were for the task before her, not her new abode. Raising her head, she drank deeply of the warm air, tried to still her pounding heart, and followed Dahy into the hall.

That's all for now. I'll try to be funny soon.