One Word prompt : Ticket
The contest promised adventure, excitement, and maybe romance to be found on this weekend trip to the island. As the passengers disembarked and looked around blinking in the bright sunlight they saw what looked like cattle trucks backed up to the tarmac. When she gave the steward her ticket she never meant to sign on for this.
It’s dark, fog brained, pitch. What is that sound?? Where am I? Kell struggled up from sleep, trying to make sense of the messages his brain was sending him. He felt around the bedside table next to him and found the lamp and turned it on. “Wha….Cassie, baby, what is it?” Cassie was standing in front of the window, arms wrapped around herself, eyes wide open, staring at nothing. The sound coming from her made goosebumps on Kell’s arms.
He jump. stumbled to her and tried to put his arms around her but it was like hugging an ice sculpture. He spun her around so he could see her face. “Cassie, talk to me! I’m right here. It’s ok!” Kell rubbed her arms and touched her face and she slowly closed her eyes and leaned against him, shaking and limp.
“Give me a minute” she said. She was ice cold and pale. Kell pulled her over to the bed and sat down, still holding her. Tears were streaming down her face now.
“Was it him again?” Kell asked.
“Yes and you too. You looked so…I don’t know, bereft! I couldn’t stand it. And he was smiling, happy.” Cassie cried. “I hate him! He’s there when I’m awake and shows up when I’m sleeping. This time my mother was there too. I wish I knew what it means, what he wants!”
“I know. So do I.” Kell was rocking her like a child now, holding on to her, warming her. Her robe had slipped down off her shoulder and he pulled it back around her. The shaking had stopped and her color was coming back. He bent his head down to kiss her on the forehead and as he did she turned her face up to him. She had stopped crying.
“Do you think you can go back to sleep? It’s too early to get up.” Kell asked her.
“I think so. I’ll try anyway.” Cassie answered. “Could you get me a drink of water?”
“Sure, be right back.” Kell said.
Kell went to the kitchen to get her a glass and when he came back, Cassie was already in bed. He realized the robe was on the floor. She sat up with the sheet wrapped around her and took the glass from him. He got in the bed and waited. They had been through so much lately, he didn’t want to misunderstand. She set the glass on the nightstand and scooted down in the bed till she was laying down face to face with him. “I love you” she told him. “I’m sorry about, well everything. I feel like it’s all my fault somehow.”
Kell reached for her and folded her in his arms. “If it hadn’t been for you I would have been killed. You didn’t ask for this. It’s happening to both of us.” He said.
“But maybe if I hadn’t come looking for you, you wouldn’t have been in danger to begin with.” She whispered.
“You can’t know that. Maybe the man would have come looking for me and you wouldn’t have been there to warn me. I’m glad you found me . We are going to figure this out.” he said. “Whatever happens we will face it together and someday we will be looking back at all of this and it will be nothing more than a great story to tell.”
As he finished talking, Cassie smiled and kissed him. “I want somedays and I’m glad I found you.
This time Kell kissed her and the kiss, at first tentative, grew to more, and they held on to each other and to the love that had come with them through time. For a little while they left the fear behind and time stopped for them.
Later they talked quietly. Kell remembered he meant to ask Cassie about her medallion. “You never take it off. Where did you get it?”
“It belonged to my mother. Before she died she took it off and gave it to me. She had worn it as long as I could remember and she told me to never take it off.” she told him.
“It looks familiar to me. I think I’ve seen that symbol before. Maybe we could stop by that coffee shop with the internet cafe and search for it tomorrow. It feels important somehow. It looks a little like a figure eight” he said.
“I never thought about the symbol meaning something.” she told him, shrugging her shoulders.
“What happened to your mother? Did she get sick?” Kell asked her.
“No, it was a car accident. She was called in to work on a Saturday and someone ran her off the road. I called her job when she didn’t come home and they said they hadn’t seen her. I got a neighbor to give me a ride and retraced her regular route. If I hadn’t been looking, I wouldn’t have seen her car. It was a big drainage ditch and the trees and shrubs around it hadn’t been cleaned out in awhile.” she told him. The driver of the other car never stopped. She was still conscious when I got to her but she was hurt so bad….. I still miss her.” She said. “I was seventeen.”
“Cassie, when did you start uh, ‘time traveling’?” Kell asked.
“Not long after that.” she said.
No prompt – just story.
Kell and Cassie quickly scanned the article under the picture of the man. Kell flipped back to where it was continued and they read on. “This says he is a businessman from New Orleans and he’s planning on investing in this community where he now has some of his interests.” Kell said. “It makes him sound like he’s a saint!” Said Cassie shivering.
“I know” Kell was yawning now. “I am too tired to think . The last few days are catching up with me, I guess.”
“Me too. I feel like it’s been weeks since I’ve slept.” Cassie said. “I’m tired, but I’m not sure I’m going to be able to sleep. It worries me that he is out there and knows where we are.”
“I bolted the door from the inside. If he was going to hurt us, he has had opportunities. I think he is waiting for something, though I can’t think what. Maybe if we get some rest we can make some sense of this in the morning. Do you want to shower first?” Kell was folding up the paper and picking up the sack of toiletries.
“Sounds good.” Cassie got up tiredly and took the sack with shampoo and toothpaste. A hot shower is sounding pretty good.”
“Cassie headed for the shower and Kell turned down the bed and looked in the closet. There was her robe. Now what should he do? This was weird, to find they were married. They hadn’t talked about it at all and now….well, with everything they had been through, they would face this too, he hoped. Listen to me, thinking this is something we have to face. This had always been easy before, as though they had always known each other. He took the robe off the hanger and knocked on the bathroom door.
Cassie opened the door a little and he could see she was in her underwear. He held out the robe to her and she smiled and said thanks and then froze. I’m standing here in the door in my underwear like it’s nothing, she thought. Why was this is so awkward? Now she was nervous. How did he feel? The whole marriage thing, they really hadn’t had time to talk about it, to get used to the idea. She looked at his face and his eyes caught hers and she knew it would be okay. She trusted him, and he believed in her. He had the funniest look on his face. She smiled and he grinned as though he had been waiting for her reaction. Yes, it would be more than okay. “Thanks!” She said and closed the door. She clapped her hand over her mouth as she felt the uncontrollable giggling start. It’s the stress, she thought. She stepped into the shower and let the hot water rush over her, calming her. She was tired, full, and now clean. Heaven, she thought.
She turned off the water when she was through and dried off. Using the same towel to wipe off the mirror, she combed her hair out and brushed her teeth. She hung the towel up to dry and then stopped and got a clean towel out for Kell and put it over the towel rack. She pulled on her robe and stepped out into the bedroom. Kell was sitting on the edge of the bed reading the rest of the newspaper.
“Learn anything helpful?” She asked him. “Ask me in the morning when my brain is working again.” He said. “I’m way to tired to think.”
“Your turn. I even left a little hot water for you.” She said. She saw he had turned the bed down, and that he had a clean tee shirt and boxers with him. She grinned at him as he gave a little shake and closed the bathroom door. She turned on a lamp by the bed and turned off the big ceiling light. She checked the lock on the window and shuddered a bit before pulling down the shade and making sure the curtains were pulled shut. She wandered around the room, looking at their things and wondering what it had been like, picking them out together. She yawned again and went to the bed and curled up on the pillows. She could hear the water running and Kell humming in the shower.
Kell came out of the bathroom drying his hair. He looked up and saw Cassie, sound asleep on the bed. He sighed, hung up his towel, combed his hair,and lay down on the bed beside her. He reached out and touched her face and then picked up the little medallion she wore on the chain around her neck. She never took it off and now he had the weirdest feeling. It looked familiar, like he had seen it somewhere else. He would ask her about it in the morning. He pulled the covers up over both of them and reached over to turn out the light. Cassie turned onto her side and he curled up next to her, pulling her up against him. Cassie snuggled a little closer. Kell put his arm around her and she pulled the arm closer and in minutes, Kell was fast asleep as well.
Outside in the dark, the man in the leather coat frowned. He stared up at the window where the light had been a few moments ago with hate and determination, turned on his heel and headed back down the street, whistling.
this truly is a bit rough. I need an English teacher smacking my hand with a ruler on a regular basis. I’ll go back over it later to fix it, just had to get it down before it went out of my head.
Had to give this a go – I liked this prompt Paschal. It wrote itself.
She was radiant as she came through the door. She was finally going to leave him. Things had been good at the start, but they changed over time and lately she didn’t know what to make of it. He scared her a little bit. He was always nice. Treated her with respect. He was patient and he seemed happy. At least he smiled all the time. Trouble was, the smile never moved up to his eyes. He was too controlled and she had known for some time that she was going to have to get out. Now that she had met someone, the time had come. She would tell him tonight after supper. Her bags were already packed and in the trunk of her car. Supper was cooked and on the table. They would eat, she would get through it somehow. Then she would tell him and she would be free.
He carefully pulled the screed across the last of the concrete and looked back at the new patio. It was going to be a great place to barbecue. Neil Youngs’ After The Gold Rush was playing on the stereo and and he was sweating a bit but it was all good. He was tired but he sang quietly “I was lyin’ in a burned out basement with a full moon in my eyes”. He had stayed up late to do the prep work. It took a deep hole to get her and a good sand base in before daylight. Once he had that part done he could work during the day and it was now afternoon and he was nearly finished. He was ready for a cool lemonade and a shower. He was going to enjoy this new patio. The house would go back to the way he liked it. Everything in it’s place. No one to wonder what he did in the basement at night. He might even extend this patio some more before the summer’s end.
Carry On Tuesday Prompt # 7 and Sunday Scribbling # 169 Toys
“Our year is up” she said. “Will you go then?”
“I cannot stay and cannot go” He said. His eyes filled at the thought of leaving her but he missed his home and he knew he was needed. Could he deny himself and go? There was nothing but pain in this decision but he would do what he must.
He smiled at Nuala and held out his arms to her. The music was playing and they began to dance slowly, swaying with it. She laid her head on his chest and listened to his heartbeat. “You will be old again and in pain. I can’t bear it.” She sighed. “I know” He said softly. “You know my heart.” He hummed softly and began to sing with the music. “The red rose whispers of passion and the white rose breathes of love. None can compare with the beauty, of my lady and the moon above…” As he sang the last words she found her arms empty and wept.
He was in the cave again and his body that had been young and healthy for his too short time with Nuala had aged and the feelings, the aches and pains, hunger, thirst, all came upon him in waves. He slowly opened his eyes and looked around. The wall was covered with runes of protection. He knew that the cave would have been hidden by magic and so undisturbed until he returned. There was no fire and he was cold but more he needed nourishment. There would be nothing til he made his way down to the valley, to his home.
He slowly got up, saw his pack and staff, laying where they fell a year ago. He opened the pack and sprinkled the herbs that were left on the floor of the cave in gratitude for the gift of the last year and for returning him safely. He pulled on his cloak and once again took up staff and pack and set off. He had forgotten how painful each step was and he carefully and slowly climbed down from the cave, wishing for the path to be easier, but knowing that everything has it’s price and the cost for a year with Nuala would be great. His breath became labored and he was shaking from weakness but he kept going. Holding to branches, and clutching his staff he continued, nearly weeping from the struggle.
At last the ground evened out a bit and the going was not as tedious. The sun was coming up higher. He had been traveling in the half light of early dawn and was grateful for the light and the warmth. How he had missed the sun! The morning birds were waking and singing in the trees and the sounds of earth animals coming out of their burrows to greet the day. He walked on, weariness slowing him and yearning for home moving him forward. He finally reached the edge of his beloved valley and smiled as he walked just a tiny bit faster. Home was waiting.
Finally he reached the path that led to his house and as he stumbled forward, the sun was kind to him and warmed his bones, the same old bones that had dreamed of a lady in the moon. He staggered to his door and with barely enough strength to push it open, thankfully entered the home he had missed. He dropped the pack and staff and loosened his cloak. He drew some water from the old pump and drank thirstily. He toyed with the idea of eating but it would have to wait. He all but fell on his bed and slept til the sun set, knowing nothing for those hours. He woke with the moon and stepped outside his door to gaze up at the glowing iridescent orb that held his heart. It might have been his imagination, but he could have sworn that Nuala wept a tear that became a shooting star. It lit up the night sky over his valley for just a second and then as quickly as it appeared, was gone.
shhh – I’m back…
This post brought to you by the music of John Mayer:
Down to the wire
I wanted water
but I’ll walk through the fire
if this is what it takes
to take me even higher
then I’ll come through, like I do
when the world keeps testing me, testing me, testing me…
There is a storm coming in and it meant cloud cover at the track this morning so I got an extra lap in and then came home and helped finish mowing the lawn. Perspiration seems to equal inspiration 🙂 Come on sweet rain!
Like the reluctant wizard, we are never completely happy. We want and wish, and when we get, it doesn’t satisfy. We think if only…
My toys are all laid out to see
A list of prompts to inspire me
Computer lit up – keyboard in wait
Paper and pens’ appetite to sate
But the most important “toy” of all
The muse that keeps me in it’s thrall
My brain is dead, a dry lump of clay
No one, it seems, want to come out and play
Cassie and Kell won’t answer the door
Katie is mad at Mary Sue, once more
Glenna and John and the girl are asleep
The wizard and his lady are making out – I peeped
Do I force, ignor, make it a chore
Or let it alone, let it marinate more
Is it gone or just refusing to speak
Did it break, hide away, spring a leak?
I’m not in a panic but frustration looms
I hope that it finds its way home soon
I’ll finish this rhyme and hope for the best
I’m afraid I’m failing if this is a test
Forgot to post my One Word attempt yesterday. The word was event and the site gives you one minute to write before the little timer “dings”
They don’t call it a heart attack anymore. Nowadays, it’s a cardiac event – like something you send out invitations to and clean up the house, maybe hire a caterer and bartender. Maybe they think it sounds less scary but you can pretty it up all you want with words. It’s still an insult to your life.
If you subscribe to this blog via igoogle or google reader you would have seen weird spammy looking posts in your reader. The actual post was okay on the actual blog but google had issues. Evidently I was hacked 🙁
Luckily for me I have a friend who has super powers and things are fixed, spam is all gone, and hopefully you will see the real deal in your reader now. Sorry if this caused any confusion. No animals were harmed in the making of this post and spammers will be shot with water balloons on sight and then sent to bed with NO chocolate pudding.
To my super power friend, Tony – you’re my hero! You may end up in a story 🙂
One Word this week was track
I try to go to a local walking track at least three days a week. I go at 7 and the Texas summer is telling me I may need to go earlier. I started this morning with Spirit In The Sky playing in my ears, setting the beat, the cadence as I move around the track even though muscles are complaining. Thinking about spirit. The human spirit.
A minute isn’t long enough for two miles of thinking. I have to come back and revisit this.
Okay, where was I. Spirit In The Sky, warm day. I’m walking along, swinging my arms. Twice around is two miles. The song starts me thinking about the human spirit – isn’t that a misnomer? Human equals flesh – spirit, God. My misbehaving, undisciplined, flesh, complaining, moaning, whining it’s way around the track, down the path, on the journey.
I start out moving to the song, the music keeping the speed until my body settles and muscles loosen and I fall into rhythm with comfortable ease. About halfway through the walk the comfort isn’t quite as comfortable and I look at the shoe prints in the sand ahead of me and just follow those footprints still listening to the music knowing the goal is worth it. The killing the flesh, struggle to be stronger, healthier. Can’t get there without some pain. There’s pain – arthritic feet but you walk through it, past it.
Sometimes there is shade and a cool breeze. The walking is pleasant. I’m on the path and the path is smooth and easy on my feet. Other times the shade is gone and the sun beats down and I’m sweating and wishing I was somewhere else and I could be, it’s a choice after all. Sometimes I choose wrong but the path is always there and I come back. There is some ugly trash along the path but also beautiful flowering trees. Others walk the path as well. We nod and speak and all keep walking.
The track is not far from where I live but it isn’t exactly at my home. I have to act to get to it. I have to choose to get in my car and drive there. I choose to listen to the music and keep walking, putting one foot in front of the other, finish the race, claim the prize, complete the walk.
The spirit moves us, not our spirit. We move along the path, track, onward on the journey, wherever the spirit takes us, flesh dying, spirit moving, til we can go home. Trials on the way and joys too. Never alone, spirit always with us, nudging, prodding, waiting, speaking if we listen. Waiting for us to choose, listen, move, obey, and then come home.
The italicized text in the first sentence is the prompt for Carry On Tuesday. and Sunday Scribbling prompt #168 is Vision
Tomorrow Light #1
A lantern light from deep in the barn shone on a man and woman in the door. I shrunk deep as I could into the shadows. I couldn’t hear everything they were saying because of the wind. Then the wind let up and their words were carried through the night mist.
“Think its late enough?” The woman asked.
“Hope so, we have to chance it anyway.” The man pulled a key from his pocket and they moved deeper into the barn. The woman had a broom and swept straw from a place on the floor. She helped the man lift a piece of plywood that had been covered with the straw and together they set it aside. He knelt down and did something outside of my vision. They pulled something and a part of the floor came up. There was a trapdoor in the barn!
They both disappeared into the hole. Now what? Do I get closer? What if they catch me? Since the “New United States” had been formed people were suspicious of everyone. There were whispers of people snooping around and next thing you know, nobody is speaking about them and everything about them is just gone.
You never heard about them on the news. No sir. All the news has to say is that things are getting better everywhere since the new president. They say poverty is being eradicated, whatever that means. Seems to me that everyone I know is poor. Maybe that’s what they mean. No one is any poorer than anyone else.
Ain’t no insurance anymore either. The government news talks about medical care for all but it don’t mention nothing about having to wait so long to see a doctor that you die of old age if whatever you got don’t kill you.
I should know. That’s what landed me here in the first place. Pa got a cough that just kept getting worse and by the time he got to see a doc it was too late. Guess he knew all along because he taught me stuff about taking care of myself. I grew up in the country so I knew a lot of stuff already. Ma died when I was little so it had been me and him long as I could remember so I knew how to cook and do chores. Knew a little first aid. He showed me plants you could eat in the woods, and stuff you could use for medicine.
He’s been gone two weeks and I found this farm a few days ago. I’ve been hiding at night in the woods behind and slipping up just before dawn and stealing a little from the garden. They have fresh tomatoes, I haven’t had anything so good in awhile. Tonight I had been heading to my hiding spot when I heard the man and woman talking and eased back up closer to see what I could find out. He spoke nice to her and she smiled at him a lot.
I crawl closer til I’m just outside the door. I can hear muffled voices coming from under the floor. I’m sweating and shaking but I can’t stand not knowing. I get closer and closer trying to be silent.
I am right there now and peep over the edge. I bite my lip so no sound comes out. There in that hole is a computer. My pa told me about them. Everyone used to have one and they could read stuff and talk to each other. I always wanted to see a real one but the government had shut down the internet for regular folks. Only people that had it now were government or a group of folks the government called Downloaders. They hunted them and rounded them up. Sometimes there would be a news story about them and according to the news, they were the root of everything wrong these days. Sucking up all the fossil fuel and something they called bandwidth. They were accused of stirring up trouble and they would be taken for relocation and rehabilitation. Pa would always snort and say “Never thought the country would come to this.” Then he’d turn off the tv and refuse to watch it for days.
Sometimes when we were fishing he would talk about the old days. He never talked about ma though. I guess it still made him sad. I’m laying here just thinking and watching and the man and woman are huddled together in front of the screen. I can’t see it but there must be someone there because a voice is coming from speakers next to it.
“Good to see you, Tom. Hasn’t been much news from the south lately. Looks like you’re almost completely cut off.” The voice said.
“We’re having to be more careful. There’s been a lot of New United States Army trucks on the roads lately. No one is saying much and we’re all staying off the roads. Don’t want to attract their notice when we have no idea what they are up to. “ The man said.
“How’s Lani and the boys?” The woman asked.
“Doing ok, Glenna. Thanks for asking.” The voice said. “Our littlest has a cough, but now that spring is here he seems better. Lani misses you”
“Glad to hear they are ok. You give them my love, Wes.” The woman named Glenna told him.
“What about you and Tom?” He asked. “You holding up ok? How’s the garden?”
“Wish we could send you some fresh vegetables.” John told him. “Glenna canned some vegetable soup for next winter.”
“Lani would love that. She craves salad and she always loved Glenna’s cooking. She worries the boys aren’t getting enough healthy food but no one is these days. You stay safe and try to get word to us if you learn anymore about those N.U.S.A. trucks.”
“Will do,” John said. “Same to you and Lani and the boys.”
The screen glow changed colors so voice man must be gone. Time for me to move. I start to inch back and a loose piece of straw falls and lands next to the keyboard. The man was shutting the thing down and he and Glenna both looked up at the same time. Forget being sneaky. I jumped up and ran for it but I guess all the sleeping in the woods and eating stolen scraps hadn’t done me any favors, because fast as I was, the man was much faster. I was almost to the edge of the circle of light outside the barn when he grabbed hold of a fistful of my shirt and backpack and I went down.
I wasn’t taking any chances on how nice they were. I came up kicking and scratching and he just wrapped huge arms around me and lifted me all the way off the ground. I still fought but there wasn’t much I could do. I didn’t yell. because who was going to come? No help that’s for sure. I f anyone did come they might be worse than what I had gotten myself into with these two.
I kicked out and he let out a little yelp of pain and backed into the barn door. Soon as we were inside, Glenna shut the door and stood in front of it holding the broom like a weapon. “Don’t try it.” She said, shaking her head. My escape cut off, I settled down. Guess I was going to have to play like I was scared (which wasn’t to hard to do) and watch for my moment.
“Why Tom – it’s a little girl! What are we going to do now?”
He asked me if I was going to be quiet and not try to run. Said he would let me loose if I promised. I nodded my head and he turned loose of me. I dashed off a few feet, rubbing my arms where he had nearly squashed me. I stood there looking at them with my arms crossed.
The man asked me “What’s your name?”
“Where’d you come from?” Silence.
I just stared at him. What difference did my name make? The woman was looking at me, eyes all full of pity. I knew I had lost weight and I needed a bath.
“Tom, she looks like she’s starving. We have to feed her” She said softly. Tom frowned and sighed. “Let’s get you in the house and I’ll draw some bath water. You’re covered in mosquito bites and if you don’t get clean you’ll get an infection and I don’t want some dead kid on my conscience.” The thought of food and a bath! I can always take off later. I nodded and said thanks. Glenna opened the door and the man kept his hand on me like I might take off if he turned loose and I followed them inside.
A look passed between them and I couldn’t tell what they were thinking. Tom had a helpless look on his face and Glenna was smiling at him like she had just gotten a present. Maybe they aren’t so bad and they DO have a computer.
Cassie and Kell are telling me their new story right now – they will be back soon 🙂
Sunday Scribbling prompt was absurd.
Cassie and Kell walked down the street. The street was familiar and yet it wasn’t. Subtle differences caused by time. “Look! The Community Center is still there!” Kell exclaimed.
“Maybe we shouldn’t get too close until we know a little bit more about this time.” Cassie said thoughtfully.
“You’re probably right.” said Kell as he glanced around and behind him uneasily
They turned down a side street and headed toward a line of shops. There were people strolling down the sidewalk. Some were looking in windows, some talking, and some sharing a cone from the ice cream shop. About halfway down the street they spied tables and chairs at an outdoor cafe.
“There! Let’s see if they have pizza. I know I could think more clearly if my stomach wasn’t growling!” Cassie said. Cassie and Kell walked down to the cafe and went to the window to place their order. There was a chalkboard menu to the left of the window and thank goodness, pizza was listed. Cassie looked at Kell and he grinned and turned to the tattooed, pierced, and bored looking teenager behind the counter. “Two slices of Pineapple and Canadian Bacon Thin Crust and two bottled waters please.” he said.
After he had paid, they found a table and chairs in the shadows and sat down to eat. Neither one spoke for a few minutes, too busy chewing and licking melted cheese from their fingers.. Cassie reached out and stole a piece of bacon from Kell’s pizza, “Hey!” he laughed. The smile kind of died on his face. It seemed so absurd to be sitting here eating pizza as if all were normal.
“Maybe we need to figure out what we know and then work on what we don’t” Kell wiped his mouth with a napkin and took a swig of water. We know we are in the future, but we don’t know when.”
“And we know you are supposed to do something – but we don’t know what.” Cassie added. There has to be a reason for my dreams and my uh, ability.”
They finished their water and bundled up their trash and threw it in the can by the counter. “Come on, lets get a newspaper and some supplies and head back.” Kell grabbed Cassie’s hand and they headed down the street to the drugstore. They picked up a paper, and some toiletries, coffee and breakfast bars for in the morning. Kell paid for their purchases and they headed back towards the apartment.
The sun was getting lower and more people were out walking. Cassie and Kell strolled with the crowd, taking their time. As they neared the apartment, Cassie glanced in a window as they passed and saw a face reflected that stopped her in her tracks. Kell stopped and turned to her and saw where she was looking. As he peered at the window he too saw a face in the crowd that was looking directly at them. It was there for a second and by the time Kell whipped around to see the real person, the face was gone. Cassie still stood frozen in place. Kell grabbed her ice cold hand and rubbed it. One look at her pale face told him that the face was the one from her dreams. “Come on Cassie, lets get inside!” Cassie stumbled blindly, as Kell pulled her along. He unlocked the door and then relocked it once they were inside. He flipped on the light and dropped the shopping bags on the table. “Cassie, talk to me baby! Sit down here, come on, are you ok? We are safe now. We’re inside and he’s gone!”
Cassie slowly sat down and sat at the table shaking. “It was him. He is here and he terrifies me. I don’t even know why, Kell!” She looked up at him. “I’ve only dreamed of his face. How can a dream face scare me so badly?”
“Cassie, I’ve never even dreamed of him and it scared me. There was something about those eyes. They were so cold, even though he was smiling. We can’t let him freak us out though. You got us this far Cassie. You’re the bravest person I’ve ever met. We can get through this!” Kell, held onto her hands as he spoke.
“That’s the longest speech I’ve ever heard you make, Kell.” Cassie let out a long sigh. “Ok, we can do this. I’ll try not to freak out too often.” As she spoke, Kell picked up the newspaper that was rolled up in the bag and laid it on the table. They both looked at the paper and there on the front was a picture of the man they had just seen on the street.
Another blogger mentioned this site in a post so I went to play. It’s called One Word. You click go and a word appears at the top of the page and your cursor appears in a space where you write on the prompt for a minute. When the minute is up you get a message telling you to finish your sentence and click submit. You enter your email and your entry will show up on the site. Don’t enter your email and it will be deleted when you click submit. New word everyday. Fun. Here is mine for today
Raft
they floated down the river and the sun was nice and warm. Too bad she would never know. She was laid out in the bow with a bullet through her pretty head. She would never tell him how to paddle again. She would never tell him that he didn’t know how to load the car right. She would never again tell him every single thing that came into her mind that said he was not good enough – would never be.
Perfect Saturday morning. I got to the walking track at seven o’clock and the sun was already out but there was a cool breeze. Walked two miles listening to music 🙂
Playlist:
Guardian Angel – Red Jumpsuit Apparatus
Give Me Your Eyes – Brandon Heath
Vultures – John Mayer
Scientist – Coldplay
The Hardest Part – Coldplay
Follow That Sound – Sharon Little
Into The Ocean – Blue October
All Eternal Things – Trembling Blue Stars
Here With Me – Dido
Living In Twilight – Weepies
Only Hope – Switchfoot
Came home, drank a bottle of water and pulled weeds out of the flower bed, showered and had a shopping, library, hastings move rental day with number one daughter.
Veggies for supper and now I am going to watch a movie, curl up with a book and sleep like a baby. Doesn’t get much better than that 🙂
I wish these kind of blessing on everyone!
The strength to get up and walk.
Flowers in the yard and a yard to have them in.
Indoor plumbing 🙂
A little money in your pocket
Healthy children to enjoy.
A love for reading.
A family to enjoy a movie with.
Healthy food to eat.
A warm bed to sleep in.
I am blessed.
This is long and I’m sorry but it was just fun. It combines the Sunday Scribbling prompt Soul Mate and the Carry On Tuesday Prompts #3 and #4
I had also used the prompt “intersect” but couldn’t find the link to the site – here it is. One Single Impression.
Simon finally gave up on sleeping. He rose and stoked up the fire. The night air was warm but he felt a chill in his bones anyway. He put water on to boil and made himself tea. The fire threw shadows on the old wood walls and made his white hair glow like it was on fire too. He sighed as he drank his tea. His bones told him that he was too old to be about this kind of business but the dreams didn’t care about old bones. They came every night now. It had been so long since he slept through the night he wasn’t even sure he was asleep when they came. He knew he was at an intersection. He could stay on his life path and be comfortable, healing the people who lived in the valley; or follow the dreams. He knew if he chose to stay that there would be terrible consequences for more than just him.
When he had drunk most of the tea he swirled the dregs and stared into the leaves hoping for answers. As usual, none came.
Morning would fall over the valley soon and if he got an early start he might make the mountains before nightfall. He packed some hard bread and cheese and filled a skin with water. He gathered some herbs and wrapped them with the food in an extra cloak and got out a piece of parchment and some ink and a pen. He wrote a note saying he had gone on a journey and would return when he could. Whoever found the note was welcome to shelter and any vegetables that might be left in the garden. He knew it might be awhile before he returned to his valley and his hut. It made him sad to think about but when the dreams called, they didn’t take any notice of creature comforts. Simon hoped that in his absence the warm little hut would hold the spirit of hospitality and kindness would still be dwelling here waiting for him.
He threw some of the ground herbs and dried flowers on the fire. Sweetpea for friendship, rosemary for blessing, and anise for protection and purification. He said a prayer as the herbs burned and then doused the fire with water from the stream that flowed nearby.
Simon tied his white hair with a leather thong and hooked the clasp on his cloak. He grabbed his bundle and his carved walnut staff. He slid his knife into his boot not because he wanted to but because the dream told him to. He didn’t relish the thought of hurting another living creature but he could if he had to.
He took one last longing look around and opened the door. The darkness wrapped it self around him like another cloak but he didn’t need light to start on this part of the trip. The path from his door was so well worn, his feet knew the way even if his eyes hadn’t been able to see shadows that hinted at approaching dawn. He heard a mourning dove cry and an owl in the old walnut that shaded his hut, complained. The smell of spring was all around and he wondered if he would ever see his home again. Maybe it was better leaving in the darkness. His heart might turn him around otherwise.
Simon headed east and crossed fields and a brook. As the night slowly gave way to early purple morning he continued walking. No one saw him leave, there were no close neighbors and it could be days before anyone knew he had gone. He had taught Avery all he could about his herbs and healing. Avery was a good lad and would help his friends if need be. He would miss them all.
The purple gave way to grey mist and that slowly lightened to blue. He could see the mountains in the distance now and though the path was gone, he knew the way as clearly as though the land itself was drawing him further and further from home. The grass became sparser and the path now led upward as he entered the foothills. Simon saw a rabbit out for his breakfast and then watched as a hawk swooped down and grabbed him. He shivered, wondering if this was an omen.
He felt his muscles protest as the climb grew steeper. The sun was climbing as well and he knew that before long the heat would be unpleasant. Still he climbed. He could turn and look over the whole valley now. He spared one look and then squared his shoulders and turned away, climbing over rocks and around trees.
He knew from the dream visions that he was getting close to his destination. As he clutched a tree branch to help himself over the next outcropping he spied the opening in the cliff above. It was dark against the sun drenched rock and he felt a chill even though his cloak seemed to be holding in the heat now.
He finally climbed over the last rise and stood at the entrance to a small cave. Simon sat down under the shade of a tree nearby and opened his bundle. He took out a water skin and his bread and cheese. He poured a few drops of water out for the local gods and ate his meager feast. He left a few crumbs for the squirrel that was watching from up in the tree and tied his pack up again. He rested for a few moments and then sighing, he rose and entered the cave. There was a torch just inside and next to it in a little hollow in the rock was a piece of flint and some steel. He took it out and struck sparks to light the torch and when it caught, he replaced the flint and took the torch and carefully moved deeper into the cave. Near the back wall was a pile of skins and a fire ring. There was a snake coiled on the skins and he chased it away with his staff. He moved the top skins back and underneath was a book. The book was thick and black and covered with dust. He wasn’t surprised. Everything he had seen in the dream had come to pass.
He carefully picked up the book and replaced the skins. He sat down on the pile of skins and using the torch, he lit the tinder in the fire ring. It was cooler in the cave and the fire would keep the snakes away. He sat the book on his lap and slowly opened the front cover. It was made of wood and the boards were bowed and creaking. It had an old smell to it, like something ancient and unknowable.
The pages were cracked and yellowed. He took his pouch of herbs from his pack and as he turned the pages the flames leapt up and a face began to appear. To the flames he added Bay for protection and Lambs Ears to guard against harm, Borage for courage, Sage for wisdom, Camphor to help see and remember, and Lavender for love. As he added the herbs the flames changes colors and slowly the face became clearer. It was a face he knew nearly as well as he knew his own, though it had been years since he’s seen her. She was his soul mate and he had grieved her death his entire solitary life. As he looked upon the face in the flames a single tear made it’s way down the creases in his sun baked, furrowed cheeks to rest in his snowy beard.
How could this be? How could she have lived all this time and he not know it? Yet here she was calling from the dreams. He turned the page in the book and spoke the words on the page in the language of the old ones. Her face became clearer still and she looked back at him with such love that was brighter even than the fire. He turned the page again and traced the runes with his gnarled fingers. As he did, she became more solid, less ethereal. He looked down at his own hands and could almost see the page through them. It was more difficult to hold the book now but he strained to turn the page again. Once again he spoke the words on the page and as he completed them the book dropped back to the skins and the fire winked out.
Hours had passed without notice and the sun had set once again. A dove mourned and a snake hurried out of the cave, no longer interested in curling up on the still warm skins. Then night sounds returned and a light rain began to fall, erasing the tracks to the cave. As quickly as it began, the rain ceased and the clouds evaporated as the moon reflected not one, but two faces, forever smiling down on the dark as stars sang to the reluctant wizard and his lady.
I’m not happy with this and I’m not sure why. I’m going to live with it a bit and revise later if I need to. Made a few minor changes. A few of the sentences were driving me crazy.
For now this is for prompts from Sunday Scribbling – soul mate and Carry On Tuesday #3 There are waking dreams and sleeping dreams.
Kell bent to pick up the letter at the same time Cassie reached for it. They bumped heads and they both jerked back. Cassie rubbed her forehead and laughed nervously. Kell reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “You okay?†He asked.
“I’m fine†she said. “Read the letter, Kell! The suspense is killing me!!â€
He picked it up and carefully unfolded the letter. The paper was thin at the creases, where it had been folded for a long time.
“It’s my handwriting!†He exclaimed. He sank down on the couch by Cassie and they read the letter.
“If you are reading this and you’re me – you aren’t crazy and this IS real.
I don’t have a lot of time. Cassie will be back soon and I don’t want to worry her. I think we will be moving on soon.
Just a couple of things that might help down the line. Trust Cassie, but don’t leave it all on her. She is your soul mate. Time to start carrying your part, dude. Cassie is only part of it – you are key.
Trust the dreams – waking and sleeping. Be careful because as you now know, things aren’t always what they seem.
The guy with the eyes is real. He’ll come through time to stop you.
P.S. There’s cash in our hiding place.â€
Me
Kell dropped the letter on the couch next to Cassie and started pacing, running his fingers through his hair. Cassie picked up the letter and reread it hoping for more.
“Stop us from what?†Kell had stopped pacing and stared at Cassie. “What does it mean – I’m key?†He asked. Cassie shook her head, suddenly unable to speak. There were tears in her eyes and Kell sat down next to her and hugged her. “It’s ok. At least it will be. We will figure this out together. From now on it’s both of us.â€Â He told her as he smoothed her hair.
“I wish I knew. The only thing I know for sure right now is..â€
“Is what?â€Â Kell asked.
“I’m hungry!â€Â Cassie said.
Kell grinned. “Let’s go check the hiding place and see what we have. Hopefully this future still has pizza! Come on.â€Â Kell pulled Cassie up from the couch and started towards the bedroom. Cassie followed, curious. Kell opened the closet and moved some clothes out of the way and knelt down. He reached to the side and pulled the molding away from the floor. There, in a plastic bag was some folded up money and cards. He took the cards and some of the money out and replaced the bag and molding.
“You’ve done this before?â€Â She asked. Kell smiled. “Yes. Ever since I was a kid. I had a stepdad that would take anything we had to buy booze so I learned early to hide anything valuable. The letter really must have been from me. Let’s go find something to eat.â€
They headed out the door and down the street.   They didn’t see the man in the leather coat across the street. He was standing in the shadow of a doorway across the street. The man smiled and threw his cigarette at a cat that ran by him. He headed off in the same direction, whistling.
For the previous Stealing Time stories click the Stealing Time tag at the top of this post.
I am working on part 4 of my Stealing Time story and it’s coming slooowly this time.
In the meantime I have been making some changes in the way I read blogs. I have been using igoogle homepages for a couple of years because I liked the visuals but beginning last week I started having problems with it. Suddenly, my pages wouldn’t load. It wasn’t my computer or my bandwidth because I tried from several computers and several locations. It just wouldn’t load. I am assuming at this point that google has made some changes.
I began migrating my feeds to google reader. It’s something I should have done to begin with. I seem to enjoy making things difficult for myself by using things for purposes other than what they were intended for. The process has been slow and I am still not finished but it has also been a good time to clean out. There were a lot of feeds I didn’t bother reading anymore and as I migrate I have forced myself to pare it down to the things I read consistantly. I have organized as I moved and marked everything read so that I can start fresh.
I am alternating on working on my story and googling so be patient.
Writing this story has been kind of like having a baby. Repeatedly. Doesn’t sound like fun does it? I remember thinking in my ninth month that this was going on far too long and couldn’t this baby just GET HERE ALREADY? Then I would go into labor and things would happen so fast that the pain seemed secondary just do the work breath through the pain oh here it comes don’t ask me anything, there – it’s a boy/girl/story. I was blessed with short labors for those of you that are reading this and going “what??”. Writing the story seems like that for me. Wait, wait, wait – boom!
I’m no good at the waiting part. Never have been. Never will be.
It is time for an update. I know I have mostly posted my writing here lately but life is going on in the background. It’s just that like everything in my life, when I discover something new, I obsess about it – Dale calls it “one-tracking” which made me mad until he explained that it was a compliment. When I decide to become involved with something I will research, read, practice – whatever until I have had enough. If I ever get my nose chopped off for having it poked into the wrong place it won’t just be the tip – it will be the whole thing!
Today is the first day of summer for me. School ended yesterday, even though I have to go and take care of things that I couldn’t seem to accomplish with kids there, I will do it on my time, in peace and quiet.
Peace and quiet – yeah. This morning I got up, drank my first cup of coffee, ate my oatmeal, grabbed the mp3 player and did a mile and a half while it was still less than 70 degrees out. Sun was shining and not too many folks stirring. Brandon Heath singing “Give Me Your Eyes” in my ears and now finishing my second and last cup of the day. Life is good.
Daughter graduated, a few scholarships we didn’t know we were getting and her laptop arrived. She has a job for a month so all is good there. Son is home for the summer and has a job. It doesn’t pay a lot but anything is better than zero. Still waiting to hear on his financial package for next year so pray. He has been going at it the hard way and it would nice for him to catch a break.
The old blazer finally died and Dale found another Impala, a little newer than the one we have. I’m expecting an “occupant letter” any day since the front yard now looks like a used car lot with everyone home.
I’ll be at school Tuesday waiting for the truck from the prison but the Lord was looking out for me when I faxed them my request this time. I asked for laptops for UIL and flat screen monitors.  The only thing I will have trouble hauling will be some network printers but there won’t be many of them. I’ve already got a forklift lined up so it’s all good.
I still have computers to load with operating systems and software. I have replaced two entire rows in the lab and am in the process of distributing the older ones to classrooms I will work on that this summer too.
I have some projects I want to get to around the house too – like cleaning out closets and the garage. I have some books to return to a friend and I need to help daughter do some major cleaning out and organizing to get ready for college. There is also a stack of books to read next to my nightstand.
Last night I did something I have never done before. I read an autopsy report. Spent some time on google trying to figure out what some words meant. Didn’t seem like much to tell about a living person who just a short time ago was making me laugh til my sides hurt.
For today, however; walking, some laundry, a spinach salad for supper and some sitting on the back porch surveying the kingdom will be good enough.
Maybe I will write a little too 🙂
Carry On Tuesday’s last prompt was Everyone Suddenly Burst Out Singing. I am a week behind but I’m here!
Sunday mornings Mama played the organ at church. It was one of those little white churches with benches instead of pews. Mr. Jackson built them in his shop. They were worn smooth and shiny from years of folks scooching around trying to make it to the end of Reverend White’s sermons.
The windows were open and the only air moving was from fans stuck under the benches advertising “Miller’s Funeral Home – Only The Best For Your Loved Ones” and “Eat At Smith’s Diner – Best Fried Chicken In The South!”.
I would have liked to sit on the back bench where the boys sat, but Mama wanted me right up front where she could see me.  I tried to cover my mouth, and fake scratch my nose. I hoped Mama didn’t notice the yawn or I would sure enough hear about it later.
I sighed.  There was a bird chirping outside the window and bees were buzzing. I could smell lilacs and fresh mowed grass. It was warm and all I wanted to do was slip off my hard church shoes and run down to the creek. I heard snatches of the sermon, something about lamps and brides and then I  slipped off into daydreams again.
All of a sudden I realized there was giggling coming from below the window.  I stole a glance but all I could see was the top of the lilac bush.  I noticed a corner of the screen was pulled loose and glanced back at the front to see Mama frowning at me.  I tried to look like I was paying attention again. I felt a hard knock on my back and almost yelled “ouch”.
Mary Sue Riley was sitting right behind me, smiling like the cat that ate the canary. She looked up and down my dress that came from “Dress for Less” and frowned disapprovingly. She would never have worn anything bought in town, she had informed me loudly before church. “All my clothes come from the mall over in Johnston. Daddy says there isn’t a thing in this town worth spending his money on. You really should try a little harder Katie. You aren’t completely ugly you know.” She had turned her nose up and marched into church like she was leading a parade or something.
I switched cheeks to try to get more comfortable on the hard bench and then I heard rustling and muffled noises coming from the back of the church. There was a bump and a screech and then all H-E double L broke loose! The biggest crow I had ever seen was flying around inside the hot little church. It was dive-bombing the Mitchell sister’s bright orange hair and almost knocked a couple of light bulbs down from the ceiling. It swooped across the front of the church almost knocking the Reverend’s toupee off (now that’s a whole other story) and even had Mama ducking and swatting.
The next thing I knew, it had landed smack on the top of Mary Sue Riley’s head and there was bird You-Know-What dripping down her nose. About that time some of the men got fans and a broom and chased the poor thing out the door of the church. People had been spinning around in their seats trying to see where it was going to hit next and I could hear the boys in the back laughing and rolling around on the floor.
The Reverend straightened his toupee and took out a handkerchief to mop his forehead with and glanced at my Mama and nodded. She started banging out “Will The Circle Be Unbroken” and after a moment everyone suddenly burst out singing. I glanced behind me and Mary Sue was wiping the mess off her face with the hem of her nice mall-bought dress. Her face was red and she was madder than a wet hen. She glared at me as if I had caused the whole thing. For once I was glad that Mama was watching me. It gave me a good excuse to turn and face the front and grin as I loudly sang “There’s a better home awaiting, in the sky Lord, In the sky!”