I had to go, I really had to go and headed for the chair doing the worst impression of a duck walk there ever was.
Oh the chair, that glorious chair with the magic hole beneath it; we all love you so, all the more since we don’t have to squat our bare butts down on a bush full of thorns or worse, a log full of chiggers!
Sweet relief once I take that seat and let nature flow but, day of all days, my zipper is stuck and my jeans are lodged half way down my hips.
The sound of that zzzzzip is sweet music to my ass-urance that an accident I will not make.
I turn and sit down and discover within a cloud of foul smelling mess, that something is sorely amiss!
“Dad,” I yell at the top of my lungs waiting for him to appear, “you forgot to make a HOLE in this here chair!”
It was almost over. All the heartache. All the strife. All the pain. One step onto that bridge and it would all be left behind.
No more ugly words and recriminations. No more accusations, half-truths, slights and outright verbal attacks.
One small step and the bitterness of loneliness would disappear, swallowed into a great black void of nothingness; or whatever was on the other side of this bridge. Heaven or Armageddon?
Others passed her by, bumping into her, jostling her in their scramble to get to the other side.
Another jerk and a long, hard pull found her at the very threshold of the bridge. Shadows moved on the other side. Mist undulated over the landscape. A mighty roar rang out, then three loud gongs signaling the closing of the bridge.
Take a step, just take a step. Something tugged harder. She wavered. Across the bridge was nearly everyone she loved and cared for. Lifting a small, frail foot above the glistening cedar of the long foot-bridge, she leaned forward then stopped.
A noise, coming from a distance far away rang familiar. There it was again! Turning away from the bridge, she did not see it dissipate.
The voice was closer now, distinguishable.“Grandma? Grandma are you awake?”
In response to Brenda Warren our hostess for The Sunday Whirl. You can join in here.
By Brenda Warren
The words are:sliver, breath, sent, plans, hours, minutes, chime, drive, write, light, crime, match.
Hour after hour the minutes pass Labored breath matches a drive chimed only by the agonizing light Slivers of sunrise write of my crime upon a canvas of black Matched only by plans sent by the glow of a disapproving moon
She did not believe it. Not now and not ever. She refused to allow one inkling of their suggestion to enter her mind, or heart.
“Babe, be reasonable before you freak out and end up like your mother as well, two in the family are quite enough!” That certainly elicited a response from his young wife.
She turned at him, glowering.
“Don’t you even think it husband mine! Should I ever display those kinds of barbaric, heinous tendencies in your presence, you’ve my express permission to shoot me dead!” Tears ran down her high, plump cheeks.
“I’ll keep that in mind, Babe,” he pretended to ruminate on her statement in earnest until she nailed him squarely in the face with one of her fluffy, lace trimmed decorator pillows; the ones no one was allowed to actually use.
She laughed and loved him even more for making her laugh. Things would be alright, she just knew it.
Growing serious once again, she tucked the pretty pillow under her neck, arms and breasts, unconsciously rocking back and forth.
He pulled her into his arms, cradling her head against his chest. The pillow was tossed toward the headboard where it lay untimelyshe deftly returned it to its original resting place.
A shrill scream of pain and subsequent silence pierced the air and their ears.
The boy stood on the top stair, their prized sweet goose hanging by the neck, limp in his tight little fists.
“Mable, Mable! Wake up!” The male shook his wife vigorously. He’d never known anyone that could sleep like his wife.
“Mable! Wake up, I think I’ve found sustenance! Come on!”
Mable roused at the mention of food, how long had it been since they’d eaten anything at all healthy or nutritious for either of them?
She rolled her rather large self up off of the soft bed of hay to peer up at her much smaller, but currently highly animated husband.
“What do you see Dandy Randy?” She felt his excitement and moved up to be beside him. He really was exquisite, that’s why she had chosen him and why she’d dubbed him Dandy Randy the first time he had presented and preened for her.
Dandy Randy rubbed against her, a show of affection.
“There, do you see it? It comes and goes, sort of blinking, but very bright when it blinks on our way. I’m positive it’s calling to us Mable. It wants us to go to it. Do you feel it too?”
“Oh yes, yes, yes! There must be food there, why else would it be signaling us? It will be so nice to have something to eat besides this dried up hay!” With one large wing, she waved toward the huge expanse of wheat and barley as far as they could see.
“Mable darling,” Dandy Randy hesitated. “Sweetheart, it’s a long way across the blue liquid. There may be dangerous things beneath and since you laid your larvae, you’re not as well … you haven’t fully recovered yet. Do you think you can make it love?” He really was concerned.
“I’m as fit as you are, bigger and stronger too so don’t you forget it!”
He knew she was upset with him because she didn’t call him Dandy Randy.
Before he could explain or issue an apology, she lifted off with her expansive wings and was out over the blue expanse in seconds.
“Mable, wait! You are flying too low, lift Mable lift!” Dandy Randy shouted at her as his much smaller but faster wings almost caught him up to her. He was too late! He saw the huge beast beneath the surface tracking his beloved. He opened his mouth to shout again when she suddenly slowed and called back to him over her beautiful, furred shoulder.
“Are you shouting at me as well now?” The beast leapt out of the blueness just in front of Mable. Had she not slowed down to wait for her husband, she would have been a snack for that monster. She owed him her life and she knew it.
Tears filled her luminous eyes, making her even more beautiful to Dandy Randy.
As he reached her, he gently nudged her up higher. Not too high or those horrid white flying things would be on them, tearing and rending them to pieces. He urged her to fly on, a little faster and more aware.
She watched below and he watched above. Sometimes their wings would touch and they’d smile that smile that married couples do.
Dandy Randy glanced behind him many times, keeping an eye on the swarm of swimming things that tracked their progress. Once in a while one of the slimy creatures would would leap at them, but the couple were flying well above the blue moving surface to worry about it.
“Almost there,” Dandy Randy raised his voice to be heard over the rapidly rising wind.
“It’s so beautiful,” Mable exclaimed only a few seconds before … “SPLAT!” … “SPLAT!”
In response (I think) to ROUND 3posted by f3gastonia
Explanation: I found this in my draft folder dated September 2022, never posted. I thought to go ahead and post it since my last post was somewhat depressing and this one would help elevate the mood and it has Christmas in it too!
Quicken winked at Quilt when passing through one day She blushed in hues of red and blue
Quilt looked up so shy and sweet Her squares lined up perfectly very straight and wonderfully neat
Demurely did she smile and say Quicken you must quit this day Friends we are and friends we’ll stay
Quilt I can not said Quicken to Quilt Your colors do swirl and capture me Keeping me completely atilt
My weaver wove a heavenly cast into my squares and meant to last for years to come and was a gift
But this lovely quilt is not for you Sewn with love so very true A little boy I’ve been made for
So quit this day Quicken Sir for it’s not here this quilt will stay
But swaddling a babe with care and love early on Christmas Day
“I have not formulated a logical escape plan Captain,” Answered Mr. Spock stoically.
“What do you mean you don’t have a way to get us out of this?” Kirk hissed.
Mr. Spock peered at Captain Kirk speculatively.
“I did not say I do not have a way out Captain. I merely stated I do not have a logical way for us to escape this situation. There is one option however, Captain …”
“Well, spit it out Spock,” Kirk hissed through clinched teeth, holding onto the glass dome, protecting them from the massive Serock. “SPOCK! ”
Letting go of the straps holding the heavy protective dome in place, Spock said quietly,
“The Serock only ingests red blood cells Captain …”