I stand in my spot three quarters into the mystery maze. I hide in the dark, jump out, and scare the bejesus out of the little kids. My partner, Larry, hides across from me. He stands under three feet tall and dresses like a clown. He tells everyone he is height-challenged. I call him a dwarf. The correct term, I think, is person of short stature. I like dwarf. Larry doesn’t mind. He knows he…
The mouse sat with the candle light filling his eyes. The light flickered in syncopation opposite his heartbeat with a fast shadow or a flash of color. He drew closer to the sound of laughter. He could be patient. If he sat still enough, and long enough, their eating and laughter would end. Nothing would disrupt his patience. He had to believe it. His wait could last a while. A wooden spoon, dipped in tomato…
He stuck his head out again and a smell of dried wildflowers and iron filled his nose. The wind telegraphed the rain and brought a few drops to the pavement. They dropped and evaporated.
In an instant, large drops fell on the windshield. A slow splat of drops hit in front of him and to the side. Each drop the size of silver dollars. A few more rain drops fell and then a torrent of rain.
Edna sucked in the soup. A large noodle stopped at her lip. She tried to tongue it into her mouth and couldn’t reach it. She slipped back into the chair and let out a long sigh. “I miss George.” Larry stood up and wiped off her mouth. He lifted her hand up and placed the linen in her lap. She forced a smile patting his hand. He left her chair and moved to the window. “George…
A loud sneeze sent a nose full of snot onto the steering wheel and the windshield. James pushed the phone away from the explosion and the rain of mucus. “Are you gonna be all right?” Sally snickered through the phone. “Damn ragweed.” James looked around for a tissue. He also tried not to run his hand through the sticky mess on his steering wheel. “I’m blowing my nose or snorting up salt water.” He dug…
Today, he refused to eat an ordinary peanut butter and jelly sandwich. His sandwich would express attitude. It would be special. He aimed to make it wonderful. John Harvey Kellogg, the guy who invented corn flakes, figured out how to make peanut butter from raw peanuts. The guy who often gets the credit, George Washington Carver, had nothing to do with it. Richard Allen Hofacker knew all about the main use for peanut butter; a protein substitute. He also…
Sunday mornings I rest; no talking, no movies, and no human interaction. Once the dogs wake me, I lie on my pillow and stare upwards. Last Sunday, I counted 337 holes in the ceiling tile around the light. So far, the number hasn’t changed. Over the past few weeks, sounds are richer. Birds share greetings, and leaves slap against each other. Bees hesitate among the flowers, and I swear the hedge hides a family of…
Other Writings You May Like That’s a Wrap A Simple Mistake Knight Approaches Softly Magic Reflection of Light
His knee slipped and he hit the door frame hard. “Son of a bitch!” The unbalanced bag of dog food pulled him around the frame and into the stucco wall. The dogs bounced below his feet threatening to entangle him further. His knee and this new bump on his head each provided an equal measure of pain. He let out a sigh. Unfortunately, the abuse returned in the shower with the knee giving out again slamming his body into the…
It had happened again. And he feared the result. A near miss or a slip up and the entire room was questioning his ability. More than 30 years doing this job. And yet, he wondered if he really understood how to do it. The mistake had happened almost as soon as he made the decision to move forward. A reaction timed wrongly, and if it had not been noticed, he might have been able to…