Brief Encounter

Her eyes met his as the subway door slid closed between them.  She had run down the multi-level stairs in an effort to catch the train.  Now with chest heaving from her exertion she watched it accelerate away and enter the tunnel.

A brief look was all she got, but it was enough to impact her psyche.  He was handsome in a rugged, shaggy way, his brown eyes pools of limpid desire.

She felt a yearning to chase after him, a desire to find him.  She shook her head, men like that weren’t interested in a plain girl like her.

Accidents Happen

Crash!

The sound of a glass hitting the floor and shattering reverberated throughout the house.

“Everything okay in there?”  He called from the living room, his chair squeaking as he got up to see if she needed help.

“I’m fine.  The glass just slipped from my hand.”  She said.

He stopped in the kitchen doorway to survey the shards of glass scattered across the tile floor and his wife kneeling down, preparing to clean up the mess.  No sign of blood indicated she wasn’t hurt.  Then his eyes widened at the indistinct outline of a grinning goblin fading from sight.

Nighttime Adventures

The two boys knelt under the pine trees whispering while the third stared in silence at the house.  Above them wispy clouds moved across the waning moon leaving the yard in shadow.

“Shhhh.”  Tommy hissed punching Jeff in the arm.

“What?  There’s nobody around!  The house is empty.”

“Be quiet and watch while I go look okay?”

“You sure you want to do that?”  Ben asked.  “Everyone knows this place is haunted.”

Both boys looked at Ben in disbelief.

“It’s not haunted.”  They said in unison.

“Someone is living there.’  Tommy said.  “And I am going to find out who.”

This week it has been more difficult for me to write these stories.  There is a growing feeling of resistance I have to over come when I sit down at my computer and look at the screen.  A feeling of what's the point, of doubt that any of these are any good, and a creeping feeling of I am not going to be able to come up with something to base the day's story on.

It might just be the annual slow, down following the hectic, crazy month of December and return to the daily chores and stresses of work.  It might be related to the cold snap we are experiencing with temperatures dropping down to zero over night and a strong desire to simply curl up on the couch with a good book and a mug of hot chocolate.  Actually, that sounds like a good idea.  I feel my spirits lifting already.

Enjoy today's story 'Nighttime Adventures' and I will be back tomorrow with another one.

  

Ending The Fight

The rain came down in sheets, plastering her hair to her head.  She walked along the side of the road with her head down, blinking the tear-laced moisture from her eyes.

They had a fight and in a feeling of exasperation she had fled.  She walked with purpose, determined to reach her friend’s house.  It had been a stupid fight, started over a sink of dirty dishes.

The blare of a car horn startled her.  He pulled up alongside, rolled down the window and called out.

“Hey, I’m sorry.”

She turned and fired through the open window.

“Not sorry enough.”

The Creative Process

She sat at her desk, fingers lightly poised on the keyboard, waiting for inspiration.  Her eyes were closed as she let her mind wander, searching for a topic.

Random thoughts danced through her head, it’s a bit chilly in the office, I could do some laundry, I should pick up dog food when I’m out this afternoon…

They spun and swirled, popping in and out, driving her to distraction.

She shifted in her chair, corrected her posture and inhaled, slow and steady, focusing on the quiet.

The image of a forest blossomed in her mind and she began to type.

Resolutions

“Did you make any New Year’s resolutions?”  Tom asked as he maintained his steady stride on the treadmill.

“Nope.  What would be the point, since I wouldn’t keep them past the middle of January?  Besides, what else do I have to work on?  I workout.  I eat healthy.  Janie and I are expecting our first child and I have the job I’ve always wanted.”

The pounding of feet on rubber was the only sound as the two men ran.

“You could try to be more humble.”  Tom said

“Right and how long do you think I could make that stick?”