Turning

Jim knew that random stuff couldn’t all be his fault. Some of it was bad luck. And as for the rest, he intended to get even with Mark and his girlfriend Denise for dodging their involvement by witnessing against him.

The judge sentenced him to thirty years saying that at Jim’s age that would give him a good chunk of the rest of his life to think it over and give the community respite from his stony heart.

After two of those decades Jim was surprised to hear that first Mark and later Denise both died from natural causes. In his own last years he forgot all about luck and wished he could have seen either of them once again to tell them how sorry he was for wasting their lives.

Linked to GirlieOnTheEdge’s Six Sentence Story with the prompt word “random”.

GirlieOnTheEdge Denise Farley's six-sentence-stories icon
GirlieOnTheEdge Denise Farley’s six-sentence-stories icon
Life From a Stone Prison

Surrealism

Cloudy contrast floating past
Even what’s so wild won’t last.

Linked to Cosmic Photo Challenge where Dale offers the theme of “surrealism”. The white funnel-shaped cloud was from a jet that passed by some time ago. The dark cloud held the coming rain. Together their contrast seemed to me surreal.

Also linked to Trent P. McDonald’s The Weekly Smile. Finding out that the mystery bug was a hawk moth or a hummingbird moth put a smile on my face. Also I was amazed at the quantity of wildflowers in the forest preserve yesterday when walking one of the trails.

Clouds Above a Soccer Field

Stacking Stones

Nature does a grander job. What we made was mindful.  Besides that wasn’t why we piled stones on top of one another.  We were testing each other’s patience.

I failed the test and let her set the last stone, her crowning glory, on top.  They didn’t fall and so per agreement she left.

I would have told you about the arguments, but I’ve forgotten them.  I only remember where we set those stones.  It was out of the way.  A decade later I came back.  I looked everywhere.

Nature let us take our turn then washed it all away.

Linked to Charli Mills’ July 30th: Flash Fiction Challenge to write a 99-word story using the phrase “her crowning glory”. Although the story mentions “I”, it is not autobiographical.

Grow

I wasn’t there to plant this spring.
The morning glories didn’t care.
They’re back again off climbing where
I left some soil.  No watering
But they still rose. It’s comforting
That when I fail they ever grow
Although forgotten.  Watch them show
Their bright green leaves each like a heart.
I see the buds break out and start
To bloom again. There! Off they go.

Linked to Ronovan Writes Décima Poetry Challege with the rhyme word “grow” in the c position of the rhyme scheme, abbaaccddc.

Ronovan's Decima Poetry Challenge Image
Ronovan’s Decima Poetry Challenge Image
Morning Glory

Shower

The week was hot and Gloria listened to her grandson Brian justify the latest rally with such fervor that she felt his self-righteousness pummel her aging body.  She was young once herself, but she wished Brian didn’t have to learn things the hard way just as her father wished the same for her.

In response to her objections Brian increased the force of his argumentation until his mother, tired of overhearing them, called to him from the kitchen.  Wiping her eyes Gloria wondered why people couldn’t see how easy it was to waste their short lives.

Brian agreed to apologize and the next morning he brought in a tray with his grandma’s breakfast, but after trying he couldn’t wake her. He yelled for his dad while outside a storm began pounding a heavy shower battling the heat wave.

Linked to GirlieOnTheEdge’s Six Sentence Story with the prompt word “shower”.

GirlieOnTheEdge Denise Farley's six-sentence-stories icon
GirlieOnTheEdge Denise Farley’s six-sentence-stories icon
Thunder Showers Coming

Abstract

Fancy bugs who flutter there
Are not out flying blind.
While abstract colors fill the field
There’s nectar that live flowers yield
So those who seek may find.

Linked to Cosmic Photo Challenge where Dale offers the theme of “abstract”. The top photo reminds me of the random splattering of color like on some works of abstract art and whatever that is in the bottom photo it fits my abstract idea of “bug”.

Also linked to Trent P. McDonald’s The Weekly Smile. A friend of mine, Vince, has a backyard with flowers. We noticed there an unidentified flying object whose wings fluttered rapidly like a hummingbird but who looked like a bug sipping nectar along with the bumblebees. We tried to find it in a field guide to insects but the most we could conclude was that we were glad we didn’t run into some of the other stuff that was illustrated in that guide. Finally, giving up, we decided to call this unknown bug “Vince’s Bug”, or Bugus Vincentus to use my best pig Latin, and we welcomed it home.

Vince’s Bug

Steward

Jim spent decades getting sick without realizing it.  When finally diagnosed with an autoimmune disease he didn’t believe it.  Sure he had a belly, but he felt fine.  Reality smacked him and he rejected all prescribed medications.  He would rewind his life’s bad habits starting with his diet.

That took time, but he lost weight.  His biomarkers improved. The diet became habitual. Jim forgot he was even on it.

He stopped thinking about himself. He realized he was consuming less. Perhaps even he, old Jim, could steward the earth rather than want to eat more and more of it.

Linked to the Carrot Ranch July 23 Flash Fiction Challenge where Charli Mills offers the theme of “a story to show what it is to protect nature around us”.

In the Sun