#flashficfridayoffical

The Endless Loop

Written for @flashfictionfridayofficial 219 prompt: Under the Night Sky.

“No! No! No! I can’t.” Her sweaty head whips back and forth across the pillow.

“You can. Just a bit more. You are almost there.” The voice is stern, no nonsense but kind. Pulling a breath in, the woman bares down again.

A floor below

“No! Don’t. Please don’t. Stay! I need you.” The young lady sobs. Her mom’s hand is cold on her bowed head.

“I can’t. It is time. I will be okay. So will you.” Her once strong voice is weak. The love is still present. Stronger then before.

Back in L&D

“Here comes your baby.” Jubilance feels the room. The new mother sobs with joy.

In ICU

She lets out a sigh. Her last breath. Her daughter’s grief fills the room.

Far above any of them, in the unseen.

The mother’s soul is heading up, the baby’s  heading down.

For an eternal second, they are face to face. Both glow. One in new earthly life. The other in new heavenly life. Nothing is said, not in words. But…

“Enjoy  your life, little one. It is but a breath, a sigh.”

“Enjoy your new life, blessed one. It is forever and ever.”

A life begins and ends(?) under the night sky. A wonderful loop, eternal of joy and pain, grief and relief.

It Shows

Written for @flashfictionfridayofficial 220 prompt.

“It shows,” she says, staring at the new baby. He frowns.

“What?”

“Blood shows. You know who he really belongs to.” The queen continues, “no matter how the princess tries to hide it.”

Her husband studies his ‘grandson’ again. She is right as much as he hates to admit it. This child isn’t a true heir.

“What is wrong with our son.” He turns away from the newborn. He will join all the others in being cared for away from the castle.

Her laugh is harsh. “A very good question, my Lord. This is the fifth child born looking like…”

“Don’t speak it.” He orders. Behind him the baby let’s out a cry. He is soothed by his nurse. “It is known but shouldn’t be spoken.”

They go to their daughter -in -law.  She reclines on her bed recovering from childbirth. At seeing the look on her in laws faces, she sits up.

“Another to be sent away.” His Majesty reports .

“You cannot keep sending my children away.”

“As long as they remain just yours and not our son’s, yes we can.” The Queen coldly says.

They turn and leave her weeping.

“Blood is thicker then water, my child.” The king speaks with the prince, “I am sorry that the princess isn’t who you want, but you must do your duty and produce a heir.”

“Father, I swore to love her forever. How am I to lay with another?” He paces about the garden, “She doesn’t desire me either.”

“That is obvious in her children. Nevertheless, you must. Both of you close your eyes, and pretend it is your loves.”

To Ohio Summers

For @flashfictionfridayofficial #217 prompt Portal Fiction

To go back

To hot pretzels at to pool concession stand

The cement hot under our bare feet

The shock of cold water

As our hot bodies fall into the depths

Towel wrapped bodies in our grandma’s Buick

Hot water showers washing the chlorine off

Sleepy dinners full of vegetables picked from her garden

Nights under a canopy bed

Hearing the buzzing of the crickets

Oh for a portal back to those innocent summer days

When the world was full of possibilities

Black Friday

Written for @flashfictionfridayofficial #215 prompt Mall at Night

“I swore I would never do one of these. Why am I here?”

Her sister laughs, pulling at her hand. “Because it is the first time the mall has been open all night. You don’t have to shop. You can just watch me.”

She shakes her head, a smile spreading across her face. “You and everyone else. This might be better then Walmart.”

“That’s the spirit.”

They are in a group of people waiting on the doors to open. The Black Friday sale will be across the whole mall. The crowd is huge.

“Alright ladies and gentlemen. There will be no shoving, no pushing. You will enter in an orderly fashion. Anyone who doesn’t , will be escorted out of the building. Understood?”

Nods and yes’ all around. No one there wants to miss the mega sale. The rules will be followed.

The security guard looks to his counterpart on the inside. He gets a nod and the doors swing open.

Christmas music fills the air. A giant Christmas tree stands in the center of the lobby. It’s star is inches away from the ceiling. Christmas lights and a few other dimmed ones are the only source of illumination.

The reluctant shopper stands, taken it all in. She feels a sense of awe. Her sister grins at her. “Now aren’t you glad you came.

“I am. This is magical.”

“Good. Let’s do some shopping.”

Kiss

Written for the anonymously given prompt: Can We Kiss, for @flashfictionfridayofficial.

They stand, trembling hands holding the other. A marriage arranged by their parents and the necessity of their mutual kingdoms.

The vows have to be said, so they are. They pledge their lives to each other, to the stranger across from them, both still veiled from the other.

They hear the sighs of relief from those standing around them. It is done.

Their parents each come over and lift the veils and they get their first glimpse of the other.

He breaths out in relief. She is beautiful. She does the same at her handsome groom.

It isn’t  necessary. The ceremony is complete without it.  But…

“Can I kiss you?” he asks.

She bites her lip and nods. He leans over and presses his lips to hers. It is both their first kiss. Forbidden before this day and will be again after until they are a bit older and ready to consummate their union.

Sink or Swim ( a parenting metaphor)

For @flashfictionfridayofficial 206 amazing prompt: sink or swim

It is how I taught my boys to swim. Placing them between myself and their dad, letting them go. Oh, they were in arms reach of us, no one was going to drown. The point, they learn to swim so they don’t sink. In the safety of our outstretched arms, they were free to learn, without fear, knowing we would save then.

As they got older and more proficient, the space between us grew. They had to travel more distance to reach safety. We could still safe them, were there need, but, letting them flounder a bit, gaining confidence to save themselves, made them better swimmers.

Eventually, we could watch from the beach knowing they would be alright in their own.

This is a good metaphor for parenting. At first, they need the safety of your arms. In the water of life, that is the only place they are safe. Everything has to be taken care of for them.

Then they start to crawl and, though they look back to make sure you are still there, they venture out a bit on their own.  Walking then running, but still looking for us, making sure you are still there to run back to.

With ever milestone, it is the same, starting school, first sleepover, first date. We keep giving them more room to swim freely.

For @flashfictionfridayofficial 195 prompt.

To be clear

We didn’t ask for this

To be put in this position

To have our thoughts all twisted

Our lives torn

To be helped, yes

In a way we could never help ourselves

A blessing

But

Help can add stress

Causing a mist of problems

Even with the lifting of issues

The solution brings it’s own chaos

We need a bit of clarity of thought

A bit of mist clearing

A solution for our solutions

A way through the chaos

The Accident

For @flashfictionfridayofficial 221 prompt: Spine in a Twist. Based on real life.

It was getting late and we are getting worried. He should have been home hours ago. We start making calls.

911 dispatch tells us where he is, in the ICU of the hospital. A scooter vs motor vehicle accident. The hospital is walking distance away.

We find him battered and bruised, unable to walk and in severe pain. It is the second accident he had riding a scooter on the highway. He is stubborn as a mule. Alive, thank God, he is alive.

The recovery is horrible. This grown man screams like a laboring woman when his road rash bandages are changed. His back, carrying the same rash, as well as supporting a broken pelvis, feels like it is being twisted, every time he is turned for care and cleaning.

It hurts my heart to see my good friend and roommate in this situation. Even with my own chronic pain, I make my way to the hospital every other day, to sit with him. I work on lifting his spirits and holding his hand through the hell of physical therapy.

Six weeks later, he is aloud to come home. He is transported in an ambulance, as he still isn’t able to walk. He is moved from bed to wheelchair via a transfer board. Later, he moves the same way from wheelchair to cab, to wheelchair, to table at physical therapy.

We see he gets there. We see he has all he needs. I take him to his follow-up appointments, to PT. Cheers when he moves from wheelchair to walker, to cane. More cheers when he graduates from PT.

We cover his part of the bills, cost of taxis, build him a low bed he can move in and out of. He is our friend. It is done without complaint.

Then another accident. This time from our neighbors. A fire. We all get out, thank God he is out of the wheelchair. The electric is turned off for all the duplex. We wait on our landlord ‘s insurance.

We wait, camping in our house. Despite all we did for him, our roommate decides he can’t live with the inconvenience. He moves in with his sister.

God rewards our faith. We now live in our own home. No matter it is a mobile home. It is ours.