I'm gonna post the short story I just completed on here. I got a very good review of it and that's enough for me to put it on here. It's pretty short, but I hope you enjoy it.
Good Friday
The swing, the thud sound of metal on soft wood, the fall.
Carter wiped a thin sheen of sweat from his suntanned brow with the stained bandanna he often kept dangling from his back pocket.
It was always the same. He was carrying on the family tradition just as it had always been done, good times and bad, since time out of mind.
Always on that same hill, that same crop of trees in the field behind the house. Always under that same orange, fade to red, fade to midnight sky. Sometimes, if he was lucky and the day had been just right, the fireflies would start winking on and off like Christmas tree lights right as he was finishing up. Those were the days he liked the best.
The house had changed a lot in just the time since Carter was a boy. Since his older brother John had passed on a few years back, he had had to make some changes just to keep the place up.
Carter had taken time over the last year to fix up some of the now empty rooms in the big farmhouse and throw a new coat of paint on the outside, and tomorrow the Stephen’s Lane Boarding House would officially be open for business. He had even made up a nice, big hand painted sign for out by the drive that he was very proud of.
There wasn’t much cause for a boarding house this far out from the city and really, Carter wasn’t sure he would be very good at that sort of business, but with the new highway that just opened up he knew the traffic would get heavier and there was a good chance he would do just fine. He had put all the “quaint country charm” he could muster into the place and he knew the city people would like that. With John and his folks gone, he had had to figure out some way to keep the money coming in, so he would give it a shot.
Before, when Carter and John were boys, their folks ran the general store in town and that kept them well enough. But then momma died while she was driving up to see her sister and dad didn’t hold up so well after that. He sold the store and just stayed in all the time. It had been a long time, but Carter thought there might be a Circle K there now.
But the tradition was always important. No matter how low he was, Carter’s dad would seem to brighten up when those Friday evenings came and they would all go out to the back field. Those were special times and on nights like this one, as he stood watching the sky deepen into black and the stars come out one by one like God was poking holes in the fabric of the sky with a sewing needle, He would take it all in and remember his family and think about how much he missed them and how much better it had been.
But things were as they were and are as they are and all Carter could do was work hard, stay smart and keep the tradition, and his memories, alive.
His recollections broken, Carter went down on one knee in the tall grass of the hill and began the last part of his Friday night routine. He patted the body down with a dexterous hand, searching for anything of value it may have on it.
Carter made the sweep and found a gold wedding ring and a thin wallet full of useless, to Carter at least, credit cards and 60 dollars cash. There were also the usual pictures of children and dogs and the like, but they were of no interest. Besides, looking through a man’s memories was wrong.
Carter stood, picking the blood stained shovel up from the ground where he had laid it and pushed the body down the hill with one scuffed and dirty work boot. It rolled haphazardly, laying down a trail in the tall grass behind it and then came to rest with a soft thud among the others. He would need to come out tomorrow and throw some more lime on the pile, but that was Saturday business.
He turned, pulling out a bandanna from his pocket and wiped the blood off the shovel as he walked. When the man had come up asking for directions this morning after not seeing a soul for almost two weeks, Carter had known this would be a good night.
And it was. The fireflies came out. Carter threw the old shovel over his shoulder and smiled a little.
A very good night indeed.
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Yay!!!
Well I've been sick for the past few days and it sucked. But I'm on the mend and I'll be back to the old grind tomorrow.
Hasn't been a total loss though. My most excellent friend and cohort Amy K, AKA Moneypenny, bought me an excellent gift. A collection of short stories.
That opened the door for me to write and actually complete a short story of my own. I'm quite proud of it actually and I can't thank her enough.
Since it's almost Christmas, I may not be posting for awhile amidst all the craziness. But I'll try to keep up.
Saturday, December 8, 2012
Finally....
I'm back to it. Writing again feels great and I think I'm on the final leg of a story I have been working on for at least a year.
This blog has helped alot with my writing, mostly because it makes me think about it more. I just wish there was more time to devote to my stories though. It's what I really want to do. I don't think I'll ever be a great writer or anything, but I know I can get some really decent stuff out there if I can learn what I need to and have the time to write it.
Anyway, more updates to come and all that. And I promise I'll be a bigger smartass in my next few posts.
Have a good night, suckas!
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Been awhile, huh?
Wow, it's been nuts since black Friday. I blame everyone who likes cardboard standups. Moneypenny and I are doing everything we can to use our awesomeness to stem the tide, but there is only so much we can do. It's hard being the greatest team ever.
But anyway, we started this awesome book/movie club, that it now occurs to me had yet to be named, and are well on the way to having an really great thing goin on. I'm excited to get it underway.
I shall attempt to keep up with events on here, but it's gonna be psycho until after christmas.
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