Away From the Manger

Land of Glitch and Gloomy

Oh, Fudge!

Written for Susanna Leonard Hill’s 7th Annual Halloweensie Contest for children’s writers.
Must be a story 100 words or less, using the words monster, candy corn, and shadow within the tale.
Enjoy a bit of fudge for Halloween!

At Ease

Dad died on Halloween 1988.  I always think of him this time of year so I’m sharing a little bit of his life…and mine.

Galactic Junk and Catstronauts

One year ANNIVERSARY today!
This blog started one year ago. I will be re-posting some of my favorite stories and poems – from time to time – as some of you may not have read them when first posted.
The photo was taken on the set of one of my films in film school. Argus meets a martian and visits his space wok.

So here goes – posted Sept. 16, 2016

Where as time gone?

 

“Well, wonders never cease…look et yew!
Yer as tall as yer momma.

Long Ride Home

Neither the grey sky nor the steady rain could dampen Rene’s thoughts any more than they already were. The train would be leaving soon. Coming home wasn’t what she expected. Nothing remained of what once had been. She knew things would have changed but she wasn’t ready for what she found.  Dementia comes on slowly; but for Rene and her mom, it had been a lifetime.

I wish I could tell you that I had known Rene and her family for a long time, but I cannot. We met on the long train ride home after a trip.  We shared a compartment, just the two of us. Rene needed to talk. I was willing to listen. By the end of the journey, I knew all about her childhood, her brothers and sisters, her drunken father, and her dementia laden mom.

We shared space for a time…and time forever. Rene and I never kept in touch, perhaps she was embarrassed for exposing so much of herself to a stranger; or maybe I was needed only for that moment in her life. I’ll never know nor does it matter. I will always recall the telling and the feelings it evoked within me, especially now, on my journey home.

A Tale of Notions – Part III

A journey  reflecting what is or isn’t – allegory taken to the extreme. This is being written in segments yet posted as a whole each time.  Dates in bold show when the previous segment was posted. This is segment three…

Denial

Bradford Bunny

“Hi, I’m Bradford Bunny,” the splotchy skinny bunny called through the fence. “Would you like to be friends?” The bunnies hanging around the clover patch inside the rabbit farm stopped eating and hopped over to where Bradford was sitting.

“Bradford? What kind of name is that for a bunny?” the soft orange bunny with the white ears asked.

All the bunnies began to laugh.

“Braaaaadfurrrd…are you a girl or a boy?” the dark brown bunny teased.  She was laughing so hard she could barely speak.  Of course that sent the other bunnies rolling.

“hahahahahahaha”…the laughing went on for what seemed like forever to Bradford.

“I’m a girl,” Bradford said trying to be confident. “My mother named me Bradford because that was the name of the warren from where she came. She loved her home very much and she loved me too.”

“bahhaaaahaaa…a mommy’s bunny,” a large white and black bunny managed to get out.

Bradford turned and quickly hopped back across the grass to the woods. She could hear the sounds of laughter fading as she went. Tears began to fall.

“I tried to be nice. I tried to ask questions. Still no one wanted to play with me” Bradford Bunny wept more.

When she finished crying, she hopped to the edge of the pond to drink and wash her face. She leaned over and caught sight of her reflection.

“I’m so ugly,” she thought.  “I’m brown speckled all over with a huge spot on my nose. No wonder they don’t want to play with me. I don’t want to play with me either.” Bradford began to cry some more.

“Oh, why doesn’t anyone love me? Those bunnies have a nice home with friends and plenty of food.  If only I could be like them.”

Bradford went back to the edge of the clearing to watch the bunnies from a distance. She heard the sound of a big truck. It pulled around the farmhouse and stopped in the barnyard. A man spoke with the farmer then went around the truck to open the back.

She heard the little bunnies squeal. “Oh! We’re going on an adventure,” they shouted with delight. All the bunnies happily hopped up into the back of the truck and settled into the tiny packed cages. The door closed.

“An adventure,” sighed Bradford. Tears welled up in her eyes.