Day: September 26, 2017

FFfAW — At My Age

Fandango15 Comments

3372E27C-89BF-4D45-9512-491B1FEEC9A1

Diane looked at her grandfather as he sat reading the newspaper across the breakfast table from her. “Pop-Pop,” she asked, “why do you always do that?”

“Do what?” She pointed to the coffee mug. “Oh, you mean balance my spectacles on the mug’s rim?”

“Yes.”

“If it annoys you that I do that, honey, I’ll stop.”

“No. I just think it’s a strange.”

He shrugged. “It’s not like anyone drinks from that mug,” he said. “It’s where we keep the sugar packets.”

“But why don’t you wear them over your eyes? Isn’t that what they’re for?”

“Three reasons,” he patiently replied. “First, my vision is such that it’s easier for me to read the paper without my glasses. Second, they have a slight tint, so the print is more crisp in the early morning light without them.”

“And third?”

“So when I’m done reading the paper, I’ll remember exactly where I put them. When you get to be my age, honey, you’ll understand.”

(163 words)

Written for this week’s Flash Fiction for Aspiring Writers from Priceless Joy. Photo prompt from Shivamt25.

The River’s Icy Grip

Fandango6 Comments

cold night on the river

It was the middle of winter in the dead of the night. He knew it would be cold and that few would be around at that late hour. He was hoping for a cloudier night, but the winter moon shone brightly through the light mist, lighting up the village on the other side of the river, its buildings reflecting luminously off the river’s glassy surface. The ice crystals near the shore were sparkling like tiny diamonds.

He opened up the gym bag he’d carried across the bridge a few minutes earlier. He removed his gloves, shoes, and socks and placed them into the bag. He took off his heavy jacket and stuffed that into the bag as well. Reluctantly, he stripped out of the rest of his clothing, neatly folding it all and adding the items to the gym bag. He’d come back for it later. At least that’s what he hoped for.

Naked and shivering in the sub-freezing temperature, he walked over to the river’s edge. Sometimes a man has to do what a man has to do, he thought. Not only was his reputation on the line, but his honor as well. He felt he had little choice in the matter. He had to hold up his end of the bargain. There was a lot on the line.

He focused his eyes on the opposite shore, mentally gauging the distance. After taking a deep breath, he dived into the frigid water, breaking the thin crust of ice at its surface. The shock to his system was almost crippling and he suddenly wasn’t so sure that he could make it across. Yet he somehow managed to keep his arms and legs moving. Once he reached the middle of the river, his confidence returned.

His classmates were waiting for him with towels and blankets as he approached the opposite shore and they helped him up and out of the freezing water.

He had survived the river’s icy grip. He won the wager. He won $100.

Written for today’s one-word prompt, “focused.”

Day 26 — The Four Seasons

Fandango2 Comments

IMG_2619Day 26: Does your hometown experience all four seasons? If not, which ones does it skip over?

When I was growing up, my very favorite recording artists were Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons. And when the Broadway show Jersey Boys came out, I got tickets and my wife and I flew to New York to see the musical. That’s how much I loved The Four Seasons.

But that path down memory lane has absolutely nothing to do with today’s question in Suzanne McClendon’s September Challenge.

Yes, my hometown, a suburb of Washington, DC, experiences all four seasons. Winters are cold and snowy. Summers are hot and muggy. Spring usually transitions from winter’s cold and snowy grip to summer’s heat and humidity over a two week period. In other words, spring doesn’t typically last very long.

Far and away, autumn is the best season of the year in that part of the country. Once summer’s heat has passed, and before the dark and gloomy days of winter commence, the DC area typically experiences around six weeks of absolutely delightful weather. The air is crisp and clean, and the autumn foliage is a cornucopia of exquisite colors. It takes your breath away. If the weather during that six week period between mid- to late-September until early November was that way year round, I might never have left.