Waiting, waiting

Clare in the mist, courtesy of http://1stwrites.blogspot.com

‘Today, I will watch for him. Today,’ Clare thought, staring out across the bay.

The mist roiled about her, soaking her to the skin.  Clare shivered and then her skin relaxed in the warmth that followed.  Listening for a sound, she found herself in a cocoon of mist and silence. 

How many days had Jackson been gone?  ‘Today is three-hundred eighty-four’, she rolled the number around in her head.  Flash images of his back as he slung his rucksack  over his shoulder, growing smaller in the distance as he rowed his curragh away from her—that’s all she could see now.  His face was a blur, lost in a mist itself.

Still no sound, Clare strained to hear, to see just a hint that Jackson was coming back to her.  That he would stay this time.

Then a sound, ker-plunk, broke the stillness of the air and the glassiness of the water.

Click on the link.  This is from a photo prompt, way back in 2011 or 2015? I was looking for something else, and found this instead. Great photo prompt. Stirring the pot of old stories, I enjoyed scooping it up.

Dead-or-Alive Alligator

 

                                                        Pet?

Some of my family stories are true to the letter, while others have been stretched yet maintain that kernel that started it in the first place.  The following was told to me by my brother, as his son had told him. My brother Don is a prolific talented story teller, but he insisted that this is true.

Late fall was coming on, with blast of premature snow.   Nathan Peck was a Chicago city engineer who worked with all departments. Nathan has a gift, one of many.  He makes friends, tells awesome stories, and plays the most unimaginable practical jokes on any vulnerable person.

The saran wrap across the toilet seat?  Amateurs.

 

Change out the black and white keys of the keyboard?  Smirk.

Collecting all the chairs from the waiting room and stacking them in the CEO’s office? Hmph.

In one freezing November in Chicago, Nathan received a call from one of the field workers who reported something that caused Nathan to race out the office and squeal out the parking lot.  

When he arrived, the guys pointed to the frozen specimen of a five-foot alligator, sticking out a drainage pipe. They wrapped orange cord under and around the frozen carnivore, and it took all eight men to dislodge the swamp dweller from the ice.

Left Alone to Crumble

 

                            

Cold gray clouds scrambled across a dark sky as Joseph carefully opened the door to a shadowy house. It had been left empty, almost swaying in the coming storm, but once had been a solid home where families had lived in better times.

A curio cabinet had been left behind, a lifetime of collectibles. Peeling wallpaper dripped from time past and plates were set.  All rooms were part of frozen time, and framed photos seemed to float over the walls.

I gotta get outta here, Joseph muttered. No excuses, he wasn't afraid. No, he just needed to close the door behind him. Outdoors enticed him, so off he ran. But one photo would haunt him for the rest of his life.

I hope these opened up! Let me know. Others have said the same.

I wanted to post the site addresses, but there were too many to write.

Seeing abandoned houses and buildings fills me with a sadness that can't be described. These are just a few rooms shown from several houses. There are so many buildings like this. They feel like people decided they would leave today, grabbed some clothes, and left.

Wed. Words are above. Go to River and find these words. Join the WWwords. Take the challenge, experience. 

Above house: Haunted house