The last three pieces of correspondence had gone unanswered. That was unusual for Sylvia. She loved to hear her thoughts spring to life and her skill in letter writing was indeed poetic and heart fulfilling.
But Helen Bach, was worried. Sylvia had remained in the family home long after their parents had parted this earthly plain. The neighborhood had become decrepit, and the old homestead reflected as such. And Sylvie could no longer care for the house, or herself for that matter.
Helen had planned to visit her sister. Two of those letters that were returned unopened, stated so much. She had been prepared to change her plans on a moments notice, and stay with Sylvia until she could get back on her feet. But sadly, Sylvia had lost the use of her legs in a fall from the second landing of the staircase.
Her taxicab turned down Mallory Road and as it approached the driveway, Helen noticed something strange. A scarecrow adorned their front yard. It was dressed in Sylvia's favorite frock, it's arms draped over the wooden crossbar dangling in the wind. Helen could swear it moved its head. There was no wind of which to speak, so Sylvia ruled that out completely.
The visiting sister gasped in horror when she realized the effigy had indeed moved under its own volition. And it did wear Sylvia's clothes, being that it was Sylvia that hung in the front yard. A cruel prank by the area thugs who had broken in and ransacked the home.
The officers who had responded to Helen's enraged call were disgusted in kind as the poor woman was gingerly removed from her perch.
The detective was handed pages of a letter that they found on Sylvia's kitchen table. It was in Helen's hand.
"One may very well start with Helen's letters to her sister." the investigator posed.
She spoke of coming back home to "hang out" with Sylvia. She had given the scumbags the idea. Helen felt pangs of guilt for leaving her sister to fend for her own independence. Her decision was made for her; she decided to stay.
Hi Abigail. Frankly if I get a spark of an idea, I can hack it out n twenty minutes with a quick revision thrown in sometimes. I just let my stories go where the feel they need to go. My fingers are just the means to that end. Glad to see you've come back. I love watching your thoughts develop into your stories.
RJ Clarken's first YA novel PENNY WISHES was published by Lilley Press in 2009. She is also the author of a quirky, offbeat collection of humorous poetry, MUGGING FOR THE CAMERA. She lives in NJ with her husband, son and daughter (twins!) and her crazy Cairn terrier.
Soul of a poet and writer stuck with the body and mind of a soccer player. That is Rob Halpin. On occasion, something worth reading finds its way out. To see if you agree, you can check out his blogs:
Michael Grove will offer his slant on Wednesdays. Michael is an ambidextrous Piscean. His poetry and work in finance keeps him shifting from right to left brain. He has logged many miles. Mike wishes he would have been a major league baseball player or at least an umpire.
Walt Wojtanik -- Thursday
Walt Wojtanik's poetry collection WOOD was released in 2011. His second collection, I AM SANTA CLAUS will be released later in 2012. He has written and staged three plays, and is a musician. Walt lives in NY, is married with two daughters.
Hannah Gosselin is a free spirit and beautiful soul blessed with a poet's heart and photographer's eye. She is perpetually inspired by love shared with her husband and their two young sons and is awestruck by beauty in nature. She enjoys indulging in heart-work: writing, dance and visual arts. Hannah was awarded a diploma by the Institute of Children’s Literature located in West Redding, Connecticut, for the successful completion of the course: “Writing for Children and Teenagers,” on April, 19th, 2010.
HANNAH'S BLOG
Open Mic -- Saturday
Open MicSaturday is basically a day looking for a leader. You may get a prompt from any of our contributors. If our readers / writers have any ideas they'd wish to share, this would be the place.
De and Laurie -- Sunday Sisters
De Miller Jackson is half of our Sunday team we call "Sunday Sisters". She wanted to be a Poet-Pirate-Princess when she grew up, but is (mostly) happily settling into the role of Mom/Freelance Writer. (Some days that slash cuts deeper than others.) She writes advertising copy, runs gleefully with scissors, plays well with poems…and has also penned a couple of children’s books that need a little magic fairy dust to find illustrator and publisher. You can read her stuff at whimsygizmo.wordpress.com.
Laurie Kolp is the other half of our Sunday tandem. She is a mother of six (including husband and two dogs)and maintains three blogs with numerous publications to her credit which includes most recently Chicken Soup for the Soul: Devotional Stories for Tough Times, The Dead Mule’s School Society of Southern Literature, Christmas Miracles, The Christian Communicator, Skive Magazine. Her poem Infatuation will be published in an upcoming issue of Writer’s Digest Magazine.
FROM HELEN BACH...
ReplyDeleteThe last three pieces of correspondence had gone unanswered. That was unusual for Sylvia. She loved to hear her thoughts spring to life and her skill in letter writing was indeed poetic and heart fulfilling.
But Helen Bach, was worried. Sylvia had remained in the family home long after their parents had parted this earthly plain. The neighborhood had become decrepit, and the old homestead reflected as such. And Sylvie could no longer care for the house, or herself for that matter.
Helen had planned to visit her sister. Two of those letters that were returned unopened, stated so much. She had been prepared to change her plans on a moments notice, and stay with Sylvia until she could get back on her feet. But sadly, Sylvia had lost the use of her legs in a fall from the second landing of the staircase.
Her taxicab turned down Mallory Road and as it approached the driveway, Helen noticed something strange. A scarecrow adorned their front yard. It was dressed in Sylvia's favorite frock, it's arms draped over the wooden crossbar dangling in the wind. Helen could swear it moved its head. There was no wind of which to speak, so Sylvia ruled that out completely.
The visiting sister gasped in horror when she realized the effigy had indeed moved under its own volition. And it did wear Sylvia's clothes, being that it was Sylvia that hung in the front yard. A cruel prank by the area thugs who had broken in and ransacked the home.
The officers who had responded to Helen's enraged call were disgusted in kind as the poor woman was gingerly removed from her perch.
The detective was handed pages of a letter that they found on Sylvia's kitchen table. It was in Helen's hand.
"One may very well start with Helen's letters to her sister." the investigator posed.
She spoke of coming back home to "hang out" with Sylvia. She had given the scumbags the idea. Helen felt pangs of guilt for leaving her sister to fend for her own independence. Her decision was made for her; she decided to stay.
Woah Walt. This one is increadible. I am curious how much time you actually spend on your pieces here...
DeleteHi Abigail. Frankly if I get a spark of an idea, I can hack it out n twenty minutes with a quick revision thrown in sometimes. I just let my stories go where the feel they need to go. My fingers are just the means to that end. Glad to see you've come back. I love watching your thoughts develop into your stories.
ReplyDelete