Read Directions

Prompt:  This may take some time to solve.

Haplo scratches his head while looking at what seems like a million pieces to a new toy for his son, Connor. He looks at his wife, Ana, and says, “This may take some time to solve. There are so many pieces. Just look at all of them. I hope I can get this thing together before his birthday. It's only three days away.”

Ana smiles down at him sitting on the floor pouting. “You'll do just fine. Read the directions this time. It might help. You want me to help at all?”

Haplo raises an eyebrow with a smirk. “Read the directions this time? Are you picking on me?”

“Nope not at all. Just a little advice.” Ana smirks resisting the temptation to say more. She had to be nice. He just looked to cute sitting there on the floor surrounded by toy parts looking more lost than she'd ever seen him look before.

“I'll have you know, I have put together many things without even looking at the directions once.” Haplo's face changes to a determined look. His eyes focused on the parts trying to determine which ones go with what other part.

“Yes you have and how many of those times did you have to take the thing apart and start over because you got it wrong?” Ana has seen the many times he's had to start a project over because he didn't follow directions and got pieces in the wrong spots. He didn't have time with this project to mess it up and have to start over.

“Oh shush it.” He grins knowing she is right.

“You only have three days. You don't have time to have to start it over. Please read the directions and follow them this time. I can help if you would let me. We'd get it done quicker and maybe avoid a trip to the emergency room as well.” She smirks nearly laughing.

“Hey now. I have not had to go to the emergency room in several months. Thank you very much.”

“More like a couple of months. The last time you had to go was about two months ago when you were working on that desk for me and sliced your finger wide open. Thankfully the bone stopped it from going any further.” Ana leans down and kisses the top of Haplo's head. “I love you.”

He looks up at her with a smile. “I love you too, baby. You sassy girl.”

“Yes, but you love me sassy.”

“Why yes, yes I do.” He smiles and grabs the directions and starts reading as Ana leaves the garage headed for the house.

“Do you need anything from the house? A drink? Something to eat?”

“I could go for a soda.”

“Water it is.” Ana says with a chuckle.

“Really? Water? You are going to kill me with all this being healthy stuff.” He turns to smile at her. “Fine. Water it is.”

“Water isn't going to kill you, now stop being such a baby.” She giggles and heads through the door to the kitchen leaving Haplo pondering the finer points of health and the monster toy he's putting together.

Ana opens a cupboard and takes out a drink bottle for Haplo's water. She finds a nice one with blue swirls on it and fills it with cold water and a few ice cubes. One day he would appreciate her nagging about the healthy stuff. She smiles to herself and heads back to the garage.

“Now were the heck is part C?” She hears Haplo say as she walks through the door.

“Here's your water.” She says as she set it down next to him a few inches away.

“Thank you, baby.” He says with a half grin and a slight frown. “This thing is already driving me crazy.”

“Let me help, please. You are looking for part C, correct?” Ana asks as she starts picking up pieces and checking the part letter. After checking four pieces she hands part C to Haplo.

“Yeah, part C. Thank you, baby.” He smiles and takes the part, setting it aside with part B.

Dropped the Ball & Zombified

For the last three mornings I have not arisen from bed at the 4am mark as planned. Not because I didn't want to, but because I simply could not get woke up enough to get up. I found myself sleeping with my cell phone in my hand, having turned the alarm off or his the snooze. This has got to stop. I was doing so well.

I think it may have something to do with psychiatric med changes recently because I was waking up fine before. Then after I am finally able to wake up enough to get out of bed I feel like a zombie all day. I hate this feeling. Perhaps I will skip taking that medication tonight and see how that goes.

These ups and downs with amounts of sleep are killing me slowly. I have been getting next to nothing done. That bothers the heck out of me. I had so many high hopes for myself.

Guess I just have to brush off the sleepies and the self-punishments and just keep going as if it is day one all over again. Maybe that will help.

I have dropped the ball on my 5am (2am SLT) writing group in Second Life for the last three mornings now because of this. This bothers me so much as I do so enjoy the group. Starting tomorrow I will be hosting a 3pm (12pm slt) writers group as well. I will have to make sure i have a prompt ready ahead of time. It will be tons of fun. I attend several writer's groups in Second Life and love each one of them. I love seeing my word count go up and up and up.

Well, I suppose time to get something to eat. Get woke up a little more and get some more writing done.

Huggies everyone.

Outside my Window

Outside my Window


My mind wanders from my writing as I sit at my lonely desk trying to get the right words to come flowing out of my fingers freely. Outside my window the world seems foreign to me. I spend so much time alone in my own little worlds that the one I live in seems too simple to even care about.

My eye catches some movement outside my window. I quickly glance just in time to see a squirrel dart from the bird feeder and scamper off with a chatter that says "ha, you can't stop me, human."

Outside my window, people walk by going who knows where. I know where because my writer mind makes it up. Some are going after groceries. Others are going to the beauty salon for a make over so they feel better about themselves. Then there are others that are wandering looking for trouble to cause others.  Yet, here I sit at my desk, waiting for inspiration.

Outside my window I see the sun shining down onto the world below. It makes the flowers grow up tall and proud that they are alive. When the sun fails the flower, the flower doesn't just give up and stop growing. It finds other ways to grow and be happy.  People could take lessons from flowers and learn to be happy with who they are and what they have. If you aren't happy with something in your life, find another reason to be happy or change what isn't making you happy. Just be happy. Just be you. You are perfectly imperfect just the way you are meant to be.

Outside my window it has started raining. The clouds have cast darkness early on the earth. The darkness engulfs everything, including the ever happy flowers. Once the storm cloud induced darkness has engulfed everything, there is nothing to do but wait it out. You can still go about your every day business but the darkness is still there. Such is the same with one with depression. The darkness has engulfed their life. They may or may not be able to do everything they could before the darkness came but they keep on living the best they can.

Outside my window men, women, and children are being killed by other human beings. There is never a good reason to kill another human being. It is like killing part of ourselves since we are all human beings. We are one race living on one planet. We are human beings living on the planet we call Earth. How hard can that really be to understand?

Outside my window people and life come and go. One day, I will join them but for today I will remain within my safe place behind the window looking out. I will be enjoying my time writing at my computer. I will be loving the people I have in my life. I will continue to be a human being wondering what the hell went wrong with people and this world. I will for today be an outcast unwilling to conform to the world and people around me that have forgotten to care about each other and pass by without even noticing the other.

It will be the year of....

Prompt:  It will be the year of....

It is now the 2016. With 2015 behind me, this will be the year of many great things. I have so much planned for myself. The hardest part will be finding the motivation and energy to do them. I will be using many tools to help me keep on track to do what I have planned.

I am not setting any New Year's Resolutions. Nope, not even one. This year I am setting New Life Habits! I never kept any resolutions made before. I don't see this year being any different. So with that in mind, I changed it to something that sounds not only fun but long lasting. That's what it is supposed to be isn't it? If it isn't fun at least a tiny bit, we won't do it. So if you make any resolutions or New Life Habits, find ways to make them fun so you stick to them.

I plan on keeping a calendar for each of my New Life Habits. Each day that I complete the habit, I will mark it on the calendar that it has been done. This is great motivation for me and many people. To see how many days I can go in a row pushes me on to do just one more day every day. Will I mess up and miss a day? Sure. I'm only human after all. I will fall on my face but the most important thing I can do is get up and do better the next day. You only fail if you stop trying.

My New Life Habits are to:

1. Write daily at least 750 words. I plan on making this number more but I use a website https://750words.com to keep up my motivation so that is the habit amount for now.

2. Drink enough water every day. Most places I checked recommend the 8 8oz glasses of water per day making it 2 quarts. So I have a one quart drink bottle. Just fill and drink twice and done!

3. Walk one mile on the treadmill daily. This one is going to be a challenge for me. I plan on allowing myself to split the mile up throughout the day if needed. As long as I get that one mile in, it's all good.

4. No added sugar.  This one by far is going to be the hardest new life habit of all. I read that sugar is 8x as addictive as cocaine! So going off sugar is detoxing. Definitely a challenge to be had. Sugar can be found added to so many things, including things you would never guess had sugar in them. I am going to have to be very careful with what I eat so plan on eating real food instead of things that are processed.  Wish me luck on this one please. I am going to need it. 

5. Study something for at least 30 minutes a day. With all the free online classes available on the internet, this one should be easy to do. The hardest part will be finding the motivation and sticking to a time to do it. I will not let the procrastination monster win!

6. Do a craft, draw, or be creative daily. This will include things like crocheting, sewing, drawing, painting, etc.  Anything that is being creative fits.

7. Clean for at least one hour daily. I moved into my apartment on October 1st and still am not settled. Not even close to be honest. I find the entire process very overwhelming. So my new life habit for this is to break the hour down into four 15 minute sessions of cleaning if a straight hour becomes too much to do at one time. Once I get things in proper order (proper according to whom i am not sure) I may not even need an entire hour to clean every day. For right now, I do and it is a reachable habit.

This seems like quite a lot of things to be working on at the same time. If I get overwhelmed with how many new life habits I have on my plate, then I will cut some out to save for another day to start. Not a big deal to drop one or two if needed as long as I don't stop doing all of them.

I plan on posting to my blog at least once daily. It may be a short story, a journal entry (kind of like this one), a poem, or even some kind of article. Writing articles will be a challenge for me as I am normally a fiction writer. So if any of you have any article ideas for me please let me know by leaving a comment below. Thank you in advance.

I started the new year off getting up a couple hours later than planned. That isn't going to stop me from getting things done that I need and want to get done though. This will be my year because I plan on making it my year. This is my year to shine in what ever way possible.

I do so love comments. So please if you are so inclined, please leave comments for me about what you like or even didn't like (just don't be mean about it). I write these for myself but it always nice to hear what others think. Give a post a critique if you'd like. I don't mind. Comments help my writing process grow as well. It is like the dew on the delicate flowers.

If you have anything you would like me to try writing either fiction or non-fiction, please let me know that in the comments as well. I am always open to trying new things with my writing and it will help my skills grow too.

Prompt: "A clear conscience makes a soft pillow."

They say that a clear conscience makes a soft pillow. Truer words have never been spoken. I realize this as I sit strapped to the electric chair. Having finally admitted all my sins and crimes, last night was the best night's sleep I've had in 25 years. Why they made me suffer and wait so long to finally be free of myself I will never understand. Perhaps I deserved it for what I did. Perhaps I didn't. Either way it no longer matters. Within another ten minutes my life will be over.

I wish I could take back all the things that I have done and make things right again. I can wish that all I want and never be able to do it. All I can do is hope that the families whose lives I ruined will some day be able to find it in their hearts to forgive me for what I did to them. Forgiving isn't something most people do very well and I suppose that's okay too as long as they can live with that hatred toward me.

I'm the lucky one I guess. Soon I will no longer have to suffer the guilt of what I did. The families will still be here hating me for what I did to them, still suffering. May they find peace one day so that they can sleep as well as I did last night.

PROMPT: He who hesitates is lost.

Fear of Drowning.by caseyR

Joann looked down at the crystal blue lake, its slight waves almost lulling her into a trance from the dock. "Come on squirt. Just jump on it. You'll be fine. We all jumped in. You watched us. Now come on or you can go back to the house."

Joann's sister was older than her by 5 years making her think she could boss Joann around any time. Amber had just turned 13 three weeks ago. The whole "I am now a teen" thing went right to Amber's head and she had been nearly unbearable to be around. 

"Quit calling me squirt." Joann objected. "You know I don't like being called that. Why do you have to be so mean to me?"

"Just jump then. Sheesh." Amber chided. 

"Stop being a baby, Joann," came the voice of Eric, Amber's newest boyfriend. He was on the football team, which automatically put Amber in with the popular kids. Funny how that worked. Eric was also on the swim team. This meant that should anything happen to Joann when she jumped in, he would be strong enough to help her back to shore if need be. Joann knew this but still hesitated.

"Let's just leave her behind," called out Maryann. One of Amber's newest popular friends. She was head football cheerleader. Apparently that means she is important for some strange reason. She was the typical looking cheerleader with her blonde hair up in a pony tail that swung side to side when she walked. She liked to flip that pony tail anytime she was annoyed or thought she was better than anyone else. She tried to do that now but her drenched locks wouldn't allow much of a swing. 

Amber splashes water up at Joann. "Come on. There's nothing to be afraid of. We are all here to help you learn to swim if you need the help. The best thing to do is to just jump in and go from there. We won't let anything happen to you. Now either jump or go back to the house."

Joann trembled on the wooden deck, unsure of why she was so scared. "I can't do it Amber. I'm too scared."

"Then just go back to the house baby sister. We are swimming out to the island.

Joann loved the island. Dad used to take her out on the row boat every summer. Dad had set up a nice picnic area in the clearing in the center of the island. It was so peaceful there. She had even seen deer there before. How they got there, Joann had no idea. She didn't care though as long as she got to see them. Mom had decorated the picnic area with flowers, making it more of a garden than picnic area. Mom loved her flowers. Joann could remember all the vibrant purples, reds, and yellows. It was stunning. It was her favorite place to go. 

Joann turned to head back to the house with a sigh. She really wanted to get out to the island and see how many of mom's flowers are still in bloom. She turned back around and stared down the lake. She was going to do it. She wasn't a baby any more. She was 8 years old and should have learned to swim before this since they lived on a lake. 

She stepped closer to the edge of the dock, took in a deep breath, and jumped. The warm water engulfed her as she hit the water. A few seconds later, she surfaced like a fishing bobber. Her arms flailed and her legs kicked as she tried to keep herself afloat. She remembered dad saying something about a doggy paddle. She needed to remember what to do. She kicked her legs and started moving her arms under the water, pulling water back toward her, almost like digging in dirt.

She bobbed under the water a few inches and bobbed back up again. Water filled her mouth as she yelled for Amber. She coughed and sputtered. Panic took over as she kicked and splashed trying to yell to her sister again. She tried to calm herself but couldn't. She was going to die just like mom did last summer. Her arms stopped flailing. Her legs stopped kicking.

She felt a hand on her arm. She weakly opened her eyes to see her mother under the water with her. Her mom took her by the arms and pulled Joann onto her back lifting her above the water. With ease her mom carried her across the water to the island. She left Joann lying on the shoreline.

Amber and the rest of them ran to the shore seeing Joann was not moving. Eric dropped down to his knees and turned Joann over to back. He started mouth to mouth to revive her, his CPR classes finally paying off. After a minute, Joann starts to cough and sputter. Her eyes flutter open. Amber smiled down at her through her tears.

"Did I make it to the island?" Joann choked out.

"Yes, squirt, you did." Amber said.

Eric and Amber helped Joann up. She was a little unsteady so they helped her to the picnic area and sat her down on a blanket next to the fire they had going. Amber grabbed another blanket from the ground and wrapped it around Joann.

"I saw mom. She brought me here. She saved my life." Joann whispered into Amber's ear.

Amber looked at her sister in disbelief. "Mom's dead, Joann. You couldn't have seen her."

"But I did Amber. She brought me here. Carried me on her back all the way. She asked me to tell you that she likes Eric and to stop picking on me all the time. She also said to stop smoking, it isn't good for your health. Amber, why would mom tell you to stop smoking when you don't smoke?"

Amber stumbled backwards in shock at those last words. "You really saw mom?" Amber sat down next to her sister and wrapped an arm around her.

"Yes. Just as beautiful as she ever was. She saved me from dying just like she did, Amber. She wanted to me live. She told me I have something special to give the world yet and it wasn't my time to die. She said I shouldn't have hesitated when you wanted to help me. Had I accepted your help, I would not have almost died." Tears started flowing from her eyes and down her cheek. "I'm sorry I hesitated, Amber."

Amber sighed. "I'm just glad you are okay now, Joann. I will do my best not to pick on you any more. It is just so much fun at times." Amber snickered and Joann joined in. Next they knew they were laughing like fools and didn't remember why. 

Foggy Morning

Morning fog in Kakerdaja bog. Estonia.

The lake looked serene and somewhat eerie this morning. The fog gave the scenery a muted look as if looking through dirty windows. The leaves had mostly all fallen off the trees leaving a few stragglers behind showing their dead yellow. Many of the pines had fallen to some kind of disease over the past few years. Only a few of the pines are left leaving the shore line looking as though it was covered in skeletons waiting to grab you the moment you stepped out of your boat.

This was the first time Gordon had taken the boat out since the accident a couple Autumns ago. He and Jewels were out on the lake trying to catch well, anything. The lake used to be so full of life that your line would barely have time to hit the water and you would have a nice carp on your line. Only thing Gordon and Jewels caught that day were colds. Jewels cold turned to a life-threatening pneumonia that she never did recover from. 

The reason Jewels cold was so much worse was because of the accident. She'd cast her line out like usual and almost immediately had something tugging on it. Whatever it was, it was huge. She couldn't handle it on her own. Gordon had rushed over to help her reel this beast in. His help was nearly unnoticeable. They formed a rhythm with the creature. Gordon and Jewels would give a good pull from there end, reeling like mad trying to get the beast to the boat at least. It would then be the beast's turn. It would pull twice what they had pulled. No matter how hard they tried they couldn't keep the beast from pulling away further and further. Yet, they refused to give up.

After about 15 minutes the thing started slowing down making it just a little easier for them to reel the beast in. They would pull and reel; the beast would slowly pull away from them about half what they had pulled it in. They were making progress but  not much it seemed. They reeled and pulled and pulled and reeled, both getting exhausted from the strenuous work this beast was causing. After about an hour, Jewels, too exhausted to do any more, let go of her rod and drooped slowly into the murky water.

"Jewels" Gordon screamed as she took the plunge. He tried to grab hold of her coat to keep her from falling but it didn't work so well with only one hand. Under the murky water she went as if she had just fallen asleep and slowly crumpled until she hit the water. "Jewels" Gordon shouts again.

The pull on the rod slackens. Gordon lets go and plunges into the cold water after Jewels. The water seemed much clearer from below the surface that it did from above it. Gordon frantically looks around, searching for Jewels.