Products of my Imagination

Mother’s Day

I love my Mother.
I have to, she’s all I have.
That came out wrong.

It all started when Dad died.
It wasn’t the surprise that tore us apart,
we just mourned in different ways. Mom had prepared herself for my sake, and that fact
infuriated me so much growing up. I cried
all the time and it drove Mom up the wall.

“Crying won’t bring him back,” she would insist.
“At least they know I loved him!” I shouted back angrily.
I don’t knows who “They” were, and I guess I didn’t care
because that brought the tears I regret so much now.
I wanted her to cry with me once, just once.

All of my decisions were wrong:
my best friend, my college major,
ever course I  ever took,
even going with Tony to the prom.
Actually that was a huge mistake.)
Even if I knew she was right,
I fought her every chance that presented itself.

It never stopped me from making Mother’s Day
as special as possible.  I made a special mug
this year. I etched Mom and Dad’s face into the surface
of the clay. I got what I’d always wanted as Mom and I
cried together for hours.

It wasn’t as nice as I’d expected.

*blink*

I am on the web and I don’t know which way to go.There are so many paths and I don’t know where these roadslead. I’m tempted to stand still an wait for the worldto make my decision for me, but I know that will never be a good idea.

*blink*

I’m sitting on the grass enjoying the sun under a tree,but I still don’t know which path to take. Three menasked me out for the same time. I’m not sure why they asked.I’m nothing special. I’m not the girl the boys chase,I’m not even the girl they talk to when no one else will give them the time of day.

*blink*

The web shakes, but I am not designed to follow it’s movements.My eyes tell me that there is an insector something in the web, but I don’t know how to get there,or what to do once I manage to get there.

*blink*

I watch the spider as she approaches her prey.Her movements are so deliberate and detailed.She instictively knows her role, and her duties.I wish I was that comfortable in my own skin.

*blink*

I glide from strand to strand.I was born for this. I know this web.It is my creation.It is my home.

*blink*

Time to go. Time to take a path,right or wrong. I know this web and the pathI need to take. I hope the boyswon’t be disappointed when I say no

Paige sat in a booth, and wondered why her boss wanted to work late at a bar. The location didn’t matter much to her since the only difference between here and the office was the deep thrumming of the music she couldn’t hear anyway.

It made it easier to be the only person at the bar hard at work on a laptop on a Sunday night. She doesn’t look up much because she doesn’t want to deal with people if she’s going to be at work. That’s why she got into web design. It let her be private most of the time without making her seem antisocial.

Martin, her boss, came to the table. How is our site coming along? He signed.

It could be better. Her hands replied.

What’s the matter? He asked.

I’m trying to build the web page for your restaurant in a bar on a Sunday.

Don’t be like that, Martin expressed. We don’t have to always be about work.

What is that supposed to mean? Her hands insisted.

I was hoping we could spend some time together, just the two of us.

She looked at his face to see if she could figure out what he was thinking. Martin was certainly cute, but she wasn’t interested in dating a client. It was just too much of a conflict of interest. Besides, she didn’t want to look like she only had this job because of her looks.

I’m flattered, Martin, she replied, but we can’t do this.

We can’t sit down and have a drink? he signed as a frown grew on his face.

Not when I’m on the clock. she insisted. It just isn’t right. Let’s talk about your web page.

I’d rather talk about how beautiful you are.

She tried to fight the blush she knew was building on her cheeks, but it was no use. She saw the look of victory on Martin’s face. He knew he’d just scored a point.

If we aren’t here for work, then I want something stronger than this diet Pepsi, Paige said as she closed her computer. She signalled to the waitress and ordered a drink.

What did you order? Martin inquired.

You’re getting better at signing, Paige complimented, but you haven’t learned everything yet.

What did you order? He repeated.

I ordered a drink, and don’t even think about paying for it. he insisted. I’ve already talked to the waitress about it.

Look, this was a mistake, Martin signed as he got up to leave.

He was already turned around so it didn’t matter how loudly she signed. He was gone.

Dear John,

Why did your mother have to give you that name?

Why are you so adamant about being just John?

I could be writing to Johnny or Jonathan or even JT,

but instead I always have to write you Dear John  letters.

I hope you are staying safe. I know your buddiesare watching your back, but I never liked the thoughtof you fighting in a war. (I know, it’s not really a war,but it still isn’t safe.) Your parents both send their love.

It is lonely here.That is why I write to you every day. Most of our friendswent off to college, and those that didn’t are married with kids.I could have gone to college, it was my dream,but I didn’t want to be the only girl in the freshman dormswith a wedding ring. Can you imagine the talk about that one?

“Cool it. Here comes Mrs. John Archer.”

Life at the video store isn’t any better. War moviesare off the docket, and the guys I work with won’t watch romancesor anything else I want to watch. A stream of pratfallsand lame punch lines make up my day.

Work is still better than being home.I love your parents, but they just want to talk about Jeopardyand Wheel of Fortune. It’s not like I have many optionsto go out. I’m too old to go to the parties where we met,and too young to go to the bar.Besides, George is always there.

He’s a new guy in town, and he can’t accept the factthat I am a married woman-that I love you.You are my first and only. You have my heart,nothing will change that. Still, I really wish youwere here now, holding me in your arms, telling methat you love me too.

Dear John, write back soon;I need to hear from you.

Hannah was always interested in the ocean. She spent all of her time was spent researching different sea life and imagining what it would be like to live under the water. She made us watch The Little Mermaid at least once a week. She even managed to find a way to tie the ocean into all of her school assignments. That was the start of problems for us.

She discovered something during her research on one of her papers.  I don’t what she found. She wouldn’t tell me no matter how much I pressured her.

“You wouldn’t understand, Jake,” she insisted. “Besides, you don’t care about the ocean.”

That wasn’t true. I was sure that I’d done more with saving the ocean projects because of my big sister, but that didn’t meant that I wasn’t concerned about the whales, dolphins, and plankton. I tried to argue with her about the matter, but I didn’t get anywhere with that either.

Whatever she found changed her. It started small, but eventually everyone started to notice it. It started with her drinking a lot more water, eventually working her way up to five quarts a day. She also spent a lot more time in and around water. She actually spent 3 hours a day in the swimming pool until one day she just stopped. When I asked her about it, she said that she couldn’t handle the chlorine anymore. However, she started spending hours in the bathtub instead.

It got really weird when she started in on the salt. She started using tons of salt on everything, even in her water. I’m pretty sure she was timing it with her into the bathroom when she was in the tub.

Hannah insisted that we go to the beach one day. She drove because I still didn’t have my license. We went down and swam in the water. Hannah looked like she was made to be in the ocean. I was worried when she went under water and I didn’t see her for over 10 minutes. She laughed it off, told me that I was imagining it. That she’d been around all the time.

A few days later, she disappeared. She vanished without a trace. I was pretty sure I knew where she went, back to the beach where we’d gone swimming. That is where the police found her car, in the parking lot by that very beach. One of the lifeguards said that she had walked out into the water and never came back.

Eventually, we found a note. Hannah addressed it to me.

Dear Jake,

I know you are confused about what happened to me, but I really couldn’t explain what has happened to me, and I couldn’t wait any longer. I don’t know if I’ll ever see you again, but know that I am making a difference out there, and I am doing well. I will finally get to make a difference for the ocean in a way that will really change the world. Look for me. If it ever happens, you will know the time and the place.

Love your big sister,

Hannah

I’m still trying to figure out the time and place Hannah was talking about. Maybe someday I will figure it out and see my sister again.

OK, I need two names. I don’t care if they are boy names or girl names, but they have to be the same stereotypical gender.

whichurlcanitake:

Any suggestions?

I just reblogged this so I could see the names. If you come up with names, let me know though.

(Source: onespeakerforthedead)

Can you guess what the prompt was?

“We can’t bring a child into this world!” Carrie shouted.

“Not the two of us together,” Molly soothed, “but we can still be parents.”

“You know what I mean, Molly,” Carrie sighed. “This world is no place to raise a child, especially a child with two mothers.”

“All the more reason to have a child,” Molly insisted. “If the world is ever going to be the place we want it to be, we need to stand up and demand our rights.”

“I’m tired of fighting,” Carrie groaned, “besides, I told you when we first met that I never wanted a family. You’ve met my parents. Do you really want your child to be raised by the product of their parenting skills?”

“Our child will have two parents that love her,” Molly assured, what more could any child ask for?”

“What if we have a boy?” Carrie inquired.

“What?” Molly asked.

“There’s a fifty percent chance that we will have a boy instead of a girl,” Carrie stated, “What are we going to do if we have a son and you are expecting a daughter?”

“I hadn’t really thought about that,” Molly mumbled.

Carrie let the conversation slip. It wasn’t a topic she wanted to discuss anyway. Being a mother had been a dream of hers for such a long time and then when she discovered that she was going to spend the rest of her life loving women instead of men.

When she realized that, she had given up on that dream, and it had been so hard, that she didn’t want to pick it up again. It had been too hard at the time, and what if something went wrong now? There were so many complications that could emerge, so many uncertainties.

Better to avoid the matter and let that dream stay dead.

“Why don’t I take you someplace really nice for dinner?” Carrie asked.

“I guess we can do that,” Molly agreed reluctantly. “Just promise me you’ll think about this.”

“I promise,” Carrie agreed. I never stop thinking about it.

The Warrior and the Queen

 When it comes to stars, you have two choices:
you can look up and see dots of light scattered everywhere,
or you can see constellations. Once you see figures in the heavens,
it’s hard to go back. However, it’s nice to see a familiar face
in the night skies. Most search for the bears,
while others look for dragons, flying horses, or their zodiacal avatar,
but I look for something else.

I became a stargazer at Boy Scout Camp.
How could I resist a badge that required me to stay up late?
Using a flashlight, our Star Master showed us the Big Dipper
and slowly taught us the starts that created the Ursa Major.
“Start with the handle” he observed,
“now move to the two stars that make the end of the ladle.
These stars are Dubhe and Merak. Follow from Dubhe through Merak
In a straight line, and you will reach the North Star
and the Little Dipper. Keep going and you will find Cassiopeia
seated on her throne.

I looked and I saw her. I listened and I heard her story-
a queen banished to the heavens by angry gods,
and sharing the same sky as the warrior of legends.
Even now, I don’t know his story, I just look for his belt
shining brightly in the heavens.

Years later, I still seek for them even if the season
Is wrong or the clouds cover the sky. Perhaps I wait for their legends
to touch my life or a sign to guide my future.

Here on the mountains, the stars are closer, bigger. The Queen’s throne
Is massive, and the Warrior’s Belt covers so much of the sky.
Aside from those two, the sky seems so strange.
I’m not sure where I am. Is this how it feels for those
that don’t know the stars the way that I knew them.?

Non present character prompt

Jane looked around her sister’s apartment. This was not the home of the girl she grew up with. Jill never would have left her apartment such a mess, but then Jill was a different woman these days.

It all started with Henry, the terrier. He belonged to an ex boyfriend and the poor dog got left behind when the bum stumbled off. Jill couldn’t stand the though of sending poor Henry off to the pound, so she kept him even though she didn’t really know much about dogs.

Henry really took charge and Jill stuggled to get him under control, but she wasn’t cut out to be a dog owner. That never stopped her from trying though.

Then there was Imogene, she was a snake that was owned by an old roommate that left one month without paying her rent. She did leave a note trying to explain the situation and asking Jill to take care of the snake until she could come back for the snake. She never did.

Imogene didn’t make too much of a mess, but she did require a special diet that led to some complications. Feeding Imogene her baby mice was the hardest part, especially when they broke out of their cage like they had done earlier today.

The worst was Rodrigo. Jill had brought that problem upon herself in an attempt to have her own pet. From the moment she brought that cat into her apartment it was all out war.

Henry and Rodrigo were always attacking each other. It was a tornado that threatened to destroy the apartment every day. Jane couldn’t believe how bad the mess was today. why had she agreed to apartment sit while Jill went to a conference anyway?

Horoscope prompt

Sydney sat by the phone waiting. She said that she would call, but the phone still hadn’t rung. She said that she would have an answer to his question and that his wait would be over. Perhaps she would say yes.

There was no way she was going to say yes. He was certain of that,  but it didn’t stop him from waiting by the phone. She promised him an answer to his question. The scariest question he’d ever asked a girl in his young life.

She was the Captain of the Cheerleading Team and he wasn’t even Captain of the Chess Team. Heck, he didn’t even make the Chess Team. She was never going to go out on a date with him.

The phone rang and Sydney almost didn’t answer it, his nerves were so intense, but he finally picked up the phone and said hello. It was just a saleswoman trying to get him to change long-distance carriers.

What had convinced him to even ask her out. It was all Henry’s fault. He had said, “Nothing great was ever accomplished without risk.” That had done something to Sydney. When he heard those words, he thought for a moment and then he acted without thought.

If he’d thought at all he wouldn’t have even gotten up from the table. He would have just sat there and hit his head on the table until the impulse had passed, but he’d gone for it instead. Now all he could do was think about that decision.

The phone rang again and Sydney couldn’t decide what to do next.