The rain splattered down in big plops
on the sidewalk as I rushed across the street. I tugged my collar
closed hoping to block the chill out. 'When will this rain stop.' I
muttered yanking the coffee shop door open and stepping into the
warmth. I walked to my usual spot putting my bags on a chair before
taking my damp sweatshirt off and draping it over the back of the
chair. I paid for my water and made small talk with the girl behind
the counter. 'They are always so cheerful here.' I thought walking
back to my chair. It's nice to be greeted on such a chilly, blah day
with a smile and a friendly word. I sat down, cracked open my water
and took a long drink. Tightening the cap I set the water back on
the chair and pulled out my laptop. Within a few moments it was up,
running and ready to go. I looked at the blank page with my fingers
hovering over the keys. I stared for several minutes. Nothing. I
sat back, took another sip and replaced the cap again. Setting the
bottle down I leaned forward and placed my fingers on the keys.
And......nothing.
Friday, November 30, 2012
Thursday, November 29, 2012
My Short Short Story for the Day
My daughter's camera has croaked, but the good news is she'll be getting a new one from Santa. The bad news is, my stories will be with my photos instead of hers until the new year. Look for a new short short tomorrow.
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
My Short Short Camp 36 Story for the Day
I
blushed against my will as my eyes settled on Shane's face. He
looked so cute up there. They did a dance routine to a Van Halen
song. It was pretty funny. I crossed my fingers hoping they
wouldn't make a mistake and they didn't. Well, if they did, at least
it wasn't obvious. Cinder and I stood up and cheered as they took a
bow. After the show everyone stayed in their seats waiting for the
announcement of the winners.
A
short time later the camp director walked onto the stage and tapped
the microphone a couple times. “This has been one of the best
groups of kids we've ever had here.”
All
the kids cheered, whistled and clapped enthusiastically. After
several minutes they finally settled back down.
“Everyone
did a great job today. You've been working hard all summer and it
certainly shows. It was a very difficult decision to pick the top
three acts. All of you should be very proud, parents and kids
alike.” Everyone clapped again. “Yes, you all deserve a round
of applause. But now, without further ado, in third place is Cabin
4.”
Jonas
and Shane jumped up high-fiving each other before going on stage with
the rest of the boys from their cabin. The audience cheered as each
boy received a ribbon.
“In
second place is Cabin 10.”
The
girls of Cabin 10 hurried up on stage giggling and blushing and
hugging each other.
“And
the winner of this summer's talent show is...Cabin 12”
Cinder
shot out of her seat with a loud whoop. I sat frozen in place, too
stunned to believe my ears. Cinder grabbed my hand and dragged me up
onto the stage. I was still in shock. We actually won. I couldn't
believe it. As we received our trophies the audience stood and
cheered. I finally managed to smile. Cinder put her arm around my
shoulder and smiled waving her trophy.
I look
around and my eyes meet Shane's. He smiles and shows me his wrist.
It takes me a moment but then I recognize the friendship bracelet I
gave him. I smile remembering his note is still in my pocket. Then
Cinder gives me a big hug and I know that no matter what, we'll
always be best friends.
My Short Short Camp 35 Story for the Day
As the
girls from cabin 15 went out onto the stage I paced back and forth
too nervous to watch. We decided to do a dance routine to my
favorite Bette Midler song. Cinder and I had suggested the song to
the group and everyone had readily agreed. Then we all worked
together to create a dance routine. We had practiced so much that I
could do it in my sleep but now, at this very moment looking out at
all the faces watching us, I felt terrified and my mind blanked.
“Cinder.
Cinder! What if I forget the moves?” I said as tears glistened
in my eyes.
“Melina,
it's ok. Don't worry.” Cinder put her arm around my shoulders and
leaned her head against mine. “You know the routine. You'll be
fine. Just forget about them out there. Think only about the dance
moves.”
“But...”
Panic was swelling up in my throat.
“Stop.”
Cinder put her hands on my shoulders and made me look her in the
eye. “You CAN do this.”
I took
a deep breath and let it out very slowly. “Ok. I'm ok. Just lost
it for a minute. I'm ok now.”
“Good
cause we're on.” Cinder's smile chased away the rest of the fear.
As
soon as the music started my mind blocked all else out except the
dance moves. I hit every mark and didn't trip over anyone. When the
song ended and the curtain fell, we cheered and hugged. We hurried
off the stage giggling in relief and sheer joy.
“We
did it! I can't believe it. We really did it!” I was shocked and
thrilled. I'd never danced so well before in my life.
“Yeah!
We're awesome!” Cinder yelled.
“I'm
so happy it's over, though.” Alice said sighing loudly.
We did
a group hug then made our way to the front row to watch the rest of
the acts. The other acts blurred together until Cinder elbowed me
sharply.
“Ow!
What?” I said rubbing my ribs.
“Jonas
and Shane are up.” Cinder whispered pointing.
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
My Short Short Camp 34 Story for the Day
I was
repacking my stuff when Cinder came in looking a little flushed but
happy. I elbowed her and she only laughed. About an hour later our
parents arrived and everyone rushed to meet them. There were hugs
and laughter and talking. My parents asked about my arm but I
shrugged it off. I didn't want my last day at camp to be sad so I
ignored the discomfort. I took them to my cabin first to show them
where I slept and introduce them to the other girls. Then we went to
the craft hall to see all the art projects. Next I took them to the
lake and told them about our team jumping in that super hot day and
how much fun that was. I let my gaze wander across the lake and down
the sandy beach to rest on the docks. The docks where Shane kissed
me just last night. I started to blush at the memory and quickly
turned away.
“Let's
go. I'll show you the soccer field.” I said hurrying ahead hoping
the blush would disappear before my parents noticed.
As we
walked across the field I told them about my team and how Cinder and
I got to be together. The happiness turned to sadness but I brushed
it aside.
“Oh,
look. We should head to the auditorium now. Almost show time.” I
grabbed my mom's hand tugging her along. My dad laughed and fell in
step with us.
I led
them to their seats then went around to the back looking for the
other kids from my cabin. It wasn't too hard to find them as Cinder
was jumping up and down waving her arms like a maniac. I laughed and
made my way through the pack of kids.
“When's
our turn?” I asked.
“Oh,
man, we have to go second. Can you believe it?” Alice whined.
“I
know. That stinks but at least we aren't first.” Cinder said.
“Besides, this way we get it over with pretty quick then we can
relax.”
“That's
true.” I said feeling the butterflies start to flutter around in
my stomach.
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
My Short Short Camp 33 Story for the Day
The
next morning the entire camp was buzzing with anticipation as our
parents would be arriving soon after breakfast. Cinder and I arrived
a little early for breakfast, got our food and sat down at a table in
the corner. We wanted to talk but neither of us knew what to say.
We watched as the other kids laughed, talked and had fun, enjoying
the last day of camp. I was picking at my pancakes when Jonas and
Shane walked in. Cinder saw them, too and waved them over. They
were a nice distraction. They walked us back to our cabin and when
we neared the fork in the path, Jonas and Cinder kept walking towards
the boys cabin while Shane and I stopped in front of the girls cabin.
I suddenly felt very shy.
“Here.
This if for you.” He hands me a note neatly folded into a square.
“Don't read it now. Wait until you get home. Please.”
His
smile was so sweet and his cheeks had the faintest hint of a blush.
I never liked any boy more than I liked him right at that moment. I
grinned at him like a fool for several moments before I had a
thought. “Wait here. Don't go.”
He
nodded. I rushed into the cabin and tore through my bag. “I know
it's in here somewhere.” I mumbled finally deciding to dump my bag
onto my bed. I could clean it up later. Here it is. I hurried back
out and nearly ran into Shane who had moved over to lean against the
railing of the steps.
“Oh,
sorry.” I said. “Here. I want you to have this. It's...it's a
friendship bracelet. Cinder and I really got into it this past
year. It was very popular among the girls. Anyway, this is my
favorite one and I want you to have it.” I quickly tied it around
his wrist.
“Thanks.
It's cool.” Shane said.
My
heart was pounding a mile a minute. Without another thought I kissed
him on the cheek and rushed back up the steps. I stopped at the door
and looked back at him. He was still leaning on the railing and
smiling up at me. “See you later.”
“See
ya.” I said and went into the cabin.
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
My Short Short Camp 32 Story for the Day
I
could feel his hand so close to mine and I wished with all my might
that he would reach over and take it. My mind was racing with
questions, thoughts, feelings that I wanted to share with him but I
couldn't make the words come out. My cheeks started to heat up under
the blush that wouldn't stop. I had to say something, anything.
This might be the last time I ever see him. Of course that thought
just made my heart flutter faster and my mouth go dry. Hurry, say
something. Now's your best chance. I turned to face Shane without
moving my hand, still hoping to accidentally brush against his.
Focus Melina. It was a struggle but I brought my eyes up to meet
his. He smiled and I relaxed a little and smiled back. I took a
deep breath and was about to speak when he leaned ever so slightly
towards me. I froze. Could he be...? Is he trying to...? Really?
Right now?
Shane
hesitated for a moment then leaned over and kissed me. It was quick
but enough to make me forget whatever it was I was going to say. I
stared at him in shock, pleasant shock. He smiled a little then
looked down at his hands. I couldn't believe it, he was being shy.
I smiled at the thought. How sweet. I looked down at my hands still
smiling.
“That
was...nice.” Shane's voice was soft.
“Yes.”
I wanted a witty comment but nothing came to me. “You're really
nice.”
Really,
that's the best I could come up with. I wanted to smack my forehead.
“You,
too.” Shane gave me a quick look.
“Hey
you two! What're you talking about?” Cinder clomped down the dock
squeezing in between us.
“Nothing.”
We said in unison then burst out laughing.
Cinder
gave me a look but kept quiet.
“We
should head back.” Jonas said.
We
nodded and walked slowly down the path back towards the camp. Nobody
spoke except for a quick goodbye at our cabin.
I
didn't know what to say to Cinder. There were too many feelings and
not enough words so we lay silently in our beds until sleep came.
Friday, November 9, 2012
My Short Short Camp 31 Story for the Day
We sat
on the beach watching the other kids running down the dock and
jumping in. The spray shot into the air with each cannonball. The
sun was still out but a chill crept into the air. I picked at the
sandwich for a while but eventually put it back in the bag. Everyone
was having fun, enjoying their last few days of summer, except for
me. My best friend was moving away and it just wasn't fair.
“Hey!
Stop that!” Cinder's laughter broke into my thoughts. Shane and
Jonas were splashing her with water. Then Jonas reached out to grab
her but before he could Cinder raced up the beach and flopped down
next to me dripping all the way.
“Hey!
You're getting me wet!' I said trying to sound mad.
Jonas
collapsed on the sand in front of us breathing heavy. “I think I
could fall asleep right here.”
Shane
sat down on the other side of Jonas. “Looks like everybody's
leaving for the barbeque.”
It
wasn't long before the beach was empty except for the four of us.
“Should we go?” I asked.
We all
looked from one to the other. Cinder grinned and soon Jonas was,
too, followed by Shane and then me. The barbeque was a summer end
event they had every year. The cooks went all out and the kids loved
it. It was the highlight of the summer. But this year, it just
didn't feel that important.
“Well,
what should we do, then?” Cinder asked.
Jonas
stood up and brushed the sand off his hands. “I don't know about
you but I'm going to...” Just then he scooped Cinder up and rushed
towards the lake. She shrieked, kicking and swinging until the fell
in a heap on the sand only a few inches from the water.
I
stood up dusting my shorts off, laughing at my friend and wishing my
arm was all better. Shane fell in step with me as I walked out onto
the dock. I settled in at the end careful not to jostle my arm. I
dangled my feet into the water and didn't mind the icy coldness
nipping at my toes.
“I
wish summer wasn't almost over.” Shane spoke softly.
“Me,
too.” I said putting my hand on the dock wishing I had the nerve
to look at him.
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
My Short Short Camp 30 Story for the Day
Cinder
and I walked to the mess hall. It was too late for lunch but too
early for dinner. We were hoping maybe the cook was still there and
had some leftovers or something. I wasn't really hungry anymore but
I didn't know what else to do. The end of summer was looming over
us. When we leave camp tomorrow it'll be more than just goodbye, see
you tomorrow. It'll be goodbye forever. Tears blurred my vision and
I stumbled. Cinder caught me before I fell.
“Thanks.”
I said swiping the tears away.
“It's
going to be ok.” Cinder smiled.
“But
what if we never see each other again? What if you get too busy?
What if you find a new best friend? What if you forget about me?”
I couldn't stop myself.
“It's
going to be ok.” Cinder put her arm around my shoulder and started
us walking again. “We'll stay in touch. I promise. We can even
have sleepovers
sometimes,
too. And who knows, we could always go to the same college.”
I
stopped and looked at Cinder. I stared at her for a long time. “I
sure hope so.”
“You'll
always be my best friend Melina.” Cinder laughed. “There's no
one else quite like you.”
I
laughed, too. When we got to the mess hall Jonas and Shane were
sitting outside.
“What
took you so long?” Jonas said with a grin. He held up a brown bag
in triumphant.
“What's
that?” Cinder asked.
“Since
you two missed lunch we thought you'd be hungry. Just didn't expect
to sit here so long waiting.” Jonas held the bag out to us.
“Thanks.”
I said looking to Jonas and then Shane. I couldn't stop the blush
when Shane smiled at me.
“Let's
go down to the lake.” Cinder said taking the bag and leading the
way.
Friday, November 2, 2012
My Short Short Camp 29 Story for the Day
The
nurse worked quickly wrapping my arm and putting it in a sling. The
pill she gave me worked great, making the throbbing stop.
“You
have to move this as little as possible. And you can't sleep on it.”
She secured the sling and helped me off the table. “And take
these only when you absolutely need them. If the pain gets to be too
much, come get me.” This last part she directed at Cinder.
“We
will.” Cinder took my arm like I was an invalid. “Thanks.”
I
could only smile at the nurse as we walked out. “I'm hungry.” I
said pushing aside how tired I was.
“We
have to go see the director first. Then we can see about food.”
Cinder lead me to the director's office which was only a few doors
down from then nurse's office.
Our
knock was quickly answered. “Come in.” The director was seated
behind his cluttered desk with a phone in one hand. He motioned us
to sit down. “Yes, I will. Just a moment. She just walked in.”
I took
the phone from him and held it up to my ear. “Hi.” I cleared my
throat as it suddenly felt very dry.
“Honey,
are you ok?” My mom's voice was wonderful.
“Yes,
I'm alright.” I relaxed a little.
“Are
you sure you don't want us to come get you?” I noticed the concern
in my mom's voice now which made me start to doubt my decision.
I
looked at Cinder and her smiled reassured me. “No, I'll be ok.
It's only for one more night. Besides the show is tomorrow and I
can't let everyone down.” I said hoping I sounded more sure than I
felt.
“Alright.
But call us anytime if you change your mind. Ok?” I knew it was
hard for my mom but she didn't press any further.
“Thanks
Mom. I will.” I smiled. “I love you.”
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