My Short Short for the Day

 Happy Birthday to you

You live in a zoo

You look like a monkey

And smell like one, too!

“Carl, that is not appropriate!”  Mom scolded.

Carl smirked and when Mom turned to cut the cake, he made a funny face at Abby.  Abby giggled.

“Ok, first piece for the birthday girl.”  Mom set a tiny slice of cake in front of Abby.

“Huh?”  Abby was confused.  Where was the rest of the cake?  This piece would take about 2 maybe 3 forkfuls to eat.

Carl shoveled his cake into his mouth as if someone might steal it from him.  When he finished, he got up and winked at Abby, took a breath and yelled before shooting across the room running wildly and flailing his arms.  He was great at faking a sugar rush.

Abby immediately crawled across the table towards the yummy chocolate cake.  The candles weren’t lit anymore but Mom hadn’t taken them out.  No problem, Abby thought.

Carl made several laps around the yard, weaving through the swings, racing up and down the slide, hurdling toys and pausing for a moment to pet Butters.  Butters watched Carl’s antics, smiling and wagging his tale.  Mom was chasing him all over the yard, but Carl was too quick.  After about 5 minutes of running around, Carl turned back towards the house.  He ran into the living room and through to the dining room.  He reached the table and plopped into his chair.  He was breathing heavy but smiling at Abby.

“Abby!”  Mom stopped short. 

Abby was covered with chocolate, frosting and sprinkles.  There as a candle stuck in her hair and a large, chocolatey grin on her face.  One hand was in the cake and the other had a fistful of cake heading towards her mouth.  She froze.

“Honey, no!  Oh, dear.  What a mess.”  Mom stepped towards the table.  She carefully picked up Abby.  “Looks like bath time will be early today.”  She headed towards the bathroom.  “Don’t think I forgot about you Carl.”

Carl leaned forward, grabbed a handful of cake and leaned back in his chair.  He was a good big brother.

My Short Short for the Day

“How fast do you think you can go on that thing?”

Eddie looked at his surfboard.  “As fast as the wave will carry me.”

Eddie had loved surfing ever since he was able to sit up and watch his dad surf.  He used to sit in his playpen on the beach, cheering his dad on and wishing he could be out there too, on that magical, sparkling place of serenity. 

He still could remember his first time on a surfboard.  His dad sat him down on the board and waded out so that he was waist deep in the ocean.  It was a calm morning, so there were only some gentle, little waves making the board rock a little.  But Eddie loved it.  The smell of the salty air, the chill of the water, the sun smiling down on them.  Eddie was in heaven. 

It was only a matter of time before Eddie was standing and balancing on his own surfboard.  And as he grew, he began to catch up to his dad.  Soon they were riding the waves every morning, competing for the same waves and cheering each other on.  There was no one Eddie loved more than his dad.

Eddie walked out into the ocean and jumped on his surfboard.  He paddled out to the group of surfers and sat up, waiting for his wave. 

“Hey kid!  Little late this morning.”  Eddie’s dad grinned with a twinkle of mischief in his eye.

“Yeah, my alarm didn’t go off for some reason.”  Eddie smiled back.

“See you on the other side!”  Eddie’s dad called as he paddled quickly catching a huge wave.

Eddie watched as his dad sailed across the wave, moving and shifting.  After all these years, he still made it look so easy.  Eddie ignored the waves behind him and watched, quietly cheering his dad on.  Suddenly his dad froze and a moment later collapsed into the water.  Eddie yelled and paddled into the next wave, riding it as fast as he could.  When he got to the beach, his dad was being pulled up onto the shore.  He yanked off his ankle strap and knelt by his dad.  Someone was doing CPR.

“Dad, wake up!  Dad!”  Eddie’s heart thundered in his chest. 

The next several days were a blur as the family prepared for the funeral.  The service was solemn and then everyone went to the beach and had a bonfire.  People told stories about Eddie’s dad.  Eddie listened struggling to keep the tears away, then Al, his dad’s best friend, came over and sat down. 

“He went out the way he wanted.”  Al took a sip.  “I can’t think of any better way to go, then riding a wave to the great beyond.”

My Short Short for the Day

“Do you think we are there yet?”  Marge trudged on.  Hope was slipping away as the never ending land stretched out before them.’

“Not much further, I don’t think.”  Stan had to believe they were almost there.  Doubt was beginning to seep in, but he was able to push it down.  They had to be close.  His calculations were right, he knew they had to be. 

Stan looked over his shoulder to see the string of people plodding along behind them.  He knew they were close.  He had to keep going. Keep them going.  He took a deep breath and turned back and began walking with a new determination. 

Marge took a deep breath and let it out.  She trusted Stan and would keep her faith in him.  He was the bravest man she’d ever known, now was not the time to doubt him.  She smiled, hitched her bag higher onto her shoulders and moved on. 

The hill looming ahead looked difficult, rocky and steep, but Stan has a good feeling about it.  There was something on the other side.  Something good, he just knew it.  He turned back and gave Marge a quick smile.  Even sweaty and tired, she looked beautiful to him.  He watched her hike and admired her grace.  She caught his eye and smiled back.

“Not much further.  This should be our last big hurdle.”  Stan said before facing the rocky slope.

Marge and the others, using hands and feet to pull themselves over rocks and shrubs, followed Stan.  So focused on the climb, Marge didn’t realize she’d reached the top until she almost bumped into Stan.  He was standing perfectly still, staring out.

She hauled herself up the last little bit and straightened.  She looked at Stan and seeing his intent stare, followed his gaze.  It was beautiful.  The golden sandy beach, the shimmering water gently rolling up to shore, the cliffs wrapping around the cove, the trees swaying in the warm breeze, the chatter of birds rustling in the treetops.  Marge couldn’t help the tears that slipped down her cheek.

“Are you ok?”  Stan looked worried.

“Yes, this is perfect!”  Marge wiped away the tears smudging her face with some dirt.  Her laughter bubbled up and out.

Stan smiled and carefully wiped the smudge off her cheek.

“You did it Stan.”  Marge said.  “You did it.” 

My Short Short for the Day

“Alright Max, you can do this.”  Max bolstered up some courage, crouched down and pushed up and out.  He imagined himself as a kangaroo.  Strong, powerful legs propelling him into the air and over the sand.  He felt like he was soaring for so long before he touched down.  When his feet made contact, he instantly bent his knees to ‘absorb the shock’ as his coach would say.  He made sure to throw his arms forward so he wouldn’t lose distance falling back.  He made a solid landing and when he was steady, he straightened up.  He beamed at his coach and teammates who had been cheering him on.  He was so proud.

Slowly it began to dawn on him that everyone was looking at him strangely.  They were smiling but it seemed awkward, not nearly as enthusiastic as he expected from such an amazing jump.  The judges asked him to step out of the long jump pit. 

His coach came over and clapped him on the back.  “At a boy Max.  You really give it a go on that one!”  His smile was off as he lead Max away, talking about what the next event was.

Max stopped and looked back.  Why was everyone acting so weird.  Max watched in disbelief as the judges measured out 1 foot.  1 foot!  He couldn’t believe it.  He had jumped 1 foot.  “A whole foot!”  He shouted.  “I jumped a whole foot!  I’ve never jumped so far in my life!”  Max danced around and laughed.  Then he sought out his parents and saw their smiling faces as they stood and cheered.

When Max twirled around in joy, he saw the smiles on his teammates and coach’s face light up.  Now they were smiling right. 

My Short Short for the Day

The sky lit up with the flashing light.  The air swelled with heat so hot it burned through the treetops.  The wind gnashed at the water, making it froth and churn.  The rumble of thunder boomed like a cannon firing across the sky. 

“Run!  Quick!  Inside!”  Cal shouted, his voice sounding like a whisper as it reached Fran’s ears. 

She was only a foot away but struggled to hear him.  Fran grabbed Ellie and Tommy’s hands, pulling them with her.  Leaning into the wind, she inched her way to the storm shelter’s doors.  Cal yanked the door up and held it as they stumbled down the steps.  Fran landed first and Ellie and Tommy tumbled onto her.  Cal slammed the doors shut and bolted them.  He staggered down the steps as Fran and the children were dusting themselves off. 

“Go sit on the cots while I get you some blankets.”  Fran moved over to the shelves by the bathroom and pulled down two wool blankets.  She shook the dust off and handed one to each child.

“Are we going to die?”  Ellie asked, tears spilling down her cheeks.

“Of course not, stupid.”  Tommy nudged Ellie then put his arm around her.  Even at 10, Tommy acted like the protective big brother. 

Ellie leaned on Tommy.  He’d always been there for her.

Fran smiled as bravely as she could.  “Ok, who wants some popcorn?”

“Me, me, me!”  Ellie and Tommy chimed in together.

Fran walked over to the cupboard and Cal followed.  “What is it Cal?”

“I don’t know.”  Cal rubbed the back of his neck.  “It’s nothing like I’ve ever seen before.”

Fran saw the fear in his eyes, and she shivered.  The hair on her arms stood up.  She quickly unrolled her sleeves to cover them up.  Cal looked at her questioningly.  “Just goose bumps.  It’s kind of chilly down here.”  She forced a smile as she filled a bowl with already made popcorn.

“Here you go!  Fresh from the bag!”  Fran laughed as she tossed a piece into the air and caught it.  Ellie and Tommy laughed, trying to imitate her.

Cal watched his wife.  Something was wrong.  This storm wasn’t right, and Fran knew it.  What was she hiding?

My Short Short for the Day

Once upon a time there was a little girl who, more than anything else, wanted to be a superhero.  So, one day she became that superhero.  The End.

“Dad!  That’s not a story.”

Or was it The End?  No, in fact, it was just the beginning.  She not only became a superhero, but she became the best superhero in the world!  The End.

“Dad!! It has to be longer than that.”

But that wasn’t The End, it was only the beginning.  Once she had become the best superhero in the world, she decided to travel out beyond the planet.   Since it was totally safe from all criminals now.  And so, she flew out to the nearest planet and made sure it was all safe.  Then to the next planet and the next until all the planets in the universe were totally safe.  And the people lived happily ever after.  The End!

“Seriously Dad?”

And of course, that was not The End!  She got married and had a child and taught that child all the ways of the superhero.  So, when that child grew up, she too became a great superhero to carry on her mother’s superhero-ing. 

“Don’t forget about Sparky.”

One day, when this younger superhero was patrolling the streets of Saber City, she found a scruffy, bundle of fur shivering in a dark alley.  She carefully approached it, talking softly as she moved.  When she was close enough, she saw that it was a puppy.  It looked so sad and scared.  She gently picked it up, carried it home and with her mother’s help, nursed it back to health.  It no time it became the greatest superhero sidekick ever!  The End!

“Dad!!!”

Or was it?

My Short Short for the Day

“If you could fly, where would you go?”  Eldin looked intently at Sari’s face.

“Well, I would fly as high up as I could into the sky.  Beyond the trees.  Beyond the clouds.  Beyond the stars.  I would keep flying for as far as I could.  For as long as I could.”  Sari looked down at her hands as she talked.  Her voice was soft and wistful.

“Would you visit other planets or universes?”  Eldin looked up at the sky imagining distant worlds.

“No.  I would just fly out into the inky, darkness of space.  I would keep flying until I could fly no more.  Then I’d stop.  I’d close my eyes and let go.”  Sari tilted her head upwards.  A gentle smile settled on her face and her eyes sparkled.

Eldin looked over.  He could see the sadness in her eyes.  He could hear the sadness in her voice.  But her smile was so peaceful and serene.  He wanted to touch her cheek, caress it.  He raised his hand.

“I would let myself drift until forever ends.”  Sari slowly turned to look at Eldin. 

He dropped his hand and stared helplessly.  Her sparkling eyes undid him.

“I should go now.  Mother will be worried.”  Sari stood.  She was still smiling as she looked down at him. 

Eldin stood abruptly.  “I can walk you.”

“No, thank you.  I should go alone.”  Sari turned and took a few steps away, then stopped.  “Same time tomorrow?”

“Yes, of course.  I’ll be here.”  Eldin blushed slightly and watched her walk away.  He stared for a long time, even after she had disappeared from view. ‘So much sadness and wonder.  What was it like being her?”

My Short Short for the Day

Hi! My name is Luna.  You must be reading this book because you bought it or want to buy it.  So this book is all about Happy.  No, no, not the emotion, the planet.  Yes, there really is a planet called Happy.

Ok, now I’m going to tell you the top 5 most important things you need to know about Happy.

1.    Happy is a real planet, so don’t listen to those crazy people who say it doesn’t exist.

2.    The reason you can’t see it is because it’s invisible.  It takes a long time for it to scan you and approve you before it appears.

3.    If you are bad on Happy you will go into its left nostril and that is NOT a good place to be.

4.    People on Happy have more emotions than just “happy”.  That would get boring if everyone was only “happy” all the time.

5.    We ride on cloud cars, so there are no accidents.  If you hit someone you just bounce off and no one gets hurt.  Also, if you tell your car where to go it goes, so no getting lost.  You can go over another car or under another car or around another car.  The car decides the safest and easiest route.

My Short Short for the Day

One night while a man was sleeping an alien landed in his corn field.  But what did this alien want?  Well, he landed his spaceship, concealed it with corn stalks and walked towards the barn.  As he walked, he came to a pasture with a bunch of sheep surrounded by a wooden fence.  The fence was weathered and leaning in places, so the alien decided to fix it up.  He enjoyed making things look nice, so he set to work repairing the fence.  He straightened it so it wasn’t leaning anymore.  Then he replaced the rotten wood posts with new wood that he had found in the back of the barn.  And finally, he painted the fence with a fresh new coat of weatherproof paint.  When he finished, he stepped back to admire his work. 

Happy with a job well done, he kept walking and came to a little patch of trees.  They were full of fruit.  He was feeling hungry but wanted to earn his snack, so he searched in the barn for some baskets.  He found them and brought them to the trees.  As he is an alien, he has certain abilities that humans do not.  To pick the fruit efficiently, he hovered around the trees and loaded the hovering baskets.  In short time, he had picked all the ripe fruit, then placed the baskets at the bottom of the trees.  Satisfied with his work, he ate a couple, juicy peaches.

It was starting to get late and the sun was beginning to rise, so the alien quickly made his way to the house.  Along the way, he saw some beautiful flowers.  He picked a few to make a small bouquet and carried it into the house.  Being an alien, he had no trouble teleporting inside.  Careful to be quiet, he made his way into the study where the most precious treasure of all was located, books!  He breathed in the scent of old paper and bindings.  After a moment, he placed a book on the desk and walked to the shelf where he had left off.  He carefully slipped the next book off the shelf and tucked it under his arm.  He left the study and went back to the kitchen. In the kitchen, he pulled the old flowers out of the vase on the table and replaced them with the beautiful, fresh bouquet.  He took the old flowers and teleported out of the house.  As he walked back towards his spaceship, he tossed the old flowers onto the compost heap.  He smiled and hummed softly as he walked past the fruit trees, and the old, red barn, and the gleaming new fence with the sheep chomping on the grass, and into the corn field. 

Once his spaceship was in the air, he fixed the corn field to look perfectly normal, just as it had before his arrival. 

“Edward dear, our friend has visited again.”  Agnes called up to her husband.  “And you should see the lovely bouquet he left.”

Edwards eyes popped open.  “Woohoo!”  He whopped, jumping out of bed.  He quickly dressed and whistled all the way into the kitchen.  “It’s gonna be a great day, Agnes!”

My Short Short for the Day

“Ok Molly, you have one wish.  You can wish for anything you want.  Anything.  What would you wish for?”  Sally sat crossed legged on the bed, leaning forward, eagerly awaiting her best friend’s answer. 

“Anything?”

“Anything!” 

“Hmmm?”  Molly tapped her chin thoughtfully.  She looked up, staring at her poster of Despicable Me.  Smiling as she remembered the movie.  Wishing she could have been Agnes or better yet, Edith.  How fun would that be to live with Gru in that spooky old mansion and have all those gadgets and inventions and such to play with.  And to have all those little minions as friends.  They were so cute, especially Bob.  He was the most adorable.  “Wait!  I know.  I’d wish for Bob!  That’s my wish.  I would wish that I could have the real live minion Bob!”

Sally looked up at the poster and burst out laughing.  “That would be so awesome!”  She climbed off the bed and the two did a silly little happy dance.

“I know, right?!”  Molly collapsed on the bed.

“Oh, but then Bob would get lonely.  Maybe you should make your wish for a whole bunch of minions?”  Sally started pacing.  “You could wish for the Gru house and all the minions and gadgets and everything that goes with it!”

“Yes, or maybe wish for that cool house from the 3^rd movie with the whole island and all of those adorable piggies!”  Molly grabbed a book and started flipping through the pages.  “Here!  I could just say I wish for everything in this page to be real with me as the ruler instead of Dru!” 

“Yeah, that would be even better.  Let’s see, what other pages are there.  Maybe there’s a better one with more things.”  Sally sat down beside Molly as they excitedly flipped through the book.

“See George, they just love to read.”  Molly’s mom smiled smugly as she peeked into the room. 

“Sure looks like it.”  George agreed.

My Short Short for the Day

“Hey…hey Bob.  Who do you think those monkeys are?”

“Dunno.”

“Come on.  Just look at them.  They aren’t very hairy.  It’s kind of weird.”

“Yup.”

“And they walk funny.  They only walk on their legs.”

“So.”

“Well, that’s not much fun now, is it?”

“Why not?”

“Swinging is so much better and faster, too.  Right?”

“Yup.”

“Do you think they’ll be moving in here?”

“Dunno.”

“I hope not.  There’s only so much space and food and stuff.  I don’t want them crowding up the place.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Aren’t you even curious?  Don’t you wanna know about them?  Don’t you wanna even look at them?”

“Nope.”

“Wow, dude!  You are so calm.  I don’ t know how you do it.  I just want to bounce around on these ropes and yell at them to go away.”

“Hmmm.”

“Oh, look.  Their leaving.  Finally!  Back to normal.”

“Yup.”

 

“Hey…hey Bob.  Who do you think those monkeys are?”

 

Turtle Travel

 

My Short Short for the Day

Once upon a time there was a little bee.  He was very sad because lightning had struck his home and destroyed it.  Lucky for him, he was flying out through the keyhole when the lightning struck, so he was able to escape harm.  All the humans had been out at the movies that night, so they were safe, too. 

He was sad, though, because his home was gone and he and his humans had no place to live.  He searched high and low for a new home.  He checked the neighbor’s house, too crowded.  He checked the grandparent’s house, to cluttered.  He checked the apartment building, too noisy.  He even checked the abandoned barn in the field down the road, too dangerous.  He was unsure of where else to check.

Then an idea hit him.  Yes, of course.  Old Mr. Wilson’s house.  It wasn’t that far away, there was plenty of room for all the humans, there was a lovely tree in the backyard where he could make a new hive and they would all be together.  He was so happy that he flew quickly to where the humans were staying.  He buzzed at the little human explaining his idea.  The little human smiled and gave him a little pet on the back.  Little bee buzzed with joy.

The little human talked with the older humans and they all rejoiced.  That was a splendid idea.  They immediately called up the real estate agent.  Yes, the house was just about to go on the market since Mr. Wilson was moving in with his daughter.  The humans made an offer, Mr. Wilson accepted and within a few weeks, they were moving into their new home. 

The little bee buzzed happily into the backyard and busily got to work building his new hive. 

My Short Short for the Day

The spark landed on the dry wood and slowly spread.  It charred the surface and dug deeper.  As it moved down into the wood it stretched out across the top as well.  It reached out, skipping along the surface, leaving tiny flames in its wake.  The tiny flames ate into the wood making their way to the other side, leaving blackened remnants of what only moments ago had been a solid log.  The flames continued to dance across the surface, leaping to another log, stretching up higher into the air, increasing its height and heat.  The logs above were now covered in flames.  The logs below were being eaten by the flames.  The logs on the right and left were engulfed.  The crackling grew into a dull roar as the flames ravenously devoured log after log, never stopping, never satiated. 

My Short Short for the Day

 “What if he could see really well?”  Sam suggested.

“That’s dumb dude.  What are you going to call him, ‘Really Good Eyesight Man’?”  Alex shook his head. 

“No, he’d be able to see like those things people use to watch birds, you know…”

“Binoculars?”

“Yeah, that’s it.  He could see as if his eyes were like binoculars or telescopes or something even more powerful.  He could see as far away as another country or something.”  Sam was getting into it now.

“Hmm, I don’t know.  What could he do with that?”  Alex was wavering a bit.

“Ok, so he could be a spy or something and look into people’s windows in other cities or countries or something and learn their secrets and report to the government.”  Sam raised his eyebrows hopefully.

“Naw, I don’t want him to be a spy for the government.  He should do something more…heroic.”  Alex tapped his chin.  “Like maybe he helps find lost animals or kids or something.”

“Ok, but what about fighting bad guys, what would he do?”  Sam was doodling on his paper.

“Let’s see.  He could use his super sight to learn about the bad guys and know their every move because he would see it.”  Alex liked his idea.

“Yeah, but he can’t hear anything they say, so unless people wrote it all down, then there wouldn’t be much to see.  Plus, they’d have to leave it out where he could read it.”  Sam frowned.  “I don’t know, maybe this wasn’t a good power.”

“No, no, dude.  I think we can make it work.  We just have to figure out how he can make it really important.”  Alex started to pace.  His face was scrunched in concentration.

Sam continued to doodle.

“I’ve got it!”  Alex sat down and started to write.  His pencil moved rapidly as he jotted down his ideas as fast as he could.  When he stopped, he looked over at Sam.  “I’ve got it!”

“What?  What is it?”  Sam sat on the edge of his seat.

“Ok, so this guy can see where crime is happening.  Someone calls for help and he can quickly locate them.  Instead of how long it takes if someone has to call the police and give a description of where it’s happening and then the cops drive around looking for the location.  He could instantly find them.”

“Well, that’s cool but how would he hear them call for help?”  Sam slumped in disappointment.

“That’s it.  That’s even better, dude!”  Alex beamed at him.  “He would have super senses.  All his senses would be super powered.  That way he could hear anything from around the world.  See anything.”  Alex was scribbling his ideas down.

“What about smell anything?  Ewww, dude, that would be gross.”  Sam made a gagging noise.

“That’s perfect!  That would be his weakness.”  Alex smiled in satisfaction.  “Now all we need is to figure out what he looks like.”

“Way ahead of you, dude!”  Sam held up his doodle.

“That’s awesome!”  Alex said.  “Then let’s get started.  This comic is going to be so cool!”

“Yeah, dude!  We could probably even charge kids for it.”  Sam agreed.

“Definitely!”

My Short Short for the Day

The gentle breeze drifted over the raft barely rippling the water below it.  The water was warm and clear all the way to the sandy bottom.  The raft lazily floated in the water inching ever so slowly towards the shore.  The sandy shore sparkled in the afternoon sun.  The smell of sun toasted pine needles permeated the air.

The raft slid onto the beach with the water lapping at one side, nudging it further onto the sand.  Lilly jumped off the raft, grabbed the rope and tugged it up the beach until it was completely out of the water.  She looped the rope around the peg in the ground to secure the raft, then raced towards the hut.  She could smell roasted palm and fruit.  Her stomach growled in response and she ran faster.

She burst through the door.  “That smells great, Grammy!”

“I know, dear.  Have a seat.”  Grammy handed Lilly a plate and coconut half.

Lilly sat, wait for Grammy to sit, then dug into the food.  It was delicious!  The palm, tender and slightly salty, the fruit, sweet and slightly smokey.  Her Grammy was the best cook!

After inhaling her food, Lilly sat back in her chair smiling and patting her belly.  Today was the day.  Her Grampy was going to help her build her own hut today.  It would be right next to their hut and probably even be connected eventually but, still, it would be her own hut.  Her own space.

“Ready to get started?”  Grampy strolled into the hut, gave Grammy a quick kiss on the cheek and grabbed a piece of palm.

Lilly jumped up.  “Ready!” 

Grampy was like a mountain, strong and solid.  He knew everything and could do anything.  She couldn’t remember her parents but imagined that her Dad would have been just like Grampy and her Mom would have been just like Grammy.

“Alright, first we need to find some strong palm leaves.  Just like these.”  Grampy held up a huge palm leaf.

“Ok, got it!”  Lilly wouldn’t let her Grampy down.  She’d find the biggest, strongest palm leaves on the island.

They gathered leaves for several hours.  After a snack break, they got to work binding the leaves and building the hut.  As the sun was setting, Grampy and Lilly stepped back. 

“What do you think?”  Grampy asked.

“It’s beautiful!”  Lilly exclaimed beaming with pride and joy.

“Yes, it is.”  Grampy put his hand on her shoulder and admired the new hut.  “Beautiful.”   

My Short Short for the Day

 The building was tilted, tipping precariously on its corner.  Everyone inside, everyone nearby would be killed.  She had to act fast, no time to think.  She must save them, all of them.  No one should die for her mistake.

“Rarghh!!!” 

Senja leapt towards the building, screaming her battle cry and summoning all her courage.  She smacked into the building stopping its fall.  Terrified screams filled the air, but she had to block them out.  She pushed, using every ounce of her being.  Slowly, ever so slowly the building moved back into position.  With a thud, it settled back onto its foundation and Senja slid to the ground, exhausted.

People were yelling and running towards the building.  Sirens blasted through the streets, coming closer and closer.  Dust surrounded the building but at least the screams weren’t so loud. 

Senja lay helpless by the building, hidden by the dust and debris. She did it.  No one died.  There may be some scrapes and bruises, but everyone should be ok.  She did it.  Thank goodness!

When Senja woke hours later, she was in a hospital bed.  She had some bandages on her arm and around her head.  She ached but everything else seemed to be ok.  She’d definitely be sore tomorrow.  She’d never put her body through so much before, but it held up.  Maybe she had been holding back.  Dad always said she was stronger than she thought.  He was right.  If only he were here to talk to.  She really could use him right now.  He had always been her biggest supporter.  He was her rock.

She didn’t have time to think about that now.  She had to get out.  She couldn’t let anyone realize who she was.  Between the dirt and the bandages, no one seemed to recognize her.  But it wouldn’t be long before the news reports were out and people would start searching for her. 

She had to go.  She had to hide.  No one must find her.

My Short Short for the Day

 *******     continued     *******

Jonah slowly turned around, his hands shaking and his body tensing.  “Who…who’s there?”

He stared hard into the darkness.  There was another, softer clank.  Some scraping noises.  A crash.  Then silence.

“Hello?”  Jonah’s voice was barely audible.

Now he could hear a new scraping sort of noise, like something being dragged slowly across the floor.  Jonah took a tentative step forward.  “Anyone there?”

The scraping noise continued to steadily come closer.

“I come in peace.”  Jonah said, hoping the shakiness in his voice wasn’t obvious.

The scraping noise was close now, but Jonah couldn’t make out anything in the darkness.  He would have to use his flashlight.  He didn’t want to, but curiosity forced him to pull it out and aim it at the darkness.  He turned it on and held his breath.  He peered intently at the circle of light that cut through the darkness.  The spotlight showed darkness, but it seemed not as dark.  Then it moved.  Slightly but enough to make him jump and fumble the flashlight.  Something was alive in there. 

Jonah turned around and frantically searched for the exit.  His heart thundered harder as he struggled not to scream.  Sweat rolled down his face.  His hands moved rapidly, praying for a latch, indent or anything to force open the door. 

Then he felt a pressure on his shoulder.  He froze in terror.  He closed his eyes tight, pleading for it to be a dream.  But the pressure on his shoulder was still there.  He opened his eyes and slowly turned his head to the side.

“I…I…I’m sorry.  I didn’t mean to break in.  The door just opened…”  Jonah stammered.

“Are…are you…human?”  The voice was soft and raspy.

Jonah turned around and came face to face with a woman about the age of his mother.  She looked normal.  “How?”

The woman smiled.  “You are human.  Are we on Earth?”

“Yeeesss.”  Jonah thought that was a weird question but not as weird as seeing a human on an alien spaceship.

“Oh, thank goodness.  We made it.  We made it home.”  The woman’s eyes filled with tears and she dropped to her knees, covering her face and crying.

My Short Short for the Day

 *******     continued     *******

Jonah stretched out his measuring tape as far as it would go, then measured all the way around the entire ship.  He jotted this down in his notebook.  Next, he tried to climb up but the sides were too slippery so he measured as far as his tape would extend.  Then he picked up a pebble and tossed it at the ship.  It clinked against the metal, so he picked up another pebble and threw it higher.  He kept throwing pebbles higher and higher until they didn’t clink against the metal.  He jotted down more notes.

Hmm?  Maybe I should look for a door of some kind.  He thought, tapping his chin with his pencil.  “Yes, that’s what I should do.”  He ran his hands along the side of the ship, moving them up and down and back and forth.  He inched along, trying not to miss any small opening or indents or anything that might be an entrance into the ship.  That would be so awesome to go inside a real live spaceship.  See all the gadgets and buttons and weird containers of alien specimens from some unknow universe. 

A loud click interrupted his thoughts and he froze.  “What was that?”  He whispered. 

Carefully he moved his hand back over the spot and felt an indent about the size of his hand.  He pushed in on the indent and it moved.  He jerked his hand away and stepped back, mouth hanging open and heart thundering in his chest.

A puff of smoke rose from the opening.  There was a chilly burst of air, then all was still again.  He stared into the darkness of the opening but couldn’t see anything.  He stepped forward putting his hand on the edge of the entrance. 

“Hello? Anybody in there?”  Jonah stared into the darkness but didn’t see any movement.  He listened but couldn’t hear anything.

“I’m coming in.  I mean you no harm.”  Jonah took a wobbly step into the ship.  His eyes adjusted to the dim light and he could see a door a few feet straight in front of him and a long hallway that went off to his left and right.  He decided to try the door in front of him.  He touched the icy, cold metal searching for a doorknob or button.  After a few moments he found an indent and pushed it in.  The door creaked open ever so slowly.  The room was even darker than the hallway.  He blinked to adjust his eyes, then remembered he had a flashlight in his backpack.  He pulled out the flashlight and clicked it on. He gasped and immediately clicked it back off.

“I should go.  I should go.  Gotta go!”  He stammered, stumbling back through the door.  He was in the hallway but couldn’t see the entrance to the ship.  It had closed.  He was panicking now.  He ran his hands over the wall, desperately trying to find the indent.  His heart was pounding in his ears.  Sweat was trickling down his face and he shivered. 

“Clank!”

The sound was coming from the dark room behind him.

*******     to be continued     *******