My Short Short for the Day

My daughter made up this song and I thought it was funny so I’m sharing it with all of you.  (Sing to the Jingle Bells tune)

I’m in Santa’s sleigh

Lo-ove fills my heart

I hope he slo-ows down

Or I will hurl and fart!

Ho ho ho

Ho ho ho

I’m riding in a sleigh

Ho ho ho

Ho ho ho

I think my mom is drunk *

Ho ho ho

Ho ho ho

Oh, no my dad might barf

Ho ho ho

Ho ho ho

I am feeling light

Ho ho ho

Ho ho ho

Cats are in our sleigh

Ho ho ho

Ho ho ho

I love you!

*Just for the record, I wasn’t drunk.

My Short Short for the Day

“You’re gonna do what?!”  Herb asked never taking his eyes off the towering waterfall.  “Are you kidding me?”

“No, man.  Not kidding.”  Scar said grinning.

“But that’s gotta be hundreds of feet.”  Herb shook his head.

“422 feet to be exact.”

“But that’s…that’s just crazy.” 

“It’s gonna be awesome!”  Scar turned and walked back to the car.  “You coming?”

“Yeah, yeah.”  Herb turned and shook his head.  “I’m coming.”

They drove in silence until they reached the path.  Then they hiked up the trail, sweating in the muggy heat.  As they reached the top, the sun was starting to begin its descent.

“Ok, here we are.”  Herb stated as he dropped his backpack on the ground.

“Yup.” Mischief sparkled in Scar’s eyes.

“So you’re really gonna do it?”  Herb asked looking over the edge.

“Yup.”  Scar took off his clothing, leaving only his shorts.  “Ready?”

“I should be asking you that.”  Herb tried to laugh.

“Dude, you’d better get going.  I want this all captured on camera and I ain’t gonna wait forever.”  Scar handed his clothing to Herb.

“Yeah, I know.”  Herb stuffed the clothes into his bag and hoisted it onto his back.  “Ok, Dude.  See you down below.”

“3 sharp, I’m jumping.”  Scar said.

“I know, I know.  I’ll be there.”  Herb clapped him on the back then headed back down the trail.  He had to move fast because he know Scar wouldn’t wait and if Scar did this jump, it would make an awesome video.

It only took Herb 45 minutes to get back down which left him 15 minutes to set up the camera.  He was done with 5 minutes to spare.  He looked through the camera at the top of the falls and saw Scar waving, then giving a thumbs up.

“Here we go.”  Herb muttered to himself as Scar launched himself off the edge of the cliff.

My Short Short for the Day

The memory hit her with a flash.  She stumbled backwards landing hard on the cement floor of the parking garage.  Her purse crashed to the floor scattering its contents in all directions.  She grabbed her head as the pounding increased and the pain stabbed through her.  Panic raced up through her body choking her.  She gasped for breath.  Sweat trickled down her neck leaving an icy trail of fear.

“Excuse me.  Are you alright Miss?”  The man bent down and gently touched her arm.

“Ahhh!”  The scream came out more as a whisper.  She scrunched her eyes shut as tight as she could, holding on to her mind.  Refusing to let go.

“Miss?  Should I call someone?”  The urgency in the man’s voice started to seep through.

She could only grunt quietly as the pain finally began to subside.  The pounding dulled and her throat opened up.  She gulped in air and released her head.

“Miss?”  The man was gently shaking her.

“Huh..uh.  Yes.  I…I’m ok.”  She opened her eyes to the most brilliant blue eyes she’d ever seen.  Her face flushed as she smiled.  “Migraine.”

“Well, uh, you should get that checked out.”  The man helped her collect her belongings.  “I’ve heard there is a shot you can get now to help.”

“Yes, yes, I should do that.”  She quickly shoved her items back into her purse and took his hand.

“There you go.”  The man smiled at her with perfect warmth.  “Are you sure you’re ok?”

“Yes.  Thank you.”  She smiled again, feeling almost normal now.

“Ok, well.  You take care now.”  The man walked toward the elevator and stopped at the door.  He looked back and smiled, giving her a quick wave.

She waved, then turned to her car.  Now where did I put those keys she mumbled digging in her purse.

My Short Short for the Day

In a world that had once thrived with human life, now there is no one.  No sign of people and their ravages upon the land.  There is only nature.  Peaceful, serene, pleasant nature.  Animals free to roam the wild in safety.  Plants and trees free from trampling and chopping.  Oceans free from pollution and trash.  The world is at peace.  Calm tranquility blankets the Earth as nature reclaims what was rightfully hers.

“Edgar, what are you talking about?”  Alice furrowed her brow at her little brother.

“I’m making a documentary about what it’d be like without humans.”  Edgar stated.

“You know, if there were no humans, then you wouldn’t be here either.”  Alice huffed putting her hands on her hips and shaking her head.

“Yeah, well, maybe I’d revert to animal form or something.”  Edgar replied.

Alice stared at him with a look of disgust.  “You’re so weird.”

“Yup.”  Edgar smiled then turned back to his camera.  “The deer nibbled the sweet green grass that had been forbidden them for so many years.”

Alice rolled her eyes and stomped off.

My Short Short for the Day

The long, dirt driveway leads up to the old barn.  The barn doors are always left open and the scent of fresh hay and horse manure waft out.  Off to the left is an old, red tractor for hauling hay and beyond that is the field.  The horses wander lazily around the grassy field which is surrounded by a fence.  The fence is made of three rows of barbed wire between wooden posts.  The woods line the length of one side, while our home and yard are at the bottom end of the field and the road lines the other side.  There is a tiny stream that runs through the bottom part of the field and a small frog pond over by the woods side.

The farm house is off to the right of the barn.  It is painted white with a large front porch facing the roadway.  Inside are narrow little staircases leading up from several different points in the house to the second floor.  The front room is a cozy family room with windows making up the wall that looks out onto the porch.  The kitchen is big and bright, roomy enough for the cook to walk around with a whole table full of folks waiting at the dinner table to be fed.  There are numerous small bedrooms to accommodate the large family and several little bathrooms to prevent long waits. 

That was then. 

Now there are no horses, no smell of fresh hay, no fences.  The farm house remains but it’s no longer a working farm.  The field has been divided into lots for single family homes.  The tiny river has dried up and the pond has been filled in.  Even the memory of those days has become dusty with time.

My Short Short for the Day

It was a day like any other day.  Nothing in particular stood out as Wilbur scuffed along the dirt path.  The sun was shining…like always.  The air was stale…like always.  The heat was uncomfortable…like always.  The lecture was boring…like always.  Wilbur sighed heavily and shifted from one foot to the other to keep his legs from going numb.  When would this end?  With another sigh, Wilbur looked around trying to find anything interesting to distract him.  Everything looked brown and lifeless…like always.  Then something caught his eye.  

It was a flash of something.  He scanned the ground trying to catch another glimpse when the flash blinded him for a moment.  Without thinking he moved towards the shining object.  What was it?  The lecturer carried on taking no heed of the student wandering away.  Wilbur walked briskly towards the flash, never taking his eyes off it.  As he got closer he realized the flash was coming from the stones laid out in some kind of pattern on a flat, gray rock.  He squinted to make out the pattern.  He leaned down closer to get a better look.  The flash came again and he felt a sudden jerk.  He couldn’t move.  He couldn’t see.  He couldn’t breathe.  He couldn’t think.

“And here we have the lizard stone.  Long ago, people believed this stone possessed the power to capture souls.  Whatever you do, don’t look directly into its eyes.”  The lecturer spoke in monotone.  “And here we have the prickly pear cactus…”

My Short Short for the Day

“It’s so cold Mom!”  Herman whined.

“I know dear, but you’ll get used to it.”  Mom said gently.

“But Mom!  I don’t want to get used to it.  I want to be warm.”  Herman drooped.  “Why can’t it be sunny all the time?”

“Because dear, we live in Maine.”  Mom replied patiently.  “We live where in a place where there are seasons.  And that means changes in the weather.”

“But why?”  Herman pouted.

“Because our ancestors decided to take root here.”  Mom answered shaking the snow off her branches.

“I wish I was a palm tree.”  Herman grumbled flapping his branches.

“But then look at all the beauty you would miss out on.”  Mom said pointing.

Herman paused his grumbling for a moment to look out at the scene around him.  He saw the snow dusted ground.  The glistening ice crystals hanging from the rooftop.  He smelled the crisp, chill of the air.  He listened to the peaceful, quiet of the day.  Everything was calm, pleasant and serene.  It was beautiful here he thought to himself.

Mom smiled and went back to shaking her branches.