My Short Short for the Day

 If it was your last day on earth, what would you do?  Have you ever thought of that?  I’m not one of those people who subscribe to the idea to “live each day likes it’s your last”.  Instead, I had lived my life like there would always be a tomorrow.  That was until last month when I was diagnosed with a terminal illness.  One of those horrible diseases that ravages your body but leaves your mind intact to experience all the horrors inflicted on your physical being.  Not what I consider a very appealing option.  So instead of accepting my fate with stoic bravery, I decided to see what my other options were.  There were a lot of non-traditional choices and I tried many of them, but nothing seemed to help. 

I was getting weaker and running out of money and feeling quite desperate.  That’s when this little, old man knocked on my door.  He seemed harmless enough, so I let him in.  He slowly shuffled his way across the room to my couch and carefully lowered himself down.  He turned his face up towards me and grinned.

“Can I get you something to drink?”  I asked not sure if I had anything.

“Yes, some tea please.”  The old man continued to grin.

“Oh, ok, just a minute.”  I searched my kitchen cupboards and eventually found an old tea bag.  I put some water in a cup, microwaved it for a couple minutes and plopped the tea bag in.  I put a spoon in the cup, too.

“Do you take milk or sugar?”  I yelled from the kitchen.

“No, just tea.”  The old man’s voice carried so clearly.  He didn’t yell or even raise it.

“Here you go.”  I carefully set the cup on the coffee table.  I sat in the chair across from him.  “So, can I help you with something?”

“No, I’m afraid you are in no position to help me.”  He sipped his tea and smiled.  “However, I believe I am in a position to help you.”

“What?”  I stared at him.  How could he possibly help me?  I thought.

“Ah, don’t be fooled by my appearance.  This is simply an illusion I use to make others, such as yourself, feel more comfortable with my proposition.

“Your proposition?”  My mind was muddled.  “What could you possibly want from me?”

“Ah, we have been monitoring you for some time now.  Ms. James.”  The man sipped from his tea again, never taking his eyes off me.

“How do you know me?”  I felt the hair on the back of my neck stand up in a prickly line.

“It would be easier and quicker to show you.”  He leaned towards me, stretching out his gnarled, wrinkly hands.

I don’t know why but I went along with it.  When he touched my head, I saw images flash in my mind and heard sounds and felt emotions.  It only lasted for a few moments, but I felt like I had experienced a lifetime. 

“We would like you to join us and in exchange, we can heal you.”  The old man’s smile was warm.

“Of course, what do I need to do.”  My voice sounded so strange, so distant.  Like I was dreaming but on the verge of waking.

“You will know all soon.”  The man stood and patted my shoulder, then shuffled across the room.

I opened the door.  “Thank you.”

The old man smiled and shuffled away down the hallway.  I shut the door and walked back to my chair.  I picked up the teacup and took it into the kitchen and was about to clean it when I noticed a piece of paper stuck to the bottom.

“Enjoy your last day on earth, for tomorrow you begin your new adventure.”

So, as I asked earlier, if it was your last day on earth, what would you do? 

Turtles

 

My Short Short for the Day

The roly poly pug waddled along on his chubby, little legs.  His tongue was hanging out of his mouth as he snorted along with each breath.  His eyes gleamed with mischief as he surveyed his territory.  His grin always fooled people into dropping their guard around him. 

“Ah, this’ll do.”  He woofed as he plopped his bum onto the ground.  He shook himself and the top hat fell off his head, landing perfectly upside down.  He nudged it with his paw, then stretched out his hind feet with his front paws in between.  For some reason, the humans loved it when he sat like them, so he made use of that.

A few moments later, a man walked towards him talking on his cell phone.  “Woof!”  The man looked down, startled to see a fat pug grinning up at him. 

“Oh, where did you come from?”  The man stared at him and the pug panted and put his paw on the rim of the top hat.

“What a funny, little dog.”  The man grinned.  He dug around in his pocket and pulled out some change.  He tossed it into the hat and was rewarded with a wave of the chubby pug paw.

The man laughed then went back to his phone call.  “You’ll never believe what I just saw.”

A lady was bustling by with a little kid in tow.  “Wait Mom!  A doggie!”  The kid dug his heels in and wouldn’t budge.

“What is it Timmy?”  The lady looked tired.  “Oh, what a funny, little dog.”

The pug grinned and put a paw on the rim of the hat. 

“He wants money.”  The boy shouted with glee.  “Give him some.”

“What, why would he need money.”  The lady shook her head.

“Come on Mom.”  The boy looked at her with big, round eyes.  “Please.”

“Oh, alright.”  The lady pulled out some coins and dropped them into the hat. Then turned away, tugging the boy.

The pug waved a chubby paw and the boy laughed and waved back.

As the sun started to set, the pug stood, stretched his chubby legs, then picked up the hat with his snaggly teeth and walked to the nearby bakery.  Al opened the door for him.  The pug waddled inside and set the hat down by the counter.  Al dumped the hat out and put the hat back on the floor.  He also set down a cup of water and a bowl of food.  The pug ate heartily and drank, slopping water all over the floor.  When he was done, Al patted the pug, put its hat back on and tucked a note in the band of the hat. 

“Tell Mrs. Johnson that Sal with be by with her dinner in about an hour.”  Al opened the door and the pug woofed before waddling out.

My Short Short for the Day

 “Quick!  Hurry!  My baby is still in there!”  The soot covered woman screamed.

Without hesitation, I raced into the burning building.  I was hit with a wall of smoke so thick I started to choke.  I remembered those movies where they show the person covering their nose and mouth with a cloth and that seemed to fix the problem, so I searched for something I could use.  There was a bandana lying on the floor so I scooped it up and did my best to cover my face.  It wasn’t great, but it helped.  I kept low and searched, listening carefully.  I couldn’t see or smell anything except smoke so I had to rely on touch and sound.  Of course, everything felt hot on my feet but I tried to block out the pain.  The sounds of crackling flames dominated but I forced myself to tune those noises out and listen for anything other than that.

Suddenly I heard a faint whimper.  I stopped and listened harder.  There it was again.  Coming from that room.  I went to the door and felt it to see if it was hot.  It was, but the whimper was louder now.  I moved back a few steps then charged the door.  It burst open and flames shot at me.  I ducked and rolled to the side.  I looked around, listening and then I heard the whimper.  It was getting faint.  I crawled across the floor to the tattered remnants of a bed.  I poked my head under and there she was, a little girl.  Maybe 3 or 4 years old.  Crying softly with a teddy clutched in her hands.

I stretched myself further under the bed and grabbed hold of her nightgown.  I tugged but she wouldn’t move.  It was getting hotter.  I couldn’t wait.  I yanked and the child fell over.  I dragged her out from under the bed, shoved my head in next to the teddy so that her arms were around my neck and dashed out of the room.  She stumbled along beside me, moving mechanically but at least she was moving.   We rushed through the rooms, dodging obstacles, flames and falling debris until we burst out into the cold night air.

I took a few wobbly steps, then collapsed.  The screaming woman knelt beside us, gently cradling the little girl who was still clinging to my neck. 

“Good doggie.”  The little girl managed to say before her mother hugged her tight to her chest. 

“Very good doggie.”  The woman agreed gently stroking my back. 

My Short Short for the Day

 “Congratulations!  You have freed me from the magic lamp so now you have 3 wishes.  But remember, choose wisely as you can not undo a wish once it has been spoken.  Oh, and of course, you can’t wish for more wishes, you can’t make someone fall in love with you and you can’t kill anyone.” 

“Wow!  Are you for real?”  Dillin stared up at the genie.

“Yes, I am. Now, what would you like for your first wish?”

“Oh, oh, I wish I could have a ton of money!”  Dillin shouted.

“Your wish is my command!”  The genie waved his hand and a ton of money dumped on the ground in front of Dillin.

“Wait, is that all?  I wanted more than that.”  Dillin pouted.

“That is exactly one ton.”  The genie smiled.  “What is your next wish?”

“Hmm?”  Dillin scratched his head.  “Well, oh, I know.  I can’t wish for someone to fall in love with me, right?”

“Right.”

“Ok, then, I wish I was hot!”  Dillin’s smile was very smug.

“Your wish is my command!”  The genie waved his hand and Dillin became hot.

“Hey, wait, whoa!  I didn’t mean that kind of hot.  I meant good looking hot!”  Dillin screamed as he ran to the pond, throwing himself in.

“What is your final wish?”  The genie smiled.

“Yeah, yeah, just a minute.”  Dillin slogged out of the water.  “I have to be smart about this one.  Hmm?  Oh, I know.  I wish I could start over.”

“Your wish is my command!”  The genie waved his hand with a smile and disappeared.

“Congratulations!  It’s a boy!”  The nurse gently placed the baby in the new mom’s arms.

“Look honey!  Isn’t he beautiful!”  The mom gushed.  “I’m going to name you Dillin.”

 

My Short Short for the Day

 The mighty predator locked eyes on his prey.  He flicked his tail as a warning to any others that this was his prey.  He sat up, nose twitching, testing the wind for any scent of danger.  His eyes darted from here to there before locking on his target again.  All was clear.  His prey, unsuspecting.  Carefully he crept along the rough surface, slowly making his way ever closer while remaining cautious to not give himself away. 

He paused, surveying the distance.  He was close enough now.  He gathered himself, tensing his muscles, never taking his eyes off his prey.  He held for a moment, perfectly still, then pounced.  He landed on his prey, grabbed it in his claws and brought it to his mouth. 

He sat down, looking around as he quickly nibbled through the shell and pulled out the inside.  His tiny teeth gnawing easily through the crunchiness.  Then his tiny paws turned the shell around so that he could get to the other end.  He rapidly broke through the outer shell to reveal the other hidden nut.  He continually looked around, making sure no one else was going to try to steal his peanuts from him.

Koi at the Huntington Gardens