The Academy of the Heart and Mind - Pancakes

This story was published by Thomas today. I hope you enjoy it!
https://academyoftheheartandmind.wordpress.com/2020/03/31/pancakes/

The Hermit - The Literary Yard

I really appreciate Onkar for featuring my story today. Thank you so much!!
https://literaryyard.com/2020/03/27/the-hermit/

Agate Hunting - Spillwords

Hi everyone!
Here's a special shout out to editor Dagmara K. for featuring my story today. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!
https://spillwords.com/agate-hunting/
I've also posted it below:

Agate Hunting

After we waved good-bye to the last of the guests, Janet turned to me and asked, "Where's Evan?"

            "I think he's downstairs. I got the feeling he wanted to be alone for a while. First the funeral and now the reception, I think it all got a little overwhelming."

            "Why don't you go check on him? I'll fix us some supper."

            We were feeling the weight of the loss of our only child, Jenny, who was also our ten year grandson's mother. We'd be taking care of him for the foreseeable future while his father recovered in the hospital from the deadly car accident that had changed our lives forever. This wasn't going to be easy for any of us.

            We gave each other a hug followed by a quick kiss. "Okay. I'll go see how he's doing," I told her and went downstairs.

            Evan was at my work bench looking at a jar of agates. He turned to me, "These are really neat Grandpa."

            I walked up next to him and said, "They really are, aren't they? I polished them in my rock tumbler a long time ago, way before you were born."

            I watched as he continued to study them. He seemed interested so it gave me an idea. "Come with me, I want to show you something." We went to my office and I reached up to a shelf above my desk. Out of the corner of my eye I watched as Evan followed my every move. "Here, have a look at this," I said, handing him a clear glass jar.

            "He peered closely at its contents. What is that, Grandpa?"

            "Check it out. Open it."         

            He did and reached in to pull out a walnut sized stone and began to admire it in the palm of his hand. His eyes grew wide open, "Wow. This is really cool. What is it?"

            "It's a Lake Superior agate."

            He studied it carefully. "It's really pretty."

            I smiled, "Yeah it is. It's a favorite of mine."

            "Where'd you get it?"

            "I found this when I was about your age on a gravel road in northern Minnesota. It was my first agate. Feel how smooth it is."

            He rubbed the stone between his hands like he was warming it up. Then he held it close and gazed with wonder at the rusty red hues enfolding swirls of white crystals. I didn't blame him. It was a beautiful specimen.

            I said, "To me, it's like holding a piece of magic. It was formed from volcanic fires and lava flows millions of years ago where Lake Superior is now located."

            "But that's way up north. How'd it get to where you found it on that gravel road?"

            I smiled, seeing he was momentarily distracted from his mother's death. "Can you imagine that it somehow made its journey to that road by the long, slow movement of the glaciers? I prefer to think of it as part glaciation, part mystery." He continued studying the agate as I continued, "It's hard to find them these days. They're very unique, and their value is in their rarity." I loved talking about rocks, much to the consternation of my wife. It was nice to have a captive audience.

            He laughed, "You're talking weird, Grandpa. Like poetry or something."

            "Well, to me there's something special about them," I chuckled along with him. "Call it poetry or magic or whatever, but I'm glad that you like it as much as I do." I paused for a moment, enjoying how happy the stone was making him feel. Then I made a quick decision, "I'll tell you what, you can keep it. It's yours."

            He visibly gasped and his eyes lit up, "No way! Really?"

            "Yep. It's a cool agate. Enjoy it."
            "Oh, Grandpa, thank you so much. It's beautiful. I love it."

            He was happy for the first time since the tragic car accident that had killed his mother. Then he threw his arms around my neck and gave me a big hug. I hugged him right back. Tight.

            After a minute I led him back to the work bench and we sat down on a couple of stools. I told him a little bit more about agates and their history as he gently caressed the singular stone he held in his small hands, his thoughts for a moment taken away from this sad day.

            When I was finished he was quiet. I was, too. What would each of our lives be like now, now that someone we both loved so dearly was no longer with us? My Jenny. Evan's mother.

            After a minute he looked at me hopefully and asked, "Grandpa? Do you think we could maybe go searching for more agates sometime? It would be so fun. I'd really like to do that."

            His innocence and quiet voice almost broke my heart. We were both suffering and grieving our loss. Evan picked up the jar of polished agates he'd first been looking at and held it up, reverently turning it back and forth to catch the light and show the colors of the stones inside, gazing at them entranced, as if in another world.

            It would be so easy to say, 'Sure, let's do that. Let's go hunting agates.' And I almost did, but then I was held back by a sudden, horrible thought. What if I said 'Yes' and we went up north and didn't find any? Agates were hard to find nowadays. The disappointment might crush him.

            "Maybe we should wait awhile," I suggested.

            "Aw..." He set the jar down and turned away, but not before I could see tears forming in his sad eyes. "Okay," he sighed.

            I mentally pinched myself. What a jerk I was being for refusing to take my grandson on a trip we could both use just because I was afraid of a little disappointment. We'd just buried a person we both loved dearly for Pete's sake. Not find any agates? I'm sure I could deal with that. Same with Evan. I had to give us both a little credit.

            "Wait a minute," I told him, putting my hand on his shoulder. "I take that back." He turned to me and his eyes became wide with anticipation. "Sure," I said, "let's do it. Let's go find ourselves some agates."

            "Are you sure, Grandpa? Really?" The way his face lit up and the happiness that shone in his eyes made me realize I'd made the right decision.

            "Absolutely," I said, instantly planning a driving trip north and picturing him cradling a handful of newly found agates in his cupped palms. "Let's go tomorrow."

            "Yea!" he shouted and started dancing around the room.

            Just then Janet called from upstairs. "You two all right down there?"

            I looked at Evan and he looked back at me. We were both grinning, "Yeah," I said. "We're just fine."

            "Okay, then. Supper's ready. Come on."

            "Goody, I famished," Evan said. He ran ahead and hurried up the steps, clutching the agate I'd given him and yelling, "Grandma, look what Grandpa gave me."

            I smiled at my departing grandson. "I'll be up in a minute," I called after him, but I doubt he heard me.

            I went to the work bench to turn off the light and saw the jar of agates with the top open. What the heck, I thought to myself. I grabbed a few before putting the lid back on. It wouldn't hurt to have some on hand to scatter on the ground up north for us to find. Just in case. Evan didn't need any more disappoints in his young life. Not now. At least not if I could help it.

           

 

The World of Myth Magazine - Two Stories

Hi Everyone!
I've got 2 entries in the new issue of the World of Myth Magazine, one drabble and SF Story. Check them out at: http://theworldofmyth.com/
Click on stories and it will take you to where they are. Enjoy!

Forgotten Ones - Eerie River Publishing

https://www.amazon.com/Forgotten-Ones-Drabbles-Myth-Legend-ebook/dp/B0824B6NX9/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=forgotten+ones+eerie+river+paperback&qid=1585004969&sr=8-1&swrs=37EBABFAD856A0B32EEB722B97927A36

Talking Stories Radio # 37

Hey everyone! Time to check out broadcast #37 of Talking Stories radio. My friend Ger White reads two poems. They're fantastic! Note: They start around 43:45 min.

mixcloud.com

Mixcloud

Surface Tension - CafeLit

Hi Everyone!
I'm thrilled to share this story with you. Many thanks to Gill James for featuring it.
https://cafelitcreativecafe.blogspot.com/2020/03/surface-tension_13.html

Here's the link if you don't want to use the link:

Surface Tension

He remembered it from biology class. Surface tension. It meant, The tendency of water molecules to shrink into the smallest area possible. He remembered something else, too, about a water bug being able to walk across the surface, which at the time he'd thought was pretty amazing.

            He'd never been the best student and probably failed the science test back then, just like he'd done years later with their marriage; failed. He'd shrunk, become smaller as a human being while she'd grown and blossomed like the flowers he grew in his carefully tended garden. He'd stayed safe and secure in his IT job. She had grown like the bright blooming lilies in that same garden, excelling as a fast tracked manager in an prestigious marketing firm, making new friends, traveling both home and abroad and even joining a running club and completing a triathlon. She'd grown and he hadn't. He'd taken the safe way, kept his head down and played it safe. She'd moved on like that water bug, moving ever foreword, fearlessly into the unknown.

            Now this.

            Sure they'd tried, especially during those early years. They'd made time for date night once a week and together planned three getaway vacations each year. But now, nine years in, their interests had changed and they'd drifted apart and their marriage had died. He hadn't been enough for her. She had given up and now she was telling him she was leaving, moving on.

            "I've had it, Bill," she said coming down from upstairs. "I just need something different."

            He had nothing to say, knew her leaving was inevitable yet now was emotionally unprepared and stunned speechless by the finality of it all.

            "But...But..." he finally mustered

            "No buts, Bill. It's over."

            He watched her eyes slip off his to some unknown, but for her, eagerly anticipated future. A future that didn't include him. There was a twinkle there. And something else he hadn't seen for years. A spark. She was on fire with her passionate desire to leave.

            She picked up a single suitcase and her laptop satchel, kissed him on the forehead and turned and walked out the front door.

            He watched as the door closed, leaving him alone. She was gone, gone for good. The finality finally settling in, a heavy weight in his chest. Man, how he still loved her. Man, how he wished he could change. Man, how he knew that he couldn't.

            He went to sink and ran some water, filling the teapot. Some tea would be nice, some nice soothing chamomile perhaps. He sat waiting for the water to boil, looking out the window toward his garden but not seeing it. Time slowing to a crawl.

            The water started boiling, the teapot whistling but he didn't hear a thing. He stood and started into space, remembering the rest of the definition for surface tension. How it allowed for objects to float on the water's surface. Suspended and drift less. Just like he felt now.

 

In Her Dreams - The Drabble

Hi Everyone,
Special thanks to the staff at The Drabble for featuring my poem today!
https://thedrabble.wordpress.com/

If you don't want to use the link, here's the poem:

In Her Dreams - 100 Word Drabble

She rides a painted pony

Over rolling grassland hills.

She walks a shaded woodland path,

And listens to the wind whispering.

Sometimes she stops to breathe the scent

Of a fragrant upland meadow,

Or drinks to quench her thirst

From a rushing mountain stream.

She uses the images in her young mind

To take her far away

From the filthy city her parents have taken her

While fleeing the ravages of war.

She travels from there often,

In the quiet of her mind,

And gives her youthful spirit a chance

To grow into something beautiful,

Just like in her dreams.

 

Letter Writing - The Academy of the Heart and Mind

Hi Everyone!
If you get a chance check out my story at The Academy of the Heart and Mind. A special "Thank you" to Thomas for featuring it.
https://academyoftheheartandmind.wordpress.com/2020/03/08/letter-writing/

What Grandma Said - The Literary Yard

Hi Everyone,
Many thanks to Onkar at  Literary Yard for featuring my story What Grandma Said.
https://literaryyard.com/2020/03/08/what-grandma-said/

Down in the Dirt Magazine - Frozen Fingers

Hi everyone!
Check out my story, Frozen Fingers, in Down in the Dirt Magazine and enjoy!
http://scars.tv/cgi-bin/works_e.pl?/home/users/web/b929/us.scars/perl/text-writings/g8723.txt

Spillwords Spotlight on Writers - Jim Bates

Hi Everyone!
If you get a chance check out this link. I'm honored.
https://spillwords.com/spotlight-on-writers-jim-bates/