Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Chapter 1 - Ryan

Ryan was sitting at his usual table in the plaza.  Enjoying the summer sun as it beat down on his neck.  From the warmth he knew that his neck was probably going to be sore tomorrow, but he wasn't worried about that right now.  He was concentrating on the movements that his hand was making.  Helping the pencil in his hand touch the paper, the sketch that appeared was coming out perfectly.  Sure there was an eraser mark or two, but he could always touch those up once he scanned this piece of work into the computer.  No one would know the difference.  As he finished with the shoe he was drawing, he couldn't help but smile.

"Looking good." A friendly stranger said as they walked passed.  Ryan looked up and smiled at the man walking by.

"Thanks" he said, but the man was already out of earshot.

Ryan looked back down at the drawing in front of him.  He could definitely feel his artwork was coming along. As he was about to put his pencil back to the paper he felt the vibration in his pocket.  He placed the pencil down on top of the tablet and leaned forward so he could put his hand into his pocket.  He fished for a moment and pulled out his phone. After unlocking the phone he saw he had a text message.  Opening the message he noticed it was from Heather, his girlfriend.  He hadn't heard from her since Monday.  It's been 2 days since they last conversed.  He had sent her a few texts hoping for replies each time, but has been kept waiting.  Finally she responded. 

He opened the message and read the following:

I'm sorry, but i can't do this anymore

Nothing more, nothing less.  That was the entire message.  As his heart sank in his chest it beat like a time bomb. It was obvious what the message meant.  There was no mistaking it.  His relationship with Heather was over, but why?  With his mind on autopilot, he closed out of the message and opened it again.

I'm sorry, but i can't do this anymore

It was still the same.  Why?  He stared at the message for a few more minutes hoping the letters would rearrange themselves and be a happier message.  But the letters didn't budge.  He closed the message out again. Dialed her number by heart and listened to the ringing through the receiver.  One.  Two.  Then he was listening to her voicemail.  Dismissing the call, he placed his phone on the table in front of him covering the picture he was drawing.  He looked up from his phone and watched fountain in the middle of the plaza.  The water spewing upwards from the ground suddenly stopped and splashed back down.  The thud that came with the splashing water made Ryan jump.  With that, he noticed that tears had begun to build up in his eyes and push their way forward.

He picked his phone off of his tablet and saw the picture he was drawing.  It was Heather.  He was drawing her.  Thinking about her as always. Why the sudden change?  Did he do something wrong?  A tear fell onto the tablet.  He quickly wiped his eyes and looked back at the phone in his hand.

I'm sorry, but i can't do this anymore

He hit the reply button.  His heart, now in his stomach, ached.  How does one convey all the pain into a response? Should he even respond?  He had to know why. He canceled the message that he hadn't started and put his phone down again, closing his eyes.

***

"You can't put that there!" Heather laughed as Ryan was putting his glass down on the coffee table.  "You need to put a coaster under it!"

He looked at her and laughed.  "There aren't any more coasters."  He looked around the room. 

"Guess you'll have to just hold on to your glass, then." She grinned at him.  The sparkle in her eyes made his heart flutter with happiness as they joked around with each other.

"Guess so." He sat back against the couch with her at his side.  He slowly moved his hand with the glass in it towards her leg.  "This looks like a good place to rest it." The glass now resting in his hand, but on top of her knee. He leaned his shoulder against hers and moved his head closer to hers.  She was still grinning and her eyes slowly began to close.  His lips pressed against hers.  The feeling of peace and calm fell over him, except his heart.  It skipped a beat.  This was what love feels like.  There was no reason to worry about anything else at the moment.  He was with the girl he loved, lips touching, passion happening, nothing could ruin this moment. 

He felt the glass slip, water spilling down her legs. She gasped as the water soaked through her pants immediately.  Though it wasn't the waters fault she was wearing those soft fuzzy pajama bottoms at the time.  She jumped up trying to pull away from Ryan but he had her pinned to the couch.  He smiled at her and she glared at him.  "Too bad there weren't any coasters left.  We might not have been in this predicament."  He kissed her again before leaning away from her so she could get up.

She laughed at him again as she stood up and pulled her pants down to free herself from the wetness.  She shook her head, he figured she didn't know what to say to him.  "Yeah right! You wanted me out of my pants!"

He couldn't help the grin that crept across his face. "Nah, that wasn't my plan at all," he said slyly as he stood up from the couch and making his way towards her.  "But, now that you are..."  His smile was mirrored on her face as she did a little dance before he embraced her.  Both laughing as they fell against the wall with a thud.  He had her pinned against the wall, her hands held within his own.  Their lips pressed together in a never-ending kiss.

Their hands unraveled from each other and found their way across one another's back.  Their lips parted so Heather could say, "It's only fair that you take.."  His lips pressed against hers again and the rest of her words were lost in a kiss.  The passion that these two held for each other had never been greater.  As they pulled each other closer, Ryan opened his eyes.  He watched as Heather's eye remained close. He felt the warmth in his chest and knew that they were in love. His heart was beating quickly in his chest.  He closed his eyes again and continued the kiss for a few more moments.

Without a word between them, their kissing stopped.  He stepped back and made to grab her hand.  She glanced down and grabbed his hand and she looked back up, their eyes meeting.  A smile spread across her face as she led the way towards her bedroom.  He knew her roommate wasn't home, this was a prime opportunity to show her how much he loved her. He closed the door behind him as she laid down on the bed.

***

He opened his eyes.  His heart felt crushed after the memory faded away.  He felt hollow inside.  Sliding his finger across his phone to unlock.

I'm sorry, but I can't do this anymore

He locked his phone and leaned forward once again, placing the phone back into his pocket.  It wasn't going to get better by staring at his phone.

He looked down at the table in front of him.  Another reminder.  The picture he was drawing seemed to be staring back at him.  Can't do this anymore? He was still looking at the picture in front of him, but his eyes were no longer seeing anything in front of him.  He was seeing with his heart now.  The world-ending news he just received made everything freeze around him. There was no more time or space.  Nothing existed anymore.  Without Heather in his life, life just had no meaning.  Why?  Why now?  They spent the last year of their lives together, spending more time together than they did apart.

The world came back into focus.  He closed the cover to the tablet in front of him.  There was a shout at the fountain in front of him and he quickly looked up.  There was a little girl standing beside one of the tall geysers.  She was soaked.  Holding her head down, hands up to her face, she was crying.  He wanted nothing more than to do the same.  There was just one problem.  He had to get to class.

Sunday, May 20, 2012

new story idea...


I had this crazy idea today and I wanted to write about it.. here's a teaser for the possible next story by me... 

Life, Death, and the Journey Beyond. 

What they tell us isn’t always true.  When life ends, we stick our loved ones into boxes and send them 6 feet below, or have them turned to ash.  But what if I told you, it was all a lie?  That after your last moments on earth your life doesn’t end, but instead you keep on living.  You don’t get to live on Earth with your loved ones, but instead, if you’re lucky, you move on to Heaven.  Not the Heaven that everyone likes to believe in.  There’s no walking on clouds, or unlimited food and goodies, just life after death.  Word about the true Heaven has never been published or spoken on Earth, but that’s all about to change.  What I’m about to share with you is my story.  Life, Death, and the Journey beyond. 

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Ticket To Heaven

Little Joey woke up today and he had a smile on his face. He'd been waiting for this day for a year. He hadn't seen his grandmother since exactly one year ago. He spent the entire year waiting for this day. He marked it on the calendar and worked hard to save money so that he'd be able to make the trip to see his grandma.

He remembered the last day that he saw her. She slept peacefully in the box in the front of the room. He remembered she looked so beautiful, so calm. He asked his mom why Grandma was sleeping inside the box.

"Grandma is just taking a little nap. She'll be awake sometime soon." She explained to him.

He smiled and went out of the room looking at all the crying faces around him. Some hiding their faces in tissues and others carrying on conversations with those standing nearby. A lady, she was in a red dress, stopped him and picked him up. It was his aunt. He remembered his mom telling him who she was. He hadn't seen her in a long time and had to be reminded.

"You ok, Joey?" his aunt asked him.

"Yes." He smiled. He saw the streaks from her eyes. "Are you?" he questioned her in return.

She sniffled and nodded. She gave him a big hug and replaced him back on the ground. He looked up at his aunt. "Mom says that gram is just taking a little nap. Do you think she'll be awake soon? So I can play with her again?"

She gave a half huff of a laugh and smiled. "It might not be soon, hun. But you will get to see her again and spend all the time that you want to with her. She's taking a trip though."

"Where is she going?" He asked.

"Well..." she paused. " She's going to Heaven. It's very far away."

"Oh...ok" he said when something caught his attention and he ran away from the lady in the red dress.

He thought on this idea that Grandma was just taking a trip and that she would return. He wasn't sure where Heaven was, but he knew he wanted to surprise his grandma and visit her someday.

------------------

A few months later Little Joey sat outside on a nice day at a table and sold lemonade. He saved his money in an old coffee can. He remembered everytime that the change jingled inside how his grandma used to drink this brand of coffee. He smiled.

"What are you saving for, Joey?" one of his customers asked him.

"I'm saving to visit my grandma" he said with a smile. "She went on a trip, and I want to visit her."

The lady put a few extra dollars into his coffee can. "Thank you!" he expressed with a really big smile.

----------------

He had a few more lemonade stands throughout the rest of the year and saved all of the money he was given for his birthday and holidays. The coffee can was just about filled to the top. He carried that can with pride down to the kitchen, where his mom was preparing his breakfast before he had to go to school.

She laughed when he placed the can on the table. "Honey.. what is that for?"

"Today's the day Mom." His excitement couldn't be contained. "I want to go see Gram... Can you take this and buy me a Ticket to Heaven?"

His mom stopped what she was doing. Tears built up behind her eyes and pushed forward. "You don't need all of that to see grandma, sweetie. Grandma is in your heart. She's with you everyday, you just can't see her. She is there, though. Every decision you make and every moment that you smile it's because she's right there with you."

He looked at her confused. "But I want to see her."

"I know you do, baby. But where Grandma is.. we can't see her there. Where she went, she became a superhero. She's invisible now. That's the power she was given so she can watch over you wherever you go."

"So I don't need a ticket to Heaven?"

She tapped him in the heart as she said. "No, Grandma is with you right here."

He smiled at his mom as her tears still streamed down her face and he hugged her tight. "Now, go get ready for school." He nodded and started to walk out of the room.

As he walked through the doorway he looked around only seeing the walls around him. He looked back at his mom and then turned back around. "I love you, Gram" he said to the empty room. Just as he finished saying it, he felt a breeze ruffle his hair a bit. "I'll see you again, someday"

Friday, January 13, 2012

Empty and Alone

The pale moon lingered in the almost morning sky.

She waited on the corner, her dark crimson trench coat doing its job keeping the rain off of the new black dress she wore beneath. Her hands held tight onto either side of the collar, holding them up against her face.

A brisk wind turned the rain sideways so it attacked her from above and on the left. She moved back away from the yellow curb into a dank doorway. The shadows dressed her crimson coat into a darker shade, but the street light above kept her matching shoes and the tip of her coat their normal color. She wished she would have at least brought along her hat. Her blonde hair soaked lying against her shoulders. She thought back on what her hair looked like before she left the apartment.

The bells rang. Pigeons flew away from the bell tower across the street. The largest of the old hands was facing up while the smallest hand pointed towards "4". She shook her head. He was late. He was always late. Later this time. Later than ever before.

The bells rang four long times and then it stopped. The quiet sounds of the rain hitting the pavement was all that was left. Then a low hum of an engine.

She didn't look as the lights glanced past her.

He wouldn't have been so dumb to leave the lights on. Not these days. Not with "Them" watching.

She looked again at the clock.

Five.

It didn't feel like an hour had passed. It was getting colder. She could feel the cold air freezing her face and ears. She pressed the sides of her collar even tighter against her face. She couldn't get enough of her face into the collar. Moments later the soft sound of the rain was gone and the street fell silent.

White flakes of snow started to fall from the darkened sky.

Another hum coming from down the street. No sign of anything coming her way. The hum grew closer.

It was him. It had to be.

The silver car rolled up in front of her.

Finally she smiled and moved quickly to the car. She bent over to look in the window as she pulled open the door.

It’s not him.

She shrieked as she was taken from behind. A hood placed over her head. Her hands bound behind her back.

Where did they come from?

The smell inside of the car. It was smoke. Cigar smoke.

It was “Them”.

She felt her coat buttons pop from their place as they ripped her coat apart. Her black dress hid her in the darkness of the car until they passed under streetlights. The world was dark to her nonetheless. She kept her eyes closed as she lay there with the hood over her face. She tried to squirm.

Hands held her down. Strong hands.

Why did she wait so long? They had a plan. If he wasn’t there by 3, she was to go home.

Too late for that now. The stench in the car was worse than just cigar smoke. Even under the hood she could smell it. She gagged on the smell alone.

What they going to do with her. She heard noises. Bodies rustling around in the car around her. Her dress was pushed up her legs. She tried to kick. No. Where was he? Why didn’t he show up?

She felt the penetration. She cried out.

No.

The weight on top of her as she cried out felt heavier than what she imagined a car might feel like on top of her. Each time his body collided against hers a tear rolled down her face.

Why didn't he show up?

The man on top of her was done. He pulled away and she felt empty.

She felt the car stop. The door was opened. She was pulled by her legs. She fell to the ground hard.

The door closed and the hum of the car faded in the morning.

She worked her hands free and removed the hood.

The clock rang its long chimes; one, two, three, four, five, six, seven times.

Her heart sank.

She was empty.

And alone.

Thursday, January 12, 2012

It's Time

It's Time

It wasn’t her time.

She knew it wasn’t her time and yet it felt like her life was coming to an end. The paddles of the ceiling fan above her were whispered into the shadows of the room. The lights were off. Only the pale light of the moon showing through the windows illuminated her naked skin as she lie on her bed naked. Her body glistened with sweat. She hadn’t done any physical activity yet. The heat was just unbearable.

She wipes her hands over her supple breasts taking the droplets of sweat with it. Her nipples both hard. She missed the cold air as much as she missed the touch of a man.

She was going to get her chance though soon. At a man.

As she lay on her back, she watched the white fan paddles rotating in the black darkness of the ceiling. Her heart felt like it was skipping beats to the hum of the fan.

It wasn’t her time.

-----

With the sun down he thought it would have been cooler by now. The heat didn’t affect him much. It wasn’t the important thing to worry about tonight. There was something more. She was already at her apartment. He had to get there and finish his assignment.

The call came last night.

He has been following her since. Deciding the best time to make his move.

It had to be soon. Before the sun came up. It had to be over before the night came to a close.

He stood outside the building. There were no lights on in her windows. She couldn’t have gone out already. He was right behind her when she went in. There wasn’t a back way out. She was there he knew it.

It had to be now.

-------

Was it her time?

She still felt it was. The air seemed to change. She knew the man had followed her. She knew he was standing outside. He wasn’t out there any longer. That’s when the air changed. When he entered the building. His presence sucked the air out of the building. That or it was getting hotter. Even without the sun shining.

It was her time.

The floor creaked just outside of her door. Her heart was beating faster than the white blades above her now. She didn’t realize she was holding her breath until a long rush of air was finally exhaled. She gripped her left breast with her right hand.

This was it.

It was time.

---------

The tip of the cigarette in his mouth glowed brightly in the dark. He was outside her door now. The floor creaked beneath his feet and he swore through the cigarette. The smoke drifted towards the ceiling. He took another drag, and then flicked the butt down the hall. No regard where the butt landed.

He was going to do this.

It was her time.

He listened a moment at the door. No movement inside. He smashed down the door with a swift kick to its center. The old wooden door crumbled under the force of his foot.

This will be easy.

She didn’t scream when he burst in the door. She didn’t even flinch. Her head turned towards him and her eyes looked accepting.

Too easy.

He released the knife from its hiding place at his back. Wedged in his belt. Slowly he pulled it to his side with a grin on his face.

----------

His dark coat blended in with the darkness that surrounded him. The only thing she could see now was his white shirt showing from behind his coat and the gleaming knife at his side.

She gasped. He lunged at her.

She fell against the mattress with him on top of her.

She didn’t scream. Her hand wrapped around his wrist. She saw it. The one with the knife, it was in her hand. She did all she could to keep his arm far from her body.

He was strong.

Stronger than her.

His hand drew closer to her body. She couldn’t push him away any more.

This was it. It truly was her time.

She struggled. He pushed. She turned. He twisted. She pulled.

The knife sliced deep. Dug further.

It was sharp.

A gasp.

Then nothing.

She let out a small whimper. She pushed his body off of hers. It fell limp to the floor.

It wasn't her time. It was his.