Category Archives: Fiction

The Fight

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Donut

It was a big one. Probably one of the biggest fights that they ever had and this one… and just a week before their wedding.

Jake couldn’t even remember how it started as he walked down the sidewalk, glancing in the store fronts as he made his way to the beach. All he knew was somehow one moment they were talking, the conversation got heated and then eventually one thing led to another and they were yelling. She ran to the bedroom with tears in her eyes and slammed the door behind her just before she locked it.

He was angry and left the house, slamming the door behind him as well.

Jake didn’t take long to cool down. He never stayed mad for long, he saw no reason to really. He didn’t see the point in staying mad with someone since life was too short. You never know what’s going to happen.

On his way home Jake stopped in front of their favorite bakery. The went there every Saturday morning for the homemade donuts.

There was something special about those donuts. Soft on the inside, slightly crisp on the outside, and just plain delicious. He got his plain or with a bit of chocolate glaze and Becca always got one that was smothered in some sort of frosting and sprinkles. A smile came across his face as he entered the shop.

“Hi there,” the clerk said with a smile. “You’re kinda early… it’s only Thursday.”

“I know,” Jake replied as he looked at the various treats in the cases.

“What can I get for you?”

“Hmm… do you have any of those donuts?” Jake asked looking around for them.

“Just finished a fresh batch! How many?”

He thought for a moment. “Six. Three with lots of frosting & sprinkles and three with chocolate glaze.”

She moved to the back and returned quickly with the box of his tasty treats.

He paid the clerk and left for home. When he got there Jake found Becca curled up on the couch with her book and she didn’t look up at all when he came in.

“Hey,” he said softly. “I bought you something.”

“What?” She asked without looking up.

He sat down next to her. “Here,” he said as he handed her the box of dounts.

Becca looked up at him and smiled. “I can’t be mad at you. I’m sorry.”

“Me too,” Jake replied as he took a donut. “Let’s eat.”

They curled together on the couch and finished the donuts. Every last one of them.

Want to read more about Becca & Jake?

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The Beach House

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Georgioupolis beach

Image via Wikipedia

Water gives life. It also takes it away.
Write a short piece – fiction or non-fiction – inspired by one or both of these statements. Word maximum is 600.

Becca and Jake loved the beach, the water, and everything about it. Because of this love they made it their goal from the time they met to own a home on the beach. It took a lot of work, hard work but they were able to make their dream come true shortly after their 5 year anniversary.

“It’s perfect, ” he said as he pulled her into his arms, looking at the front of their new home.

Her smile beamed as she snuggled into him, “I know and I can’t believe that our dream has finally come true.”

Without a second thought he literally swept her off of her feet and carried her to the front door as she laughed.

“What are you doing?” She asked him, even though she already knew.

Smiling down at her he replied, “I’m carrying my beautiful wife into our new home.”

It was a beautiful, spacious house that needed a little TLC but other than that it was what they wanted.

The house had a picture perfect, front yard with a bright green grass, colorful flower beds, and small shrubs. It was small but for them it was fine because it was the back that held the most appeal.

The back of the house was a complete contrast to the front since it was all beach front. A huge, partially covered deck with a built in fire pit came off the back of the house and overlooked the sandy, white beach that led to the ocean. There was beach grass here and there that was growing from tops of small sand dunes that surrounded the house. From the water’s edge, you could look in either direction for what seemed like forever.

Jake set his wife down and they looked around their new home.

“It’s pretty empty in here without our furniture,” Becca told him as she walked into the living room area.

“I know,” he replied. “But by the weekend it’ll be full of all our stuff.”

The weekend came and went and eventually the house was full of their stuff, new and old. It was exactly what they had wanted and life was perfect at that moment.

Want to read more of the story? Click here.

Today I also posted over at Unspoken Grief so come visit me over there as well.

Sentimental Journey

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The day started as any other day except that he wasn’t there to make the coffee for her. So she went about her normal Saturday activities of cleaning their little house and tending to the newly blooming garden before running out to the market for her groceries. It was a bright and sunny day that was proving to be a very warm one as well and it helped raise her mood greatly and she had hope that today would be the day that she’d hear something from him.

The mail was running later than usual she thought as she was putting away her groceries. She had decided while shopping that she was going to bake a cake for the older couple next door later, they were a lovely couple who had been married for close to 50 years and they were always there for her and her husband. And more so for her in the past year with her being home alone. They were such a cute couple and always made her smile. But it wasn’t to long after thinking about her neighbors that she heard the mail fall through the slot in the front door.

She didn’t want to get her hopes up that today would be the day but she couldn’t help but drop what she was doing and rush to the front door. There on the floor was the one thing that she had been waiting so long for. The letter.

The envelope was a bit worn looking, like it had been stepped on and folded up on a few times. It didn’t matter to her though. All that did matter was that she had a letter and that everything was just about right in the world.

She moved into the living room and sat in her chair holding the letter, looking down at the writing on the envelope for a few moments before opening it. He always had beautiful penmanship, she thought. She had teased him about it and how it looked like a woman’s writing shortly before he left a year ago. And now looking down at the letter she smiled at the familiar writing, running her hand over it gently. She couldn’t wait any longer and carefully opened the letter.

My Dearest Helen,

I hope that this letter find you well. I’m fine so please don’t worry! I know that you’re worrying but please don’t as everything is fine here.

Life on a ship doesn’t change much at all really. They have us on a really strict schedule, but I’ve told you all this before. We’re getting closer to our target and my letters will be fewer as we progress so please don’t be concerned. Know that there is nothing that can separate us and that I love you more than anything. Before you know it I’ll be home and we’ll have that big family that we’ve always talked about.

She paused for a few moments, looking down at the letter and it was then she realized that the letter was dated over 2 weeks ago. Of course she hoped that he was alright, but with this letter she had more hope that previously. She continued reading.

I was thinking the other day of the weekend that we spent in the city and how wonderful it was. Do you remember the long walk that we took in Central Park? It was so beautiful that weekend with all the leaves changing colors. The reds, oranges, yellows, and a few green leaves here and that hadn’t changed yet. And the weather was perfect! It was much warmer than we expected so we had our lunch there in the park under that big oak tree after visiting the zoo and stayed there as the stars came out.

Do you know what my favorite part of that weekend was? Remember I took you out to that little Italian restaurant and then we went dancing? You looked so incredibly beautiful in your dress and your hair all done up. They played our favorite song, Sentimental Journey. I keep the memories of that weekend and your face that night when you smiled up at me while we danced close because it’s what keeps me going. Gets me through the long days and nights. I know that we will be dancing again to that song soon. Until then my love….

~ James

She dabbed at her eyes and smiled remembering that weekend. It was truly wonderful.

She carefully placed the letter back in the envelope and then got ready to take the cake over to Henry and Mary.

This was my post for the The Red Dress Club.

Did you read the first part of this story? In not, here it is. A Letter from Her Husband.

A Letter from Her Husband

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Tears
She pulled the picture out her pocket book again and studied his face for a long time as she stood on the dock. The soft brown curls, big green eyes, and those sweet dimples. She was a sucker for a man in uniform, but mostly this man. Her man.

Of course the picture was black and white but she knew the color of his hair and eyes, as a matter of fact she new every detail about him. She knew all of his likes and his dislikes. She knew that no matter what he got up at the same time every day and made coffee for the two of them before she got up. She knew that no matter how bad she messed up his breakfast, because they both knew she was a terrible cook, he’d smile and eat it. She also knew that they loved one another unconditionally.

As she stood there looking out over the dark ocean and the crashing waves as the dark clouds started rolling in she refused to let the tears fall. She refused to believe that any harm had come to her husband. The reality was that she hadn’t heard from him in a few weeks and she was starting to become concerned. He had written her a letter every day since he left without fail and she had written to him. One day the letters stopped coming and she put it off as there was a delay due to the postal service because of the war.

She kept every letter that he had written to her and every picture that he had sent safely in a box and when she started missing him she’d go through and read the letters over and over. His words always soothed her and made her smile. It was as if the warm summer sun was shining down on her and there was no trouble that could touch her. But then she’d put the letters away and reality would once again set in.

He had been gone for almost a year now out on a ship protecting her and their country. She was so proud of him and all that he had ever done and was patiently awaiting his return home.

Her emotions got the best of her as the ocean tossed and turned more violently. Tears escaped her eyes and she dabbed at them with the dark blue silk handkerchief that he bought for her before he left. She tried to maintain her composure but it was just to difficult to do that. She was so scared, worried, and unsure of what the future held. She wanted nothing more than to have him home again, to have him hold her in his arms and tell her that everything was going to be alright.

She took a deep breath and calmed herself before she put the picture back into her pocketbook. She had to hurry home if she was going to beat the storm. Maybe today would be the day that a letter would come.

The Return

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He stumbled back into the pub two days later.

He looked tired and pale, or maybe he was getting sick the barmaid thought. She kept glancing at him while he finished his second plate of food that she had just placed in front of him. There was something different about him she thought, but what it was she couldn’t put her finger on.

The food tasted incredible! So much better than it had the last time he was in the pub. Every sense was enhanced somehow and he loved it. The smells. The sights. The sounds. The taste. Everything was so much more vivid. As he finished his dinner he became aware of the barmaid, she was watching him. When he looked up at her she quickly turned away.

His intense green eyes caught hers for a brief moment and she held her breath. She was caught! Embarrassed she moved towards the kitchen without haste where she busied herself with cleaning up some stray dishes. She was usually so careful when she was looking at people since she didn’t like to draw much attention or trouble to herself. She had to be careful with all the strangers and drunks that came in. She couldn’t be found out. It was in the best interest for everyone at this point.

He smiled to himself as he set his silverware down on his plate before he pushed it away. He finished the last of his beer before glancing outside. Soon, he thought. She’d be needing him soon.

He started to gather his things and head towards the door when an old man stopped him and grabbed him by the arm. He was caught off guard. The old man had sparkling eyes that seemed to hold the key to the world, they were calm & serene where his own green eyes were wild.

“We tried to warn you,” the old man told him. “Now, you must get out of town.”

He looked confused. He really didn’t know what the old man was talking about, they warned him. Of what? He looked at the old man, thanked him and told him he had him confused with someone else, as he walked out the door.

The barmaid watched the old man through the small window in the kitchen door. What was he up to she thought. He was full of theories and half the time they weren’t theories, but absolute truths and this time he was getting to close to the truth and getting himself hurt…. or worse.

He returned to his apartment to rest till dinner time. But rest wasn’t easy to come by. His mind kept wandering back to her, the barmaid, the old man, and the house. He eventually gave up, grabbed his bag, and headed back to the house deep within the wood.

It was barely light when he got there and the house was dark and still. He hovered near the edge of the clearing, hidden by the trees and he found himself wondering what he was doing there. The vividness of his senses was fading and at the same time it was like a cloud was lifting. Yet, he was still drawn to the house and woman inside.

He was battling with himself. He had a mission to complete but couldn’t. The attraction was so strong that he couldn’t shake it off and it was getting worse now that darkness was beginning to surround him. Unknowingly, he reached for his bag, making sure that he still had it with him.

The candle flickered to life in the window and he could barely see the movement within the house. Above his head a bat flew by, startling him. His eyes never left the house though.

Out of nowhere the barmaid appeared at his side and his gaze upon the house was broken. She looked different now. She seemed confident, strong, and in control. “Move. Now.” She told him. And without a second thought he did.

The two moved quickly until the house and light of the single candle were out of their sight. Slowly, the pull to the woman and house were fading again and he was able to think a bit more clearly. And once they stopped he looked at the barmaid and realized what she really was. She was a hunter just like him.

In his mind he heard her sweet, seductive voice call to him. He could see her standing in the doorway waiting. Her beauty was mesmerizing. He felt so weak when it came to her and he wanted nothing more in the world than to be with her. The pull won out as he stood up and began to walk away. This time without his bag.

He made it back to the house without the barmaid and by time he got to the house she was gone from his mind.

She smiled when he walked in but the smile changed. “She followed you. We must leave now.”

He was confused and didn’t know what she was talking about. But he followed her towards the back of house.

The barmaid grabbed his forgotten bag and dumped it on the ground in front of her. He may have been new but he had to have something of use in the bag she thought as she rummaged around.

Clothing, shoes, a journal, some keys, and another small bag were all she found. But it was the small bag that grabbed her attention. Quickly, she opened it and found some rune stones, a vial of liquid, and a dagger. Perfect, she thought as she threw them back in and ran off towards the house with the small bag.