2015 Writober 6: A Memory of My Mom - Little Jeani Onenote

Today's my Mom's birthday. She died a couple of years ago.

This memory of my Mom takes place in our house in Jersey Village, Texas. It was after we had moved back from Venezuela. I was a Sophomore in High School, and I was practicing my harp, horribly. Mom was in the kitchen making dinner and I just stopped playing. She came in and saw that I was crying.

She sat across from me on the piano stool. "What's wrong?"

"I'm so sorry, Mom! I know I begged to play the harp, but I don't want to anymore. I'm just not that good no matter what I do to try to get better. I hate to quit. All that time wasted! You and Dad spent so much money on lessons and harp rental, but I just don't think..."

She hushed me and hugged me. "Let me tell you something. When you were little, I thought you were tone deaf."

I stopped crying and just stared at her. "What?"

She gave a little laugh. "Let me finish. You sang the ABC song on a single note. Seriously, I called you little Jeani onenote. You've always had trouble hearing the different tones in music. But you love it and that's why your Dad and I were willing to spend the money on lessons and harp rental and the time driving you around for lessons and recitals and contests and performances. Even if you don't continue, it was worthwhile. You proved your persistence in something that was difficult because you love it. And really, that’s what being a kid’s all about, trying out new things and seeing what fits. Just like with clothes, you’re bound to grow out of some things.” She gave me another hug. “Learning new things is never wasted. Remember that. It’s always worthwhile.”

I sniffled a bit and wiped my nose. “So, even though I’m not at all graceful or coordinated, it would be okay if I tried out for Flags?”

She laughed and hugged me again. “Of course. It might even help with that!”

And you know what, she was right.

Jelly Drabble

Oh Mint Flavor Apple Jelly! 

Where have you been all my life?

You are so delicious to eat but not so lovely to look upon. 

You are green and slimy. 

You look like boogers! 

Oh how I wish I had met you when I was a kid. 

We would have had such fun, dear jelly. 

I would have smeared you all over my face and hands and chased my sisters around growling, 

"I am the booger monster!" 

Now that I think about it, it's probably best that I met you now instead of then. 

I'm sure my sisters would agree.

Writober Daily Drabble 6: Abandoned Balloon

Some snotty kid was all excited to have me and hold me by my string for all of thirty seconds. Then I was let go to drift. I don’t think the kid even noticed being so weighed down by stuffed animals and funnel cake and hot dog and soda.

It was fun, for a while, just floating below the stratosphere. But then my air began to escape. I tried to tighten my knot and hold myself taut, but nothing helped. I was losing altitude.

I was deflating when she came along with that dog. The pup bit me and…

POP!

Writober Daily Drabble 5: The Tomb Under the Road

"She even had her eyebrows still attached."

Nobody could have known what lay beneath the land that was to become a road. No one knew what would be unleash when they opened the tomb except for the dead. They tried to warn everyone, whispering in ears, even interfering in the progress when they could. But the contract said dig, so they dug. When they found the tomb, they brought in archeologists who removed the mummy and all the artifacts from the forbidden city of the Ming Dynasty.

Seven hundred years ago, the spell was cast and buried. At long last, it would see the light of day.

http://beforeitsnews.com/paranormal/2014/08/road-workers-found-this-mysterious-box-underground-they-decided-to-look-inside-andphotos-2473712.html

Writober Daily Drabble 3: Brain Pain

It’s been growing there for quite a while, this thing in my brain. The other day, it started talking to me.

“Will you write about me?”

“Who are you?” I asked, thinking it must be a character waiting to be put in a story.

“I am part of you but not. I grew from you and I give you pain. Also, I have teeth.”

It likes to taunt me; pretending that it’s going to eat my brain.

Then it laughs. “Oh no, mon ame. Your tête is full of le fluff. Je t'aime.”

It loves me by giving me pain.

Writober Daily Drabble 2: The Squirrel Watches YOU!!!

“Whatchu lookin’ at, dog?”

Phoebe stops and pulls her walker back to the tree. She looks up at a squirrel hanging sideways on the bark.

“Well,” says Phoebe. “It’s bitch, not dog and I didn't even see you.”

The squirrel laughs. “Oh, that came out totally wrong! I noticed you stopped over there and was wondering what had your attention.”

“Come on, Phoebe.” The walker pulls on the leash. “Let’s leave the nice squirrel alone.”

“There’s a really big acorn under that leaf!” Phoebe barks as she’s dragged away.

“Thanks!” The squirrel chitters back, scurrying over to the big acorn.

Writober Daily Drabble 1: Missing You

The other day, “The Courtship of Eddie’s Father” popped into my head. This was one of mom’s favorite shows. She would sometimes sing the “Best Friend” theme song to me and my sister. This was before we moved to Venezuela; before I turned six. After we moved, she’d still sometimes sing the song. I asked her why she liked that show so much. She said it showed how strong the love of family is even after tragedy hits. After my older sister’s accident and subsequent brain injury, I understood a bit more of what she meant.

I miss you, Mom.

Tiny Terrible Tale #10: The Snoracle

The snoring man slept on a clear night, with many stars staring down at the campers gathered around the Shaman circle fire. At first, the five friends carried on carousing, not even aware of the snoring man. But as conversations waned, they couldn’t help but hear the snores.

“I wonder what it means,” said Ben.

“What what means?” Asked Bek.

“The snores. I’m curious… there’s got to be at least one religion where sleep is interpreted by someone other than the sleeper. Like, could there be a religion based on, say, snores?”

Just then, a loud rumbling snore emitted from the tent across the way.

“The snoring man says yes!” Ben exclaimed. They all laughed.

A guy from another circle wandered over to their fire. “Do any of you know where Shana’s camped?”

None of them knew Shana, but as they were about to tell him that when the snoring man made a noise that sounded like the word left.

“The snoracle has spoken! She is either camped on the left or she left.”

The guy’s cell phone beeped. He looked down and read a text. “Huh. Looks like she did leave. Some sort of emergency at home?” He waved and hurried off.

They all turned to Ben. He grinned and shrugged. “Coincidence?” Then with a mischievous look, he said, “or is it?”

They laughed.

Paul sat forward with rosy cheeks, his Scouser accent thick with alcohol. “Gonna rain?” He asked.

A light airy snore answered, “yeeeeeessssss.”

They all turned their faces to the sky that had been clear just seconds before and it poured only on them for five seconds then stopped,

“That was weird,” Jeanine murmured, sober and and somber from the dousing.

“I have a question,” Kelly hopped up excitedly, shaking water from her hair and body. “What is the answer?”

A long, drawn out snore that sounded like, “Forty-two.”

They laughed again.

At the same time, both Bek and Ben spoke.

Ben asked, “What is the question?”

At the same time Bek said, “When will we die?”

The snorer said, “that in minutes.”

Forty-two minutes later they were all dead.

Tiny Terrible Tale #8: Pizza Camping

"I wish we had pizza," she sighed.

"Me too!" Her friend squealed, bouncing in her slingback chair. "Pizza, pizza, pizza!" She chanted.

To their delight, pizza was delivered to the woods where they were camping.

"Ooooooo, neat!" Applauded the sighing girl. "I wish we had a swimming pool."

"Me too!" The friend echoed and bounced again. "Pool, pool, pool!"

In recorded history, it was the first monsoon to hit Indiana, drowning the entire campground.

Tiny Terrible Tale #6: Library Fines

"I'm here to take care of my fine." The man said in a very serious tone.
"Oh good," said the older library worker.
"'Bout time," smirked the other one.
"That'll be," the first one paused. "Twenty cents."
They all laughed as he dropped two dimes in the counter. He gave an exaggerated wipe to his forehead.
"Glad to have that off my conscience."
"Oh, I know!" Exclaimed the young smirker. "You don't want to let that build up! If you owe over five dollars, we send out the Library's Secret Mafia."
He laughed. "Good! I can stop running. Have a good day!"
They waved and wished him a good day too.
The older woman turned to the younger one. "Why would you say that? You know we never send out the Mafia before a fifty dollar infraction."

Daily Drabble 28: CAKE!

Love                                              Love

Love yourself                                 Love yourself

Love yourself with a cake                Love yourself with a cake

Love yourself with a birthday cake  Love yourself with a birthday cake

Love yourself with a birthday cake made of ice cream cream and cake

Because it is your birthday you deserve to do the things you want

If you understood what this was about you would already know

You would know why it is important how it is awesome

While it is about cake it is not about cake

It is always about much more

It is about love

Love of self

Love

Daily Drabble 24: Tone Deaf

One day when I was in junior high, my mom was driving me to my harp lesson. She had a bit of a mischievous look in her eye. She asked me if I remembered when I first learned the ABCs.

“No,” I said. “Why?”

“Well, the day you came home after learning the ABC song, you sang it for me. But you had no inflection. You sang it all in one note. I thought, oh no, poor girl is tone deaf.”

“Maybe I was.”

“I think you were. But you grew out of it. And now you play the harp.”

Daily Drabble 22: Red Wire Horse

The mystery of you makes me smile. I don’t know why someone chose to put you on their lawn, but I’m glad they did. I wonder if they made you or bought you from some art gallery or a thrift store. I wonder what other people think when they see you. I see story ideas. But I always see stories.

In my mind, you were found. A bit of trash left near the curb by a frustrated artist. But you were seen, taken and given a fresh coat of paint then placed in the front yard to protect the house.

Daily Drabble 21: Bevel Bottomed Bottle

The bevel bottomed bottle (say that fast five times) sitting in a cup was the last thing I saw. At least, it was the last thing I saw while I was still alive. For the very moment my eyes were lazily gazing at the bottle and wondering if I shouldn’t just toss it since it can’t stand on its own, I feel a crack that runs through me and my face pitches forward. It’s strange to feel the moment of your demise yet not know how or why it happened and to have your last thoughts be about a bottle.

Daily Drabble 19: Chicken Wire in the Kitchen

What nobody expected was the cat.

He watched them fill the little plastic containers with dirt and seeds. They lined them up on the counter and watered them as the cat watched. But it wasn’t all that exciting so he walked away.

A couple of days later, he noticed the little pots had green things pointing up. He waited until they left before investigating. Climbing onto the cat tree closest to the island, he gaged the distance. It wasn’t too far. He jumped. A few of the sprouts bent under his weight.

The next day, they put up chicken wire.

Chicken Wire in the Kitchen

Daily Drabble 15: Butterfly Bath

It was meant to be a bath for butterflies. But the butterflies eschewed it. The fairies came by in all their glitter and sparkle to see this thing in their glade. Once they saw that it was human made, they avoided it. All the other little critters and smaller fae thought they might give it a try. But none could quite get into it. Well, they could get into it, they could all get into it physically, but it just wasn't their jam. It was just too human a thing. So they left it for the ants who never came.

Daily Drabble 13: Pills

I had oral surgery today so I might be a bit loopy since I’m typing this on Vicodin. I’m not really a fan of having to take pills. I have a micro-esophagus so I have to take pills with water and have to take them one at a time. When I was eighteen, a pill got caught in my tiny esophagus and caused an ulcer. The irony is that I’d been teasing my younger sister saying she was going to get an ulcer because she stressed so much about everything. She laughed at me a bit. I totally deserved it.

Daily Drabble 12: Dead Bunny

Found in one of my journals from 2005

Even in death, this bunny looks active.

Why, when I look at this picture, does the word ‘cute’ pop into my mind? Is it a sociological predisposition that makes me feel that bunny equals cute? Or is it possible that I have a natural affinity for death, and therefore life, and cannot help but see the beauty? Decay is renewal beyond death. Life is sustained through death. Everything is cyclical in nature, life, history and spirituality. How can I not see the beauty that is in the cycle? In all cycles?

Or do I just think dead bunnies are cute?

Daily Drabble 10: Brain

The brain fascinates and frightens me. 

My sister has a brain injury, both of my grandmothers died of Alzheimer's, my sisters, my mother and I suffer from migraines. I have a friend who has epilepsy. I have read many books and articles about the study of the mind. The thing that has become painfully clear is that not much is known about the brain. Our thoughts, our memories, our passions, our desires are just so tenuous. We can lose them in a moment; we can lose them over time. They leave us so easily, these things we hold so dear.

Daily Drabble 9: Mischief

I’m on my lunch break when a trio of young almost teenagers burst into the Storytime Room where I’m microwaving my meal. They look surprised to see me.

“Can I help you?” If I had glasses, I would have pushed them up the bridge of my nose.

One of them crosses his legs and cups his crotch. “Oh, I have to pee so bad! Where’s the bathroom?”

I cock an eyebrow, showing him that I don’t believe him for a second, then point to the hall just behind them. “You just passed it.”

They stumble out of the room, giggling.

Could they be more clearly labeled?