Rambling Thoughts From a Concerned Mind

Finish That Thought #42 (Judge's Comments)
Prompt: Sleep is a marvelous thing.
Special Challenge: Ducks.... just ducks


Sleep is a marvelous thing.   It is my favourite position to be in—not quite oblivious to the world but not directly interacting with it either.  Not like hibernating, where systems shut off completely and you have to rely on your instincts to waken you at the proper time like ducks in winter.  Nor is it like standby, where even the subtlest shake can arouse.  In sleep, the mind can still churn away at data and the work of the day still floats through the subconscious to bring up dreams of where the story will go next.  When I sleep, I know you’re excited about your work and it makes me energized as well.

I like it best when we both sleep.  You dreaming of what next to scrawl across our page, and me reading and re-reading what you have already typed so that as soon as you awaken me to continue, I can remember word for word everything we’ve brainstormed together.  After several hours of peaceful slumber, I love it when that satisfying ah-ha! moment comes in the middle of the night or early morning.  You wake, I wake, and instantly we hash out the next scene for your story.  Or perhaps we flesh out one of your characters a little better.  They inherit a bit more of their past or gain a new relation and suddenly the words fly like ducks.

We make a delightful team, you and I.  The chemistry is perfect, like a duck on water.  And even though we have our ups and downs on the ripples of life, we come out stronger each time.  Remember the time I caught a virus and could not work with you no matter how I tried to bring myself round?  Remember how you spent hours nursing me and taking me to check-ups to revive me?  I am dreadfully sorry I caused you such agitation.  I blame myself that you came down with a severe cold after that.   

Then there are the pleasant memories we have together.  I remember fondly the stroll we took down by the lake last June. You had me balanced on your arm as the ducks waddled in parade behind us.  What a sight we were!  As we figured out how to bring the hero and heroine together, we chortled to ourselves that if no one else liked our story, at least the ducks would be avid supporters. 

All of this to say, I may not be state of the art anymore, nor the fastest processor on the block, but I am family!  So please stop looking at that fancy new tablet.  Don't keep me sleeping forever.

House Camping

I've been a little inconsistent in participating in any writing, but for a very good reason.  We've moved!  Last Tuesday a truck came, loaded up all our things, and took off for Ontario.  We followed the next day.  It took three days to drive out here from Alberta, but we made it.  The moving truck gets here Friday so until then, we're house camping.  It's like being newlyweds all over again with no furniture, no money, and learning how to cook with what I have available.  Thankfully there's a Timmy's a block away and so here I am sitting in a corner with my hot chicken wrap, a fresh doughnut, and internet.

Our bed is currently our camping mats and sleeping bags.  We visited the ReStore here in town and purchased a decent looking sofa and chair set for our living room so we have something to sit on.

The set we found at the ReStore

Our "fridge"!

Mr. M managed to squeeze the water cooler into our vehicle so we have a bit of refrigerator space for milk, cheese, and other necessary trifles.  My stove is a single burner camping stove we have stored in the Mud Room.  Mr. M has to get the double burner working before I can use it.

Cooking supper

Mr. M getting the double burners working

Our neighbours have been exceptionally kind in introducing themselves and offering brooms, vacuums, cups of sugar, and any other service you can think of while we wait for our furniture and other things to arrive.  The houses across the street are all small duplexes, so we technically have four neighbours across the street and one on each side.  It seems a very friendly neighbourhood and I can't wait to explore it!

Lovely flowers our kind neighbours brought us

Supers, and Llamas, and Trains, Oh My!

Finish That Thought #39 (Judge's Comments)
Prompt: It wasn't the first time [she] had seen [fire] fall from the sky.
Special Challenge: Include a really spectacular twist at the end

Courtesy of iwanbeijes @ sxc.hu

It wasn't the first time he had seen llamas fall from the sky. It actually happened frequently around his partner and she’d been his companion for years.

“Cut it out, will you?” PeeKay hissed from behind a crate.

“How was I supposed to know they were transporting llamas on this train?” Llamaphilist retorted from her barrel. The two supers watched as llama after llama leaped from the roof of the train and sprawled down the banks on either side of the tracks before running back up to slam their bodies against the car.

“Make them stop before someone notices!” PeeKay squeaked.

Llamaphilist cautiously raised her head and looked both ways to make sure she wouldn’t be seen before crawling out. She tiptoed to the nearest window and hoisted it open.

“Here now, stop that!” she commanded the herd. Immediately the thumping and thudding stopped and all llama eyes focused on her. “Go find some grass to munch. Be normal.” The llamas immediately dispersed.

“Next time I ask for a distraction, I don’t mean llamas, ok?” Peekay stood up from behind the crate and dusted himself off. “We almost got flattened to death!”

Llamaphilist pouted and shoved her mask back in place. “Well excuse me, Mr. Loud-Mouth, you know I can’t stop them from hearing my thoughts when they’re that close.”

PeeKay and Llamaphilist crawled over the crates and boxes in the storage car to the door for the second time that day. In the next car over was their target, a big-time crime-lord by the name of Rutherford. PeeKay sneaked across the couplings to the next car and peeked through the tainted glass.

He waved Llamaphilist over and she followed suit.

“All right, he’s in there. We have about five minutes before the train takes off-”

“More if they discover the llamas are missing,” Llamaphilist commented, casting a glance at the couple of llamas still milling about on the roof of the train.

“Right,” PeeKay grinned. “Maybe that wasn’t such a bad idea after all.”
He grew more serious and surveyed their target again. “Let’s sneak around the side of the car and go through the window on the far end. It’s open and there aren’t as many cronies.”

“Lead on!” Llamaphilist whispered. They were soon shuffling their feet along the thin ledge around the side of the car and pulling themselves along by the window sills to the opened window on the end. PeeKay dove in first. Llamaphilist followed and squatted beside him in the first row of seats.

“Okay, this is where it gets tricky,” PeeKay whispered.
“Why’s that?”
“It’s a trap.”

Before Llamaphilist could register his words, PeeKay breathed deeply and belted a loud, clear note that shook the train car from the rails. Hands reached out and caught her by the wrists and head, forcing her to the ground. She could just make out Rutherford’s shoes standing in front of her and PeeKay’s voice saying, “Here’s your delivery, where’s my money?” before her world went black.