The Bettermost Drabblefest: Please Join In!

[Lumière]

November 22, 1983

After homemade split pea soup, green salad with roman lettuce and spinach leaves with ranch dressing served in one large bowel to be divvied out, the waitress sets a huge oval plate in front of Ennis and Jack.  On them are the most crispy tender chicken fried steak in all of the west, large potato pancake floating in sausage gravy, freshly cooked string beans in a separate saucer. Also placed on the table along with extra gravy, tray of fresh butter is covered basket of freshly made country biscuits, with honey or jam on the side. Both men look upon it ravenously,lightly salting their food. and dive in.

Excerpt from '131 MILES TO RIVERTON'

Goodness, Mark!  I am salivating here! 
Cheers!

~M

[Cameron]

The Artist

(June 2003)
An artist was now living down the road.  At least Ennis thought it was some sort of artist.  Or else it was someone real crazy.  In the yard in front of the ramshackle little house were animals and buildings and sometimes people too, made from wire and scrap metal and parts of old cars and other throw away things.

Ennis made sure to look every time he drove by.  One day something new appeared.  He stopped the truck, and kept looking at the new sculpture in the yard.  He got out and began going towards it, as if this thing was drawing him to it.  It was something like a mountain, made of scrap metal and wire, but then again it wasn’t.

Ennis moved closer, but suddenly from around the corner of the house a figure appeared.  It went quickly by and said “I’ve been waiting for you to come and see this, I made it for you.”  But before Ennis could respond or even get a good look, the person was gone.  Ennis went back to the truck, stopping and holding on to the door handle for a moment.

He couldn’t get it out of his mind all day.  Ennis ruined his dinner by covering it with salt because he kept seeing the object and the strange person before him.

Ennis couldn’t understand how anyone could know anything.  Everyone who had known has long been gone from there.  Alma and Monroe, Junior, Jenny and Cassie too.  Ennis remembered wondering, how Tom knew, so many years ago.

The figure remained in his mind.  He didn’t know if it was a man or a women, or how old he or she could be.

The next day Ennis drove by early.  He stopped the truck.  There were now two new figures near the one that resembled a mountain, with their wire arms reaching for each other.

Ennis felt a shock going all through his body.  He didn’t get it, he didn’t get it all.  He had to know.  He got out and walked all around the house.  There was no sign of the person at all.

Ennis walked up the crumbling steps.  He was about to knock on the door, but instead he took a step back.  He turned around and looked at the mountains.  “Maybe I’m just gettin’ old and crazy” Ennis said.  He looked up at the high peaks.  “Maybe I’ll be up there with ya real soon.”

[Lumière]

The Artist

Ennis walked up the crumbling steps.  He was about to knock on the door, but instead he took a step back.  He turned around and looked at the mountains.  “Maybe I’m just gettin’ old and crazy” Ennis said.  He looked up at the high peaks.  “Maybe I’ll be up there with ya real soon.”

Now I am very curious .. who is the artist, Marl?  You're gonna write a sequel to this? 

Cheers!
~M

[Cameron]

Hi,

Just got home, and came here first thing.  I don't really have a computer all day.  Great drabbles, Mark and Millie.
I'm also getting hungry just reading them.  And M, can only imagine what else happened that day

Thanks

Marl

M, just saw your message as I was writing this.  I did try something real different today, I hoped it made some sense.   Anyway, you know me, I tend to think in sequels, so we'll see......

[mariez]

.  .  .
Ennis is turning red, Jack grins back and says “ surely Ma’am”
.  . .
Excerpt from '131 MILES TO RIVERTON'

I love to see Ennis blush (and I'm with Milli and Marl -  you write the best food descriptions!)

.  .  . It was something like a mountain, made of scrap metal and wire, but then again it wasn’t..  . .

You've piqued my curiosity too, Marl - mountain, mystery artist . . . very interesting!

Thanks again,
Marie

[Lumière]

Bonjour ... greetings!

Jumping in to suggest some prompts for today:

  * hamster
  * distraction
  * alcohol


Take it away folks! 

~M

[jpwagoneer1964]

Pine Creek August 1979

"Ennis....Ennis I promise it wont hurt ah bit...." Holding Ennis's open hand in his.

Ennis looks up at Jack, taking his eyes from his outstretched hand.

"Just let me pour some of this on yer cut....make it clean...won't get infected.....be okay Ennis...."

Ennis flinches as Jack pours, Jack tightens his grip, leans in closer.

"See there....gonna be fine.." Placing Ennis's open palm on his knee. "Let me get a band aid on that...gonna be fine...." Jack carefully wraps Ennis's finger." Think  maybe I should do all the rest of the cooking on this trip... just sit back and...."

"Whut!...you cook!.....you can just do the rest of the choppin' "

[Lumière]

My dabble ..
(Note: Contains strong language .. )



Gone But Not Forgotten ...

Texas, August 1964

Jack drank the last of his beer and dropped the empty mug on the bar counter with an audible thud.  He motioned to the bartender, requesting a refill.  He had five dollars in change left in his pocket and he felt like drinking himself to a stupor.  Alcohol seemed like the perfect distraction from all the hardships and stress he was facing at the moment.  He wanted almost nothing more than to steep himself into the rodeo circuit but he was flat broke and could barely afford the entry fees.  He’d secretly hoped that leaving Wyoming would get his mind off things, off Ennis ... but he was dead wrong.  Ennis was all he could think about – where he was, what he was doing, who he was doing it with …

He sighed heavily and took a big swig from his now replenished mug.  He hated feeling like a lovesick schoolgirl, especially when he was certain that Ennis had moved on with his life.  He took another gulp of his beer and looked around, scanning the faces through thin clouds of smoke from the burning cigarettes.  His eyes fell on a figure leaning against the wall in a corner of the bar, behind the pool tables.  He was blond and lanky, and his gaze was fixed in Jack's direction as he puffed away at his cigarette.  For a tiny fraction of a second, Jack saw Ennis’ face staring straight at him, with that look of longing in his eyes ...

He leaned heavily against the door in the bathroom stall and tried to steady himself.  The beer was finally starting to work its magic - he was lightheaded and his knees felt weak.  He hastily unbuckled his belt and unzipped his jeans.  He closed his eyes and bit hard on his lower lip, his breath quickening as he pumped himself, slow at first, then faster ... All he could see in his mind’s eye was Ennis on top of him, entering him, and fucking him hard and fast; out in the open, right there on the river bed.  A moan escaped his lips just as he spilled all over his hand and on the floor.  ‘Fuck,’ he muttered, steadying himself before his knees gave way..

                                           

[Cameron]

The Return

(June 2003)
Ennis drove by the house everyday, in the morning and in the evening, but he didn’t see the artist again.  He decided not to knock on the door.  He did see new things in the yard every day, horses, dogs, even little animals too.  He didn’t know what they were supposed to be, mice or maybe hamsters, like Junior once had so long ago.  He was driven to distraction by thoughts of the strange artist.  He wondered if maybe he had too much alcohol to drink.  But he really wasn’t drinking that much at all.

Ennis didn’t understand.  He couldn’t stop thinking about it.  He couldn’t sleep but it didn’t matter because he didn’t know if he was dreaming of it all.  The thing that looked like a mountain, the figures, now wearing old metal hats, now all the animals too.

Late one night Ennis just had to know.  He got dressed and got into the truck.  Everything was still at this hour, now very early morning, but long before there was to be light in the sky.   He drove to the house, and there was the artist, standing there working on one of the figures.  He had moved them, they were now real close, they were embracing with cold metal arms around each other.

Ennis watched for a while and then got out of the truck and began walking over.  The artist kept working.  Ennis could now see it was a man, not really young, but not old either.  Ennis could see he had blue eyes, really pale eerie blue, and fairly light hair. 

Ennis could hardly speak but he did manage to say.  “I don’t understand, I don’t get any of this at all.”

The artist looked right at him, his pale eyes like beacons of light.  “With time, you will know.”  Then the artist quickly disappeared into the house.

Ennis stood there for some time, then went home. 

He sat down at the table.  He wondered if he was dreaming, or if he was awake, or if he was just losing his mind.

He longed for Cassie and her magazines.  She would surely have read something to explain it all.

He longed for Tom and his sensible ways.  He would have found some way to calm his soul. 

He longed for Jack.

The next night, at around the same time, Ennis got into his truck and drove to that house again…..….

[Lumière]

The Return

Hee .. More from the Artist!  Thanks Marl!