Author Topic: The Bettermost Drabblefest: Please Join In!  (Read 1178183 times)

Offline MaineWriter

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Re: The Bettermost Drabblefest: Please Join In!
« Reply #240 on: February 15, 2007, 03:03:31 pm »
I missed a few days of writing, getting ready for the (now cancelled) business trip...today I feel like catching up. Hope you all enjoy an extra drabble from me!


April 1974


Ennis picked up the saddle and put it on Banshee’s back, tightening the rigging and adjusting the stirrups. “C’mon you lazy fuck,” he called to Jack, who stuck his head out of the tent.

“What?” said Jack, sleepily, rubbing his eyes.

“Get out here and get a saddle on Sioux. I ain’t gonna do all the work.”

Jack hauled himself up, fastening his pants as he walked towards the horses. “Why’d we need ta go ridin’ so early? We could stay in the tent and screw a bit more, go ridin’ later in the day.”

Ennis shook his head. “You always were the lazy one a the two a us, Jack,” he said with a smile. “I been awake for hours, watchin’ you sleep. It’s a beautiful spring mornin’, let’s get up in the mountains, get a nice ride…then,” he added, with a wink, “we can get back ta fuckin’.”

“I’m lazy and yer a workaholic.”

“Worka-what?”

“Workaholic…like alcoholic, ‘cept ya want ta work all the time.”

“Huh.” Ennis snorted. “This is my vacation, I’m just enjoyin’ myself. Ain’t work, bein’ with you.”

“Ain’t work?”

“’Course it ain’t. It’s the thing…” he paused, his voice catching in his throat. He looked down at the saddle, hoping Jack wouldn’t see the tears that had gathered at the edge of his eyes. “It’s the thing that keeps me goin’ day ta day, that keeps me breathin’, that keeps me from losin’ my mind,” he said softly.

Jack moved closer to Ennis and ran the back of his fingers along his cheek. “Me too, cowboy,” he answered, his voice equally soft. Then, straightening up and stepping back, his voice now a normal volume. “Lemme get this saddle on Sioux. Time’s awastin’.”

Ennis smiled at Jack, wiping his eyes with his hand. “Got somethin’ in em,” he said, his voice sheepish.

“Sure thing,” said Jack. “Let’s go for a ride.”

(318 words)


« Last Edit: February 16, 2007, 06:06:06 pm by MaineWriter »
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Offline southendmd

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Re: The Bettermost Drabblefest: Please Join In!
« Reply #241 on: February 15, 2007, 03:19:46 pm »
“Got somethin’ in em,” he said, his voice sheepish.

Me too.

Offline Lumière

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Re: The Bettermost Drabblefest: Please Join In!
« Reply #242 on: February 15, 2007, 03:29:58 pm »
One more dabble ..


A Harsh Hand ..
March 1957

He was quiet through out the funeral service
His expression stoic, unwilling to shed a single tear.
He held tightly onto his sister's hand
As she hunched over, weeping uncontrollably.
His brother stood beside him, eyes fixed to the floor
His breath uneven, tears rolling down his face.

There was nothing left, just them three
And a measly sum of twenty-four dollars,
Cold coins at the bottom of an old coffee can.
One miserably cold, snowy night
Fate had dealt them a harsh hand,
Cursed be that icy curve on Dead Horse Road..

That night after they returned from the Methodist Church,
He crawled into his folks' old, creaky bed.
He rolled himself into a ball
And lay down on the left side of the bed.
His Ma always slept on the left side
He could still smell her,
The faint fragrance of her lavender shampoo
Lingered on the flattened pillow..

"What'll become of us, Ma?" he whispered.
He reached underneath the pillow
And pulled out his mother's favorite gray sweater.
She'd had it ever since he could remember.
He crawled into it, his thin arms disappearing in the sleeves.
Only then did his eyes sting with tears -
Lying there, where his Ma had slept only days before.
Alone in that cold, dark bedroom
He wept and wept, curled up in his Ma's heavy wool sweater..

~ 233 words




« Last Edit: February 15, 2007, 07:35:31 pm by Lucise »


Offline mariez

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Re: The Bettermost Drabblefest: Please Join In!
« Reply #243 on: February 15, 2007, 07:27:21 pm »
Ooh, Janice - that one's gonna haunt me!


Me too.

Me three, Leslie.


One more dabble ..

A Harsh Hand ..
March 1957
Dang, you managed to push almost all my sad buttons with that one - and then the picture on top of it . . .

Thanks, all.

Marie

The measure of a country's greatness is its ability to retain compassion in times of crisis         ~~~~~~~~~Thurgood Marshall

The worst loneliness is not to be comfortable with yourself.    ~~~~~~~~~ Mark Twain

Offline jpwagoneer1964

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Re: The Bettermost Drabblefest: Please Join In!
« Reply #244 on: February 15, 2007, 08:49:38 pm »
Febuary 7, 2007
Ennis reached for the navy blue wool sweater pullling over his head, weary arms through the sleeves. Once covered he smoothed it on his chest admiring the heavy yarn on this chilly morning, thinking if that Christmas a few years ago when he opened the big box adorned with fancy red and green bows with this sweater Alma Jr. had knitted for him. Looking in the mirror, he sees his face lined from decades in the wind and the sun, still sporting most of his hair, now streaked with grey. He had loved living in this house, in back of Alma Jr.'s and Kurt's that he had help them buy and not long after his first grandchild was born. Playing with his grandkids in the huge back yard, babysitting whenever he was needed, telling them stories of all his ranching days,  Sunday dinners with his whole family in the patio when it was warm. The yard stood empty now, all three of Jr's children grown, the last just left for college this last year.

Ennis reached for the closet door to close it lingering on the shirts hanging on th inside. Alma Jr. didn't like to talk about her daddy be'en gone, but Ennis had made she sure she knew that when his time had come he was to be buried in those shirts, just as they hung here one inside the other with a fresh pair of jeans, his favorite boots and hat.

Ennis touched the collar of the blue shirt. "Won't be long now bud...comin' soon....no...won't be long......Jack....Jack...Ah still see you in my dreams....riddin' tagether up in the Big Horns....after all this time....sometime when Ah wake...if 'n Ah just keep my eyes closed Ah can feel those big ol' arms of yours 'round me...tight.....your breath on my neck....face again' mine.....That's ....that' really you...isn't it....Jack?"

Ennis....Ennis don't worry none...It's really me cowboy....Keeping a eye on ya bud. Savin' a place fer us...be together fer ever. You just...take care of yerself....and don't be worrin' none.

 
« Last Edit: February 18, 2007, 02:11:36 pm by jpwagoneer1964 »
Thank you Heath and Jake for showing us Ennis and Jack,  teaching us how much they loved one another.

Offline ifyoucantfixit

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Re: The Bettermost Drabblefest: Please Join In!
« Reply #245 on: February 15, 2007, 09:09:06 pm »
Febuary 7, 2007
Ennis reached for the navy blue wool sweater pullling over his head, weary arms through the sleeves. Once covered he smoothed it on his chest admiring the heavy yarn on this chilly morning, thinking if that Christmas a few years ago when he opened the big box adorned with fancy red and green bows with this sweater Alma Jr. had knitted for him. Looking in the mirror, he sees his face lined from decades in the wind and the sun, still sporting most of his hair, now streaked with grey. He had loved living in this house, in back of Alma Jr.'s and Kurt's that he had help them buy and not long after his first grandchild was born. Playing with his grandkids in the huge back yard, babysitting whenever he was needed, telling them stories of all his ranching days,  Sunday dinners with his whole family in the patio when it was warm. The yard stood empty now, all three of Jr's children grown, the last just left for college this last year.

Ennis reached for the closet door to close it lingering on the shirts hanging on th inside. Alma Jr. did like to talk about her daddy be'en gone, but Ennis had made she sure she knew that when his time had come he was to be buried in those shirts, just as the hung here one inside the other with a fresh pair of jeans, his favorite boots and hat.

Ennis touched the collar of the blue shirt. "Won't be long now bud...comin' up soon....no...won't be long......Jack....Jack...Ah still see you in my dreams....riddin' tagether up in the Big Horns....after all this time....sometime when Ah wake...if 'n Ah just keep my eyes closed Ah can feel those big ol' arms of yours 'round me...tight.....your breath on my neck....face again' mine.....That's ....that' really you...isn't it....Jack?"

Ennis....Ennis don't worry none...It's really me cowboy....Keeping a eye on ya bud. Savin' a place fer us...be together fer ever. You just...take care of yerself....and don't be worrin' none.

 

               Ahh Mark, that is beautiful..Together, forever......

                                                         janice



     Beautiful mind

Offline mariez

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Re: The Bettermost Drabblefest: Please Join In!
« Reply #246 on: February 15, 2007, 09:12:41 pm »
Febuary 7, 2007

 . . . .

Ennis....Ennis don't worry none...It's really me cowboy....Keeping a eye on ya bud. Savin' a place fer us...be together fer ever. You just...take care of yerself....and don't be worrin' none.
 

You're killing me here, you know that don't you?  That was breathtaking.

Thanks - Marie
The measure of a country's greatness is its ability to retain compassion in times of crisis         ~~~~~~~~~Thurgood Marshall

The worst loneliness is not to be comfortable with yourself.    ~~~~~~~~~ Mark Twain

Offline MaineWriter

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Re: The Bettermost Drabblefest: Please Join In!
« Reply #247 on: February 16, 2007, 07:53:42 am »
Happy Friday, everyone!

Give these prompts a try:

  • considered opinion
  • potentially embarrassing
  • definitely unique

Leslie
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Offline belbbmfan

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Re: The Bettermost Drabblefest: Please Join In!
« Reply #248 on: February 16, 2007, 11:34:59 am »
Febuary 7, 2007
Ennis reached for the navy blue wool sweater pullling over his head, weary arms through the sleeves. Once covered he smoothed it on his chest admiring the heavy yarn on this chilly morning, thinking if that Christmas a few years ago when he opened the big box adorned with fancy red and green bows with this sweater Alma Jr. had knitted for him. Looking in the mirror, he sees his face lined from decades in the wind and the sun, still sporting most of his hair, now streaked with grey. He had loved living in this house, in back of Alma Jr.'s and Kurt's that he had help them buy and not long after his first grandchild was born. Playing with his grandkids in the huge back yard, babysitting whenever he was needed, telling them stories of all his ranching days,  Sunday dinners with his whole family in the patio when it was warm. The yard stood empty now, all three of Jr's children grown, the last just left for college this last year.

Ennis reached for the closet door to close it lingering on the shirts hanging on th inside. Alma Jr. didn't like to talk about her daddy be'en gone, but Ennis had made she sure she knew that when his time had come he was to be buried in those shirts, just as the hung here one inside the other with a fresh pair of jeans, his favorite boots and hat.

Ennis touched the collar of the blue shirt. "Won't be long now bud...comin' soon....no...won't be long......Jack....Jack...Ah still see you in my dreams....riddin' tagether up in the Big Horns....after all this time....sometime when Ah wake...if 'n Ah just keep my eyes closed Ah can feel those big ol' arms of yours 'round me...tight.....your breath on my neck....face again' mine.....That's ....that' really you...isn't it....Jack?"

Ennis....Ennis don't worry none...It's really me cowboy....Keeping a eye on ya bud. Savin' a place fer us...be together fer ever. You just...take care of yerself....and don't be worrin' none.

 


 :'(  :'(  :'(

sad but beautiful. thank you!
'We're supposed to guard the sheep, not eat 'em'

Offline MaineWriter

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Re: The Bettermost Drabblefest: Please Join In!
« Reply #249 on: February 16, 2007, 12:32:26 pm »
More than the prompts, I was inspired by the picture I posted in the Heath, Heath, Heath thread. This is another "A Love Born From Steel" missing moment.



Riverton, WY
July 15, 1976

Alma pulled out the dresser drawer, sighing to herself. Most of the packing in the apartment was finished; the boxes had been delivered to Monroe’s bungalow. All that was left were her clothes and personal things. Her hand sifted through the worn lingerie and she idly thought that she should buy some new things for the wedding and honeymoon. Monroe kept telling her not to worry about money, it was different now. But old habits die hard and all she knew was being poor, not spending money on lacy underwear.

As she reached in the drawer, her fingers grasped the edge of a wooden frame and from under her panties and her bras, she pulled out their wedding portrait. She sighed again, thinking she’d need to get rid of it now, no need to have an embarrassing picture like this around as she started her new life with her second husband.

She gazed at the picture in her hands, noticing anew just how grim Ennis appeared. “I look determined,” she thought, “he looks ready ta spit bullets.”

A tear splashed on the glass and she wiped it with her finger. “Oh, Ennis, why couldn’t we make it work? I loved you so much…” Another tear slid down her cheek and she wiped it away. “Did you ever love me?” she murmured, “or was it always Jack? Was he always the one who had your heart?”

Sighing again, she slid the picture out of the frame, then walked into the kitchen and laid it in the sink. Taking a match from the box on the sill, she lit it and touched it to the corner, and watched as the flames consumed them both, first Ennis, then Alma. “That’s it. Monroe is my life now.”

She threw the cheap wooden frame into the trash and went back into the bedroom to finish her packing.

(312 words)


« Last Edit: February 16, 2007, 06:01:33 pm by MaineWriter »
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