The Bettermost Drabblefest: Please Join In!

[magicmountain]

Ennis struggled to his feet with Jack’s help. He couldn’t look at him for long moments. The rage, the terror still biting at his guts.

“Ennis?” He looked into eyes worried, querying. For the first time he saw something else. A hard edge of resolve. What this meant for their future he did not know and at this moment could not bear to think about. Somehow he had to stay upright.

“Ennis?” Arms reached out for him again. God he needed that comfort now. But the eyes still withheld something, he knew.

“I’m OK Jack. Just give me a moment here.” He could hardly breathe with the tightness in his chest. Ennis leant against his truck and a horse stamped. Jack’s arms dropped to his sides as they stared at each other.

“Jack ……..” As ever Ennis struggled to get the words out. “Jack, I........"

“You don’t need to say anything Ennis. I know how it is. I know. But you have to know how hard things have been…”

“Jack. I’ve tried to be different. If I could be different… God help me if I could be different ………”

“You are what you are Ennis.”

“What are we gonna do Jack?”

“I don’t know Ennis. I really don’t know.”

“Can we still see each other?”

“Even though …”

"Don’t say it Jack! I don’t want to know. I don’t want to hear. There's only one thing I know Jack. I can’t stand thinkin' I'll never see you again."

248 words

[mariez]

Glad you're home all safe and sound, Leslie - looking forward to more of your drabbles (and those extra special prompts)!

Jack didn’t mind having money. What he didn’t like was Lureen’s habit of replacing anything that was more’n six months old. Always new hats, jackets, even furniture didn’t stick around long. But Jack’d drawn the line at one item.

“Why, Jack? We can buy you a hundred nicer than that old hunk of metal.”

Jack’s belt buckle was the one thing in Texas as comfortable as an old pair of slippers.

(71 words)

Goadra, that was great - hold on to that buckle, Jack!

............

“Jack. I’ve tried to be different. If I could be different… God help me if I could be different ………”

“You are what you are Ennis.”

“What are we gonna do Jack?”

“I don’t know Ennis. I really don’t know.”

“Can we still see each other?”

“Even though …”

"Don’t say it Jack! I don’t want to know. I don’t want to hear. There's only one thing I know Jack. I can’t stand thinkin' I'll never see you again."

248 words

Jo, it's great to see you here!  You've captured Ennis and his anguish so perfectly - hard to read, but beautifully written.

Marie

[MaineWriter]

Happy Valentine's Day everybody! "L'amour, l'amour, tourjours l'amour." Anyone know what movie that is from? I want to say it is something by the Marx Brothers but I might be way off.

In honor of St. Valentine, here are some fitting prompts:

• Hershey's kisses
• friendship
• cardinal (the bird)

I don't know if Hershey's kisses are international or not. In case they aren't, for our international drabblers, kisses are little chocolate candies, wrapped in silver foil. Coincidentally, they are celebrating their 100th anniversary this year!

http://www.hersheys.com/kisses/

Have fun!

Leslie

[magicmountain]

Thanks Marie. That's my first effort at prose fiction. I found it interesting and even fun to do despite the subject matter. I wonder though how much more difficult it is to start from scratch without pre-existing characters and story line to work with!

[MaineWriter]

February 14, 2007
Lazy L Farm
Quanah, TX

“Mornin’, cowboy.”

Ennis turned from the window at the sound of Jack’s voice. “Mornin’ ta you, too. Happy Valentine’s Day.”

“Valentine’s? Oh shit, I forgot.”

“So ya didn’t get me a card?”

“I didn’t get ya anythin’. I’m sorry. I s’pose ya got me somethin’…” Jack’s voice trailed off.

“In a manner a speakin’,” replied Ennis. He crooked his finger at Jack. “C’mere.”

He pointed out the window to the bird feeder, hanging from the branches of the large oak tree in their front yard. A bright red cardinal was hopping on the ground, pecking at the seed scattered there.

“A cardinal!” said Jack. “How the hell did a cardinal ever end up in Quanah, Texas?”

“I dunno. He showed up last week and I bought some sunflower seeds to try to get em to stick around. Look,” he added. “There’s his mate.” He pointed to a dun colored bird with an orange beak, sitting on the branch. “The male let her eat first, kept an eye on her, now she’s takin’ her turn doin’ the watchin’.”

They watched the birds silently for a minute, then Jack smiled. “Ya know that fanfic story I was readin’,” he said.

“Which one, the long one?” Jack nodded yes. “Ya still readin’ that?”

“In fits and starts. I mostly skim for the sex.”

Ennis laughed. “Yeah, you would. So what about it?”

“Well, in that story, she had ya watchin’ birds, too.”

“Huh. Well, she got that right.”

“She got lots a stuff right about you, Ennis.”

Ennis looked carefully at Jack for a minute. “Tell ya what…”

“What?”

“I’d rather be watchin’ birds with you here in Quanah, than with some other guy in Laramie.”

Jack laughed. “You can say that again. Happy Valentine’s, babe. Thanks for the bird.”

(302 words)

[Brokeback_Dev]

good one Leslie!

[Scott6373]

He rolled over, sleepy from the longer than usual trip to the campsite.  They had not even enough energy to make love when they finally did arrive. The late summer night was warmer than usually, and they both stripped, and fell quickly into sleep, their clothes lying around and underneath them.

With the first rays of light, he slowly started re-emerging from his dreams.  As he rolled over, he felt the warm, soft, wettish feeling.  Without opening his eyes, he reached down and felt a sticky, slick substance.  In the dark of the tent he could not say immediately what it was, until he brought his fingers to his face, then the unmistakable scent assailed his nostrils, and attached to the sticky substance, was the tell-tale silver foil.  Junior must have sneaked some of the candy, Hershey’s Kisses,  he had given her before he left,  in his pocket, and now it had fallen out, melted under his and Jack’s hot skin, so that there were smears of chocolate across their bellies and down.

He lay in the dark, cursing Junior silently, until he felt Jacks wet, insistent tongue, licking the trail of sweetness  all the way down to the core.

200 words

[southendmd]

Scott, you naughty boy, that was fun. 

[southendmd]

Leslie, I wondered how you were gonna get a cardinal down to Texas!

Lovely, and a nice homage to Louise.

[mariez]

Why, Leslie, you clever thing, you!  Ha Ha! (and Jack skimming for the sex - of course, I've never done that!  ) It's always Valentine's Day for your boys - that was simply wonderful!

Scott, I know I'm in for a treat when I see your name - that was better than a Hershey's kiss!

Thanks,

Marie