The Bettermost Drabblefest: Please Join In!

[mariez]

Continuing with the holiday theme, let's try:

• Scotch Pine
• twinkle lights
• garish

Marie

[mariez]

Daddy's Boy

"Now, Daddy, don't let him eat too many cookies, he's already full of candy canes."

L.D. waved his hand dismissively and scooped Bobby up.  "Let's see what's under the Christmas tree, boy." 

Jack kept his face neutral as he surveyed the Newsome's tree.  No scotch pine with twinkle lights for Fayette.   Twelve feet of silver aluminum on a rotating stand, with a color wheel spotlight spinning next to it.  He was nauseous just looking at it, and as he watched Bobby's head turning as he followed the movement of the tree he realized too late …..

A flurry of screeches and activity followed as Fayette and Lureen attended to L.D., now covered in cookies and candy canes.

"Here, I'll clean him up," Jack pulled Bobby into his arms, smoothing a hand over his hair and kissing his sweaty forehead as he turned away.  "That's my boy," he murmured with a smile.

~~~~~~~
150 Words

[mariez]

Yikes! Five days until Christmas -

• Santa Claus
• department store
• ice skates

Marie

[mariez]

Alone in the Crowd

"Scuse me, ma'am."  Jack smiled apologetically to the woman beside him in the crowded department store, where Lureen and Bobby were taking advantage of the after-Christmas sales and he was returning the sweater Fayette had given him - a cardigan, for chrissakes, argyle, to boot.

There was some time still before he had to meet them, but he couldn’t stay in the store a minute longer, the people and the noise were suddenly too much and he sighed with relief as he breathed in the cold outdoor air.  To think he used to long for crowds and noise, what he had thought of as excitement, when he'd looked out his bedroom window so many years ago. 

But he knew he wouldn't mind the crowds and the noise if Ennis were here with him.  Just as he wouldn't mind the quiet desolation of Lightning Flat if Ennis were there with him.  His dreams were no longer about where or what or why or how - they would forever be about who. 

~~~~~~~
170 Words

[cwby30]

December 2007

"Ennis? Where are ya? Time to go," shouted Jack.

"Hold yer horses, I'm comin'," responded Ennis as he walked down the stairs. "Don't know what all this fuss is about, think ya'd never used ice skates before," he grumbled on.

"Just wanta try out my present from Santa Claus, Babe, and besides," he grinned a wicked little grin, "wanta see how Santa does on skates too. Don't want him fallin' and breakin' no bones or damagin' that fine backside on 'im."

"Jack, I swear..."  Ennis just shook his head, grabbed his skates, and admired the view as he followed Jack outside. Plan on doin' some damage to that fine backside of yours, once we get back, he thought, smiling to himself as he closed the door behind him.

130 words

[mariez]

December 2007
.....

"Jack, I swear..."  Ennis just shook his head, grabbed his skates, and admired the view as he followed Jack outside. Plan on doin' some damage to that fine backside of yours, once we get back, he thought, smiling to himself as he closed the door behind him.

Ahh...now there's a "Jack, I swear" I can live with.  Wonderfully done as always!  Thanks, cwby.

Marie

[mariez]

Here are some (unimaginative) prompts for the end of the year! 

• year
• resolution
• important

Marie

[mariez]

1967

Riverton, Wyoming
December 31, 1967

Vietnam…race riots…President Johnson…increased troop strengths… …the Boston Strangler…seemed like all anyone was talking about on TV was everything that had happened in the past year.

He got up from the sofa and looked down from the window where he could see him still …..

The voice on the television droned on… germ warfare … Six-Day War… Apollo 1 fire….hydrogen bombs… and he remained at the window, smiling slightly, lost in thought.  People kept fighting and people kept dying, and the world kept spinning out of control….

He only knew one thing for certain. His Jack had come back to him. 

~~~~~~~
100 Words

[fernly]

He got up from the sofa and looked down from the window where he could see him still …..

He only knew one thing for certain. His Jack had come back to him. 

Beautiful, precise, and heartbreaking images, as always.

Thank you, Marie.

Fern

[Dagi]

A very Happy New Year to all Drabblers! Thanks for all these wonderful stories. Marie, I love this pic of Jack! 

Dagi