Well folks, I remember why I used to go on a writing sabbatical in November and December. It's busy! There's something about the end of the year that motivates people to wrap things up and clean off their desk. It usually starts the week before Thanksgiving, which I call "the last normal week of the year," slows down Thanksgiving week, picks up in early to mid-December, and then one last push with New Year's Resolutions in the first week of January and "getting back to business" before everybody notices that every day dawns the same, whether it's the holidays or not.
Whew!
The writer's block is also still an issue, but I did manage to write a fiction journal story recently. I'm sharing it here for your entertainment. If you're tired of the cliche holiday romances, then this one's for you.
And if you want a bit more, set a reminder that The Earthside Trilogy will be free on Amazon November 22-26. Happy Thanksgiving, and enjoy!
Whew!
The writer's block is also still an issue, but I did manage to write a fiction journal story recently. I'm sharing it here for your entertainment. If you're tired of the cliche holiday romances, then this one's for you.
And if you want a bit more, set a reminder that The Earthside Trilogy will be free on Amazon November 22-26. Happy Thanksgiving, and enjoy!
Plot Twist
“Oh my gosh, I think I’m falling for Hank! I never expected to find love in this small town. It was just a distraction from my life in the city.”
The barista shook his head and rolled his eyes as the coffee maker gurgled to brew a fresh urn of coffee. “I don’t know, Crystal. You’ve been away for a long time, and worked hard to build the life you have.”
She pushed her blonde hair out of her face. “I never expected to come back home and find love. I spent my whole life getting out of this place.”
“Don’t do it,” I said.
The pretty blonde stared at me. “Why?”
I leaned close to her. “Don’t say anything, but I’m here from the future to stop terrible mistakes that will put the world in peril. This is one of them. Hank is a distraction. Wrap up the work on your grandmother’s estate, and go back home.”
Her blue eyes widened sparkling from the lights on the small table top Christmas tree next to the old fashioned cash register. “Really?”
I nodded. “Trust me, you’ll be sorry if you stick around. Blow this popsicle stand and get back to real life.”
She leaned against the counter. “You’re right. I just met Hank last week fixing up Grandma’s house. I thought about getting married and moving into the house instead of selling it, but I love my career, and the hustle and bustle of the city.” She looked out of the large window to the street decked out in Christmas wonderland décor. “I worked hard for the life I have.”
“Then keep it,” I said. “Don’t blow it over an emotional delusion. Sell the house, go back to the city, and invest the money. You’ll end out back there anyway. The real question is whether you go back with a stronger portfolio, or a divorced mother of two regretting this decision and looking for love again.”
“Crystal, order up!” the barista shouted.
She picked up her coffee, and stepped back closer to me. “Thanks. Was I about to make one of those mistakes you talked about wrecking the future?”
I smiled. “Not anymore. You just saved it. Have a nice life, and remember that you never saw me.”
She nodded and headed out of the door.
The barista handed me my coffee. “Thanks for the save. I take it you’re not really from the future?”
I took my coffee. “That depends. I had to borrow you FAX machine to send my report on small town markets after the COVID crisis to my team in the city because the Internet at the B&B I’m staying at stinks.” I took a drink of the coffee. “Who uses a FAX machine anymore?”
He laughed. “Maybe there is a time warp, but we’re the ones living in the past and you’re in the present.”
“Maybe.”
“Thanks for saving Crystal from making a terrible mistake,” the barista said. “I remember her from school. She’d be miserable if she came back here.”
“No problem. Actually, this whole ‘coming back home to the quaint town that never changed and finding love’ is so cliché that I had to throw in a plot twist.”
“It brought a spark of unexpected excitement to my day,” the barista said. “So how’s the 20th century coffee?”
I took another drink and nodded. “Good, actually. Sometimes the old ways are better.”
We laughed as the quaint crowd chattered behind me, embracing a moment of 20th century life as the FAX machine behind the counter finally hummed to life.
The barista shook his head and rolled his eyes as the coffee maker gurgled to brew a fresh urn of coffee. “I don’t know, Crystal. You’ve been away for a long time, and worked hard to build the life you have.”
She pushed her blonde hair out of her face. “I never expected to come back home and find love. I spent my whole life getting out of this place.”
“Don’t do it,” I said.
The pretty blonde stared at me. “Why?”
I leaned close to her. “Don’t say anything, but I’m here from the future to stop terrible mistakes that will put the world in peril. This is one of them. Hank is a distraction. Wrap up the work on your grandmother’s estate, and go back home.”
Her blue eyes widened sparkling from the lights on the small table top Christmas tree next to the old fashioned cash register. “Really?”
I nodded. “Trust me, you’ll be sorry if you stick around. Blow this popsicle stand and get back to real life.”
She leaned against the counter. “You’re right. I just met Hank last week fixing up Grandma’s house. I thought about getting married and moving into the house instead of selling it, but I love my career, and the hustle and bustle of the city.” She looked out of the large window to the street decked out in Christmas wonderland décor. “I worked hard for the life I have.”
“Then keep it,” I said. “Don’t blow it over an emotional delusion. Sell the house, go back to the city, and invest the money. You’ll end out back there anyway. The real question is whether you go back with a stronger portfolio, or a divorced mother of two regretting this decision and looking for love again.”
“Crystal, order up!” the barista shouted.
She picked up her coffee, and stepped back closer to me. “Thanks. Was I about to make one of those mistakes you talked about wrecking the future?”
I smiled. “Not anymore. You just saved it. Have a nice life, and remember that you never saw me.”
She nodded and headed out of the door.
The barista handed me my coffee. “Thanks for the save. I take it you’re not really from the future?”
I took my coffee. “That depends. I had to borrow you FAX machine to send my report on small town markets after the COVID crisis to my team in the city because the Internet at the B&B I’m staying at stinks.” I took a drink of the coffee. “Who uses a FAX machine anymore?”
He laughed. “Maybe there is a time warp, but we’re the ones living in the past and you’re in the present.”
“Maybe.”
“Thanks for saving Crystal from making a terrible mistake,” the barista said. “I remember her from school. She’d be miserable if she came back here.”
“No problem. Actually, this whole ‘coming back home to the quaint town that never changed and finding love’ is so cliché that I had to throw in a plot twist.”
“It brought a spark of unexpected excitement to my day,” the barista said. “So how’s the 20th century coffee?”
I took another drink and nodded. “Good, actually. Sometimes the old ways are better.”
We laughed as the quaint crowd chattered behind me, embracing a moment of 20th century life as the FAX machine behind the counter finally hummed to life.
RSS Feed