The rose unfolds and reveals
Its velvety red petals, deep and dark.
A gentle drop of dew clings to the bloom
Reflecting the moon from above.
A sweet fragrance wafts through the air.
Tis but a single rose, but so much more.
A sweet gesture, pure and with love.
I still wonder who left it for me.
Yarl Riku pounded his staff onto the hard coral mound, commanding the attention of the Guard. It was not often he wielded his power, but for now, it became necessary.
“Guard, we need your vigilance and your protection at this desperate time. I require eight volunteers, four to protect the royal family, and four to accompany me on a mission to Terra.”
A low murmur could be heard from the Guard. It was a rare event for the Yarl to interact with Terrans, especially given their short history on the planet.
“The rest of you will have increased patrol duties until this crisis can be resolved.”
Jon floated forward, “I volunteer for either assignment, sir.”
Riku nodded at Jon, his oldest friend. “You shall accompany me, Jon. Others?”
Soon, three others floated forward. “Sam, Rob, and Tim, thank you. I need four more…”
Diana and three additional mermaids floated forward, volunteering.
Riku paused. They were well skilled, but he did not believe any of the maids would step forward. He knew his next action could set the tone for years to come.
“Thank you! Diana, you, and Mikala will join Jon and Tim on our journey to Terra. The other two will serve as additional guards for the Royal family with Sam and Rob.”
“The rest of you will receive your assignments shortly. Dismissed.”
Jon floated up next to Riku. “Sir, should we call in any others to be protected at the Seamount?” He gave Riku a knowing smile.
“No, it will not be necessary. Morgen will accompany us to Terra. Her presence is vital to the success of our mission.”
Jon nodded his head, but was surprised by the direction. Riku often protected her more, although she had always been capable.
Riku turned to all of the volunteers. “Take care of any open affairs today and meet up at the Seamount at first light.”
With that, everyone dispersed. Riku headed to Morgen’s to solicit her to accompany him to Terra. She would not deny the Yarl’s request, but he hoped she would welcome it.
The flickering flame dances across the fire.
The crackling sound of the wood fills my ears.
The embers float to the heavens,
Gently extinguished by the cool night air.
Mesmerized by the show in our campfire, the evening passes.
I lean back and look up into the night.
Stars upon stars shine in the black sky
With thousands of pin points of light.
Our world is so vast, it makes me feel small,
But full of wonder.
There is so much more than we can ever know.
Drinks! Drinks! More Drinks!
You need some sparkle — a puff of glittery powder on the cleavage.
Lidded cups to take them to go.
Fumbling to get in the car.
Designated driver, sober and laughing.
Dinner at Haru. Sushi and calamari and drinks.
Girls gone wild. The restaurant sits us out of the way.
Blondie number 1 gets hit on as she walks to the restroom.
Giggles all around. Sorry boys, we’re all married!
We find our way back and find the pool.
More drinks. More fun. The designated driver gets to unwind.
Blondie number 1 shows her plank.
Hop out of the pool; chubby brunettes can plank too! See!
Red and Blondie number 2 laugh at our antics.
Tired, passing out as our night closes down.
Early morning.
Sneak out of the room, don’t want to disturb the others.
On the beach before sunrise as dawn begins to break.
A quiet walk for the sober one, camera in hand.
A nest of baby turtles hatch, the most amazing site.
They flipper their way to the water, I catch a few shots.
The sun breaks over the horizon. I’m amazed by the numbers.
Make my way back and grab a hot tea.
Tip-toe through the room and out to the balcony to enjoy the rest of the morning.
A final breakfast with the girls, then we go our separate ways.
Girls weekends go too quick.
I hope you find
The girl who wanted to hike the Appalachian Trail
And the woman who is finally taking steps to get there one day.
The girl who fell in love with the Rockies,
And still longs to be there by your side.
The girl who believes in unconditional love,
But never wants to break another’s heart.
The girl who giggles at silliness and the woman who admires honesty.
The girl longing for adventures and the woman who wants to share them with you.
The girl with fire in her heart and tenderness in her touch.
The woman who tries to find calmness in this crazy world.
The girl who still can crack a dirty joke or two.
The woman who turns you on with just her words and a smile.
The girl that challenges you to your very core, and the woman who smooths the road before you.
The girl who wants to listen to your heart, and the woman who wants to hold your hand to the very end.
I hope you find me.
John sat in the lounge chair in the corner at the town bakery, eating his breakfast. “Can I have some more coffee, Jessica?”
Jessica reached behind the counter and picked up a carafe and a plate she had on the counter. She headed over to John to refill his cup. “Have things settled down for you, John?” She filled his cup and set down a shortbread for him.
He sullenly looked up, but smiled. “Yeah, I’m doing okay. Still looking for a bright spot in this whole changed world.”
Jessica forced a smile and patted him on the shoulder. She could only imagine his pain. She looked up and saw Carol come in, then headed back to the counter. “Morning, Carol.”
“Hi, Mrs. Tatum.” Carol put in an order for a pastry and some tea to go. “I’ll be over here. I need to have a word with John.”
John looked up and waved Carol over. She slid into the chair across from him.
“Do you mind me asking what happened when you were in jail? Did you communicate with anyone while you were there?”
He hung his head. “I never wanted to get into it. I lost it. I deserved being behind bars. And, I was embarrassed. How could I have been so….”
Carol interrupted him. “John, you need to stop beating yourself up. Everyone messes up now and then.” Her fingers drummed on the journal in her hand. In that moment, Carol realized the mystery she was trying to solve was how to help John through this journey. “Why didn’t you let Jojo know what was going on?”
John looked up at her intently. “What do you mean? The letter I got from her was to tell me she was marrying Gary. It was why I was so mad. I kept that anger inside me trying to swallow it down. When she wasn’t home to talk it through, I lost it again.”
Carol looked at him intently. “According to her journal, she wrote several times. Did you ever think that letter was meant to get you to respond, not to anger? A chance to tell her what was inside your heart? ” She looked down, but knew it was time to hand the book over to him. “Sometimes, when someone loves someone, they forgive just about anything and they’ll reach out to connect in any way to get a response. It’s hard, but…here.”
She handed John the journal. “I think she would want to be here with you. She just needed to know it was what you wanted, too.”
His hand shook as he took the journal, and looked up with damp eyes. “Thank you.”
Carol stood up and squeezed his arm. “I hope it brings you peace.”
John opened up the book to the back of the journal to look over the last few entries.
I try to be a good wife to Gary, but my heart still loves John. I wish I could tell him.
Her final entry is solemn, almost foreboding.
Gary is a good man, and I’m lucky he’s by my side. However, he knows however my soul isn’t here. It’s out there, wherever John is, if he’d have me.
John’s eyes spilled over. He went to close the journal when a sealed letter, addressed to him, fell out from the pages.
My dearest,
If you are reading this, I hopefully am sitting in front of you, tearfully happy and overjoyed to be with you. If that ends up not possible, you still need to know.
I never stopped loving you.
Even in those times when I was mad at you, disappointed with how things were between us, and we were with others, I still loved you.
I know of some of the bad things that went on in your life, and when I heard of them, I rooted for you to pull through as I always knew you would.
I cheer for you through the highs, too, because that’s what we do when we love someone.
I always want you to feel loved and have a life full of laughter. May your most beautiful dreams always come true for you.
I hope we find our way back to each other one day in this life. If not, may we find each other quickly and get it right in the next.
All my love, Always.
Epilogue:
As I come to the conclusion of this short story, I want to go back and rewrite it. I want a happy ending for Jojo and John. And I’d like to give Carol some grand discovery she can shout to the whole world through her work; hopefully she can be satisfied with making a difference in another person’s life instead this round.
The great thing is, I can always edit and rewrite…so I might.
If you have read this short story and liked it, I hope you’ll enjoy the rewrite as well when I refine the story. Thank you for taking the time to read my work. I welcome feedback so I can grow further on this journey. ~DRM~
Carol was determined to trace down the date of John’s arrest to see if it matched with her diary. She went in to the office and started digging in the archives.
“Carol, stop digging in the past!” Her editor bellowed as he entered the store room filled with volumes of old newspapers. “There’s no point to this.”
She looked up. “I need the whole story! I can’t leave it partially done.” She went back to filtering through the stacks. “I found it!” Relieved, she opened the paper to the Police report section. “Surely it will be here!” She scanned through the pages, but there was no mention of the arrest.
“Carol, we didn’t always get the reports in time to publish the next morning…check the next few days after,” he huffed at her. Under his breath he muttered “Junior reporters!” and shuffled back to his desk.
Triumphantly, Carol cried out “I found it!”
“Great, Carol. But I need the article for today’s paper done before you do any more work on this flight of fancy you have,” her editor ordered.
“Yes sir! Have it to you in a few!”
Now that she knew the information matched up, she knew she could go forward with pulling apart more information from Johanna’s diary. It was a part of the puzzle put together, and freed up some space in her mind to work on the current story. She whipped up the article on the current weather trends for her editor and submitted it, then headed home.
Back home, Carol pulled out the leather blue journal, and began to intently read on.
John still hasn’t written back from jail. I can’t go visit him according to the jail, but I was hoping to hear back from him.
A week goes by in the journal.
Nothing arrived still today. I’m wondering if our getting back together just was a fling for him. Why hasn’t he written?
Two more weeks go by in the journal.
Gary came by today to check in on me. He sat in his car for a few minutes before he finally knocked on the door just like old times. We got to talking and I mentioned not hearing from John. He has some connections at the jail; he’s going to find out if there is some sort of reason behind it. He seems concerned.
Three days later.
I am heartbroken. I cannot believe that John has been refusing my letters. One of the officers told Gary that John is not communicating with anyone. Gary listened to me through all my sobbing. I don’t know how to do this on my own.
A week later.
Gary has been so attentive. He’s offered to stand by my side since John has completely stopped all communications. I’m so grateful to have someone who cares. Maybe it’s better this way.
Carol paused and thought to herself. Why does this sound like a made for TV mystery where the new guy framed the old flame?
She needed some answers from John. She set everything aside for the evening, intent on locating John the next morning.
She walks through the dark forest, gently, listening to the sounds. The dim forest gives way to beams from the full moon overhead as they stream through the branches.
An owl hoots in the distance, then the flap of wings rushes by as he takes flight chasing a late night meal.
She pauses, listening intently. The leaves rustle in the wind. The owl flies back over and lands in the nearby tree.
She spies a clearing in the distance, with a large rounded rock, awash with moonlight. Twigs snap and leaves crunch as she makes her way to the clearing.
She perches onto the rock, looking up towards the sky, taking in the moonbeams and then closing her eyes. The heavens swirl above her as she drifts into her own mind.
She hears her own breathing, slow and steady. Each inhale fills her lungs with cool night air. Each exhale releases the stress from her body. She settles into a half lotus position and calms herself.
She smells the dampness of the forest, it’s mosses and flora aromas fill the air. Her hair curls into ringlets in the humid air, clinging around her face and her neck.
Her shoulders release and lower. She enters a trance like state, aware of her surroundings, but lost in her thoughts at the same time.
Her mind wanders through a myriad of memories. She visits the bright spots, finding comfort and joy.
The darkness is there, but she works hard to prevent it from entering. She dealt with those pains for long enough. However, they begin to take over her mind.
She refocuses on the lessons learned during those dark times…trust your heart, keep up your guard, and reflect on the positive.
More happiness than sorrow fills her life. She knows her life is good. She knows her life can be better and is working towards it. She feels re-energized.
The owl begins to hoot again, bringing her back to reality. She opens her eyes, and smiles. Find the positive, learn from the negative, and appreciate every moment.
I look up and see the stars shining bright.
The moon rises as do my spirits.
Knowing you are here in this world,
Sometimes this is enough
to settle my soul and make me smile.
As long as we are both here, there is a chance
We won’t have to wait until next time.
I wonder if you ever think the same.
Frozen, I awake.
My arm rests before me, but unable to move.
Face down in the pillow, barely able to breathe.
Unable to move. I close my eyes.
I wake again, muffled noises from my throat.
Still unable to move.
Unable to scream.
Unable to escape.
My mind runs wild with anxiety.
Pulled under again, I withdraw.
The loop continually repeats.
No way out.
Trapped.
Dawn Renee Writes 