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Joined: Jan 2009
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ALONE TIME A TALE FROM THE "Wish Giver" Shorts
Wishes, like everything in this world, come in all shape and sizes. There are hills, and there are mountains, fleas, and Goliath Beatles. There are shrubs and Douglas Firs, short people and the overly tall. So why would a wish be any different and why don't all dreams come true? That is a fair question, and I guess it applies to prayers too so why are not all prayers answered? Now for the sake of argument lets say no matter what or who you believe in there is only one. This deity is responsible for answering all prayers, all wishes think about that. The numbers are staggering, and even if or continues to hire more and more staff there is still no way that I can see to answer all, let alone hear them all. So or would have to pick. Quite the task. Wishes are in the same boat. Every day someone somewhere makes a wish. The under the breath kind whispered to oneself and usually is a negative one. There are those wishes blurted out loudly, and in frustration, like at a sporting event when one wishes, Sometimes wishes and prayers are the same. A friend or loved one is sick, and you pray and wish that they'll get better. Occasionally those wishes and prayers, heard, get answered, but again the odds are not in everyone's favour, but that doesn't stop people from doing one or the other. The only thing with either are the laws of physic. For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. There are always unforeseen consequences. Now for prayers, there are hopefully only positive ones but for wishes, and the “Wish Giver” it is the consequences that drive him. The “Wish Giver” lives to see what might come out of any given wish and as always your mother's warning about desires rings true.
ALONE TIME
By Douglas Murphy Copyright 2019
All Fredrick Pen wanted, dreamed of, and fussed about these days was quiet. He had turned 58 in March, his siblings, and most of his friends, all in their 60's now were either retired, semi-retired or like him plain tired of the day-to-day that was his /their lives. The quiet he dreamed about, the kind only found way out in the countryside where your neighbour or neighbors were far enough away that you couldn't really call them neighbors circled around a pipe dream. Though that still didn't stop him from fantasizing about his paradise. It would be a place where the artificial noises of lawnmowers, whipper snippers, leave blowers chain saws, airplanes, trucks, and cars on the high ways, people blaring music into the night wouldn't reach him. There would be no barking, annoying dogs, no neighbors cutting the grass, or building something with power tools all day long, or seemingly to a person who only wanted quiet. The early morning would never be disturbed by any of those sounds, and the afternoons of a warm summer day would stay calm and peaceful. Evenings, when the air blew cool and that breeze caressed you while you lay in bed wouldn't be disturbed by anything except maybe a Whip-poor-will, the cry of a coyote, or loon. All that still seemed too far away. Fred's wife of 35 years raised in the comfort and convenience of suburbia couldn't see herself in the country surrounded by and away from everything she loved about the city and suburbs. That and now that grand-children had entered the picture and were close at hand she wouldn't be going anywhere any time soon, but Fredrick still dreamed and soon would make a wish t would change everything. After dinner on a Friday night, after making it through one hell of a week, Fred tried to relax but his family was over, and he wasn't allowed to the way he wanted, so he didn't. By 9:00, with the help of a sleeping pill, he was out for the night and woke up at five to a beautiful quiet morning that he relished as he sat outside watching the birds at the feeders, lifting his head to the breeze that accompanied the rising sun, and sipping a mug of tea. if only for a little while. Around 8:00 the neighbourhood began to wake and like suburbanites, in this northern clime, who spend all winter hiding away and dreaming of the green grass and summer sun rush outside to... Lawnmowers sprang to life around him, dogs began to bark, horns began to blow from impatient drivers who had probably just woke up, and soon the quiet was swept away under the rug of artificial noises. Frederick wanted to scream but what he did was join in and added his own. The yard and garden work took him to noon, and after a shower, great lunch, and a couple of drinks he let it all take him away as he dozed in between the lull that is suburban living When it started up again, it came in the form of a barking dog, and the kids two houses over skateboarding up and down a synthetic ramp. That song, joined the continuation of lawn and garden work, passing planes, everything possible prompted his wish, and he whispered it to himself, Now, this in itself is a boring wish, a universal wish but like so many like it the ramification were endless as were the conditions that may or may not occur. Frederick picked himself up, went back inside to get away from the noise, and shortly fell back to sleep. Remember he had turned 58, wasn't in the best shape and working in the yard burnt him out. He needed naps now more than ever. He remembered doing the nod and jerk a couple of times, he remembered snoring himself awake a couple more, and he remembered seeing someone, something in front of him on the coffee table grinning and saying, then he fell into a deeper sleep and didn't wake up again until four. Waking he felt like [naughty word removed], long naps did that to him, but he did notice how quiet the house was. Seemed like no one was home. Fred headed to the kitchen drinking down two full glasses of water, the booze and sleep had parched him and went outside. Instantly noticing that it was hushed. No sounds from the main road two streets over. No neighbors making any kind of noise, no planes passing, no dogs barking nothing. Fredrick sighed contently and went back inside and made himself something to eat. When six rolled around, and still no one came home, he tried calling, but all he got was the leave a message recording. He then tried calling others like his sister, his brother in another city, friends around and elsewhere but no one answered. He went back outside, and the quiet hit him like a ton of bricks; it was quiet. To quiet. Back inside he tried the internet, but Facebook was dead. He then went back outside again and this time went to his neighbors, but no one answered his knocks or ringing of their doorbells. He went all the way up the street and to every house, but no one was home. Perplexed and a little frighten he went back home and tried the phones one more time but received the same results. Nothing. He sought out random numbers from the telephone book they still had outdated as it was but no matter who he dialed the results were the same. He was alone, couldn't explain any of it until he remembered his wish, the "Granted." part and how much this situation reminded him of a Twilight Zone episode. Fred couldn't remember the title, and that didn't matter, but he did recall the premise. "A far-sighted man who only wanted to be left alone so he could read gets his wish when the world goes belly up, and he is the last man alive. Knowing now that he will have all the time in the world to read he sets out to fulfill his wishes but breaks his glasses." Frederick Pen was that man.
"Remember to check your wishes first." END.
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Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 668
Top 500 Poster
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Top 500 Poster
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Posts: 668 |
I like it. I did start thinking of the twilight episode with the man who just wanted to read. I think the portion linking this story to that episode may not be needed. those of us who have seen the episode will most likely see the similarity on their own. For those who have not seen it, the link has no meaning. or perhaps just title "time enough at last" snuck into the story might be a nod to it.
also reminds ,me of the "monkey's paw" TZ episode (My dogs and cats remind me that any wish made by a human while crossing fingers is a "monkey paw" wish.)
one part of this sentence seemed to be missing... the coffee table grinning and saying, then
it doesn't say what the face was saying.
I like the introduction narrative a lot.
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Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 5,668 Likes: 42
Top 50 Poster
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Top 50 Poster
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 5,668 Likes: 42 |
D
Last edited by Gary E. Andrews; 06/08/19 03:54 PM.
There will always be another song to be written. Someone will write it. Why not you? www.garyeandrews.com
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