Florida - Part 3

Good morning,

It looks like today is the day. We got a call from my brother around 4:00 this morning asking us to come pick up the kids. Now 6 of the 7 kids (oldest niece gets to stay home and help) are sleeping here. Not sure how much longer they will sleep, but . . . Then we wait for the phone call to say my newest niece has arrived.

Spring has really come. Yesterday it was in the upper 80s and last night only got down into the 60s.

My sister, best friend, and I did two days of Operation Clean Up the Neighborhood. We just did the 8 blocks or so in our little area, but we filled about 5 trash bags.

Three of the nephews are up. Enjoy your story today.

Florida
Part 3

    “Okay, okay!” And Ria shoved her way through her eager classmates. “But if Florida dies because he ate the wrong thing tonight, it’s your fault.”

    Most of the ninth grade students tagged along as Ria started for her home. All were curious about this exotic creature from Florida. Ria thought in amusement that this had to be one of the few times her classmates knew something before the gang did. But they would know soon enough. Chris would tell Walt and Dave, Ray, and Al–if he was there–either at school or at ROTC tomorrow. After that it was only a matter of time before everyone would be crowding into the Mitchelll home to see her new pet.

    Upon arrival, she didn’t see any lights and guessed she was the first one home. After pulling the key from under the mat, she reached to unlock the door, but it swung open at her touch. Had she forgotten to lock it?

    “Florida? Are you still here?” she called into the silent house.

    “Do you think it ran away?” one of the boys teased.

    “Maybe she just imagined she got an alligator in the mail,” another chimed in.

    Ignoring them, Ria led the way to the kitchen and flipped on the light. There in the pail where she had left him was Florida.

    “Do your parents know about him?” one of the few girls who had come along asked.

    Ria shook her head. “No, Mom’s been gone and Dad’s at work. Chris doesn’t even know.”

    “Well, I’m glad I’m not in your shoes. My mother would have a fit. What are you going to feed it? There is a war going on you know.”

    “Of course she knows, Jane,” Mike retorted. “She has brothers and cousins serving, even if you don’t.”

    Jane had no reply, for her brother was still in college and hadn’t been drafted. At least not yet.”

    It was a relief to Ria when everyone departed leaving her alone with the alligator. Sitting at the table, her books stacked beside her, she stared at her new pet and thought. What was she going to do with an alligator? What would it eat, and how much would it eat? “I wonder how fast you are going to grow, Florida,” she murmured. “If you just stay little you probably won’t cost much to feed, but I think alligators like you grow really big.”

    Florida opened its mouth wide, but Ria didn’t know if it was a yawn or if he was hungry.

    She was still sitting at the table when her parents and Chris returned home.

    “Ria,” her mom called, stepping through the front door, “we’re home.”

    “So are we,” Ria called back. She heard the screen door slam. Probably Chris coming in last.

    Bustling into the kitchen, Emma Mitchelll set down her purse and asked, “Have you gotten your homework done already?”

    Ria shook her head but said nothing.

    “Who is with you?” Mr. Mitchelll questioned, setting his briefcase on the chair near the door.

    “Florida.”

    Mrs. Mitchelll stopped in the act of putting on her apron. “Who? And why on earth do you have that old milking pail in here?”

    “Yowie!” Chris, still in his ROTC uniform, had stopped before running up to his room to look into the tub. “Is that what I think it is?”

    “Uh huh.” Ria’s excitement over her pet had diminished greatly since the time of its arrival. “Tom sent me an alligator from Florida.”

    “A what?”

    “An alligator.”

    Mr. and Mrs. Mitchelll hurried over to stare at the pail’s newly acquired resident. Mrs. Mitchelll gave shudder and backed away quickly, much like Lydia had. “It’s like a snake with legs,” she murmured. “Only worse. And it has teeth!”

    Chris and his dad were more interested. The creature was lifted out and examined, commented upon, and finally returned to his rock and water home.

    “How did it get here?” Chris asked, watching the baby alligator.

    “Mr. Jones brought it in a cigar box with the mail.” She pointed to the box which still sat on the table. “He and Lydia were with me when I opened it.” Ria shook her head. I’m probably the only girl in the whole country who gets an alligator in the mail from a cousin during a war! Why couldn’t he have sent me something–I don’t know–more normal?”

    At that Chris burst into a hearty laugh. “Tom send something normal?”

    “What are you going to do with it, Ria?” Mr. Mitchelll asked, crossing the kitchen to wash his hands at the sink.

    “I don’t know. I don’t even know what alligators eat!” She sighed and propped her elbows on the table and looked down at her new pet. “Why do you suppose Tom sent the alligator to me?”

    “That’s easy,” Chris laughed again before he turned and started up the stairs two at a time.

    Springing up, Ria raced after him. “Why? Chris, don’t you dare run off and not tell me!” His door was shut by the time she reached it, and Ria tried to frown, but it was hard when thinking of Tom’s twinkling eyes and his mischievous grin. “Why’d he send it, Chris?” she asked again through the closed door.

    “So you wouldn’t be lonely.”

    “An alligator is supposed to keep me from being lonely?”

    “Sure.” The door opened, and Chris appeared buttoning his everyday shirt. It always amazed Ria how quickly her brothers could change. “When word gets out that you have a pet alligator, the gang will be over, the kids from school will come see it, why you might even get your name in the paper if it gets mentioned to the right people.”

Florida - Part 2

Good morning, FFFs,

Life is changing for sure. At least temporarily. With the coronavirus coming to a city about an hour away, our church elders decided to cancel all services until Easter. It's going to be a LONG 3 weeks. No Sunday services to mark the start of each week. No Wednesday Awana to flag the middle of the week. I'm sure some of you are already in this sort of situation. But God already knew this was coming. He wasn't taken by surprise by any of it, so let's trust that He knows the beginning and the ending of this, and He will work ALL things for our good.

On another note, I've been doing some writing. About 3,300+ words so far. We've had rain and clouds most of the week. But yesterday the sun came out around 1:30. And it was warm! My sister and I went out and walked. So nice to walk in the sunshine! We've walked in the clouds this week, but the sunshine was wonderful.

I'm trying to get my last Read Another Page blog post for March done. It's going to be fun! There will be games and a giveaway, so don't miss it!

I've also been working on getting the rest of the lessons for my Self-Publishing course done. I think I'm going to add a bonus lesson on how to turn your paperback book into a kindle.

Besides that, I'm getting ready for Camp NaNo! Yes, in spite of all the craziness going on, I'm going to do Camp. And we don't have to practice "social distancing" there since it's all virtual. :) Does anyone else want to join my cabin Next Door? We still have empty beds.

Anyway, here is the next part of this story. I hope you enjoy it.

Florida
Part 2

    “Sure.” Ria’s answer was absentminded as she eyed her new pet. “Does it drink milk like a kitten?”

    “I don’t think so.”

    “It’s so small, maybe it eats bugs.”

    “It’s not a bird, Ria.”

    “No, but other things eat insects. Lizards do.” She frowned thoughtfully. “But snakes don’t.”

    “He can have the little meat in my sandwich this time,” Lydia offered, opening her sack lunch on the counter and pulling out her sandwich. “But where are you going to keep him?”

    “I don’t know. Oh, wait! There’s an old pail up in the attic that was used for milking at the farm. I’ll run up and get it. You won’t mind watching Florida, will you?”

    “Uh,” Lydia’s eyes widened. “I’ll go get it.” She was halfway up the stairs before she shouted down, “Why’d you name him Florida? Isn’t that kind of girly?”

    “Maybe. I’ll try thinking of another name.” While she waited for her friend to return, Ria set the alligator back in his little box. “I wish I knew what to do with you. Why couldn’t Tom have at least sent directions. I know you’re going to need some water, but do you like to swim or just get wet? Won’t Chris laugh when he sees you. If I leave you a minute, will you promise to stay right there?”

    The alligator didn’t answer, and after watching it a moment, Ria rushed to the back door, unlocked it, and stepped outside. Darting to the edge of the garden, she picked up two rather flat rocks and raced back to the house. She was panting when she stopped in the kitchen, but the alligator hadn’t moved. “Maybe you’re cold,” she mused, half aloud. “Since you are a reptile–Aren’t you a reptile? Oh, dear, I wonder if anyone at school knows how to take care of an alligator.”

    Sinking down onto the chair and setting the rocks on the table, Ria rested her chin in her hands and stared down at the small creature until Lydia returned with the old metal pail.

    “We’ll have to hurry, Ria, or we’re going to be late back to school.”

    “Oh, school!” The girls worked quickly. Filling the bottom of the bucket with an inch or so of water, Lydia placed the rocks in the middle and Ria picked up her pet and set him on the rocks. “Do you think he can climb out?” she asked Lydia anxiously.

    “I don’t know. But he’s probably hungry. Do you think if we just dropped some food in he’d know how to eat it?”

    “Let’s try.”

    “Here, you drop it.” And Lydia handed a piece of meat from her sandwich to Ria. “I don’t want him thinking my fingers are something to eat.”

    At first the alligator wouldn’t touch the meat, and Ria wondered again if he needed something different. At last the girls could linger no longer, and after a worried look at the table where the bucket sat, Ria followed Lydia out the door. They would have to hurry to make it back to school on time.

    Arriving breathless but on time, the girls hurried to their room and took their seats. No sooner had class begun when Ria’s hand shot up into the air.

    “Yes, Ria?” Miss Marsh said.

    “Do you know anything about taking care of an alligator?”

    “An alligator?” Miss Marsh echoed in a puzzled voice. “No, I can’t say that I do. Why do you ask?”

    “Oh, just because there’s one sitting in an old milking pail on the kitchen table back home.” She shrugged and grinned. “Tom sent it. From Florida. He’s really little. Came in a cigar box.”

    “Tom came in a cigar box? He must have gotten small.” And Miss Marsh looked amused.

    “No, the alligator did. I don’t know if he’s a boy or a girl, so I’m having trouble naming him.”

    “Well, I would suggest you talk to Mr. Beemer in the science department after school. He might be able to give you some advice. Now let’s get on to our studies.”

    To Ria, the afternoon dragged by. She kept wondering if her mom had come home and what she thought. “Or maybe I’ll get home before her. But not if I have to talk to Mr. Beemer. Then Chris will get home before me.” She sagged in her seat and stared out the window. “No, he has ROTC today. Florida, or whatever his name is, will be safe.” She swallowed back a laugh and tried to focus on what Miss Marsh was saying.

    Ria had no chance to talk to the science teacher, for as soon as class was dismissed the other students swarmed around her, all asking if she really had a live alligator at her house. Some of the girls squealed, but the boys were eager.

    “Can we come see it?”

    “How big is it?”

    “Who sent it to you?”

    Finally Ria stood up, clutching her school books against her. “If you’ll all be quiet, I’ll answer you. You’re almost as bad as the gang when you get going. Yes, you can all come home and see Florida. I need to find out what to feed it though–”

    “Can’t you ask him tomorrow?”

    “Yeah, I have to get home, but I want to see an alligator first.”

    “Okay, okay!” And Ria shoved her way through her eager classmates. “But if Florida dies because he ate the wrong thing tonight, it’s your fault.”

Would you have told your teacher about Florida?

Are you doing Camp NaNo next Month?

How has the Coronavirus effected you?

Florida - Part 1

Good morning, Faithful Friday Fiction Fans,

Today is supposed to be in the 50s instead of 70º+ like it has been the last two days. Those warm days have brought flowers up and blooming everywhere. Trees are budded and grass is turning green. Spring has come. So have allergies. At least I don't have them bad.

This week is vanishing much too rapidly for my comfort.

Saturday – my seven nieces and nephews were over until around 4:30 after spending Friday night here. We rode bikes and even got to chat with an Army Reserve guy. The boys were thrilled even if they couldn't think of any questions to ask him.

Sunday – We had choir practice after church, then came home. I got to read all afternoon. It was lovely! We also had that crazy time change.

Monday – I had a long list of things to do and work on, and I crossed almost everything off the list. I didn't write though. Instead I went to bed early. Not because I was tired (still felt like 8), but because I had to get up early the next day.

Tuesday – Up at 4:30. I had to be at my polling place at 5:30 to get everything set up. One of our regular workers (my fellow supervisory judge) couldn't make it, so one of the others I usually work with got bumped up to that spot and we had another person fill in. We had 235 voters come in that day. Packed up after the polls closed at 7 PM. Had to take the ballots to the courthouse thirty minutes away. It was after 10 before I got to bed.

Wednesday – I needed a nap almost as soon as I got up. ;) I did get some things done, but not much. I worked on some blog posts that evening instead of writing.

Thursday – Back into things. I wrote last evening and got 1,300+ words written.

This story is based on a true experience my grandma had during World War Two. She told us the story last year for the first time and I knew I had to turn it into a story. And Ria was the best person for it to happen to. I hope you enjoy this first part.

Florida

    “Come home with me for lunch, Lydia,” begged Ria. The two girls were starting down the steps of the high school one afternoon in early fall. The sun was warm and bright, not a cloud was to be seen, and not a bit of chill tinged the air.

    Lydia hesitated. “I don’t know, Ria,” she began. “Your mother might not like me to come every day.”

    At that Ria gave an unladylike snort and pulled her friend down the sidewalk. “You could come over every day, and Mama wouldn’t care. It’s so different around the house with so many of the gang gone. I need someone to cheer me up, so you’ll just have to come. You brought your own lunch.” She nodded toward the brown paper bag Lydia carried. “You have to eat it somewhere, and it might as well be my house.”

    “All right,” Lydia gave in.

    Walking briskly down the sidewalk, Ria wondered what her brothers and cousins were doing far away in training camps. Turning onto her street, Ria glanced at the houses as they passed them. Several displayed stars in the windows, but she knew her home was the only one with three stars. “There’s the mailman!” she exclaimed, breaking into a run.

    Lydia followed clutching her lunch in her hand.

    Arriving at the house, Ria tried the door, found it locked, and quickly retrieved the key from under the mat. “I don’t know why Mama even bothers to lock the door,” she remarked. “Everyone knows to look under the mat for the key.”

    “I guess it tells you if your mother is home or not,” replied Lydia.

    “I guess so.” Unlocking the door, Ria returned the key to its hiding place and waited for the mailman. “Hello, Mr. Jones!”

    “Hi, girls.” And the mailman smiled as he came up the sidewalk. “I have a few letters for you this afternoon, Ria, and a box that has me curious.”

    “A box?” Ria looked eager. Boxes didn’t arrive at the Mitchell home very often. “Is it from Millie?” Her only girl cousin near her age lived on the east coast and seldom came for a visit.

    “Nope,” Mr. Jones said and handed her a box.

    It was just a cigar box with V shaped holes on either end under the lid. The return address was a bit blurred, and she wasn’t able to make it out. “It’s from somewhere. Probably Ed or one of the twins. I wish I knew which one because then maybe I’d know what it was. What could he be sending me in this small of a box?”

    “Do you mind if I come inside and see while you open it?” Mr. Jones asked. “It’s got me so curious I wanted to open it an hour ago. I keep thinking something’s sliding around in there.”

    “Sure. Come on in.” And Ria, holding the box carefully in her hand, pulled the screen door open and motioned for the mailman and Lydia to enter ahead of her. “Mom’s at some meeting or other,” she explained.

    In the kitchen, she set the box on the table and prepared to open it, then stopped suddenly. “Let’s all make a guess as to what’s inside it.”

    “I think it might be sea shells,” Lydia said, “if it’s from somewhere along the coast.”

    “Maybe it’s a new hat for your doll.”

    At that Ria burst into laughter. “Mr. Jones, I haven’t played dolls for years! I think it’s probably a book for my war bond stamps, or a few odds and ends whoever sent this has picked up.”

    “Well, open it up and see! We don’t have much time before we have to get back to school, Ria.”

    At that reminder, Ria opened the box and stared. Her mouth dropped open, but no words came out.

    Beside her, Lydia gave a little shriek and backed away, and Mr. Jones gave a low whistle. “Well, I’ll be! I’ve heard about those things, but I never thought I’d see one here in Plainville, much less deliver one in the mail. Which one of the gang sent it?”

    Ria, still holding the lid of the box, turned it over in her hand and discovered a scrawled message. She read it aloud.

    “Ria, thought you’d get some fun out of this guy. Tom. P.S. Don’t let the rest of the gang torment him.”

    With a shake of her head, Ria looked down into the box again. “I should have known Tom was behind this. He’s down in Florida right now.”

    Inside the box was a tiny baby alligator. It was only a few inches long.

    “He’s kind of cute,” Ria remarked, gingerly picking up the reptile and looking him over. “In an ugly sort of way. But what are we going to do with him? Is it a him?” She gave the creature another careful scrutiny. “How do you tell? He, she, it–” She shook her head. “Anyway, this thing is probably hungry.”

    Lydia, not venturing very close to the table, looked on with another shiver. “What do you feed alligators?”

    Both girls looked at Mr. Jones, but he shrugged. “Don’t ask me. I’ve never even seen one before this.” And the mailman backed away. “I hate to leave you like this, girls, but I have to deliver the mail.” He paused at the door and looked back. “Thanks for letting me see what was in that box, Ria.”

    “Sure.” Ria’s answer was absentminded as she eyed her new pet. “Does it drink milk like a kitten?”

How was your week?

Would you like to get a baby alligator in the mail?

What would you feed it?

At Last

Good morning, FFFFs,

The sun is shining this morning! The birds are singing and flowers are blooming. Spring is here. Yes, we're still getting nights of frosts, and we could even get snow, but it's certainly NOT winter.

This week has gone by SO quickly! I'm sure we must have missed a few days of it. I've spent a lot of time working on the Lessons for my self-publishing course. It's rather fun creating this course and figuring out what to put in each lesson. I hope it is helpful to others.

Writing has happened a little bit. I didn't write on Wednesday since I had to go early to church to practice music and then work in the nursery, but last night I was able to work on two stories that had been stuck. Not sure if I've gotten one completely unstuck, but at least it's progress. I still want to publish a few short stories, but I've been so focused on creating the mini course, that I haven't gotten them ready. I haven't even finished getting blog posts for Read Another Page finished for March! Oh, well.

This week's story is for Bekki sicne she requested a horse story. I realized I hadn't posted it since 2012. That was a long time ago, so I hope any new readers enjoy this short story.

At Last

    Alicia Alexander climbed up on the lower rung of the white board fence and rested her arms on the top rail. In the field several horses were grazing. The air was full of spring; the trees had on their light green dresses, dandelions dotted the grass everywhere with their golden heads, birds sang and the early morning sun was warm. It was a splendid day at Xander Horse Farm in Kentucky.
    As the ten-year-old stood perched on the fence watching the horses, her long, light brown hair blowing in the breeze, a sturdy step sounded behind her and a deep voice asked, “What are you doing up and out of the house so early, Girlie?”
    “I wanted to see if any of the horses had foaled, Daddy.” Alicia sighed, “But none of them have.”
    Mr. Alexander chuckled, crossing his arms on the fence beside his daughter. “Be patient, Honey. Amethyst, Sarsaparilla and Duchess aren’t due for another week probably.”
    “But, Daddy,” and Alicia leaned her head against his shoulder, “Ebony Dance and What-ever are due any day, Tyler said so.”
    “That’s so, but right now let’s go in and see if Mom has breakfast ready.”
    Hand in hand, with Alicia skipping to keep up with her father’s long strides, they headed down the road to the white farm house nestled under some tall shade trees where Mrs. Alexander and six-year-old Amber were waiting with breakfast on the patio.

    After breakfast the girls helped their mom with the dishes and then headed outside. They both loved horses and Alicia could ride nearly every horse on the farm. The hired hand, Tyler, a boy saving money for veterinary collage, was working near the barn when the girls came out. Tyler was more like an older brother than a hired hand, and the girls loved him.
    “Tyler!” Alicia called as she and Amber ran over to him. “When will there be a foal?”
    Tyler looked up with a grin. “I can’t say for sure, but Ebony’s been acting rather like it could be soon.”
    “Oh,” Alicia breathed, her eyes wide with excitement, “Do you think it will be today?”
    “Most times horses foal during the night,” he told her.

    Alicia helped out with the horses and did some weeding for her mom during the day, but all her spare time was spent on the fence of the pasture where the five horses were waiting to foal. Often one would amble over to the girl and Alicia would quickly pull up some green grass from her side of the fence to feed it, talking gently all the while.
    “Oh, Ebony Dance, when are you going to have your baby? Do you want a boy or a girl? . . . Sarsaparilla, you’re looking fat. Don’t you think it’s time you had your baby? . . . If you have a filly, Duchess, I want to name her Lady-in-waiting. Don’t you think that would be a good name?”
    The horses, all seemingly wanting to please this little friend, would bob their heads as though in agreement and Alicia would stroke them. Eventually all the horses moved to the other side of the pasture to stand in the sun and Alicia was left day dreaming.
    “Alicia.”
    The sound of her name brought her back to earth with a start to find her father standing beside her. “What?”
    Mr. Alexander grinned. He knew his daughter’s habit of daydreaming. “Didn’t you hear the dinner bell?”
    Alicia shook her head.
    “Well, it’s supper time. We’ll visit the horses again before bed.”
    “Daddy,” Alicia began as she and her father walked hand in hand down the road, “I wish one of the horses would foal.”
    “They will,” was the confident reply.
    “But I want to see it.”
    To this no reply was given.

    How long Alicia had been sleeping that night she didn’t know but it couldn’t have been very long when she was awakened by her father.
    “Come on, Honey, wake up if you want to see a brand new foal.”
    Still sleepy, Alicia sat up and rubbed her eyes. “Is it morning?” she asked.
    “No, so be quiet,” was the whispered reply. “We don’t want to wake Amber or Mom.”
    Suddenly Alicia was wide awake. Quickly she pulled on her denim skirt over her nightgown and slipped her arms into her jacket, for it was chilly. Her boots were downstairs.
    Tiptoeing down the stairs to the kitchen, father and daughter paused as Alicia slid her feet into her boots. Trembling with excitement, Alicia clung to her daddy’s hand as they made their way out into the chilly night air across the dark, silent yard to the stables.
    Tyler, standing in the aisle near Ebony Dance’s stall, turned when the soft sound of approaching footsteps was heard. Without a word he beckoned to them. There was a rustling in the stall as they drew nearer.

    It was nearly dawn before Alicia finally fell asleep again. She had been so awed over the birth of the first spring foal, and so excited to have been up in the night to witness it, that for over an hour after she had been sent back to bed she lay wide awake reliving the birth and the little brown thing standing on long wobbly legs looking rather out of place beside her black mother.
    “I wonder what we should name her?” she thought drowsily just before she fell asleep.

    When she awakened next the sun was high in the sky and in astonishment that she had been allowed to sleep so late, she dressed in a hurry and dashed down the stairs.
    “Good morning, Alicia,” her mother greeted her with a kiss.
    “Morning, Mom! Did you see the filly? I watched it being born! Can’t I go see Ebony Dance and the baby right now, Mom? Please!”
    “Without breakfast?”
    “I’m not hungry.”
    Her mother nodded and Alicia raced away.
    To her surprise Alicia could see Ebony in the pasture and Amber and their dad watching. Climbing up on the fence on the other side of Amber, she rested her arms on the top rail. At last there was a baby on Xaner’s Horse Farm.
    “Let’s name the baby, At Last,” Alicia suggested and Amber quickly agreed. Then in silence they watched the horses.

Does it feel like your week is missing a few days?

Did you enjoy this short story?

What would you name a horse if you had a chance?