Florida - Part 6

Hello, FFFs,

This week has been cooler. It even dropped below freezing one night. But now it is starting to get warmer. We've had sunshine this week. It's amazing how wonderful the sunshine is when you've had so many cloudy days.

Did you all have a good Resurrection Sunday? We did. It was quiet. We watched last year's Easter sermon from someone we really enjoy listening to, then we joined a live service and got to listen to our pastor's son-in-law preach. We knew my brother and his family were watching too, and some others, so that was nice.

As far as writing goes this week, it's been good. Twice I have written 2k words in a day. And so far I'm around 18,400 words written for Camp this month. I think I need to up my goal again. Should I just move it to 30k since I still have two weeks left? I figured that if I finish this Secret Project before the end of the month (not sure if I will or not), then I'll just write something else. ;)

Well, I hope you enjoy this final part of this story about Ria's gift. Make sure you read the note after the story because I'll tell you what really happened to my grandma.

Florida

    Lydia gave a gasp that was almost like a scream. Her eyes widened as she looked around, and then whispered, “Where . . . where is he?”

    But Ria shook her head. “I don’t know. Come on.”

    All that day Ria and Lydia kept glancing into corners, under desks, and behind doors. Chris, Dave, and Walt joined them in the lunch room, for it was too cold to walk home, and it wasn’t long before Ria told them of the empty aquarium tank.

    “Maybe he got out and is wandering around the school looking for his lunch,” Dave whispered. “Oh!” He jerked his leg. “Something’s biting my foot!”

    Lydia did scream that time, and sprang up from the table knocking over her chair.

    The cafeteria grew silent, and all eyes turned in their direction.

    Ria looked under the table and then kicked her cousin. “There’s nothing there, Dave, and you know it,” she said. “Sit down, Lydia, he’s only trying to scare us.”

    Dave’s eyes widened. “I thought there was something biting my foot. Maybe it was just my shoe.”

    Walt and Chris exchanged glances, and Ria was sure Dave would catch it from the rest of the gang if he didn’t behave. Of course Dave wouldn’t care. Of all the gang, Dave was the most likely to cause trouble in some way or another. But Ria didn’t think about Dave and his joke much, she wanted to know what happened to Florida.

    Before the week was over ,everyone in school knew the alligator had disappeared, but no one knew where or how. Everyone went around cautiously, wondering if they would suddenly find an alligator behind a door or under a desk. Questions abounded. Did he die and get taken away and disposed of? Had he climbed from his home, wandered out an open door, and frozen to death in the cold winter weather? When asked, all the teachers shook their heads and could offer no explanation. A few looked nervous. The principal had been sick in the hospital for several days over the time Florida had vanished, so Ria knew he hadn’t done anything.

    “I just don’t understand it,” she said to Chris and Lydia as they trudged home through the snow. “How could an alligator just disappear like that? Did someone break into the school and take him away?”

    “Beats me.” Chris kicked aside a clump of snow. “No one seems to have a clue what happened. Maybe it wandered outside.”

    “But then,” Lydia said, “wouldn’t someone have found it dead? Florida wasn’t exactly small enough to fit in a cigar box now.”

    Chris had to agree with that, and nothing more was said.

    But Ria kept wondering.

*

    “Mr. Mulford!” Ria called, almost running down the hall about a week later when she caught sight of the returned principal.

    Principal Mulford, an older man with iron gray hair and a slight limp from the last war, stopped and waited. Though firm and even stern when need required, he wasn’t intimidating.

    Slightly out of breath, Ria blurted out, “Do you know where Florida is?”

    The principal glanced around quickly and then said slowly, as though he was expecting a joke of some sort. “Yes.”

    “Oh, where?”

    “Down in the southeastern part of the United States.” He looked down at Ria and added, “You should already know that, Ria.”

    Ria burst into a merry laugh. “Not that Florida; I know where the state is. I meant my alligator that Tom sent me. The one who came to live here.”

    Understanding filled the principal’s face, and he chuckled. “I was beginning to think either I had missed something on the news or you had failed in geography,” he said. “The alligator. Yes, I know where it went. Doesn’t everyone?”

    “No, sir. Chris and I have asked everyone at school, and no one, not even the teachers know. Please, what happened to him?”

    “The Kansas City Zoo took him. He was growing too large for us to keep him here, so I called an old friend of mine who works at the zoo. He came by sometime when I was in the hospital. My wife brought him over and let him in the school, and I thought she was going to tell Mr. Beemer. She must have forgotten.” He shook his head. “So, don’t worry about your alligator, Ria. He’s gone to a good home. Now you’d better hurry along to class or you’ll be late.”

*

    Dear Tom,

Florida is now in the zoo. Can you imagine that tiny thing you sent me months ago growing up in a zoo? I still find it hard to believe, but the girls at school are relieved, since everyone was wondering what had happened and were half expecting to find an alligator anywhere around school. Now, please don’t send me any more alligators! And don’t try any snakes, or birds, or other live creatures. Perhaps you should stick with things like shells, or postcards.

Love, Ria

Historical Note:
My grandma really did receive a baby alligator in the mail from her brother who was stationed down in Florida. The mailman really did stop and watch while she opened it because he was curious. My grandma's alligator grew and they had to use some of their ration coupons to buy meat for it. The local school that my grandma attended finally agreed to take the alligator and keep it in one of their aquariums. Then one day, my grandma, just like Ria, stopped to see her pet, and found he wasn't there. She doesn't know what became of him. It was winter at the time in Indiana, and she wondered if he'd gotten outside and died. Whether she knew at one time and has just forgotten (she's 91), or whether she never did know, we aren't sure.

Did you have a good Easter Sunday?

Did you enjoy this Ria and the Gang story?

I'm not sure what to post next week, any suggestions?

Florida - Part 5

Good morning, FFFs,

The weather has been crazy here! We had two days of low 90ºs and then it dropped and last night it was just above freezing. What are we having? Spring? Summer? or back to Winter? I'd rather have spring a little longer, thank you very much.

Camp NaNo– I'm trying to write. Some days are wonderful and I get a thousand or 1,500 words written. Other days it's a struggle to get a few hundred words written. But so far I've managed to get something written every day this month. And I'm still on track to reach my 15k goal. I would really like to up that goal to 20k, but we'll see how the story goes. I have ideas for future scenes, but I can't write them out of order very well.

I know this introduction isn't very long, but I don't have a whole lot to say. So you can go ahead and read this next to last part of the story. I hope you enjoy it!

Florida
Part 5

    Late Saturday afternoon found Ria hiding over at Corporal's house. “I just had to escape!” she explained, dropping onto the couch in a limp heap. “Kids have been over there since before breakfast. We have a few moments of quiet and then another knock comes. Chris says I should have sold tickets.” Shaking her head, she sighed. “I think I need a schedule of who can come over and when. You know, visiting hours or something.”

    The older man chuckled. “Well, I must say an alligator in town is a novelty. Don’t worry, the newness will wear off, and thenmost folks won’t even remember you have a creature from Florida.”

    “But what do I do until then?” Ria wailed. Glancing out the window toward her house next door, she saw more people approaching the porch. “I don’t think the line is ever going to end. Mr. Beemer, he’s the science teacher at school, came by earlier. He gave me some suggestions on how to feed Florida. Did you know that alligators can get really big?”

    “Yep. What are you going to do when he outgrows that pail?”

    “Uh, we do have an old washtub that I can move him to.” Then Ria’s eyes widened. “Will he get too big for that?”

    With a grin, the older man nodded. “I reckon so.”

    “Then, I . . . I don’t know. Mom can hardly stand the sight of him when he’s this little. Uh oh. Here comes Walt. I told Chris and Ray where I was going in case I was needed.” She stood up slowly. “Thanks for letting me hide out here, Colonel.”

    The old man smiled. “You’re welcome here any time, Ria. You know that.”

    Walt knocked on the door and then stepped inside. “Ria, you’re wanted. Someone from the paper wants to take your picture with Florida.”

    “Goodness me! I’ll have to send a copy of the article to Tom and tell him what a fuss he’s caused in Plainville.” After another long sigh, she waved to Colonel and went back home with Walt.

*

    For weeks the excitement of a real live alligator kept the Mitchelll home busy. The picture and article came out in the local paper and brought even more visitors. There were friends and relatives, schoolmates, strangers, and even some people who were just passing through town. During all the commotion Florida continued to eat and grow and never seemed disturbed by all the fuss. Ria’s suggestion of everyone bringing a piece of meat for the alligator had also made it into the paper, and contributions for Florida’s meals poured in.

    But like all novelties, the excitement wore off after a time, and the visitors dwindled until only the gang and a few friends stopped to see him. Florida outgrew his milking pail home and was settled in the larger washtub Chris had discovered in the attic. With the lack of visitors came a lack of meat, and some of the family’s food stamps had to go to purchase meat for their somewhat unwanted pet.

    “Now he’s eating our steaks,” Chris grumbled as he looked down at Florida who was enjoying his supper.

    Ria nodded. “I know. What are we going to do with him, Chris? I wish we could send him back to Tom.”

    As the days grew colder, some place had to be found for Florida to live, for Mrs. Mitchell put her foot down about him living in the house any longer.

    “Absolutely not,” she said. “I didn’t mind so much when he was smaller, but that creature is growing so quickly I can almost see him do it! I’m afraid you’ll have to find somewhere else for him to live, Ria.”

    Fiddling with her fork, Ria stared down at her potatoes. “I’d be happy to send him somewhere, because he is a lot of work, but where can I send him?”

    “Would they take him at the school?” Mr. Mitchell asked. “They have aquariums with fish and turtles in them. Why not an alligator?”

    At that, Ria looked at her brother quickly. “Perhaps they would! Chris, let’s ask at school tomorrow.”

*

    After some talk, the high school agreed to take Florida off Ria’s hands. Soon he was established in his own aquarium, and Ria stopped by almost every day to see him. It was a relief not to have the gangly, growing creature at home any longer. In one of her letters to her brother Ed, she wrote,

    “Florida seems to enjoy his new home very much. Since the walls are glass, he has a much better view than he did before. The other kids enjoy watching him. Well, some do. Some of the girls hurry past his home with averted heads. It’s silly, really–being afraid of Florida, I mean. I wonder how large he will grow. Tom said he’s seen some really big ones.”

*

    One Monday morning, on her way to class, Ria stopped short and stared. Florida wasn’t in his large, glass aquarium.

    “Florida?” She began to look around, half expecting to see her alligator emerge from a closet.

    “Come on, Ria, we’ll be late for class.” Lydia hurried up behind Ria and tugged at her arm. “What are you looking for anyway?”

    “Florida isn’t in his home anymore.”

    Lydia gave a gasp that was almost like a scream. Her eyes widened as she looked around, and then whispered, “Where . . . where is he?”

Where do you think Florida is?

Have you been writing?

What's your weather been like?

Florida - Part 4

Good morning, FFFs,

Has life changed drastically for you with the coronavirus? The biggest change for me is no church. I miss the fellowship.

My niece, Kinsley, was born last Friday evening. She has a round face and dark hair. So cute. The other kids are in love with her.

I'm doing Camp NaNo and so far I'm making good progress on my Secret Project. I have ideas for it, I just don't know how they all fit together. ;) But so far, when I get stuck I lie on the floor, stare at the ceiling and think about the story until the next scene pops into my head. I know it sounds odd, but it's worked so far. :)

I'm also working on getting some of my longer kindle stories formatted for 4x6 paperback. I can't wait to get the proof copies! So far I have three non-Christmas books formatted that size, and am working on another. I'm wanting to publish "Choices for Max" and "Mystery at Random"  as small books.

Oh, if you haven't already, head over to Read Another Page and try your hand at the games I created just for you! By doing so you can enter a giveaway.

The weather has been warmer. Still lots of clouds and rain, but mixed in with that is sunshine, so it hasn't been too bad. I got our yard mowed yesterday. Well, all except where the flowers were blooming. The grape hyacinths and wild sweet Williams are in bloom, so I mowed around them. Last Saturday my nephews and I went down to the creek and picked up 3 bags of trash. It still needs more clean up.

Here's your next part of this story. I hope you enjoy it!

Florida

    “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.”
    “I’d still be lonely.”
    Chris looked surprised. “You would?”
    “Yep. All those people would come to see Florida, not me. I could hide in the closet, and they wouldn’t notice as long as the strange and exotic creature from down south was around to gawk at.”
    Laughing, Chris pulled her braid lightly. “You read too many books. Come on, I’ll help you figure out where to put him. Or is it a her?”
    Ria shrugged.

    After supper Mr. Mitchell stopped in the kitchen where Ria was drying dishes. “You know, Ria, you could probably ask the science teacher at school how to take care of an alligator.”
    Ria turned quickly. “I was going to do that today, Daddy, but with all the kids pestering to come see it, I didn’t get a chance to. I’ll do that tomorrow. You don’t think Florida will die before then, do you?”
    “No,” Mr. Mitchelll chuckled, “I don’t think Florida will die before then.”

*

    Mr. Beemer, the science teacher, told Ria things she could feed her new pet and asked it he might stop by and see him on Saturday. To this Ria agreed happily.
    Word of Ria’s alligator spread more rapidly than a brush fire in July. All day, schoolmates stopped her to ask if it was true. Did she really have an alligator at her home? Had one of the gang really sent it? Could they come see it?
    To everyone Ria had one answer. “Yes.”
    By the time school was out Ria wanted to hide. It felt like the entire school was following her to her house. Suddenly she stopped short and turned around, looking for someone.
    “Who are you looking for?” Chris asked. Somehow he’d managed to find his way to his sister’s side.
    “Ray. Well, I was looking for Al first, but then I remembered he graduated.”
    For a moment Chris scanned the crowd and then motioned to someone. A moment later Ray shouldered his way through the chattering crowd of schoolmates. “Ria wantes you.”
    Ria thought she heard a note of sadness in her brother’s voice. “I want you both,” she quickly said. “Tom said I wasn’t to let the gang torment Florida, but what about all these kids?” And she glanced at the crowd who were beginning to urge them to keep going and to ask what was taking so long.
    “Let them in a few at a time and tell them they can’t touch him.” Ray suggested.
    “And only let them stay a short time,” added Chris quickly.
    “I don’t know if Mom’s going to like this many people crowding into the house and then out again.”
    “She’s right.” Chris nodded, looking at their older cousin. Ray was only a year older than Chris, but he was also a higher rank in ROTC. “It’ll be a logistical nightmare.”
    After a little more talk, Ray climbed up onto a bench, whistled, and called for attention. “We know you all want to see the alligator, but so many of you at once might not be good for his temper. Besides, we have to figure out how to get you all in and then out of the house without Aunt Emma having a fit.” Ray smiled. “So, come over tomorrow sometime.”
    “And,” Ria scrambled up onto the bench beside her cousin, “if you want to see him eat, bring a small piece of meat.”
    There were some groans, and some unkind remarks about making them wait, but most of the kids didn’t mind a slight delay, and the crowd soon dispersed, except for the rest of the gang and all the younger siblings and cousins. Together they were enough to almost fill the Mitchell home.
    “Ria,” Dave asked, edging up to her as she accepted Ray’s hand to step down from the bench, “do you really have an alligator? A live one? Or is this some big joke?”
    “Come see.” Ria set off for home, flanked on one side by her brother and on the other by Ray.

    Later that evening as Chris and Ria sat in the living room playing Chinese Checkers, Chris said, “You know, Ria, that was a great idea about asking the kids to bring meat. I got to thinking, it’s going to take some of our food stamps to get meat for him. Maybe we should require a little bit of meat from everyone who wants to see him. Not much, just a small piece.”
    Ria moved a marble thoughtfully. “But won’t it make him sick if he eats too much at once?”
    It was Chris’s turn to look thoughtful. “Maybe. I don’t know. Maybe we should wait and see who comes with meat tomorrow.”

Do you think Chris was right about why Jack sent Florida?

Are you doing Camp NaNo?

What has your week been like?

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?