The Unexpected Phone Call

Max was looking in his closet  for his cherry red and yellow shirt to match his tie. While looking he came across a hanger with something sealed in plastic. It had been in the back of his closet. What could it be?

He guessed it must be a suit that he didn’t wear anymore. Probably grew out of it. It seemed he gained a few pounds recently. As long as it just stayed a few pounds he wasn’t too worried. Ahh! There it was, he had found his cherry red and yellow shirt.

Grabbing it he walked out of his closet with the sealed bag still hanging there,  momentarily forgotten. He dressed for work. His secretary would groan again at his choice of outfit but red was his favorite color and he thought yellow went just fine.

That evening when he entered his house he wss ready to relax! It had been an exhausting day of showing houses, but it had paid off. He had finally sold the MayApple house.

It was a beautiful 2 story house with a wrap-around porch. A spiral staircase and lovely cherry wood floors. A lot of people were not crazy about the paint job inside but this older lady loved it when she first saw it. It was a dark shade of green with colorful flowers all over. The lady who had painted it had been a real artist.

Max breathed out a sigh of relief as he poured himself a cold drink. He had some eztra padding in his bank account now, with the sale of this house.

When opening his closet to put away his shoes he noticed the hanger again with the plastic bag. Curious he pulled it out and started unzipping the bag. Catching a glimpse of something red, the memories came back. He knew what it was!

He pulled out the Santa suit that had been stored away. Why he didn’t just get rid of it he didn’t know. When would he be Santa again, he didn’t have time for it. A heaviness startrd replacing the light feeling that had been in his heart moments ago.

Max remembered the kids that used to sit on his lap. They were so cute with the things they would ask for. He used to visit hospitals and go to nursing homes too. He loved spreading cheer!

He loved it but he got too busy. He had bought a big house and a brand new convertible. Suddenly there was the stress of needing to earn more money than he had before when he lived in his rancher.

It had been a nic house but he had dreamed of bigger and better. This house had a swimming pool and a hot tub, it was his house of dreams, though he didn’t seem to be in it too much these days. He sighed, thinking of the days when life was easier.

Max laid the Santa suit out on the chair by his bed. He just wasn’t ready to seal it up yet.

His eyes startrd misting, but just a little. He wouldn’t let himself cry, as he looked at Marta’s picture on his dresser. His drive for earning more money had turned her away. She wanted the old Max back. She had told him to call her when he found the old Max. He watched her drive away in the rain, taking half of his heart with her.

He was deep in thought when the phone rang.

“Hello”

“Ho!Ho!Ho! Hi Max! I think we need to talk.”

“Santa Clause?”

“How would you like to visit me at the NorthPole? I will send some of my reindeer and elves to pick you up tomorrow at midnight, Ok?”

Max was practically speechless. “Um, sure, that sounds great!”

“See you tomorrow! Sleep well Max. Ho! Ho! Ho!”

The phone went dead and Max still held it in his hand. What was happening? There was no way that could have really been Santa Clause, could it?

Tuesday’s Thoughts!

 

2020 will soon be history in only a few days! Do you make New Year’s resolutions? I think the biggest resolution out of this year is to not take things for granted. We have been told that many times, but this year has made it more real than we ever thought it would be! I think we all can agree that we are more than ready to kick 2020 to the curb and to welcome in 2021! Stay safe and healthy everyone, I want to see you in 2021. Thank you for reading, and for your comments.  For the smiles and laughter you have brought through the year. How you have helped me maintain my sanity in a year that has been anything BUT sane! 

 

 

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

A Trip to Paradise?

Abby was thrilled! She had won 2 all expense paid tickets to the Grand Cayman Islands. Her adrenaline was flowing as she was shopping in the store with her best friend.

“Just think Janie, all our meals and drinks are covered. All we have to worry about is what bathing suit to wear while lying in the sun!” Abby’s smile was radiant. She needed a vacation and this one was beyond anything she had dreamed. 10 days in paradise! She was walking on air, only 2 days remained until they left.

“Tell me again, how you won this trip.” Janie said, as she was debating between a cherry red bikini or a deep orange one. Abby had picked a royal blue one piece, and a pink polka dot bikini. They grabbed sunscreen and some new white sandals, and made their way to the front of the store to check out.

“Oh, just look at that cute sun dress. I think it has my name on it.” said Abby, as she grabbed it from the rack. It was a pretty fuschia color with little specks of orange in it. Janie agreed that it would look great on her.

“I won the tickets from a phone call that I got. All I had to do was buy a subscription to some magazines and they promised me this fabulous vacation!” Abby gushed to her friend.

Janie felt some doubts creep in, but she pushed them away, for she really wanted to go on this vacation too. It had to be legit!

Before they knew it they were on the plane, bound for the Cayman Islands!

After a smooth flight they landed and anxiously looked around for their ride to their hotel. They were told a man would be holding a sign for them.

“Ahh! There he is!” Abby shouted!

They made their way to him and introduced themselves. He gave them each a warm handshake and said, “Very pleased to meet you! Welcome to the Grand Cayman Islands. Follow me and we will arrive at the hotel in about 15 minutes. ”

They couldn’t wait to get to the hotel and freshen up some and then go lay in the sun!

They were looking out the windows as they drove, admiring the beauty. Then before they knew it he had pulled in to a hotel and stopped.

Abby looked at Janie, surely there was a mistake. They had passed beautiful hotels and now they had stopped at what just looked like a bland concrete building. Sadly the sign did say the name of the hotel that Abby was told about. It was a blinking sign that looked like it was soon going to fall, for it was hanging awkwardly. It was as if it was mocking them with its name “Paradise!”

“Here we are! Welcome to Paradise!” the man said so cheerily!

Abby and Janie didn’t respond, as they numbly got out of the car and followed the guy into the hotel.

There was a musty smell, the carpet was stained and the paint was peeling on the walls.

The thrill of the moment was quickly turning into despair. The desk clerk gave them the room key and as they walked towards the elevator they told themselves that perhaps the rooms were elaborate, that they had to think positive.

Walking into the room a overpowering stench almost knocked them down. They were looking for a light switch when they saw the string hanging from the ceiling of a single lightbulb.

Abby sank into the bed and she felt the springs in the mattress. Tears sprang to her eyes. What had she done!

Janie screamed from the bathroom. “Abby we have to leave, I think there is a tarantula in the sink!”

That’s all Abby needed to hear, they grabbed their bags and ran. The desk clerk was calling out to them as they ran past her, but they just kept going. They gulped in the fresh air when they stepped outside.

Now what would they do. They decided to start walking, they had passed some really nice hotels, surely there must be one available room they could get.

Ahh! Now this was more like it. They walked into the hotel the floor was marbled stone and there were palm trees in the lobby with a fountain. Their room wasn’t elaborate, but it was clean! The beds were very soft, and cotton robes were hanging on the bathroom door for them. Most importantly there were no insects of any kind in the room. it had cost them more than they had expected but it was worth it!

“Now lets go lie in the sun”, they said together. They sure were ready for a nice cool Pina Colada Daquiri to enjoy , while lying by the water.

They had a wonderful time lying in the sun. After a while they decided to head back to the hotel and get dressed and then explore the island a little bit.

While heading back to the hotel Abby grabbed Janie’s arm, do you see that? What is that in the tree?

Image from Pinterest

“Its looking right at us! Its kind of cute I think”, said Janie.

Abby looked at her strangely. “Welllll…. maybe…. but what is it… You know all about animals!”

Janie smiled, “If I am not mistaken, i am pretty sure that is a Binturong. I can’t believe I am actually seeing one, they are very rare! This is so cool! Their tails are almost as long as their entire body and they act like another limb when they are climbing. Also if you pet one your hands may smell like buttered popcorn afterwards, due to its scent glands under its tail. The smell repels most predators! Should we go pet it?”

“ummm…! I am not sure about that! A Binturong? I have never heard of it. Lets just watch it for now!” said Abby, shaking her head, at the knowledge her friend had about animals. “Is there any animal that you haven’t heard of?” asked Abby.

Janie laughed. “I am sure there is! But right now, I am getting hungry, after mentioning popcorn, so lets go get dressed for supper.”

Abby agreed and they continued walking. She was still bummed at how her “all expense paid hotel” didn’t exactly turn out to be paradise, but they were in the Grand Cayman Islands, she was sure that wonderful adventures were just waiting for her and Janie to find!

Stirring of the Heart

Image from Pinterest

This post is a continuation from my Settling In post. This story appears to just keep going. Enjoy!

2 more weeks had passed since Katy had come to this remote island to hide out. She missed the city and her friends, but she was really enjoying living by the sea. Waking up to such a beautiful view each morning, was helping her become a morning person. She had surprised Patrick by joining him on more morning runs. They ran 2 miles, not 6, like he had tried telling her on the first morning she ran with him. Some mornings they ran, and some were more of a walk/jog type of morning. Katy enjoyed chatting with him, getting to know him better.

He shared about some of his cases with her. He had close calls before, his job was risky, but he loved it. Katy was intrigued as he shared the story about the young woman Tanya, whose name was really Anna. What a story! She felt a little strange about the fact that Tanya had been hiding out in this very cottage that Katy was in now.

One morning Katy had stayed behind when Patrick went running. She decided that she would surprise Patrick and John with a hot breakfast of eggs benedict, pancakes and bacon. She was frying the bacon when she heard the front door open.

“You are back early, but I will be finished soon.” Katy called out. She turned around when she heard footsteps enter the kitchen. Her breath caught in her throat, it wasn’t Patrick standing there.

“How nice of you to cook me breakfast, a shame that we don’t have time to eat it.” the man said. He had a straggly beard and was wearing sunglasses and a hat. Katy couldn’t see his eyes, but she saw the evil smirk on his face.

“Perhaps when we get to where we are going, you can cook me up something good, you pretty little thing.” Shivers and dread ran through Katy’s body. Where was John? Was he really sleeping through all this, and shouldn’t Patrick be back by now?

When the man reached out and ran his finger down her cheek with a suggestive smile, she grabbed the pot of boiling hot coffee and threw it on him! He screamed dropping his gun, and Katy quickly picked it up as she started to run for the door.

“Hands Up!” Katy turned around, and relief coursed through her when she saw John in the kitchen. He had the man’s arms behind his back, putting handcuffs on him, while the man was screaming in pain.

Patrick came through the door and his eyes widened in shock when he took in the scene in front of him.

“Nice of you to show up!” said John with a wry grin. “Fortunately Katy had it all under control!”

Patrick looked at Katy with deep concern in his eyes. “Are you okay?” he asked.

“I think.” she said, in a quivering voice, as she started shaking all over. She was looking really pale.

“I will take care of this guy, you take care of Katy.” said John, leading the guy out the front door.

Patrick led Katy to the couch and took the gun out of her trembling hand. Then he held her, waiting for her body to relax. After a little bit he went to the kitchen to get her a glass of water. Later that morning they were able to eat breakfast and Katy was beginning to relax. Patrick kept in touch with John throughout the day, and they found out that the man was acting alone. It was the brother of the guy that Katy had sent to prison. Katy was so glad to know that he was behind bars now with no bail, she was safe.

They didn’t head back to NYC right away. Patrick thought that Katy deserved to enjoy some fun outings now that the danger was gone. He took her into town to visit the shops and she ate at the Seaside Cafe. They went out on his boat a couple times, enjoying the tranquility of the sea, and took night walks along the water.

Katy stretched out in her bed on the last night there with her mind in a whirl. She didn’t want to leave. She was thinking about all the times Patrick and her had shared together. Her heart was fluttering with butterflies. What was happening? She had reminded herself several times over her stay that while Patrick was a very nice guy that she didn’t have time for men. She had told herself not to fall for him, but she was afraid it was too late!

A Child’s Dream

Image from Pinterest

The three horses had waited all Christmas day and Santa hadn’t come. They thought this year would be the year that he would take them to a new home. Surely there had to be a little boy or girl out there dreaming about getting a horse all of their own for Christmas! Snickers, Cream Puff, and Patches sighed, it looked like once again their hopes were dashed.

Did Santa not know where to find them? Wasn’t Santa supposed to know everything? After patiently waiting for Santa they had decided to go off on their own. Perhaps they would find children without Santa’s help. Now they stood outside of a gate looking at a small blue and grey stone house, with candles in the windows. They wondered, were their children in the house?

Samuel sat inside by the warm fireplace, it sure was a cold night tonight. He was sipping on his Hot Cocoa and his orange cat Marmalade was purring by his side. It had been a nice Christmas, he had received cards and packages from his children and grandchildren. His children sometimes worried about him living out in the country alone but he really enjoyed the peace and solitude. As a boy he had longed to live in the country, to have wide, open spaces where he could have a horse to ride and call his own. He picked up a little antique box beside him. It held special treasures inside. His Dad’s pocket watch and his Mom’s ruby red broach. It also held his last letter to Santa. He had never sent it, for he had given up on Santa. He shook his head now as he read it.

“Dear Santa,

This will by my last letter to you. I have been asking for a horse the past several years and never has there been one standing in my yard. So why should I ask anymore. I am beginning to wonder if you really exist! I don’t want to make you mad, but are you sure that you are real?

Samuel, the boy who loves horses!”

He folded the letter back up. Oh, the dreams of childhood. When he moved out on his own he was sure he would go to the country but he got such a good job offer in the city and he didn’t feel like he could pass it up. He didn’t regret it for he met his bride of 50 years in the city. His sweet Susannah, how he missed her still.

Samuel got up to get some more cocoa. He walked by the large window and something caught his eye. He looked again and gasped. Was he really seeing what he thought he saw? Quickly he bundled up in his coat and put on his boots and walked out the door.

There were 3 of them! Three beautiful horses just staring at him, like they were waiting for him. His heart was so full! He stroked them, wondering where the horses came from. He didn’t have any close neighbors. What farm did they wonder here from or did they not have a home? They seemed to love his attention, not being in a hurry to leave. Samuel opened the gate and they walked right in.

He stayed with them for awhile. Talked to them like they could understand him, that was the magic of animals. When around them and looking into their eyes it was like you expected them to start talking to you!

Samuel went back into his house and grabbed 3 heavy blankets and some apples. Walking back outside he was glad to see that they still were, he hadn’t dreamt it. He covered them and they quickly ate the golden delicious apples. Then he bid them goodnight, looking up into the night sky with a smile on his face.

Back inside his house, Samuel grabbed a piece of paper and sat down at his desk. Marmalade jumped on the desk wanting to see what he was doing.

“Dear Santa,

Thank you for making my dream finally come true! I do believe in you. Could you please now send me a barn?

Sincerely,

Samuel

P.S. Please don’t let the barn take as long as the horses did!”

Inside Santa’s Workshop

 

“All I want for Christmas is a Hippopotamus,,,!” sang Alabaster as he was putting finishing touches on a toy. Tink looked at Alabaster, “You do realize this is the 3rd time in a row that you are singing that song, right?” Snowball gave Tink a wink and pushed a button on his toy of a chipmunk that was hula hooping.  The Chipmunk Christmas song of Alvin wanting a hula hoop drowned out Alabaster’s singing, much to his dismay!

Tink smiled and went back to was working on putting together a counting toy for kids. He was very happy in helping kids learn how to count. Working with numbers was his favorite thing to do. That was why he loved being Santa’s accountant, but today they needed all the elves to work on the toys! It was Christmas Eve and they were racing against the clock! 

Jinx had finished making the toy xylophone and was having fun playing it. After all he had to make sure that it worked. Jangle had a pair of headphones on that he was testing. Everyone was busy, and Chef Salvo was keeping the coffee flowing for them! He also had plenty of Eggnog available, for you had to have Eggnog at Christmas. Snowball  wasn’t a coffee drinker, but he was guzzling down the Eggnog. 

“Watch out that the reindeer don’t run over you with all that Eggnog that you are drinking. Remember what happened to Grandma!” Jinx said to him, and soon Alabaster was singing “Grandma got run over by a reindeer!” 

Snowball rolled his eyes, as he took another gulp and continued working on the next toy. They were making progress the list was getting scratched off and the toys for Santa’s sleigh were piling up higher and higher. They were all excited for the party they would have after all the toys were ready! Santa always gave them one gift on Christmas Eve. 

The cups of coffee and Eggnog kept coming and the music kept playing, accompanied by certain elves belting out their own Christmas tunes at times. Snowball started singing “White Christmas”, and Jinx looked at him saying, “Have you looked outside recently? You do remember we are at the North Pole, right, not Hawaii!” When Jinx said Hawaii, Alabaster started singing, “Mele Kalikimaka”. and they all started dreaming of being somewhere warm!

Finally each elf was working on their very last toy and they were all excited. The end was very near and then ,,, “What happened to all the gift wrap!” yelled Jangle.  His question was met by stunned silence as they all looked at the empty cardboard tubes of wrapping paper lying all around. What were they going to do now? 

“I have an idea!” said Snowball. “I will be right back.”  and before anyone could say anything, he was out the door. The elves looked at each other wondering what he was up too. While waiting for him they kept busy with bonking each other on the head, for what else did you do with cardboard tubes? 

Soon Snowball burst in the door carrying a big bag in his hand. What was in his bag? He walked to the center of the room and started pulling out rolls and rolls of colored toilet paper and throwing them to the other elves. There was enough to layer the gifts well. 

He walked over to his table with his friends and they all stared at him in surprise. “Where did you find so much toilet paper?” asked Jinx. “Oh, I always stock up on toilet paper, you never can have too much, right?” His friends just shook their heads, as they laughed. Alabaster grabbed a cardboard tube and bonked him on the head saying, “I deem you the Toilet Paper King!” 

It didn’t take long at all for them to finish up and a cheer arose as Jangle put the last gift on the pile, accidentally causing the stack to come crashing down. They all helped to restack the pile and then anxiously awaited Santa’s arrival for the party to begin. Santa soon would be walking in the door with his “HO! HO! HO!” and sack of gifts for his hardworking elves. When the song, “Santa Clause is coming to town” started. they all turned and looked toward the door. “My favorite song!” said Tink, as he danced to the music. 

Santa handed out the gifts and all the elves were delighted with a flitterygibbet toy of their own and then each of them got one more. Tink got a Sudoku book, Jangle got new sound cancelling headphones, so that he can rock away to his “Rocking around the Christmas Tree” music, Jinx got a new CD to add to his music collection, Alabaster got a book full of puns! The others wondered what Santa was thinking, for Alabaster didn’t need any help! Snowball got a new History book that he was eager to read. they also all had a small lump of coal hidden in their gifts. They wondered who else might have had a hand in wrapping their gifts! 

The party was fun, but it couldn’t last too long as they needed to get the toys loaded on Santa’s sleigh. Jinx, Jangle, Tink and the others started to head out of the party at the same time. Alabaster and Snowball were walking right behind Tink, when suddenly a reindeer came running towards them! They all jumped out of the way, well except for Snowball who hadn’t been looking. The reindeer knocked him down and ran right over him. 

He was dazed lying in the snow, feeling a little loopy, but the reindeer had lightly treaded on him so he wasn’t hurt too bad. Jinx said, “I tried to warn you about what happened to Grandma…when drinking too much Eggnog.”  The others started laughing as Alabaster once more burst into song. 

Later that night after Santa’s sleigh was loaded and all the elves had gathered to send him off into the sky, Candy Cane stayed outside looking at the stars in the sky, enjoying the magic of the Silent Night. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tuesday’s Thoughts!

Only 3 more days!!

We didn’t get quite the blizzard that they were calling for last week, but we did get 8 inches! It looks pretty, though may be gone by Christmas. Are you ready for Christmas? Shopping done, gifts wrapped and under the tree? Gift wrapping is on my list of things to do today and baking.

Christmas is a magical time and I hope that all of you can be touched by a Christmas miracle this year. After the year this has been, we all can use one! Keep your eyes open! Miracles come in all shapes and sizes to warm your heart. Keep looking up!

1

2

3

4.

5

6

7

8.

9.

10

The Magic of the Rocks

Here is the sequel to my post Following the Glowing Rocks , after all I couldn’t let the poor guys stuck in the holes. Enjoy! 

The guys sat in the deep holes, wondering how they were going to get out. They shouted to each other, making sure all of them were okay, and they were. It would have been pretty sad to have climbed a mountain, with no injuries, only to hurt themselves by falling in some holes! Fortunately they  still had some bananas left in their food backpack that Billy carried. He tried his best to throw the bananas out of the hole and into the other holes, but it was really hard to do when he couldn’t see. 3 bananas ended up scattered on the ground, and the only one that got to eat a banana was Billy. 

It appeared that they all were going to be stuck in their holes until someone really kind came along, but how long that was going to take, was the million dollar question. 

Jack wished that there would be something interesting in the hole to take a picture of, but plain brown dirt wasn’t too exciting. Kolby decided he would make good use of the time by sleeping, and Quincy still couldn’t decide whether to stay seated or to stand, he was restless. Billy thought a nap sounded good too, what else was there to do, his eyes began to grow heavy, when suddenly they popped open! He heard voices. 

“What are these bananas doing on the ground? Were the monkeys throwing them from the trees again? They need to be careful, I could have slipped and hurt myself.” 

“Yeah, and if you would have slipped, we would have fallen off your back!” said Myrtle the turtle. 

“Hey! Who is out there, we need your help!” shouted Jack, his friends shouted out as well. 

Henrietta, Myrtle and Tulag were stunned, where were the voices coming from? Then they spied the holes and figured it out! 

“My friends and I will try our best to help you, we just need to figure out how, replied Henrietta, the long necked hippo. 

“Just throw down a rope!” yelled Billy. 

“We don’t have one!” Myrtle yelled back. 

“Hey guys, I have the climbing ropes in my backpack.” Quincy said. Why hadn’t they thought of that before! They all smacked themselves on the head. He threw a rope out of the hole and Henrietta stepped on it. 

“Okay, start climbing.” said Henrietta. 

Quincy climbed up the rope and was so glad when he got to the top and out of the hole. Then he almost fell backwards into the hole when he saw who was stepping on the rope! A HIPPO! 

“Hi!” said Henrietta and the turtles, all Quincy could do was stare at them. 

“Hey Quincy, we want to get out of the holes too, throw us the ropes!” his friends called. 

Soon all of them were standing out of the holes and staring open mouthed at Henrietta and the 2 turtles. 

“Wow!” was all they could say. They looked at the rocks in their hands and they still were glowing. What kind of magical place had they walked into. Henrietta and Myrtle told them that they didn’t have to go that much farther to get to the tunnel. They encouraged them to go, saying what they would see there would be really cool! 

“Follow us, we will lead the way!” Henrietta said with a smile. 

Jack had never seen a hippo smile before, well he had never seen a long necked hippo either. He thought he knew his animals but he was beginning to question himself. What was he going to meet next, a short necked giraffe? 

The friends looked at each other, what did they have to lose? If they didn’t follow them to the tunnel, they might always wonder what they missed. So off they went. 

They enjoyed chatting to Henrietta, Myrtle and Tulag, as they walked. It soon didn’t seem strange at all to be talking to animals. Before too long they saw the tunnel, and it took their breath away. It dazzled with beauty and looked so inviting. 

“Go inside it, go ahead!” said Myrtle. 

They all entered the tunnel and soon they themselves were glowing. Then the rocks transformed into instruments. Each of them had  an instrument to play. There were 2 guitars, a snare drum and a saxaphone! They were in awe! 

“Its the magic of the rocks! You have your own rock band now! Go ahead and play!” Henrietta said. 

“But we don’t know how!” 

“Yes, you do! You stepped into the magic tunnel with the magic rocks! Try it!.” said Myrtle. 

The guys couldn’t believe it, could it really be possible? Jack beat the snare drum and Billy strummed the guitar and soon it was like the instruments were playing themselves. They really sounded good! Then Henrietta started singing and they were in even more shock. A singing Hippo! They never knew a Hippo could sing so beautifully! They kept playing until suddenly they were holding rocks in their hands again. 

“Sorry, the magic rocks only last for so long!” said Henrietta. 

They all walked back out of the tunnel shaking their heads, so glad they had found the rocks and came to the tunnel. It was worth being stuck in some holes for awhile! 

“Thank you so much for leading us to the tunnel, this was awesome!” Billy said. 

“You really are a great singer, Henrietta!” said Jack. 

Myrtle and Tulag snickered. “Remember, it was a magic tunnel!” 

Henrietta made a face, “Oh you all are just jealous.” 

“Can you sing again for us, please?” said Kolby. “I love music and your voice was so beautiful.” 

Henrietta blushed and opened her mouth wide, starting to sing. 

She only got out a few words and the guys faces quickly changed from being in awe, to dismay!

“Like I said, the tunnel has a magic all of its own!” said Myrtle with a wink. 

“Well we hate to say goodbye, but we better get going before it gets dark and we can’t find our way back. Thanks again for your help today! Maybe we will have to come back again sometime.” They then made a hasty retreat, as Henrietta was still singing her lungs out. 

After walking awhile, Billy said, ” I think I am going to buy a guitar, I played really well!” 

Kolby said, “Umm.. remember we were in a magical tunnel!”  and Billy made a face. “But you never know, I just may be talented.” 

“Hypothetically speaking, perhaps,” said Jack. 

“I just know that all that rocking out to our great music made me hungry, lets all go get some food. Something besides bananas!” 

That was something they all could agree on!

 

 

 

 

Settling In

This is a sequel to my Facing Uncertainty post. Hope you like it!

Katy had been in her safe-house for a week now and was trying to get used to this new way of life.

It was quite different from her busy life as an attorney! She was almost finished reading her 3rd novel, sbe was going to have to send Patrick or John out for more books.

One of them was always with her. It was strange never being alone! They were good at giving her privacy, but they were always in the cottage. It did make her feel safe. Right now she didn’t really want to be alone.

Pstrick had been right about the food, it was really good. Depending on how long she had to hide out she may gain a lot of weight! He brought her seafood from a Cafe. Anything she wanted she could have and they had rich, chocolaty desserts.

Putting her book down she stepped out of her cottage to look at the ocean. She couldn’t go into town but Patrick did say that she could step out of her cottage to enjoy the sea. It helped her keep her sanity. Watching the waves roll and hearing them crash against the shore.

She saw Patrick’s boat coming. He had supper with him.

He was smiling when he stepped out of the boat. “Getting a little fresh air, I see.”

“Yes, i thought I should probably do some exercises to burn off all this good food that I have been eating!”

“You are welcome to join me on my morning jog tomorrow.” Patrick said.

Katy used to jog before she got so busy. It would be good to get back into it.

“Thanks! I think I will, now lets go eat, the smell is tantilizing.”

After a supper of clam strips and shrimp with lava cake, Katy knew that she had to go jogging tomorrow.

Her alarm went off and she groggily tried to turn it off but kept hitting the wrong button. UGH! Who went jogging at 5am! She should have asked Patrick the time before agreeing to go.

She still remembered his smirk as he said Good Night last night and then added. “See you at 5am!” Her face must have shown her shock as he chuckled. He probably didn’t expect her to actually come but she would show him.

Pulling her hair up into a messy bun, she threw on her favorite sweats and went downstairs to meet him.

“Well look who made it up!” Patrick and John smiled at her as they said Good Morning.

“Are you coming jogging too?” Katy said too John. He was an older man, very nice guy. He had trained Patrick.

“Nope, I will keep an eye on the cottage and enjoy the exercise of lifting my coffee cup.” he joked, as he took a drink of coffee.

Patrick and Katy left the cottage and started jogging. Katy noticed the gun in Patrick’s pocket. She hoped he wouldn’t have to use it! There were moments when she could forget that someone actually wanted her dead, but then the harsh reality made her blood run cold.

Patrick noticed the change in her demeanor when she saw his gun.

“I promise, John and I will keep you safe, and you won’t be hiding forever. Now are you ready to jog 6 miles?”

“6 miles! Are you insane?” Katy replied.

“C’mon! Keep up slowpoke.” and Patrick took off running.

“Hey, I thought we were jogging, not running!” Katy yelled, running to catch up.

Following the Glowing Rocks

The four friends were pondering the messages that they had seen on the rocks. They all had been rock climbing and when they made it to the top of the mountain they found 7 rocks in a circle. They each had one word on them. The rocks spelled out “The Magic Tunnel is waiting for You!”

On the bottom of each rock was a map showing the way to go. They were very curious, but should they really go? They kept debating.

“Will you make up your mind!” Billy said to Quincy. “Eithet sit or stand! How can we think when you keep moving up and down?”

Quincy sat down and they began talking once more about the mysterious rocks.

“Whoa! Look!” Jack said. “The rocks are changing colors and glowing!” He quickly grabbed his camera and started snapping. All of them were mesmerized.

Now they all were in agreement. There was no doubt about it, they had to follow the rocks. Who knew what cool things they may find in the tunnel! After studying the maps for a little bit they decided they were ready to go.

They all climbed back down the mountain and started heading for the magic tunnel. They were making good progress when suddenly Jack stepped into a snare.

His heart began to beat like a bass drum.

About the same time the other guys yelled as they fell into deep holes!

Now what were they going to do? Billy laid in the deep hole thinking, what a fine kettle of fish they were in now, and he let out a long sigh.