Short Fiction – Page 5 – Prolific Pulse Blog

New Horizons

December 23, 2020 Lisa Tomey-Zonneveld

“My dear girl, you are young and it’s good to check out new horizons, especially when where you’ve been has not brought you enough joy,” Clarabelle responded to Shandy, her new friend to be, “I also sought new horizons when I was younger; I suppose it was a different time back then, maybe more simple, but I knew I had to find something other than the sadness…umm, well, you know, life sometimes needs change, don’t you think?”

Shandy patted Clarabelle on the back of her hand and smiled, the two just looked at each other for a brief moment when the bell rang for orders to be picked up, “please stick around, and I will be back, that is, unless you have some things you need to go do, I don’t want to keep you, but, well, you are so nice and, well, it’s something I don’t see enough of, especially when people come in and don’t look at me, and, well, uh, you see me,” and Shandy went off to pick up her orders.

Clarabelle sat and sipped her tea and contemplated her next stop, not desiring to go there and having a little time, she was glad to wait for her new friend to come back for a visit; Shandy came with a piece of apple pie ala mode, “this is on the house; and I am done working for this day, thank goodness, and I thought I would join you for desert,” each with their dessert plates and drinks, the two ladies chatted up to get to know each other.

Shandy shared that she was an only child and that her life was just a simple one, but with both parents deceased, she had nothing to hold her in North Carolina, and she decided to give the Midwest a try; it was colder weather, but she didn’t mind having a change of scenery and truly enjoyed the sunsets and the Mississippi River, and it also helped that her Aunt Rebecca opened up her home and let Shandy stay there; Clarabelle listened with great focus, except when the nagging thoughts about her appointment interrupted her demeanor; Shandy picked up on this and asked, “what seems to be troubling you, Clarabelle?”

Picking at the remains of her pie, Clarabelle looked up at Shandy and confessed, “I have an appointment in about an hour and I am not looking forward to it, it’s for a follow up from my mammogram, and, well, it makes me nervous to think that something could be wrong.”

Shandy placed her hand on Clarabelle’s shoulder and gave her a gentle squeeze, “well, you don’t have to do through this alone, now, do you, as I have time to go with you, that is if you want me to go,” to which Clarabelle sighed a relieved sigh and nodded her head, yes.

…..

There you have it! This my response to this weeks Six Sentence Story prompt HORIZON

And you can join us by going to Girlie on the Edge.

This week’s story is a continuation and you can see the prior links here:

Week 1

Week 2

Short Fiction, short story, six sentence story

Menu to Start a Friendship

December 10, 2020 Lisa Tomey-Zonneveld

Menu to Start a Friendship

Clarabelle stared at the menu for what seemed a long time, based on the tapping of the pen on the waitress’s pad, her eyes squinting, frowning as if it were her time being wasted.

“I am so sorry, but it is hard for me to decide what it is I want, you see, my dear Herbie used to select what we would have to eat, it was the only time he made such decisions, usually it was up to me to decide what to cook, so you see I cannot decide, do you have a suggestion?”

Rolling her eyes and then alerting to a focus, the waitress suggested the steak and eggs with a side of shredded hash browns with onions.

“Oh, thank you, so much, that sounds lovely, how kind of you to help me, this is so hard…” her voice trailed off and a tear rolled down her cheek and edged on her deep berry toned lips, “I am so sorry, it’s just that…” and she bent her head down and soaked her now freely falling tears with her napkin.

Softening her frown into a soft smile, the waitress reached across and patted Clarabelle’s shoulder and said, “ma’am, I am so sorry, Herbie must have been quite the man.”

Clarabelle looked up at the waitress and really probed into her eyes and said, “thank you, he was, what is your name?”

Be sure and go to Girlie on the Edge and add your story 🙂

Short Fiction, six sentence story

The First Haircut

November 11, 2020November 12, 2020 Lisa Tomey-Zonneveld

The First Haircut

Clip, clip, clip the scissors snipped as long curls fell to the floor, and the strands of blonde bounced into short, puffy curls, dancing on the little boy’s scalp; Giggling as he watched the lengths of hair fall to the floor, Jeremy reached for his treat, a lollipop, a big circle of swirls with enough hardened sugar to keep him awake until dawn.

“Not yet, Jeremy, honey, you have to wait until she’s done, unless you want a hairy lollipop, one you’d have to throw away,” said his grandmother. Frowning, but understanding, Jeremy placed his hands on his knees and patted them, in a self-soothing, but impatient manner.

“Mother! What have you done?” Jeremy’s mother cried as she saw Jeremy, sans his long curls, and bearing a huge sucker, along with a red stained chin.

“Honey, don’t fret or be upset, it was time for Jeremy to have his first haircut; his hair was to his shoulders and was getting all tangled up, not to mention his being teased by the other kids in his class; it was just the right time,” Jeremy’s grandmother assured his mother.

“The thing is,” Jeremy’s mother stated, with tears streaming down her face, “I was waiting for his daddy to return home from the war, so he could be here for his first haircut, and I know, it’s been a good while, but it was my hope and, well, I know you understand, as maybe it was too much to ask…” and that was when Jeremy’s grandmother showed her the video of his first haircut and they prepared it to send to his daddy and all was well in their little world again.

…..

This is my response to the lovely Denise’s prompt “CLIP” for the Six Sentence Story.

Join us by going HERE

Short Fiction, six sentence story

Cherished Innocence

October 30, 2020 Lisa Tomey-Zonneveld

Bundled in a blue blanket, the infant looked up at the officer with the biggest, bluest eyes, cooing for a moment, with what seemed like an appeal for being held, which the officer took as an invitation. Carrying the baby into the station, cradling his head and jostling him, the officer rang the desk dell, summoning the assistance of Maisie, the one truly trusted woman he knew who would be best to entrust this little, sweet bundle.

“Lester, can’t you see I’m too busy for your shenanigans this morning…” Looking straight at the blue bundle, Maisie’s eyes softened, “well, now what do we have here, look at this beautiful child, and what’s this paper, is it a note?” A scroll of paper was tucked under the baby’s shirt and the note read:

PLEASE TAKE GOOD CARE OF WILLIAM AS I AM UNABLE TO DO SO, HE IS ALL OF ONE MONTH OLD, A GOOD BABY, HE DESERVES BETTER THAN WHAT I CAN DO, HIS FATHER ABANDONED US AND I HAVE NO FUNDS TO CARRY ON

Maisie looked into Lester’s eyes and he return that glisten, leaving the infant with Maisie, he set out to investigate, hoping to find the mother who left the child at the station, and help her set up a better foundation for her to raise her son, and if not, well, he and Maisie knew what they needed to do.

…..

This is my response to the Six Sentence Story challenge. Care to give it a try? GO HERE

Short Fiction, six sentence story

Just Desserts

October 23, 2020 Lisa Tomey-Zonneveld

Melanie Myers was a regular customer at the Ms Petite Boutique as they had clothing she preferred, simple, but stylish, not too overstated, but in fashion. Small in stature but a bit rounder than she cared to be, Melanie often felt overwhelmed when her usual size would fit snugly around her waist. “Oh, gee, it must be the last few days with all the events,” she would say, knowing this was not true, but she was too embarrassed to share that it was the chocolate eclairs with that perfect cream which kept her mind pre-occupied, although she did not imbibe in many, she had a hard time keeping her weight down.

As Melanie dragged home to her lovely apartment, she dropped her shopping bags and plopped in her easy chair, summoning Erika for some tea, she sat and pondered about what to do about her weight. At age 83, was she really caring if she gained a few pounds and what about the fact that they make clothes in larger sizes to accommodate her comfort. An epiphany struck her faster than Erika could bring her tea and grabbing her purse, she headed back out the door, to the Ms Petite Boutique to buy the prettiest outfit she could find in just the size that was comfortable for her frame, as she thought to herself, I deserve to live in comfort and I deserve those eclairs.

…..

The Archies who played a concert I attended in Iowa. That was many moons ago, and several chocolate eclairs.

This is my response to the Six Sentence Story. Would you like to participate? Please go to this LINK and have some fun. Be sure to plate up some sweet dessert to accompany your writing.