And then I hit rock bottom… I thought to myself, if not aloud, “This is it! I’m all washed up and literally on rock bottom. Things in life cannot get any worse! All the work… all my life… and now, rock bottom. I guess that’s it! Nothing to do but… Ooo, that’s cool! It kind of looks like a fossil or something! I wonder if there are anymore around here. There’s another one! Wow! Who knew rock bottom could hold so much promise? Huh!”
The End
I should have listened but, I was tired and didn’t want to get up again. The cries in the night are not unusual for an active-minded child. Well, that’s what the psychologist told us. “Go back to sleep, honey!” my wife said to me at 2:02 a.m. Yeah, 2:02 will forever haunt me.
You see our six-year old daughter was a sleepwalker, night talker and screamer. Often, I would wake up to a small figure cuddling close to me in the wee hours of the morning. I’d typically throw an arm around the child and go back to sleep. On this night, however, she only screamed, and my wife and I decided to give it a few minutes before I got up to go comfort her. She always slept through her nightmares, and she never remembered them the next morning.
This one time… Oh God! This one time I let here scream more than usual, and even the abruptness of her stopping should have warned me something was different. It wasn’t until the next morning when I went to her room to wake her that reality hit me. My sweet daughter was gone, and I knew in an instant I would never see her again.
I was still crumpled on the floor crying when my wife came to check on us and see what the hold up was. Upon seeing what I saw – she too crumpled. After a time, we managed to get up and discuss where we had gone wrong.
The old stone-carved idol we had found on our vacation to the Grand Canyon lay where our daughter should have been lying in sweet slumber. The old figurine that once occupied its countenance had changed to that of a young girl. I guess the old Native American man wasn’t joking with us after all.
Drip, drip, drip… “Honey, I think it’s still raining outside. It seems like a good morning to stay snuggled up under the sheets and blanket. It’s getting colder!” Drip, drip, drip… “I expect our sweet children will be bounding in here at any time taking flight to jump onto the bed and on top of us…” Drip, drip, drip…
“Is that thunder I keep hearing? It seems like it’s been going on forever!” Drip, drip, drip… “I’m sorry! What did you say? Everything seems muffled. I must be coming down with something.” Drip, drip, drip…
“Whew! Why is it getting so cold?” Drip, drip, drip… “Whoa! What the heck is that? Holy smokes that’s got to be the brightest light I’ve ever seen! Honey! Honey, do you see this? Honey?” Drip, drip, drip…
“Sargent! We can’t stop the bleeding. He’s been hit too many times.” Drip, drip, drip… “He’s been mumbling the whole time since I got here. I think he’s dreaming. I can’t make out what he’s saying, and I swear it looks like he’s smiling. Oh no! I can’t find his pulse.” Drip…
“Okay! Mark the time of death and hand me his dog tags. I think he had a family back home. He was one of the brave ones. God’s speed, soldier! Now, we need to get out of here.”
Somewhere, over the horizon,
We know he is still free.
What a comfort it is for those
He left behind.
Sorrow? Nope!
We celebrate in returning a life
That should have never been held captive.
Pirates don’t need a dry cell.
Pirates need the open sea!
Whenever grandma did the laundry
Grandpa would go to town and steal
Sometimes he just stole candy
But, one time he stole a wheel
And grandma never knew it
Grandpa was a sneaky cuss
Until the Sheriff came a callin’
Haulin’ grandpa off in cuffs
Now, grandma was a sly one
In her own respectful way
She loved old grandpa feircly
And she couldn’t let him stay
Locked up in a jail cell
Full of criminals and such
So, she packed up the Sawsall
And went to town in their old bus
Sneaking ’round the jailhouse
She peaked into the room
Where grandpa paced the jail cell
Red-faced a rose in bloom
She gave him a “come-hither”
And at the window did he squint
She cut those bars right out of there
And out the hole he went
That was twenty years ago
We’ve never seen them since
A bank was hit that very night
And, still today it makes some wince
To think our two grandparents
Would end up on the lamb
As that apple didn’t fall too far
You’ll never guess just where I am
“Oh yes, I can sense them out there. Now, I need to probe further, signal and wait.”
Dun-dun-dun-dun…
Ping-ping-ping…
Dun-dun…
Fweeeeet-dun-dun…
Tot-tot-tot-tottatottatot…
-BONK-
“There it is! That’s the response I’ve been looking for.”
As the prey neared life was about to get a whole lot sweeter.
Wings were lifted and expanded. Flight was easy. The perfect spot on the prey was identified and this was going to be easy.
“Time for penetration and relief…”
“Mmmmm…”
“I’m beholden to ya, Sheriff.” She said as the sheriff waxed poetic upon the drunken cowboy’s head.
“Ah, aint nothin’, maam! Just doin’ ma job.”
“Well, sir, if ‘ins ya hadn’t dropped in when ya did, this feller may have ended up in a lot worse shape! I’m much obliged. Yes sir, my obliged indeed!”
“The pleasure is all mine, Miss Mae!”
“So, if you’d like to come back ’round a little later this evenin’ I can show how truly appreciative I am…”
Miss Mae turned and walked back into the brothel with her head held high.
The cowboy smiled! “That worked out jus ya planned it, huh, boss?”
The End
The constant thump, thump, thumping was making him crazy. “What in the world is that incessant noise?” he thought. The sky was clear except for heat lightning playing tag in the distance over the gulf waters. “Well, it’s not thunder! I’m never going to get any rest at this rate. Ugh!”
Slowly, the thumping slowed. He was drifting off in fond memories of fishing with his dad, then his kids, and then his grandkids. “Life has been such a blessing,” he thought to himself. A smile played across his face. “I’m so tired!”
There, in the room, by his bedside, his children and a few of the grandchildren watched this transformation happening on the sweet old man’s face. “What’s he thinking about, dad?” one of the grandkids asked. “Well, if I know my daddy, he’s thinking about fishing.” Came the reply. “Gosh, I haven’t seen him smile in a long time!” replied another.
There was a deep breath from the bed, a long, slow exhalation, then nothing more. A nurse, who’d been sitting on one side of the bed, placed her stethoscope on the man’s chest, over his heart. After a few moments, she looked up with tears of compassion in her eyes and made the announcement. All those present let out a cumulative breath that they didn’t realize they’d been holding.
After a few minutes of sniffling and quite sobs the eldest son bowed his head and thanked God for this beautiful, wonderful man that he called dad. Then, the youngest grandchild whispered these words, “I hope you catch a lot today, grandpa. I already miss you! Good luck!”
The view master found its protagonist. He was draped in a myriad of colors, and was chasing around and around. Just a sliding shuffle and click away from another heroic scene. What adventure awaits? Who would become the antagonist to this adventurous soul? Ah, but isn’t that what the wheel of fate has in store for each of us. We spin and shuffle through life hoping to load the next adventure and scene that will be better than the last.
Stop! Get out of the loop and live. We only have so many spins in this life, and it seems the more that pass the faster we go through the next set. Just a thought…
