The First Visit by Terry Ross

On the day Burrow walked in, Ashlee was standing, twiddling thumbs, tense for the next crazy, for the next someone who's twisted, watch spring-coiled mind she'd have to unknit with probing, psychological fingers. His cologne seemed to cut the office air in two, something that seemed to rush her, as if to announce him because he didn't know how to do it himself. She heard the click and clang of cuffs and his service weapon on his belt, his boots a steady, determined march. 

She couldn't meet him eye-to-eye, so she got up and walked round her desk to shake his hand instead to get a better measure of his vibe - the undercurrents that made him him. She felt him as she got nearer, a storm brewing, his breaths splitting the silence like the wind that builds, ready to become a tornado. 

"Morning, Doctor," he said, his shirt sleeve rustling as his hand extended to grip and almost crush her gentle one in a firm, dry grip. 

"Officer," she said. 

"You got demoted, huh?" 

"Yeah, well. Step on some toes, and that foot's gonna lash out." 

"And where'd that foot land?" 

"All over, Doctor. They kicked me all over." 

"Well," she said, turning her back on him to walk back to her desk, letting him observe her confidence, "Sit your butt down and lets pull out our mental plasters, bru."

© Terry Ross

 

 

Storm

 

The cat sat in the window fascinated by the lightning flashes. He watched as the world became brighter for a brief second. The thunder was rumbling a soft accompaniment to the light show. All at once a giant clap of thunder followed by a huge fork of lightning disturbed the peace. He bolted and hid under the lounge chair, eyes wide with fear. This was not what he ordered he seemed to say.

I smiled and tried to coax him out from under the chair but he just stared at me with pupils distended.

Vaguely my grandmother’s words came to me.

“When a storm comes you must close all windows and curtains. If you don’t a bolt of lightning will enter the home and fly around inside and you had better not be in its path.”

Keeping these words in mind I went around the house closing windows and curtains. My mind grappled with a memory, trying to remember what this phenomena was called. St Elmo’s Fire seemed to come to mind.

She also warned of using water during a thunder storm. No bathing or showering or even turning a tap on for a glass of water.

She was very threatened by storms and would sit still in one place clutching her hands together close to her body until the storm passed.

I often wondered why. What experience did she have when she was young to make her this scared? I asked her once and she just shook her head as tears sprang into her eyes. I learned to just sit close to her while talking in a soft low voice to try to distract her from the heavenly sounds. She would talk when she was ready.

As soon as the storm passed she became my strong Granny again, scared of nothing and no one and giving sass when needed. It was strange to think that a few moments previously she had been a quivering mess.

© Vera Alexander

The Green Dress

The emerald green dress sparkled in the shop window. Laura stood mesmerised. It was beautiful. She moved slightly to the left, then slightly to the right, fascinated by the sparkles as she moved. She could only imagine how it would look as she moved around in it. She knew it would bring out the green of her eyes and complement her auburn hair. She always looked good in green.

She didn’t have to check her wallet or her bank cards. She just knew that she couldn’t afford it as no price was displayed. They do that so you won’t be put off before entering the store. Once in, they had you, if not for that dress then maybe another sale could happen.

Laura was shopping for a new, hopefully stunning and reasonable outfit for a hot date to a larny event.

She braved the doorway and made her way in. An assistant came up to her and snootily looked down her nose.

“Can I help you?”

“Yes please. I would like to try on that dress in the window.”

With an audible sigh the assistant went to the rack and extracted two dresses.

“I wasn’t sure of your size but you can see which fits.”

Laura grabbed the dresses and went in to the change room.

When she came out the assistant gasped. The gasp was echoed as a man stepped out of the office. Laura was startled as she had not known he was there.

“Oh my dear, I never thought my creation would look so good. Come, come to me. Turn around. Oh so lovely.”

“Yes, but how much? I love it and am so scared I can’t afford it.”

“Is it for a special date?”

“Yes. It’s a larny occasion with a hot date.”

“I tell you what. I’ll give it to you.”

“Oh no! I couldn’t possibly accept.”

“Yes you can. You will do something for me. I’m Njabula I own this store and I design the dresses. You will wear it to that event and to any other place you choose. When people compliment you, you will tell them where you got it and that Njabula will design anything they need just as Njabula designed this dress for you. It’s a bit of a lie but when I see you in it, I realise I did design it for you. You are beautiful my darling and I know you are going to help get my name out there.”

Laura blushed and shyly accepted the offer.

The Stranger

I stood on the deck of the cruise ship. The wind blowing through my carefully coiffured hair. For once this did not worry me. I enjoyed feeling the wind’s fingers caressing my scalp as all the tension in my body melted away. I had come to the deck seeking a solution to my problems. If none was presented then a quick slip over the railings and I would be free.

The wind was now like a soft caress. My face was gently fingered and the stress lines on my face were softened.

I watched the sea as the wake of the boat caused white droplets to fly to freedom. If only that was possible. Freedom. Freedom from all the nonsense that surrounded my life.

I was suddenly aware that I was no longer alone. A gentleman dressed in white stood next to me.

“This is the life,” he said.

My eyes narrowed as I turned to face him “If you say so,” I said snidely.

“Yes I do. The wind, the sea, the peace and tranquillity. It is all there for you to take into your being, into your life.”

“What do you know of my life?” I asked still uptight about his intrusion.

“You have problems that need a solution,” he said.

“How can you presume I have problems?”

“Everyone has problems. It is what makes us appreciative of all we have.”

“You talk in riddles,” I complained.

“Not so,” he replied. “Look at the sea, look far to the horizon, It appears that sea and sky are one. It is hard to see the defining lines. When we stand inside a problem or problems we cannot distinguish where the problem ends and our quiet life takes over. We need to step back, immerse ourselves in nature, in the universe and then our problems will appear so insignificant.”

“Some are overwhelming,” I muttered.

“I’m sorry that you are overwhelmed. Instead of giving yourself to the sea let’s see how the sea can help you.”

“What do you mean giving myself up to the sea?”

“If you slip into the sea you will leave your problems to be picked up by friends and family.”

“I’m not thinking that,” I said defensively.

“Really?” he replied and then fell silent.

He stared at the sea and sky and I was struck by his serene face.

The silence stretched between us until I couldn’t stand it anymore.

“Okay. You are right. I have insurmountable problems.”

“No problem is insurmountable. You are making the mistake of looking at everything and finding a solution to nothing.”

I turned to him and his outline seemed to be shimmering and I was struck by his clothes. Before I had just seen white now I saw that he was dressed in a type of robe. Not the sort of attire that suited a cruise ship but on him it sat well.

Before I fully realised what I was doing I asked “So what do you suggest?”

“Think of one problem. Only one. Don’t allow the others to plague you. Now close your eyes and listen to your breath. Calm it down. The slower it is the clearer your insight will be. Look at the problem from all sides while you relax and breathe.”

A few seconds later he urged me to open my eyes and look at the horizon.

“There is a saying that on a clear day you can see forever. It is clear today, can you see right through your problem?”

“I think so. It may take a lot of work but I think so.”

“Things that come easily are never appreciated. Okay select another problem and let’s do the exercise again.”

He led me to the solution without even knowing the problem. This happened a third and a fourth time but when I opened my eyes he was no longer there but I got a whisper on the wind “You can do this.”

© Vera Alexander

Sea Dance

 

 

The azure sea is sparkling and quiet. Our yacht is rolling gently with the small waves. Tyrone has his binoculars trained on the sky. He is watching the gulls that are meandering overhead – their eyes on the lookout for any morsel that may be tossed from the yacht.

The movement of the yacht becomes a bit more intense. There are new ripples in the water – ripples that are increasing in number and size. Tyrone turns his binoculars to the sea and lets out a whoop of joy.

“I can’t believe it. We are getting a special visit from a pod of dolphins. Look to the left. You can see their fins,” shouted Tyrone in excitement. “Look how they are sporting in the sea.”

We sat there gobsmacked. All my life I wanted to swim with the dolphins and now they are swimming around me. The waves are choppy with white specks that fly away. There are four dolphins. They seemed content to play with each other until one decided to include the yacht in their game.

He nudged up to the boat and raised his snout onto the ledge. I was beside myself with joy, fear and awe. I moved towards him. He didn’t move. I put my hand out to touch his snout and for a brief moment his eyes met mine and a wonderful sense of peace and serenity enfolded me.

© Vera Alexander

 

Boys Will be Boys

Why is it that little boys are so fascinated with matches?

I don’t know why I was looking out the kitchen window at that particular time but I saw Brent and friends sitting in a circle staring at the centre while Brent was talking. They were all concentrating hard on what Brent was saying and suddenly they all jumped up and ran off in different directions

I smiled and thought “The game has started.

As I carried on with my chores I was vaguely aware that Brent had come into the house but before I could even process the thought the slamming door said that he had gone out again.

A short while later I was in the kitchen again. When I looked out the window I was startled to see that the boys had collected wood and had built a bonfire.

“Not a good idea with this wind,” I thought.

And as that thought hit me I saw a spark ignite an old tree near them. I dropped my kitchen towel and ran to the door shouting “Brent get the hosepipe.”

The boys were moving away from the bonfire and each face reflected my panic. By this time the fire had spread down the garden into the vacant plot behind the house. I realised things were getting beyond my control. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and called the fire department. The scared boys clustered around me, horrified at what they had started.

Well all’s well that ends well they say and a group of boys had learned a valuable lesson.

Feed the Birds

 

I watched as the little bird flew around me and then it started flying forwards. I stood quietly watching it. It came back towards me and flew around my head a few times. It flew away from me, turned and flew back towards me.

I must be slow. It did this several times until I hit my forehead and said “Wake up! He wants you to follow him.”

He flew away again and turned around. When he saw me following he flew on, turning around every few seconds to check up on me.

At last we came to a decrepit house standing all alone in a clearing. The bird hovered at the door before flying to the window. He hovered again before flying back to the door. When he went back to the window I followed and peered in. I was horrified to see an old man sprawled on the floor, his leg at an amazing, awful angle. I rushed to the door and tried the handle. I breathed a sigh of relief when it opened. The bird flew in with me and circled the man’s head.

“Hello,” I called from the doorway.

A weak voice muttered “Thank God!”

I rushed to the old man’s side and patted his shoulder. “Let me call for help.”

“No signal.” His voice was edged with pain.

I walked around outside till I got a signal to make the call. I listened to the advice of the young lady on the other end after I had given her the details she required.

I walked back to the cottage. After checking that he was okay I filled a glass with water. I held his head up and held the glass to his lips.

“When did this happen?” I asked.

“At about seven o’clock,” he said. “I always feed the birds at seven. How did you know to come here?”

“A little bird told me,” I replied.