Where'd You Come Up With That?! ~ Wednesdays! "Secrets Never Die"

 

 "Secrets Never Die" is a flash fiction story written for a little contest on Writing.com. I came up with the idea because people always say they take secrets to the grave. That means no one will ever find out, right? 

In my story, this is not true. Aunt Beatrice ain't taking nothing with her! She comes back to spill all the tea. 

If you believe in life after death, then you should never believe someone's promise to take your secret to the grave! Especially someone who has years of gossip bottled up inside. 

Maybe secrets are never safe. 👀 I've posted the story below if you'd like to read it! 

Secrets Never Die

Susan’s delightful dream of relaxing on a beach in Hawaii surrounded by scantily clad natives was interrupted by a visit from her Aunt Beatrice.

 “Susan. Susan,” she whispered.

 “Aunt Beatrice?” Susan rubbed her eyes.

 “Yes, dear. It's me.” Beatrice sat with her legs crossed, hovering at the foot of Susan's bed.

 “I can't believe you're here.”

 “Look at me! I can cross my legs again. The old arthritis is gone. It isn't so bad on the other side.”

 “I'm happy to see you've adjusted so well to death.”

 “I have so much to tell you, dear.” Beatrice flashed a mischievous smile.

 Susan scooted closer to Beatrice. It would have to be important since she was visiting from the great beyond.

 “You remember Aunt Sally, don't you?”

 “Yeah.” Susan leaned forward, curious as to what her aunt had to say.

 “Well, she used to be Uncle Sal, and remember how your grandmother won all those blue ribbons at the fair for her homemade pies?”

 “Yeah, her cherry pie was my favorite.”

 “Well, she used a store-bought crust. And, you remember we were all surprised that your cousin Lenny's baby was so cute? He didn't get Lenny's big banana nose.”

 “Lenny?” Susan thought for a minute. “Oh yeah!” She started to giggle.

 “That's not even his baby. His wife had an affair, and you know how Mr. Brown said his wife ran off with another man?

 “Oh, I remember, he was so upset.”

 “She didn’t really run off, she’s taking a long nap under his new swimming pool. And, the young lady-”

 “Uh, Aunt Beatrice, I hate to interrupt, but why are all these things important enough for a visit from beyond?”

 “Important? Honey, I didn't say they were important. I promised to take these secrets to my grave, but I never promised what I'd do with them once I got here,” Beatrice chuckled.

 “How many secrets do you have bottled up?” Susan asked.

 “Oh, about fifty years’ worth.”

 “Okay. Let me get comfortable. I have a feeling it’s going to be a long night."

Happy Reading! 

One Of Those Days! ~ A Poem First Published in Everyday Weirdness

 Have you ever had one of those days

that’s just like all those other,

One of those days?

 

And end up in all the same places

that you always visited during,

One of those days?

 

And you run into the same people

With the same expressions on their faces

that you always saw,

On one of those days?

 

And did you ever hear the exact conversations

that you overheard before

by those same people

That you saw,

On one of those days?

 

And have you been ready to

pull your hair out,

just like you always do,

when you’re having,

One of those days?

 

So, you run home and

jump under the covers.

Only to toss and turn

just like you've always done after having,

One of those days.

 

Then, while drifting off to sleep,

You hope tomorrow will be different

But when you wake…

 

It’s just another one of those days

Just like all those other,

one of those days.

Happy Reading! 

Classic Movie Mondays!~ Dangerous

Just a reminder that I LOVE Bette Davis! 😁 However, I was a bit disappointed in this movie. 

Bette plays an actress Joyce Heath, who is supposedly jinxed and can't get work anymore. So, what does she do? She becomes a raging alcoholic! 

Franchot Tone plays Don Bellows, a man engaged, but easily distracted by Joyce. 

The movie takes off when Don sees Joyce in a restaurant and lies to his fiance and friend, so they'll leave without him and he can talk to Joyce.

Of course, she is drunk. Don tells her how much he loved watching her perform and that she inspired him.  Joyce doesn't care, she just wants to drink. She does, and she passes out. 

Don takes her to his country home for the night to sober up. The next morning, he convinces her to stay there while he's in the city. He believes some time in the country without alcohol can help her. 

BUT... the two fall in love, and Don breaks off his engagement. 

Don's put money into a play, so Joyce can return to theatre and prove she isn't a jinx. Don's plans are falling into place until Joyce repeatedly turns down his marriage proposals.

WHY? They are in love! There's this little secret Joyce has-- a husband who won't give her a divorce. 

Joyce, desperate to marry Don, tricks her ex and asks him to drive to the country with her for the weekend. He agrees. On the way, Joyce threatens to drive into a tree if she doesn't give her a divorce. He says no, again! 😕

Joyce says, "It's either going to be your life or mine. If you're killed, I'll be free. If I'm killed it really doesn't matter. If we both die-good riddance!"

Joyce drives head-on into a tree, but her husband lives. She's devastated. 

Don rushes to the hospital to see Joyce, only to find out she has a husband. He leaves without seeing her. 

Joyce wants Don, but he returns to his fiance and marries. Joyce is left with an injured husband she doesn't love. She'll spend the rest of her life taking care of him. 

I DID NOT like the ending. I know it has to be this way because Don had to find out the hard way how "dangerous" Joyce really is. 

I hoped for a change in her, but I guess the ending had to fit the title. She truly was an awful person. Maybe not a jinx but self-centered. 

"I'm bad for people. I don't mean to be, but I can't help myself." Joyce Heath

Would I watch it again? Maybe?

It's not a bad movie, and it does have some good scenes, it's just not as good as her other films. 

 If you get a chance to watch it, I'd say go for it! 

Home Again~ A Short Story

 Death can turn your life upside down. It wasn’t easy saying goodbye to my parents, and then it was time to let go of my childhood home. I was driving to meet a couple who might want to buy it.

 On the car ride, my mind was spilling over with childhood memories of past holidays: the chaos of a house full of cousins, people laughing, sharing stories, and enjoying their time together. My vision blurred as tears filled my eyes. How could I say goodbye to it all? My entire childhood—my past?

 When I arrived, I hurried up the sidewalk to the house, twisted the key in the lock, and flung the door open. I was home.

 I stood gazing at the staircase my brother and I used to race down every Christmas morning. I stared into the living room. In the corner of that room, there were indentions on the carpet where my dad’s recliner sat for as long as I could remember. I could still see him leaning back with a book on his chest and his glasses pulled down on his nose, snoring.

 I went into the kitchen where Mom spent many Sunday afternoons baking cookies. I don’t think I could put a number on the peanut butter sandwiches, glasses of Kool-Aid, and warm fresh cookies my friends and I enjoyed in that kitchen. Oh, and the aroma of fresh rolls and a turkey baking on Thanksgiving that wafted out of that kitchen still made my stomach growl.

 I walked over to the sink and gazed out the window at the backyard. Outback sat an old rusty swing set. My brother and I tried to see who could swing the highest. Of course, it wasn’t so run down back then. It was green with white stripes at one time. I smiled as I thought back to the time I fell off the slide and bloodied my knees. My dad rushed out to me, wiped away my tears, took me inside, and put bandages on my wounds.

 As I stood there reminiscing, a quote came to mind from one of my favorite authors, Thomas Wolfe. He said, “You can’t go home again.” I always thought that quote was correct, but the more I thought about it, I had to disagree. While another family will own this home, and I’ll never be able to walk through those doors again, this house is only a structure. I’ll always be able to return home as long as I have my memories. Time spent with my family is what made that house a home.

 I can close my eyes and go home to my memories anytime.

FREE BOOK WITH COUPON!

Two posts in one day!

Free Book! Use coupon code LGETZ and get Stories to Wrap Your Mind Around: Volume 6 free through September 15th or when the 50 free coupons run out, whichever comes first. 

The catch? There's always a catch! 😟 You can only use this coupon for Smashwords   But you can download the book and read it on any Epub reader.

Taste of Freedom

Phyllis finds the perfect ingredient for her stew and gets her taste of freedom.

Hunting the Scullywiggins

The last memory Ben has is hunting the scullywiggins. He awakes to find he's being detained in an unfamiliar location.

Give It a Few Days

Cheryl may have a valid reason for rejecting the truth.

  East of Omaha

A case of mistaken identity that is truly twisted and unfortunate.

The Crayon Box

Even though he may seem innocent, this young boy has a distorted

 I'll have other promotions coming up soon!

If you do read it, please consider leaving a review. 💖

Happy Reading!

Flashlight Soldiers~ Poem

  

They are the flashlight soldiers,

And always come prepared

With pockets bulging with batteries

And the vow to “not be scared.”

 

They hunt beneath a moonlit sky

 Shadows lurking in the dark

Neutralizing them with their light beams

To banish them from the park.

 

The hunt continues for many hours

Until the night air carries their name

Halfheartedly, they say their good-byes

Agreeing tomorrow, they'll continue the game.

 

Once inside, they brush their teeth,

While protesting their bedtime, they yawn.

The cicadas sing in the cool night air

As night shadows creep across the lawn.

J. Jenks~ A Flash Fiction Story

Detective Jeremy Jenkins had spent forty years solving some of the police department's most difficult cases, but the company forced him to retire. He probably would have had ten more good years if it wasn't for the car accident that left him paralyzed. The sixty-seven-year-old man now lived in a three-room apartment with his companion, Chumpy, his pet monkey.

 Some say that old J. Jenks, a name his coworkers gave him, had gone a little crazy. He stayed cooped up in that small apartment with a monkey. But J. Jenks continued to work cases from his apartment window.

 "That wraps up the case of Lady in Yellow. She is not cheating on the gentlemen in 425. I've discovered the other gentleman caller is her brother." Jeremy closed his tattered old briefcase, rubbing his thumb across the gold engraving of his initials J.J. just like he had done when closing a case years ago. "Chumpy, it's time to find a new case." Jeremy wheeled over to the window and watched the apartment building across the street.

 "Chumpy, my binoculars!" He snapped his fingers.

 Chumpy leaped over to Jeremy with what he demanded and perched on Jeremy's shoulder. "You see that boy? That man just threw a mysterious package in the dumpster. I think I found our next case: The Dumpster Delinquent. It may have been drugs."

 Startled by the microwave beeping, Jeremy dropped his binoculars. "Chumpy, my pasta dinner," He ordered, snapping his fingers. Chumpy rushed to the microwave, retrieved the bowl of pasta, and took it to Jeremy.

 As Jeremy ate, he watched the alley to see if anyone came to pick up the package, but no one showed. The trash truck came and emptied the dumpster. "Another case closed, Chumpy. The package was ordinary trash."

 Jeremy jotted a few notes and closed his briefcase. He stared out the window. Tears filled his old, tired eyes. "I was one of the best back in the day," he muttered.