Archive
Traveling Man
This week’s challenge from Chuck Wendig is about traveling. Since I am feeling like a bit of a non-conformist, I did a little bit of word equivocation here and changed the topic completely. 
“Jesus man,” said Keith, “you could have gone to college.”
“I did go to college you douchebag,” said Derek. He took a swig of beer. It was probably what was on sale. Derek tended to settle for cheap.
“A real college,” said Keith.
“Will you two give this up already?” asked Tim. The two men glared at him. The routine of having the same argument had become too familiar to be interrupted. “Look, we all get it.”
“It’s not about getting it, it’s about learning,” said Keith. Keith picked up his glass of scotch and swirled it around without taking a sip. “That’s the whole reason you will let this opportunity go by, because you never learned the lesson about traveling.”
“What the hell would you know about learning,” asked Derek.
Tim rolled his eyes. “At least the conversation is a little different,” he muttered aloud though no one would listen.
He walked up to the bar and grabbed his beer and watch the fallout of this argument. He would be damned if he would get between the two of them if they started throwing punches again.
“I learned that I sucked at some things and that I needed to focus on things I was good at,” said Keith.
“Good job buddy, I mean really. We are all so proud of you.” Derek turned to Tim. “Tim, please stop everything in your life and congratulate Keith on learning that he sucks at things.”
“Come on,” said Tim. “Derek, just admit you have principles. You would not go to the left because you needed a third step and it was traveling even if it was not called. Keith, you say how he could have been great and was afraid to.”
“No, this is important,” said Keith. “This deal is about exploiting a loophole.” We could both be rich and be great by each using skills we both have.”
“I was not afraid to be great,” said Derek. “I love basketball. I did not care if the refs stopped calling traveling. I wanted to keep playing the right way. If that cost me, then so be it.”
“It was one step! The had to change the rules when the money started coming from poor communities. The new fans couldn’t understand things like defenses,” said Keith finally taking a drink of scotch.”
“I wasn’t playing for them,” said Derek.
“Look Derek, said Tim, “Keith is happy. He is not a risk taker. He is in a stable job, has a stable marriage, and is over not getting a college scholarship.”
“No I’m not,” said Derek into his beer.
“What?” said Tim and Keith together.
“My job has been a dead end, my wife cancelled our date night to join a civic club, and I think about having the free ride to college every night.” Derek drained his beer.
“I’m sorry man,” said Keith.
“No,” said Derek. “You are right. I should have travelled.”
He slammed his beer glass down. He waved the bartender over and asked for Polish lager.
“Are you okay?” asked Tim. Derek, never went after top shelf.
“I accept,” said Derek. “Monday I will quit. If Elisabeth wants to know what I’m doing she can ask when she notices.”
Fire of the Gods
This Chuck Wendig challenge is harder than most. 1000 words and the title has to be “Fire of the Gods.”
Mary Goodheart’s grandmother raiser her arm.
“No Grandma,” said Mary. ”That’s the arm with the medicine.”
“Come closer,” said her grandmother. ”My time is close.”
The smell of over ripe oranges filled the room.
“Don’t be silly,” said Mary.
A scream came from the outside.
“Leave me alone,” screamed a woman. ”I’m on the way into the hospital. It’s safe ground!”
The cackling laughs of teens echoed from the street. ”You aren’t in the hospital yet!”
There was a roar of fire.
The woman screamed again. Sobs cut it off.
Mary thought she could hear a whisper; “My baby. Please I am pregnant.”
Yellows and orange light filled the room.
“Wait!” The voice of on older man shouted.
“Close the window Mary,” said he grandmother.
Mary walked over to the window. Three boys held the balls of fire over their head and a man held them back. The boys had chosen fire as their personal power. Boys lacked originality but were just as deadly as the girls and the female preference for black and blood themes.
Fire of the Gods, she thought. What Gods would give this power to adolescents without restrictions?
Mary removed the bar from under the window and started to slide it down.
“I sense a new power,” said the man. ”The man spun his hand around the boys and the fires disappeared.
If only those boys would help that woman, just one of them, she thought. I just don’t know how I can help.
The window slid shut. Mary latched it and walked back to her grandmother.
“I’m sorry Grandma,” said Mary. ”Boys had balls of fire, but a man stopped them.”
“Mary,” said her Grandmother. ”I must talk to you.”
Her grandmother’s body shook with a chill. Mary removed her own sweater and laid it on top of the blanket. ”Rest Grandma.”
The grandmother’s eyes opened fully. Then sweat poured from her grandmother.
Mary took her hand. ”What is it Grandma?”
Was this the time? Was Mary about to be on her own?
“Mary, my control is almost gone. I can no longer stop you from realizing you have the Gift of the Gods.” Her grandmother started a hacking cough.
“Grandma, no one calls it that anymore. It’s called Fire of the Gods for a good reason.”
“Listen.” Her grandmother had the same rebuke from when Mary was little.
“Okay Grandma,” said Mary. She patted her hand. This woman had raised her since she was an infant. After teenage girls with the Fire of the Gods had killed her parents with dark smoke and blackness. Mary would do whatever her grandmother asked.
“Mary, I wanted you to know before I left.” Her grandmother pointed to a cup of water. Mary handed it to her so she could drink before continuing. ”Mary, I wanted to raise you to know that being pure of heart and full of love and kindness is all you ever needed.”
“You did Grandma. Love and kindness is all we’ve ever needed.”
Grandmother’s face blossomed into a smile. ”The Internal Light is bright inside of you. It has kept you safe. But you need the truth.”
“The truth Grandma?”
“Your father survived the attack that killed your mother.” The old woman paused and put down the cup. He smile faded. ”He lost his way.”
Mary listened out of respect for her grandmother.
“You need to be stronger than he was,” her grandmother coughed again. Mary reached for the cup of water, but her grandmother waived her away. ”I will be able to help myself shortly dear. Now brace yourself.”
Her grandmother took her hand back and then Mary felt a burning inside her.
“Anything you want,” screamed her grandmother. ”Remember your Internal Light.”
The window crashed in, framing and bricks crashed down to it.”
Everything around Mary slowed. But she was burning from the inside out. A voice inside her screamed, “choose!”
This is crazy, All I want is to spread love and kindness. All I want is to go places and stop meanness and bad people.
Mary felt herself rise. Their was something holding her up from inside of her.
“Mother?” the man screamed from outside the window. ”You have been alive?”
Mary watched her Grandmother throw a ball of something at the man just as she was hit with lightning. He was knocked backwards and trapped.
He through a bolt of lightning at grandma!
Mary flew over to her grandmother.
Yes I can fly. It is normal for me to fly.
She took her dead grandmother’s hand in hers and cried.
Mary felt no rage.
My name is not Mary. It is Internal Light. Mary is my secret name.
She felt love. She flew out of the window and filled the man with love, with kindness, and with forgiveness.
The man waived his hand and undid the ball trapping him and plummeted to the ground. Mary tried to catch him. She did not want him to be hurt, just to feel love and kindness.
She missed.
The man splayed on the ground at the feet of the boys.
“Ha ha, we can kill this woman now,” said one boy.
“And then kill us a new power,” said another. He pointed at Internal Light
All three boys raised balls of fire and threw it at the pregnant woman.
Internal Light threw a heart shaped shield in front of the woman and then stepped into the fire. She dispersed it with a wave of love from her hand.
“You boys need to tell the others who have abused the Fire of the Gods that their is a new leader in town. Her name is Internal Light.”
She smiled at the woman.
The boys ran away.
The woman stood cautiously then ran to the hospital.
Internal Light flew up over the buildings at looked down on her city. She would fill it with love.
