Marla's Sister

I started writing this last night. Ideas flew through my brain a mile a minute. As always, I appreciate your feedback.

Marla shot up in bed when she heard her phone ring. Peering through her window, she noted it was still dark outside. She grumbled and reached for the phone.

"Hello?" She asked.

The voice on the other line sounded frantic. "Mar. Mar. Mar. It's Nicole".

Marla's eyes widened. She hadn't talked to or seen her sister in nearly 4 months. She preferred it that way.

"Nicole...what's wrong?" Marla asked.

"I just wanted to tell you I love you. I had a dream you died. And Marla? My dreams have been coming true". Nicole said, and hung up.

No. Not again. Can't she just leave me alone? Thought Marla.

Marla knew Nicole was crazy. Well, "crazy" is the label she was given by society. "Schizophrenic" was the label given by Doctor Brown. Every few months, Nicole came back around, either showing up at Marla's door or calling her obsessively and saying weird, scary things.Now wide awake, Marla decided to shoot her parents an e-mail. She whipped out her lap top and began to type.

 Hey- I heard from Nicole tonight. She said something about me dying in her dreams.

The second Marla closed her laptop, there was a knock at the door. She took a deep breath, pulled herself out of bed and stumbled to answer.

When she opened the door, she saw Nicole, who charged toward Marla, wrapping her arms around her and sobbing. "Make it stop make it stop" Nicole was saying, and then, suddenly and angrily, "they are gonna get you! You need to run away! Get OUT of her Marla! Leave! GO!"

Shocked, Marla quickly reached for her cell phone and texted her mom-

Nicole's here. She's scaring me. Get her away.

5 miles away, the text was received by Michelle, Marla's mom. With tired eyes she read the text, and then rolled over to wake up her husband, Eric. "We have to go to Marla's house. She says Nicole is there". She explained.

"Again?" Eric asked, sighing. But he didn't hesitate. He was already up and putting his shoes on, reaching for the keys to their minivan.

They drove to Marla's in silence and then let themselves in with the key Marla made them. When they walked in, Marla was sitting on the floor with red eyes and scratches on her arms.

"Marla...honey....what happened?" Michelle asked, joining her daughter on the floor.

It took Marla a minute to answer. She was staring straight ahead at the wall and didn't seem to even notice that her parents had walked in.

"Nicole was here". She said, blankly.

"And where is she now?" Michelle asked gently.

Marla couldn't answer. She could never answer.

"Marla," Eric began "Nicole is not real."

"Yes she is. How can you say that? She's my SISTER! She was here. She called me and then she came over and she was yelling and she told me to run away! That they were out to get me! Then she attacked me! I'm so scared!". Marla began to cry again, but no tears were coming out.

Michelle and Eric looked at each other and sighed.

"That's what you said last time". Eric answered.

Marla took a deep  breath and looked up at her father. He looked so sad, and so defeated. "Why does this happen to me? Why am I so crazy?" She asked them.

"It's not your fault, Mar." Michelle assured her. "But you have to take your medication, and you have to keep seeing Doctor Brown . It's part of our deal."

Marla nodded. "I don't want to see Nicole anymore. Or any of the others. I hate this!"

"We will fix it Kiddo. It's going to get better. You are exhausted. Go back to bed." Eric suggested, helping his grown up daughter up from the floor.

Michelle and Eric watched Marla as she dragged her feet to her bedroom and climbed into bed.

Hours later, Marla woke up and rolled over to check her phone. No calls, as usual. She picked up her laptop to begin her work for the day. She opened her e-mail and saw a new one from her mom.

 

Sweetie, everything is fine. Deep breaths. Take your meds.

That's weird...thought Marla.  Of course everything is fine. Why wouldn't it be? Nicole is the crazy one, not me.

Marla shrugged, but went into the bathroom anyways with her mom's instructions in her mind. Although she hated taking them, she had to admit that when she did take the vitamins Dr. Brown prescribed, she did feel better. She wished Nicole would take the same advice.

"Hey Nicole!" Marla shouted out loud. "Come take your medicine!".

The apartment was silent. No trace of Nicole, of course. Again, Marla shrugged, and climbed back into bed.

Editors Note: I promise next time I'll write a happier story.

Roger and Alice

"Good Morning Mr. Roger!"

Roger slowly opened his eyes and saw a young woman standing in front of him. She was wearing scrubs and her hair was pulled back in a ponytail. Her smile was way too big for such an early morning.

"Where am I?" Roger asked.

"Cherry Nursing Home. I'm Cathy, your aide, and it's time to get you up for your shower". Cathy explained.

"I'd rather sleep, and I don't know you" Roger mumbled.

"Oh yes you do. You just don't remember. I've been your aide for two years, Mr Roger". Cathy said, smiling.

"Lucky me" Roger shot back, sarcastically.

After his shower, Roger wheeled himself down the hallway, ignoring the med carts and aides that were running around attending to other residents. He was having one of his lonely days, and desperately looking for someone to talk to. He couldn't understand why his wife never came to visit him. Maybe she didn't love him anymore. Roger shook his head and kept pushing down the hallway until he turned into one of the sitting rooms.

The sun was shining ever so slightly onto the baby grand piano in the corner of the room. Roger made his way over to the piano and sat in front of it, unsure of what to do exactly. He lightly tapped the keys and felt a rush of excitement flow through his veins. He moved the piano bench out of the way and pulled himself up to the piano and began to play. He lost himself in the moment, intrigued by the beautiful music.

Roger was interrupted by an older woman with beautiful eyes gently putting her hand on his shoulder.

"You're quite good", she said gently.

"I didn't even know I could play", he replied, looking sheepish.

"My husband plays too. That's how I met him. He was playing at a jazz club and I fell in love with him.  My name is Alice, by the way".

"That's nice" Roger responded.

Alice stared into Roger's eyes for a while, and then lifted up her sleeve to show off her wrist.

"Look....we were so crazy in love that I got a tattoo of a piano on my wrist. He has one that matches". She said, smiling.

"That's nice", Roger responded again, and began to turn away. "I think I have an appointment" he said, making an excuse to escape.

Roger wheeled himself back to his room. For some reason he felt a sadness that he could not explain. He shook it off. "Must be all the damn medication they are giving me" he grumbled to himself.

The next time Roger woke up, there was a young woman sitting across from him in a chair. "Where am I?" he asked.

"Cherry Nursing Home in Naples. I'm Laila. I came in here to chat with you, but you were asleep. I figured I'd just wait here until you woke up". Laila explained.

"What do you want?" He asked, getting annoyed.

"Just to visit with you" she responded sweetly.

Roger sighed and looked away. "I don't know why. I have nothing interesting to say".

Laila disagreed, pushing, "Well how about you start by telling me about that tattoo?"

Roger looked down where Laila was pointing. There, on his wrist, was a small tattoo of a piano.

"That's a really cool tattoo", she said. "I've never seen anything like it".

"Yeah. I guess it is unique". Roger replied, confused.

Laila could sense that Roger was confused. "You look like you've never seen it before".

"I...don't think I have". Roger responded.

"Maybe your wife knows", Laila suggested.

"My wife never comes to see me. She doesn't love me anymore".

"She was here earlier, Roger. She wanted me to give this to you". Laila said, handing over a piece of paper.

Dearest Roger,
You're having a bad day today. You didn't know who I was. But that's okay. I will never stop loving you. I'll come back tomorrow. I'm going to visit our grandchildren. I will tell them you said hello. Their names are Lizzy and Zach. They are beautiful. And they both play piano, just like their grandpa.
Love, Alice

Roger let a tear fall down his cheek. He couldn't believe he didn't even remember his wife. What was happening to him?

Trembling, Roger flipped the paper over, wanting to write to his beloved wife.

Dear Alice,
If I'm asleep when you come, wake me up.
If I can't remember who you are, remind me.
If I am cranky, tell me to snap out of it.
If I am by the piano, tell me to play our song.
If I doubt your love for me, hold my hand.
If you doubt my love for you, then you might as well take my heart out of my chest. Because my love for you is the only thing I am sure of. I love you. I forget many things. Where I am, if you visited, what I ate for breakfast. But I can never forget how much I love you. It is as if your soul has been etched to my skin, just like our matching tattoos.
Love, Roger.

By the time he was finished writing, Roger was crying. He looked up at Laila and said "Next time she comes, make sure she gets this."

With that, Roger closed his eyes and fell asleep, hoping that the next time he woke up he would remember more about his life.

Praying In the Elevator

After receiving a positive response from my last short story, I decided to give it another go. Maybe I'll try to do this once a week, or at least once a month. We shall see. Thanks for reading. Here is the prompt:

Fiction writers: You’re stuck in an elevator with an intriguing stranger. Write this scene. 


I was trembling as I walked out of the doctor's office. My hands shook as I shuffled through my purse, desperate to find my cell phone and keys. I had to call my parents and tell them the news.

I have cancer.

I knew it. I had ignored the signs for months, but finally decided to suck it up and see my doctor. And on a sunny, spring day, I got the news.

I have cancer.

I decided I couldn't call my parents just then. I would have to do it in person. How would I ever find the strength, though? I couldn't possibly look them in the eye and tell them I was dying.

Right now, I just had to get out of this doctor's office. I finally found my keys, took a deep breath and stepped into the elevator.

In the corner of the elevator stood a teenage girl. She was wearing a Rolling Stones Tshirt and a black tutu with black leggings underneath. Her blue hair was up in a messy bun and her arms were swimming in elastic bracelets. As a high school teacher, I saw girls dress like this all the time. Some silly phase they went through, desperate for attention. The girl was crying, hysterically.

Pushing my own problems aside, I took a deep breath and put my hand on the girls shoulder.

"Is everything okay?", I asked.

She winced at my touch, gave me an evil glare, and plopped down on the floor. "Do I look okay, idiot?" she mumbled, plugging her headphones in.

My veins filled with rage. Here I was, after getting the worst news of my life, how dare this stranger give me an attitude?

The elevator made a loud, ear piercing screechy noise and suddenly came to a halt. The lights went out.

"Oh my god!" The girl screamed.

"You have GOT to be kidding me". I said, out loud, and then started laughing.

"Just what is so funny?" She asked, trying to intimidate me.

I ignored her question and then I, too, plopped to the ground, and tried to fish out my cell phone from my purse to call for help. No such luck. No service.

"I guess we're stuck" I suggested.

"Yeah; no shit, Sherlock" she mouthed back.

We were both quiet for a while, until I heard her sniffling and, when I looked over, I caught her wiping away tears.

"Look I know I'm just a stranger, but is there something I can help you with?" I asked.

"You can get me the hell out of this elevator" she replied, not looking me in the eye.

Brace yourself, Bridget, I thought. "Well, princess, I would love too. If I had some sort of magical power to make this thing move, I would. But sadly, I slept through that class at Hogwarts so I'm fresh out of ideas".

With that, she began to laugh. "Nice Harry Potter reference" she spat out, in between giggles.

"Glad you found it funny", I said, starting to giggle myself.

For the first time, the girl looked up at me, like she was just now seeing that I was not a threat. "I'm Jess", she squeaked out, smiling.

Jess' sudden shift in attitude led me to believe that she was just a sweet girl going through a phase, like many of my students. Her giggles were a welcomed change from the attitude she gave me just seconds before. I sure did not miss being a teenager and having those mood swings.

"Nice to meet you, Jess. My name is Bridget." I took out a pack of gummy bears from my purse and offered her some. Jess' eyes widened as she reached in and grabbed a handful.

We were quiet for a while, each of us chewing our gummy bears and looking down at the ground.

"I'm pregnant". Jess blurted out, and began to cry again. "I just found out. I'm only 14. My parents are going to kill me".

She told me the whole story. How her much older boyfriend, Kyle, was kind of a jerk and told her he was going to break up with her if she didn't have sex with him. That she suspected she was pregnant and confided in her best friend who then stopped speaking to her. It was a lot for a 14 year old, and now she had to worry about what her parents might say. They were "uber strict" according to Jess and she was panicking that they would throw her out of the house.

I suddenly felt heart broken for her. I reached over and put my arm around her skinny shoulders. "You're going to be okay", I kept saying, over and over.  And then, with a little bit of bravery, I asked her "Do you want me to pray with you?"

Jess stopped crying and looked up at me in shock. "No one's ever said something like that to me before....I don't really like, believe in that stuff." she said, skeptical.

I smiled and took her hands into mine. I asked God to sprinkle courage onto Jess so that she would have the strength to tell her parents the truth and to ask them for their support. I asked that her parents be open and patient. And finally, I asked that Jess and the baby remain healthy.

"Amen". We both said, in unison when the prayer was finished.

I didn't mean to say what I said next. Jess had dropped a bomb on me, it didn't mean I had to do the same thing. And yet, it just slipped out.

"I have cancer". I said, out loud, for the first time since I found out.

And then it was my turn to cry. I was sobbing, actually, and when Jess asked if I was scared I said "I'm scared to tell my parents".

In a very quiet voice, Jess suggested "Maybe we should pray for you, too, then". And she did. The baby carrying a baby took my hands and led us in a prayer asking for strength, courage, and healing.

As soon as our prayer was finished, the elevator jumped and the doors opened. Two maintenance men stood there, watching us. Jess and I grabbed our things and ran out to the parking lot.

Once we were out of the office building, I took Jess' hand and squeezed it tight. "Good luck, princess. I'll be praying for you".

Jess wrapped her arms tightly around my waist, sobbing hysterically. "Good luck, Bridget. I'll be praying for you, too. Please don't die".

"I'll try not too, but I may have to go back to Hogwarts to learn some real magic for that one".

It was strange, the bond I felt with that teenage girl, a stranger. After just a few minutes in the elevator, I felt a very strong connection to her. I watched her hop on her bike and take off down the road, and while I watched, I couldn't help but wonder if I would ever see her again.

11 months later, I was back at the doctor's office for my usual check up. My mom was with me, driving me to and from like she did all of my appointments. After this appointment we were going to look at wigs, since my hair was falling out quickly due to the chemo.

When we got in the elevator, I gasped as I saw Jess, holding a beautiful baby girl.

"Bridget!" Jess exclaimed, her smile taking over her whole face.

"Jess! Hey! You look so great!" And she did. Her once blue hair was now brown, and she was sporting a clean, fresh face. She ditched the punk outfit for a yellow sundress. "And she is just precious" I said, admiring the little one. "Does she have a name?"

A woman who had been standing next to Jess intervened "Same as yours. Bridget. Hi, I'm Jess' mom, Marie. Jess has not stopped talking about you since the day she met you in this elevator".

Jess spoke up, saying, "I can't believe we're running into you here. I didn't know how to find you so I keep praying that I will somehow see you again. This is so weird! It's like magic."

I put my arm around her and said "No, princess, it's like God."

The Necklace

Editors Note: I don't write fiction short stories often. Most of my writing is based on real experiences. But the prompt from Plinky really got me thinking, and this story is what happened when I started typing. Be kind in your criticism :)

Prompt:On a weekend road trip, far away from home, you stumble upon a garage sale in a neighborhood you’re passing through. Astonished, you find an object among the belongings for sale that you recognize. Tell us about it.

I couldn't help but stare at the clock. It was a Friday morning, and I was taking a half day at work. I was headed to Nashville with my best friend and roommate, Lily, for the weekend. We had been planning and counting down for months. I had my stuff packed up by 11:45, anxious to leave the office. When noon finally came, I yelled goodbye to my coworkers, ran out the door and jumped into my brand new Ford Focus.

I swung by the house, where Lily was waiting in the driveway with all her bags and a cooler full of snacks. We squealed as she threw her stuff in the trunk and settled into the front seat. With a quick shout of "here we go!" and a honk of the horn, we were off on yet another adventure.

We hopped on the freeway only to get stuck in a major traffic jam. Frustrated, we took a big sigh and sat back in our seats. We started firing questions back and forth to one another, our own little game we liked to play. Honestly, there's no one else I'd rather be stuck in traffic with than Lily. We always made the best out of bad situations and we shared a similar philosophy on life: it's too short. Have fun wherever you can.

Suddenly Lily turned the music down and turned to me."Hey, Julie, you know who would have loved this?". I took a deep breath and just replied with "Yeah. She would have". Lily was referring to my little sister, Kate. Growing up, Kate and I were attached at the hip. We were the best of friends, even though she was five years younger than me. I didn't make a single decision without consulting Kate first.

My world was shaken a few months earlier when Kate was killed in a car accident. Poor, sweet Kate. she had just graduated from nursing school, moved to Kentucky, and was finally going to be starting her career as a pediatric nurse, her dream job. She was hit by a drunk driver at 9 AM on a Thursday on her way to orientation at the hospital. I was still grieving. Kate was supposed to be with us on this road trip. We had planned on picking her up in Kentucky on our way down to Nashville. Lily pat my hand gently and sweetly said "Well, she's here in spirit". Lily was always trying to comfort me.

We were quiet for a while as we continued our drive and were headed further south.  We stopped for a quick meal somewhere in Kentucky, not too far from where Kate had lived. As we were trying to get back on the freeway, Lily grabbed my arm and said "hey look! a garage sale! jackpot!". Lily was all about garage sales- she loved finding hidden treasures. I rolled my eyes and joked "do you want to stop, Miss Garage Sale addict?".  Lily didn't have to answer. I could tell by the look on her face that she did. "Fine. But I'm only giving you a few minutes. We should get back on the road. I want to get to Nashville before tomorrow, please". Lily clapped her hands excitedly.

We got out of the car and Lily practically ran to the owners, talking to them a mile a minute about their goodies out front. I politely smiled and stood back, shuffling through their CD collection. I looked to the left and to browse the jewelry table. And then I saw it. The necklace. I snatched it, and examined it. "Oh. My. Gosh".

With my voice shaking, I called out for Lily. She waltzed over with a pile of stuff in her hands, dropping all of it when she saw what I was holding. "Is that........?". It was.

It was no plain necklace. It was my necklace. A key engraved with the word HOPE on one side and my initials on the back, hanging on a black leather chord. Lily wrapped me into her arms as I began to cry.

My mind began to flash memories like rapid fire. My 25th Birthday party, when Kate stood anxiously watching me open her present. It was the necklace, with a note that read "I know sometimes you get scared, this necklace is to make you brave and give you hope".

Then there was that tragic day.  The day Kate was killed. Hours after the worst phone call of my life, I went for a long run wearing the necklace. When I had returned home I realized it was missing. I retraced my steps and searched everywhere. Eventually, I gave up hope, assuming it was gone forever, just like my baby sister. I was always angry at myself for losing it.

Now, I was holding the necklace in my hand again. So many questions raced through my mind and yet I couldn't open my mouth to speak. Lily interrupted, starting to ask the owners "Hey, where did you..." I cut her off. I didn't need to know. The necklace was in my hands now, and I was going to buy it. It was priced at $3, but to me, it was worth a fortune. I walked up to the cash register and handed over three single dollar bills.

I tried to quickly walk away, but the owner, a beautiful woman who wasn't much older than us, stopped me by saying "Ah, this is a very special necklace. It belonged to my niece, Alicia. She wore this thing every day."

"Can I ask you where she got it? It looks handmade, not something you see every day" I asked, playing dumb.

"We aren't really sure. We just walked into her hospital room and there she was, wearing it. She said something about a visitor coming and giving it to her, that the necklace would help make her brave and to have hope".

"Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that she's sick" I replied, suddenly embarrassed, like I was intruding on this family.

Looking down, the woman said to me "She actually passed away two weeks ago. Leukemia. I know it seems a little weird to be selling stuff, but her parents are struggling with all the medical bills, and this was our last resort."

Well, that just about broke my heart. I looked at Lily, who had a tear rolling down her cheek.

"Kate! That was it!" The woman shouted.

"WHAT?" Lily and I both asked in unison, our heads snapping up.

The woman smiled and nodded as she explained, "Kate. That was the name of the visitor. I don't know how I could forget that. Alicia wouldn't stop talking about her. Said she was an angel. She must have been a hospital volunteer or something".

All I could manage to say was... "yeah...she must have been......."

Lily spoke up, saying "Thank you so much for this necklace. It really means a lot to Julie here. We've got to get going, we're on our way to Nashville".

"Thanks for stopping by. I hope the necklace comes in handy for you, too. You girls drive safely".

Lily had to softly push me down the driveway, I don't think my legs were working properly. I was in shock. We got back into the car and I was still staring at the necklace.

"Well that was weird". Lily said, breaking the silence.

"Let's just drive". I responded. I sat in the passenger seat with my eyes closed, smiling. Kate managed to find me and to touch my heart. She was always so good at that.