Cascade

memories of you

come cascading down my cheeks

whispering your words 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

First rehearsal for All Through the Night and I have a lot of time on my hands and an empty notebook... Here's a haiku (shock shock) that found its way into the crazy collage of doodles from tonight. 

a.r.w.

Robert

"So how's your boyfriend?"

I try to ignore Kyle but I suddenly find him to resemble an annoying gnat more than a man. Ever since I got out of the hospital, things have been distant between Jason and myself... I can't deny that. But I also have no desire to talk about it with Kyle while on a case. 

I had been on vacation in Key West, attempting to bond with my parents, when Kyle and the other guys just showed up, dragging me off with some story about a possessed doll. 

I stand before the doll now and I realize I didn't need them to tell me anything about him... I already know all about this doll,  thanks to Him. 

"Hello, Robert," I say with a nervous smile on my face. "You look very nice today."

A silence fills the room and I can feel Kyle just staring at me. 

"Uh..." He laughs nervously. "Do you make it a habit of talking to dolls?"

I smile at him. It's nice to put the know-it-all in his place sometimes. "I guess you don't know everything about this doll. He's been known to kill people who are rude to him. So," I added, looking back at the doll who had somehow gotten out of his plexiglass case, "I would recommend giving him a compliment right about now."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

A new adventure for Micah Meyers! 

Meet Robert--one of my childhood fears. He is a possessed doll from the 19th century, infamous in Key West. He's pretty creepy (just look at that face!) and has been known to break cameras, break legs, kill, and even find a way out of his case...

a.r.w.

Jewels

sparkling like jewels

emeralds, rubies, and sapphires

light up my dark days

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Christmas tree decorating! It is a beautiful sight to see...

a.r.w.

Go

strap your hiking boots

pack your life into a bag

go and see the world 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

I got to hang out with a very good friend last night and he always gets the wanderlust bug flittering in my belly!! Adventure is in the air and I can't wait to start to see the world again...

a.r.w.

Phone

It's a very special phone book. I can't tell you where I got it or who gave it to me. All I know is one day it was in my hand. 

As I flipped through its pages, it took me a moment before I realized that I recognized each of the names written in a simple, neat script. But they weren't the names of my friends... Each of these people had died. All that was written in the phone book was their name and a phone number, each one different--specific just for them. 

I could call my best friend who died suddenly when I was nine. Or my grandfather who had only just died a few years ago. 

The phone book frightened me at first but then one day when I came home from school to learn that my parents were separating, I finally decided to dial one of the numbers in the book. 

The phone rang and rang and rang. And just when I thought I would get the operator, someone picked up. My grandmother. 

Don't ask me how I knew it was her. I just do. It was something in my soul. 

After that, I found myself using the phone book to call family and friends I had lost too soon. 

For months the phone book was mine--all mine--until I learned that my friend's little brother had just passed away after being diagnosed with cancer. 

I ran to their house as quick as I could and was engulfed in the suffocating grief. I spent the afternoon with the family, cooking dinner for them, doing their laundry, and offering hugs when I could. 

As I went to leave for the night, something made me stop and turn back to my friend's mom. 

"I-" I started but stopped, wondering what they would think of me. The feeling of the phone book in my bag hung down on me, weighing me down. This was something I could not keep from them--the power of the phone book needed to be shared. "I think I know of a way to talk with Julian."

My friend's dad who was a bit old fashioned, scowled at me. "Our son is in heaven," he informed me. "We won't be able to speak with him again until we join him."

"You're wrong." I knew there could have been a better way to handle the situation but I didn't want his beliefs to get in the way of his wife and daughter talking to Julian again. This phone book had been a precious gift to me and I knew it would bless them just as much as it had blessed me. "There is a way," I declared, pulling the phone book out of my bag. 

"A notebook?" My friend shook her head, clearly confused. 

"A phone book," I corrected her before opening it and flipping through it. "It has the name of every person I've ever known who passed away--my friend Katie, my grandparents, Brad from school..." My voice drifted off as I came to the final and newest name in the book. "And Julian," I whispered, placing the book in his mother's hands. 

She stared down at the name and the assigned number beside it, trembling. 

"How?" She looked up to me for answers though I had none to give. 

I shrugged my shoulders. "I don't know. But I do know that it works. I've talked to everyone in here. But I think you should be the one to talk with Julian."

"It's witchcraft!" My friend's dad shouted, trying to rip the book from his wife's hands. 

"It's not witchcraft," I tried to defend though I knew how difficult that might be to believe. "If you don't believe me, try it--call him."

"I think you should leave."

"I want to try."

We all turned to look and see my friend's mom with her phone in her hand, the number already dialed. 

"Claire," her husband tried to stop her.

She just shook her head. "I have to try," she whispered as she pressed CALL. 

We all stood in silence, waiting to see what would happened. The family was about to give up but I knew it took seven rings before they picked up and as my friend's mom let out a gasp, I knew it had worked. 

"Julian?" Her voice was light and airy but her eyes were wide open as she spun around to look at me. I gave a smile, urging her to go on. She slowly turned and whispered, "Julian, it's mommy..."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Six years ago today we got a phone call telling us that my dad's dad had just died. Almost eight months ago, my brother joined him over There. Death is a strange thing...

Julian was the name of a young boy also in Roswell while Jed was there. The doctors sent him home to die, giving him just 100 days to live... That was last August. 

Today's writing prompt was "a ringing phone"... I wish I had a phone book to call each of them and just sit and talk. So many talks I took for granted...

a.r.w.

Naked

I don't know where I am. It's dark and cold here. My hands are tied and I am trapped. I feel naked... Exposed. I feel so alone--a fear as though no one will ever be able to reach into this darkness and save me. 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

A snippet from my NaNoWriMo story (yes... that is still happening). As I wrote this scene of Becks waking up after being kidnapped by the land pirates I realized how similar this could be when we feel hopeless, helpless, grief stricken, or depressed. But don't worry... She'll make it out of there... Just like the rest of us. 

a.r.w.

Learn

magic and kindness 

learn from the firefly's way

and do as they do

a.r.w.

Blessings

now is the time to

count your blessings while they're here

gratitude and love

*~*~*~*~*~*

Happy Thanksgiving one and all. It's s bit hard to feel thankful after the year that 2015 was for me and my family... It's hard to make a list of what I'm thankful for. 

But I am thankful for my parents who continue to astound me with their strength, friends and family who have continued to weather the storm with us, and the unwavering and selfless love my husband shows me each day. Even in the darkness of the moment, stars of happiness can shine through. 

Happy thanksgiving. 

a.r.w.

Within

the great universe 

begs to be seen from within

it's shining through you

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

I went back to church again today and while I didn't make it to the sanctuary this time, Adam (my husband) and I did have a great, healing talk. Little by little, each day, I am trying to feel more connected to the universe. 

a.r.w.

Find

to find your true self

it's one way or another 

good luck finding it

*~*~*~*~*~*

This haiku sounds like a Hufflepuff... FIND!! 

a.r.w.

Run

I chased after Lord Death willing my legs to run just a bit faster than they ever managed to go in gym class. He was fleeing like an animal--to see him in such a way made me panic. Faster and faster I chased him and when I felt as though I couldn't run any further, Death reached out his hand and pulled me along. 

"I won't leave you behind!" he shouted though most of his words were lost in the roar coming from whatever beast hovered above us. "Run!"

I didn't think we could do it but we manage to reach the cliff face in time. The opening in the wall was just wide enough for a person to slip through. 

Lord Death slid to a stop and pushed me inside, scraping my elbow in the process. He lipped in build me with a grunt and we were both shrouded in darkness. 

"Move!" he ordered as he pushed me deeper into the cave, the sound of the monster clawing at the rock face  shaking the entire cave. 

Death and I just stood still, holding our breaths and clinging to the walls around us, hoping that somehow we could hold up the world as it came tumblng down around us. 

The creature roared and dust and debris continued to fall down on us. 

"Alright," I whispered as my voice shook wildly, nearly choking me with fear. "I am officially freaking out now."

I could feel Death lean in close, trying to hear me. After a moment he nodded his head. "I'm scared too."

I knew his words were intended to make me feel better and to offer me some comfort but they did anything but bring me comfort. "Yeah," I muttered. "Definitely not what I needed to hear right now."

We slipped back into silence and I found myself clinging to Death as he wedged himself between myself and the opening of the cave. The world continued to rattle and shake. 

"Are we going to die?"

"No," Death declared. I could sense the change in him. As if he had gone from victim to victor in the blink of an eye. There was a spark in his eyes and an energy coming from him. 

It was at that moment--the moment when Death returned to his old self--that the beast outside attacked once more, shaking the cave to its very core. 

"Go!" Death shouted, spinning me around in the narrow space. "Move!"

I climbed over boulders, crawled under rubble, and scurried down the narrow path. We paused in our escape to spin around and watch as the mouth of the cave ripped apart, blocking out the light and silencing the beast outside. 

"The cave fell in!" I was feeling more and more helpless and hopeless with each passing moment. "What do we do?"

"Keep going," Death tried though I could hear the hopelessness creep into his voice as well. "There has to be a way out."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

We were getting a bit too romance-y in the story so I threw in a dinosaur monster, a disaster, and up next is a kidnapping. Yay for hijinks!

a.r.w.