Val Muller

Book Review: Magic Treehouse #1 (Dinosaurs Before Dark)

May 8, 2017 Val No comments

I was at a consignment sale the other week, and I picked up several of the books in the Magic Treehouse series (by Mary Pope Osborne) for a fairly good price. They are not consecutive, but volumes 1 and 2 were there.

The series came out during the gap between my own childhood and that of my child, so I never got to read the series. But I always hear elementary students talking about it when I conduct writing and reading workshops, and my own high school students share fond memories with me of reading the series.

The story follow almost nine-year-old Jack and his eight-year-old sister Annie as they find a treehouse in the woods of Pennsylvania. It’s just before dark, and they’re supposed to be heading home, but Annie decides to investigate, and Jack is tempted to follow when he learns the treehouse is full of books.

In this episode, they end up opening a dinosaur book, and Jack says aloud that he wishes he could see real dinosaurs in action. And his wish is granted. The two travel in time to see dinosaurs, and on the way they find a strange medallion with the letter “M” stamped on it, suggesting that someone else has traveled there before them.

When they return home, no time has passed.

The book is about 60 pages, which includes illustrations. It’s a chapter book, but for a grown-up, it only takes a few minutes to read. It’s an engaging, plot-based story, and I will definitely be sharing it with my daughter in a few years. The text is large enough to read easily, and there are enough details to tell the story without being overwhelming. It’s a good story to read aloud each night or for a young independent reader tackling chapter books.

Since each book only takes a few minutes to read, I’ll tackle the rest of the stack as I have time–and then leave the books on my daughter’s bookshelf so that they’ll be ready when she is!

For the next week, my young adult novels are deeply discounted over at Barking Rain Press. You can buy The Scarred Letter or The Girl Who Flew Away for just $2.99. This deal is valid at Amazon.com (Scarred or Girl), the publisher (Scarred or Girl) and anywhere else e-books are sold!

book reviews none

Flash Fiction: Faded Beer Cans by Cathy MacKenzie

May 4, 2017 Val No comments

Welcome to the Spot Writers.

This month’s prompt: Think back on a memory when you were angry. REALLY angry. Now change the names of the people in the memory, the setting, everything familiar about it, and most importantly… the ending. Turn it into a memory that ends happily. Let all the writing wash your anger away.

The story that follows is by Cathy MacKenzie, who didn’t exactly follow the prompt. She was never REALLY angry…

***

Faded Beer Cans

by Cathy MacKenzie

I’d always hated how John discarded empty beer cans throughout the house and around the yard. Hubby was never too impressed either. When I found one, I’d mutter and moan, “Dratted John and his beer.” We’d find them out of sight in the weirdest locations: behind the television, beside an ornament, under the couch, as if he were a two-year-old hiding toys. But when he appeared in person, I’d forget to chastise him. Or perhaps my memory intentionally faded.

And then John died.

A horrid vehicular accident stole John’s life when a drunk driver in a Chevy Cavalier careened across the centre line into his 2009 Chevy Silverado. My son died in my arms at the hospital two hours after I received the dreaded phone call that every parent fears.

Later, in fitful sleep, I pondered the accident. John enjoyed a beer—or two (or more!)—after work and into the evening. He also cherished his truck. He’d never drink and drive. But what if he had? He could easily have caused such an accident if he weren’t so conscientious. And shouldn’t a truck survive a compact car?

Fate, I surmised. Dratted Fate.

And Death.

And Dying.

And Life’s Horrific Circumstances.

And Incidents we have no control over.

Parents can’t hold their children close every second of every day. Especially adult children.

I enjoy a beer—or two. Sometimes too early in the day. Was I becoming an alcoholic?

Between my gulps and tears, knives glared. Pills danced.

“I’m stronger than you,” I chanted. “I have other children. I have grandchildren. As hard as it is, I must live.”

Spring cleaning taunted me after Hubby carved his initials, RTG, in the dust on the coffee table: a subtle hint; he wouldn’t chastise me for my lack of cleaning, not when grief consumed me.

But inadequateness and guilt weighed on my soul, and I grabbed a rag and furniture polish. On my tippy toes, I stretched to the top shelf in the living room. I swiped the damp rag across the surface and encountered a foreign object. What was it? Afraid to knock something over, I retrieved the step stool from the pantry.

I positioned the stool. And reached.

A beer can.

Bud Light.

Heavy.

Tears careened down my cheeks. My sweet boy. Gone before his time.

I once thought he stuck cans wherever convenient, too lazy to return to the kitchen. But no, he was simply impish. And after his death, I discovered he discarded empties at other homes, as well.

But only empties. This can was unopened.

“Don’t cry, Mom.” I hear his echoes through the house. “Oh, Mom, stop!”

Oh, dear sweet son, how I miss you.

In memory of my son Matt, who did leave beer cans everywhere—but only empties.

April 28, 1980 – March 11, 2017

***

The Spot Writers—Our Members:

Val Muller: https://valmuller.com/blog/

Catherine A. MacKenzie: https://writingwicket.wordpress.com/wicker-chitter/

Dorothy Colinco. http://www.dorothycolinco.com

CaraMarie Christy: https://calamariwriting.wordpress.com/

Catherine A MacKenzie, flash fiction none

Book Review: Unbreakable by Kami Garcia

May 1, 2017 Val No comments

I purchased this book when I heard Garcia speak at a writers conference. The book is meant for young adult readers. The story follows a 17-year old named Kennedy. After her father abandoned her, Kennedy is left with just her mother and cat. But a gruesome start to the book leaves Kennedy without anyone, and before long she is approached by four others who form a Legion, a group formed long ago. In its past, the group summoned a demon, and now the job of each descendant is to keep the fight against the demon going. Each member of the Legion has been trained for his or her job by a former member (and relative)—except for Kennedy, who knows nothing about it.

Each group brings a particular talent to the group in their fight against demons. Kennedy has a photographic memory and learns to draw symbols that help bind the demons and spirits they encounter. And, of course, there is a love interest.

I liked the plot of the novel. Most chapters were completely action-packed, and there was hardly any downtime for the group. That said, at times the plot was formulaic—like watching episodes of ghost hunters on steroids—and the constant action left me yearning for a bit more character development. There were flashbacks that offered a little insight into Kennedy’s life, but I wanted more—and to know more about all the characters. There is a second book in the series, which make sense since it ends on a cliffhanger.

I would recommend this book as a high-interest book to young readers, especially those who want more of a plot-centered book. I could see myself devouring this book as a younger reader. As a grown-up, I craved just a bit more. That said, aside from some violence/creepiness involving ghosts, it was a relatively clean read listed as appropriate for grades 8 and up, so I would recommend it to my daughter when she gets old enough!

book reviews none

Writer Wednesday: Poetry Prompt

April 26, 2017 Val No comments

The month of April is National Poetry Month, and today is the date of Shakespeare’s baptism. To celebrate the life of the famous bard, I wanted to share a prompt I came across during a writing event this past weekend.

Prompt: Write a magic spell

This was a prompt one of the facilitators gave to the workshop during the Loudoun County “Words Out West” festival this April.

As soon as the facilitator read the prompt, all eyes turned to me. “Val probably has several spells scrawled in her pocket,” they said. The room laughed. They were, of course, referring to one of my news released. The Man with the Crystal Ankh (kindle | paperback) features a student who enters trances while playing the violin. During these trances, she is contacted by a ghost in need of assistance. Throughout her investigation, she uncovers powerful Latin texts–spells, perhaps?–that a nefarious administrator at the school seems to have a hand in.

No wonder the room turned my way.

Here’s what I came up with. I was glancing out the window at a cobblestone path and thinking about challenges people face at work—a common reason in stories they might want to write a spell. And, of course, I thought about Macbeth (the witches, spells: a colleague had been playing the Shakespeare episode of Doctor Who for her students the day before) and their hand in raising discontent from Macbeth to his superior.

Cobblestone, all alone:

Circle thrice where sunlight shone—

Moonlight, now, the kiss of night,

Let parting clouds reveal her light.

Sprinkle on the stony path

A token of your worldly wrath—

A pen, perhaps, held by your boss

Or memo written that made you cross

Shredded now into paper shards.

Now firm your will and make it hard.

Then into the circle firmly spit

And say these words: “My boss, I quit!”

Writer Wednesdays none

Book Review: Dead of Spring by Sherry Knowlton

April 24, 2017 Val No comments

I was glad to return to the world of Alexa Williams–along with all her usual legal and dangerous sleuthing and quest to combat human trafficking. Since Dead of Spring involved scandals related to fracking in Pennsylvania, I thought this would be an appropriate review for the week of Earth Day.

If you are new to the series, check out my review of Dead of Autumn and Dead of Summer.

The novel starts with action almost right away: the death of Senator Martinelli. As usual, Alexa is in the horribly wrong place at just the wrong time, and she witnesses his body plummet to the floor. I’ll admit the imagery in that first scene gripped me and brought me once again into Alexa’s world.

The main conflict revolves around fracking and a slew of corruption. As a side quest. Alexa is helping her friend, whose young daughter’s cancer is taxing the family’s resources and emotions, and it’s thought to be linked to improper procedures followed by a company harvesting resources from the family’s land–procedures that killed the family dog.

Interspersed within those chapters are episodes from 1979 with the incident at TMI (Three Mile Island, for those not familiar), during which there was a partial nuclear meltdown. I enjoy the contrast of all these dire environmental intrusions with the peace of Alexa’s wilderness retreat.

Which is my favorite part of the novel. As I have said of Dead of Autumn and Dead of Summer, I enjoy being pulled into Alexa’s life. She’s busy, tired, frightened, and brave, and she’s always trying to do the right thing. With the description of her cozy wooded cabin, her dog Scout, and her boyfriend (I won’t spoil who in case you haven’t read the first two books), I feel like I’m escaping into her life–from details about her law firm to details about what she’s eating or what yoga pose she’s contemplating.

The novels is a fast and enjoyable read. I learned much about fracking and other environmental issues, both benefits and consequences, while enjoying more of the life of Alexa Williams.

* * *

Speaking of Earth Day… check out Barking Rain Press’s Spring Fling Sale. From April 30-May 14, ebooks are just $2.99. This includes my newest release, a tale of a high school freshman who finds life in the wilderness easier than navigating the manipulations of her scheming sister–or confronting the truth of her past:

Available in ebook or paperback at Amazon and other ebook retailers.

No good deed goes unpunished when freshman Steffie Brenner offers to give her awkward new neighbor a ride home after her first day at school. When her older sister Ali stops at a local park to apply for a job, Steffie and Madison slip out of the car to explore the park—and Madison vanishes.

Already in trouble for a speeding ticket, Ali insists that Steffie say nothing about Madison’s disappearance. Even when Madison’s mother comes looking for her. Even when the police question them.

Some secrets are hard to hide, though—especially with Madison’s life on the line. As she struggles between coming clean or going along with her manipulative sister’s plan, Steffie begins to question if she or anyone else is really who she thought they were. After all, the Steffie she used to know would never lie about being the last person to see Madison alive—nor would she abandon a friend in the woods: alone, cold, injured, or even worse.

But when Steffie learns an even deeper secret about her own past, a missing person seems like the least of her worries…

book reviews, books, holiday none

Fantastic Friday: Battle of the Books and the Power of Reading

April 21, 2017 Val No comments

I’m excited about my new release, The Girl Who Flew Away. As I was finishing final edits on this young adult novel back in 2015, I was invited to participate in Loudoun County’s high school Battle of the Books competition with my novel The Scarred Letter.

What an amazing day—to see students coming together to celebrate books!

I offered that the winning team would have their school colors and mascot featured in my upcoming novel. I’d like to officially congratulate Tuscarora High School, the 2015 winners. But I’d also like to congratulate everyone who participated.

Reading is such an important element of life today, but as technology takes over, it seems fewer and fewer people read. Every member of the Battle of the Books teams has already made a commitment to reading, and there are numerous studies proving how reading is linked to improved performance at a variety of tasks, including math and memory, not to mention personal enjoyment and enlightenment.

In middle school and high school, my favorite activity was sitting in my room next to the open window, reading. The amazing paradox of those moments never ceases to amaze me. There I was, situated physically in the most familiar place in the world to me. And yet with the turning of a few pages, I could travel to a place real or imagined. I could confront challenges I might one day encounter, or ones that terrified me.

I try to capture a little slice of that in my writing. In The Girl Who Flew Away, Steffie encounters situations that terrify me—some that I have experienced in life, some I have seen others struggle with, and some that I hope no one ever has to. Among other, more serious, problems, Steffie becomes lost in the woods as she searches for her friend.

One element that inspires her to persevere is thinking about her high school mascot—the Husky—and its strength. The Huskies certainly embodied that spirit in winning the 2015 competition.

I look forward to reading an excerpt from the novel at the Purcellville Library’s Words Out West Festival on April 22 at 2 p.m.

And once again, a Fantastic Friday congratulations to the winners from 2015!

The Girl Who Flew Away is available at Amazon.com in paperback and for kindle. You can also read the first four chapters for free, and receive a discount code at BarkingRainPress.org.

books, Fantastic Friday none

Flash Fiction: Dino Express by Dorothy Colinco

April 20, 2017 Val No comments

Welcome to the Spot Writers. This week’s post comes to us from Dorothy Colinco.

This month’s prompt: These objects should appear in your story: a train, a pink post-it note, and keys. One of your characters must be an animator. One of your characters (it doesn’t have to be the animator), must share a name with a famous public figure, and this coincidence must come up in the story.

Dino Express

by Dorothy Colinco

He stared at the preliminary sketches of the scaly cartoon dinosaur, one that admittedly looked too scary for a children’s show. As he transferred those images onto a digital sketch pad, he mused, not for the first or last time, how his name had once again dictated his path in life. Though the actor Jeff Goldblum starred in many films, the one most people remember is Jurassic Park, as they liked to remind him, Jeff Goldblum, the not-actor.

“This is my friend, Jeff. Jeff Goldblum, actually. Not the actor, obviously. Ha ha.”

“Let me introduce you to Jeff Goldblum. The one who wasn’t in Jurassic Park.”

He had to give them credit for finding different ways to use the same idea multiple times, kind of like the folks at the cough syrup companies, who created lots of different coughs and offered the same syrup, marketed as different blends, to treat them.

He thought about how strange it was that while he was so aware of the other Jeff’s existence, the actor had no idea about this Jeff, let alone how their lives were intertwined.

On this particular occasion, Jeff the animator for the producer Imaginext, gave the creative team, who had yet to live up to their name, a great idea. It was decided that since Jeff Goldblum shared a name with an actor on Jurassic Park, what better for him to illustrate than the very prehistoric subjects of the film? But the show couldn’t just be about now extinct dominators of the Mesozoic Era, it also had to feature locomotives. The creative idiots had looked at one graph indicating that trains were back “in” with the tots these days, so they decided to kill two birds, descendants of prehistoric reptiles, with one animated stone. Thus, Dino Express was born, and it was up to not-actor Jeff to bring it to digital life.

How was he going to pull this off? Dinosaurs didn’t exactly bring to mind inventions of the Industrial Revolution.

He needed a break. Some coffee, maybe a croissant. He usually didn’t let those flaky pastries around his sketches – grease stains were his mortal enemy – but he deserved one with chocolate oozing out as a bonus. He scanned his cluttered desk for his phone and keys. Sketches covered every square inch of the table, dotted here and there by fluorescent green and pink Post-Its where he left himself notes and comments. “Teeth are too pointed” and “no – Mickey Mouse” they said. He found his keys, and he noticed the way the metal glinted right below a stegosaurus’s neck. He slowly lowered himself onto his chair with the weight of a new idea. Once again, his name inserted itself into the narrative.

Later, he pitched the idea with the new sketches fueled by coffee and a splendid chocolate croissant.

“So,” the most creative of the creative team said, “the dinosaurs… BECOME trains?”

“Yes,” said Jeff Goldblum, “precisely.”

“But the two are separated by millions of years!” said another very creative person, as though it was Jeff’s idea to pair terrible lizards with 19^th Century transportation in the first place.

“Life,” he said, with a contemplative pause, “finds a way.”

The Spot Writers—Our Members:

Val Muller: https://valmuller.com/blog/

Catherine A. MacKenzie: https://writingwicket.wordpress.com/wicker-chitter/

Dorothy Colinco. www.dorothycolinco.com

CaraMarie Christy: https://calamariwriting.wordpress.com/

Dorothy Colinco, flash fiction none

Book Review: Leaf and the Sky of Fire (Twig Stories Book 2) by Jo Marshall

April 17, 2017 Val 1 comment

Last June, I reviewed the first book in the Twig Stories series. In honor of Earth Day, I read the second.

The Twig Stories series follows stick creatures that I think of as elves or sprites (but more wood-like), with a focus on descriptive language and environmental issues.

In this book, Leaf (who is always eager to take on adult responsibility) takes a big risk to save a group of stranded creatures (fellow Twigs, salamanders, a chameleon) from a dangerous situation: their forest has been destroyed by bark beetles that have browned-out all the trees. But a forest fire starts, sending all the wildlife into a panic.

In my review of Book 1, I mentioned that as a kid, I would have adored these books. I’ve always been fascinated with nature, and I would often daydream in the same way the book’s description takes the reader on a journey through nature. Because the stick creatures are smaller than humans, they notice things in more detail than we do. In this way, the reader is taken on a journey that allows them to appreciate nature.

The book also includes amazing illustrations by D. W. Murray, and these really help capture the spirit of the setting.

My favorite part is the wand that Leaf has (it’s a really cool tool) and the humor injected in the description of the very, extremely, inconveniently slow chameleon that just happens to be traveling with the group. I also like the description of the bark beetles. I have my own battle every spring with a swarm of Japanese beetles that are trying very hard to kill one of my trees. They have already taken out a branch, and I’m hoping they don’t take away the whole tree. There is a note in the back of the book about how invasive species are harmful and have repercussions that we should all care about. This book helps young readers to ignite that spirit of care and concern.

The book focuses on plot and description, so I would recommend this to readers who want to be captured in a world that takes them deeper into nature and readers who want to turn page after page in order to find out what happens next. I have the last two books in the series, and I look forward to reading them as well. In fact, once my daughter is old enough to understand chapter books, I can see myself reading her a chapter each night before bed to help foster her imagination about nature and the world outside.

* * *

Have you read my latest book? The Girl Who Flew Away is about a freshman who used to love nature but now isn’t sure what she loves or who she is. You can read the first four chapters free and receive a 35% off coupon here.

book reviews none

Fantastic Friday: The Great Outdoors

April 14, 2017 Val No comments

Okay, so it isn’t Friday. The weather has been so amazing that I’ve been spending my time outside. But now that it’s raining—and 11:30 at night—I decided to sit down and write this post.

Anyone who knows me knows that I dread winter. I remember distinctly the moment when I fully realized how much winter impacted me. I was standing outside with the dogs, and something felt off. I looked around, half expecting an intruder to show up in my periphery. That’s the kind of creepy I felt.

I looked left.

No one.

I looked right.

No one.

But it wasn’t just no one. It was nothing. No birds. No leaves. No life. Not even an airplane or a car disrupted the silence. It felt unnatural, the way I imagined life on a barren planet would be.

That was when I realized I missed the sound of leaves rushing with the wind (since I teach etymology, I know a fancy word for the rustling of leaves: psithurism). Even now, as I sit typing with my window open, I hear the wind rustling through the early spring leaves and the peepers in a nearby pond. I hear life.

This week, I was blessed with fantastic weather and spring break. I spent much of my time working on “Phase I” of a clubhouse I am building for my daughter. Phase I involves a sandbox and the base and roof of the clubhouse structure.

In high school, I volunteered to help build the sets for my school’s musicals. They were extensive, often involving multi-level structures with stairs, doorways, and the like. I put that knowledge to use and took advantage of the nice weather. It was the perfect excuse to spend hours outdoors with the corgis.

It started with a few sketches.

And then some framing.

And finally, the finished structure… until Phase II.

My daughter loves it and has already spent several hours playing in the sandbox.

Phase II involves walling in the back half of the structure, including doors and windows, and shingling the roof. But that can wait. For this week, I enjoyed my accomplishment by eating lunch by the sandbox with my favorite person in the world and my two corgis by my side.

I’m thankful for the time and resources to make this project, and for the opportunities I took advantage of in volunteering for set construction and helping my dad with various projects in order to increase my knowledge and abilities. As my favorite movie, Back to the Future reminds us, if you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything.

And beautiful weather certainly can’t hurt.

Fantastic Friday none

Flash Fiction: Courage by Val Muller

March 30, 2017 Val No comments

Welcome to the Spot Writers. This week’s post comes to us from Val Muller. Check out her brand-new release: The Girl Who Flew Away is a coming of age tale of a freshman prone to keeping secrets. Follow this link to receive a free four-chapter preview + 35% off coupon!

Courage

By Val Muller

As soon as he came through the door, he made for the chair in the corner. “The lighting here is best,” he said. He spoke with as much purpose as he walked. As soon as he opened his satchel, I could smell his charcoals, his erasers. He smelled like an artist.

Of course he did. Meagan only knows artists. It’s like she’s a lightning rod for creative types. How she came to know a world-class animator is a story best left for a soap opera. That’s how her life goes. Ex-husband of a college roommate, but not as simple as that. Meagan was part of the reason he’s an ex. Cheated with him. And with her. That’s Meagan for you.

Not like boring old me. There I was, taking a sick day off work and letting Christopher Lloyd play hooky from school so that he could do gymnastics on the living room floor for a famous animator, who hoped to become lead animator on some new film that apparently featured a kindergartener gymnast. It was the most exciting thing that would ever happen to us.

“Christopher!” I called. Christopher was still upstairs. I turned back to my guest. “Can I get you a drink, Mr.—”

“No,” he said. “And call me Mike.” He looked down at his art supplies, and the sun from the window danced in his perfectly-sculpted hair. Bed head, accented with the perfect amount of stubble. Rustic and artsy. Not like clean-shaven James, who looked as vanilla as a member of the military every day of the week.

I smiled. “Mike. Christopher’s a little shy, but he’ll warm up to you.”

“Christopher Martin Lloyd,” I called up the stairs.

“Coming,” came a muffled reply.

“Christopher Lloyd, huh?” Mike asked, laughing.

I smiled. “We could barely resist. Maybe we’re raising a future mad scientist. Doc Brown was always a favorite character of mine.”

Mike flashed a smile. “Mad scientists are fun to animate.” He flipped open his sketchpad, and charcoal raced across the page. Before long, he’d drawn a mad scientist that looked like Doc Brown.

“That’s amazing,” I said. I tried to remember whether I’d ever been that passionate about, or talented at, my job. Or any job. Ever. I began to understand why Meagan had chosen him for an affair.

“Christopher!” I called a bit too loudly. The poor boy was already descending the steps. “Oh, there you are. Chris, this is Mr. Mike. He’s going to draw some sketches of you while you go through your gymnastics routine.”

Christopher turned to Mike. “Am I gonna be in a movie?”

Mike shrugged. “Hope so. If they choose my drawings, then the things I draw today will be used to create a character—” The man was already at work on a fresh page, sketching Christopher. He perfectly captured my son’s shy, strong demeanor.

I watched the tendons in his arm work like magic, rippling and tensing and helping his fingers dance around the charcoal as he made my son look more like my son than he did in real life. I brushed away goosebumps and tried to breathe. I glanced into the kitchen. “Looks like you left your toy trains out again,” I lied. “I’ll go put them away. In the meantime, do your warmup for Mr. Mike.” I flashed a smile. “Maybe you’ll be in a movie, Chris.”

I didn’t wait for a response. I hurried into the kitchen and then through to the living room, where I dug through Christopher’s toy chest and pretended to put away the trains. On the wall, a picture of me, James, and baby Chris looked down at me. Why did James’ eyes make me feel guilty? He knew about the appointment today. Heck, he was prouder of Christopher’s gymnastics than I was. Why did I feel guilty?

I could hardly deny it. I’d never done anything glorious like have an affair. And never with a renowned artist. But based on his past with Meagan, Mike was fairly open to possibilities, right?

My body moved without my permission. I barely recognized my feet as they padded into the kitchen. I barely knew my fingers as they grabbed a pink sticky note from the kitchen desk and picked up a purple pen.

Megan told me that—

No, that was stupid. I crossed it out. Pulled off the sticky note.

I thought maybe—

What am I, in middle school?

My fingers smiled and danced as they decided to write on a fresh note:

James works late on Thursdays, and Christopher is away at practice.

Blushing, I pulled off the note and stuffed it in my pocket. My hands might be able to write it for me, but I’d never work up the courage to give him the note. I stood in the kitchen for an eternity, watching him complete sketch after sketch of my boy. His eyes lit up as he discovered the best of my son. He filled up two entire sketchbooks with Christopher’s essence. He was like a father discovering his newborn son for the first time.

I stayed frozen in the kitchen, just watching like the passive person I’d become. I stayed as he flipped through the pictures with Chris. I stayed as he got up to leave. Chris led him to the front door, and I watched him clutch the two sketchbooks like precious relics. But my eyes travelled to the chair in the corner. He was about to forget his satchel. I hurried to grab it for him, and once again my fingers worked without my consent. They were too afraid to reach for the sticky note, but they swiped my keys on their way past the counter. And as they retrieved his satchel, they tossed the keys inside it. And then, while Chris was taking one last glance at the drawings, they even threw in the sticky note. One of those items, at least, would force a return trip.

“Oh, my satchel!” Mike said, looking up at me. “I would have missed that!”

He took two steps toward me—he was still a lifetime away—but I panicked. I did the only thing I could think to do. I upended the satchel, and the world exploded in a blur of charcoal and pastels, pencils and kneaded erasers. And of course, a set of keys and a sticky note.

All manner of art supplies cascaded down on the kitchen floor. Christopher giggled.

“I’m so sorry,” I lied as I bent down to snatch the keys and note. In an instant, he was there next to me, picking up his supplies. He smelled like an artist.

I stuffed the sticky note back into my pocket and put my keys on the counter while I watched him put away the rest of his supplies. Before he left, he pulled off one of the sketches: Christopher jumping in the air with his fist out like Superman. I tacked it up on the refrigerator, a testament to the most exciting day of our lives, and to the day my courage failed.

The Spot Writers—Our Members:

Val Muller: https://valmuller.com/blog/

Catherine A. MacKenzie: https://writingwicket.wordpress.com/wicker-chitter/

Dorothy Colinco. www.dorothycolinco.com

CaraMarie Christy: https://calamariwriting.wordpress.com/

flash fiction none

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Val Muller

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Book Review: Magic Treehouse #1 (Dinosaurs Before Dark)

Flash Fiction: Faded Beer Cans by Cathy MacKenzie

Faded Beer Cans

Book Review: Unbreakable by Kami Garcia

Writer Wednesday: Poetry Prompt

Book Review: Dead of Spring by Sherry Knowlton

Fantastic Friday: Battle of the Books and the Power of Reading

Flash Fiction: Dino Express by Dorothy Colinco

Book Review: Leaf and the Sky of Fire (Twig Stories Book 2) by Jo Marshall

Fantastic Friday: The Great Outdoors

Flash Fiction: Courage by Val Muller

Courage

By Val Muller