Ax Therapy

Dr. Socket, Charles and his ax. Unfortunately there are no axes in this world.

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100 Words – Mannequin

We worshiped the mannequin in the tree fort. Its name was Eugene. We gave it funky clothes and crayon tattoos. We told stories about him on endless Sunday afternoons. He was a hero and a scoundrel, living at the distant edges of teen imagination.

The tree fort was ours during the day. It belonged to others at night. We often had to clean out the debris. Then some junkie fell asleep heating his spoon and burned down the tree fort. Billy tried to save the melted remains but his mom threw it away. He soon faded from our story world.

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100 Words – Sanity

Smiley’s goal of sanity seemed insurmountable. The voices and visions that occupied his mind appeared to be invincible. Reality was a stranger he hadn’t met yet.

But slowly he chipped away. A therapist here, an epiphany there, and it all started to come together. The pills made him dull. The police visits became few. His parents stopped yelling.

A few months later he was normal and off probation. The world was steady beneath his feet.

Then, in the same night, at the same bar, in the same hour, he discovered Martha and tequila. Ah well, it was worth a try.

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Tom Week – Lizard Friend

4/10/20 – Our Lizard Friend

The lizard friend is back on the hose. There is a spiderweb there and he sits there and steals bugs from the poor spider’s web.

4/11/20 – Storm Prep

Tomorrow, Easter, we are supposed to get bad nasty storms with maybe hail and tornadoes. I’ve put away everything that can blow away and battened down all the hatches. If needed, the cement restroom building is 50 yards away. Such fun.

4/12/20 – The Storm

We totally lucked out today. We had some rain but no wind or hail or tornadoes. The people to the south were hit especially hard.

4/13/20 – The Cold Calm

We got some wind last night so we pulled in the slideout. Stopped about 11:30. I feel bad about all the people who died or had their homes trashed. With luck comes guilt.

It’s much colder today. Tonya got out to rock though. I went shopping and found everything we needed except AA batteries.

4/14/20 – Sticky Figures

I’m learning this animation program that is driven through a programming language. It is quite interesting, but the initial projects look only a bit better than fancy stick figures. Next week we’ll get to making the arms and legs move.

4/15/20 – Creativity Day

The ides of April. I’m having this rush of creativity. I’ve been writing and working on videos more than ever. Having a great time.

PIX

• 

  “But I don’t want to climb down.”

• 

  “Are you looking at me?”

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100 Words – Seagulls

The station wagon was full of the cellar junk I helped my father load. This was the first of what would be over a dozen trips in an attempt to de-hoarder the house. An attempt that ultimately failed.

As we drove to the landfill on the far side of the city, the sky filled with seagulls. I commented to the man at the junkyard gate that I was shocked to see so many seagulls a hundred miles from the ocean. He told me that I had a lot to learn about seagulls. I said no thanks. He laughed and waved.

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100 Words – Dream Scream

Never learn how to scream in your dreams. You will regret it. That paralysis is there to protect you and those around you. I know. I learned to scream in my dreams. I learned to fight the demons, and I have the holes in my wall to prove it.

It was the snake demon again, only this time I was ready. I swung as hard as I could and caught right across its nose. It kept coming. Another blow from me and it flinched. I woke up.

I could hear my wife breathing. “Did I hit you?” “No” she said.

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Short Story – City Folks/Creepy Woods

I thought I had lucked out. A state park with plenty of available spaces right on a lake. Oh what a fool I was. One bar on the cell phones means no WIFI. The TV finds no channels. The radio finds no stations. As the sun set a heavy mist formed upon the lake. The clouds are blocking the moon. We are in total darkness. Total isolation.

The morning came as a thick fog. It might have well still been night as far as I could see. I counted seven steps before losing sight of the camper. Found it again by walking backwards. The dog was afraid to poop. Didn’t blame her. Told her she had to go anyway.

There were noises in the water. A couple of small skidding splashes like ducks landing. Then there was a big splash and a gator’s bellow. I decided it would be okay if the dog pooped inside under the circumstances.

A couple hours later the fog lifted like it was being vacuumed up into the sky. There was no wind. The water was as smooth as glass. A gator’s head popped out of the water over by the bat house, then sank away. That was the last we saw of it.

At first I thought it was a bird house, but it turns out it was a bat house. This did not comfort my wife, so no wandering around at dusk for her. Thanks to the dog, I did. Didn’t see or hear any bats, but we heard some bull frogs arguing about religion. I don’t speak frog, but religion is the only thing that would elicit that much passion in an argument.

About midnight, on the dog’s last walk, the night had become humid and lit by a big moon. The bats came. You could hear the wings flap. There was no screeching, but that was almost worse. Then they were gone. I guess all the bugs had been eaten.

The next morning was misty, but not so bad. That splashing and gator groans were back, but I figured that as long as they’re splashing they’re not on the land. Then the dog started yelping. She was covered with fire ants. It took ten minutes to pull them all off her. Another five to get them off me. Youch.

When we got back to the camper I noticed the muddy paw prints on the door. The dog was freaking at the smell. I guess on the way out she was too busy to notice. I took a picture with my phone thinking, “That was one big raccoon.” I looked it up in the Boy Scout manual I got at a yard sale for a quarter. Yes, they were bear prints. Well pulled out as soon as visibility allowed.

Maybe motels are more our speed.

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