Inktober: Found

Day 30!

Jeff went into the woods just like he did every summer to collect the arrows from the winter’s deer hunting.

What he usually found was about 150 arrows and he would take them back to his workshop to repare them and sell to the next season’s hunters. It turned out to be a great profit and no one had suspected they were quite possibly buying their own arrow back. Of course not all of them were salvageable so that’s when he made them into works of art or keepsakes he could sell to the hunter’s families for the Christmas season.

Jeff’s wife, Audry was a great seamstress. She could take any fabric and make the most beautiful outfit or apron or anything else you could imagine. Her specialty for the store was the covers for hunting tents that Jeff would make out of the unsalvageable arrows.

This summer Jeff went out into the woods behind their small farm just as he always did. He retrieved about 45 arrows and just as the sun was about to go down he headed back to the farm. Audry would have had supper ready for an hour already, he knew she’d be a little disappointed.

He noticed a bit of blue fabric hiding under the leaves. He set his pack of arrows down and lifted the fabric. Out of the leaves came blue shirt. A child’s shirt.

Jeff checked the tags and looked the shirt over, he scratched his head.

He walked for another hour. He became so lost in his thoughts that he forgot dinner. The blue shirt was a remnant of a memory he had forgotten. It was coming back to him. His son.

Jeff and Audry’s son had gone missing years ago, the police had searched the woods and couldn’t find a trace. Jeff stumbled across the shirt as if it was just left there that morning. He kept walking. And walking.

There near a large tree with many branches sat a small boy.

“Daddy? Did you walk through the portal too?”

Inktober: United

Day 29.

Dorish was new to the Monster University, and though all her classmates looked as if they were friendly she still felt out of place even after a month of being there.

She had tried several times to make friends but every time she would introduce herself she would run into a brick wall. It seemed like she was the only monster with her unique characteristics. Of course she was, she began to think, that’s what made her unique.

She had long flowing brunette hair, coming from only her head of all places! And she had two beautiful and seemingly small eyes compared to other students. Her pale cream skin was mostly exposed and she wore dresses and skirts and jeans to cover herself from cold conditions, especially in gym class where the temperature was near freezing.

She attempted talking to the large blue hairy monster in her gym class but he was almost twice her height and couldn’t understand a word she said.

She attempted talking to the small green lizard girl in her Math class, but the lizard was skittish and ran away.

When the first semester was over, Dorish still didn’t have anyone to talk to outside of group projects that we’re mostly handled over the monsterline.

Things started to turn a new leaf once Dorish headed into the new semester. She spotted a monster similar to her type across the quad, but everyday she saw this other monster it was gone with a quick blink of an eye.

That was until finally, she crossed paths with the other monster. It had darker skin than her but lighter hair, with brown eyes.

She attempted to make an introduction, the other monster smiled.

“Finally another human!” It said.

But Dorish was confused. She knew she was a monster, what was this other one talking about? Humans were slimy her parents told her. Humans were hairy her parents told her. Humans had funny tongues that made it sound like they had balloons in their throat her parents told her.

If this new monster was really human than her whole life had been a lie. She knew she was adopted, but from the human world!?

The new monster introduced herself as Cora and explained everything that gave Dorish human characteristics. It took some research and convincing but Dorish started piecing all the info together and finally came to the realization why other monsters at the University never paid much attention to her. At first she was upset. But she slowly came around to the idea.

Dorish was happy to find a new friend in Cora and together they were the best of friends beyond graduation. Dorish was finally united with a monster of her own kind.

Inktober: Fall

Day 28.

Mick stared out the window, a fresh blue sky was ready to meet him. He opened the sash and a familiar scent filled his senses. 

Fresh cut grass and crisp leaves and the suttle hint of a barbeque from blocks away. It reminded Mick of the day she left. 

She hopped on the train with just a small suitcase, running away with the promise of a better future. And it saddened Mick. He remembered the feeling of what he was he going to do now that she was gone. The emptyness consumed him that day, but this morning it was muted. 

He closed the window and smiled. Time goes on and heals the wounds of the past, Mick was happy now. He thought of his wife, and his son. 

Mick opened the door to his baby’s room and took the boy to the back yard. They played in the leaves, making new memories.

Inktober: Climb

Day 27!

I sat at the bottom of a ladder. Something drew me to the top and I began my accent. 

The first rung was easy. My knee shot up and an easy pressure brought me to the first step. The second step was even easier still. 

I should have been hesitant, my experience with a ladder had it’s ups and downs. But there was nothing to fear of this ladder. Third rung and fourth rung and fifth and so on. 

I reached the top, but I had a desire to keep going. I sat at the top of the ladder waiting, but I fell backwards and hard. 

Was it my fear coming to a realization? But I felt another presence, another drive to the top. And that’s when I saw the second ladder. Bigger and better and scary, waiting for my climb.

Inktober: Squeak

Day 26!

A teenaged boy set fire to the farmers field on a dare. He didn’t know it would go up in flames the way it did, the crops were unusually dry for this time of year. He stood there staring at the flames in awe of what he had done, his friends who set the dare had long since gone. They didn’t want to get in trouble and high-taled it in the rusty pick up truck.

It was in no time that the farmer who owned the crops came running from his little farmhouse and into the barn. The boy watched the farm animals being released from the barn. He sat there, knewing he had done wrong, but was willing to take the blame. The fire had gotten out of control.

The boy watched the farmer run back into the house and come out with a small child and his wife, they climbed into a truck and drove to the side of the road. They sat and watched the flames slowly take over everything. Fire trucks finally arrived and were able to save the house, but the barn was gone.

The boy still sat there unnoticed. Not a sound was heard from where he sat besides the crackling of the embers from where the corn once stood and a small squeak. The boy looked down at the ground, there was a small mouse covered in ash, must have ran from the field. The boy picked it up and dusted it off, and waited for the cops to come.

Inktober: Ship

Day 25. 

Somewhere off the coast of Alaska a ship is half way sunk in the water. A nearby yatchsman spotted the wreakage and called the coast guard to help save any lives still aboard the ship. The yatchsman circled the ship but didn’t see any signs of life, but he also didn’t see any lifeboats. 

The coast guard finally arrived and after some questionioning sent the yatchsman away. They sent a diving team into the boat, who’s starboard side was still above sea level. They checked every room they could, but there was no luggage. They finally made it to the brig but didn’t see any signs of the crew. Assuming they had all been safely taken away in the lifeboats the coast guard diving team resurfaced and headed back to their own boat.

The coast guard captain had been on call to other coast guards, this seemingly abandoned ship did not come from America. None of the other captains that he spoke to knew anything of this mysterious ship. The whole crew was puzzled and looked to the sinking ship. There was no explanation, no signs of life, no distress calls coming from the ship itself, the yatchsman had no details. Many of the crew held binoculars searching for any evidence at all. But that was it. There was nothing. They watched as the ship slowly sank futher until it disappeared into the deep blue ocean. They gave a proper salute to those that may have been lost and sent out a mourning flare. 

Inktober: Blind

Day 24, can you believe it?

Diane worked in the mail room of a ten story bank building. Every day she made her rounds around one o’clock in the afternoon. She always spent a little extra time on the fourth floor, they always seemed to have the most mail.

Mike worked on the fourth floor of a ten story bank building. He was with the special team that worked on high class clients. He watched a lot of clients buy million dollar homes, but money was no match for his favorite time of day, 1:30PM.

Diane led a pretty boring life she thought. Sorting mail and delivering it and then sorting packages and delivering them. She’d go home to her frozen dinners and feed her two cats. She’d call her parents and remind them that moving to the city was the happiest thing she had done. But it wasn’t. 

Mike couldn’t wait for the weekend. He worked hard long hours every day so that he could have Friday’s off, per company policy. Though if he knew he was expecting a package on a Friday afternoon he would always somehow find his way back to the office. He loved Diane, though he didn’t even know her name. 

Diane had many friendly conversations in the office building. None that she would consider good friends. And none of them had invited her anywhere outside of work and she had never invited them. After all, she was just the mail girl.

Mike waited one particular Friday afternoon.

Diane couldn’t take Fridays off, the mail never stopped just because it was the weekend.

Mike waved to Diane as she walked in the door but she didn’t see him.

Diane walked in the door of the fourth floor. This was her favorite floor, the people there were always so nice.

Mike watched as she gave mail to all of his co-workers. He was her last stop before she went to the fifth floor. He decided this was a good day to talk with her a little longer.

Diane looked in her cart. She had one more package to deliver, it was to Mike. Mike was one of her favorites. He always had the best jokes and always treated her like more than just the mail girl.

Mike made small talk about the weather and finally decided to ask her to dinner later that evening.

Diane accepted the dinner invitation. She wasn’t sure why he asked her, but she found herself blushing in the elevator. She figured everyone was blind to her, but there was Mike seeing more than just a mail girl.

Inktober: Juicy

Day 23.

A man sat at a desk in an old abandoned wearhouse. Dust covered the room except the desk and two chairs in front. He was in a pinstripe suit, perfectly tailored, and black crocodile skin shoes. He had a mean look about him, as if he was just always in a cranky mood.

Another man walked in the door way carrying a tray with wine glasses, silverware and fine China. On the plate was what appeared to be a steak. “Here you are sir.” He sat the tray down in front of the finely dressed man and took a seat in the chair infro of the desk.

“Who did you get?” The man cut into his steak, juices flowed onto the plate.

“Frankie.”

The man looked at the empty chair. “So it was him who betrayed me?”

The other man cowered. “Yes, sir.”

He chewed on the steak. “Mmmmm, Juicy.”

Inktober: Trail

Day 22. Whoop-de-do!

A group of campers and their trusty counselor were on a hike in the woods behind the lake. The counselor, Amy, had known this trail for many years. Not only was she a counselor for five years, but she had also attended the camp as a child herself. The campers were earning their nature badge and were determined to find all of the colors on their color wheel in nature.

Amy let them lead this time, being sure to corral them if some of them strayed too far. They had checked off all the colors on their wheel by lunchtime except one, blue. Amy said the campers couldn’t use the sky for this, they needed to find a plant or a bug. They were determined to find it before they got out their sack lunches. Children were everywhere, along the trial looking for flowers, in the thick bushes looking for bugs, that’s when Amy heard a scream.

It was coming from behind them, but it didn’t sound like anyone from her group. She called for all the campers to huddle around her on the dirt path. There was a scream again, this time it sounded closer. A gust of wind seemed to come from nowhere and the children got cold. Amy decided to keep walking along the trail since she knew it led back to the main camp cabin. She told her group that they could find their something blue another day, that they would just eat their lunch in the mess hall. The screams became more frequent and the children became scared. They began to jog up the trail staying as close as they could to one another. 

That’s when one of the children saw it. A great big blue furry creature running up the trail behind them. It was raining on them and they continued to run. Amy made sure they got into the mess hall before turning back to contront the big blue furry monster. 

She yelled at it at the top of her lungs for it to stop following but once it got closer it stopped. Amy was terrified and the children all looked out the window.

The furry thing lifted off it’s mask. It was the park ranger, face as red as could be with a big smile on his face. He chuckled, “Heard you were on a color hike and needed something blue.”

Inktober: Furious

Woo woo, day 21 of doing Inktober’s prompts for preparation of NaNoWriMo. There’s only 9 days left, can I make it?

Nathan paced the front porch. His shot gun waiting near the rocking chair. Emily stayed inside to do the dishes, she knew better than to mess with her husband when he was furious.

He saw head lights coming down the long drive way and decided it would be best if he were sitting. Once in the rocking chair he grabbed his moonshine and took a sip. 

“Hey papa, sorry we’re late.” A teenaged boy stepped out of the passenger side of a Toyota Land Cruiser.

“I told you ten, young man,” Nathan stayed sitting in his rocking chair.’

“I know papa, but…”

“No butts, get in the house boy.” Nathan sat up and grazed his shot gun with the side of this hand. “As for you young man, sit up here with me for a bit.”

Nathan’s son disappeared into the house as his date sat in the empty rocking chair.

“Young man, what are your intentions with my son?” Nathan stared the boy down.

“I just want to make him happy, sir.”

“How do you intend to do that?”

“Well, I was thinking of asking for his hand, sir.”

“Oh. Well hot damn, that means I get a son-in-law.” Nathan pulled out his shot gun up, and shot it into the night air.