Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Carson - Finale & ...

This cat won't give up, Carson thought.

Carson was four feet up into the tree, squirming between tightly spaced branches with only a whisker's breadth to spare... and somehow Bonkers was still right behind. Carson could feel the tree swaying and shaking. Shiny baubles clinked and colored lights blinked. With little room left above, Carson scurried toward the tip of a branch.

Foolishly, Bonkers followed. The branch couldn't support Bonkers' weight. The cat slipped down through the lower branches, howling when a string of lights knotted around his tail.

Carson watched as Bonkers hit the floor with a THUD. The cat, still entangled in the string of light, was like an anchor on the end of a rope. And the weight of that anchor was causing the tree to topple.

Carson watched in disbelief as once again the floor raced up to meet him. A squeak was forced from his lungs when a tree branch pinned him to the braided rug.  He struggled desperately to wriggle free, to no avail. Breathing was becoming difficult and his vision was failing. The last thing he saw was a shining star.

The smell of well aged cheddar cheese drew Carson back from the darkness.  Blinking his eyes, Carson found himself lying in a bed of wood shavings. Silver bars rose up on all sides. A bottle of water hung from one of those bars and the piece of white cheddar that had woken him lay just beneath the bottle. Getting to his feet to claim his prize, Carson found his left front foot was wrapped in blue thread. The color looked familiar.

"Oh thank goodness you're okay,"  Diana said.  "You haven't moved all night and I've been sooo worried.  But now you're awake and it's the best Christmas Day ever.  I hope you like the cheese.  Mama explained that you're a mouse and not a hamster, but that's okay."

Carson nibbled hungrily at the cheese while, from the arm of a nearby chair, Bonkers looked on in disgust.

"I'm so glad you like it," Diana said.  "I'll give you some every single day."

Carson wiggled his nose and blinked his eyes while grinning his biggest grin.

******

HAPPY HOLIDAYS to all who periodically check in on this blog.

I'll be taking a short break but will be back with new stuff in the new year.

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Carson - 12

Carson had never traveled in a pocket before. He had to admit it he liked it. Warm, dark, and confining, the pocket reminded Carson of his own nest. Turning in a half circle, he settled his rear end into the corner of the pocket, only to be scooped out and thrust in front of the face of one of The Family.

That mouth of that very same face opened into a wide "O". The shriek that blasted out of that dark opening echoed through the room.

Frightened, Carson acted instinctively, biting on the tip of Diana's index finger. 

Suddenly Carson was airborne, turning somersaults as he arched toward the braided rug on the dark wooden floor. Even as the room spun around him, Carson saw his predicament. Bonkers was waiting at the far end of the rug. A pink tongue poked from the corner of the grin that stretched across the cat's face.

Twisting his body this way and that, Carson brought his spin under control and got his legs working. The very moment his feet touched the carpet, Carson took off like a shot.

Wonder of wonders there was a tree in the middle of the room.  Carson raced up the trunk of the tree with Bonkers right on his tail.

Dear Reader: you can add your own sentence to the story by posting your contribution as a comment or sending an e-mail to scripterbk@live.com

Monday, December 20, 2010

Carson - 11

Soft warm hands wrapped around Carson and lifted him from the scraps of food and paper.

"Santa's already been here.  Santa's already been here"!  Diana shouted.  "He brought the hamster I asked for!"

Hamster!  Carson hadn't been so insulted since... well, since his brother had given him the nickname Shortail.  He was ready to bite the fingers of the little girl who was holding him. That is, until he saw Bonkers staring up from the floor.

If I bite Diana's hand she'll either drop me or throw me out the door. Either way I'd be done for. Carson knew he would never survive being dropped at Bonkers' feet. As for outdoors... Carson shivered at the thought of all the cold open space that waited out there.

"Oh you poor thing," Diana said when she felt Carson shiver.  "You're cold."  She slipped Carson into the pocket of her robe and hurried into the living room to show her parents what Santa had brought for her.

Dear Reader,  you can submit a sentence or phrase to be included in the next installment of the story by posting a comment (comments don't appear right away) or by sending an e-mail to:  scripterbk@live.com

Sunday, December 19, 2010

Carson -10

Scrambling onto the top of a red and white soda can, Carson cautiously raised his head until his eyes cleared the top of the plastic that lined the trash can.

Diana was pulling a long sting of silver fluff from one of the cardboard boxes on the kitchen floor.

Mary had a....

"Hey genius, wrong song." the boy's voice was so close that Carson flinched in surprise  "It's Christmas Eve. Your supposed to be singing Jingle Bells. And that garland is coming apart so just throw it away."

Carson's eyes widened as Diana headed directly toward him with the sting of fluff trailing behind her like a tail.
When she reached the trash can, Diana scrunched the fluff into a ball extended her arms...

....and squealed.

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Carson - 9

Oh such ecstasy. The pungent smell of well aged cheese. The strong flavor unique to cheese from over the water. Carson's nose hadn't failed him. The remains of a plastic wrapper showing a windmill proved the cheese had come from a long distance away.

Carson's second, third, and fourth bites were progressively larger. His belly felt like he had swallowed a marble. A yawn escaped his lips and he considered taking a short nap right there in the trash can.

Mary had a little lamb, little lamb, little lamb...  the sing-song voice of Diana, the youngest member of The Family, floated through the kitchen.

Panicked, Carson hauled his now considerable bulk up through the trash.

Thanks (I think) to Stephanie for providing the phrase in bold.

If you, Dear Reader, would like to have an effect on the next installment of the story, you can offer your sentence or phrase by posting a comment (comments won't appear right away) or sending an e-mail to: scripterbk@live.com

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Carson -8

There it was again. The smell of aged cheddar cheese. The aroma rolled across the lip of the trash can and down to the floor in an unending wave of mouth watering temptation.

Bonkers forgotten, Carson wedged himself in the narrow space between the kitchen cabinet and plastic trash can. It was the tight squeeze that enabled Carson to make his vertical climb. His back pressed against the cabinet, Carson's tiny claws easily found purchase in the slight imperfections of the plastic.

In only seconds Carson reached the top edge of the trash can. Anchoring himself with his back legs, Carson used his front feet to dig through the assortment of paper, aluminum, and food scraps. Nose twitching, stomach grumbling, Carson zeroed in on his prize.

He was salivating by the time he spotted the rectangular chunk of cheese. Ohhhhh.. it was white cheddar!! Carson couldn't imagine why The Family would discard such a treat. Carson quivered in anticipation of sinking his teeth into the tasty prize.

Dear Reader, you are invited to post a comment (comments won't appear right away) or send an e-mail to scripterbk@live.com with you suggestion of a sentence or phrase to be included in the next installment of the story.

Monday, December 13, 2010

Carson - 7

Carson's life was in the balance. There was no time to reason out the hallucination of his father.

Kicking, thrashing, and twisting, Carson managed to weave his front paws into Bonkers' whiskers. Carson plucked at those whiskers as though the were strings on a banjo.

Bonkers first went cross eyed trying to focus on the mouse, then those same almond shaped eyes pooled with tears.  Bonkers chest swelled as he hitched in gasps of air. Ah.. ah... ah...

CHOO......  The cat's sneeze sent Carson sailing through to air to land at the base of the trash can with the delicious smelling cheese.

Dear Reader:  you can influence the next installment of the story by contributing a sentence or phrase.  You can post your contribution as a comment (comments won't appear right away) or send an e-mail to: scripterbk@live.com

Sunday, December 12, 2010

Carson -6

Carrrrson!!!  His mother's high pitched squeak  now sounded more panicked than angry. Carson couldn't understand why. He was being delivered to safety by his long absent father. While Carson was sure he would be confined to his nest for weeks to come, having the family all together again was going to be wonderful.

Carson Aloysius Truman Shortail.  Carson cringed. Shortail was a taunt by his brother that had stuck as a nickname after Bonkers had taken two thirds of Carson's tail during the last encounter between cat and mouse. Carson hated the name and everyone knew it. The only time his mother ever used it was...

Wait. That wasn't his mother's voice. Someone else was screaming at him.

Carson struggled to shake the cobwebs from his mind.

Much to his horror, as Carson's thoughts cleared his father disappeared. The face clamped on the end of his tail was none other than the grinning Bonkers the cat!!

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Carson - 5

"Dad?"  Carson whispered. "What...how..."

Carson's father had been injured by Bonkers after rescuing Carson from his last brush with disaster. The wound in his father's side had never fully healed and.... one day his father didn't come home.  It had been a full year since anyone had seen Aloysius Truman, but somehow he had reappeared to save Carson from danger once again.


Dear Reader.... have a sentence or phrase you'd like to see in the next installment of this story?  You can post a comment (comments don't appear immediately) or send an e-mail to me at: scripterbk@live.com 

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Carson -4

Oooomph!  The breath was knocked from Carson's lungs and the world tumbled.  Upside down, right side up, upside down, and finally sideways.

Carson lay sprawled on his side on the speckled linoleum, his sides heaving as he struggled both to catch his breath and overcome his shock.  He knew that he needed to get to his feet and scamper away before...

Something warm and moist clamped down on what remained of Carson's tail.

This is it, Carson thought as he was dragged away, this is how it's all going to end. Oh, what will Mother think when she gets the news.  If she gets the news.

As though thinking of his mother had called her up, Carson heard her voice nearby.

CARSON ALOYSIUS TRUMAN SHORTAIL!!!

It was not lost on Carson that the initials C.A.T.S. spelled the very animal that was about to eat him for a late night snack.

But wait... if a cat has my tail in his teeth why would Mother be....

It was a struggle, but Carson lifted his head high enough to look over his shoulder.  His eyes widened in surprise.


Thanks to Lisa for e-mailing the phrase in bold.

If you, Dear Reader, would like to submit a sentence or phrase to use in the next installment of the story, you can post a comment (comments won't appear right away) or send an e-mail to: scripterbk@live.com

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Carson -3

Carson detested the taste of cardboard. Actually it was the glue that was offensive. The combination of chemical based glue and wood pulp played havoc with his digestive system and the stuff was absolutely impossible to get out from between his teeth.

But there was no help for it, with Bonkers the cat on the prowl Carson was going to have to chew his way into the box. With a little luck one of the Family would have left one of the special bottles inside of the box. Carson had no idea what the letters T.U.M.S. meant, but the treats inside of those bottles made Carson's insides feel wonderful.

A pile of brown fluff quickly accumulated on the floor. Carson spat out as much of the cardboard as he could. With the noise of his chewing filling his ears, Carson couldn't tell what Bonkers was doing.

As soon as he had a hole bigger than his nose, Carson forced his head through the opening...  And squeaked when he saw two almond shaped eyes staring back at him.

.... Thanks to Matt for suggesting the direction of this installment.

You, Dear Reader, can influence the direction of the next installment by supplying a sentence or phrase by posting a comment (comments won't appear immediately) or sending an e-mail to: scripterbk@llive.com

Monday, December 6, 2010

Carson -2

Whiskers twitching furiously, Carson moved forward until the tip of his pink nose emerged from shadow. He was certain disaster lurked unseen, but one of the Family had deposited a golf ball size chunk of aged cheddar cheese in the trash and Carson just had to have it.  If his nose was any judge - and it was - the cheese had aged for just over three years and originated from a place known as over the water.

Carson made a mad scamper for the first of the plain brown cardboard boxes. Squeezing against a corrugated flap that was peeling back from the rest of the rectangle, Carson set his eyes on the next leg of the journey toward dinner - a round red and white striped container that towered nearly to the seat of one of the Family's kitchen chairs.

Just as Carson made ready for maneuvers, his ears caught the thump of padded feet hitting the floor.

Dear Reader:  Here's your chance to decide where the story goes next.  You can offer a sentence or phrase to be included in the next installment by posting a comment (comments won't appear immediately) or by sending an e-mail to: scripterbk@live.com 

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Carson's Christmas

Carson Shortail peered cautiously out of his door and studied the landscape before him.  It had changed drastically since the night before. Just as it had done this time last year.

The tumult shortly after dawn had warned him the upheaval had begun and Carson had made sure he remained deep in the shadows until the thumping, scraping, and scratching had stopped.  Then he had schooled himself to patience and waited hours longer.

Patience did not come naturally to Carson, but after losing three inches of his four inch tail last year he resolved he would not be in a hurry if the change came again.

He was ever so hungry, and the view from his arched opening did his stomach no good. Obstacles were everywhere. Brown cardboard boxes had turned the linoleum floor into a maze. How ever was he to make it to the trash can without being discovered?

Dear Reader.... Have a sentence or phrase you'd like to see in the next installment?  Post a comment (it won't be viewable right away) or send an e-mail to scripterbk@live.com

Friday, December 3, 2010

Flying the Happy Airways

Is that a handkerchief in your pocket - or are you just excited about flying?

TSA officials are now saying that body scanners INCREASE the need for pat-downs as part of airport security.

Huh?

Yep - because the scanners call attention to anything in a person's pockets, those pocket contents need to be investigated by pat-downs. Now there's talk about pat-downs before body scans so officials will know what it is the body scanner is picking up.

Yes, it's a clear cut case of ineffectual beauracracy gone wild.

The U.S. really has gone off the deep end in airport security.The fact is, if a terrorist wants to bring a plane down, he or she will do so regardless of any security measure in place. The threat of destroying a plane is where terrorists are winning the battle.

As for me - I'm going to carry my change of socks in the leg of my jeans on my next flight. I'll take my thrills wherever I can get them.

Thursday, December 2, 2010

College Dude Decree

College Dude saves the day.

I was struggling with what tonight's post would be and so took time to surf the web and check in on Facebook. And what should I find on College Dude's Facebook page but a decree I heartily endorse and share herewith with a few Sea Zens appropriate edits:

And do it is decreed that temperatures shall remain in the 50's and 60's December thru March except for the 21st to 29th of December where temperatures may slip into the 20's and 30's. Furthermore between December 23rd and 27th a maximum of 3 inches of total snowfall is permissible but none before of after!

It is good to know that my son has maintained a firm grasp on the world as it should be.

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Changes in Attitude

I thought I was doing a pretty good job of adjusting to the last days of post-summer this year.

I tried to look for the glory in the display of multicolored trees and for the sense of invigoration from the chill in the air. As leaves started to fall more rapidly and late blooming plants lost their blooms I made an effort to think of nature resting and building stamina for the coming pre-summer.

And then my travels took me to the warm Caribbean where brilliant green palm fronds sway in the warm breeze, flowers and shrubs bloom in a multitude of colors, and white fluffy clouds sail smoothly across a royal blue sky.

Blinders off, I returned to December in the Middle Atlantic region of the U.S. - and realized the barren trees stand like defeated soldiers in an abandoned field of battle and the cold winds that howl unimpeded carry the chill of death rather than the hope of rebirth.

Truly bears are the smartest of all creatures at this time of year; curling up in their dens and waiting for the warmth of April.