5 word challenge

5 word challenge – Lexi

Lexi had no idea how long she had stood staring at this head, this body. She had entered a trance-like state of disgust, confusion, and fear. When she woke, she was once again scared out of her mind. Just out of the corner of her eye, she could see a person. It wasn’t close enough to harm her but she feared for her life anyways. This thing that she was now looking at looked about 7 feet tall. It had huge arms and legs, like tree trunks. These alone should have been enough to have Lexi running and screaming, but she couldn’t get past this thing’s outfit. There was a giggle building inside her that she knew she wouldn’t be able to contain for very long.

Before her, this tree trunk of a creature stood garbed in a horizontally striped sweater that alternated green and orange stripes. The sweater was tucked into a pair of long shorts that had suspenders. Lexi knew there was a name for this contraption and she took a moment to think of it. (She couldn’t stand not knowing the names of things.) LEDERHOSEN! That’s what it was. It also wore some sort of boots and an odd little hat cocked to the side of its lumpy head.

It was a standoff of creature and child. Neither moved, waiting for the other to make the first move. Lexi, being the stubborn little girl that she was, was militant in her desire to protect her little area of the woods and therefore refused to move. Somehow, she just knew that this thing wasn’t what caused the death and destruction that she had witnessed. Lexi once again glanced over at the macabre display and caught a whiff of what she thought was lilac. Confused by the smell of flowers when previously all she smelled was death and evil, Lexi chanced another glance over at the thing, but to her dismay, it was gone. She turned around to look for it and walked directly into it. It had moved so quickly and silently that she hadn’t noticed.

The scream that pierced the silence of the woods sent birds flying and small animals scurrying. No matter how tough Lexi thought she was, she was now scared beyond words. Frozen in her tracks, all she could do was stare at this monster. To the best of her knowledge, Lexi could only figure that she was seen as a disport to the monster as what could best be described as a slow grin spread across the creature’s face.

A gnarled hand reached out to Lexi. As Lexi hoped her life would be spared, the hand opened to show her a small flower. Surprised as she was, Lexi managed to reach her tiny hand out to the creature and make a gesture of acceptance. She was careful not to get too close, but before she knew it, the monster’s paw had encased her hand. Another scream was rapidly rising in Lexi’s throat, but it had to battle the bile that was also rising there. Neither managed to escape. The monster could see the fear and disgust in Lexi’s eyes and on her face and immediately released its grip.

Free from this ogre, Lexi took a couple steps back. She kept her eyes on its face and what she saw made her rethink things. Oddly enough, it looked as though the thing was sad. She had always had a special connection with animals that her family couldn’t seem to understand. Whatever ran that connection chose this moment to show up. Lexi knew that this thing meant her no harm now. The thoughts of a conflagration to erase everything she had seen, heard and felt up until now were erased. She extended her hand to the monster, palms up to show she meant no harm and waited for the thing to once again connect with her.

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5 word challenge – Lexi

Lexi was an odd little girl, as little girls go. No interest in dolls and dress-up, only books and being out back in the woods. A perfect day for her was a walk in the woods to her favorite spot to relax and read one of her many books. For 10, some thought she was a little dour, but her parents brushed off the comments and figured she was just quiet.

After a particularly rough day for Lexi where her well-meaning parents forced a birthday party on her, Lexi simply couldn’t wait to get away from everyone. Stupid cake. Stupid balloons. Stupid presents. No one had even gotten her anything good, like books. It didn’t seem to matter how many times she told, begged or pleaded with her mother, she always received little girl presents like flowery dresses and dolls. All Lexi really wanted was the latest Stephen King or Dean Koontz but her mom thought she was just too young for that. She didn’t know that Lexi read them anyways. Duh, library mom. Lexi had actually become quite the Stephen King aficionado having read everything that he’s written.

Finally, after having escaped the adults’ watchful eye, Lexi makes her way to her room and changes out of the stuffy party dress and into her exploring clothes. She dons her favorite baggy cargo pants, great for carrying things and keeping the briars away, a comfy long sleeved t-shirt and her stinky sneakers. Mom’s always trying to get rid of those shoes, but Lexi puts up a fight and wins every time. Today, she packs her backpack for the trip. An apple, a book, a camera, a doodle pad. Yes, she’s quite the precocious young lady. Her doodle pad is full of palindromes: no garden, one dragon; live not on evil; dammit, I’m mad. She loves words, word puzzles and riddles.

She knows that the danger of having to go back to the party is over and so she doesn’t hesitate to tell her mom that she’s leaving. Of course, Mom has known for a while that Lexi has disappeared and has already figured out where she went and what she’s up to. Mom knows when a storm is on the horizon, when Lexi has that look in her eye, like a maelstrom of thoughts is behind those dark brown eyes. After a quick kiss goodbye, Lexi takes off for the woods behind the house……

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5 word challenge – Listo

Yesterday, I sat on the board, gazing out over the meadow where our trapeze stands. A gentle breeze rustles the palm fronds as the waves caress the sand where the ocean and beach meet. It's beautiful. A complete feeling of peace and calm has overtaken me. The world looks different from 24 feet in the air, you know?

A little girl runs by. I recognize her from earlier in the day. She was all nice and clean then. Now, she has paint all over her dress and her face as she proudly carries the vase she painted. It has one flower in it. Probably for her mom.

"Hi Allie," I yell down.

"Hi, Sunny," she replies, squinting into the sun to see me. "See my vase? It's for my mom!"

"It's beautiful," I tell her because it is. There's paint outside the lines and it looks like abstract art, but she's 8.

"Are you going to do a trick?" inquiring minds want to know.

"Not right now, kiddo, but if you come back tomorrow, I'll teach you a new one!"

"Cool!! I'll see you tomorrow."

I've been here a while. The people change but the routine stays the same. It's amazing how people are impressed with the way we are so "intuitive". When you see the same things day in and day out for months on end, you just know.

I really can't sit still for much longer. The sun is baking me an even more golden brown as it turns the ends of my locs the most wonderful copper color. I wish I could get it all that color, but the sun just doesn't work that fast. My mind starts racing with thoughts only found in the chalk and tape-encrusted back corners of the head of a circus GO.

It's just a quickie.

No one is here yet.

So what if someone sees you, you work here.

It isn't showing off.

You need the practice.

Stop being a wussy!

You see, I've been working my way up to this moment. I've got the static trapeze down pat. It doesn't move, hence the name, and the ease in which I picked it up. I'm a madwoman under the tent. Upside-down, right-side up, forwards, backwards, flip, spin, twist. No problem. It's only 6 feet off of the ground with a 18 inch crash mat underneath. It might hurt if I fall, but I won't get hurt.

Ever since the last mid-air collision, I've been hesitant to try again. Hesitation is not for circus GOs. We are the few, the proud, but not the Marines. People vacation here just to train with us. There's no time to be a baby. We are invincible.

It's getting late and the others will be here soon. It's now or never. They know that I've stepped it down a notch. They're disappointed and they try not to let it show, but I can see it. I've had that same look in my eye.

I know that it's time to (up)rise to the occasion. I stand and try to collect my thoughts. I walk(fly) through the trick in my mind. My hands are shaking and sweaty. As I reach into the chalk bag, I tell myself that I can do it. I didn't go through all of this waiting and torture to not be able to do this.

I can do it.

Swing the bar.

I can do it.

Grab the bar.

I can do it.

Cowboy the riser.

I can do it.

I'm listo.

Ready. Hep.

Nowhere else on earth does seven seconds take this long.

I drive my legs back in an effort to create velocity. Don't bend your knees. As I bring them forward and drive them up, I think about getting my feet into the clouds. Feet in front! Another drive backwards in the back end of my swing. I'm back near the board and closing in on the moment of truth.

I try my best to 'float' myself up onto the bar and while I make it, I don't float. I've always been a power flyer, but never a very graceful one. I have less than two seconds to make my move. It's go time.

I bend myself in half over the bar and I launch myself up and over in a little ball. I've surprised myself. I open from the ball, spot the net, and half-turn safely into it, landing on my back.

I truly am invincible! It's such a rush that I climb right up and do it again. I've become so engrossed in my flying that I don't even notice that people are watching. (And why should I care if they are? They get a show on Wednesday night anyways.) More importantly, I don't notice that my teammates have arrived. They sit quietly and watch me work out my issues. You might think they should offer up commentary, but they know what's best. I throw my forward over twice more before I get tired. The adrenaline rush is massive. I'm estatic. I'm throwing this in the show. I love my job.

PS. I know that most of you won't know what the heck this was about so there's a video. It isn't me but I can't post mine from work. I'll replace it later.

Update: Now it's me.

FFO

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5 word challenge – Splatter

Nothing peculiar about the day. Mom and Dad went to work. My brother and I stayed home. We had unwritten and unspoken understandings kindled by the fear of the belt. Of course, we were still kids, so we had our differences.

We were never really a 'sit down at the dining room table for dinner' type of family. I can only remember one time that wasn't a holiday. It was a weekday…..(insert flashback music here)

"Will you two just behave?" my father asked less than patiently.

I tried to keep quiet. I tried to keep my cool and be the older, wiser sibling, but what do you really want from a 10 year old?

"But he jabbed me with his fork!" I cried.

The glare I received told me that there would be no more discussion on the matter. I slouched back in my chair and gave up. Better to eat my dinner and be able to sit down than to make my point and have a sore bottom. Don't talk back was always rule number one.

I used to really put away the food when I was little. It's amazing that I'm the size I am instead of 2 or 3 of me. As I dug into my plate, I realized that ketchup would make everything better. It was, after all, my favorite condiment. I got up from the table to retrieve my red savior. Unfortunately, my brother decided that it would be the perfect time to continue pestering me.

I tried. I tried as hard as a 10 year old can try to ignore the squealing that was my brother. It was incessant. he wouldn't stop. He followed me to the fridge. He kept at it. Would. Not. Stop.

Sidebar: If you've ever played the game Killer Instinct, I compare myself to Timberwolf. He takes it and takes it and takes it until he just snaps and goes nuts on someone.

I stood at the door to the fridge trying to keep my composure. I was an uptight child. But he got to me. I don't remember now what he did or said to push me into KI mode, but without thinking, I grabbed the ketchup bottle (it was plastic) and swung it at the closest thing, which happened to be my brother's head.

SPLADOW!!!

Ketchup everywhere. The walls, the ceiling, the floor, my brother's face, my shirt. And then the real squealing began. To this day, I don't know if he was in pain, shock, or taking the Academy Award for Best Youth Actor in a Kitchen Drama, but he started screaming like I had lopped off his hand. My father's immediate reaction was one of "girl I'm going to kill you" until he realized that my brother wasn't in fact bleeding, just covered in ketchup. Upon this realization, he promptly ordered us to clean up the mess that we had made and then retire to our rooms. I'm sure there was punishment, but that part is never as fun as smacking your kid brother with a ketchup bottle.

I reminisce about that moment every time I pick up the ketchup. 🙂

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5 word challenge

5 word challenge – Lexi

5 word challenge – Lexi

5 word challenge – Listo

5 word challenge – Splatter

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