J.R.V.A.

The Circus Place

Sitting in the backseat, I smiled as we drove along.
Dad was in a grumpy mood this morning, but I knew he
would be better when we got to the circus place. We
were almost there, so I kept quiet hoping he wouldn't
notice me until we got there. He always said, “keep
quiet if you know what's good for you.” I didn't always
know what was good for me, but I knew on these
mornings it was best to stay clear of him until he
cheered up. I wondered why he had brought me along.
Was it because he liked to take me for rides with him?
Or because I was lying on the floor in the hall and
he almost tripped over me? Oh well, at least I got to
go and the other kids had to stay home. I knew I would
probably get a bag of chips or something. It was worth
it. I wondered if we were going to make it this time. Last
time we had gone, the car had broken down and we walked
to the circus place. That was a long walk, dad hollering
at me to hurry up and me running as fast as I could.
He could sure walk fast when he had a mind to.
At least I got a soda and a bag of chips that time.

I wondered why we drove this old jalopy when all the
kids I knew had newer cars. Dad said he liked this old
Chrysler, but I didn't like to be seen in it. All the
kids made fun of me. School was the worst. I would get
teased about everything from our old car to the
clothes I wore. Mom would tell me the patches on my
knees were cause I played on them all day, but the
other kids clothes didn't have patches. They would
laugh and point and sing, "peter patches, peter
patches". I would just ignore them but I really wished
I didn't have to wear them. Tomorrow was going to be
different though, we had just moved to another place
last night. My dad liked to move at night, he said it
wasn't so hot as trying to move in the day. All I know
is that every time we had to move, it meant a new school
and new friends and maybe this time it would be different.
Maybe this time I would find some friends that wouldn't
tease me. I started thinking we lived close enough to the
school that I could probably walk so no one would have to
see our car. And if I could help around the new place,
maybe I could stall mom until Monday making me go to
school. Then by the time I was ready to go, I would
have gotten my new pair of pants. Then no one would
know and maybe they would like me.


Just then, dad hollered "You stupid idiot" at some guy
that had pulled his car in front of us. I guess the
guy didn't know that dad hadn't been to the circus
place yet. We were almost there. Boy would I be happy
when we got there. Dad turned at me and said, “what are
you smiling at?” I said nothing, then he gave me a
little smile back. I didn't know half the time if he
was serious or just kidding when he said that. Today
wasn't any different, but he actually smiled before we
got to the circus place....

When we got there, Swifty and Carol were standing out
on the corner by the light pole. Dad told me they were
holding it up. It always made me laugh. Every time
Carol and Swifty would see me, they would ask my dad
who that handsome young man was that he had with
him. I knew they knew my name by now though. Dad asked
the ladies if the ringmaster was there and they said
yes. Good I thought, I remember once he wasn't, and
boy was my dad mad. We drove all over town looking for
him and I missed school that day. Hmm maybe it wasn't
such a bad thing after all.

The door to the circus place was old and screechy.
There was garbage lying all around on the ground in
front and on the sides. There was a lady that had a
little tent with a shopping cart on the one side. One
time I wanted to go see her tent but dad wouldn't let
me, said she was crazy. She didn't seem crazy to me
though she seemed nice. The other side is where Swifty
and Carol would park and talk to their man friends.
They were always talking to someone different, and
they never made fun of them. I was thinking I wished I
had that many friends. When we went inside, the hall
was empty all the way down to the big stairwell.
Usually there were three or four people sitting on the
ground talking to each other, but not today. The
ringmaster was up stairs, and that's where we would be
going. I kicked a couple of cans that were lying on the floor,
and dad hollered at me to stop. We got to the top of the
stairs and there he was. Sitting behind his desk, he always
smiled when he saw me with my dad. He was an older man,
dark skinned, and whenever he smiled, I could see his two gold
front teeth. He turned to his little fridge and got me a soda.
Then he grabbed a bag of chips and said "cartoons are on,
you can go sit on the couch and watch them.” I took my
stuff and went and sat down. He asked my dad how many,
and my dad said four. The man handed my dad four colored
balloons, and a black bag. Dad walked to the back room
and I knew I would be watching cartoons for a while.
I didn’t mind though, I had everything I needed right here.
When dad came out, he was smiling like always. He gave
the bag back to the ringmaster and said thanks. We
went down the stairs and got in the car and left. I smiled
cause I had gotten breakfast and I knew I wasn't going
to get yelled at for at least a couple of hours.
Life was good

__________________
And as she plays,
her sweet song of laughter
floats through the air
and warms my heart

Minx

This is so sad.
Damn...I hate getting teary-eyed at work......very nice work. Very touching - pulls on all my heartstrings.

__________________
You've been a naughty boy....go to my room!

J.R.V.A.

Yea, kinda autobiographical. Sorry for the tear, but I am glad you liked it. Thanks.

__________________
And as she plays,
her sweet song of laughter
floats through the air
and warms my heart

Zinserbruns1

Is the term "the circus place" something you remember using as a child?

If not, it's really clever. That's exactly what a kid would call something like that...

J.R.V.A.

Well, I'm not really sure if I used that as a kid, or when I was remembering going to that place, the name popped into my head. I blocked out a lot of my childhood memories, and this is a way of remembering. Thank you for the comments, it means a lot to me.

__________________
And as she plays,
her sweet song of laughter
floats through the air
and warms my heart

J.R.V.A.

Resting my body on the bulk of the ruined mast,
this is the only remnant of the great ship I once commanaded.
Everthing and everyone else was gone now. Tommy was the last to slip
into the depths of this unforgiving lake. To me, it was more like an
ocean than a lake, but who am I to say. It wasn't so great to me either,
unless you count death and destruction as great.

We had started out at six a.m. for a nice summer cruise. Me and my gal
tommy and bryce and his two sisters. The forcast was for smooth sailing
and sunny skies. We were to have a nice sail and dinner and relaxition
after. Everything was beautiful, the girls having fun laying out and me
and Bryce talking and having a beer. No one knew what we were in for.


The twins were looking good that day, Tonie and Tamie. They were
two years younger than Bryce, he always kept a close eye on them.
They were into the whole fitness thing, they had even been on the
cover of womens fitness a couple years earlier. I wondered why they
were still single, at twenty six. I guess they just had'nt found the
right men yet. Now I knew they never would.


We had been sailing for about three hours when out of nowhere the
sky started turning dark. We were so far out there was no sign of
land anywhere. Bryce turned to me and asked if we should be concerned.
My famous last words still echo in my mind, "We don't have anything
to worry about" I said. Hmmmmm.... Life will never be the same, If
I make it out alive I thought as I floated along.


I started thinking about Tommy and the good times we had had. Together
for four and a years next tuesday. We had planned to take a drive up
north and stay at a bed and breakfast next weekend. Every year we
would take a trip somewhere together. She insisted. We always had
fun together. She was my lover and my friend. we could go or do
anything together....... But now......


I really was'nt to worried at the time, I had been sailing these lakes
for years and the skys always became cloudy. It was just the nature of
the beast. When they started becoming darker, I was a little concerned,
however, wondering if we would get soaked as we made our way back in.
I hated fighted the waves and bailing out. Thats the only thing I thought
we needed to worry about.

Tommy and the girls had went below to change, the wind was getting a
little colder and we were turning back. I looked at Bryce, and he l
looked a little worried, I tried to console him a little and told
him we would be back to shore in no time. As i looked north, the sky
was gettin blacker and the rain was starting to hit. I started to
worry a little myself. We'll be okay,I told myself.


The wind was in our favor so we let out more sail trying to beat the
storm. It was almost as dark as night by then. We were all up top
by now working together. None of us saw the huge ship until it was
right upon us. It slammed into the side of us, throwing Bryce and
Tamie and the front half of the boat into the water. Me and Tonie
and Tammy scrambled to grab hold of watever we could as the rest
of the boat sank.

As the rest of the boat sank, we held on to what was left. Tonie's
head was bleeding pretty bad, and she was not making any sense. I
tore my shirt off and tried to fasion a makeshift bandage. She
did'nt look very good by then. It had only been a few minutes...

I wondered why no one on the huge ship had even saw us. It had'nt
even slowed down or showed any signs that anyone on the ship even
knew they had hit us. I wondered how that could be. It was getting
hard to hold on, as the mast kept rolling and we had to reposition
ourselves every few minutes.

Tonie slipped into the water as the mast rolled again. I tried
swimming under to find her, but she was gone. It was all I could do
get back and hold on myself. I wanted to cry, but I had to be strong for
Tommy. I worked my way over by her and put my hand on her shoulder.
we'll be okay I told her. I was'nt very convincing I thought.

As the waves rocked us back and forth, I thought of the day I met Tommy .
She had gone to school with the twins and Bryce had actually gone out with
her once when they were younger. I knew Bryce from work, we had talked many
times and he seemed like a nice guy. We liked the same footbal team and
watched a couple games together. We started hanging out after that, and one
night we were at his parents for dinner and Tommy was there. I fell In love
the moment I saw her.


Bryce was all for it, he laughed all the way to my house. "You should have
seen you" he said. You could'nt even talk right. I reached over and punched
him in the arm because I knew he was right. I was so thankful she felt the
same way about me.
We were in love and there was nothing that could take it away from us. But
nowhere in our plans could we have seen this coming....

Tommy started to slip into sleep as I tried to tell her she could'nt.
"please hold on darling, soon someone will be here" I kept saying. She
looked at me with a depth of despair I have never seen before in anyone,
then she managed a soft smile.
I love you, she whispered.

Slowly I tried to position her so if she did fall asleep we could both still hang on. Then a huge wave came and spun the mast around and threw both of us off into the water. I scrambled to get my head above water and I could'nt find Tommy anywhere. I knew she was gone and so were we. I started to cry.

Suddnely the water started settling down, and the sun slipped a small ray out ward. Tommy was the last to slip into the depths of this unforgiving lake. To me, it was more like an ocean than a lake, but who am I to say.Everthing and everyone else was gone now. Resting my body on the bulk ofthe ruined mast, this is the only remnant of the great ship I once commanaded.

__________________
And as she plays,
her sweet song of laughter
floats through the air
and warms my heart

J.R.V.A.

One day me and my brother Chester went to the canal
to fish. Chester and me did everything together. we
were only eleven months apart, so we had a lot in
common. We liked to fish for catfish in the canal. Some
days we would spend all day down there, not a care in
the world. Well this Saturday morning, we grabbed our
poles and went out the back door. We knew we had to go
through old man Hansen’s farm, or we would have to walk
a mile to get to the canal. Old man Hansen was a mean
guy that didn’t like kids. My mom used to say he was
older than dirt, but I don’t know what she meant by
that. All I know is the other kids said one time he
caught a kid in his farm before we moved here and no
one ever saw him again. There was a hole on our side
of the fence that we used to crawl under. We had to
watch for Hansen cause last time he saw us he told us
if he caught us again he would string us up. We didn’t
know what he meant, but he sure was hollering when he
said it so we knew it couldn’t be good. As we were half
way through his meadow, we heard his dog barking, so we
ran a little faster. We were almost to the other side
when Chester fell and hurt his knee. he couldn’t get
up and I heard Hansen coming, calling out who's there?
It better not be you damn kids or your in big trouble.
I grabbed Chester and said put your arm around me and
ill help you run, we gotta get out of here. Well we
started moving, me holding Chester up, going as fast as
we could. Just then, Hansen came around the corner, and
was headed straight for us. He was running pretty fast
for an old guy, when all of a sudden, bam! he stepped on
an old rake that was laying there and it flipped up
and hit him in the head. Well he fell down on the
ground yelling he was gonna get us, and we took off
even faster, I think Chester was so scared he forgot
about his knee cause he passed me up as we were going
over the fence. When we quit running, we were down
aways from Hansen’s farm so we sat down and fished for
a while. After a while, we decided to go home, we hadn’t
caught anything anyway, so we got up and Chester
couldn’t walk very good. He was limping real bad, said
he hadn’t noticed it till we got up. It took us two
hours to walk home and he had to lean on me most of
the way.
Part 2
After we got home it was starting to get dark and
Chester said his knee was hurting real bad. Mom put
some ice on it and said if it kept hurting, he would
have to go to the doctor. Then she asked him how he
had done it. We had anticipated this, and he knew what
to say. When we were fishing I had a big one on the
line and I jumped up to reel it in, and I slid down
the bank of the canal. She looked at him ,Then at me
and said, sounds like a fish story to me. Me and
Chester looked at each other and smiled, we knew we had
fooled her. After a while, I came back in our room and
Chester was moaning, so I went over and looked at his
knee and wow! I’ve never seen a knee that big, it was
like a cantaloupe mom, mom I hollered come quick. mom
got there and she said oh my were going to the
hospital right now. we helped Chester out to the scout
and we drove down to 21st street to the old county
hospital and when we went in, they told us to sit for
a while and they would be right with us. after what
seemed like hours, they took us back in a room where
they had lots of beds and only sheets hanging to
separate them. the doctor said he needed to get some
x-rays, but he thought it might be broken. Then all of a
sudden from the other side of the room, we heard a
voice that sounded familiar. "If I catch them damn
kids, I'm gonna string em up" me and Chester looked at
each other in disbelief. We knew who it was, we just had
to be quiet so he wouldn’t hear or see us. Then the
nurse came and said we need to take you down to
x-ray. She asked me if I would like to go, so I asked
her which way it was. She thought that was a pretty
strange question, but she pointed down the hall, and I
said yes ,id like to go. Well, Chesters leg was broken
so he had to get a cast put on it. They took us to a
room with walls and when we got back to the other
room, everyone was gone, even old man Hansen.
Part 3
The next morning we got up and went into the kitchen
for breakfast. Mom was standing there and she
said, when your dad gets home from Michigan he wants to
have a talk with you boys. We wondered what he wanted
to talk to us about, knowing we had fooled mom and
all. when we got done eating we went outside, Chester on
his crutches and me walking besides him. we went down
to the hole in the fence and looked over at Hansen’s
farm to se if he was out. We couldn’t see anything
except for that dumb dog laying there in the sun. So
we picked up some rocks and started throwing them at
the dog, and he started barking and then we heard old
man Hansen’s door open and he stood here and yelled
you damn kids I'm gonna get u yet. well we just
crouched down where he couldn’t see us and just laughed
for a while.
Part 4
Dad always brought us something back when he came
home from his business trips, so when he pulled up we
were excited to see him. I helped him carry his stuff
inside, and Chester waited in the living room. he took
his bags upstairs and we couldn’t wait for him to bring
us our presents, and talk with him. what was it he
wanted to tell us? were we going to Disneyland? Were
we going on vacation? We were excited as can be. When
dad finally came down with mom, he didn’t have any
presents or didn’t look to happy either. Me and Chester
looked at each other and kinda slunk down. We knew
there was trouble, but we didn’t know what kind.
Part 5
Boys, I think you have something to tell me. We looked
at each other and frowned. Which one of you wants to
go first? Chester sat up and said, he does, he always
gets to go first,he's the oldest. Now any other time I
would have been happy to oblige him, but right now I
would have been just fine with letting him go. Dad
decided that Chester had a good idea, so he said to
me, what were you boys thinking? I would like you to
tell me and your mom the whole story, and no fish
stories got it? I looked at Chester and wondered, this
whole thing is about a fish story, but I decided I
better tell him what really happened anyway. So I
started with that morning, and before I knew it I had
told him the whole thing. he looked at me and Chester
,and for some reason we were both crying, and he
said, You know, I’m very disappointed in you boys.
Mostly, me and your mom are sad because you lied to
her. Second, you know your not supposed to cut thru
Hansen’s farm, he is an old man trying to keep up and
when you boys go over there, you cause him a lot more
work tearing up his farm. After lunch we are going to
go over and talk with him. Your mom says he hurt his
head pretty bad, and he might need some help today.
Me and Chester just looked at each other, we didn’t
know what stringing up was, but we were sure we were
going to find out.
Part 6
After lunch, we walked over to Hansen’s farm. It took us
a while cause we had to walk slow waiting for Chester
to catch up. When we got to the door, and my dad said
hi mark, Hansen said hi Rick. Wow my dad knew this
guys first name. Then my dad said, are these the boys
you’ve been looking for? Hansen looked at us and
smiled, yep that’s them. I didn’t think that old man knew
how to smile, but I guess he was thinking of the good
time he was going to have stringing us up. Y'all have a
seat here and ill go grab some lemonade. we sat down
and Hansen went back in his house. Me and Chester just
looked at each other, I couldn’t believe our dad was
taking us to get strung up. Dad looked at us and
said, I’m gonna leave you boys here for a while so you
can help Mr. Hansen. We looked at each other, we knew we
were done for. Hansen came back out and gave us all
some lemonade and started talking to our dad.
They talked about cars, The government, and then they
started talking about fishing. I couldn’t believe it.
Not only were they making us sit there and wonder how
long it was going to be before we were strung up, but
they were telling fish stories of there own. Pretty
soon, dad looked at us and said, I think these boys want
to give u an apology, and I think they want to stay for
a while and help around here also. Boy was dad wrong, I
didn’t want to do either, and I’m pretty sure Chester
didn’t either. But we knew we better do what dad
said, or we would get our hides tanned. We did know
what
that meant, we had found out a long time ago. We both
stood up and said we're sorry Mr. Hansen we didn’t mean
to cause any trouble. He said ok boys, now it's time to
get to work. My dad said seeya later mark, ill be back
after while, and he walked off. Me and Chester just
looked at each other and hoped it wasn’t the end for
us.
Part 7
We just stood there and looked at Mr. Hansen then all
of a sudden he said c'mon boys, were going in the back.
That’s where I keep the string and the work bench. We
followed ,not to happy with the whole thing. When we
got to the back of the house, Hansen had a big table
set up with three chairs and a huge ball of string.
There were sacks full of something all around the
table. He said boys, sit down, it’s time to work. I looked
over at Chester and his face was white as a ghost, and
I thought I probably looked just about the same. We sat
down and Hansen dumped one of the bags out, and it was
full of chili's. Then he got some string and cut off a
long piece, and said today were going to string chili's
Well he showed us just how to do it, and pretty soon me
and Chester had done about all there were. Hansen came
back out and said, well you boys look like your doing a
good job. We said thanks, and he said, you know boys, all
you need to do is come over to my gate and you can cut
thru my farm anytime. I just don’t like you going under
the fence cause then I have to patch it. We looked at
each other, and I thought maybe this Hansen wasn’t so
bad after all. Then he asked, you boys like fishing huh?
we said yeoman he started telling us about when he
was our age how his dad used to take him in a boat and
fish all day sometimes. he talked and talked and I
realalized, he really wasn’t a mean guy after all. then
my dad came and Hansen gave him some of he chilies we
strung up, and Hansen thanked us for the help, and we
went home.
Part 8
When we got home, my mom looked at us and said, you
boys are filthy, we need to get you cleaned up. I went
to my room and was getting undressed and I heard the
water running and my mom told me to go get in the
tub. She said Chester was just going to have to have a
wash rag bath because of the cast and all. I went and
got in the tub and it was really warm. I laid back and
I thought ,you know when you tell fish stories, you may
not get strung up, but you usually end up in hot water
one way or another.
The End

__________________
And as she plays,
her sweet song of laughter
floats through the air
and warms my heart

J.R.V.A.

It was off to idaho again for us,every summer we had the barrus family renuion up in blackfoot. We would all climb in the car and off we'd go,i dont ever remember a summer we didnt make it. Thoughts of grandma barrus in her little pink house across from the church made the four hour drive seem like it took forever. I couldnt wait to get there and run up to her and see her wonderful smile.She always gave all of us a hug and then she would give us a cookie. She always remembered everyones name,I dont know how she did it,she had so many grandkids and great grandkids. Whenever i think of the renuions,The thing I remember most is how she made me feel. She would always take the time to make me feel like i was the most important person there.I sure loved my grandma lots.
Part 2
Every year on our way up to the renuion,We would stop in Tremonton at the cross roads for gas. I could never figure out why we did'nt put enough gas in the car to make it all the way,but i did'nt mind. It usally meant we got a treat when we stopped,Especially when mom went in with us to use the restroom.
Well this time when we stopped,there was a car by the road with its hood up. i did'nt pay much attention to it,i was to busy hoping for some candy.Dad pulled up and said,you kids better use the bathroom now if you need to,because we're not stopping again.
Well of course we all wanted to go,from Robert all the way down to Ricky jon. Mom just smiled and said Robert,will you go with the boys and I'll take Susan.When we were done,mom bought us all a candy bar.I thought i would save mine for a little while to eat while we were driving.Loyal and Lonny had already eaten their's before we got out of the store.Chester and Alan's were almost gone. Susan was saving hers ,and mom had Uel and Ricky jons.We were a pretty happy bunch. When we came out,Dad was over talking to the man with the hood up on his car.
Part 3
Mom told us to get in the car,but robert started walking towards dad,and i followed. We figured if there was any trouble we were the two oldest and we could help. When we got closer, we saw that there was a lady in the car,and a boy and a girl. The lady was crying, and the guy looked upset.We stood there listening to dad talking to the guy and i knew it wasnt good. I heard dad say we could give them a ride to Salt Lake,and i knew we were going the other way. I walked over to the back of the car where the kids were and they looked like they were sad, but when they saw my candy bar their eyes lit up. Now i know,we were supposed to share,but i did'nt even know these kids. Then the little girl smiled at me and it was all over. I said to them,would you like to have this? They both nodded there heads so fast,it was like they had never had a candy bar before. I thought to myself,thiis is just great,not only ae we going to have to turn around and take these guys back to salt lake,but now my candys gone too.Well i handed it to the girl,and then she did something i did'nt expect. she broke it in three pieces and gave me one. We just sat and ate our candy,and i cant remember ever having a candy bar that tasted that good.
Part 4
After we pushed the car behind the filling station,we loaded all four of them people in our already over crowded suburban.Dad introuduced us to the Millers like he had known them all his life.There was Mike and Sally,the mom and dad, And Matthew and Mindy. Mindy sat by me on the way to salt lake.Then he told us how they were from Montana, and Mr. Miller had lost his job. They were coming to Salt Lake looking for work.That did'nt help the fact that these guys were making it take four hours longer for me to get to see my grandma. Then mindy looked over and smiled and i thought i could wait,I get to see Grandma every year. We dropped off The Millers at the shelter and said goodbye,then Mindy gave me a hug and kissed me on the cheek. Lonny and Alan started to laugh at me,So i turned and scowled at them. They quit,they knew they would have a long ride in front of them if they kept laughing.
Part 5
After we were back on the road,I asked dad why Mr. and Mrs. miller made Mindy and Matthew wear clothes with holes in them.
He looked at me with a bit of a troubled look and said, Do you think they do that on purpose? I hadnt really thought about it,I just thought if they wanted clothes with no holes,They would just go buy some.He said Mr. miller would love to have new clothes for his kids,But they have no money. The twenty two dollars the filling station guy gave them for there car,And about thirteen dollars more,Is all they have to there name. I did some quick adding and i thought to my self, Thats a lot of money. Just think of all the candy you could buy with that. Then Dad said thats not much money to try and feed a family.There good people,just down on there luck right now.I decided to try and sleep for a while,but all i could think of was Mindy and that kiss.
Part 6
Chester woke me up by pushing me and hollering were here were here. I looked up and saw the little metal bridge that we drove across right before we got to grandmas house.I rubbed my eyes and realized I had slept all the way,even through crossroads. I wondered if any one got any candy.I wondered how the Millers were doing,and i wondered about mindy. Then we pulled up in front of grandmas house and we all piled out.I was the first one to the door,I even beat robert cause he had to carry something.I went in and gave grandma a big hug,then went to her toy room to see who was there. A bunch of my cousins were there ,so i sat down and played with them.We played for a while and then mom told us to get our sleeping bags ready so we could camp out on grandmas lawn.Then we had chicken for dinner, and we sat up and told stories before we went to sleep.Uncle Rulon started telling a story,and thats the last thing i remember from that nite.
Part 7
We all got up and put our sleeping bags away, And I could smell the pancakes uncle Jon and uncle Dean were cooking. I went and got me a plate and stood by the table in line. Boy did we have a lot of people in our family,and it seemed like i was behind all of them.
When i finally got my food,I went and sat by Wendy and Tauna, they were two i the funnest girls i knew,except for Mindy i thought.
I wondered if she was eating right now,and if her dad had enough money to feed them.When we got done eating,we just played and played, we knew that after lunch we were going to the church for a talent and show and tell time. I couldnt wait. Every year we all got to get up on stage and either show everyone some trick we had learned,or show them something we had or tell a little story.I knew just what i was going to do this year.Me and chester had already planned it out.
Part 8 We had a big pot luck lunch and then it was time.There must have been at least two hundred people there.our plan was going to work out well.We all got together and people started doing there tricks,cousin Mike got up and showed us his yo-yo, aunt Ida got up and told us about her trip to California and uncle Melvin told us about his new car. This was all good,but i just couldnt wait to get up there.Then it was our turn. Me and chester got up and walked up to the stage. We had gotten a big piece of poster board from grandma and we had drawn on it.I had chester turn it around and i started talking. I told them up in this corner is the state of Montana. Here is the road thru Idaho,and here is The crossroads. This is a car that doesnt run anymore. Here is the road into Utah,and here is a building where they let people stay that dont have much money to feed there kids.These people are the Millers,and they dont like to make there kids wear holey clothes,but the dad isnt working.
I turned around and some people were crying,and i didnt know why,i guess i would hear the sad story later.Then Chester put down the posterboard and i said,Me and chester thought if everyone here could give us a dollar,we could give it to Mr. Miller and he could buy some clothes for his kids.I looked and most people seemed to be noding there heads,so me and chester grabbed a couple of sacks and started passing them around.Then we went down to sit,and it was aunt Margrets turn on the stage.
Part 9
Mom came over and hugged us and said,Im proud of you boys,that was a very nice thing you did. You know we collected over three hundred dollars for the Millers. I could'nt belive it,i thought some people must have put in a litle more than a dollar each. We finished the show and everyone started cleaning up, and some of the aunts started coming over and hugging me and chester.Then when one of them kissed chester on the lips,I was outta there.
Part 10
The next morning we got everything loaded,and we said goodbye to everyone,and grandma gave me 2 kisses before we left,that was the first time she had ever done that. We started driving home,and i couldnt wait to find the millers and give them the money so they could get new pants.I started thinking about Mindy ,and i drifted off to sleep.
Part 11
When we got home,we had to unload,and then dad said do you boys want to go to find the millers with me? We said yes, and off we went.When we got to the place,,we went in and as ked if the millers were here. The guy said yes, he would get them.Mr. miller came out by himself and dad asked him if he would get his stuff and his family and come over for dinner and stay the night. He said tehy were looking for workers were he worked and he could ride in with him in the morning if he liked.Dad said i also need to talk to you about something else. They walked off ,and when Mr. miller came back,he was smiling. He went in the back and got his family and there stuff and we loaded everything in the suburban.Mindy got to sit by me.When we got home,mr. miller and dad walked down the street a ways while we unloaded the car. everyone helped.When we got done,dad and Mr. Miller were coming back. They said,boys,You know with that money we got,the millers are going to be able to move in down the street.You guys will be able to walk to school together.I thought that sounded really good.
Part 12
Well the Millers moved in,and Mindy and Matthew got new pants,and Mr. Miller got a job with dad. I think im the one that got the best of the deal though,I got to walk to school with Mindy every day, and Every day after school when we would stop by her gate,she would give me a kiss goodbye.
The End

__________________
And as she plays,
her sweet song of laughter
floats through the air
and warms my heart

Jaron

Oh.

My.

Fucking.

God.

Dude, you just pulled at heart strings I didn't even know that I had in the first place, and some that I'd forgotten about. Keep it up.

J.R.V.A.

YOOWWEEEEE!!!!! That is the kind of response that makes me want to keep writing. Thank you for the kind words from a person that write as you do. Which one did you like the best?

__________________
And as she plays,
her sweet song of laughter
floats through the air
and warms my heart

chavos

read the first two...and loved them... but i'm saving the rest as a treat for later.

i love the sailing one...i have had a very love/hate relationship with the water, having had some close calls. such loss as you talk about is never far from my mind. you switch between inner monolouge and the narrative action well, and with good balance of how much of each. great entries...many thanks for sharing!

J.R.V.A.

A treat? Thanks, that means alot to me...

__________________
And as she plays,
her sweet song of laughter
floats through the air
and warms my heart

J.R.V.A.

Hers one I wrote for my daughter.
It's called Olivia's Rainbow

Once there was a girl named Olivia that loved to look
at rainbows. Every time she would see one, she would say
look mommy, there’s another rainbow. Olivia loved the
rain, because it usually meant she would get to see one
of the beautiful rainbows. She would go outside and
get all wet, she didn’t care. One day her daddy told
her, you know Olivia, Iv'e heard that at the end of
every rainbow there is a leprechaun and a pot of gold.
She said there is? Her daddy said that’s what I’ve been
told, but I’ve never seen one myself. Maybe next time it
rains, we could go and try to find the end and see. She
said ok daddy, when is it going to rain again? He said
you better go ask your mommy. She will probably know.
Part 2
Well Olivia asked her mommy when it was going to
rain again, because she wanted to see the pot of gold
and the leprechaun. her mommy said it was probably
going
to rain next Tuesday, and Olivia was happy, she thought
me and my daddy can go look for the end of the rainbow
then. That night she went to bed thinking how neat it
was going to be to see a real leprechaun and his gold.
Part 3
Tuesday morning, it was really cloudy outside, and On
the way to school Olivia asked her mommy ,Is it going
to rain today? Her mommy said it sure looks that
way. Olivia said that’s good, me and my daddy are going
to look for the end of the rainbow. She couldn’t wait
for school to get over-all day long all she could
think about was the leprechaun and his pot of gold.
Part 4
That afternoon, It was raining pretty hard, So Olivia
and her daddy put on there jackets and went outside.
They took a walk down to the park and the rain started
letting up a little bit. By the time they got to the
middle of the park, There was only a little drizzle.
Then the most big and beautiful rainbow they had ever
seen appeared. Olivia said, c’mon daddy, lets go find the
end. So they started walking down the hill where it
looked like the rainbow ended.
Part 5
When they got to the bottom of the hill, They still
couldn’t see the end of the rainbow. They walked on and
on, and just when they thought they had found it, it
moved again. Pretty soon Daddy said to Olivia, we
better go, I don’t think were ever going to find it.
Right then, Olivia said daddy, look over there
behind that tree. Daddy looked and saw the tip of a
green hat sticking out from behind the tree. Daddy said
shhhhh lets walk over there really quiet and see if we
can see him. Olivia said daddy hold my hand so I don't
fall. She didn’t want to tell daddy she was really
scared.
Part 6
As they got around the tree, They saw the little
leprechaun dancing and singing around his pot of gold.
Then daddy stepped on a twig and it cracked, and the
leprechaun looked at them. Oh no he cried, Your not
supposed to see me. But they had already seen him. He
said ok, its too late now, how you folks doing? Daddy
said were doing fine, how about you? he said ok, my
names Patrick O'Reily at your service. Do you know
what happens when you see a leprechaun? They both said
no, And wondered what he would say next.
Part 7
He said to them, Now that you have seen me, I have to
give you my pot of gold or three wishes, Whatever you
would like. Daddy bent down and asked Olivia what she
would like. She said daddy, I would like the three
wishes, I don’t need a pot of gold. Daddy said ok, We'll
take the three wishes. Patrick said ok, I'll give you a
few moments to think, And then you can tell me ok? They
said ok, And daddy said to Olivia, You should think real
hard about what you want for the three wishes. Olivia
said ok, and started thinking.
Part 8
Patrick said ok ,What are the three wishes you would
like me to grant thee. Olivia said, The first one I
would like is for my mommy and daddy to be happy.
Poof,
A big cloud of smoke arose and Patrick said done.
The second one is I would like a nice big candy bar.
Poof ,More smoke and Patrick said done again. Then he
said think hard, this is your last wish. Olivia
said ok, I'm ready. The third wish is I would like Santa
to bring me a Barbie for Christmas. Poof, more smoke
and Patrick said, done. Then a really big poof of smoke
came, and when it cleared, Patrick was gone and so was
his pot of gold. Daddy said we better be getting home
now.
Part 8
As they walked along, Daddy said to Olivia, you know
Olivia, You make me and your mommy so happy every day
when we see your smiling face and your a good girl.
Olivia thought, I’m going to be good and try to smile
then my wish will come true. Daddy said, I think we
should stop at the store and get us some candy, don’t
you? Olivia said yes please, So they stopped On there
way home. By the time they got Home ,It was late so
they decided to eat there candy the next day. So they
got ready for bed and went to sleep.
Part 9
The next morning, Olivia woke up and wondered if it
had all been a dream. Then she looked over at her nite
stand, and there was a big candy bar. Olivia smiled and
ran and got daddy. Daddy, are you happy she asked? Yes
Olivia, I am very happy, I am happy your my
daughter, and I love you lots. Daddy, Do you think I can
have a Barbie for Christmas? Daddy said, I think Santa
will probably bring you a Barbie, As long as your a
good girl and your nice to people. Olivia just
smiled, cause she already knew.

The End

__________________
And as she plays,
her sweet song of laughter
floats through the air
and warms my heart

Jaron

So far, numbers 1 (the "circus"), 2 (the "ocean"), and 4 (the road trip-ish one) have been my favourites. I like the way you play the person's emotions, especially in the fourth one. But altogether I really, honestly can't say which one's my favorite.

In the last one, it was a bit to "sweet" for my tastes... personally I've have had the girl go looking for the end of a rainbow herself, right off a cliff into like... a pile of money with a drug dealer or two standing by after a huge sale, but hey.

Hurm...

*goes off to write the story :P *

J.R.V.A.

Thank you for your comments. I really appericate them. I also enjoy your sense of humor, it made me smile. Yes, the last one is a bit to sweet, but I wrote it for my five year old daughter. I am glad you like the stories. I am working on another in my head right now. Thanks

__________________
And as she plays,
her sweet song of laughter
floats through the air
and warms my heart

J.R.V.A.

Here is the start of my next one. Tell me what you think.

The heat from the sun on my face woke me up at noon. The light hurt my eyes as I slowly came to. I looked at my buddies standing by the keg and I jumped up to join them. The best way I knew to cure a hangover was to stay drunk .I looked down at my hands and they were covered in dried blood. I saw the cut skin on my knuckles and wondered what happened. I stumbled over to the keg and realized it was gone. Jeff and Chet were standing there with the last beer. I looked around and there were a few beers sitting around, but most of them had cigarette butts in them. Oh well, I thought, It was better than nothing. I Grabbed an empty cup and a napkin and poured the beer through the napkin till I had a full glass. That was better. I walked back over to the guys and mumbled my hello’s and what’s going on’s. Jeff smiled at me and said “wow man, you kicked that guys ass last nite”. I didn’t know what he was talking about.

We started talking and I asked Jeff “what did I do?” He said, you should have seen yourself, This big guy came into our party and started pushing us around and you dragged him out side and beat the shit out of him. We told his two friends to get him the hell outta here, before we kicked their asses too. Just hen Chet spoke up. Yea, you really beat his ass. Don’t you remember really? Do you remember anything? I started trying to remember the night before, and at first all I could remember was hanging out at the pool hall and collecting money for a Kegger. The next thing I remember was a bunch of people showing up and trying to find something to eat. After that, I couldn’t remember much. But then…..

All of a sudden it came to me. Jeff and Chet had been in the back getting the barbeque started, and I was talking to some girls. The redheaded one was really liking me, and we were getting pretty looped. She was going to take me up to the room, when her friend came out of the rest room looking sick. She said she had to leave, and her and her friend left out the front door. “ Goddammit, I remember saying at that point. I knew I just missed out on a great piece of ass. I walked out side, and I saw Jeff putting what I thought was a chicken on the barbeque. I looked over by the garbage, and the were duck feathers and pieces laying all over. “What are you doing, I asked.” He said, I’m making dinner. I went into the house and he followed me. After a while, we looked out the back door and the barbeque was on fire. We ran out and put out the fire….and the duck. After that we started playing quarters, and As hard as I tried, I still cant remember a thing more of that night.

Just then, we heard a knock at the door. I was hoping it would be some more of our friends with more beer. I looked out the peephole and I saw a lady. I opened the door, and she was standing there with a Six or Seven year old girl. The little girl was crying pretty hard, when she looked up at me and said, “have you seen Quacky? Have you seen Quacky?” I looked at her, and then her mom said “ you see, she has this pet duck and this morning we woke up and we couldn’t find it. We were just wondering…” I said sorry, I haven’t seen any ducks around here, but I would be sure to tell them if I happened to see any. I closed the door and Turned around and Jeff and Chet were laughing their asses off. I didn’t feel too good about the whole thing, but when those two got to laughing, I couldn’t help but join in.

__________________
And as she plays,
her sweet song of laughter
floats through the air
and warms my heart

chavos

whoa...quacky....

Not sure how i feel about fraternities killing ducks in drunken stupors...but i do like the retrospect narratation. i get a little separated from the story near the end, it got just a touch rushed. can't wait to see where this all goes....

Randerolf

J.R.V.A. I read the first story and enjoyed it very much. It takes me back to the different trips that I have taken with my fathers.

Nothing is so great as learning something new, unless its rediscovering something that's been forgoten.

I look forward to coming back to the rest of the stories.

Jaron

JRVA, the latest one (so far) is definitely one of my favorites (due mostly to me being a sick little fucker :P ). A few suggestions, though.



Erm... just re-read it to look for things to improve upon, and I can't point my finger on anything. Therefore, my only piece of advice is this: FUCKING FINISH IT!!

J.R.V.A.

After we laughed for a while, we realized we needed some more beer. Jeff had two dollars and tweve cents, and Chet had five bucks. Me, nothing, as usual.We were off. We bought a twelve pack of cheap stuff, then drove to the parking lot of the pool hall. We sat in the car and finished the beer , then went inside. There was Frank, the owner, and two kids playing pinball. We went up to the counter, and Frank gave us a dirty look. "you going to buy something today, or just take away my customers?" He was upset because we hung out here all day collecting money from people then dissapeared. We could'nt help it, it's just what we did. Jeff started talking to him, and I slid off the stool to see what I could gather up. I walked over to the two kids and asked them if they wanted to go to a keg that night. I said there were going to be lots of chicks, and all they had to do was pitch in five bucks each, and they could drink all they wanted. They were a little hesitant, but I finnally got six bucks outta them. We were on our way.

__________________
And as she plays,
her sweet song of laughter
floats through the air
and warms my heart

J.R.V.A.

I strolled over to the bar and ordered a beer. After a while, there were more people at the pool hall. Were were up to twenty six bucks when she walked in. I looked at her and my legs got weak. This girl had legs all the way up to her ass. I barely noticed my brothers old girlfriend walking behind her. Then i realized they were together. Yesss I thought, she knows her. And I know her. Maybe, just maybe.....

__________________
And as she plays,
her sweet song of laughter
floats through the air
and warms my heart

insect2003

neat

J.R.V.A.

They came over to the counter and sat down. I was in awe of this girl. She had beautiful brown eyes, and lips that would'nt quit. She looked at me and smiled. I couldnt talk, all that came out was a grabled how you girls doing. I don't know just what came out

__________________
And as she plays,
her sweet song of laughter
floats through the air
and warms my heart

Jaron

Keep it going.

I keep hitting "refresh" hoping for new installments.

J.R.V.A.

, but I thought I looked pretty stupid. Just then, my brothers ex said, "So whats up? You having a keg tonite? " Yes, I said, would you like to come? They both looked at me and said yes. I asked her, whats your friends name? "Shirlene, She said" Wow, all that beauty, and a cool name too. I asked if they were going to stay, or come back later. Shirlene said she would like to stay, and my brothers ex said she had to go for a while. Nice, I thought. Nice.

__________________
And as she plays,
her sweet song of laughter
floats through the air
and warms my heart

Jaron

Schweeeet.

J.R.V.A.

Well me and Shirlene hung out for a while, Walking around collecting money and talking and looking into each others eyes. By this time, we were holding hands and I had even kissed her on the cheek once. I felt like I was walking on air. It was getting to be around eight, so I asked her were her friend was. "what friend, she said" I just smiled at her and put my arms around her. "Oh, my friends right here, she said" Man, I felt like I was going to explode. We decided to leave, And Shirlene walked over to the counter and told Frank if her friend came back, to tell her the address. We decided to stop and get the tap from the party last nite, and go pick up the keg. We were going to have the keg at my house tonite. We stopped and grabbed the keg, and Shirlene said she only lived around the block, and could we stop for a minute. No problem, I said, I would have gone anywhere and waited forever for her at that moment.

__________________
And as she plays,
her sweet song of laughter
floats through the air
and warms my heart

J.R.V.A.

Well, we pulled up in front of her house, and she leaned over and kissed me, and said I'll be right back. I sat there, numb, With the biggest smile one my face I think I've ever had. She was back in 2, 5 , 10, shit, I don't know how long it was, I was sitting there smiling. Anyway, She came bouncing back to the car, with a bag. OK, she said, Lets go. Yessssssss, I thought. We drove over and picked up the keg, and made it to my house. There were about fifteen people there by now, and we tapped it and started drinking. Shirlene sat by me, and we started playing quarters. Shirlene missed, and went to chug the beer, and spilled it on her tight t-shirt. Oh my god, she was nice. She asked me if she could go use my room to change, and I told her sure, it's were you put your bag. She went to my room, and I played Quarters for a while, and she was'nt coming back. I got up and went to my room

__________________
And as she plays,
her sweet song of laughter
floats through the air
and warms my heart

J.R.V.A.

When I opened the door, She was laying on top of my blankets in the nicest lingere I have ever seen. Her mostly naked body was soooooo nice, I started getting a hard on standing there looking at her. She said, "what took you? Are you going to join me?" I couldnt ge tmy clothes off fast enough. We made love all night long, and she showed me a few things I still remember to this day. We layed there and held each other and I loked over at her and she looked like she was crying. "Whats wroing, I said", "Oh nothing she said back. Please tell me whats bothering you, I begged. Is it me? Did I do something? "No, she said, Its just that our family pet disappeared the other night, and my little sister wont quit crying. I just keep seeing the look on her face, and it makes me sad" Oh, I said, I'm sorry your sad. "thats OK, she said, It's not your fault

__________________
And as she plays,
her sweet song of laughter
floats through the air
and warms my heart

Jaron

Heh... I like the way this is going.

Especially the family pet bit. A duck, perhaps?

J.R.V.A.

Then it hit me.... Quacky..... I asked her if she wanted to go now. She said yea, lets get out of here. I put on some clothes, and waited for her to get done in the bathroom. We drove over to her house and I dropped her off. I never called her again.

__________________
And as she plays,
her sweet song of laughter
floats through the air
and warms my heart

J.R.V.A.

Once there was a boy named Damien. He was a very happy boy, and he would always give everyone he met a smile. He loved trucks, and he knew when he got older, he would be getting one for himself. He liked to go to the dealers lots, just so he could look at the different trucks they had. He really could'nt decide which kind of truck he wanted, a big tall one with huge tires, or one that was lowered down. He liked them both, and he knew he had plenty of time to decide before he would get his drivers license. Well one day, he was looking at some trucks in a magazine, and he saw the most beautiful yellow truck he had ever seen. The inside was complety new, and it had big speakers on the doors and behind the seats. The engine was all shiny, and he could just imagine himself driving a truck just like that. He thought about it all day, and wondered what kind of truck it was.

__________________
And as she plays,
her sweet song of laughter
floats through the air
and warms my heart

J.R.V.A.

Damien had what others would call a handicap, you see when he was born, he could'nt hear. To him it was'nt a handicap at all, whenever he did'nt want to listen to someone, all he had to do was turn his head. He thought this was pretty funny, and he would do it all the time and laugh. His family had all learned sign langauge, and he was doing pretty good learning to read lips and figure out what people were saying. Now Damien was'nt tottally void of hearing, he could hear loud sounds and feel the vibrations. Thats why he liked this yellow truck so much. He could tell that with all the speakers it had, he would be able to hear the music. Just like in his brothers car, he could make out the sound when he turned the stereo up loud.

__________________
And as she plays,
her sweet song of laughter
floats through the air
and warms my heart

J.R.V.A.

Well, that night he showed his mom the pic of the truck, and she told him it was beautiful, and he did'nt like that. It was'nt supposed to be beautiful, it was supposed to be mean. He knew what she meant though, thats what she always said when she liked something. He showed his brother, and he said it looked cool. He was set. He put the picture on his wall, where he could look at it and dream. This was the kind of truck he would be getting, he had already decided.

__________________
And as she plays,
her sweet song of laughter
floats through the air
and warms my heart

J.R.V.A.

The next morning he woke up and it was snowing. Great, he thought, now I can get to work. He grabbed his note book and his pens and began writing. He folded the paper and put it in his pocket, and put on his warm clothes and boots. He went outside and grabbed the snow shovel, and started walking. The first house he came to had the lights on. he walked to the door and knocked. the door opened, and he handed the man the note. The man nodded, and he went to work. After 30 minutes he was done. He knocked on the door again, and the man smiled and gave him a cup of Hot Chocolate. Then he gave him a ten dollar bill. Damien smiled, and said thank you. He drank his Chocolate and headed for the next house. By the end of the day, he was pretty tired. He started waklking home, and he was pretty happy. He put the shovel away, and went in the house. He sat down, and his Mom came over and asked him if he wanted some dinner. He said yes, and he pulled out his money. they counted it, and he had Sixty seven dollars. He asked his mom to put it away for his truck. His Mom smiled and gave him a big hug.

__________________
And as she plays,
her sweet song of laughter
floats through the air
and warms my heart

J.R.V.A.

He went to bed that night with a smile. The next morning him and his mom were going to the bank to put the money in savings for his truck. He fell asleep and dreamed.
The next morning Damien was up before everyone else. He was pretty excited to go to the bank, but he had to wait till it opened. He went outside and got the paper. He decided to read it for a while as he waited. He Started reading the local section, and there was a story about a family that was so poor they couldn't afford to buy shoes for the kids. He felt pretty bad, cause he had always had nice shoes to wear. Just then, his mom got up and came in the room. She asked him why he was sad, and he showed her the paper. He asked if she could find out where they lived. His mom looked at the name, and looked in the phone book. The people lived just across town. He asked if he could stop there on the way to the bank. she said yes. Damiens smile came back.

__________________
And as she plays,
her sweet song of laughter
floats through the air
and warms my heart

J.R.V.A.

Damien went and got his paper and pen, and wrote another note. He grabbed an envelope and put it in his pocket.Then they got in the car and left. As they pulled up to the house, Damien asked his mom for his money. He went up to the door and knocked. The lady came to the door, And Damien handed here the note and The envelope and ran back to the car. The lady looked out at them andf waved. He handed his mom a five dollar bill and asked if he could put it in the bank. His mom smiled and said yes. She asked him What about your truck? He said, mom. I'm only twelve, I have plenty of time.

__________________
And as she plays,
her sweet song of laughter
floats through the air
and warms my heart

chavos

i just saw this again after a hiatus... quacky was a great twist ending-and the format of the thread helps too-these little vignettes with out context, but compelling in their immediacy.

J.R.V.A.

Well thank you. I am just know learning to write, as I do more, hopefully I will get better at it. I appericate your reading them and commenting.

__________________
And as she plays,
her sweet song of laughter
floats through the air
and warms my heart

J.R.V.A.

As I stood there kicking the pavement, I did'nt know what to do next. This girl was beautiful, when she spoke chills went down my spine, and I was dumbfounded. We had just met an hour ago, and dinner was nice. I had taken small bites of my lagsanga, and wiped my mouth after every bite. She must think I'm stupid, I thought. It was my low self esteem at work again. All of a sudden she asked if I would like to go for a ride. My heart raced, I would love that, I thought. She looked at me and I almost melted. Yes, I mumbled, where would you like to go? Just for a ride, She said and smiled. Wow, I almost fell down. To think she actually wanted to go for a ride and see me for a little while longer blew me away. The fact that she hadn't run to her car and said I'll call you after dinner had blew me away. Umm.. Ummm.., I kicked the concrete again. Should we take your car, she said? Yes, I said. I walked over to the car and opened the door for her, and closed her door. Wow, I thought, she may actually like me.

__________________
And as she plays,
her sweet song of laughter
floats through the air
and warms my heart