Photo © 2011 Gerald Pereira CC BY 2.0
Something a little different today. I signed up to take part in Tony Noland’s Great April Fool’s Day #FridayFlash Blogswap. Tony paired me up with Danielle La Paglia, who has in gracious silence endured my haphazard attempt at keeping to a deadline.
(Oy. Just be thankful you’re not my publisher.)
Danielle and I both wrote a story around the same prompt. I’m posting hers here, and she’s posting my story over on her blog. Tony gave us the following prompt to inspire our stories: “three free tickets to a movie.”
-TimK
Substitute
Sandy fingered the tickets in her coat pocket, sliding their slick backs together as she stared at the house. It had seemed like such a good idea when she’d stopped by the theater two days ago, but the thin slips of paper felt inadequate and meaningless now. What good were three free tickets when they’d lost so much? She thought of putting the car in drive and heading home, but John stepped onto the porch and waived. There was no turning back.
A gust of wind whipped her hair across her face as she stepped from the car. The icy blast beat against her exposed cheeks and sent a flurry of snowflakes into the car before she could slam the door shut. Even the wind knew it was a bad idea.
She ran to the shelter of the porch, hoping to sneak a quick hug from John, a small shot of courage and comfort to push her through. But Maddy shoved the screen door open and ushered her siblings onto the porch. Sorrow hung on them like a heavy cloak, paling their skin, darkening the shadows in their eyes. Even seven-year-old Emily had lost her sparkle. The bright pink smile she used to wear was a soft peach line tugged down at the corners.
Sandy knew she was a poor substitute for the mother they’d lost. She wasn’t trying to replace her. She only hoped to give them a break from the reality that had been forced upon them, even if it was only for a few hours. But seeing their somber expressions, she felt the sting of her mistake. Only time would make it better, not her, not this. She wanted to run, make a hasty retreat and leave them to what was left of their broken family, but John spoke.
“You girls behave and try to have a good time.” He hugged each one in turn then Maddy hustled them down the steps. “Thank you,” he said and squeezed Sandy’s hand. They’d been dating nearly a year and, despite the three-year-old divorce settlement, it was still hard on the girls. Sandy gave a weak smile then jogged to the car.
They rode in near silence to the theater. Each of Sandy’s attempts at conversation were shut down with a one-word answer or a half-hearted nod. Resigned to their silence, she turned on the radio and let the music try to warm the stale atmosphere instead.
As they stepped into the lobby, Emily and Sarah’s faces brightened. At seven and nine, they were amazed at the beauty of the grand theater, pointing to heavy velvet curtains held back with gold ropes and the scrolling wood ornaments decorating the walls. Then they lifted their faces in wonder at the elaborately painted ceiling. The knot in Sandy’s stomach loosened until her eyes met Maddy’s. The fourteen-year-old’s face was set in a cold stare. It took all of Sandy’s strength to stand her ground and force a smile.
An usher finally led them to their seats where they once again sat in silence with only the occasional whisper from the little ones pointing out some new discovery. The house lights eventually dimmed and a hush fell over the audience. The first bars of music filled the room. The curtain rose, and the ballerinas took the stage.
Emily and Sarah were spellbound. Their eyes glued to the dancers—children twirled across the stage, tin soldiers came to life, and a sugar plum fairy enchanted them all. The glow in their eyes raised a lump in Sandy’s throat. She’d done the right thing. And as the saying went, two out of three wasn’t bad.
Emily and Sarah’s giggles and high-pitched chatter filled the car on the ride home, a warm contrast to the start of their journey. When they pulled into the driveway, the wind had died, leaving a peaceful blanket of snow across the yard and roof top. The younger girls clutched their shiny red nutcrackers and hugged Sandy goodbye. Again Maddy ushered them through the door as John and Sandy stood on the porch.
“Thank you for this. Their smiles…” His voice cracked; tears glistened in his eyes.
“You’re welcome.” He kissed her cheek then followed the girls inside. She was almost to the car when the screen door slammed behind her. She spun to find Maddy jogging down the steps.
“Sandy?” Her face was softer, her eyes wider, more innocent somehow.
“Yeah?”
“Thank you.” Maddy gave a soft smile then ran back into the house.
Sandy stood beside her car letting the words of a child warm her. Today wasn’t a substitute, but it had been a welcome reprieve, and that was more than enough for her.
шуко Энергоэффективность окон Шуко обеспечивает значительное снижение затрат на отопление и кондиционирование, что делает их не только комфортным, но и экономически выгодным выбором.
Многие тянут до последнего, считая, что обращаться к наркологу «рано» или «не по статусу». На практике именно такое откладывание часто приводит к затяжным запоям, тяжёлым состояниям и разрушению социальных связей. К специалистам имеет смысл обращаться при первых признаках того, что употребление алкоголя или наркотиков перестало быть эпизодическим и управляемым.
Подробнее тут – luchshaya-narkologicheskaya-klinika-v-moskve-otzyvy
I was skeptical, but after recently of cross-chain transfers, the reliable uptime convinced me.
Перейти на сайт зеркало водка бет
Hey there are using WordPress for your site platform?
I’m new to the blog world but I’m trying to get started and create my own. Do you need any html coding knowledge to make your own blog?
Any help would be really appreciated!
QQ88 là điểm truy cập giải trí trực tuyến được tối ưu toàn diện, tập trung vào tốc độ, sự ổn định và trải nghiệm liền mạch cho người dùng.
1win crash signal 1win5769.help
This is a very informative post. I really appreciate how clearly everything is explained,
especially for people who are new to online casino platforms.
The way you describe the features, usability, and overall experience makes it easy to understand and compare with other websites.
I also like that the content focuses on safety, convenience,
and user experience.
Thanks for sharing such useful information. I will definitely check out more articles on this site.
Hi there, all is going perfectly here and ofcourse every one is sharing data,
that’s actually good, keep up writing.
Ahaa, its nice dialogue concerning this post here at this web site, I have read all that, so at this time me also commenting here.
pinup android o‘rnatish https://pinup91324.help
An interesting discussion is worth comment. I do think that
you ought to publish more about this subject matter, it may not be a taboo matter but typically people do not speak about such topics.
To the next! Many thanks!!
You have made some decent points there. I
checked on the internet for more information about
the issue and found most individuals will go along with your views
on this website.
Excellent blog right here! Also your web site rather a lot
up fast! What web host are you using? Can I am getting your associate hyperlink to your host?
I desire my web site loaded up as fast as yours lol
1win воридшавӣ бо рақам 1win воридшавӣ бо рақам
fantastic issues altogether, you just received a new reader.
What might you suggest in regards to your publish that you
just made a few days ago? Any sure?
Admiring the dedication you put into your website and in depth information you provide.
It’s good to come across a blog every once in a while that isn’t the same out of date rehashed
information. Great read! I’ve bookmarked your site and I’m adding your RSS feeds to my Google account.
I have been surfing online more than 3 hours today, yet I never found any
interesting article like yours. It is pretty worth enough for me.
In my opinion, if all web owners and bloggers made good content as you did, the net will be much more useful than ever before.
I was skeptical, but after over two years of portfolio tracking, the useful analytics convinced me.
сделать реферат сделать реферат .
Thank you a bunch for sharing this with all of us you actually realize what you are talking about!
Bookmarked. Kindly also seek advice from my website =).
We can have a hyperlink alternate agreement among us
adlify.click – Color palette felt calming, nothing distracting, just focused, thoughtful design.
funnely.click – Loved the layout today; clean, simple, and genuinely user-friendly overall.
You are so awesome! I do not suppose I have read through a single thing
like that before. So nice to find another person with some
genuine thoughts on this topic. Seriously.. thanks for starting
this up. This web site is something that is required on the web, someone with a little originality!
growthly.click – Loved the layout today; clean, simple, and genuinely user-friendly overall.
Hello there! Quick question that’s totally off topic. Do
you know how to make your site mobile friendly?
My weblog looks weird when browsing from my iphone. I’m trying to
find a template or plugin that might be able to resolve this
problem. If you have any recommendations, please share.
Cheers!
admark.click – Navigation felt smooth, found everything quickly without any confusing steps.
adlify.click – Overall, professional vibe here; trustworthy, polished, and pleasantly minimal throughout.
Amazing things here. I’m very happy to look your post. Thank
you so much and I’m taking a look ahead to contact you.
Will you please drop me a mail?
I think the admin of this website is truly working hard in favor
of his web page, since here every material is quality based information.
funnely.click – Appreciate the typography choices; comfortable spacing improved my reading experience.
optimizr.click – Color palette felt calming, nothing distracting, just focused, thoughtful design.
Excellent article! We are linking to this particularly great article on our website.
Keep up the good writing.
With havin so much content and articles do you ever run into
any problems of plagorism or copyright infringement?
My website has a lot of exclusive content I’ve either
created myself or outsourced but it seems a lot of it is
popping it up all over the internet without my authorization.
Do you know any techniques to help prevent content from being ripped off?
I’d definitely appreciate it.
侠之盗高清完整版2026 海外华人免费最新热播剧集
traffio.click – Navigation felt smooth, found everything quickly without any confusing steps.
growthly.click – Color palette felt calming, nothing distracting, just focused, thoughtful design.
admark.click – Bookmarked this immediately, planning to revisit for updates and inspiration.
I am regular visitor, how are you everybody? This post posted at this website is
genuinely pleasant.
Heya i am for the primary time here. I came across this board and I in finding It
really helpful & it helped me out a lot. I hope to offer one thing back
and help others like you helped me.
An impressive share! I’ve just forwarded this onto a friend
who had been doing a little homework on this.
And he actually bought me lunch due to the fact that I
stumbled upon it for him… lol. So let me reword this….
Thank YOU for the meal!! But yeah, thanks for spending the
time to discuss this matter here on your website.
На сайте Минздрава указаны общие клинические рекомендации по выведению из запоя, включая допустимые дозировки и протоколы лечения.
Изучить вопрос глубже – https://vyvod-iz-zapoya-v-ryazani12.ru/vyvod-iz-zapoya-na-domu-v-ryazani/
optimizr.click – Loved the layout today; clean, simple, and genuinely user-friendly overall.
I’m gone to tell my little brother, that he should also go to see this weblog on regular basis to obtain updated from most up-to-date news update.
traffio.click – Content reads clearly, helpful examples made concepts easy to grasp.
1вин казино зинда https://www.1win59278.help
trafficy.click – Found practical insights today; sharing this article with colleagues later.
What’s up colleagues, how is everything, and what you desire to
say regarding this piece of writing, in my view its genuinely remarkable in support of me.
I’ve been using it for a few days for checking analytics, and the accurate charts stands out.