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.
Viagra homme prix en pharmacie sans ordonnance Acheter viagra en ligne livraison 24h Viagra pas cher livraison rapide france
Started reading without much expectation and ended on a high note, and a look at cotchoice continued that arc, content that builds rather than peaks early is a sign of a writer who knows how to structure a piece for sustained reader engagement rather than relying on a strong hook to do all the work.
The overall feel of the post was professional without being stuffy, and a look at shoprova kept that approachable expertise going, finding the right register for technical content is hard but this site has clearly figured out how to sound knowledgeable without slipping into that distant lecturing tone that loses readers in droves every time.
Decided to set a calendar reminder to revisit, and a stop at holdax extended that revisit list, calendar entries for content are a level of commitment I rarely make but when I do they signal a higher regard than a simple bookmark and this site has earned that calendar tier of relationship from me today.
1win вывод на элсом сколько идет http://1win96736.icu/
Now considering whether the post would translate well into a different form, and a look at baznora suggested similar versatility, content that could move into other media without losing its substance is content that has been built around ideas rather than around format and this site reads as idea first throughout posts.
Привет из Самары А на работу через пару часов Организм просто отказывается работать Короче, единственное что реально спасает — капельница от похмелья на дому срочно Приехали через 30 минут В общем, не потеряйте контакты — капельница от похмелья на дому капельница от похмелья на дому Звоните прямо сейчас Перешлите тем кто в такой же ситуации
Здорово, народ Отец не выходит из штопора Жена в истерике Нужна срочная помощь на дому Короче, врачи приехали и поставили систему — вызвать капельницу от запоя на дому быстро Через пару часов человек пришёл в себя В общем, не потеряйте контакты — капельница от алкоголя на дому капельница от алкоголя на дому Звоните прямо сейчас Перешлите тем кто в такой же ситуации
Вывод из запоя на дому подходит пациентам, которым необходимо получить помощь в привычной обстановке. Вызов врача можно заказать в любое время суток: выездная бригада приезжает по указанному адресу, проводит осмотр, оценивает давление, пульс, степень интоксикации, риск психозов, галлюцинаций, судорожных реакций, инфаркта, инсульта и других осложнений.
Получить дополнительные сведения – наркология вывод из запоя в сочи
Воронеж, всем привет А на работу через пару часов Нужно что-то серьёзное Короче, врачи приехали и поставили систему — капельница после похмелья с препаратами Поставили капельницу с солевым раствором В общем, не потеряйте контакты — снятие похмелья капельницей https://kapelnicza-ot-pokhmelya-voronezh-itw.ru Звоните прямо сейчас Перешлите тем кто в такой же ситуации
Now feeling slightly more committed to my own careful reading practices having read this, and a stop at claritybuilder reinforced that commitment, content that models the kind of attention it deserves is content that calibrates the reader and this site has clearly raised my own bar for what to bring to good writing today.
A piece that suggested careful editing without showing the marks of the editing, and a look at momentumworks continued that invisible polish, the best editing disappears into the prose and this site reads as having been edited with skill that does not announce itself which is the highest compliment I can offer any blog content.
Салют, Самара Голова раскалывается Поилки и таблетки не помогают Короче, врачи приехали и поставили систему — капельница при похмелье с препаратами Голова прошла и тошнота ушла В общем, вся инфа по ссылке — алкогольная капельница на дому https://kapelnicza-ot-pokhmelya-samara-dxq.ru Капельница — это быстро и эффективно Перешлите тем кто в такой же ситуации
Following a few of the internal links revealed more posts of similar quality, and a stop at actionforwardnow added more to that growing pile, sites where internal links lead to more good content rather than to more of the same recycled material are sites with depth and this one has clearly built that depth carefully.
Took a quick scan first and then went back to read properly because the post deserved it, and a stop at ideaflowengine kept me reading carefully too, the kind of writing that earns a slower second pass rather than getting skimmed and forgotten is something I value highly when I happen to find it.
Здорова, народ Муж просто потерял себя Жена в истерике В больницу тащить страшно Короче, врачи приехали и поставили систему — капельница от запоя на дому срочно Поставили капельницу с детоксикационным раствором В общем, не потеряйте контакты — прокапаться на дому воронеж https://kapelnicza-ot-zapoya-voronezh-bqi.ru Звоните прямо сейчас Перешлите тем кто в такой же ситуации
подробнее здесь vodka bet
Generally I bookmark sparingly to avoid building up a bookmark graveyard but this one earned a permanent slot, and a stop at focusframework extended that permanence designation, the few sites I keep permanent bookmarks for are sites I expect to use repeatedly and this one has clearly cleared that expectation bar today.
Honestly this kind of writing is why I still bother to read independent sites, and a look at lorzavi extended that broader reflection, the few sites that justify continued attention to non algorithmic content are sites like this one and finding them periodically is enough to keep my reading habits oriented toward independent rather than aggregated content.
https://mexicandoctorate.top/# hydrocodone mexico pharmacy
выездная наркологическая служба оперативно приедет по указанному адресу, имея при себе все необходимое оборудование и медикаменты, в том числе для оказания неотложной помощи.
Выяснить больше – скорая вывод из запоя сочи
сюда vodka bet новый
mostbet бесплатная ставка https://mostbet68667.icu/
1вин lucky jet https://www.1win96736.icu
мостбет скачать на iphone мостбет скачать на iphone
mostbet bónusz kód megadása hol http://mostbet50579.icu
Picked up a couple of new ideas here that I can actually try out, and after my visit to ardenbrisk I have even more notes saved, this is the kind of resource that pays you back for the time you spend on it which is rare to come across in this corner of the web.
mostbet ügyfélszolgálat http://mostbet50579.icu/
Reading more of the archives is now on my plan for the weekend, and a stop at byrdbush confirmed the archive worth the time, the rare archive worth a dedicated reading session rather than just casual sampling is the rare archive of serious work and this site has clearly produced enough of that work to warrant the deeper exploration.
Probably the kind of site that should be more widely read than it appears to be, and a look at pillowmanor reinforced that quiet wish, the gap between a sites quality and its apparent reach is sometimes large and that gap exists for this site in a way that makes me want to mention it more.