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.
9870k.top – Some sections seem a bit sparse—adding content would boost the appeal.
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sh576.xyz – Layout is simple but workable, though I’d love more visuals.
Снимаем интоксикацию, купируем абстинентный синдром, стабилизируем давление и сердечный ритм, корректируем электролитный и водный баланс. По показаниям подключаем седативную и противотревожную терапию, защиту печени и желудочно-кишечного тракта, витамины группы B. Цель — безопасно пройти острый период, снизить тягу и нормализовать сон. При необходимости делаем ЭКГ, пульсоксиметрию, контролируем глюкозу, насыщение кислородом, температуру. Если состояние тяжёлое, предложим госпитализацию в стационар с круглосуточным наблюдением, где можно оперативно скорректировать схему лечения.
Подробнее – круглосуточная наркологическая клиника
7x084yko.xyz – On mobile a few elements shift, but still usable without too much trouble.
x3165.xyz – Typography is clean, reading text was comfortable even on my phone.
7x084yko.xyz – On mobile a few elements shift, but still usable without too much trouble.
bestbotanicals – It’s my new go-to for herbs, roots, and calming blends.
bestbotanicals – This shop always surprises me with new herbs every week.
3e7r – Their blog section is short but full of useful tips too.
3e7r – I’ll bookmark this site; product range is quite interesting here.
17kshu – Would love to see more content, maybe articles or tutorials added.
I’ve been active for a week, mostly for using the mobile app, and it’s always trustworthy service.
17kshu – Navigation is intuitive, I found what I was looking for quickly.
9870k.top – Navigation is smooth, didn’t run into broken pages while clicking around.
51p31.xyz – Clean layout, though I’d like to see more visuals to break it up.
7x084yko.xyz – A few internal links led me to blank pages, needs cleanup.
КАК ВЫБРАТЬСЯ ИЗ ЗАПОЯ: ПРИЗНАКИ И РЕШЕНИЯ Запой – это серьезная проблема, для решения которой нужна медицинская помощь. В Туле и других городах лечение запоя включает детоксикацию от алкоголя, что является ключевым этапом в процессе восстановления. Симптомы запойного алкоголизма могут проявляться в виде тревожности‚ бессонницы и физической зависимости. Лечение запойного состояния должно быть комплексным. Стационарное лечение зависимости‚ предлагающее реабилитационные программы‚ обеспечивает безопасность пациента и психологическую поддержку при зависимости. Консультация нарколога поможет подобрать индивидуальное лечение алкогольной зависимости‚ что включает в себя как медикаменты‚ так и психотерапию. лечение запоя тула Поддержка родственников алкозависимого играет ключевую роль в профилактике рецидивов алкоголизма. Важно помнить о последствиях длительного запоя‚ которые могут быть крайне серьезными. Восстановление после запоя требует времени и усилий‚ но с помощью профессионалов возможно вернуть человека к нормальной жизни.
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bestbotanicals – Reading their descriptions actually helped me learn a lot about herbs.
Порадуйте себя и своего ребенка отличными товарами от TykePop — уникальными, практичными и безопасными.
Зацепил раздел про Актуальные российские новости и глубокий анализ событий.
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Если у вас возникли вопросы или пожелания, наша команда всегда готова помочь. До скорых встреч!
storagesheds.store – Navigation works fine, but some links feel buried and unclear.
3e7r – Their blog section is short but full of useful tips too.
storagesheds.store – Load speed is decent, though heavier pages lag a bit on slower nets.
dersimizmuzik.org – The layout is clean, doesn’t feel cluttered even with many posts.
17kshu – Seems like a fresh site, I’ll check back often for updates.
dersimizmuzik.org – They share sheet music and theory, very useful for practice.
yt7787.xyz – Some links redirected unexpectedly — could use consistency there.
The interface is easy onboarding, and I enjoy swapping tokens here. Definitely recommend to anyone in crypto.
yt7787.xyz – On mobile it adapts nicely, though a few elements are close together.
bitcoin-mining-news.website – Great niche site, provides timely updates on crypto mining trends.
businessesnewsdaily.site – The footer is minimal—adding contact, about, and social links could help trust.
lcmdan372ibd.online – Speed’s okay on high bandwidth, slower connections struggle slightly.
bitcoin-mining-news.website – I saw a broken chart image here and there — hope they fix those.
businessesnewsdaily.site – Load speeds are okay, but image-heavy posts lag a bit on slower net.
sxy005.xyz – Some images didn’t load for me, hope those are fixed soon.
52cjg.xyz – On mobile layout adapts, but a few elements overlap a bit.
sxy005.xyz – Typography is easy on the eyes, reading here feels comfortable.
52cjg.xyz – Some images didn’t load properly, hope they’ll fix those soon.
платный психиатр на дом
psikhiatr-moskva009.ru
вызов психиатрической помощи
dersimizmuzik.org – On mobile the text flows nicely, didn’t struggle to read.
bbofrwhnimpcjibfunu.live – The color palette is gentle, doesn’t overwhelm even with long reading.
storagesheds.store – Navigation works fine, but some links feel buried and unclear.
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Ссылка ниже:
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bitcoin-mining-news.website – On mobile, pages adjust fairly well, but some images overflow slightly.
Customer support was friendly, which gave me confidence to continue. Support solved my issue in minutes.