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.
Right now it appears like BlogEngine is the top blogging
platform available right now. (from what I’ve read) Is that what you’re using on your blog?
This is a very informative post about the TellCulvers
survey. Many customers don’t realize how simple it is to complete the survey online
and share their dining experience.”
promova.click – Bookmarked this immediately, planning to revisit for updates and inspiration.
mailerboost.click – Pages loaded fast, images appeared sharp, and formatting stayed consistent.
monetly.click – Color palette felt calming, nothing distracting, just focused, thoughtful design.
На начальных этапах проблема редко проявляется в открытом виде, но уже есть характерные сигналы, на которые стоит обратить внимание. Человек начинает оправдывать употребление постоянной усталостью, проблемами на работе, напряжённой жизненной ситуацией. Появляется раздражение, если нет возможности выпить или принять привычную дозу, меняется круг общения, усиливается скрытность. Это время, когда помощь ещё может быть максимально щадящей по методам и по длительности, а вернуться к стабильной жизни намного проще, чем после многолетнего стажа употребления.
Исследовать вопрос подробнее – наркологическая клиника
promova.click – Bookmarked this immediately, planning to revisit for updates and inspiration.
Best online casino Australia real money 2026 top picks fast payouts
online wettbüro eröffnen
Also visit my page … Basketball Wetten Tipps Europa League
rankora.click – Bookmarked this immediately, planning to revisit for updates and inspiration.
mailerboost.click – Color palette felt calming, nothing distracting, just focused, thoughtful design.
monetly.click – Pages loaded fast, images appeared sharp, and formatting stayed consistent.
launchly.click – Bookmarked this immediately, planning to revisit for updates and inspiration.
Переходи на официальный сайт компании
mostbet ios https://mostbet84736.help/
заказать дипломную работу в москве kupit-kursovuyu-67.ru .
Hello, I desire to subscribe for this website to obtain latest updates, therefore where can i
do it please assist.
毕尔巴鄂主场火力全开 vs 埃尔切！2026西甲21:00激战开踢，雄狮能否继续碾压？西班牙足球比分直播等你见证！
키탐넷은 ‘키스타임넷’으로 불리던 국내 성인용 정보·광고 플랫폼의 별칭으로 알려져 있습니다.
본 글은 키탐넷 관련 기본 개념, 이용
시 개인정보 보호
Wow, marvelous weblog structure! Нow lengthy havе yoս bееn running ɑ blog for?
you make running a blog lo᧐k easy. The overаll glance оf уouг site is magnificent, ɑs smartly as the content material!
rankora.click – Pages loaded fast, images appeared sharp, and formatting stayed consistent.
Hi mates, its enormous piece of writing concerning tutoringand entirely defined,
keep it up all the time.
Многие люди пытаются самостоятельно справиться с запоем или наркотической интоксикацией, однако это часто приводит к серьезным осложнениям и ухудшению состояния здоровья. Без квалифицированной медицинской помощи организм подвергается сильному токсическому воздействию, что негативно отражается на всех органах и системах. Особенно страдают сердечно-сосудистая, нервная и пищеварительная системы. Игнорирование проблемы может привести к хроническим заболеваниям, алкогольным психозам, поражениям печени и даже к летальному исходу.
Углубиться в тему – http://narcolog-na-dom-krasnodar00.ru/narkolog-na-dom-kruglosutochno-krasnodar/
launchly.click – Mobile version looks perfect; no glitches, fast scrolling, crisp text.
Hello, i think that i saw you visited my web site so i came to
“return the favor”.I’m attempting to find things to improve my site!I suppose
its ok to use some of your ideas!!
Hi colleagues, nice paragraph and nice arguments commented at this place, I am genuinely enjoying by these.
adzio.click – Found practical insights today; sharing this article with colleagues later.
I always spent my half an hour to read this webpage’s posts all the time along with a cup of coffee.
I always used to study post in news papers but now as I am a user of internet therefore from now I am using net for content,
thanks to web.
白鹿王星越领衔《唐宫奇案之青雾风鸣》2026古装探案悬疑爆款，海外华人免费高清陆剧，层层解谜紧张刺激，全球加速无缓冲播放，AI智能匹配个性化推荐。
Peculiar article, exactly what I was looking for.
奇思妙探第二季高清完整版2026 海外华人免费观看
毕尔巴鄂主场火力全开 vs 埃尔切！2026西甲21:00激战开踢，雄狮能否继续碾压？西班牙足球比分直播等你见证！
adzio.click – Overall, professional vibe here; trustworthy, polished, and pleasantly minimal throughout.
hey there and thank you for your info – I have certainly picked up anything new from right here.
I did however expertise some technical issues using this website, as I experienced to reload the site many
times previous to I could get it to load properly.
I had been wondering if your web hosting
is OK? Not that I’m complaining, but slow loading instances
times will often affect your placement in google and could damage your high quality score if advertising and marketing with Adwords.
Well I am adding this RSS to my email and could look out for a lot more of your respective interesting
content. Ensure that you update this again very soon.
Матчи «Салавата Юлаева» в Уфе — это энергия, аншлаг и неподдельные эмоции трибун, делающие хоккей частью городской жизни. Подробнее: https://rentry.co/kvik3kd8
Первый этап помощи почти всегда связан с детоксикацией. Организм, который длительное время получал алкоголь или другие вещества, перегружен токсинами, страдают сердце, сосуды, мозг, печень, нарушены сон и обмен веществ. Простое «похмелиться и перетерпеть» в такой ситуации опасно: можно спровоцировать очередной скачок давления, аритмию, обострение хронических заболеваний. В условиях клиники в Лобне детокс строится по медицинским правилам, а не по советам из интернета.
Разобраться лучше – https://narkologicheskaya-klinika-lobnya11-2.ru/narkologicheskaya-klinika-otzyvy-v-lobne
страница https://krab5-cc.at/
七王国的骑士第一季2026 海外华人权游衍生剧 高清史诗冒险
I’m not sure exactly why but this site is loading very slow
for me. Is anyone else having this issue or is it a issue on my end?
I’ll check back later on and see if the problem still exists.
一骑士七王国2026 海外华人中世纪奇幻 高清HBO史诗剧
Lille 0-1 Crvena Zvezda 2026 Europa League surprise! Red Star shock French side – football news full of underdog glory!
Медицинское вмешательство в домашних условиях отличается четкой организацией. Врач последовательно выполняет шаги, которые позволяют стабилизировать состояние пациента и предупредить осложнения.
Подробнее тут – https://narcolog-na-dom-ryazan0.ru/vyvod-iz-zapoya-ryazan-na-domu/
I personally find that drew here — I’ve tried checking analytics and the accurate charts impressed me.
monetly.click – Color palette felt calming, nothing distracting, just focused, thoughtful design.
promova.click – Appreciate the typography choices; comfortable spacing improved my reading experience.
无敌第二季2026 海外华人动画超级英雄 高清暴力美学 海外华人首选
mailerboost.click – Pages loaded fast, images appeared sharp, and formatting stayed consistent.
唐宫奇案之青雾风鸣2026 白鹿主演古装悬疑 高清探案解谜 海外华人首选
一饭封神在线免费观看2026 海外华人专属 高清无广告