This cou
ldn’t be happening she thought when she had recovered slightly and picked up the phone that was crackling and making all kinds of noises from (she assumed) being dropped. “Hello…..Hello…..”she said into the mouthpiece, trying to resume her conversation with Brodie. No reply reached her ear as she tried again and again. The phone just continued to make strange noises. Had she really just received a phone call from Brodie? Did he really tell her he was stranded in the countryside and had been gone the entire day? After several attempts to get Brodie to talk to her she reluctantly replaced the receiver in its cradle.
A cup of tea is what she needed to calm her. Cautiously, slowly, Shelby walked to the kitchen to start the water boiling, glancing towards the refrigerator as she passed through the doorway. Relieved, it was clear; nothing lay on the floor, not a crumb, not a scrap, not a mushroom.
Tea in hand Shelby returned to the living room, sat back in the big recliner, sipped and thought. The events of this day kept playing over and over in her mind. She couldn’t shake the images nor did they make any sense. Picking up her Koontz novel she hoped to engage herself in the latest adventures of ‘Brother Odd’.
Cup now devoid of any liquid, Koontz unable to maintain her attention, she picked up the telephone to call Brodie’s cell. She dialed but got only the annoying response that the person she was trying to reach was unavailable. There seemed no point in leaving a message if his phone was dead so again she hung up her phone. There seemed nothing to do but wait.
Reviewing the dinner menu in her mind Shelby remembered she needed to pick up some creamer for coffee so, grabbing her keys from the drawer, finding an all-clear as she glanced quickly towards the floor in front of the refrigerator, she headed out the door to her car. This would take only about half an hour. Then she could come home, have a shower, hopefully by then Brodie would be back and everything would be back on track, mushroom excepted (they could solve that mystery together after their guests left).
Once in the store she couldn’t resist the aroma of fresh bread so she decided to pick up some dinner buns from the deli. Taking a quick look-around she grabbed the creamer, a bag of chips and was out the door before she decided she needed to buy anything else. Back at the car she unlocked the door, placed the bag in the back seat, climbed in, started the engine and stared in shock. There they were in plain view. She was beside herself. Three mushrooms sitting up on the dash. Rolling down the window she grabbed those mushrooms and flung them outside as hard as she could pitch them. Now in tears she had to try to calm herself so she could drive home. She went back inside the store to grab a coffee from Starbucks. After a few gulps of coffee she was ready, put the car in gear and motored home to hop in a hot shower, which she hoped, would soothe her being. This day was becoming altogether too strange and dreadful. She shivered.
Pulling into the drive Shelby noticed to her relief that Brodie’s truck was home. Most anxious to talk she jumped out and ran to the house. Thinking to just burst inside she was almost knocked down when the door, locked, resisted her like a brick wall. God he must have locked it after he got home. Fighting with her keys she finally found the right one and unlocked the door. Running inside calling his name she was once more on this day, stopped dead in her tracks as she ran into the kitchen. Four of them now lay on the floor in front of the refrigerator. She screamed, ran over to those mushrooms and started jumping on them and crushing them into the floor as hard as she could stomp. She stomped, she screamed, she cried but Brodie didn’t come.
Spent Shelby finally fell to the floor. She must get to her bed and lie down or she believed she would explode with the fear, frustration and bewilderment of this day. Tears still streaming down her face she made her way to the bedroom. Not bothering to even take off her shoes she fell across the bed. It was there she opened her eyes to the sound of her alarm and felt Brodie brush her cheek softly. “Hey wake up; you were crying out, where you having a bad dream? It’s t
ime to get up; we have a big day today and company coming for dinner.”
Shelby rubbed the sleep from her eyes as it took her a moment to wake with the realization this had all been a bad dream. She was about ready to roll out but was stopped cold when she heard a growling roar from Brodie as he made his discovery and shouted to her “Shelby what ever are these mushrooms doing inside my clean underwear I would like to know……..?”
……….It all started with a mushroom!
This may have to be continued.............
(Writing Prompt - Write Well University April 23, 2011)
ldn’t be happening she thought when she had recovered slightly and picked up the phone that was crackling and making all kinds of noises from (she assumed) being dropped. “Hello…..Hello…..”she said into the mouthpiece, trying to resume her conversation with Brodie. No reply reached her ear as she tried again and again. The phone just continued to make strange noises. Had she really just received a phone call from Brodie? Did he really tell her he was stranded in the countryside and had been gone the entire day? After several attempts to get Brodie to talk to her she reluctantly replaced the receiver in its cradle.A cup of tea is what she needed to calm her. Cautiously, slowly, Shelby walked to the kitchen to start the water boiling, glancing towards the refrigerator as she passed through the doorway. Relieved, it was clear; nothing lay on the floor, not a crumb, not a scrap, not a mushroom.
Tea in hand Shelby returned to the living room, sat back in the big recliner, sipped and thought. The events of this day kept playing over and over in her mind. She couldn’t shake the images nor did they make any sense. Picking up her Koontz novel she hoped to engage herself in the latest adventures of ‘Brother Odd’.
Cup now devoid of any liquid, Koontz unable to maintain her attention, she picked up the telephone to call Brodie’s cell. She dialed but got only the annoying response that the person she was trying to reach was unavailable. There seemed no point in leaving a message if his phone was dead so again she hung up her phone. There seemed nothing to do but wait.
Reviewing the dinner menu in her mind Shelby remembered she needed to pick up some creamer for coffee so, grabbing her keys from the drawer, finding an all-clear as she glanced quickly towards the floor in front of the refrigerator, she headed out the door to her car. This would take only about half an hour. Then she could come home, have a shower, hopefully by then Brodie would be back and everything would be back on track, mushroom excepted (they could solve that mystery together after their guests left).
Once in the store she couldn’t resist the aroma of fresh bread so she decided to pick up some dinner buns from the deli. Taking a quick look-around she grabbed the creamer, a bag of chips and was out the door before she decided she needed to buy anything else. Back at the car she unlocked the door, placed the bag in the back seat, climbed in, started the engine and stared in shock. There they were in plain view. She was beside herself. Three mushrooms sitting up on the dash. Rolling down the window she grabbed those mushrooms and flung them outside as hard as she could pitch them. Now in tears she had to try to calm herself so she could drive home. She went back inside the store to grab a coffee from Starbucks. After a few gulps of coffee she was ready, put the car in gear and motored home to hop in a hot shower, which she hoped, would soothe her being. This day was becoming altogether too strange and dreadful. She shivered.
Pulling into the drive Shelby noticed to her relief that Brodie’s truck was home. Most anxious to talk she jumped out and ran to the house. Thinking to just burst inside she was almost knocked down when the door, locked, resisted her like a brick wall. God he must have locked it after he got home. Fighting with her keys she finally found the right one and unlocked the door. Running inside calling his name she was once more on this day, stopped dead in her tracks as she ran into the kitchen. Four of them now lay on the floor in front of the refrigerator. She screamed, ran over to those mushrooms and started jumping on them and crushing them into the floor as hard as she could stomp. She stomped, she screamed, she cried but Brodie didn’t come.
Spent Shelby finally fell to the floor. She must get to her bed and lie down or she believed she would explode with the fear, frustration and bewilderment of this day. Tears still streaming down her face she made her way to the bedroom. Not bothering to even take off her shoes she fell across the bed. It was there she opened her eyes to the sound of her alarm and felt Brodie brush her cheek softly. “Hey wake up; you were crying out, where you having a bad dream? It’s t
ime to get up; we have a big day today and company coming for dinner.”Shelby rubbed the sleep from her eyes as it took her a moment to wake with the realization this had all been a bad dream. She was about ready to roll out but was stopped cold when she heard a growling roar from Brodie as he made his discovery and shouted to her “Shelby what ever are these mushrooms doing inside my clean underwear I would like to know……..?”
……….It all started with a mushroom!
This may have to be continued.............
(Writing Prompt - Write Well University April 23, 2011)
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