work in progress

No matter how hard I tried I could not keep my eyes open. If they succeeded in closing in death there would be no turning back because I did not have the energy to fight much longer. Maybe, just maybe, I would no longer feel any pain and would just sleep; only to continue as a distant memory in the hearts of my family. This was hard for me to accept; no matter how much I wanted to sleep I would have to fight harder. I am not a quitter and I had not told my family how much I loved them. Would they find me before the stink of death had passed and my bones had been bleached white? I was spending too much energy worrying about what might happen when there was nothing I could do about it. If it came down to it I hoped someone would make sure I was returned home and would be there for my family to help them through their pain. Right now survival had to be my focus and I had to get my mission back on track.

It was hot out here in the desert; I can't remember how I had gotten here so how am I supposed to get out? Ok, I vaguely remembered hearing music and the feel of my body swaying in rhythm to it. I really needed to remember more but that would have to come later, right now I had to survive so I could find the bastards who put me in this situation. I started sifting my hands through the sand looking for a couple of rocks to put in my mouth. I knew that moving the rocks around my mouth would keep the saliva going and keep my thirst down. The next thing I needed was shade so I could sleep because if I fell asleep before finding shade I would die for sure. If I could just sleep for a while then I could walk at night when the air was cooler and it would be easier to breath. I continued to sift the sand going deeper still trying to find a rock when my hand came up against something hard and cool. Moving the sand out of the way a handful at a time, desperately trying to uncover what I had found, and my hand came across nothing but hard surface. I soon realized that it was not a something but rather a concrete floor. There was a floor to my desert prison so that had to mean there was a way out. That also meant the sun would not be going down and had to be a really bright light. I decided to rest for awhile, on the cool concrete, and then move forward a little at a time until I got out from under the direct "sunlight" and closer to the side of the room.

"That is the stupidest story I have ever heard" Harry said while trying to keep the smile from his face.

"What do you mean stupid?, it's not stupid it could happen that way. Of course it would have to be a really big building if I can't see the walls, but it could happen."

Here I go, once again, defending my work to my brother who wouldn't know how to put two words together if they were given to him with instructions. My mother wanted all boys so when she had me she named me Charlotte and from day one referred to me as "my daughter, Charlee". Needless to say with a boys name and two brothers I had no choice but to be a tom boy. That is probably why I chose to join the Marines; I wanted to be just like my brothers. Harry, my oldest brother, died in battle during Desert Storm and I wanted to make him proud of me. My other brother was a marine also but he had been wounded during the war and was at home with mom. I was so proud of both my brothers and I had to make them proud of me too.

"Oh yeah, well how are you planning to get her out of there? Open the floor and have her fall through a trap door?"

"You know you might have something there", I said, "I'll have to think about it in my dreams though because I am just so tired".

"No", Harry continued, "You don't have time to sleep; you have to keep moving. Find your rock and forget about the floor."

"You sure are bossy for someone who is dead" I complained, knowing all along that he was right. Maybe if I listened to him I would survive this Hell I found myself in. I realized the voice I was hearing in my head was not really my brother so there might be some hope for me yet but I didn't want to loose contact with him. Keeping him alive in my thoughts could be the only thing that would get me out of here. "Hey, keep talking to me bro. so I can make it out of here alive."

"Ok, but you have to know this is not one of your stories. This is really happening to you and you have to keep a level head to survive" he said in my ear. "Come on now and repeat it for me, This Is Not A Story, It is Real"

"This Is Not A Story, It is Real" I whispered, my throat was so dry every sound I made hurt like hell.

"Louder" he shouted.

"This Is Not a Story, It is real" I said, a little louder this time.

"Louder" he shouted again.

"THIS IS NOT A STORY, IT IS REAL" I shouted before falling to the ground totally exhausted and feeling as if my tonsils had just been surgically removed.

"Now lift some sand and let it fall through your fingers", he instructed, "Follow the direction of the wind and you will find somewhere where you can rest".

to be cont....

The Baby's Angel

"Maxine, get the baby", the voice was hardly audible to her sleep ridden brain.
It had been a long day; Maxine had promised friends that she would care for their baby while they went out. They would be returning the next day so how hard could it be?
Being a toddler the baby had kept her running all day; she had never been so tired in all her young life. By the end of the day they were both totally exhausted.
Maxine bathed him, fixed him a bottle and put him in his crib. He fell asleep instantly not drinking all of his milk. She left the bottle in the crib for him in case he woke up during the night. She had then fallen into bed, just to rest for a moment.
"Maxine, get the baby", there she thought she heard it again; but she had to be dreaming.
The voice, coming from nowhere, sounded like her mother. That could not be, her mother had died two years before. She had suffered a heart attack and died in hospital, hadn't she?
"MAXINE, GET THE BABY", the voice yelled.
She came awake with a start, sitting upright in bed she could only stare at the "person" at the end of her bed. It was her mother in a ghostly white glow. She was pointing at the baby and said once again; "Maxine, Get the baby".
Maxine looked to her right and what she saw frightened her. Sitting on the baby's chest was a rat; it had smelled the milk on his face and was getting ready to bite him. She picked up the book from her bed side table and threw it; she wanted to scare the rat away without hurting the baby. After making sure he was safe she turned back to her mother to say thanks for alerting her but the room was empty, except for the two of them.
She didn't have rats so where had this one come from? She was afraid it would come back so, after cleaning up the baby she placed him in bed with her and vowed to rid her home of the rat. First thing tomorrow she would search for how this one had gotten in; but for now she just lay there protecting her charge. She knew she could sleep because her mother was watching over her.

FREEDOM

Freedom is an expresion we all use but do we really know what it means? One persons freedom is not the same as anothers. I live with my two sons who are grown now and they didn't feel they had to "leave home" when they turned 18 so they could have freedom. I don't ask where the will be every min. of the day, I just ask IF they will be home that night so I won't worry if they are not there when I get up. They have the "freedom" to be themselves. Right or wrong the choices they make in their lives are theirs alone. No one tells us what to think, so we have to learn to live with our decisions.
It is the same way with America, we are free to make our own decisions and live our lives in freedom. People from other countries can't wait to come here and experince our freedom. But "everyone" needs to know there are rules and to keep our country free we need to abide by them.
Live in freedom!

FOREVER FRIENDS

You meet a lot of people during your time on earth, some you just meet in passing and don't know if you have made any inpact on their lives or not. Others become friends; some true, some weak, some strong but you get more than just a moment to get to know them and make some difference.

Some are like Rain Drops that come and show you love until the Sun comes out and heats things up. Then they just dry up and go away leaving a spot so you won't forget they had been there and had touched your life.

Some are like the Stars in the sky, they are there when you need them letting you know there is something more to look forward to. During the day the Sun comes out and outshines them; others can not see them but they are there in the background waiting until you need them again. You can always depend on them to be there for you when life gets dark and you think there is no hope.

Some are like the Sun; strong, hot, bright and full of life. Their energy keeps you moving forward, ever searching for new places and adventures. They look forward to the new day so you will see what life has to offer.Then you have your dear and close friends, like the branches of a tree.

You are the tree and the branches are your closests friends and they help you reach out to touch the world.

Your roots are your family, without whom you would not stay grounded. They keep you going when the winds of life try to separate you from all you know.

No matter what type of friend you have been to me you have all touched my life in some way. Good, Bad, Happy or Sad all has to be experienced to have a well rounded life and friendship. I may be gone but with my family grounding me and my dear friends reaching out to keep my memory alive, others to keep it quietly in their hearts and still others saying "I think I knew him" I will be a FOREVER FRIEND.

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