Purr-fect
by Cheryll (Gabby) Ganzel
Evelyn hummed as she stirred the bubbling brew. Who could resist the spicy scent of ginger and cinnamon, or the sweet smell of orange and honey? Certainly not Tommy. He turned his head toward her, inhaled deeply, and smiled.
Outside the wind sang its autumn song, rustling the red and orange leaves, drawing Tommy to the window. He pressed his nose against the cold glass and watched as the corn stalks bowed and waved. He waved back, his laughter filling the small cabin.
Twilight became night and Tommy could contain himself no longer. He grabbed the orange plastic jack-o-lantern and stood by the door. “Now Mom, can we go now?”
Evelyn laughed. “Just a minute my pet. Let me finish filling up the thermos. That’s not a fur coat you’re wearing tonight and I don’t want you to get cold. A sip of this now and then will keep you warm. She grabbed the thermos and a flashlight and headed for the door.
“Ready Sheriff?”
“Ready!”
Evelyn almost had to run to keep up with Tommy as he hurried down the short path toward town. He ran up to the first house. The front door was closed against the cold but the bright porch light was a sure sign someone was on the other side.
Tommy banged on the door. Just as the door swung open he yelled, “trick or treat!” A soft “trick or treat” echoed beside him. He looked at the girl next to him. Her red curls hung about her shoulders. Her blue satin dress rustled with every move. A black velvet ribbon with a small silver heart was tied around her neck. She must be an angel, he thought.
“Well, what do we have here? A big strong sheriff and a beautiful princess.” He threw a handful of candy into Tommy’s plastic pumpkin.
“I’m not a princess,” the girl said, “I’m Cinderella.”
“Okay, Cinderella, here’s some candy for you too. Who’s that out there, your wicked stepmother?”
Tommy laughed. “No, that’s just my Mom!”
“Good to know someone’s watching over you. Have fun!” The old man shivered and closed the door.
Tommy turned and headed back toward his mother. He heard the blue dress rustling behind him.
“Who’s this, Tommy? Did you make a friend already?”
“Cinderella.”
“I’m not really Cinderella. My name is Ginni.”
“Well, Cinderella Ginni, are you out here all by yourself?”
“My Mom doesn’t know I’m gone. She’s yelling at Dad.”
“You can stay with us. I think that will be more fun for both of you. And safer.”
Tommy grabbed Ginni’s hand and pulled her toward the next house. “Come on, let’s go!”
Evelyn followed them from house to house. She couldn’t remember hearing Tommy laugh so much. I think it’s time Tommy had a playmate, she thought. Yes, a sister for Tommy would be just the thing.
They came to the end of the block. “That’s my house,” Ginni said.
“Well, why don’t you and Tommy go across the street and work your way back to the beginning of the block. I’ll just go tell your Mom where you are.”
“I’m getting kind of cold,” Ginni said.
“I have just the thing for that.” Evelyn poured some of the hot spicy liquid into the thermos cup. “Here you go. You’ll like this and it will warm you right up. Tommy loves it. Don’t you, Tommy?”
“Yeah, sure. Mom makes it for me all the time.”
“ Ummm, that’s really good.” Ginni drained the cup and handed it back to Evelyn.
“Hey, I have a better idea. You can come over to our house. We can sit by the fire, roast marshmallows, and tell ghost stories!”
“Yeah,” Tommy said, “it will be fun!”
“Okay, I’ll just go tell my Mom where I am.”
“Maybe you should give your Mom and Dad a little more time to work things out. You can call her from our house in a little while.”
“Okay, I guess she won’t mind.”
Tommy and Ginni held hands as they skipped back up the path to the cabin. Evelyn followed close behind. What a perfect night, she thought.
Inside the fire burned low, but the cabin was still warm. Evelyn put another log on the fire. “There, now it will get nice and toasty in here. You two sit here by the fire. I’ll get you something to drink.”
She returned with two mugs of the hot spicy liquid. The scent of orange, cinnamon and honey again filled the room. “You two drink this and get warm. Ginni, do you know your phone number?”
“Yes, it’s 794-0335.”
“Good. I’ll go call your Mom and let her know where you are. When I come back, we’ll eat some of that candy and tell scary stories!”
When she returned, both kids were curled up on the rug, sound asleep, their empty mugs beside them. Evelyn sat close by in the rocking chair. How sweet they look together, she thought.
Early morning sun peeked through the small cabin window. A few embers glowed in the fireplace. A black cat leaped in Evelyn’s lap, startling her awake. “Oh, it’s you Tommy. I must have fallen asleep. Wasn’t that the best Halloween ever?”
Tommy answered with a soft meow and jumped down. He stood next to the orange tabby. They both looked up at her expectantly.
“Time for breakfast?”
The Devil is in the Details
by Cheryll (Gabby) Ganzel
I have a choice, or so I’m told. It’s a hell of a choice if you ask me. How do I know it’s the truth? How do I know the promise will be kept?
Hushed voices from beyond the closed door. I’m not dead yet, but David just laid claim to the Mercedes. Stupid bastards. They think because I don’t speak, I can’t hear either. Joke’s on them. Wait till they read the will.
I’m surrounded by darkness. I can’t even open my eyes. I try, but I can’t. It requires too much strength. But, oh, how I would love to be in the Mercedes right now, driving down the Pacific Highway, top down, sun on my face, Anne by my side. No, wait. Sarah. Sarah liked riding with the top down. No, not Sarah either. Sarah wouldn’t be caught dead with her hair a mess. Judy! Judy would love to drive with the top down.
We could drive down to that little sports bar on the beach. Great memories made in that place. I lost a lot of money there, betting on the football games, basketball games. Hell, I bet on everything there was to bet on. Yeah, lost a lot of money, but made a lot of friends. Haven’t heard from any of them in a long time. People just don’t keep in touch like they used to. It had a great fireplace though. A fireplace would feel good right now. I’m trembling. Why is it so damn cold in here?
What? Did Kathy just say she was giving my golf clubs to her husband? Why? That asshole wouldn’t know a golf tee from a doorstop. Now they are arguing about what to do with the house. I haven’t heard one of them say anything about missing me. How they would be sad to see me go. Buzzards. They’re like a bunch of buzzards circling overhead, waiting, waiting to strip me clean. Isn’t there one person left who gives a damn about me?
Maggie loved me. We raised four kids together. Well, she raised them. I worked, made a lot of money and supported them. Maggie loved me for a long time. She loved me through Anne, through Sarah, through Judy. There were more. She loved me through those, too. She loved me through the gambling and the drinking. She loved me until she didn’t anymore. One day she said she was tired of living with lies. I told her I never lied to her, my truth was fluid, but she just gave me that look and walked away. That was the last time I saw her. I read her obituary in the paper a couple of years ago. Those buzzards in the other room didn’t even bother to let me know about the funeral.
Okay, so maybe I wasn’t the best husband or the best father, but I was a damn good lawyer. Agent Orange? No problem, case dismissed. And without my firm’s ingenuity, they would have paid out millions in damages over that DBCP thing just because a few workers became sterile. Population control, that’s how I saw it, an environmental plus. By the time we were done, the case was not only overturned, they actually
received the American Chemical Council award of Exceptional Merit for energy efficiency and conservation efforts! Ha! I bet that still sticks in the craw of Kathy’s whining, sniveling, tree hugging, Environmental Protection Agency husband!
Ah, that’s better. I can feel the heat. A warm hand on mine. Time to make a choice. Dr. Death is waiting outside the door. It’s a good thing euthanasia isn’t legal in this country. I’d be dead already. Okay, so if I say yes, what’s the down side, really? They already say I’m an empty shell, no heart no soul. What’s a soul worth anyway? I have to admit though, it’s more than a little scary. Still, I was promised no pain.
Wait, wait, wait! That does it. That’s the last straw. Kathy just gave my baseball card collection to that snotty nosed brat. I force my eyes open and stare back at the piercing eyes looking down at me. My heart beats wildly. The heat flows through my body with the sweetness of what? Joy? Revenge?
I find my voice. Laughter explodes, filling the room.
“Okay, I’ll do it. Take my soul. It’s yours. And I can hardly wait for what comes next!”
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About the author:
Gabrielle Blue (a.k.a. Tessa Jones and Cheryll Ganzel) - two extraordinary sisters, one pen name; a writing team like no other! Both Tessa and Cheryll share a keen interest in the psychology of relationships, which they explore through their writing. They're currently hard at work on other writing projects.
Connect with Us Online:
Twitter:
Tessa: https://twitter.com/#!/TessaBlue
Cheryll: https://twitter.com/#!/gabbyganzel
Facebook:
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Tessa's Blog: https://tessablue.blogspot.com/
Cheryll's Blog: https://www.eclecticrenderings.blogspot.com/
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