Pregnant for the first and only time, with my youngest child, I had traipsed the eight city blocks with Haley on my hip. Not quite one yet, bundled in an acqua blue hoodie, and pantaloons, she was all moon-pie eyes as we crunched past the spectators. She cheeky-faced laughed at strangers waving, using her chubby little index finger to point out a million fascinations. I found the perfect spot on the curb, and plopped us down. Arranged the tokos cords just so.....Haley's first parade! And here I was tethered to a little black box, carefully monitering Jonah, oblivious to us all, lounging in my womb. "Yeeeeeeaaaaah"! She pattycaked at the neon floats, middleschool cheerleaders, majorettes. "Yeeeeewwwwwwh" she squeeled at the painted poodles, the ballerinas, Uncle Sam on stilts. "oooooooohhhh" she whispered at the clomping of the saddled horses, the 4-H'ers on their backs. In the cool evening light, she ooooooed and awwwwwed at each set of legs tromping by....And then I heard thunder and groaned. We were perched lakeside and the crowd was twenty deep behind us..... I stared at the heavens, thinking "not now, please"......
.....and so I almost didn't see it, the giant shadow raising, higher, faster, mesmerized by Haley's chant...."wooooooooooooooweeeeee"....
...almost didn't hear it, the frantic rider commanding "Whoooah, boy, whooah"!
I scooped her up from between my knees and started spider crawling backwards into the crowd, the noise so loud...them, him.....the thunder. I couldn't do it. I knew it. Couldn't save my baby this way, so I threw her as hard and as high as I could...into the arms of the only eyes that had locked with mine. The eyes of a stranger.
The brawny arm that snatched me up one handed and lifted me through the crowd, had no voice, no face. I'll never know his name. Only that he swept me out of the horse's path, and left me, once safe, lost in the roaring crowd. I screamed. No one heard me. I started to crumple. To shake. Where was my baby?
And then ever so slowly, above the moving masses, chubby little index finger pointing...rising on the palm of an Angel, was Haley, laughing.
22 comments:
you make me eager to be a dad.
Oh wow. Angels are handy to have around. Wish there were more of them. Amazing story....
You had me from start to finish. I was worried right along with your narative.
The title really doesn't seem ominous until the story unfolds. Then it's a dangerous thing.
Having net problems again, but I got through this time.
Talk to you later
wow, sugar..that was INTENSE! and i was just reading it *hugs*
Maybe you will be one of the folks he meets when he meets his 5 people in Heaven. ...even though it is so important to you, it was just a fleeting moment to him & one day he'll see that himself as a butterfly. xoxox
Makes sure to read it one more time, and let me know what you think! I wasn't done editing, snipping, adding to the thick brew. It's a heart breaker.
Did you fly by the bar?
benji....I don't know why, but I thought you already had a little one..... :)
karma....I think there are more than we could ever imagine.....
Eric...I was terrified. The memory came flooding back to me in traffic today....funny, I was remembering racing in a Mustang....and then, this, just like it was yesterday....
savannah....From one Mom to another, you know....That fleeting instant when you suddenly feel powerless....and it just can't be that way, can't happen like that....
skinny....Oh, I so hope I meet them all in heaven.....And if I live long enough, I hope I remember each one of them here...
ILYSVVM!
Eric....So real. A black and white film.....the ending just the broken tape flickering and flickering and flickering......
Peace~love~Fridays, my friends
Bless you, sweet friend. And check out what's in the drafts at the FlutterbyBar. You'll love it. As much as I loved what I found there. I doctored all kinds of stuff I found there. You'll like it. I know I did.
Clink!
Your words rise on the palms of angels to the highest heavens my dear friend,
I am captivated, inspired, deeply moved by every word that flows like golden nectar from your soul...
You speak to me. The deepest part of me.
All my love to you, Maithri.
Wow, good story.
"I am captivated, inspired, deeply moved by every word that flows like golden nectar from your soul..."
hey ... that's what i was gonna say (if i could come up with something so beautiful and perfect)
thanks my3! -and thank you, singtome. i'm filled up again. great story!
love, ~s.
awesomely beautiful...
I was petrified.
Your description of how observant and fascinated she was with the world made it that much more potentially tragic.
*breathes a sigh of relief*
oh singleton...our greatest joys, our deepest fears..all bundled into one chubbycheeked, wild haired ball of fire.... child..
k:)
FAscinating to me how clear it is today as if it happemed a second ago !!!
Eric....I wandered the butterfly bar all morning, in the dark hours, loving it, writing in chalk.....Clink! Hope you finally got some sleep...
Maithri....And if I could raise a hand to the wind, catch it for just a moment, and blow it back your way, untouched and perfect....I would send you those very same words! Much love, to the world, for the world, and peace, my friend....
Matt.....Crazy guy, how have you been? I guess I'll have to do some checkin'....... :)
She...well we make a fine circle....then, I could spend all day just passin' the stories back and forth with you....my turn, your turn, spin the storyteller! But I have a feelin' pretty soon, I'll just be able to curl up on the couch readin' yours in Hardback! Clink!
Peace~love my friends
Shimmerings.....We've been touched by Angels often, but twice, both times with my babies, by Goliath Angels.... How blessed we've been!
Princess....I never remember her having fear, not even when my fingers fell from her, airborne flying, it was still "a good day to be at a parade"! Children are the most amazing........
karoline....oh, you know.....how you know.....(((K)))
Sandy....She's 21 now....And I can still remember it like it was this morning, the clothes she had on, the Pebbles pigtail on top of her bowlin' ball head.... the underside of the horse, on rear legs....and the thunder he spoke....
Peace~love~Miracles, my friends
Clink! Real time at the butterfly!
How's it going, Blue lady? Red roses for you!
The sky is falling
the walls are melting
people run like water
down niagra thunder wall--
and time stands still
on her day off,
red wax dripping down
as it freezes into
stalgmites hanging on
until another flame rises
to release them
I
you
we
them
she
he
All see the end in sight--
the last light flickering
down a tunnel of visions
Maybe it's a rosebud lie
or a phantom's sigh,
but everyone is here
in the yellow sun,
waiting
melting
with the sagging walls
watching for a clear sign
of the falling blue sky--
one day, maybe.
But it's not up
to you or I.
Run with me until
the end of time.
Ahhh!
Prophetic
Poetic Friend....
for the first time in ions,
a million yillion trillion years
I have a red rose on the porch,
gifted to a stranger who
didn't know quite to do with it,
and who passed it on....
to another stranger
and when I kissed time
goodnight,
another hour saved for later,
it was tossed to me
through the smokey blinking sky...
I laughed and
caught the cellophaned petals
flying
........
Scooch over, I'll meet you at the bar!
I'm at the bar... Scoohed and scribbled...
Clinked!
Dang scared the heck out of me there for a sec ... but I beleived and knew that somewhere there were winged ones there!
And all the king's men... couldn't put humpty dumpty together again...
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