It's a Challenge...A Writing Challenge... Day #3

Outside Fun @ Gray Gables- don't mind the shoes..we got minnows for the pond today and had to walk out in the MUD!

Making sun catchers!

Painting pottery!

Eek.  I know...it's late. I should have been more prepared than to sit down and try to continue on with my challenge at dinner time. I am multi-tasking like no-one's business today.  I do apologize for my tardiness.  I really had every intention of completing this earlier in the day...but I am in Ohio...right... I know you are saying, what the heck does that mean...Well it is 60 degrees outside today and the sun is shining... laymen's terms...Its really nice out, we have spring fever, and spent our day in the outdoor world- technology was left off and inside.  SHOCKER!

My Girls Four-Wheeling!

So, without further ado...



Our word of the day- for day #3 is: 

I tossed and turned. Wishing, hoping and praying this was all just a bad dream. Something that we had planned for, for far to long, something that we could see potentially happening one day, but not really expecting it to. 

I woke up to the still air, the dark, damp smell surrounding me. The girls were still attached to me here and there, but, to my surprise, sound asleep. All I could hope was that they were sleeping restfully, as I surely was not. My Mom was awake. She was pacing in the stone and brick room below the dining room on the back of the house.  She had worry and panic written all over her pale face.  She looked older, the only light illuminating her was from a single bulb that hung from the ceiling and the trickle of sunlight that was able to shine through the one tiny window. My Dad was still asleep on the blow up mattress.  Johnie was sleeping on the third mattress. He looked to be getting rest, which is something I was not sure he would be capable of. 

I tried to entwine myself from the tangle of girls that I had surrounding me.  I carefully moved Kayla's left arm that was laying a crossed my chest and gently picked up Kara's head, which was heavily set against my right shoulder. They did not seem to mind the movement from the shift in weight on the air mattress as I arose. 

I went to my Mom. I did not say a thing, just simply went to her and hugged her like this was our last day on earth. The irony remains that it may just be.  She did not say a word, just wept, silently into my shirt. I had not broken yet. I knew what we had built. I knew what we still had, further down. I knew that Johnie and I had calculated a plan. Maybe what was going on outside these walls was not what we had thought, but we were prepared to disappear and have the illusion appear that we had gone off of the radar with the rest of the apocalyptic world. Maybe that was the hope that I was holding onto.  

I looked through the one remaining window that we had, where the outside was visible. The glass was covered with glass block and then covered with clear, thick plastic. It was a sure thing barrier against anything that was trying to get..or out for that matter.  It was a necessity that it was covered in this manner.  From what could be seen of the outside yard, the world looked as if it were empty. There was no movement anywhere. No beings were roaming around. The wind was even still, which caused a chill to carry through my bones as it was never still out there. The sky was a reddish, pink color, nothing like I had ever seen before in my waking life.  The sun was big, round and orange. So bright that it was more than blinding as it descended below the land in a most absolute amazing sunset. It was one that I will never forget, it will never leave my mind as long as I am able to keep it. I  watched the dark skies fall with my Mom at my side. I held her hand tight, as if to say that I did not know it, but I felt that it was going to be OK. We were going to be OK. Again, there is no truth to that, but it is what I honestly feel at this moment. 

Everything was to quiet. One window held the light and the dark.  When the dark set in, the single light bulb was all that was left. I feel that in this nightfall, I have never truly known the meaning of being scared of the dark. I don't think I have ever had this kind of darkness take a hold of my body. My Mom and I lite a few candles that I had kept above ground, and stayed with the rest of our family, together. We were all we had now. That was apparent after looking out of that window. The world was dead and we were all that we now had. 

We sat in the dark, without words, for hours, or so it seemed. My cell phone had gone black a few hours prior, when I had been trying to rest. Johnie had said that he thought it had something to do with the towers, but we still had the electricity burning with the single light. 

We tried to eat, as everyone awoke around the same hour. We still had the power for the makeshift microwave and burner. My girls were eager and adamant that they wanted mac n' cheese, with a please. Johnie and I knew it was our duty to make this an adventure for them, to shoo away the scary stuff and make this like a secret spy mission or a camping adventure. We had to put a spin on this to make them fear not. I think that this is when I started to break. What was the world now?  What was happening? I had to push these thought away, out of my mind to keep myself calm. I had to write them in my journal. I had to hang onto them in some form but push them from my unknown head. I had to keep my whit's. That is all I have left. 

We talked, the whole of us. We were in a conversation about some things that had happened a few days ago, when we were celebrating Easter Sunday. Some family things that had happened. We were all treading to carefully not to mention that those who were were speaking of were not with us. They might not even be one of earth at the present. It was an ill thought, but one that we were all sidestepping. 

Johnie jumped up first. My Dad followed. I was still chatting with my Mom, as the girls were on a piece of carpet playing with some Minnie characters. We stopped. Froze is a better term. 

"Did you hear that?" Johnie said to my Dad.

"Yea, let's go." 

They left. Headed upstairs. Mom and I listened to see what they had heard, that we obviously had not. My heart was jumping out of my chest. I was not sure what to expect, what they heard or where they were going. 

The next move they made was opening the front door. 

"What are they doing?" I demanded to myself. I was grabbing for my 9 mm, unsure of what to expect. Then, we heard voices. People. Voices that we knew. Voices that we loved. I had not noticed that I started to cry just by the sound of them. 

Then....footsteps were coming. The basement door opened and more footsteps. More footsteps than just Johnie and my Dad were coming down the stairs. My gun was aimed, safety off, ready to fire...if I had to....

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Sorry if this is a bit choppy, the words were just flowing through my fingers. I want to keep this raw, or as raw as I can. This is a challenge, I want to just let it happen, as to not get writers block. 

Let me know how you are doing on the challenge with the words. 

Or let me know if I am doing OK, or if the topic is lame or boring too!  I am still learning and since I have never published anything, besides on my own...constructive criticism is encouraged!

If you have any ideas on how I can do this better or ideas on some words- please share!!

~Kel