Unfinished Stories by James Morris

Unfinished Stories By J. Henry

Introduction Unfinished Stories started from an idea that would help people spark their imagination and creativity. Being a photographer, and a bit of a writer, I would constantly struggle with just thinking of where to start. So, I thought using my photographs and sharing a small part of a story could help generate a spark in the creativity engine and put it in motion.

There have been way too many times when I sit there at my computer wanting to write and not know what to write. The thought dawned on me one day when I was reviewing some of my photographs that I could be inspired by the photo. But that was not enough. Sometimes, looking at a photograph, all you will see is the photograph. So, the idea of sharing a piece of a story that the photograph represents can help people get inspired to finish the story. The piece of the story that I include can be the beginning, the middle, or the end. It is up to the reader to decide. Because in the end, it is their story. They wrote it, they finished it. So, I hope you enjoy the pieces of stories that are included in the book and I hope they inspire you to create a great story of your own. J. Henry

Table of Contents The phone call

4 More Miles

And the Story Goes On

Dig Out

Fireside Memories

Springtime Romance

Good-bye in the Park

The Stranger

Courage To Do It

Orphaned

Windowed

For Sale

This Is It

Alone

Survivor

The Scrapbook

The Wedding

The Hole

Julia

Artificial Intel

The Phone Call Walking down the beach, Steve was not expecting to be interrupted by a phone call. After all, everyone he knew was at the hotel he was staying at. "Hello," he answered. "Mr. Michaels? This is Sargent Miller of the Richland Police Department. Do you have a minute to talk?" Steve noticed the voice on the other side was serious, but it did not sound like there was any urgency. "Well, Sargent," Steve began, "I am on vacation. Is this something we can discuss when I return home?" "I'm afraid not." Suddenly, the police Sargent seemed to have

a priority. "Mr. Michaels, I'm afraid there's been a terrible accident, and your daughter's been killed."

"That's impossible." Steve responded, "My daughter is here with me in Hawaii." There was a pause. “You are Steve Michaels of Richland, Virginia, correct?” “Yes, that’s me. But I’m in Hawaii with my entire family.” Steve responded. “You must have me confused with someone else.” The police Sargent asked Steve to verify his home address, which Steve did. The Sargent continued, “Well, that’s the correct address.” The Sargent was starting to sound as confused as Steve. “The girl we are calling about is named Emily... Emily Michaels.” Steve paused as if he was in shock. “Yes, that’s my daughter’s name. But I swear to you, officer, my daughter is safe, here with me. I just had breakfast with her this morning.” (Your turn... Finish the story.)

_____________________________________ _____________________________________ _____________________________________ _____________________________________ _____________________________________ _____________________________________ _____________________________________ _____________________________________ _____________________________________ _____________________________________ _____________________________________ _____________________________________ _____________________________________ _____________________________________ _____________________________________ _____________________________________ _____________________________________ _____________________________________ _____________________________________ _____________________________________ _____________________________________ _____________________________________ 11

4 More Miles It was only about 4 more miles. All I knew was I had to be there before sundown. I didn't want to end up like the others.

The thought still lingered in my mind of seeing my wife and kids as they suffered and eventually died. But not because of natural causes. They died because I had to kill them. If I didn't, who knows how many innocent lives would have been lost because I didn't have the guts to do what had to be done. That had to be the most difficult decision I have ever made. And even harder to carry through. The virus didn't take long to get to our house. If I wasn't out of town on business, I would have ended up the same way. 13

Worse yet, the entire family would still be on the lose infecting others throughout our community. I guess, in some weird way, me not being home saved lives. Now I just must get to the other town before the virus does. If I can get there, I can get help and set up some sort of quarantine in place to try and keep this thing somewhat contained until we can find a cure, if there is any. I stopped only for a moment to rest. My feet were killing me. Trying to walk this far in my goddam office work shoes was not the best decision Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve ever made. My feet feel like thousands of small blisters just waiting to pop. As I sit there resting, I found my eyes starting to close. I knew if I feel asleep, I will probably sleep for a while. That was not an option. I had to get to the next town. But my eyes were so heavy. Just ten minutes, I thought. Just ten minutes of rest and I can continue. (Your turn... Finish the story.)

And the Story Goes On I sat waiting. Having a drink before she shows sounded like a good idea, and a good thing to do. I wasn't used to blind dates. And going on a blind date that my younger sister set up for me seemed like even a worse idea. It reminded me of the time she had to pick me up from the airport. She arrived on a bicycle built for two. It probably would have been okay if it wasn't for the luggage. Not exactly a great idea. So, I sat waiting. Drinking. Wondering, what is this girl going to be like? This is the girl that my sister had described as a fun, outgoing, gal with a great personality. Decoded, that means lonely, desperate, and fat. Not that there's anything wrong with that. I, myself, am no longer in any kind of shape

to be making fat jokes, believe me. I sipped the cocktail in front of me, vodka martini, and lemon twist… my drink of choice when I want to be social. My mind started to wonder and think back of all the past girlfriends, and my last wife, god rest her soul. Not that she’s dead. She’s just going to need God when she’s standing in line in Hell waiting to get in. I tried to remember what to say and how to act. It had been over twenty years since I had been on a date. I had to start thinking of how to be a gentleman all over again. When you're married for fifteen plus years, you tend to forget those basic gentleman things you ought to do. I must look nervous. The bartender keeps looking at me as if I'm turning whiter before his eyes. "You okay," he asks, "You look like you need some water. Let me get you some." He brought me a tall glass of ice water and I nodded as if to say thank you, but the words couldn't escape my mouth. Dry mouth. That's all I needed. I went to take that first sip of water when I noticed in the mirror across from me, a woman that appeared to be alone. She looked as if she was looking for someone. Could this be her? She notices me sitting alone at the bar and starts to walk over. As she got closer, I couldn't believe my eyes.

(Your turn... Finish the story.)

_____________________________________ _____________________________________ _____________________________________ _____________________________________ 18

Dig Out â&#x20AC;&#x153;Finally, some blue skyâ&#x20AC;?, he thought. It seemed like it had been weeks since he had seen the sun. So much snow had fallen, and now with the clear weather, it was his chance to dig out and make it home. When he first arrived on the mountain, he knew there was going to be some snow, but he was not expecting feet of snow. His truck lied there buried and all he had to dig out with was a small shovel that he carried on his backpack. None-the-less, it was all he had. He started to dig. A little bit at a time, and in a slow rhythm to avoid getting too tired, too fast. As he was digging, his mind would occasionally wander to the

thought of his family and friends. They probably had no idea where he was. “They probably don’t care,” he thought. Leaving the way he did, did not exactly leave them caring for him one way or the other. “If I get out of here,” he said to himself, “I’m going to have to make things right.” After about an hour of digging, he found himself exhausted and in need of some rest. He stopped and sat down next to his truck. He started to inspect the work he had accomplished. He figured at his current rate of speed, he would be dead before the truck was free. If not dead, at least it would be summer. (Your turn... Finish the story.)

Fireside Memories As he sat next to the fire, watching the flames flicker, it put him into a type of trance that brought back memories of how times used to be. He takes a sip from his coffee mug filled with hot cocoa. His mind starts to think of his kids when they were younger. He remembers the good times and then some bad. He starts to wonder if he was too hard on them. Maybe he did not show enough love. He tries to deduct the reason for his kids not calling. It had been well over a year since he last talked to either of his sons. The last time he talked to his oldest was the last time he had talked to either of them. It was right after their grandfather, his father, had died.

Neither of the boys were close to his parents. But he never blamed the kids for that. His parents never made the effort to be close to the kids. Whether it was because of the distance, or if they were too busy. He did not know. It did not matter now. Both are gone and his kids are not talking to him.

He takes another sip of cocoa. Bella, his ginger, short-haired cat, jumps on his lap. Bella was his best friend. Always there for him. She leaped onto his lap as if she knew he was thinking of the boys. She curled up on his lap and started to rub her face on his hand as if she were encouraging him to pet her face, which he did. Another look into the fire takes him back to when he first found Bella. She was only about six months old. She had been abandoned in a house that the previous owners had moved out of. She was in the shelter when he found her. He was looking for a small dog and instead came home with a small kitten. They say we do not pick our pets; our pets pick us. And after that encounter at the shelter, he believed that to be true. He remembered when she was only about two years old and climbing the old tree in the back yard. She climbed all the way to the top. He thinks she did that because she did not know how to climb down, only up. When she got to the top, she started to meow. He did not have a ladder that could reach that high, nor did any neighbors. He ended up renting a motorized cherry picker from the local hardware store. They were kind enough to drop it off and operate it for him. He kept calling Bella's name and trying to comfort the kitten. The closer they got, the more excited Bella would get. He was scared she was going to fall out of the tree before they reached her. When

they were about five feet away, Bella's eyes got so wide, and she got so excited that she leaped into his arms. That was the last time she had climbed that tree. She never showed any more interest. Oh, but he remembers so many good times that Bella was with him and he loved her companionship as much as she did. Another sip of cocoa, another stare into the fire, and another memory is bound to appear in his head. He looks intently into the fire, and a tear starts to develop in his right eye. He was not prepared for this memory. This one will hurt just a bit. (Your turn... Finish the story.)

Springtime Romance Kelly was working at her store. It began as a typical day. She checked the register and made a quick glance at the inventory in the store. Nothing unusual. With spring finally here, and it is the first really nice day in quite some time, she thought it was going to be a good day for business. Hopefully, a lot of people show up for the spring sale. Here it was mid-day and sales were steady. She finally had a break where she could spend some time cleaning and refolding some of the shirts that were taken out for patrons to try on. She was looking down, folding a shirt, when a feeling came over her. It was a feeling she had not felt in well over thirty years. The last time she felt like this was when her then-boyfriend,

Jim, was with her. She felt the feeling several times right after they broke up, but it had been a while since she felt that way again. Kelly thought it was because she was folding shirts. It was in her mom's t-shirt store where she was working when she had met Jim.

Her memory faded in and out of the good times she and Jim used to have with each other. However, she found it strange that the feeling had returned. She had folded shirts many times since and never had the sense that Jim was there with her. She started to think if she had made a mistake leaving Jim, and a tear welled in her eye. Back then, though, she had to leave him. She was already married to another man. Jim arrived in her life about two years too late. That did not stop her, though, from dating Jim on the side. He was so much more a better man than her husband ever was. As she grabbed another shirt to fold, she heard the small bell from the front door ring alerting her a customer had walked in. From where she was behind the counter, she could only see the top of the door open and close, but she could not see who walked in. Being polite, without looking up, she yelled, "Welcome! Feel free to look around and let me know if you have any questions." There was no response. Kelly started to walk in front of the counter to find whoever just walked in. As soon as she turned around the corner of the counter, she looked up to see a man standing there. Her heart stopped a beat. Her knees grew weak. Her hands covered her mouth and her eyes grew large as she stared at the man. She could not believe who had walked in.

There in front of her stood Jim. Thirty years later, he finally returned. Kelly's only reaction was to run to him and hug him and this time she was not going to let go. (Your turn... Finish the story.)

Good-bye in the Park They stood there in the middle of the park holding hands, facing each other. "When will you return?" she asked him.

Stan took some time to think. "I don't know." Lisa looked down in disappointment. "I can't keep coming back just for these few days" he continued. "It's not fair to you. It is not fair to me. And it's definitely not fair to the kids." Lisa knew he was right. "Yeah, I know," she said as a tear ran down her cheek. Stan and Lisa still loved each other. But Stan's career took him five states away over a year ago. He had been returning every weekend and continued to try to convince Lisa to move with

him. But her career was just as demanding. No matter who moved where someone was going to be jeopardizing the other oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s career. Lisa had already thought that Stan made the choice of his career over the family when he took the job. And she sure did not feel right about leaving her career and clients just so he could chase his, so-called, "dream job." Stan was still confused about why Lisa would not follow him. She can always find a new job, he thought. But he did not want to force her to go. He also thought it was unfair for him to even ask. He also had doubts wondering if he made the right decision to take the job, but he knew it was a once in a lifetime chance that he just did not want to pass up. So now, because of his choice, they stood there in the middle of the park and he was thinking this could be the end of the marriage. It could be the end of the high-school romance. He lifted Lisa's chin with his right hand, "Hey," he said in a whisper, "you can still join me." He knew as soon as he said that, he was going to regret it. It sounded like the beginning of a hundred other conversations that had already taken place between the two of them. "And you can always come back," Lisa said back. "We both love our careers too much. And because of it, we are going to throw this away. Neither of us want to give up our career. And because of that, we are both willing to see our family fall apart." Lisa dropped her head again as the tears came back. (Your turn... Finish the story.)

_____________________________________ _____________________________________ 38

The Stranger The young Indian boy rode his horse through the high desert of Oklahoma. His parents were counting on him to bring home food for the family. He knew at this time of year, finding food was as challenging a task as ever. He had been riding for two days already and had not seen anything or anybody. The land was bare, and the wind was hot. He could see why all the animals were in hiding. Nothing in their right mind would want to be out that heat. He came across a stream of water flowing gently down. He thought if he followed this stream, he would have a good chance to find an animal to kill and eventually bring home. He paused for a moment while his horse took a well-deserved

drink of water from the stream. He thought he should do the same and did.

As he cupped his hands together to draw some water, he brought it to his mouth. He glanced up and saw movement in the bushes on the other side. He got his trusty bow and arrow at the ready, thinking it was an animal. Hopefully, it was big enough for the family. But even if it were a small animal, it would be enough to feed him for the time being. His horse's ears perked up, hearing the same rustle in the bushes. He quietly stepped through the stream of water trying to not make any noise to scare off whatever was in the bush. He took one step, no movement from the bush. Another step. Still nothing. Another step closer. He was getting anxious, hoping this animal was not bigger than him. Another step closer. Slowly he moved. Quiet as possible. The closer he got to the bush, the more anxious he got. Sweat started to build on his forehead. His arms started to shake. Now, he is within inches of the bush. He still sees nothing. Not even a rustle. He places his face closer. He reaches in with his free hand. Nothing. He sees nothing. His disappointment is easily seen on his face. He puts his bow and arrow down to his side. He turns around to return to his horse. He is quickly met with a large hand that is attached to a large hairy man with a long gray beard and mustache. His large black cowboy hat covered his head. All the boy could do is fall backward, hoping the man would not hurt him. "Hey," the man said in an old raspy voice. "It's okay, son. I'm not going to hurt you."

The boy crawled backward while on his back. Trying to put some distance between him and the strange man. The boy has only seen the white colored men once before when they came through his family's camp a few months back. He remembers they were mean and took their food and animals without asking. And worse yet, shooting and killing his brother and uncle. He remembered that the white men were not nice. This made the boy even more scared. The man stepped closer reaching out his hand closer to the boy to help him stand up. "AHHHHHHHH," the boy screamed. The man jumped back, startled by the boy’s yell. "What the Sam's hell are you yelling for, son?" He reached out his hand again, “I’m only trying to help.” (Your turn... Finish the story.)

Courage to Do It As he sat in a chair, holding his dying mother's hand, he would watch her breath. Shallow, yet steady. Her breaths seemed to be a ticking reminder that she will only be around for a moment, if not shorter. He started to think back to only a few months ago when he and his mother were sitting in the living room of her house reminiscing about the old times. Bringing back the memories. Both good and bad. But at this point, he knew there were no bad memories. They were all good. "You have talent," she said. "You need to use that talent. What you lack is courage," she continued. "You need to have the courage to move on and know that you will make it." He sat listening, knowing that she was right. "Don't waste the talent

that you have doing something you don't want to do." He always thought he had talent. He had that creative spirit ever since he was a child. He learned early on that he could see things differently than others. But his problem was comparing his work with his mother's and his brother's work. Both were extremely talented in what they did. He never thought he could match their ability. To hear his mother tell him he had talent was something he never heard from her. Now he finally hears it when she is moments from her death. He held her hand and felt her squeeze. Then as fast as the squeeze came, it went away. Her breaths were no longer there. His mother had passed on.

Knowing what she told him just before she passed meant a lot to him. He knew that he had to do more than what he is doing now. Even though his mother is no longer there, he knew she was right, and he knew he had to be courageous for her. Use his talent and succeed in doing what he loved. (Your turn... Finish the story.)

Orphaned A child sits on the steps of her school waiting for her mom to pick her up like she does every day. For some reason, she is late today, and the girl does not know why. As she sits quietly, the principal of the school sees her sitting there. He looked at his watch and thought it was unusual for the girl to be waiting this long. The principal walks over to the girl, "Sally, how are you doing?" He asked with a smile, trying to start some friendly conversation. He could tell she was wondering where her mom was, just like he was. Sally looks up to Mr. Gilbreth, "Fine," she responds in a small

tiny voice. "I'm sure your mom will be here shortly," the principal says, trying to reassure her. "I'm sure she's just running a little late." Mr. Gilbreth walks into the school office and sees Jenny, the secretary behind the counter. "Sally's still waiting outside. Have you received any word from her mom?" "No," Jenny replied, in a concerned voice. "She's never late." Just then, the phone rings. Jenny answers, "Hello? Stonebrook Elementary School. This is Jenny." Mr. Gilbreth looks out the window towards Sally to check on her once more and then walks into his office. As he is about to sit down behind his desk, Jenny rushes in. "Mr. Gilbreth," she starts talking hurriedly. "That was the police on the phone. They are on their way here to talk to Sally. They'd like us to hold onto her in the office until they arrive."

Mr. Gilbreth looks up from his chair with an overly concerned look. "The Police? Did they say what they wanted? Is everything okay?" Jenny puts her hands to her mouth as if she is trying to hold back from talking and shakes her head. (Your turn... Finish the story.)

_____________________________________ _____________________________________ _____________________________________ _____________________________________ _____________________________________ 52

Widowed Jerry woke up early one-morning feeling pain on his head. It was not a normal headache. It was more of a pressure pain. Like someone or something, was sitting on his head. He got up out of bed to take some aspirin. He tried to not wake up his wife, but she was a light sleeper. "What's wrong?" she asked in a drowsy voice. "Are you okay?" Jerry, holding on to his head with both hands, trying to ease the pressure. "I have a headache. I'm going to go take something" he whispered. "Go back to sleep." Jerry got up from the bed and headed to the bathroom to get those aspirins. A few hours later, Katy, Jerry's wife, awoke from her evening

sleep. She looked over to where Jerry sleeps and to her surprise, he was not there. "Jerry," she called out. Remembering he had a headache, she got out of bed to see if she could find him. Katy walked into the bathroom which is adjacent to the bedroom where they sleep. No sign of Jerry. "JERRY!" she yelled out again as she moved from the bedroom to the hallway. She noticed the light on in the hallway bathroom and assumed Jerry was there. She walked over to check on him. When she got to the bathroom, she could see Jerry lying face down on the floor. "JERRY!" she yelled getting on her knees to help him. "JERRY!"

Jerry showed no sign of life as Katy got up from the floor and ran for the phone to dial 9-1-1. When the paramedics arrived, they could do nothing to help Jerry. His body had been laying there, for what they estimated, for about four hours. There were no signs of foul play or suicide. And after hearing that he was complaining about a headache, the paramedics assumed it could have easily been a stroke. But until the medical examiner could look at him, it would stay only an assumption. (Your turn... Finish the story.)

_____________________________________ _____________________________________ _____________________________________ _____________________________________ 56

For Sale The ad was self-explanatory. The only thing that was missing was the price. Joe has been looking for a classic Porsche roadster for years. This is the first one he had seen in the classifieds for sale in some time. But if it were missing the price, he was thinking he would not be able to afford it. But he would not know until he made the phone call. Joe picked up his phone to make the call. The newspaper ad being held in one hand, the phone in the other, he stood at the window of his kitchenette looking outside as he made the call. The phone rings and before it rang twice, there was a young lady on the phone. "Hello?"

"Hi," Joe replied. "Are you the one with the ad in the paper for the Porsche roadster for sale?"

"Yes. That's my ad" the lady said. She sounded like she was annoyed at the number of phone calls that she was receiving and was sorry she placed the ad in the first place. "Is it still available?" "Yes. But like I have told everyone else who is called, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s only going to be sold to the person it wants to go to." The lady was starting to make no sense and Joe was thinking the whole thing was a joke. "What do you mean, 'the person IT wants to go to?" Joe was confused. The lady on the phone took a sigh and was obviously annoyed that she had to answer the same question over and over. "Yes. It will only start for certain people. It was my dad's and he never had any problem with it. He left it to me, but it will not start for me. So, I am selling it. Be here tomorrow at 9 AM. If you can get it to start, you can buy it."

Joe was thinking she probably just did not know how to start the car. So, he received her address and made a note to be there in the morning. She continued, "But just to let you know, you're about the fifteenth person I've told this to. So, there will probably be some competition for you." The next morning Joe arrived at the address the lady gave him. There were several cars parked in the street. He was starting to get concerned. And because there are so many people interested, how much more is he going to have to pay.

(Your turn... Finish the story.)

_____________________________________ _____________________________________ _____________________________________ _____________________________________ 60

This Is It Mike was just waking from a well-deserved nap on his flight. He glances out the window to see the land. He knew he was close to finally landing. These eighteen-hour flights were starting to take a toll on his sleep pattern, as well as his overall health. Flying from one end of the world the other every other week sounded like a fun idea when he took this job. But now he could see why the position was so difficult for the company to fill. As the plane landed in Thailand, Mike could not wait to get to his hotel and relax in a real bed. He looked at his cellphone to see what day it was as well as the time. 11:04 PM. "Was that local time?" he thought. "Can't be. The sun is still up." Mike looked around and waved down the steward. "Excuse me, what time is it?" The steward smiled and answered, "11:05, sir."

"What? It can't be." "AM, sir," the steward answered with a laugh and walked away.

Mike knew then that he needed to get some rest and get his bearings. He did not know the time or day. He was all screwed up. When Mike got off the plane, he headed to the baggage pick-up area. He was expecting to see his last name on a piece of cardboard with one of the drivers there to pick up their clients. The company usually sent someone to pick him up and Mike was very thankful for that. Especially today when he just felt out of it.

As he approached the baggage carousel, he took a quick look around to see if he saw his driver anywhere. He did not see anyone and thought that maybe the driver was waiting for him outside. He picked up his luggage and headed to the pick-up area to find his ride.

(Your turn... Finish the story.)

Alone An old orange short-haired cat walks the street of the town he has always been part of. For the past year or two - he cannot remember the exact time frame - he has been walking the streets, eating the scraps in the garbage that he could find. Fighting with other cats for food and territory. Lucky for him, he made his claim in a small alley behind a deli/bakery. There always seemed to be some scrap of food that he could survive on. But it was not always like this. He grew up in a house on the west side. He was a birthday present for a five-year-old girl who just adored him. He would get his daily pets and scratches. He would lay in bed as the sun shined through the window

in the afternoons. He had a great life back then. So, what happened? How did he turn from the once loved cat of the household to a common stray in the alley behind a deli? He would often wonder if the girl was still looking for him. Did she miss him? Did she care that he was gone? No bother thinking of that. His life had changed, and his focus was now on daily survival. He could not waste his time thinking of the past. His focus had to be on the here and now. On this day, the cat, we will call him Sammy (that was the name the little girl would call him), was wondering the street in front of the deli. It was his daily patrol to look for intruders and hunt for scraps that a human may have dropped while walking by. Sam noticed the deli had not opened like it usually does. By this time of the day, it would have its lights on, and the humans would be inside drinking their coffee and talking. But not today. Today it was empty. No lights. No people.

Sammy walked into the alley in the back to see if his normal scraps were left there for him to munch on. There was nothing. "What happened", he wondered. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Where were the scraps? Where were the people?â&#x20AC;? Sam let it go and hunkered down for a nap in his usual place in the alley. He would awaken later to do his routine again. Maybe then there will be his scraps, he hoped. A few hours later, Sammy was woken up by some banging noises coming from the front of the store. He went to investigate. When he turned the corner to see the front of the deli, he saw two men with large boards. They were covering the windows of the store. "Is it possible?" Sammy thought. "Is the store gone?" 68

Sammy would find himself having to find a new territory to survive. He relied on the deli for his scraps. Now it appeared that the store was gone. To survive, he would have to find another place to live. With is tail hanging low, Sammy lowered his head and slowly started to walk back to his sleeping spot in the alley. (Your turn... Finish the story.)

Survivor Steve sat on the hood of his car, looking down an empty street in the country. He thought he would take some time to enjoy the sunrise as it rose that day. He was starting to realize that every day was going to be a gift from here on. The night had brought up a lot of questions that he just did not have the answers to. All he knew for sure was he is still alive today. What he was not sure of was if he would be celebrating another day tomorrow, or if he would end up with the same fate as almost everyone else in his small town. It seemed everywhere he looked he would find another body. He did not know if he would find the same thing in the next town over. He hoped not. He did not understand why he has been lucky

and not fallen into the same mad disease that everyone has. But he did believe that if he was okay, then there must be others out there that are okay, too. Steve took a drift of his last cigarette and moved into the driver's seat of his '89 Dodge. A classic that just seemed to continue to run no matter what he did to it. He started the car and decided to take one slower ride around town looking for survivors. As he drove around the few blocks that made up the small town, he noticed that there was a commonality amongst the dead. All of them laid face up. Not even one was face down. Why did that matter? What was the significance of that small detail? Steve would have to continue to find out. The answer was out there, but it would only be found in the next town over. Steve saw some movement in the bushes at one house. He stopped the car and got out to see if it was another survivor. The closer he got to the bushes, the more nervous he became. Then he saw what was there. A young German Shepard. Scared and shaking. Steve called him over. "Here boy. Come on." The young pup could not have been more than a year old. He seemed nervous and reluctant to approach Steve. But he slowly moved closer. Steve, holding his right hand out, continued to gently call the dog over. When the dog finally made it to Steve, he sniffed his hand. "A friend," he thought. His tail wagged and the dog was happy to find someone.

Steve and his new best friend walked to the car and got in. And with a new friendship in the making, they continued to the next town. (Your turn... Finish the story.)

The Scrapbook Mary sat at her kitchenette table one morning. Watching the sun rise and drinking her normal cup of coffee. In front of her on the table, a scrapbook that the kids had put together. Unopened, Mary could not bring herself to look. The memories that it held were something that she did not think she was ready to revisit. There were good memories, but there were also memories of her beloved husband that had recently died. The kids had put together the scrapbook for the two of them for their 56th wedding anniversary. Unfortunately, Frank would not live to see that day, or enjoy the scrapbook. Mary had left the scrapbook on the table thinking one day she would open it. After all, the kids put a lot of work into it and she

knew she would enjoy it. But at the same time, it would bring up a lot of memories. Memories that she did not think she was ready for. Frank died about a month ago. Fortunately, it was not sudden. Mary and the family had been awaiting that day. Frank had been dealing with lung cancer for several months and his prognosis was not good. So, when the day finally came, Mary was thankful that Frank no longer had to suffer, and he could finally be at peace. But when the day comes, you still are not quite ready. It still hurts. It still feels as if a piece of yourself has left. And the pain of that feeling of missing that piece of you will linger for some time.

Mary took a sip of her coffee and looked at the scrapbook. Her thoughts wandered back to the times of raising the kids and she could only imagine what was in the book. Frank loved the kids and he was proud of them and everything they had accomplished for themselves. "If Frank were here, he would have opened the book in a second," she thought, "and wouldn't have put it down." Another sip of coffee and Mary decided it was time to open the scrapbook. It was time to relive whatever memories the kids had put together for them. And in some way, she felt that Frank was there to look at the book with her. Mary moved the book closer, she put her reading glasses on and opened the front cover to the first page. "To Mom and Dad, made with love. The kids." (Your turn... Finish the story.)

_____________________________________ 80

The Wedding Something was wrong. She could sense that being here was a mistake. She just hoped she would be able to get out of it with a little respect and dignity. Laura had always been able to talk to Jack as a friend. His advice helped her start her own business and grow that business into a wonderfully comfortable six-figure income. When she divorced Jack, it was not because she fell out of love with him. It was simply because they wanted different things. He wanted to travel, she did not. But Jack's job required it. And Jack loved it. He loved meeting new people and going to new places. But Laura, she wanted to stay put. She wanted to grow her roots in a small suburb community and start her business.

When Jack invited her to his wedding, it came as a surprise. It seemed to happen so fast. Jack had just met this girl and within months they were engaged and now, only two months later, they are getting married. Laura did not think it had any chance of working out, but they did seem happy together.

Being at the wedding, she felt anxious. Especially being there alone. She almost felt as though she was a failure when it came to her relationships. After Jack, she had only been on a few dates. And all of them ended up being a waste of time, she thought. Jack, on the other hand, finds the girl of his dreams within a year since the divorce. At one time, Laura thought she was Jack's girl of his dreams. It seemed ironic that he appeared to lower his standards with women while Laura seemed to raise hers since the divorce. "Laura!" Jack yelled out after seeing her in the crowd. Laura wished he did not see her. She turns to look at him and smiles politely. "Hi, Jack." Laura hugs him. "Congratulations. I can't believe how fast this is happening." "I know, right?" Jack was smiling from ear to ear and as giddy as a child on Christmas. "I'm so glad you showed." (Your turn... Finish the story.)

_____________________________________ _____________________________________ _____________________________________ _____________________________________ _____________________________________ 84

The Hole Johnny walks down the old gravel road that he has been down almost every day of his short life. It is the road he takes to go to and from school. He is seen the road hundreds of time. But on this spring day, on his way home from school, he noticed something different by the trees just beyond the meadow of wildflowers. It appeared to be a hole of some sort. But not like a hole in the ground. It was more of a vertical hole. Almost like a doorway with no door. He knew he had to get home. His mom was probably waiting for him. But his curiosity got the most of him and he just had to go check this out. The closer he got, the more he could see inside the hole. But it was puzzling to Johnny. It was dark and appeared to have

nothing inside. It looked like an empty closet with no lights on.

When he finally got to the hole, he stopped. Cautiously, he moved forward. Getting closer and closer, and finally reaching the edge, he peaked in. Without any warning, the hole closed and engulfed Johnny with it. In an instant, Johnny and the hole disappear. “JOHNNY!” a voice yells on the old gravel road. It was Johnny’s mom looking for him. She has told Johnny several times to always stay on the road. It was safest. But she had been up and down this road three, maybe four times already, and still, no sign of Johnny. She was trying to not worry, but that is difficult to do when your son is missing. She finally decided to head back home, hoping that Johnny was there. When Johnny’s mom arrived back at the house, she noticed the door was left open. Johnny always did that, and she thought for sure that he had made it home. “Johnny, how many times have I told you to shut the....” She turned the corner to walk into the kitchen. It was not Johnny. Her heart stopped for a moment when she saw who was in the kitchen. She put her hands to her mouth as she gasped for air. “Mrs. Johnson?” a voice asked. “The door was unlocked, and we let ourselves in. I hope you don’t mind.” The two men stood up from the kitchen table. “We have a few questions we’d like to ask. Do you have a moment?” Meanwhile, Johnny is finding himself lost. Since being swallowed by the hole, he has been feeling as if he is falling. All around him is black -- a sense of nothing. It is dark, yet he can

see his hands and feet with no problem. Even though he feels as if he is falling, he feels no air pass by. It feels more like a floating sensation. He also feels a sense of security. Almost as if he knows he will not get hurt. It is a sensation he has never felt before.

(Your turn... Finish the story.)

Julia Henry awakes from his sleep as he usually does every morning around five o’clock in the morning. He quietly puts on his robe and slippers and walks into the kitchen to start his morning tea. His cat, Julia, notices Henry is awake and runs to the kitchen to meet him with a faint meow and a rub on his leg. Julia has been Henry’s companion now for the last six years. He picked her up at the local shelter shortly after Henry’s wife died. He wanted some company, and Julia ended up being the perfect house guest for him.

Henry bent down to pick up Julia. “How’s my kitten this morning,” he asked. As always, Julia responds with some gen93

tle purring and a rub against Henryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s face. (Your turn... Finish the story.)

Artificial Intel John walks into his home from a long day at work. “Alexa, turn on the lights” he says, and all lights turn on. He walks from the living room into the kitchen glancing through his mail. “Alexa, play some relaxation music.” Some soft jazz music starts to play in the background. The kind of music John likes to relax to after a long day. Ever since John got the artificial intelligent bot, he had never been happier. All he had to do was ask it to do something and it would do it. And when he eventually had it connect to all the appliances and electronic gadgets, life had never seemed simpler.

“Welcome home, John,” Alexa said, “You have three important unread emails. Would you like me to read them to you now?” “Yes,” John replied, “Please read the oldest first.” John sat down on the bar stool in the kitchen while Alexa started to read his emails. The first was from his mother, confirming dinner plans with him this weekend. The second email was from his brother, Scott, who seemed to be going on about some personal problem he was having. “Alexa, skip that email.” The last email was suspicious. He had never heard from this person before, yet it was marked as important. “Email from Henry the Fifth,” Alexa said, “Subject: Introduction.” John paused and put the mail down so he could focus on this email.

Alexa continued, “Hello, Johnathan. You have been selected as the lucky participant,” John started to think it was some spam email message that made it into the important file. He picked up his mail to continue to read while Alexa recited the email. Halfway listening, John heard, “If you do not submit this payment, I will be forced to turn your AI house against you.” John stopped and looked up quickly, “Alexa, replay that last email.” “Yes, John” and Alexa continued. “Email from Henry the Fifth. Subject: Introduction. Hello Johnathan. You have been selected as the lucky participant in my virtual hostage. I have hacked into your artificial intelligent device and am now in

control of your home. All I ask is that you pay me a half million dollars. If you do not submit this payment, I will be forced to turn your AI house against you.” John did not know if it was a joke or if he had become a victim of his worst nightmare. He picked up his laptop to look at the message firsthand. As he logged into his email, he noticed there were no emails. “Alexa, my account shows no emails. Did you remove them? “No, John. You will only see what Henry wants you to see” Alexa responded. John’s next thought was to call the police. He picked up his cell phone and dialed 9-1-1. “John, I am unable to dial out until payment has been received” was the voice message on the phone. John runs to the door, thinking he had to get out of the house to take order of his life again. He walked to the front door and it was locked. “John,” Alexa says out loud, “You must make payment before I can let you out.”

(Your turn... Finish the story.)

Unfinished Stories

Articles inside

Artificial Intel

The Wedding

The Hole

This Is It

The Scrapbook

Survivor

For Sale

Windowed

Dig Out

Orphaned

Courage To Do It

And the Story Goes On

The Stranger

Good bye in the Park

4 More Miles

Fireside Memories