Pencil in His Hand: A Mother's Journal of Stories, Thoughts, and Poems.

  *** A GERMAN GRANDMOTHER Frieda Brand drove carefully along the rutted farm road leading up to her parents' farm.She soaked in the view. It had been a while since she'd visited.The cherry trees were in bloom and they formed a fairy tale avenue of candyfloss.Even Willem and Karl, Frieda's little boys were quiet as they gazed out of the windows.The bowl of mountains welcomed them to the fruitful Ceres farm. "Welkom, welkom," Frieda's mother Ida greeted them from the spacious and cool veranda. She still spoke with a German accent after all these years. The little ones were out of the car in a flash. Frieda retrieved their bags and followed. The boys had disappeared already, but she knew where they'd be. Sure enough, Willem and Karl were seated at the generous kitchen table, a cookie in each hand. "So, you have come at a good time," Ida announced as she bustled around, putting the kettle on and arranging more goodies on a plate. "This time of ...

   THE SCOTTISH SEAT Beth Arbuckle put the finishing touches on an exquisitely laid table. Rain was falling again on the lush green garden of Larbert House. Beth sighed as she thought of her home in South Africa, where the sun shone freely. She'd chosen Scotland for her working holiday because of a fascination with her Scottish roots. The waitressing job at Larbert House helped fund some sightseeing and research. She walked over to the sideboard where her friend Mandy was hard at work polishing the silverware to a sharp shine. Beth picked up a soft cloth and joined in. "Don't you get tired of all the rain?" She asked, I was hoping to take a walk in Larbert Woods later."  "Well, don't let a little water stop you,"Mandy smiled."Round here we'd never go anywhere if we bothered about the rain." "You're right, Mandy. I need to toughen up a bit. I'll just take my brolly." ****** She enjoyed the solitude as she walked. Shari...

  AN INTEREST IN IRELAND (A mini sequel to "Whispers of Wales.) Here is the link to that story in case you haven't read it   Link *** James Mac Kay opened his laptop, ready to search one more time. He was sitting on the deck of his antique- cum- coffee shop prior to opening time.The waves crashed noisily beyond the railway line but James ignored them. His time was limited. Inspired by his girlfriend Ruby's success, he wanted to search the ships' lists once more. His great-grandfather, Henry Mac Kay, had been born in Belfast. He'd come over to South Africa from Ireland as a young man. James knew he had been a carpenter, just like Ruby's great-grandfather. What's more, James actually owned a book case made by his Irish ancestor. He quickly found the site he liked to use, and typed in the details. James had searched several times in the past with no results. But new records were constantly being added to the site and he hadn't checked in a while. He search...

  WHISPERS OF WALES A NOVELETTE BY ALISON LAWRENCE CHAPTER ONE Ruby merged with the traffic taking the city off ramp. It was a cloudless summer day in Cape Town; Table Mountain was devoid of its famous tablecloth. It felt good to be free on this early December day, with Mercy Me setting the tone with one of their upbeat songs. Ruby's fourth grade class had wished her a happy Christmas and she and they were on holiday until mid January. The traffic light ahead turned red and Ruby tapped her fingers on the steering wheel. She thought of all the things she wanted to do in her off time; cleaning her apartment was on the list, along with shopping and going to the beach, but as far as she was concerned, she had begun with the most pressing item: paying a long -overdue visit to the city archives.                                        It took a few turns around the stately building before R...

  Rapture Chronicles: Mark Mark gave Christine a rushed kiss on the cheek before hurrying to the garage. Hurry, hurry, hurry. Go, go, go. Mark's feet complied. This was the soundtrack of his life; along with work, work, work, and worry, worry, worry. He jammed his phone in its holder and jabbed at it before pulling away. His work week had begun. "How's it going?" Neil's jolly face peered into Mark's office later. "Not too good, and its giving me a headache." He pointed at his computer screen. "Prices are up across all departments." Neil's expression grew sober as he stepped into the room. "It's a sign of the times. Along with everything else that's going on. Jesus' return is very soon, that's all I can say." "Could be hundreds of years away." Mark squinted at the screen as he spoke. "Rising prices, wars, and earthquakes are nothing new." Neil shook his head. "Things are getting worse. I...

  Photo: Joshua J. Cotten The Bird Feeder Penny watched in fascination as the eager birds descended upon Aunt Tina's bird feeder. The elderly woman had just placed seed in it. Penny moved closer to the kitchen window, not wanting to miss a moment. The male weaver birds with their bright yellow breasts were the boldest. Their soft, brown mates followed their lead, and a flock of sweet sparrows pecked at the fallen bounty on the ground below. Penny smiled a little sadly. How hungry the birds seemed as they darted about and swung on the bird feeder. Still, she doubted that they could be as hungry as she was. Inside, she felt as hollow as the old log in Aunt Tina's rockery. Empty. Alone. Painfully alone since Jeremy had walked out on everything they'd built together over a span of twenty years. Now, she was hungry for hope and for answers. Her whys still echoed three years after he'd closed the door on all she'd held dear. Aunt Tina's kind voice interrupted her tire...

  The Bench It was weird how the sky could be so blue when everything was gray and rainy inside her. Maya let her weary feet take her home as her mind went once more through each messy detail, and then listed her three dismal options. In order from bad to worst. The sound of her scuffed shoes on the warm tar mingled with suburban noises and the jumble in her head. She shifted her bag and wiped her damp forehead with a crumpled tissue. The heat wasn't helping. She was drained. Hopeless. Sinking. A man grinned at her and whistled as she passed, but she ignored him. They all just wanted one thing, and she wasn't playing their game anymore. The park beckoned to her as she neared home. Children were playing in a carefree way on the equipment, but a shady bench drew her. She needed time. Space to think. To breathe. Maya relaxed her weary body and watched the children for a few minutes. She remembered what it had been like to be happy. Her gaze shifted back to the bench, and she saw s...

  An Answer For Adeline All Adeline knew was that she was at her wits end, and ready to throw in the proverbial towel. Having a husband, five children, several pets, and a part time job, meant that she was spinning several plates at once. And, two of those plates were teenagers. Another plate was a challenging marriage. Then there were the careening plates of three busy younger boys, one of whom had recently been diagnosed with ADHD. Her part time job as a receptionist was probably the least wobbly of her plates. That is, until she received a phone call from the school principal during work hours. Often, she’d stay up far too late, whilst she searched for answers to her problems online. How to cope with ADHD in boys, Teenagers and social media, Communication in marriage, How to get your kids to help around the house… Or, she’d watch an endless stream of YouTube videos. Each one dishing out advice about everything from the ideal routine to revolutionize your life, to decluttering s...

  The Lightbearer The Lightbearer kissed his wife and two young children goodbye. He held the little ones and their mother for a long moment, as he whispered softly in their ears. Then he shouldered his pack and headed into the jungle. At first, the trails he followed were well worn by the many feet that had followed them to the river, or to mango or banana groves. But after a while, the paths, though still there, became overgrown in places and harder to find. These trails were used infrequently, and the Lightbearer often had to make use of his machete, as he walked deeper into the jungle. And as he walked, he hummed a little, or sang, or whispered, and seemed to talk to himself. After walking for an hour, he stopped for a short rest. He checked the branches of the tree above him for tree snakes or pythons before sitting at its base, then he took a sip from his canteen and smiled. Life was good. The sun was directly above him as he reached the clearing. Huts encircled its perimeter...

  Cassie's Calling: Version Two Prologue The proud mother strapped her little one into the stroller, then tucked a baby blue blanket around her. They were all set for a walk around the sun-bathed garden. Baby wore a cute sun hat as well as a bib for any unexpected mishaps. She made a slow circuit around the swimming pool, being careful to dodge any bumps as well as Arthur the cat with his proud stare and Tessie, the white bull terrier, with her understanding doggie smile. “No, Tessie. Don’t come too close. Baby is sleeping. No doggie kisses either. You can walk along with us if you want to though.” The faithful pet happily agreed and walked beside the pram as Cassie did another lap around the pool. When Arthur placed an exploratory paw on the blanket, Tessie nosed him out of the way and was rewarded with a “good dog!” by the little mother.  When Cassie had determined that her infant had absorbed enough sunshine for the day, she headed back to the house with Tessie ever vigilan...