Wednesday's Words on a Friday

On Wednesdays, Delores, from Under The Porch Light, has a meme which she calls

“Words for Wednesday”.

She puts up a selection of six words which we then use in a short story, or a poem.

I’m hopeless at poetry so I always do a story.

It’s a fun challenge…why not join in?

This week's words are:

1. grizzled
2. peaks
3. solitude
4. fire
5. delicate
6. yearning

or this phrase: a snapshot in time

Felix and Gladiator had settled into a routine of sorts. Felix had obtained a map of his property from the council and drawn a grid dividing it into sections for exploring. First thing every morning he sat on the back porch with a hot coffee and watched as Gladiator ran around the house yard letting off steam after being inside all night. 

Once Gladiator settled down a bit, a walk across the field bordering the road was taken; it was the flattest area and Felix could walk and think there without paying too much attention where his feet were stepping. The trees along the western edge bordered the creek and Gladiator loved to run along watching the rushing water after a good rain. There'd been a few good rains lately and the section of creek behind the house was fuller now and burbled quite loudly over its rocks in the evenings. Gone was the delicate trickle of high summer.

The days were cooler now and nights were downright chilly. More time was spent inside making sure the window and door frames were tight against the weather, the fireplace and chimney had been cleaned and were now ready for cosy nights in front of a fire while plans were made for the next day. Felix pored over the map each evening, making a list of places he particularly wanted to explore. The north east corner of his five acres held a small gorge where a lake had been many eons ago. It was dry land now, filled with trees, undergrowth and wildlife and held promises of fabulous photographic opportunities. Big enough to require a full day yet small enough for one person on his own, Felix had taken a quick look one day last week and seen the sides were not too steep and several trails down to the bottom were clearly visible. 

Today was not a day for solitude and photography however. Today Felix had to make his way to town and get in a few supplies. Film, fixer and developer, bags of dry dog food, frozen fruits and vegetables to supplement the fresh, and bathroom supplies. He was down to his last bar of soap! He'd have to see Ted about a supply of firewood too. There were fallen trees in the gorge and Felix thought Ted might help him drag them up with the winch normally used for towing broken down cars. They could spend a day with the chainsaw and cut enough for a few weeks and Felix would pay Ted with half the wood. Felix wondered briefly how old Ted was. His grizzled looks gave no real indication as his teeth were still good and his lively bright blue eyes rivalled those of a twenty year old. He'd lived in the small town all his life and run the garage for over fifty years. He owned the tow truck and the winch was in demand often enough to keep him busy, with cars breaking down, tractors getting stuck in ditches, people like Felix wanting trees dragged to home grounds for cutting into firewood each autumn. 

And Felix needed to collect his mail at the post office. He'd sent out feelers to publishers to test the interest in a book he was planning. Roaming his property, taking photos of the same areas in the full deep green of summer, the glorious reds and golds of autumn, the stark winter landscape, the soft new spring growth, he had probably a hundred or so photos by now to sort and plan page layouts with. He'd decided on "A Snapshot In Time" as a book title, with one photo from each season on the cover as a teaser to the beauty within. 

He glanced out of the back window to the mountain peaks several miles away, there would be snow on them soon, but today they were still clear. Felix had been yearning to see proper snow again, his years in the city had been snow free, although plenty of hail made slush in the streets every winter. There just hadn't been time to take a break and get to the snow when he was rushing about following bosses orders to "get that photo! get that scoop!"