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. fragmented

2. gravel

3. blistering

4. mundane

5. clairvoyant

6. grasshopper

and/or: incidentally yours

Here is my story:

 Winter's faith in her ability to cope with anything had been fragmented. Her path through life so far had been steady, easy, mundane even, as the days flowed one into another in a satisfying routine of her own devising.

Now everything was topsy-turvy. How she wished she had inherited her great grandmother's ability. Even a smidge would do. Clara Oakley had been a clairvoyant and able to see things coming. 

When Winter was five, Clara had predicted that one day her life would take an unexpected path, but as the years moved along at their usual pace and nothing out of the ordinary happened, Winter forgot what Clara said. 

But now, at twenty five, the unexpected path had suddenly appeared. 

Winter's cousin Miriam was ill in the hospital and Winter had cheerfully said of course she would look after Carmody, how hard could it be?  He was practically a grown up, five and a half, able to dress and feed himself, surely all Winter had to do was cook and do the dishes, run the washing machine once a week....little boys of five and a half ran around outside a lot didn't they? 

Apparently not. Not when their worlds had been turned upside down and inside out.

Carmody was constantly underfoot, asking questions about Miriam, what was wrong, why couldn't the doctor just put on a bandaid and Mum could come home? Why did she have to stay in the hospital? 

Winter didn't have answers for him, of course, but that didn't stop the questions. On top of everything else, Carmody had lost his grasshopper. 

He and Winter had spent most of the day before out in the blistering February heat, (why, oh why, had Miriam chosen to live in Australia?) searching for the giant, purple, rubber grasshopper. How could it possibly be lost? The thing was almost as big as Carmody!

Winter poured each of them a half glass of Miriam's home made lemon squash and topped up the glasses with a generous helping of ice cubes. Carmody drank half of his quickly then asked if it was time to go and see Mum yet. Winter gave him a hug and said "yes, yes it is time, as soon as you put on your shoes."

Carmody hated wearing shoes and grumbled that he couldn't find them. "Have you looked under your bed?" said Winter. 

Carmody sighed and went to look, suddenly there were shrieks of excitement coming from his room. 

"Winter! Winter! I found him! I found Grassy! He was under my bed! How did he get there?"

Well, thought Winter, there was another unanswerable question! But she was grateful Grassy had finally turned up, the smile was back on Carmody's face, the twinkle back in his eyes. 

Perhaps today there would be good news from the hospital too. 

Winter rinsed the glasses while Carmody pulled on his sneakers, then they set off down the long gravel path to the gate, where they would wait for the bus that would take them into town.