Fall Scene

It had been so long since he and his parents had been to this park, the last time they were here he was graduating high school and that had been ten years, he had worked too much for himself to really enjoy it but now it's like he was seeing it for the first time. They came for a picnic and to take some photo's and now since they were driving through the gate he felt like a child again coming for the first time, he couldn't remember when the last time it was he was excited about seeing this place. "It's been a long time I don't remember too much about this place, I know it has some scenic view want to be sure to get some shots," he told his mother, he had finish Photography school and was excited because of the photo's he could get. "Well if you can't get good pictures here then your not a photographer, but get ready because the first scene is right up there." They pulled over and got out of the car, it was better than he remembered the changing of the leaves stretched for what seemed like miles, he couldn't believe this place where a large city was no more than an half hour away. "I can't believe how pretty it is," the man said as he raised his camera and started shooting. "Well son it beat working in that store everyday doesn't it," his father said as he walked closer to the edge of the trees. "No arguments from me on that," the man said to this father. They posed for a shot together with the timer set, then they got back into the car and off to the next shot, but as long as lives he won't forget the first scene of that day.

True story; I had just got done working for the place I true disliked, depression was flowing like water through my mind, and I had just gotten my certificate for photography, seeing this place was a relief for me. It helped me realize what I wanted to do with my life, yes I have another dream that somehow I want to come true, but this day and this shot was one of the first things I did when I was certified, and photography is something I want to try and make work as a life long profession.

A Two Years Old First Pumpkin

Walking in the pumpkin patch, Dave had memories doing this with his father in these same fields growing up, every year he and his father would come here and Dave would pick the pumpkin he wanted. Now it was Dave and Paul's turn and although Paul was only two, and didn't talk too well he would know when he sees one that he wants, so Dave put his son down and told the little guy to go pick one. Paul loved the color that was before him, he looked around and saw something on a green vine and wondered what it was, he reached over to get it but his father shooed it off before he could get his hand on it, it was long and green and it looked funny but as soon as his father shooed it off it flew away. Now he turned his attention to the bright orange things in the middle of field he looked at one he didn't like it so he turned to another, he didn't like this one either, but he was determine to see one he liked. He went deeper into the field and there it was it was big it was bright, he pointed at it and turned to his father, "Baaaaa." Dave laughed out loud, "Well son your like me when you see something you want then you want it." The father picked it off the vine took it to the counter and went home with his son, one years memory with his son in this field was gold and he was kind of sadden when it was over, but he had at least ten more of these to do with his son. When they got home Dave got his sleeping son from the back seat, and took him inside where his mother was waiting, "Well honey I wish you had been there." The mother of the child looked up just as tired as her son, "No honey, this first time was a father son thing, and besides I had to work, so did he get a good one." The father smiled, "The boy's got an eye for quality, you know he wanted to get a grass hopper from the vine and bring it home." The mother kissed her little man and then kissed her big man, "You're a good Dad, honey." Dave looked at his wife, "You're a good Mom too, I know you would do anything for our child, now check out this pumpkin." He went laid his son down on the couch who was still asleep, went outside to the van and got the large pumpkin brought it in and laid it on the kitchen table, "See I told you the boy knows quality, Angie." Angie looked at the pumpkin and smiled, "Of course he knows quality, he's my son, I chose you and he chose this."

Graduating With A Chipmunk's Horizon

There he stood graduation cap on his head and a diploma in his hand, he was wanting nothing more than to go to his fathers garage and take over the business someday but his mother wanted a college education for him. He didn't know how to tell his mother that he loved the garage, he had worked there from sixteen, he got to spend extra time with his father, and it doesn't promise him that he will be rich but what it does promise is that he will love what he does. He knew that his mother would get her way no matter what and for him to go to college and study law, was the law, all she would do everyday would go through the brochures of different colleges and point them out to him and tell him that this school is known for this and famous for that. He didn't care if anything he wanted to go to the career school that dealt with heavy engine repair. The young man mother was walking towards him full of smiles and overjoyed at the sight of her son with a diploma, "My baby with a diploma and a high school graduate, whoa, I'm so proud of you Jared." Jared smiled because he was happy to graduate so he hugged his mother, "I know Mom you already said that this morning." Martha let the boy have some breathing room, his fathers deep growl was full of pleasure of the sight his son, "Well son I am proud of you too what's next son?" His mother yelled right out, "He's going to college and studying law." The father didn't like the answer coming from Jared's mother so he asked again, "What's next son?" Jared looked at his mother with a side way glance, "What she said." The mother not liking the question being posted again, looked at her husband and said, "You see John I told you the boy wanted to study law." John had enough, "Okay let's get a couple of pictures before we go home," they posed for a few photo's and went home. Jared was sitting on the front step trying to work things out in his head when his father walked out of the graduation party and sat next to his son, "Son what's the matter, what's wrong boy?" Jared raised his head and looked at his father, "Mom don't get it I don't want to go to college I want to take over the garage one day, I love that work, I know it won't make you rich, I know it doesn't always pay the bills bill but what's a job without loving it." John shook his head, "Oh son, look at that right there look." Jared moved his head over and saw a chipmunk with his front legs on a mound of dirt, Jared laughed, "Well that's me, I have big dreams for the garage but mom makes me feel like I'm so small that I don't matter." John was about to fight for his son meaning taking on his mother, "Well son it's not over yet, but if you do this you know your going to hurt your mother." Jared hung his head again, "Dad I know and I don't want to do that but I can't be miserable my whole life." John took a breath patted his son on his shoulder, "Come inside with me son." They walked in the kitchen and saw the cake where Jared went ahead and cut it and divided it, all of at sudden the friends and family started yelling, "Speech, Speech." Jared started to talk, "Well I don't make speeches but thank you all for coming today it means a lot to me." From the middle of the crowd someone yelled, "What's next." Jared looked at his mother and then to his father who shook his head, "I want to attend," At that point his mother yelled out loud, "He's going to college and studying law," She started to clap and yell at this point and made everyone else to do the same. "BE QUIET!" said an angry voice over the crowd, "My son has a right to say what he wants." Jared said in a bit of a frail voice, "I want to attend, the career school and study heavy engine repair, I'm sorry Mom you just wouldn't let me tell you. Jared's mother wouldn't back down, "If you think I'm going to let you throw away this oppro..." She was cut off in front of her family, "Listen Martha the boy wants to take over my garage, and if he wants to study heavy engines that's what he's going to do." Martha stormed out of the room, and went to the bedroom, everyone cleared out of the home because they knew of the ensuing argument which is about to take place. Jared thanked all who came and thanked them for all their gifts, more than a few said "Stand up to her if that's what you want don't back down," he started to walk to the bedroom when he felt a hand on his shoulder, "Remember the chipmunk son, she could change your mind right now, I'm gonna talk to her. When John walked in the bedroom she started in, "If you think our son is going to waste his life in that garage you've got another thing coming he's going to law school and get a degree and he is going to be a successful lawyer so get that in your mind right now." John just let her finish, "Where was I when you met me, I was in the pit, where does all these things come from in this house, from the pit, where were we when I proposed, in the pit because my car broke down on the way to the restaurant. That place has made a life for us, you've not gone without twenty years of marriage, and you've never gone without, I own three of these garages, our life's have been made by that pit. Now that our son wants to own the businesses someday you want to deny him that, I love you Martha but your too overbearing, our son wants to be like his father is there something wrong with that?" Martha was still fuming, but she placed her hands on her husbands face gently and said, "John he has a chance to improve his life and do something we've never been able to do and I want to give him that can you understand that?" John said, "I understand that but you have to let him live his life, he's a man sure he eighteen but if you cut him off like this now then you're going to cripple him for life do you want that? Martha began crying, "No but he, he, he, Oh John what am I doing?" John held his wife "I know baby let it come."

Five years later, John walked into the garage and looked around, "Son you've done a good job here, you're no longer a chipmunk now, son." Jared had redesigned the whole place made it more accessible made the waiting room larger and put a new computer center in with wi-fi for the customers, "Well Dad that little chipmunk had to learn a lot but now we have semi drivers coming here now and the sports cars are coming here now, we've got a lot to do, and now we've got two new receptionist we're all good." Jared turned his head and saw one of the new receptionist on the phone, he threw a wink to her and she blew a kiss to him, the other receptionist was walking past the door after getting coffee looked into the garage to find who she was blowing a kiss to and saw it was her son, "OH NO YOU DIDN'T." To which the father said, "Martha."

Bird Feeder

The old shed smells of wood and saw dust, it was just a small work bench with some tools laying around with a coffee maker in the corner and two old coffee cups on a shelf, it did have electricity but just about every circuit had a plug that went with it. Working with your hands wasn't something that David was good at but his grandfather was a master craft man who made furniture from scratch and sold them to his neighbors and in town. He got so good he could make four uncovered couches in a day and spend the night upholstering them, but David wasn't his grandfather today he was in here to make something small for his mothers birthday, something she would appreciate because of her hobby of bird watching. So David chose the wood, it would be oak, and he chose the tools he would need and to work on the small project he went, he started cutting the long plank of wood meticulously making sure the lines were good and straight then he pegged the pieces together and formed a door at the front. The whole project didn't take him no more than a half hour to finish it, but he liked the way it looked just the way it was no paint needed. When he arrived at his mothers house the cars were already in the front yard and in the drive way so he parked under the small tree on the side of the yard and went in with his gift wrapped. "David baby come here and give me a hug," Davids mother yelled across the room when he came inside the house. David hugged his mother and said, "Happy birthday Mom I think you're going to like this." His mother opened the gift first before anyone else's because this was her one and only son, and when she saw what it was she began to tear up, "Just like one of your grand fathers, he gave me one like this forty years ago when I turned ten and I loved it." David knew he had done a good thing, his grand father passed away a month before and it had been hard on everyone but to see the look on his mothers face was enough for him to know he had done well. Before the evening was done she walked outside with David and had him nail the feeder into the side of the tree and she said "Thank you baby you've got your grandfathers touch, only how did you master how to make this so fast it took Dad at least an hour to get one of these done." David smiled, "When I was in his shed it was like my hands were guided by a force unseen, I've never made one of these before so that tells me I wasn't alone in making something from love."

Sometimes when love is your only guide that is when your finest work can be revealed, Grandpa's shed, Grandma's apple pies, Dad's Garden, or Mom's protective eye. All of these things leave an impression on children that can never be lost.

Homestead

It took thirty minutes to get to this part of the hollow from the main road but when they finally got there the older man smiled a smile his son would never forget, "This is it son." They got out and looked around there was a open field and a tobacco road with a smaller road into the trees, "This is where I grew up and hunted most of my life." The son was looking around and saw how that was a beautiful way to spend a childhood, "Well you told me all about this place I was wondering if you would ever show us where it is," the son smarted off with a smile on his face. The father took it as a joke as he began to tell stories again of how his father rode on top of a hood of a car down that large steep hill holding a flashlight when the headlights went out the car. How his mother shot a shotgun through the roof when a drunk got on top of the house, and he laughed right out loud remembering what happened next, as he said "He liked to break his foolish neck when he jumped and hit the dirt, but he got right up and started runnin," the memories were so clear on his face that you could read them like a book. Then he pointed, "See where the farmers road end at son, that's where the house stood so many years ago, that's where we lived before we moved to place near the highway." The son looked and saw how that would be a nice place for a house how the shade of the trees would be a cool place in the summer time and a protector against the harsh winds in the winter. "Well Dad do you think you could live here again?" At this the father surprised his son, "Live here again, are you crazy, it's nice to come back and visit the place but I'm not steppin' back forty years." With that they got back into the car and drove off, but the son's mind was back at the old homestead, he finally said on the way back home, "I sure wouldn't mind it for a while."

This is a true story of what happened between my father and I, and yes, I wouldn't mind living there for a while it was very peaceful.

Light At The End

Hunting had been a favorite past time of Will and Bart for many years since they were kids growing up, so hunting together was second hand for them, they were walking through the woods like they always did on the way to their game, when Bart stopped his brother and asked him. "Will ever think of death?" Will thought this to be a really bad choice of conversations but he would answer him anyways, "Will it's not something I linger on, why do you ask?" Bart just looked at his brother and pointed, "Doesn't that look like that light at the end of the tunnel you keep hearing about?" Will looked and it was a clearing of trees with a center of light right in the middle, "Well yeah it does but this isn't us dying that's just pretty your getting things confused." Bart could have slapped the back of his head, "I didn't mean that we were dying I was just making a point, you know the stories grandpa used to tell us." Will remembered well the stories his grandfather had told him about what happens after death but it still wasn't a memory he liked to talk about, "Yeah I remember you dern fool, come one lets get the game." With that they were off to get after the animals they were here to hunt, and after a full day of it and their limits full they went back home to enjoy the rest of the evening. A short year later Will walked up to the hospital and laid his hand on the side of it looked into his brothers eyes, "Bart is there anything I can do for you?" Bart was weak from the chemo but he opened his eyes to see his brothers eyes filling with tears." Bart said the usual but his last request was a little odd, "Well you know just help my wife try and move on, and teach my boys to hunt like we do, but this is one thing I want you to do for me and my head stone, go that same place I saw last year and take a picture of it, you know the place where it looked like a light at the end of a tunnel?" Will knew the place so he answered, "You want me to have that picture placed on your stone?" Bart smiled a short time, "No you fool I want it engraved on the back of my stone." Will answered, "You know I'll do it but you just hang in there you can't die on me yet we got that lodge leased out for Deer season you and I never miss the lodge." Bart got serious one of the few times in his life, "Be real Will, I'm dying I didn't know I was dying until it was too late so promise me that you'll do that for my last request now get going get the photo I want to see it before I go." Then Will left the hospital room without saying another word, and got to his truck drove to his home and got his good camera, then he drove the forty miles to the place where he and his brother had found that same spot. He raised his camera and took around ten shots of the place, then without so much as looking around he got back into his truck and drove right to the photo shop and got the photo's printed, then he went right back to the hospital. When he arrived on the floor of the hospital he found that Bart had past on just a little after he had left, he didn't own a cell phone so no one was able to contact him. When he finally got home that night he sat down and began to cry hard, when his wife came to comfort him he told her, "He had me taking photo's for him today I had to go all the way out to the forest." His wife not understanding fully why asked him, "What did he have take photo's of?" Will answered, "Oh Nancy he found a certain place last year he liked real well and he wants it put on his stone here's the photo's if you want to see them." Nancy took the photo's and opened them up and started leafing through them, when she saw something that took her breath, "WILL LOOK!" Will jumped when she yelled but took the photo and looked at it, his eyes were raining tears at this time but a peace came over him. "That's Bart waving goodbye walking into the light, I'll keep this for myself no one is to know it exist except you and me, we'll use this one for his stone." Nancy looked at the photo he wanted to use for the engraving, "The door is still opened." Will answered, "So people can know that the door is always opened."

A Ghostly Rose

Her long gown swayed back and forth as she walked through the plantation house, she wasn't expecting anything exciting to happen to her this evening except perhaps a few waltz's with a young man, the barbecue was actually quite good but a lady doesn't eat anything too heavy. This was just another year for her and her family to recreate the history of over a hundred years ago, why she let them talk her into this one more time was beyond her, but she was willing to satisfy her father who had been ill for a while now. As she entered the large ball room in the old plantation house it was the sights and smells she remembers, everyone dressed in period clothing from the civil war era, some men in Confederate uniforms others in suits fitting to the time. The smells of lilacs filled the air, and the fires from outside smoldering away, the crowds have dispersed and now it was only the re creators having fun of their own, with a season ending ball that was left this evening. She looked around at the faces and it was the usual crowd of a hundred or more except for one face that was standing in a corner of his own, he was a handsome man with long side burns and mustache, she usually doesn't like facial hair on a man but he pulled it off nicely she said to herself. She sat down in a chair for she was out of breath, the sight of the man and the corset she was wearing took her breath away, when suddenly she heard a unfamiliar voice. "May I offer you some punch Miss." She turned around and saw that the perfect Virginia accent came from the man she had just seen, "Thank you, I would like some." She sat there talking to the man warming up to him, he was a gentle man and spoke very elegantly, when the music began he stood up extended his hand and asked, "Miss Parlow may I have the honor of this dance?" She was kinda tired of all the reenactments going on but somehow this man made it feel genuine so she looked up at the man and in her kindest and gentlest way that a southern bell would answer, "Yes kind sir I would like to dance with you." They entered the dance floor and he took a commanding lead in a waltz around the room she had never danced like this with any man before for he seemed to be a master, dancing with this man was more a pleasure than just trying to keep up with all the other people. They danced the entire evening away, and at twelve o'clock the man turned to the woman, kissed her hand and said, "Forgive me Miss but I must retire I have an awfully early morning, here something to remember me by I hope." He handed her a rose red the color of passion, she was moved by the gesture because no man has ever given a rose to her after this dance before. The woman realizing she had forgotten to ask him his name quickly answered, "What is your name I would like to see you again." The man smiled, "Nicholas Sharp, at your service Miss Parlow." Then he turned and she watched him as he disappeared into the crowd, as she was leaving the house she was walking past the main hall to the exit past a lot of old paintings, and saw a portrait of a man that looked strangely like Nicholas Sharp, but she was sure this was a coincidence. When she woke the next morning the curiosity got the best of her so she went back to the old plantation to ask questions of the register, upon entering the house the smells from the dance the night before was all through the air, she looked and found an older woman cleaning in the hall. She looked at the woman and asked her, "Do you keep a registry of who dressed as who last night in the recreational records?" The older woman looked up to the young woman and smiled, "This happens every year, a young beautiful woman comes back here every year the day after the ball, going on for a hundred years now, asking who the man was they danced with. So let me just answer that question for you, no you didn't imagine it and it was the original owner of the plantation who after a night of dancing with his fiancee was killed the next morning in a duel, believe me or not it's true." The woman laughed out loud, "You cannot be serious the man I danced with.." But she was cut off by the older woman, "Had the perfect Virgina accent and had the most cordial ways about him, with absolute excellent manners." Miss Parlow was stunned and as she left the plantation house her body covered in goose bumps she stopped by the portrait and looked at the man's face again, she was half hoping that would never happen again, half hoping it would, "Why me?" She posted the question to the painting and then went home, anticipation was coursing through her for the next years gala. When she arrived at home she stared at the rose and a tear drop fell onto her face, romance such as she felt the night before she knew she would never feel again.