(7:16 am Mon Nov 01, 2010)
Mary woke up late. It must have been thr drugs she took last night.
Normally she was up at 5 and beginning her morning chores with a song in her heart. Despite what other people thought of her, she figured God had been good to her.
This morning she felt like death. Her bones ached and her head was thick. She groaned and rolled over and pulled her one pillow over her head in an effort to fall into oblivion for a short while longer.
(7:26 am Mon Nov 01, 2010)
Mary groaned and rolled out of bed slowly. She hated taking drugs and she felt like she was going to pay the price today. She had tried for the longest while to avoid popping those two gels last night. Tossing and turning and trying to fall asleep. She had tried the tissue up the nose trick to head off the drip to see if that might let her fall asleep but that did not work out. At last she had given in and made the trip to the medicine chest and poured a glass of water from the picture on her bureau.
"I have to go to Andros on the mail soon and see if Grammy has some bush medicine for this," she thought. "I don't like bush medicine but it has got to be better than this."
She dragged herself over to the corner and picked up her ragged broom and began to sweep out her little clapboard home. It might not be much but it was hers and she loved having something of her own finally.
(7:47 am Mon Nov 01, 2010)
Done with her slow, aching sweep of the inside, Mary went out and began sweeping off her front porch. "Morning Baldy!" she called. "You hungry this morning?"
Baldy looked down from his perch in the dilly tree. "If I'm hungry? You see how late it is? And I een had nothing to eat since you fed me last night. I been all over the neighbourhood last night looking for something to eat, checking all the garbage tins in the yards and all teh dumpsters behind the stores but everything was locked down tight last night for some reason. Something must be going on because that was very unusual.!"
"Well," said Mary, "that was a lot of barking for such a simple question. Come on down and I will see if I can find you a lil something for your breakfast.
Baldy stood up and stretched himself. He walked along the dilly tree limb until he was above the front porch and jumped down onto the roof. Up an over the roof of the main house to the back porch and then down onto the box over the gas tank and then down onto the roof of his little house and then to the ground. A quick dash to the back corner of the yard to take care of his morning business and then right around front to see what Mary might scrounge up for him.
Life was good. Sure, he didn't much like his house and only went in there to get out of the strongest or coldest rain but he liked Mary and he liked his limb just fine and what more could a dog ask for really?
(8:04 am Mon Nov 01, 2010)
(3:02 pm Mon Nov 01, 2010)
(3:21 pm Mon Nov 01, 2010)
(Flashback to this morning in story time.)
Baldy finished up his breakfast and went around to the front porch and lay down at Mary's feet as she sat in her wooden rocker and sipped her morning mug of hot tea with raw cane sugar and evaported milk. (I could tell you the brand but I would have to charge you.)
"Ah, Baldy, you're a good mutt. DO you want to go with me down by Saunders Beach today for a little run and a swim? I need to put this thick head underwater in the salt sea and try to see if that might clear something up for me. I don't know if I can take too many more nights like last night."
Baldy looked up at her and let her know that that idea was just alright by him. He loved the beach. He especially liked chasing gulls all up and down the beach. What a joy it was to pester them. Served them right. They so loved to pester any and everything that he figured a little turn about was fair play once in a while.
(3:31 pm Mon Nov 01, 2010)
(Flashback to later in the morning as Mary and Baldy arrive at the beach.)
The old, rusted out pickup pulled over and Mary hopped out of the passenger door in the middle of the road and quickly moved in front of the truck to get out of harms way. Then she slowed down and made her way around to the driver's window and bent down.
"Thanks for the lift Franky, I don't think I could have managed the walk this morning the way I feel."
Franky smiled and looked up into her dark face with her beautiful white smile. Oh how he longed to kiss those lips. "Anytime Mary, you know all you have to do is ask."
"I hate to take you so far out of your way and keep you from work though. Come on Baldy, out."
"Happy to help out Mary. Anytime."
Baldy jumped down from the back of the truck and ran over to the sand and rolled in it, shivering in delight. "Whee haaaa! Man, this is great!"
"Will you listen to that dog bark! He sure does love the beach," smiled Franky.
"Him an me both," replied Mary smiling at Baldy, "him an me both. I'll be home by five if all goes well so if you want to stop by for a lil something to eat, just call an let me know you're coming so I can make enough for you."
(3:42 pm Mon Nov 01, 2010)
Mary made her way over to the beack with her bundle and plopped it down on the sand and set up her umbrella. She wend in for a quick dip, putting her head under and swishing the salty water around in her mouth and spouting it in the air while thinking about whales.
After about five minutes in the water, she made her way back to shore and went back up to her spot and dried off with her "Gooder in Guana" beach towel. The water was a bit nippy still to be staying in too long. She figured she would go in again for longer after the sun had a chance to rise higher in the sky and warm things up a bit.
Baldy spotted some gulls down the beach and set off slowly to try and sneak up on them. He almost made it too. But just before he was ready to srping his trap, some crazy gull fell out of the sky with a splash and made a comotion so that the other gulls turned their heads to see what was going on. Turned their heads just enough so that Baldy came into their line of sight. And that was that. Oh, he rocketed at them once he saw what was happening but it was too late. They all flapped a few times and were out of reach before he even got close. Baldy felt like a bit of a fool, what with them all flapping and cawing and swooping on him and making fun.
(4:09 pm Mon Nov 01, 2010)
(4:51 pm Mon Nov 01, 2010)
The crazy gull was still offshore a way floating in what looked like a daze, feather all ruffled ou and one wing sort of cocked up and stretched out. The right wing.
Baldy stared at the gull. "Hey you! What's your problem! Do you have to wreak my fun? For what?"
The gull ignored him and turned in slow circles.
"Hey you! Gully! I'm talking to you. What's your problem? You better answer me before I come out there and make you. You don't want that."
The gull ignored him still and continued to turn in slower and slower circles.
Baldy jumped in and started swimming. It was a ways out bet he was determined.
(7:43 pm Mon Nov 01, 2010)
Closer... Almost there...
"Baldy! You leave that gully alone. Get back in here now!"
"But Mary! This gull messed up my fun. I'm not gonna hurt him but I need to rough him up a little bit. Ruffle his feathers some."
"Don't you go barking at me like that. Come back in here and leave that gull alone. Besides, I need some healp gathering some firewood so I can cook us some lunch."
"Ah... That's Mary for you. She always knows how to get me to do what she wants. A bit of commanding and a bit of bribing. I am such a sucker." Baldy began to turn back for the beach.
"Hey. You there. Poochie... As long as you are out here and going back to shore would you mind giving me a little tow in?"
Baldy turned back and snarled. "Gully you sure do have some nerve on you. One great big overgrown nerve if you ask me. You mess up my little bit of fun and now you wan a lift? You swim better than me as it is and you could just fly in even faster. And you want a lift?"
"Yeah well, sorry about your fun. I didn't do it on purpose. In fact, here's the thing. The reason I need your help is the reason I messed up your fun."
"What?"
"Hold on! Hold on. Look, I was just flying by happy as the breeze. Minding my own business. Then... wham! Pain! Falling. Splash. Where am I? get the picture? I don't know what hit me but something did. I can hardly swim in a straight line much less fly so a little tow would indeed be appreciated."
(7:54 pm Mon Nov 01, 2010) 2002
Well, gentle reader, I guess you figured I was ignoring you this year, especially as I haven't done NaNo for a while now. I was just giving you a chance to get into the story a bit before we picked up where we left off. Good to have you back this year.
Well, I am above two thousand words for today and will be packing it in now. Until tomorrow then.
(7:54 pm Mon Nov 01, 2010) 2122
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