The Fates, sisters, weavers, sat in the stiff theatre chairs they had complained about for decades. They were the sort who took comfort in stiff and creaking joints. The morning show was a doubleheader.
Two lovers who found each other late in life. The one sister crocheted a long scarf, alternating spring green and aqua blue yarn. On the stage in front of the sisters, two lovers sat content on a Livingroom couch. The couple nuzzled and fell asleep in each other’s arms.
The sister stopped her weaving, scratched her nose with a needle, and passed the scarf to the middle sister. Scene after scene played out, the couple aged, and their affection grew deeper. The middle sister slid the measuring tape from her neck and measured and marked each color of yarn with tailor’s chalk. “Here,” she said, passing the scarf to the next sister, who picked up wickedly sharp scissors from her lap and cut the straggling green yarn.
The woman on the stage was alone now, sipping tea from a china cup. She struggled through the newspaper crossword puzzle, lifting her head as if to ask a question—but no one was there.
The last sister snipped the blue yarn, not much longer than the green had been. Together, the Fates cried, “Next.” It was time for the afternoon show. And so it continues, day and night. Weaving and measuring and snipping as their once nimble fingers stiffen and swell.
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Postcard Stories Podcast – An Author Reading.
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2 Replies to “Live Show”
Oh man, I have read this three times now and each time I’m more freaked out then the next because I get a little bit more of “it” with each reading. This is wickedly smart and so well written! Your mind??? What an amazing place!
I’m so glad I can still freak you out after all this time! And some might argue that my mind is more of a scary place than one of amazement, but I’ll take the compliment! Thank you. This story was a fun one to write. As I gear up for releasing my new series about the Greek gods, I’m finding more and more ‘characters’ (in my research) that I want to write about. I think the Fates will have a longer story to tell…
Hinterland is Real
They say seeing is believing. I didn’t know what that meant until that night. I was coming home late, later than I should, and I knew I was going to catch heck. Momma didn’t even pretend to be patient when me or my sister wasn’t home in time for dinner.
Deadly Mist
The mist crept closer, slithering across the boot prints she left behind on the soft, moist ground. She urged her legs to go faster over the uneven path. A leafless tree grabbed at the flying strands of her long silver hair as she ran past. They hung like shiny tinsel
Path of the Dead
The path of a ghost is etched into the earth, hammered and chiseled by heeled boots, flat leather soles, and the barest of feet. I follow the prints up and over the rise. There is a man standing by the car, smartly dressed in black pants, an unblemished white shirt,