Poetry, writing, drawing, painting and more.
Those of you that follow me and read my work know that a few months ago I was part of a writing workshop. One of the authors in this workshop was Phil. He wasn’t able to continue to the end because he was working on an art exhibit. He has some amazing work. Go Phil. 🎉
Now he’s working on another project and needs our help. Follow the link provided to Phil’s blog and if you can, vote for him in his new venture.
Paramount Global owns the Star Trek franchise. This is a piece of fan fiction based on Star Trek the Next Generation.
How?
Data had stepped outside to get some air. He was leaning against a railing. His spirits were low. He was so worried about Sher. A soft hand glide up his back. His breath caught in his chest. Those soft hands slid around his waist. A gentle head lay on his back. She wrapped her arms around him. “You scared me. He gasped.
“I scared myself.” She squeezed him tighter.
“I am glad that you and Q are becoming friends.”
Data turned around with her arms still around him. “I would do anything for you. You know that. Being friends with Q is not so hard.” He smiled.
“I don’t require anything you know.” She smiled a wicked little grin. “I require everything. Deep down Q isn’t a bad guy. He just doesn’t know any boundaries which can make him dangerous.”
They started walking hand in hand. “Are you feeling better?”
“Everyday, I get a little stronger. However, you are right. It will take time for me to heal. Those little organisms have done a number on my systems.”
The palace was toward the back of a large meadow. The grass was cut to perfection.
Everything was so green and alive. All around the meadow was a forest. Thor had landed the ships on the other side of the meadow. The Enterprise looked so out of place beside the Jormungand. “Do you enjoy being part of the Federation?”
“Yes, I do.”
She slapped him on the butt. He turned around rubbing his tush. She giggled then started running toward the forest. “I have to sit.” Sher panted. They had reached the edge of the forest.
They sat under a large tree. It was cool. She sat on Data’s lap, laying her head on his shoulder.
“This is nice.”
She smiled. “I do agree. My prince.”
He kissed her. “I have missed this. We played a lot.”
“Quite a lot, my princess.” He ran his hand up her blouse. “I am not moving too fast am I?”
She laughed a weak laugh. “Not yet.” He pulled her closer to him.
“Father?” Came a small questioning voice.
Data slid his hand around her waist. “We will finish this later.” He cocked his head to one side as a lady stepped from behind a tree. “Lal?” He asked:
“Hi,” she wiggled where she stood.
Sher slid out of his lap onto the ground, smiling.
“How?” He opened his arms to embrace her. “Look at you? You look amazing.”
“Thank you.”
“Hi Sher.”
“Hello little one.” They hugged.
“How did you get here?” Data asked.
“The Turritopsian’s found me. Sher knew who I was just by looking at me. I have lived here ever since. I thought I recognized Counselor Troi when she was in the woods, so I followed her to make sure.”
Data looked at Sher with amazement on his face. “I couldn’t let someone you created be destroyed.” Sher caressed his face.
He looked at Lal again. She had never stopped smiling. “Come,” she extended her hands to him, “I have someone you must meet. Come!” Data helped Sher up. Lal took Data by the hand.
If you were asked to write one line of prayer for National Day of Prayer, what would you pray?
Thanks.
You might see it again.
Part 1
Matthew 21: 12 “And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. 13 He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers.” 14 And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them.” ESV
Six
The heat from the sun was causing sweat to run down Aaron’s back. But he didn’t care. He was feverishly flipping sand, the goal was to build a moat around his sandcastle. A boat sped down the river causing gentle ripples to reach him. They made it easier for the water to flow into his moat. He hummed a little tune he had heard at Sunday school as the ripples continued. “Three, four, five.” The sixth ripple didn’t make it to his moat. “Five.” He sounded confidently. More sand flew through the air.
His grandma came rushing down the hill toward him. He paid her no mind as he continued working on the moat. A crack filled his ears. Followed by terror. “Don’t you run, you miserable little shit.”
But he ran. That sound always made him run. He tried to run away from the sound. An exposed oak root caught his tiny foot; he gasped, falling on the cool damp ground.
“I told you not to run.” She panted.
He heard the air being pushed away by the leather long before it touched him. Curling into a ball, trying to protect himself. What good would shorts and a t-shirt do him against grandpa’s old leather belt?
“Wha’d I do?”
Each blow landed harder than the last. His little body jumped as they landed. “I told you not to run.”
“Wha’d I do?” He peaked through tears to look at her face. It was red. Like an apple. Her mouth was distorted. He saw a comic book once, his friend Jimmy had. There was a clown in it that killed people. That was her. A scary clown face.
“Told you not to run.” She hissed, as another blow fell. “Don’t,” a blow landed. “You,” this one got his back. “Ever,” this one got his shoulder. “Do,” this one was back to his leg. “That,” this one got his elbow. “Again,” she shouted. This one hit his head. The blows didn’t hurt anymore, his body was numb. “You little devil. How dare you embarrass me like that.” She panted. “Don’t you ever argue with the Sunday school teacher again . Where did the unicorns go?” She mocked. “Who gives a shit?”
Aaron snubbed, “unicorns are in the Bible. Three times. Whur’d they go?”
She hauled off and hit him again, this time with the clasp. “You’s is to shut up and listen.”
Aaron woke to the sounds of crickets. Every part of his body was sore. His right side from falling. His left side from the beating. In the moon light, he could see the footprints that had destroyed his sand castle. It was rare for a boat to be on the water at night. With one giant leap, the water consumed him. It stung and burned. He knew he shouldn’t scream.
But he did. He screamed until his lungs burned. The sound of a dog barking filled his ears. Why was a dog underwater? How could he scream underwater?
Aaron rose straight up out of bed, screaming. The barking was his dog. He scooped her up. “Sorry baby,” came his breathless apology. “I’m sorry I scared you.” He held her tight, rubbing her fur, “I’m sorry.”
Paramount Global owns the Star Trek franchise. This is a piece of fan fiction based on Star Trek the Next Generation.
Data the philosopher
Data watched over Sher as she slept.
Q appeared in the room. “How is she?”
“Weak. It is going to take her a while to bounce back from this.” He sighed, “she had too much excitement for one day.”
“I want to kill him.” Q growled.
“Leave that to her parents. They know what is best for her.”
“Showing her memories, was that best for her?”
“It made everyone aware of what she had been through. It gave everyone a clear picture of what a monster those people were.”
“I don’t see why she was violated in such a manner. I see that as adding insult to injury.”
“She chose to sit there. We left for a little while.”
“Why are they toying with him?”
“You know the answer to that.”
“I know,” Q sighed. “Sher believes that everyone has a right to live.”
“Though the quality of his life isn’t what he wants it to be, he is alive.”
“I don’t understand the full effect of why his family is here?”
“To know the truth. When you read about an event, there are always those that do not understand why John Doe was put to death. So he killed nine people. Maybe those nine people made fun of him. They were bad people, they deserved to die. Poor John. When you show people why someone is being put to death, that image stays with you. There is no disputing that John was a bad person. He killed nine people in cold blood.”
“You are an interesting person Data.” Q smiled. “How does it feel to have emotions? I remember a time I told you you were stupid for wanting to be human.” Q sat on the end of the bed ad Sher’s feet.
“I am still struggling with emotions. It is a struggle that I would not change for anything. Well,” he looked at Sher. “Almost anything? I would trade everything if I knew she was going to be okay.”
“That is a pretty bold statement.”
“I am amazed at how one emotion can change everything you thought you knew.”
“What one emotion would that be?”
“Love.”
“In my experience with humans, I find that love is the most overrated emotion.”
“No, love is the most unused human emotion.”
“Unused.” Q scoffed. “How do you figure that?”
“Love is a wasted emotion. People spend their whole lives in love with someone but cannot gather the strength to tell the person their in love with. Men and women pine over partners they cannot have. The saddest state of human emotion is to have never known love. Not just romantic love, which seems to be the human default. Love for a friend. Love of nature. Love should be the human’s superpower.”
“Is it not?”
“No, hate is.”
“Data the philosopher. I like this.” Q smiled.
Data closed his eyes, “I do not have a heart Q. None the less it is breaking.”
“Why? She is alive, she is lying before you.”
“It is not over. It will not be over until she has returned to her former state. Anything could happen between now and then. Just the thought of the possibilities makes me sick.”
“She has always loved you you know?”
“I know that now. It makes me sad to think that I had forgotten about her. We were so in love.”
“She has forgiven you. It wasn’t your fault.”
“I am aware of that. I still am finding it hard to forgive myself.”
“If she was well, she would kick your ass.
“I know.” Data started crying. “I know.” He slumped over on the bed.
“Hey,” Q walked over to him. He put his arm around Data’s shoulder. “She is going to be fine.”
This is my story for It’s Story Time posted 4-30.
Joey couldn’t stop looking down at the gold medallion hanging around his neck. He was temporarily blinded by the flashing lights; deafened by the cheering crowd.
The most beautiful woman he had ever met placed her hand gently on his shoulder. Her million dollar smile was more powerful than the medallion. “Tell us Joey, what are you going to do with your prize?”
Joey grinned, not realizing perhaps not caring that his teeth were stained from all the fruit he had just eaten.
“Git that ice box fixed.”
“Ice box?” She asked confused.
Joey couldn’t stop smiling. A man with his fine tailored suit asked, “Joey what do you have to say to the folks back home?”
“Nittin’, they ain’t got no radio to hear us.”
“They can watch us on all social medias.” The beautiful lady smiled.
Joey just kept smiling, holding up his medallion.
The man asked, “tell us a little about your home and family.”
“Awe shucks, ain’t much to tell. Momma said we lived under the wrong set of stares across them tracks.”
The man and woman just looked at each other. Dumbfounded the male announcer asked, “what do you do for a living Joey?”
“Got the best job ever.” He beemed even brighter than he was. “Well till ice box busted. Now gittin’ fixed for best job ever.” He waved the medallion with excitement.
Again the man and woman just looked at each other. Then she asked, “when you get the ice box fixed, what will you be doing?”
Joey through back his head laughing, “workin’!”
Four months later:
“Stew, it’s hot as hell out here. What are we doing.”
“Our viewers are demanding a follow up piece on Joey.” He answered. “Give the people what they want.”
“Did we have to do it on the hottest day of the year?” She bemoaned.
“This shouldn’t take long.” He reassured her.
“Then I can take a shower.”
“This address is in the middle of freaking no where.” Stew commented as the pavement turned to dust. “Holy shit,” he looked over the steering wheel at a beautiful set of stairs. They were just hanging out in the middle of nature. Abandoned by human hands. Flowering vines covered them. Birds darted in and out. This place looked cool and inviting.
“Wow!” She commented on the beauty of this place. Looking down at her phone, “this isn’t it.” A ping of sadness filled her.
“What a shame.” Stew moved the SUV forward. This amazing scene was gone as abruptly as it had appeared. They bounced across a set of train tracks. Drove what felt like twenty more miles to a desert. Everything was dry and hot. Heat radiated off the ground like an angry Karen at Wal-Mart on Black Friday.
“What is this place?” As she spoke another set of stairs materialized before them. They were old. Dusty. And looked like they would burn you if you touched them.
“Hot as hell.” Stew reaffirmed as he adjusted his sunglasses.
As they walked toward the stairs, they heard children playing and laughing. The ground shook violently as a train roared down the tracks. “What a nightmare!” She cried.
Under this massive set of stairs they found the laughter. Soft whimsical music was playing from a truck that looked rusted to the ground. But the oversized ice cream on top of the truck was twirling as the music played. Children came running, screaming and cheering toward the truck. Many followed by their parents. No one paid any mind to the well dressed, obviously out of place strangers. Everyone was hyper focused on this truck.
The window in the truck flew open, was hooked in place as a voice they thought was Joey shouted, “ice box fixed!”
The crowd around the truck went wild chanting, “Joey, Joey, Joey.”
“An ice cream truck.” The lady said in amazement. Forgetting the heat and how confused she was about their location?
Stew pulled out his phone, pointing it at the lady who stood in the perfect spot to get the happy people bombarding this truck.
She smiled her camera ready smile, “Hello. Tammy Taylor along with Stew Strump coming to you live from,” she thought for a moment. “Hell, I don’t know where we are.” She shrugged. Giving a moments thought to that beautiful set of stairs they had passed. “The wrong set of stairs on the wrong side of the tracks. A lot of our viewers have been asking for a follow up piece on our Champion of Champions food eating competition winner Joey. Many of us, couldn’t put the pieces together as to what game Joey was really playing. As you can see and hear from the happy people behind me, our grand champion used his prize money to fix his ice cream truck.” She turned allowing Stew to get a close up of Joey handing ice cream out the window to happy people. “I think folks, Joey was right. On this, what feels like the hottest day of the year. He has the best job ever, being the driver of an ice cream truck.”
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