Excerpt Wednesday - Deadly Tales

 Excerpts From All Five Stories

I'm Waiting For You

"I'm worried about you, honey," he said again. "Hasn't it ever occurred to you how this woman you claim to see knows exactly where you'll be at any given moment and then shows up out of the blue? You're the only one who can see her."

"I know," she answered, her voice softening. "I wish you could see what I do. I'm not crazy, Will. Please believe me."

"I never said or thought you were, but I don't see anyone wandering down this highway. There hasn't been anyone walking on this road for the two hours we've been on it."

"Maybe my mind is playing tricks on me," she said, but deep inside she knew what she saw was very real. She wasn't dreaming or imagining this woman.  

It's Me

Why are all these people standing around my car?  Maybe they are just curious as to why it's been abandoned on the side of the road.  No, that doesn't make sense, but it's the only explanation I can think of right now. 

I need to push my way through this crowd and get into my car and be on my way.  I'm pushing, but no one is even acknowledging my presence.  I'm speaking, but why aren't they responding?  Why do they appear as though they are looking right past me?  I'm waving my arms.  "Hello!  Please let me through!"

The Ducks

He watched Sally's webbed feet as she waddled towards him, squawking as her eyes beheld the customary feast in his hands. He laughed as she drew closer. "Look what I have for you, Sally."  

She grabbed the bread from his hand. The other ducks stood behind her until she'd had her fill, then watched as she stepped aside. They hungrily devoured the remains of the bread she'd left for them.

For the past six months Joe had pondered this strange behavior, but could come up with no logical explanation. It didn't make sense. He pored over books in the library and traveled to several duck ponds, but none of those ducks acted like Sally did. She was the ultimate leader. Joe watched carefully as her followers finished eating, then looked at her. They didn't move. They never did until she gave the signal…a slight nod of her head. Sally eyed him cautiously, then tilted her head, and led the group back to the other side of the pond.

The Ticket

Aside from his obvious joy of making his employees' lives miserable, Harry Ranko had one other passion—playing the lottery. He was constantly waiting for the big one and had grandiose plans for his winnings, which he didn't hesitate to share with Rosie. The money he threw away weekly on the lottery would have supported Rosie and Bart for a month. Ranko was already a wealthy man and he made sure everyone he met knew it. He had no sympathy for those less fortunate-the more money he made, the more he wanted, and the less he wanted to part with.

Every Thursday Harry Ranko called Rosie into his office to check the numbers on his tickets. Why he trusted her with this task he'd never said and she'd never asked, but would dutifully enter his office after the others had left for the day. His small beady eyes widened with glee when he learned he had a winner no matter how small the payoff. It was his obsession.

The Stranger

The girl looked into her eyes, then flashed her a toothy smile. "I'll have a milkshake, Jenny."

Jenny was caught off guard by the child's familiarity. "I don't believe I've ever met you before. How did you know my name?"

"You never met me, but you knew my daddy."

The waitress frowned. "Where is your father? What's his name?"

"He used to come here all the time when he was on the road driving his truck. He told me all about you and other people in this town. He said it was just about the friendliest place on earth." She smiled again.

Jenny was puzzled. "Is he in the restroom?" 

"He's not with me, but he's in the most beautiful place," she replied softly.

"What's his name?" Jenny asked again.

"May I please have my milkshake?"

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Excerpt Wednesday – Squeaky Squirrel

 Deep in the forest, a little squirrel named Squeaky lived with his mother and father, older brother, Sam, and twin sisters, Jenny and Julie. Actually, Squeaky's real name was Simon, but he'd been nicknamed Squeaky because every time he talked, his voice made squeaky sounds.

 All through the long summer days, Squeaky and his brother and sisters frolicked and swung back and forth from tree to tree as they chased one another in a game of tag. Squeaky loved summertime best of all and wished it would last forever, but when he felt the first nip in the gentle winds that blew through the trees, he knew that it would soon be time to go back to school. He didn't mind school. He'd just rather be playing in the forest all day.  

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Excerpt Wednesday - The Adventures Of Angel

 Excerpts From All Eight Stories

Angel's New Friends

"What are you doing in the forest?" Lou asked. 

"I'm looking for some friends to play with." She looked around herself. "Where's everybody?"

Lou stretched. "Sleeping. That's all everybody does, is sleep." 

"Want to play tag, Lou?" Angel asked. 

"Sure, but you're it," he growled, tapping her on the head. 

They laughed and frolicked for over an hour and ran deeper into the forest. 

Angel's Band

"Butterfly's going to tell us how music is made," Angel eagerly said. 

Piddy joined the circle. 

"Uh hem." Butterfly cleared her throat. "An instrument is anything that makes a pleasant sound. Let me see." She flew around the barn, finally lighting on an old turned upside down tin cup. "Angel, tap on this." 

Angel hopped over to the tin cup. She placed her hands on top and gently tapped on it.

"No, no, no," Butterfly said, flying around her in circles. "You must tap it harder." 

Angel brought her hands down harder. "It doesn't sound very good, Butterfly. In fact it sounds awful!" 

The others agreed.

Butterfly flew once again around the barn, finally sitting down next to an old wooden spoon. "Use this," she said. 

Angel grabbed the wooden spoon and tapped lightly on the tin cup. She excitedly hopped up and down. "I made music!" she exclaimed.

Angel and The Watchdog

Butterfly sat on the ground in front of her. "The house is too close to the road. Farmer Zack worries that someone may accidentally wander into the road and get hurt." She pointed to the tall fence separating Angel from the front yard. "That's why he built that big fence." 

Angel hopped over to the fence. "I think he meant that only for the farm animals," she insisted. "He certainly couldn't have meant it for the garden animals," she stated.

"I believe he meant it for all the animals living on the farm," Butterfly said. 

Angel studied the fence. She looked up at the enormous height, then down to the ground. She hopped closer. "I bet I can crawl under that old fence," she bragged. She lay on the ground and tried to push herself under the narrow opening, but found herself just a little bit larger than the opening. "Hmmm," she said as she bounced back and forth for a few minutes.

Angel's Wish

"But Herman will come back. We have to do something for Herman," Angel insisted. 

"Let's all think about what we can do for Herman," Butterfly said. 

They huddled together deep in thought. Finally Angel jumped up and down, clapping her hands. "I know what we can do! We can wish Herman better!" 

"Growl. What good will that do?" Lou asked. "I wish for lots of things, but that doesn't mean I ever get everything I wish for. Usually I don't get anything I wish for," he frowned.

"Yes," the others agreed with Lou. "Wishing won't help Herman to get better." 

"It's better than doing nothing at all," Angel protested.

Butterfly sat on Angel's back. "Angel's right. Wishing is better than doing nothing at all." She looked at Lou. "Sometimes our wishes don't come true because we may be wishing for something that's not good for us, like too many treats. If we had too many treats, then that could make us sick. Or wishing for it never to rain again. That wouldn't be a good idea because then the fields would dry up and we would have no food to eat or water to drink. But when a wish is for someone else instead of ourselves, then that's the nicest kind of wish there is."

Angel's Parade

"I have an important announcement," Angel said in a serious voice as her friends gathered around her. 

"Moo! What is it, Angel?" Herman asked as Leo ran to his side. 

Piddy and Lou hurried over to her, with Bugg and Danny following behind them. 

Butterfly flew overhead. "Everyone, please listen to Angel's announcement." She rapidly flapped her wings up and down. 

Angel cleared her throat. "Our band is getting better and better every day." She looked at Butterfly. 

"Hmmm…yes," Butterfly replied. "It is much better than when we first started."

"We're going to make a marching band and be a parade. Everybody pick up your instruments and then stand in line, and when Butterfly calls your name, make a sound on your instrument."

A Secret For Angel

Lou frowned. "We can't tell you what the secret is, Angel." 

"Oh, please tell me, Lou," she begged. 

"We can't, or it wouldn't be a secret." 

"Does everybody else know what the secret is?" Angel asked. 

Lou nodded. 

"Well, then tell me and we'll all know." 

"We would if we could, but we can't," Piddy said, looking at the others. 

"Do Herman, Leo, Bugg and Butterfly know the secret?" 

"Yes, Angel, we all know the secret," Danny answered. 

She wiggled her nose. "Doesn't anyone want me to know the secret?" 

"Growl. We have to go now, Angel. We'll see you later." 

Tears filled her eyes. "Okay, then. Goodbye, everyone," she said sadly as she slowly hopped away.

Angel's Glasses

Butterfly tapped Angel's head. "You're it, Angel." 

Angel looked around as everyone scattered. She hopped and ran as fast as she could to catch Danny. She reached out to tag him, but he ran as fast as a walrus could out of her reach. 

Danny smiled. Usually he was tagged right away, but today was different. He wondered if he was getting faster. 

Angel suddenly stopped, then rubbed her eyes. She squinted as Danny hurried away. 

"What's the matter, Angel?" Butterfly asked worriedly. "Why didn't you tag Danny?"

"My eyes are blurry again," she said as she looked at the others coming toward her. She blinked a few times, but they were still blurry.

Angel's New Sister

"Angel, the baby is going to be a part of our family, whether you want her to be or not. That's not going to change. I need you to help me get the nest ready." She patted Angel's head. "You'll always be my special girl." 

Angel crinkled up her nose. "Can I go play with my friends now, Mommy?"

"Yes, but make sure you're back in time for supper." 

Angel hurriedly hopped out of the garden. She scurried over to the flower garden, seeing Butterfly sitting on top of a sunflower. "Hi, Butterfly." She waved.

Butterfly flew over to her and landed in front of her. "I was waiting for you, Angel. What do you want to do today?" 

Angel shrugged. "I don't know." She sat down and put her face in her hands. 

"Don't you feel well, Angel?" Butterfly asked worriedly. 

"I feel fine, Butterfly." 

"What's the matter then?" She tipped a wing in Angel's direction. "You look so sad."

 Angel frowned. "Mommy's having a baby."

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Excerpt Wednesday – Angel's New Friends

 Stand Alone Book From The Adventures Of Angel

What are you going to do today?" Butterfly asked. 

Angel wrinkled her nose. "I'm going to find some new friends to play with!" she announced as she hopped away. 

"No, you can't!" Butterfly warned, nervously flying around Angel in circles. 

"I'm a big girl," Angel stubbornly answered as she washed her face.

 "Besides, I heard Froggy telling neighbor Groundhog that he met some very nice forest animals on his vacation." 

"But you'll get into trouble, Angel. Those animals and insects aren't our kind. You have to stay in the garden." 

"I don't care, Butterfly. I'm going to see who's in there," Angel said and scurried into the dark forest. 

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Excerpt Wednesday - Revenge

 "I’ll give you your release instructions on your final visit. I’ve already gone over most of it with you. Take your medication as prescribed and report as scheduled to your outpatient counseling sessions." Dr. Gilbert Simpson shifted his heavy body in his large well-worn, stiff wooden chair, as he looked hard at the twenty-eight year old, dirty, blond-haired, blue-eyed, husky, square-jawed man sitting across from him. There was no doubt in his mind that Jackson Bridges was deeply disturbed. 

Jackson eyed the doctor coldly. He shoved his hands into his jeans pockets. "You don’t like me. I could tell from the first day I met you." He shrugged his broad shoulders. "That’s okay because the feeling’s mutual, Doc." 

Simpson kept quiet as he studied him. Without the proper daily supervision and medication the hospital gave him, he would snap again. It was only a matter of time.

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Excerpt Wednesday – The Stalker

 Jeremy sat on the bus, staring blankly out of the window. He heard the familiar echoes and tightly closed his eyes for a few seconds. 

You almost blew everything! they shouted. 

But I didn’t, his mind screamed back at them. He popped his eyes back open, then cautiously looked at the other passengers. No one made eye contact with him. They were involved in their own private thoughts. He settled back in his seat as the bus stopped and passengers got off and new ones got on. 

It’s a good thing we were there to help you keep your cool. Forget Rebecca. She’ll never be your girlfriend, they hissed. 

Yes, she is! his mind shouted, repeatedly trying to drown out their screeching, hissing voices. He’d concentrate on Rebecca. Thoughts of her brought a smile to his lips. He couldn’t wait to see her again. As he willed himself to focus just on her, he chased the demons to the far corners of his mind.

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Excerpt Wednesday – Over The Edge

 Maggie gazed out of the kitchen window at the thickening clouds then slowly stood up, scraping the chair across the worn linoleum floor. She hoped the impending rainstorm would give some relief to the heat. She was restless tonight, and a feeling of loneliness overtook her. She hated these melancholy moods. Sometimes they’d creep up out of nowhere, almost suffocating her. 

She eyed her meager possessions. This was all she had to show for years of her hard work. It hadn’t always been this way. Once she had everything she ever wanted or could possibly want, but that seemed like a lifetime ago. Right when she was at the top, an error in judgment caused her to topple and land in a crumpled heap back down at the bottom. All she could do was lie there wondering what had happened and try to claw her way back to the top. But that was never to be again. Her life would have to begin anew. 

Today she lived in a tiny, rented, rundown trailer, barely able to afford the monthly rent and utilities. She was grateful to have her job as a waitress, even though it paid only minimum wage plus whatever tips her customers gave her. She had quickly learned that a customer would be more willing to part with his hard-earned cash if she were friendly. In time she felt a distinctive bond growing with the regulars, as they became the family she yearned for, filling the empty void within her. Her friendliness toward them soon became less forced and instead genuinely sincere. Maggie had grown accustomed to their stories and jokes, and when they talked about their families and adventures, she felt like she was a part of their lives. 

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