Thursday's Author Tribute Selection (week 1)

The selection for Thursday's Author Tribute is Lori McClure. Her take on the prompt for week one's Short Story Slam took the photo far beyond bright colors and excitement. Her short story Strangers is a moving glimpse into what loss might look and feel like to some.

Here is her contribution :

 "Strangers"

Another day to pretend all is fine, to pretend this fractured relationship forms a tiny family. I knew Dad thought this would make us happy again. I knew it would not. A ridiculous hot air balloon would not allow us to fly above our problems, float past our worries. When grass finds our feet again, we will feel the collective weight of our conflicts, our hurts, our sorrows come crashing back on our heads.

I kicked my foot in the dirt and stayed a good ten feet behind him drilling home the passive aggressive point that my presence was not an admission of willing participation. Inside, I was kicking and screaming like a tantrum-throwing toddler.

“Come on, Jimmy! Catch up!” 

How could Dad believe this would work? He seemed a pitiful simpleton as I searched his face for the familiar. I only saw a stranger forging full blast into a pipe dream. Nausea settled deep in the pit of my stomach. I stretched my arms out, yawned, and kicked the ground one last time. I forced my spine straight and yelled, “I’m coming!”

I gave him just enough to let him know I was trying, and when I caught up to him, I couldn’t stop the question from spilling out, “You know this won’t change a thing, don’t you? Life will still suck after this day is over.” I looked straight into his eyes, so he could see my hurt.

Instead, his pain gushed back at me as he said, “Son, I’m not delusional. I know this won’t bring her back,” he looked down, composing himself before continuing on, “but if I don’t get my feet off this ground, I’m afraid the earth might swallow me whole.”

I put my hand on his shoulder. We stood in the field together understanding for the first time in months; we were more the same than different.

Celebrate this author's achievement by visiting her blog and congratulating her. Don't forget everyone has the opportunity to be celebrated on the opposite week of Short Story Slam, so leave a great poem or story and you could be the next one we celebrate.

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       Lori McClure

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