Tag: Storytelling

Rabbit Ears

K L Kent ~ Author

The hotel was one of those sketchy ones, buried deep on the back roads away from the highway.  Jack hadn’t intended to stop but with the fog rolling in, heavy and blinding, he was left with no choice.  The couple who owned it were nice enough.  They even invited him to enjoy dinner with them.  He smiled at the idea, but wasn’t a fan of small talk, and he really didn’t want to share anything about his trip.  So he accepted a prepared plate and then settled into his room for the night.  At first he held out hope that the fog would be short lived, like low lying clouds in this part of the mountain, but as his car disappeared under a blanket of rolling whiteness his plans for a quick departure disappeared.

He didn’t have much with him, having left home in a rush, so entertainment was left to a small TV in the corner with an antenna for reception.  He picked up the remote and hit power while he found a comfortable spot on the bed.  As he had expected the TV fired up, but instead of local channels all he found was static snow.  He flipped through a few but only found the same thing.  About to give up he flipped once more and was surprised to find a grainy image breaking through.  He wasn’t 100% sure what he was seeing, but the sounds accompanying it gave him a clear idea.  For lack of anything better he allowed the sounds of heavy breathing and moans fill the room and be his distraction.  It helped that he recognized some of the music and knew this was a movie he was familiar with; he could imagine the images hidden behind the snow.  He relaxed a little further into the bed.

His mind wandered away with the sound lulling him into a sleep he hoped would be filled with erotic dreams.  Images began to form, soft curves moving towards him and then a caress.  Colors began to blend into flesh tones as his brain took over providing the image, and his visions gained more focus.  Until…  He bolted upright in bed.  The murmured tones of passion had been replaced by overpowering static.  Frustrated he got up and attempted to fix the reception.  The antenna was easy enough to move about and he tried every angle, but there was no luck.  He decided to give it a few more tries before turning it off for good.

He lifted the small unit and moved it to the other corner of the television hoping it might put him closer to the source signal.  This seemed to do the trick because he could once again hear voices, but different, and he couldn’t quite make out what they were saying.  He wiggled the antenna a little more and then “don’t know if it will work.  I don’t think we’ll get through.”  “All we can do is try, what is his name again?”  “Jack, I think it is Jack.”  Jack moved to the front of the unit and stared at the screen.  The snow was still heavy but he thought he could make out two figures buried beneath.  “Hello?”  He said, feeling a bit crazy in the moment.  They didn’t respond but kept talking to each other.  “We have to warn him.  If Jack doesn’t leave now, he’ll never escape them.”  Jack laughed to himself, it was a common enough name, he must have picked up a different program.  He turned off the TV and went to the bathroom to relieve himself.

He hadn’t turned on the light, so when his shadow appeared on the wall before him he jumped and peed on the floor.  Cussing he grabbed a towel off the rack to clean up the mess and himself before realizing that it was the TV causing the illumination.  He walked up to it confused.  There were no voices, just snow, so he turned it off again.  It came back on.  He tried again with the same result.  Figuring it was something faulty with the old device; he unplugged it from the wall and returned to bed.

He was again drifting off with heavy breathing and heavy eyes.  He could feel himself sinking into the pillow as the thoughts in his head dissolved into oblivion.  Darkness was closing in around him.  It must have been only moments, and then he was jolted awake as his room was once again illuminated with the static snow of the television.  It was louder this time.  As though the sound was being created in the room instead of coming through the speakers.  He jumped up, staring in disbelief, and then straining to hear the voices that were once again audible behind the snow.  “Jack, Jack can you hear me?”   Jack looked around the room.  “Jack, look at the TV, we need you to focus.”  Jack laughed.  He thought about wheeling the television set to just outside his door. “Nice, this is some elaborate prank.”  “THIS IS NOT A PRANK!”  The voice yelled while slapping an open palm against the inside of the screen causing the unit to shift.

“Shit!” was all Jack could say as he stumbled backwards and fell over the corner of the bed.  He stared in shocked silence.  “Jack, Jack Spenser, you have to leave.  Leave now, you have no time.  They are coming for you.  Run, RUN!”  The voice was adamant, Jack jumped from the floor grabbing his jacket and keys from the table.  He didn’t even think about his shoes.  He just threw open the door to run for his car and hit the road, be damned the fog.

He came up short, when he found his way blocked by two figures.  They were backlit by the light just behind them so he couldn’t make out their features.  He was only aware of the low brimmed black hats and the long black trench coats.  He tried to focus on the faces before him to make out features, desperate for recognition and an end to this surreal moment.  A movement in the distance between them caught his attention.  Another figure was emerging from the fog, dressed in the same fashion.  This was the last thing he saw as a black bag was thrown over his head and his world was lost in darkness.

The smaller of the figures took the bag all the way to the floor before sweeping it closed and pulling it over their shoulder.  They turned and walked away to retreat into the fog.  The second, taller one, took a step inside.  They had been aware of additional, familiar, voices but upon inspection of the room only found the TV alive with static snow.  They walked over and bent down, smiling into the white glow of the screen, with long fingers they reached up and turned the unit off.  As they walked out they collected anything that would have left evidence of Jack’s presence before closing the door and disappearing into the fog. It was an hour later when the old woman decided to check on their guest.  She walked into the registration office and was surprised to find his plate, room key, and a letter.  He was thanking them for their hospitality, but now that the fog had lifted he had to be on his way.  She walked out the door and was greeted with a clear sky, brilliantly lit with stars and moon.  She smiled at his good fortune and wished him the best of luck before returning to her chair in front of the radio.

Tiny Dancer ~ February 7th, 2021

K L Kent ~ Author

She felt a surge of excitement as she heard the taxi door shut outside.  Suzie’s grandma had arrived to celebrate her tenth birthday.  She always had a special surprise planned and Suzie couldn’t wait.  She jumped up from the floor, leaving her crayons and coloring books strewn about, and raced down the stairs straight into the arms of the old woman who had just come through the door.  “Oh, you’re getting so big.  You’re bound to knock an old woman off her feet.”  They both laughed as Suzie was crushed into a hug against her grandmother’s chest.  “Suzie,” her mother called as she walked in from the kitchen.  “Suzie, let Grandma Pat at least get all the way inside.  Hello mother.”  The two women embraced.  “Dinner is almost ready, if you would both like to wash up we’ll be ready to eat momentarily.”

Grandma Pat turned to Suzie.  “Well Button, would you like to help me with my stuff?  We might just find something special inside.”  Suzie couldn’t hide her excitement.  She grabbed the suitcase handle with one hand and her grandmother with the other to lead them both down the hall to the guestroom.  Unpacking was quick.  A few outfits, some toiletries, and a beautifully wrapped box at the bottom.  Now, Suzie was sure her grandmother was a magical creature of some sort.  Whether a witch or fairy godmother, there was something special about the woman.  Suzie knew, just knew, that this gift would confirm her belief.  Suzie fingered the wrapping, wanting to open it right here, but she was interrupted by her mother’s voice coming down the hall.  “Super’s ready, come and get it.”  Hugging the gift Suzie followed her grandmother into the dining room.

Their meal consisted of all Suzie’s favorite foods; chicken nuggets, egg rolls, jello, pudding, tater tots, and of course cake.  Normally, on a day like today, they would let Suzie dominate the conversation, but Grandma Pat had just returned from overseas and all Suzie wanted to hear about was her adventures.  Grandma Pat spent her life working as an archaeologist and even after retiring she continued to explore distant places looking for wonder and excitement.  To Suzie, this made her grandma greater than Indiana Jones, Lara Croft, and Merlin combined.  During the meal they all sat enraptured, listening to Grandma Pat tell her stories of her recent exploits.  “I started in Egypt where I had to test my wits against the curse of a mummy deep beneath a pyramid.  Then I explored the catacombs of Transylvania while you know who was out of town.  From there I took a perilous cruise on the Atlantic and barely survived an encounter with the Kraken.  I then finished in Paris, where I performed with a street circus as their fire eating woman.”  “How about a brief display?”  Suzie clapped in anticipation, but a clearing of the throat from her father ended the notion.  “That sounds amazing Grandma Pat, but maybe another time, and outside.  They all laughed at that.  “Well, I think now it’s time for the most important part of our meal.”  Suzie’s mother stood from the table and walked into the kitchen.  When she returned it was with a cake shaped like a dragon.  “Did I ever tell you about the time I battled dragon’s in South America?”  Grandma Pat asked.  Suzie shook her head no, prompting the story to be told while they ate.

Finally, the moment arrived and Suzie tore the paper from her gift.  Inside was an ornate box and when she opened it a small ballerina turned in place to the tinkling sound of music.  “Wow, it’s a jewelry box, thank you.”  Suzie smiled trying to hide her disappointment.  Her Grandmother chuckled and crouched down next to her.  “this is a very special jewelry box.  Tonight, open it by your window and allow her to dance in the spot light provided by the moon.  I promise, it will be magical.”

That night after tidying up her room and preparing for bed Suzie took the jewelry box to the window and opened it in the moonlight.  Just as before the ballerina twirled in a circle.  Suzie sighed, maybe she was getting too old to believe in her grandma’s magic.  She reached out to close the lid just as the remaining clouds broke.  The light pouring in got brighter and the tiny figure in the box began to dance.  She spun into a pirouette and then lifted her leg into an arabesque.  She was up on her toes waving her arms and then down into a plie’.  The routine was beautiful and the tiny figure moved around the box as though she had a full stage.  She ended with a pirouette and another plie’ that flowed into a curtsy.  Suzie was surprised and thrilled.  She applauded with vigor and then stopped when she realized she wasn’t the only one clapping for the performance.  She looked around her room to find all of her dolls were also applauding the tiny dancer.  She looked back in time to see the ballerina retake her pose as clouds once again drifted over the moon. A light rap on the door announced the entrance of Grandma Pat.  “I’ve come to tuck you in.”  Suzie put the jewelry box on her book shelf and climbed into bed and under the covers.  “Grandma?”  “Hmmm?”  “You really are magic aren’t you?”  Grandma Pat chuckled as she pulled the covers up tight.  Leaning down she said “for you Button?  Always,” and then she planted a kiss on the girl’s forehead.  Grandma Pat walked to the door.  She turned back and smiled back at Suzie “sweet dreams Button.”  Then she pulled the door closed behind her.  Suzie rolled over and looked back at the jewelry box on her shelf.  That night she drifted off dreaming about the tiny ballerina, the magic of her grandma, and the adventures she would have herself someday.