The Pink Journal

30. Wasted Sick Days
Candy sat on the sofa and wiped her nose on a well-used tissue. She was sick, really sick. This wasn’t what she had planned for today. She looked out the window and groaned. It was raining on top of it all.

Candy picked up the phone and dialed her job. She waited for the beep on the call out line and then left her message.

Candy had planned to call off and go shopping in the city but now with a cold and the rain, all she wanted to do was wrap up in a blanket and drink hot tea.

She pulled a blanket from the bed and set the kettle on to heat. She flicked through the many channels and ended up on Netflix watching old Star Trek episodes.

The cold would save her money in the long run. She would have just spent too much and had to work overtime to pay for it all. At least this way, she could stay warm and watch Netflix without having to deal with the drama at work. 

As an afterthought, she turned off the phone. The people at work wouldn’t know what to do without her. She was going to have some “me” time if she had to sneeze, drip, and cough to do it.

After about an hour, Candy decided that sick days aren’t so bad after all.

28. The Time Void
Where does time go when we lose it? Does it fall into a void waiting to be rescued by someone else?

Where ever it goes, once it’s gone it is gone. There is no getting it back. Each minute slips into the void piling on top of each other. Mounds of minutes. Stacks of hours. Piles of days. Time sitting in great mounds everywhere in the void.

It sounds like an odd concept but what if it were true? What if there was a place where unused time was kept? It has to go somewhere.

If there is such a place, wouldn’t we all want to know the way to get some of it back? Would it take a password or special gear to get it from the void?

How would you carry something so elusive as time? Would you need a special pouch or case to bring it back? It slipped through your fingers once so holding on to it would be impossible.

Would we really want to steal time from the void? The price would be high. It would cost us in ways that we don’t expect. Blood, sweat, tears, maybe even the life of a loved one could be what is needed to give in exchange for extra time.

What all of us really need to do is stop letting time slip into the void in the first place. Stop the flow of time into the void as it were. If it isn’t in there then there is no reason to steal it back.

Use time wisely and make it count because when you lose it it will cost you dearly. Its advice we should all heed.      

26. Woman…
She is the one that is the caregiver for all of the ones she loves. She feeds cleans and organizes their lives sometimes at the cost of her own happiness.

She is strength even when she is at her most vulnerable. She is the bearer of children. she is the one that is always there for others even when she herself is hurting.

Perfection and beauty are words that have been used to describe her over the ages. She is not perfect but she is always beautiful.

Woman…

As women we need to remember ourselves as we care for others. There is no shame in taking care of yourself. It will only make her stronger.

Some of us have been taught that we have a “place”. The place they speak of is beside or sometimes even behind a man. The only place we truly have is the one we make for ourselves.

No one can define us but us. We are the strongest of the strong. We are what hold this world together. We must rise as sisters of earth and be our best, make our place and take care of those that haven’t defined themselves yet as women.

Women…   

24. Forbidden Lovers
My Love,
My dearest we are forbidden by the laws of man and the grace of god. It was what they tell me but I know that what they say is not the truth. You and I know the truth. We know what is right even though we are forbidden.  

We are forbidden but alas I am forever near you. I cannot help myself. You draw me close to you as the flame draws the moth. 

They tell me not to look upon you but my eyes are drawn to the sight of you. You are a beauty that I cannot help but gaze upon.

They tell me not to speak your name but my lips betray me. Your name is like my breath. I cannot live without the sound of it.

They tell not to touch you but I cannot help but stroke your soft skin. The feel of your skin fills me with warmth in the coldest place of my heart. 

They tell me not to love you but I have no choice. My heart is bound to yours by threads stronger than the strongest metal.

We are forbidden and I cannot stand for it. I must leave the cruel world that will not allow me to love the one my heart has chosen.

Will you come with me to the fires of hell? We may find peace there as we cannot find it here.

My love, meet me at midnight. I await you with one last kiss before I go as I cannot bear to leave without saying goodbye.
Your Forbidden Love.    

21. The Moses of Space
Battlestar Galactica is the story of Adama leading his people across the galaxy to the promise land. Essentially Adama is Moses of Space and the different peoples he leads are the lost tribes looking for the last of their kind.

The science fiction television show starts with the destruction of his solar system by robots. They journey through the galaxy to find the lost tribe that went to a planet called earth. When the original series ends they receive a signal from astronauts during the moon landing.

There is something to be said for technology and how some believe that it will to destroy humankind. Was this television show a portent of things to come or was it just fanciful thinking coming to life?   

When the original series aired computers were new and expensive. Not everyone had one in their home. That is no longer true. We have laptops and smart phones. 

But that’s not even the extent of how technology has invaded our lives. Now we have robots that clean our floors and artificial intelligence that manage our lives. We are closer to Adama’s world than ever before.

Will we suffer the same fate? Will we need a leader like Adama to lead us to a new home?

Let’s hope that things never get that far but only time will reveal the truth. Science fiction always had a uncanny knack for coming true. 

20. Potion
Mix and stir, bubble and trouble 
This potion makes them see double
Pour and measure, mix it and grind
Give it to the maiden, unkind 
Stash it away, let it ferment
Use it when she starts to lament
Mark the bottle: “give it a rest”
She will give your patience a test
When it is gone make some more quick
So she won’t be hit by a stick

My Dearest Darling,
When you left I promised to keep a light in the window until you returned. I kept my promise.

There is a light in the window burning brightly so you can find your way home, my dear. I keep it burning day or night rain or shine. I never let it go out for fear that you will lose your way and not return as you said you would.

I am waiting patiently but it has been so long now. Many times I have had to change the candle that I have burning for you. I light another before I put out the old.

I am so weary of waiting. Please. Come home soon.
Your Truest Love.

Linda walked into the house and sniffed the air. There was a distinct smell of food cooking. “Frank? Are you here?”

“I’m in the kitchen.” Frank called out.

“Good because I don’t think burglars cook when they break in.” Linda put her bag on the hall table and took off her heels. She padded to the kitchen then stood there in shock.

Frank turned with a smile on his face that faded when he saw Linda’s. “I’m going to clean it up.”

There were pots pans and bowls all over the counter. There was flour on the floor and something dripping off the edge of the island. Two egg shells had just missed the trash can in the corner.

“Oh god! I need wine.” Linda pointed her finger at him. “This better be cleaned up before you go to bed. What did you do? Did use every pot and mixing bowl I have?”

“I think there may be a bowl or two in the cabinet.” Frank sighed. “You’re going to love what I made. Go sit in the living room and I will bring you wine.”

Linda went to sit down and Frank brought her a glass of red wine.

“Dinner is almost ready.” Frank gave her a kiss on the cheek and went back into the kitchen.

Linda took a drink from the wine glass and sighed. It had been the longest week and she was finally free for the next two days.

Frank came back ten minutes later and took the glass from her. “Come sit at the table and eat.”

“Just bring it here and give me back my wine.” Linda said as she reached for the glass.

“Come get it.” Frank said as he walked to the dining room.

Linda sighed and got up. She was relieved when she saw the room wasn’t a mess like the kitchen.

The table in the dining room was set and the candles were lit. It was very romantic.

“Sit down and I will bring the plates.” Frank put the glass at her chair and went into the kitchen.

Linda sat down and waited.

Frank came back with two plates of beef stroganoff and steamed asparagus. He sat the plates on the table and sat down. “Surprised?”

“Stunned. I didn’t know you could cook.” Linda took a taste of the stroganoff. She was surprised how good it was. “Where did you learn to make this?”

“It’s my grandmother’s recipe.” Frank smiled. “I just wanted to share it with you.” He slid a small black box across the table. “Hopefully, I will be cooking for you a lot more when we are married.”

Linda put down her fork and opened the box. The diamond was small but the ring was beautiful. “Yes you will.”     

The ivy clings to the ancient red brick walls. Three grand facades adorn the front of the building. Great windows arch up in height along the outer walls. Stone steps lead up to its heavy oak door.

Great halls and large room await those who enter. The purpose is unknown but the feel is regal almost royal.

Its lawns are littered with trees and shrubs. They are large and could host many types of events.  

Is it a place of learning? Perhaps it’s a manor house of a duke or an earl. One does not know its true purpose without stepping inside.       

The river called
Help me! Save me!
No one listened

The river cried
Please! I’m dying!
No one cared

The river screamed
The river died
Then we died.