1st place winner
Happy Birthday
- written by Karen Beggs
She knew she would have to get out of there by the time dessert was over. In fact, she knew she had to leave before dessert was even served, or she might not be able to preserve the contents of her stomach. ‘Its only polite to eat what’s on your plate’… even if it makes you vomit? Who thought up that beauty, anyway? She disliked rice pudding under any circumstances, but made with goats’ milk? Totally vile. Some added criteria made it even worse.
Only that morning as she’d watched the herd of Nubian goats out in their pasture, she thought that George really shouldn’t allow that smelly old billy to run with the does. His rank, musky odour tainted the milk. She gagged at the thought.
Her cell ‘phone vibrated in her pocket. She reached for it, pushing back her chair. She smiled at her friends and colleagues around the table.
“Excuse me a moment. I need to take this.”
She stepped out of the dining room into the front hall. It was Jamie. Rather than answer it, she let it run onto voice mail.
“Hey Mom, just checking to see if you’re having a good time. Dad and I’ll be home right after the movie. See you later.” Jamie hung up.
“Yes, yes, okay, I understand.” She spoke, louder than necessary. “Can’t be helped. I’ll be right there. No, don’t worry, I’m sure they’ll understand. See you in a few.” She pretended to end the call, and went back into the dining room, made her excuses, and escaped to go on a phantom mission.
Pleased with her tactics, she drove the three miles to town, bought a ticket to the movie, and stepped into the darkness of the theatre. Searching for her son and husband, she quietly moved down the aisle. They usually sat near the front, because Jamie liked the largeness of the screen from up close.
She spotted his long, slightly wavy hair. At twelve years old he was becoming conscious of his appearance, and had refused to have his hair cut. She squeezed past several people to reach the empty seat next to him, assuming Jim had either gone to the washroom, or maybe forgotten to buy popcorn. Jamie jumped as she sat down next to him. The movie was just showing the beginning credits, and the audience was settling down.
“Mom. What are you doing here?”
“Where’s Dad?” She whispered.
Jamie wriggled, and looked uncomfortable. He settled lower in his seat. Saying nothing, he concentrated on the screen.
“Jamie, where’s Dad?” A little louder this time.
“Don’t know,” mumbled Jamie, mouth full of red licorice. “He left. Said he’d be back when the movie ended. Shhh, Mom.”
“But where’s he gone?”
“Don’t know. Shhh.”
“I’ll be right back. Don’t go anywhere Jamie.”
Jamie rolled his eyes, and slid further down his seat.
She got up, and quietly exited the theatre. When she got out on to the street, she pulled out her cell, and entered Jim’s number. It went straight to voice mail. She chose not to leave a message. The movie would be over in about ninety minutes, and Jamie had said that his father would be back then to pick him up. She could wait.
She wondered if Jim had gone home for some reason. They lived on a beautiful five acres to the south-east of town. They grew their own vegetables, and had a small orchard, of mixed fruit. They kept free-range chickens, and produced what they could on a small scale. Her latest project was growing herbs, drying them, and giving the surplus away to her friends.
A brief thought came that he might be seeing another woman, but she dismissed this as improbable.
She slipped back into the theatre, and watched the rest of the movie with her son. As the final credits were rolling, she sensed, rather than saw Jim, as he walked down the aisle to pick up his son. He started when he saw his wife there too. Quickly controlling his reaction, he gave her a hug, and told her what a surprise it was to see her. He’d thought she had an important dinner date she couldn’t possibly miss.
As they got out of the truck in their driveway, she smelled that damned billy goat smell. Must have impregnated her clothes. She’d have to throw them into the wash right away before the smell made her sick.
Then she heard the bleating coming from the barn area. Multiple bleating in fact.
“Oh, God, no, no, no!” she thought wildly. Jim threw his arm around her, and gave her a big kiss on the cheek, as Jamie danced around with excitement.
“Happy early birthday Hon. I thought goats would be a great addition to our farm. Goat’s milk is healthier than cow’s, plus this will make us even more independent. And guess what? I even got a billy.”
2nd place winner
The Gathering
- written by Stephanie Morin-Davis
She knew she would have to get out of there by the time dessert was over, if she was going to make the rendezvous. She was blessed on two counts, the first being, dinner was on the table by 5:00 pm sharp and secondly, her family tended to devour a meal in total silence, rather than savour it while engaging in thoughtful conversation. The only sound heard was that of cutlery scrapping the plates and grunts to pass the meat and potatoes. The matter was over by 5:15 pm.
Poor Nelia, her surrogate mother, took great pains preparing such delicious meals, only to serve them to four physically spent, ravenous men. Mia loved her family, but would never be seen publically with them in any local eatery.
Nelia has been the only mothering influence in Mia's life and she loved her dearly for the task she took on at the age of twenty. The role of housekeeper quickly morphed into a fulltime position as surrogate mother, one emotionally charged afternoon. A logger's wife was too hard a life, so at two Mia was motherless. Nelia taught her everything she knew, including honouring nature and protecting The Cathedral and Big Wonder, a secret kept even from her brothers. Nelia was Mia's Earth-Mother.
"I'm spending the night with Roxanne. I'll leave a note for Dad," Mia announced too casually as she busily packed food into her bulging rucksack.
"Mia, you're skirting around something you don't want me or your dad to know. What are you up to?" Nelia countered, as she strategically moved to block the kitchen door.
Mia flushed with embarrassment. "We're camping out tonight, that's all. I swear!" she responded defensively seeing the doubt on Earth-Mother's face. "I just don't want Dad or the boys to know."
"There are over 1500 hectares of forest out there, Mia. For as much as that has been your playground these past 17 years, you know they're too dangerous to be roaming around at night," Nelia cautioned sternly.
"We're going into The Cathedral and camping at the falls. This is really important," Mia pleaded. "Roxanne will be waiting for me at Big Wonder at 6:30 and we need to set up camp before it gets dark. Please," Mia implored, "it has to be tonight."
Mia's face suddenly lit up with a new thought. "Come with us, Nelia. I want to show you something mysterious and amazing. There'll be plenty of room. With any luck we won't be sleeping anyway. You're off tomorrow, so it doesn't matter what time we get back."
The unexpected invitation not only intrigued Nelia, but warmed her deeply. She had come to value this young sensitive woman, artist and conservationist, as her daughter and delighted in the knowledge that Mia wanted to share something 'mysterious and amazing' with her.
"I haven't paid homage to The Cathedral yet this year," Nelia replied wistfully then broke into a conspiratorial grin. "There's safety in numbers, right?" A new light filled Nelia's eyes, illuminating her whole face. Mia couldn't help but stare at how beautiful this woman was, inside and out.
"Right!" Mia squealed in agreement as she threw her arms around Earth-Mother in unadulterated happiness.
That exceptional moment was broken by the shrill bleep of the walkie-talkie in Mia's rucksack. "That's Roxanne." Mia grabbed her bag and extracted the handset. "Hey, Rox, there's been a slight change in plans. Earth-Mother is joining us."
"That's awesome, Mia! What's your ETA?"
"We'll be there in thirty. Earth-Mother just has to change."
"Roger that. Don't forget the tripod. We'll get them on film this time."
"Its in the bag. Over and out." Noting the sudden questioning arch of Nelia's brow, Mia avoided eye contact and crisply instructed, "Dress in black, head to toe."
Mia endured Earth-Mother's punitive silence as they negotiated the undulating, bone-jarring drive into The Cathedral. "Enough already, Nelia. I'm not five years old anymore," she squirmed. "I was sketching by the falls and completely lost track of time. I suddenly realized it was getting dark. As I headed back I noticed something was off. The air felt charge and smelled peculiar, like during an electrical storm, and the bugs were literally glowing."
"I went back with Roxanne last night and there were hundreds more, but we just couldn't get a good look at one. They were so evasive. Its like they had a purpose; like they were gathering. There's something wondrous happening in there, Nelia, and I want to record it. Roxanne agreed to camp with me overnight..." Mia continued to justify her actions as they pulled into the glade marking the entrance into The Cathedral.
Her confession was cut short by the sound of Nelia inhaling sharply. The sight of Big Wonder gracing the centre of the clearing, literally took her breath away. The massive elliptical rock balancing horizontally atop a great stone pillar was a breathtaking sight on its own, but at that very moment in time, it was otherworldly. This primeval bronze and pink stone sculpture was radiant, vibrating with shimmering, lustrous light as rays of the setting sun struck the metallised stone.
The Cathedral itself, an ancient forest of Douglas-Fir, Hemlock and Western Cedar, was bathed in an extraordinary ethereal light of warm white, emerald green and raw umber. Visually, everything appeared diffused, slightly out of focus and the air was redolent with the heady scent of evergreens, lush ferns, lichens, mosses and moist earth. All of this magnificence was made possible because it grew protected in a cool, moist niche between the Canadian Rockies and Caribou Mountains.
Upon exiting the car, Nelia shuddered as the hairs on her arms and neck stood on end. The forest was electric with energy - supernatural energy. She always believed this was once a sacred ground.
"It took you three days to share this?" she whispered in awe, eyes brimming with tears.
"You haven't seen anything yet," Mia whispered back while filming the spectacle before them until it ended with the shifting light. She took Earth-Mother's trembling hand and headed toward Roxanne.
As the three of them ventured deeper into The Cathedral, all communication ceased. They moved quickly and quietly, reverent of the unseen entity they all felt. Nelia watched as the girls prepared for the anticipated mystical event to unfold. Within moments they set up camp under the shelter of a cave-like hollow in the rock wall opposite the falls. The black tent melted into black rock. The shroud of night dissolved what remained of their visual presence. Their auditory presence was likewise obliterated by the rush of water cascading over the 60 meter drop.
Side-by-side, shoulder-to-shoulder the three sat mutely, patiently waiting for what seemed like hours. Then Mia touched Nelia's chin and gently directed it to the left of the falls. Her movement alerted Roxanne that something was happening. She pressed the record button and offered up a silent prayer that something wonderful would be captured.
They were almost imperceptible at first and only caught out of the corner of one's eye, a millisecond of light flashing softly in the distance, here and there, darting playfully around the trees. Nelia thought they were fireflies, but that notion was quickly dispelled. Gradually the flicker was sustained for half a second, then a full second and finally perpetually, revealing extraordinary ever-shifting little iridescent pink and blue spherees - each about the size of a child's marble.
There were thousands upon thousands of them. The falls were transformed, magically illuminated by these mysterious tiny dancing orbs, moving effortlessly in and out of the cascading water. They flitted gracefully around rocks, fluttered enchantingly through ferns and tall grasses at the water's edge. As if on command, all merged into one great cohesive ball, ascended high into the air just above the tree canopy then dispersed like a dazzling firework. Thoughts connected, the observers simultaneously comprehended these were not bugs, but spiritual energy in its purest form expressing pure joy.
Paralysed with awe, rooted to the rock like the giant trees surrounding them, cloaked in utter darkness, tears flowed and bodies vibrated. Mia was first to break free from the spell. She stopped recording, removed her camera from the tripod, then extracted the powerful flashlight from her rucksack and began walking toward Big Wonder. Roxanne and Nelia followed closely in absolute silence and understanding. This was a sacred place and these mortal beings had just been blessed. They had been humbled.
It was days before Mia could retrieve the gear from The Cathedral. Emotionally she felt unworthy to touch its soil, undeserving to breathe its air, but the event solidified the necessity to protect her inheritance - that ancient forest.
No one spoke about the gathering, as a silent protective covenant had been drawn between them. They did, however, hold a 'gathering' of their own as they sat wordlessly side-by-side, shoulder-to-shoulder in the privacy of Mia's bedroom reliving the most miraculous night of their lives.
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