Thursday, May 23, 2013

Call Me MAYbe Flash Fiction #17: Trusting Friends by M.C.V. Egan


Welcome to the Call Me MAYbe Flash Fiction Challenge!!
All stories begin with "The phone rang" and are no more than 1,000 words. Deadline to submit is May 31. For full contest rules and prize list, visit this link: http://mystiparker.blogspot.com/2013/04/next-month-call-me-maybe-flash-fiction.html




# 17: Trusting Friends
by
M.C.V. Egan

The phone rang. It was three a.m. and Lacey was sound asleep and in no mood to answer. It rang again and she looked at the screen. She almost decided to let it go to voicemail, but answered
instead. She could tell that Randie had been drinking by the tone and pitch of her voice.

“Sorry it’s late but I really need your help.”

Lacey answered with a soft sleepy voice, almost a whisper.

“Randie is three a.m. this better be important”

“Jack is sleeping with one of my friends.”

That got Lacey’s attention as she sat up in her bed.

“What? Who?”

“I am not sure, but it is one of my friends with brown hair, that’s why I called you.”

“Did you see him?”

“No I didn’t. Don’t laugh, I called a very reputable psychic and she told me he was going to ask me to marry him, but that he was unfaithful.”

“Oh please it is 3:00 a.m.”

“She was really good, she saw images, and she described how he was one of the tallest men she ever saw. Then she described his fancy office and she said he was a lawyer. She described my fancy large wedding and the bouquet-she said it had Sunflowers and Daises, YOU KNOW those are my flowers!”

“Those are your favorite flowers. That is odd.”

“I know! She said that clairvoyants see images; they don’t hear voices, or talk to the dearly departed. She saw the images and I interpreted what they meant to me.”

“So she asked you questions?” The sarcasm in Lacey’s voice had a touch of mean.

“No, No she said that she saw a man near me and described Jack to a  “T” and then she said that he was going to ask me to marry him sooner than later. Then she got snippy because she wanted to find her own Prince Charming.”

Lacey and Randie both laughed.

 “I know, weird huh? But then we talked about Jack and she described the wedding and she said he was sleeping with one of my friends.”

“When did she say you were going to get married?“

“She’s clairvoyant and she sees images and not calendars!”

“I am guessing that was her line?”

“Yeah, she said that sometimes she sees snow, of the color of fall leaves, but all she saw was green and sunshine, which is like all year in Florida. But she said when an image is so clear it means sooner than later and to get a nice manicure to go with my big ring.”

“A big wedding? That sounds expensive if you called she could probably tell it was Florida by the area code.”

“Hmmm, maybe; but I know she is a reputable psychic. I told her my folks could not afford anything like that, but she said someone had money; and Jack does. Then she started whining again about her future; she said that she something about forewarned and forearmed, and she saw six bridesmaids and one was sleeping with Jack. Who do you think it is?”

“She was whining about her future? I am confused? How do you know she is a good psychic?”

“Lisa called her a year ago and she got everything right. The psychic lady said that she can see everyone else’s future but not her own. All these wonderful futures for her callers”—Randie laughed.

“Then she said; when is it my turn to be Cinderella?  Can you believe it? But then I asked if she saw any bad stuff in my future. She described the bridesmaids and said that one was looking at Jack like she was still sleeping with him.”

Lacey got out of bed and walked into the next room.

“Aren’t you seeing other guys?”

“Well, yeah, but not his friends! I think it’s Lisa, she sleeps around.”

“Anyhow she told me that I better not toy with a man’s emotions because the whole no greater fury than a woman scorned was probably written by an angry violent man. You don’t think Jack’s violent do you?”

Lacey’s heart began to beat a little faster.

 “No not Jack, but I guess anyone who feels betrayed or hurt is capable of revenge.”

“That was EXACTLY what the psychic said and she said that a lawyer’s job is to fight and retaliate. So do you think I should stop seeing other guys? What if it’s my last chance to have fun?”

“Randie, maybe you should just brake up with Jack and move on. Can you imagine spending the rest of your life wondering if he is with someone else?”

“I know, I would have to get rid of all my good-looking friends, I can’t trust anyone except for you. I would not mind being Mrs. Lawyer. But that is not the point why would Jack sleep with one of my friends, and worse yet why would a friend sleep with Jack?”

Lacey’s fingers combed through her hair, it felt softer and silkier than any other time she could remember.

 “You know what they say; what goes around comes around…Just confront him.”

“Right, what if he IS the violent type?”
“So you want to marry him, but you don’t want to know if he is the violent type? Also it is kind of
mean to pin it on Lisa.”

“Silky brown hair and she’s the type. Thank goodness for your red curls! Ha,ha, otherwise I might not have called.”

Each step Lacey took as she walked back into the bedroom added a bit of discomfort, she looked at her reflection in the mirror. The Keratin and change of color had not been her idea.

The phone slipped out of Lacey’s hand making a crashing sound that woke up the man in her bed.
He opened his eyes and reached over and caressed her arm.

 With great discomfort she smiled as he said,“You look so beautiful Rannn…Lacey; so beautiful.”

****

M. C. V. Egan is the chosen pen name for Maria Catalina Egan, author of The Bridge of Deaths. Originally from Mexico City, Mexico; M.C.V. Egan has lived in various parts of the USA as well as France and Sweden. She is fluent in four languages; Spanish, French, Swedish and English.
She lives in South Florida with her husband, teenage son and five pound Chihuahua. 


 

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Call Me MAYbe Flash Fiction Challenge #16: The Rabbit Man by Jenny Twist



Welcome to the Call Me MAYbe Flash Fiction Challenge!!
All stories begin with "The phone rang" and are no more than 1,000 words. Deadline to submit is May 31. For full contest rules and prize list, visit this link: http://mystiparker.blogspot.com/2013/04/next-month-call-me-maybe-flash-fiction.html






#16: The Rabbit Man
by
Jenny Twist


The phone rang, its shrill tone hooking Evelyn out of sleep. For a moment she couldn’t work out what the noise was and when she did she hesitated. A phone call in the middle of the night was not going to be good news. It went on ringing and she reluctantly fumbled it off its port.

“Evelyn. It’s me.”

“Mum?”

“Evelyn, listen, you have to look out. Watch out for the Rabbit Man!”

Then she was gone. Evelyn continued to hold the phone to her ear, but there was nothing – just the lonely sound of empty wires thrumming in the wind.

Bemused, she put the phone back on its rest. It couldn’t have been her mum. Her mother was dead. But it was. That clipped, upper-class accent was unmistakable.

That didn’t happen, she thought. I’m not going to even think about it.

But she lay for a long time staring at the phone and longing for her mother. Her mother, who had always been there when she needed her. And now wasn’t.


****

The next morning she awoke from disturbed dreams in which a giant, shadowy rabbit was pursuing her down endless corridors. “Watch out!” it called. “Watch out for the Rabbit Man!”

She felt dreadful. Her head seemed to be stuffed with sawdust, her face in the mirror was blotchy and her hair hung in lank strands.

“Oh God,” she muttered. “I can’t go to the Easter Parade looking like this. It’s going to take me forever to sort myself out.”

****

As it happened, she got there early. There was only a scattering of people lining the procession route, although more were arriving by the minute. Families settled down on the verges with picnic baskets and thermos flasks. Children ran about excitedly and parents made half-hearted attempts to calm them down.

Evelyn clapped her hand over her ridiculous Easter bonnet just in time to prevent a sudden gust from blowing it away. “Silly me,” she muttered and tied the ribbons more firmly under her chin. She had managed to get a place right at the roadside, but when a family arrived with two small children, she ushered them in front of her so they could get a better view. 

“Thank you. That’s very kind of you.” The father smiled at her and then looked down fondly at the boy and girl, both jigging up and down with excitement.

Evelyn bent down towards them. “And what’s the best thing?” she asked.

“The Easter Egg Hunt,” both children cried in unison.

Evelyn laughed, straightened up and smiled at their parents.

“Goodness, that brings back memories,” she said. “We always used to do that when I was a child.” She was assailed by a sudden sharp memory of her mother directing operations as she and her sisters ran up and down the garden, looking under bushes and in the branches of trees. “I didn’t know they still did it.”

“Well, not so much these days.” The mother gave her a shy smile. “I think this is the first time for years. I do like this sort of thing, don’t you?”

“There’s going to be a huge procession and everything,” the little girl suddenly chimed in, “and a competition for the best Easter bonnet.” She eyed the extravagant creation on Evelyn’s head. “I think you might win it.”

Evelyn fingered the ribbon at her neck. She had wondered whether the bonnet wasn’t a little over the top, festooned as it was with ribbons and lace and feathers, but what the hell? It was a holiday, wasn’t it?

“Do you really think so?” The little girl nodded, her eyes bright with excitement.

“It’s starting! It’s starting!” The little boy was jumping up and down on the spot, completely unable to contain himself.

Evelyn watched him indulgently. She had never had children, never married. Too late now.

She looked up as the procession hove into sight.

A Salvation Army band led the way, playing a slightly out of tune rendering of “There is a Green Hill Far Away.” It seemed a bit solemn for the occasion. On the other hand, it was all too easy to forget what Easter was all about.

The band was followed by a series of floats containing cavorting mermaids, fairies and pantomime characters. Dancing alongside was a pantomime horse and Puss in Boots, every so often taking off his feathered hat and bowing to the cheering crowds.

“Hurrah! Hurrah!” The little boy was now in an ecstasy of excitement. “Look, it’s him! He’s coming! It’s the Easter Bunny!”

Evelyn had never heard of the Easter Bunny. Was it something from America? She shaded her eyes against the glare and looked along the road. There, skipping along and carrying a huge basket, was an enormous pink rabbit. Well, a man in a rabbit suit. You could see his face inside the rabbit hood. Every so often he reached into his basket and pulled out a handful of brightly coloured chocolate eggs which he threw into the crowd. On his face was an expression of unholy glee.

Without a moment’s thought, Evelyn reached for the children in front of her.

The people round about watched in amazement as the woman in the ridiculous hat threw the two little
http://gracesgraphics.com/view/24528
children to the ground and threw herself on top of them.

“Hey!” the father bent forward to intervene just as the Easter Bunny pulled a gun out of the basket and sprayed bullets into the space where a moment ago he had stood.

“Christ!” He fell on top of the struggling heap of Evelyn and children and pulled his wife down after him. 

Over their heads they could hear the rattle of the bullets and the mad voice of the Rabbit Man shouting, “Happy Easter!” over and over again.

Evelyn lay with her arms protectively round the children and tears running down her face.

“Thank you, Mum,” she whispered.


****

Jenny Twist was born in York and brought up in the West Yorkshire mill town of Heckmondwike, the eldest grandchild of a huge extended family. 

She left school at fifteen and went to work in an asbestos factory. After working in various jobs, including bacon-packer and escapologist’s assistant (she was The Lovely Tanya), she returned to full-time education and did a BA in history at Manchester and post-graduate studies at Oxford.
She stayed in Oxford working as a recruitment consultant for many years and it was there that she met and married her husband, Vic.

In 2001 they retired and moved to Southern Spain where they live with their rather eccentric dog and cat. Besides writing, she enjoys reading, knitting and doing fiendishly difficult logic puzzles.

Her first book, Take One At Bedtime, was published in April 2011 and the second,Domingo’s Angel, was published in July 2011. Her novella, Doppelganger, was published in the anthology Curious Hearts in July 2011, Uncle Vernon, was published in Spellbound, in November 2011, Jamey and the Alien and Uncle Albert’s Christmaswere published in Warm Christmas Wishes in December 2011, Mantequero was published in the anthology Winter Wonders in December 2011 and Away With the Fairies, her first self-published story, in September 2012.



Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Call Me MAYbe Flash Fiction Challenge #15: The Liar by Rebecca Barray



Welcome to the Call Me MAYbe Flash Fiction Challenge!!
All stories begin with "The phone rang" and are no more than 1,000 words. Deadline to submit is May 31. For full contest rules and prize list, visit this link: http://mystiparker.blogspot.com/2013/04/next-month-call-me-maybe-flash-fiction.html







#15: The Liar
by
Rebecca Barray

The phone rang. 

“Hello?”

“Who is this?”

“You called me; who is this?”

“I want you to know, your boyfriend isn’t what you think.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Your boyfriend, the one that seems so perfect? The one who always says and does just the right thing? It’s all a game to him.”

“Listen, I don’t know you who you are, or what you think you know, but I don’t have time for this…”

“You’re not the only one on my calling list today, either. I’ve already talked to four others. You’re not quite as special to him as he wants you to believe.” 

“And why should I believe anything you have to say?”

“Believe me or don’t; I don’t really care. I just thought you might want to know. Does he call you ‘wildflower’, or ‘butterfly’?” 

“Wait, how do you know…”

“And don’t you think it’s strange that he can only see you once a week, if even that?”

“He’s busy at work. It’s…”

“… A very stressful time for him now, right? That’s what he told the others, too.”

“But…”

“And you’ve probably caught him talking to other girls, too. Right? He probably said that they’re crazy?”

“Nope. You’re wrong there. He’s never said that.”

“Then suicidal, maybe. And he just doesn’t want them to do anything to hurt themselves. Is that it?”

“…”

“I’ll take that as a ‘yes’.”

“Who is this?”

“His soon-to-be ex-wife.”

“But he’s not married…”

“I just wanted you to have the warning I wish I’d gotten. Do whatever you want with it. Have a nice life.”

The phone rang again.

“Um…hello?”

“Hey there, wildflower.”

“Hi… I’m not feeling so well right now. Can I call you back later?”

“Well, I’m going to be busy here at work all evening, so you can’t call me. But I can try to call you, if I get a minute.”

“Sure.”

“Listen, one more thing. There’s this woman I work with. She’s been hitting on me and trying to get me to go out with her for a while now. I didn’t tell you cause you have nothing to worry about. I told her I have a girlfriend, and I’m not interested in anything else right now, but she just won’t listen. I think she’s a little crazy, honestly. Anyway, I left my phone at my desk when I went to the bathroom earlier and I think she might have been messing with it. I just wanted you to know in case she tries to call you or something.”

“Okay…”

“You know how special you are to me, right? I love you.”

“I know.”

“Well, anyway, I’ve gotta get back to work. You know how stressful it is for me right now. I’ll call you later, if I get a chance. Bye-bye, butterfly.”

“Bye.”

I picked up my phone and dialed customer service.

“Hello. How can I help you today?”

“I’d like to change my phone number, please.”

****


Rebecca Barray is a mommy, writer, reader, photographer, and perpetual student. She spends most of her time chasing toddlers, but her precious free time is spent writing, photographing, and learning as much as she can about anything. She has three energetic children, a fun-loving husband, a messy cat, a lazy dog, and some very resilient fish. 

You can find her on FacebookTwitter, and Becca's Blog.

Monday, May 20, 2013

Call Me MAYbe Flash Fiction #14: All That Glitters by Alayna-Renee Vilmont



Welcome to the Call Me MAYbe Flash Fiction Challenge!!
All stories begin with "The phone rang" and are no more than 1,000 words. Deadline to submit is May 31. For full contest rules and prize list, visit this link: http://mystiparker.blogspot.com/2013/04/next-month-call-me-maybe-flash-fiction.html








#14: All That Glitters

by 

Alayna-Renee Vilmont


The phone rang.

Of course, in reality, it didn’t. Isabelle had been lying in her bed all day, imagining the sound of the all-too-familiar ringtone she knew so well. Each sound gave her hope, the desperate wistfulness of the innocent. She was seeking a lifeline that would never arrive, and she knew it.

She hadn’t been able to move from her comfortable little world for nearly two weeks. It was comfortable because it was hers, perhaps the only thing in the world that was. More than that, it gave her the luxury of remembering the days they’d spent there together. If she closed her eyes, she could still feel him beside her, and for one moment, delude herself into thinking she wasn’t alone.

She’d given up everything for him, but forgot to turn his world upside down in the process. Isabelle was charming, but too dull for her husband, who lived life on the edge. All he’d ever wanted was the best of everything. Isabelle had been much, but never that.

By the end, too much damage had been done to turn back. She knew he’d taken off for a “conference” without so much as a word, meeting up with the girl he’d clearly chosen instead of her. They both knew there was no conference, and neither would say a word to the other. There was simply no point.

Isabelle didn’t resent the girl, someone she’d never met. She was a girl with an air of confidence, free-spiritedness, someone who possessed an otherworldly way of being that allowed her to fly above everyone else. The girl was young, and pretty enough, but her rules were not yet society’s rules, and that’s what drew others in. Isabelle knew that girl had caused controversy with her scandalous and short-lived marriage, the affair that almost ruined a reputable university professor, a number of flings with less than suitable partners, and a string of oddly besotted admirers. The stories Isabelle heard made her laugh at her own husband’s folly. She didn’t have to meet the girl to know there was little to distinguish her from every other insecure young child playing at being a rebellious grown-up. Eventually, she’d disappear.

Except, she hadn’t, and had instead become a 20-year-old albatross dragging Isabelle down into the security of her bed. Isabelle had become obsessed, and learned to be a proficient stalker. She followed the girl to her classes, noticing the way she walked, the irritating way she had of turning her head as if knowing the world was looking. After following her husband to a classy restaurant known for its even more opulent hotel rooms, she’d spotted the girl in a black beaded dress and diamonds. A 20-year-old girl had no right to wear diamonds, she thought angrily as she stormed down the street, tears clouding the luxurious window displays of shops selling to young, privileged girls.

Girls, not women.

The girl was so much smaller and younger than Isabelle expected, and not classically beautiful.  Isabelle was stunning at that age, and she hadn’t lost her looks or her figure, with a little help from a few procedures here and there. Yet, people turned to look when the girl walked by, as if she were someone. This infuriated Isabelle. That girl would never be someone.

One day, she found the girl’s number, recorded in the landline phone. The message had been deleted, but the call history hadn’t been touched. Isabelle wondered why a man as successful as her husband had left it there. She concluded he was either stupid or just didn’t care, and she didn’t know which made her feel worse.

She picked up the phone and called the number, just to hear the girl’s voice. It was high-pitched, but strong. Isabelle immediately hung up, her hand shaking. The girl was strong. Isabelle herself was fading away.  She picked up the phone and dialed again, and again, until all that answered was the cheerful voicemail message.
After that, she was done. Isabelle knew everything she needed to know about the girl.

Isabelle let her husband leave for the “conference” without more than a curt goodbye. She knew the girl was going to meet him outside of the city, at a spa retreat a girl like that would be likely to demand. He’d even ordered a town car for the young ingénue. Isabelle almost admired her.

She poured herself a glass of wine, laid down on the bed, and remembered everything she’d lost, what she’d sacrificed her life for. She pictured her husband’s car flying down the road, speeding towards an inevitable destination, and waited. It had been two weeks. She was lifeless, unable to breathe.

The phone rang.

Isabelle jumped, but of course the familiar ringtone was nowhere to be heard. It was a knock at the door.
She flew downstairs, flung the door open, and saw the girl’s tiny face.

Immediately, she moved to slam the door, before noticing her rival was being supported by two police officers. One of them stepped forward, head lowered.

“Ma’am? I’m sorry to have to tell you this, but there’s been an accident. You’re going to need to come with us to…”

Before Isabelle could say a word, the girl rushed toward her, and threw her arms around her. She waited for a push or a slap, but nothing came but tears.

“They found my father’s car in the river. It was going too fast, and he couldn’t stop in time. It’s all my fault, you know.” Makeup ran from the girl’s tiny face onto Isabelle’s ivory robe. “I just wanted to go to the spa. He promised to take me when I graduated. He even sent a car so I could ride with my friends. He wanted it to be special.”

Isabelle stepped back abruptly, leaving the girl crumpled on the stoop, until one of the men helped her to her feet. The glint of diamonds sparkled in her tiny ears, cold and unforgiving as ice.

****

Alayna-Renee Vilmont is a freelance writer, blogger, performer, and modern-day Renaissance woman currently residing in Atlanta, Georgia. Her first book, “Ophelia’s Wayward Muse”, is a poetic anthology based around the many facets of human relationships and experiences. Alayna is also the voice behind Jaded Elegance: The Uninhibited Adventures Of A Chic Web Geek, which has been entertaining readers since 2000. She maintains an active presence on Facebook, Goodreads, Twitter, and almost every other form of social media out there. If you’d like to follow the adventures of this modern-day wayward muse, please stop by and visit at www.jadedelegance.net

* Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Ophelias-Wayward-Muse-Alayna-Renee-Vilmont/dp/1478218886/

Friday, May 17, 2013

Call Me MAYbe Flash Fiction #13: The Turnaround by L.Y. Levand



Welcome to the Call Me MAYbe Flash Fiction Challenge!!
All stories begin with "The phone rang" and are no more than 1,000 words. Deadline to submit is May 31. For full contest rules and prize list, visit this link: http://mystiparker.blogspot.com/2013/04/next-month-call-me-maybe-flash-fiction.html







#13: The Turnaround 
by
L.Y. Levand

The phone rang. 

Ellie looked away from the computer monitor and picked up the cordless phone to check the caller ID. She glanced at the phone’s screen, and then dropped the phone as though it were made of white-hot iron rather than plastic.  

She didn’t recognize the number. But she knew who it was. 

She stared at the dropped phone as it continued to ring, rattling on the desk. 

She took a deep breath. Answer it, or no? As if to help her decide, mental snapshots flipped through her head, one at a time. 

The first time they’d been in the same room for longer than a few minutes. She’d laughed so hard that day; harder than she had in months. 

The first time they went somewhere as a couple. They’d cleaned light fixtures. The floor had looked like it had snowed because of all the dust. 

Their first kiss. She knew exactly where it had happened, and could take you there in a heartbeat. When and where he proposed to her. Her birthday, the picture of him tickling her in the sunshine, both of them laughing, happy. 

When things started to fall apart. A picture of her, pale, with white lips and huge dark eyes, next to a picture of what she’d looked like before – rosy cheeks and a smile. The way he'd kicked that chair when he was angry; the holes he'd punched in the wall with a pen; the way he'd treated everyone else when he had been angry with her. 

When he threatened to lay down in a parking lot so he could get run over, to force her to tell him something he wanted to know. 

The day she finally realized that he really didn’t respect her and he’d called her a name. She discovered he had manipulated her to get what he wanted. Layered on the guilt, over and over. She broke it off; sat on the couch and missed him, crying. She had even considered suicide. How had it all gone so wrong? 

He had pressured her after that, trying to get her to come back. Calling her, sending her messages, talking to her. She had wavered, considered. She missed him so much it hurt like a physical pain. He tried to kiss her, to hold her hand, to convince her things would be different. She'd almost believed him. 

But then he was arrested. 

She’d heard the truth, then. 

He was arrested on charges of sexually molesting a minor. Four girls. Ten counts. 

It had started with a phone call that seemed as innocuous as this one. It had gotten both worse, and better. He was far away, but it was all people could talk about. No, she wasn't okay. Why did they have to ask? She wanted to pretend it had never happened - why did they have to keep talking about it? 

He had called once, before his hearing. Even then, his hold was strong. He'd wanted her help in his case. She'd said she would testify for the defense, but they'd never called. 

...and then, afterward, the day she had finally looked up the symptoms of emotional abuse. When she had found every problem she’d ever had during her relationship under the heading ‘Your Situation Is Critical If...’ and cried some more. 

She’d loved him. So much. And not only had he cheated on her, but he had knowingly done things to harm her. And, perhaps worst of all, he had harmed children. In her mind, it was the ultimate betrayal. 

He’d manipulated her. He could find some way to get to her, whatever the situation. He knew what she wanted from life, and he would use that as ammunition against her. He'd known what she wanted to hear, and would say it even if it was all a lie. And she had believed it. 

She had withdrawn into herself after his arrest. No one really knew how she felt, not even herself. But, slowly, the thoughts, the reminders, stopped hurting so much. She could hear his name without flinching. Then, finally, the day came when her smiles were no longer forced. How ironic that her freedom had come when he lost his. 

She stared at the phone ringing by her hand, biting her lip. She wanted to hear his voice again, even though she had been denying his existence for months. 

As she looked at the phone, an alarm blared, jerking her back to the present. She reached for the button to shut it off, and a small smile played across her lips as more recent memories came back. 

She had begun a journey he wouldn't understand. Perhaps, when he finally got out of jail, he would be afraid of her. She was no longer physically afraid of him - she could thank her instructors for that. As she gathered up her gear to go to her martial arts class, she grinned. 

One day when he got out of jail, she would find him. And he would be afraid. He would be afraid because she intended him to know what she’d become. She would meet him in an alley, look him in the eye, and he would know that she could beat him if she so chose. But she would smile, and walk away, leaving him untouched. He would know that his hold on her had been broken - for good this time. 

Because she would not take advantage of weakness, as he had. Because she wanted him to know that she had succeeded in everything he had failed to accomplish. She would be happy, and she would be free. But she was not yet ready to face him. 

The phone rang into silence. 

She had gone. 

****


 L. Y. Levand is an aspiring family fantasy author with such an abiding love of the Lord of the Rings series that she has been forbidden from watching the movies by her family. Her favorite color is purple, and she is an acknowledged popcorn hog. A third degree black belt does not stop her from tripping over her own feet or closing fingers in doors, and does not guarantee keeping her balance when tackled at the knees by young children. 


Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/L.Y.Levand?ref=hl
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6444904.L_Y_Levand
Website/Blog: http://lylevand.weebly.com/