Tuesday, April 2, 2013

The Burden

Agnes heaved the dusty bag up the rickety steps, one hand gripping the drawstring, the other grasping the railing.  Each step was laborious, but the memory of Uncle Earl's deceit kept her moving, step by grueling step toward the cellar door above.  His swindling hands...step.  His cruel lies...step.  His heartless indifference...step.  As Agnes panted, wiping the sweat from her eyes, she could hear the engine humming just outside.  Gertrude had arrived.

She blinked in the blinding sunlight and lumbered around the side of the old farm house, dragging the burdensome load behind her.  Just a little further and you'll be finished, she told herself.  Gertrude waved at her through the windshield and swung open the door.  The deafening roar of the propellers made Agnes grimace.  She hated flying.

"Ready?" Gertrude shouted over the din.  Agness nodded, hefted the canvas bag up and settled into her seat.  She closed her tired eyes and waited for her sister to taxi the Cessna to the end of the corn field; the bag lay heavy at her feet.  As the plane lifted, she caught her breath, enjoying the sudden sensation of weightlessness.  The ancient farm shrunk below as the plane banked to the left, toward town.  Eyes wide, Agnes watched Main Street come into view.  She tapped Gertrude on the shoulder, pointing toward the tall spire; the orphanage lay hidden amongst the trees.  Her sister nodded and smiled behind her aviator glasses.

"This is for all the times you took what wasn't yours," she whispered as the plane droned. "These kids won't have to go without.  Unlike us.  Happy Birthday, Uncle Earl."  Agnes pulled the drawstring on the bag and watched the hundred dollar bills flutter in the wind.  Gertrude hooted and hollered from her seat as they watched the embezzled money rain down on the town below.

Agnes felt lighter than she had in all her 87 years.  Lighter than air.


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Linking up with Trifecta: 33-333 words inspired by the single word rain (to take a lot of money in bill form and toss it up in the air.)



Linking up with Write at the Merge this week - inspired by the words:  cellar door ("perfectly euphonic phrase, some say the most beautiful in the English language.") and a picture of a propeller..

26 comments:

  1. Aww,what a beautiful story!Kind of poetic justice!Initially I thought it was a body that she was dragging,ha!ha!Nice twist in the tail of the tale:-)

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    1. Thanks! I had thought I would let that mystery settle for a bit..."what's in the bag?"... so I'm glad it puzzled you. But I shy away from lifeless bodies in my writing! Much happier with their gleeful tossing of the cash!

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    1. That's wonderful news! I had hoped to leave the story on a high note! Thanks for stopping by and commenting.

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  3. This is great! It has such a nice message. (:

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    1. Thank you --- hope for those sweet old ladies to be free from that cantankerous, stingy fellow.

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  4. I had to read twice as I thought Uncle Earl was in the bag and they were throwing him out! Then of course I realised that was the idea :-) Very good take on the prompt Morgan!

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    1. Thank you ... it was fun to play with the puzzle of the bag a bit. "Do I want to know what's in there?" Nah...no dead bodies here! :)

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  5. What a happy image to end with, knowing people would come out to find money scattered on the ground like rain. A fun take on the prompt.

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    1. Thank you! I had hoped for a smile at the end...even if it started out heavy. I wouldn't mind waking up to money on my front porch!

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  6. Love the old ladies in the Cessna.

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    1. Yes -- a fun little visual in my head! Grey hair blowing in the wind. :)

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  7. Wonderful story - or the end to a story - leaving me with a fine sense of satisfaction which is remarkable since the rest of the tale is untold - you've done a fine job in suggesting all the rest.

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    1. Thank you -- it's tough to squeeze in 87 years into 333 words! Love the challenge of making words speak volumes.

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    1. Thank you! It was fun to write and re-read -- brought a smile to my face, too.

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  9. Originally I thought Uncle Ed was in the bag - This is so much better. Love the suspense. Love the resolution.

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    1. Good! And thanks for the encouraging words. I love when the story in my head makes sense on paper.

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  10. Like everyone else I thought there was a body, what a nice twist, a good way to deal with the money. Well done as usual with the prompts.

    Katie atBankerchick Scratchings

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    1. Thank you for your kind and encouraging words. Glad you enjoyed it ... and that you, too, could experience a pleasant surprise!

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  11. Of course I thought it was Uncle Earl in the bag. Good job fooling me!
    I love the ending, what a good use for Uncle's dirty money.

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  12. I loved the lightness of the ending. Letting go of the family sins will do that. Well done--I needed a smile!

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  13. This was good...you had me thinking that Earl was in the bag. Nice twist that they made it rain :)

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  14. At first, I thought the bag could have been Earl to drop in the ocean. Dropping his ill gotten gain to someone who needs it is a better idea. lol, I enjoyed it.

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  15. This is great! I love that Agnes is 87.

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  16. What a feeling! Thanks for letting us share in it.

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Thanks for visiting! Your comments are warm fuzzies! (And con-crit is always welcome, too.)