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    Twisted and Warm: A Short Story Collection
    Twisted and Warm: A Short Story Collection
    Twisted and Warm: A Short Story Collection
    Ebook100 pages1 hour

    Twisted and Warm: A Short Story Collection

    By Jacqueline Druga

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    About this ebook

    Where there is death, there is fear, love, missing, dementia and sometimes smiles. Twisted and Warm is a collection of short stories by Author Jacqueline Druga. Ranging from twisted to warm, Jacqueline gives you ten short stories all of which deal with the theme of death in one way or another.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherGreatOne AS
    Release dateJan 17, 2011
    Twisted and Warm: A Short Story Collection

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      Book preview

      Twisted and Warm - Jacqueline Druga

      Warm and Twisted

      A collection of Short Stories by

      Jacqueline Druga

      Twisted and Warm

      By Jacqueline Druga

      Copyright 2011 by Jacqueline Druga.

      Published by GreatoneAS at Smashwords

      This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any person or persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

      Table of Contents

      Tell Me About the Dragon, Daddy

      Fertile Land

      Spacemen and Neuroticism – About the Author

      Mango

      The Husband

      Seth

      Sick Bastard

      Waiting Room

      Artist in a Box

      The Choice

      Tell me about the Dragon, Daddy

      Tell me about the dragon, Daddy.

      My daughter’s eyes twinkled with her seven-year old innocence, dancing a smile as she gazed at me.

      Patience, honey. Soon.

      Macy nodded happily. Her sign she wanted me to continue. I had written the story for her about a year before, my own story called, Matilda and the Magic Dragon. Kind of a lame title, but it piqued her interest. I had to tell it to her so much. It amazed me how she asked the same questions at the same point all the time. Telling her the story always made me feel better. But at that particular moment, despite how fitting the moment for the story, I wasn’t feeling any better.

      I clenched her hand as she laid in bed waiting for the story, and I began to tell it.

      ‘She heard the stories about the magic combination lock. But Matilda didn’t believe them. After all, how can an old combination lock transport you to a magic world? A world with wizards and friendly dragons.’

      Macy giggled. Oh, Daddy, I love the dragon. Tell me about him.

      I titled my head, conveying through a look that she needed to hold on. I continued my telling...

      Left twenty-two, right twenty-one, left twenty. With a lift of the loop a world opened up.

      Her grandfather had been there. Now it was Matilda’s turn.

      As always, my mind drifted mid tale. I remember how long my wife, Cindy and I wanted a child. We tried for years, fifteen to be exact. With all the disappointments, the let downs, false hopes, when the day came with the news we were having a baby, all that was forgotten. We were forty years old and felt like teenagers. A child, we were finally having our child. We’d bask and cherish it forever.

      I watched Macy’s face as I rolled into the next portion of the story.

      ‘Matilda held the lock for the longest time. Finally she turned the dial. Slowly, churning the combination. Click. She lifted the loop. The moment it unlatched, she felt her body suck backwards, flying fast until she was in the blue room. A friendly little man with a pointed hat and long white beard approached her. ‘You must be Matilda,’ he said, ‘we’ve been waiting on you.’

      Waiting. The nine months seemed like an eternity, and the moment Macy emerged into this world, my wife’s first response was, ‘no matter I had so much heartburn’. Macy had my hair, thick, brown, abundantly curly. The moment of her birth told me there was nothing better in this world than having a child. The instantaneous love that intensified with each passing year. Unconditional, fulfilling, the greatest gift a man or woman could receive.

      Tell me about the dragon, Daddy.

      Shh. Soon.

      You didn’t do the voices, she said.

      I’m sorry, that’s right.

      The voices. I always did voices, clearing my throat; I backtracked and told it better.

      "You must be Matilda, he said, we’ve been waiting on you."

      "What kind of place is this? Is this the magic place?"

      "Oh, no, he said. This is the waiting place. To get to the magic place you have to wait."

      "For what?" she asked.

      "For Denver the dragon. He will fly us there."

      Macy giggled. She perked some when I mentioned Denver. She loved that dragon and the voice.

      Denver. We were living in Denver when it happened. Macy’s fifth birthday. In two days my wife was throwing the party of the century for a five year old.

      Why the fuss? I asked my wife.

      Darrell, she’s a whole hand full now, get it. Five fingers. My wife said.

      Yeah, yeah.

      How many times that day did Cindy call my cell phone? Nine? Ten? So many, I lost count. All for inane things. What color hats? Should I get edible party favors? Should I have wine for the adults?

      The phone rang again, just as I was rushing off to a meeting. What is it now, dear? I answered.

      This Sgt. Holmes from the Denver police, who am I speaking to?

      I paused. It was a joke. She probably had the bag boy at the store call me. I sighed. Darrel Lewis.

      Mr. Lewis, this was the last number called on this cell phone. Would Cindy Lewis be your wife?

      Yes.

      It was then he told me I needed to get to Memorial Hospital. Cindy had been in an accident. What he didn’t tell me was that she died immediately. I didn’t get a chance to say goodbye. To hold her. To tell her how much I loved her. Nothing. She was gone. Instead of a party we had the funeral. But sure as hell, I had Macy’s fifth birthday party the next day. I did it as Cindy planned. Down to the edible favors.

      I never remarried. Had no reason to. I had Macy. Macy consumed my life and I even took a job working from home four days a week. Every ounce of my time was spent taking care of, loving, and appreciating my daughter.

      "For Denver the dragon. He will fly us there."

      "What is the magic place?"

      "It is a place you want to go. Oh, boy do you want to be there. You will always be happy there; the sky is always blue, grass green. Lots of peaches, lots of love. It is the land of the bald. A place where your wishes come true."

      Macy smiled. Wide and bright. Land of the bald. I love that place. She reached up and ran her tiny fingers over my bald head. I’m very beautiful there, right Daddy?

      You’re beautiful everywhere, Macy.

      Macy thought it was funny when I shaved my head. But it was only right. When she lost her thick brown locks, it was only fair to lose mine.

      With a smile, I told the story.

      "A place

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