Another Toy Story

A sweet memory of my father...just had to share!

ANOTHER TOY STORY

By Sara Etgen-Baker

            “I can’t find Tiny.”  I tugged on mother’s arm.  “She’s lost.”

            “Did you look in your closet?”  Mother peeked around the corner of her newspaper.  “Look under your bed.”

            “I did, Mama.  She’s nowhere to be found!”

            “When did you last see her?” 

            “At school; I took her to school with me and….”  My heart sank to my toes.  “I must’ve left her there.  We’ve got to get her.  Pleeeease!”

            “Sweetie, school’s closed till Monday; there’s no way we can get her.”

            “But it’s dark there; she’ll be lonely; she’s probably scared and won’t be able to sleep without me.” 

            “She’ll be fine sweetie.  Scurry off to bed now.” 

            But in the middle of the night when I discovered that my Tiny Tears doll wasn’t with me, I stumbled through the dark to my parent’s bedroom and pulled on my father’s pajama sleeve. 

 “What’s wrong, Sweetie Pie.”

            “I miss Tiny.” 

He sat up in bed.  “Where is she?”

“She’s at school; she misses me; and she’s scared.”   

            “Okay Sweetie Pie; we’ll check on her.”  He picked me up, carried me outside, and placed me in the front seat of his truck. 

            We drove by my school peering into its windows.  “I see her.”  He turned toward me and patted me on the shoulder.  “She’s okay; she’s sleeping.”

            “I can’t see her daddy.  Are you sure?”

            “Yes, but let’s double check.”  He backed the bed of his truck up next to the building, stood me up in the bed of the truck, grabbed a flashlight, and cast a stream of light into the window.  “You see her now?”

            “Yes, Daddy!  I see her.  She’s okay!”

            “She’ll miss you; but see the other toys?  Tiny won’t be lonely.”

            It’s a sweet childhood memory of my father.  His selfless actions taught me that love is patient, kind, and protective.  And because he didn’t just dismiss my emotions, he validated the worthiness of my childhood emotions.  His validation was critical, for I didn’t feel abandoned, and I learned to both trust and embrace my emotions first as a child and later as an adult.

Dillehay Crossing--Chapter 1

Just wanted to share the initial chapter of my novel, Dillehay Crossing.  The chapter is still rough in places, but I'm falling in love with the characters and the premise behind the novel.  I'm only sharing part of Chapter 1 right now...to keep you reading.  Enjoy!

DILLEHAY CROSSING

Chapter 1 

            Abi donned her running clothes, laced up her running shoes, and rushed downstairs.  The lavender early morning lit her way as she approached the gravel trails that meandered along the creek’s edge.  At first her stride was short and her pace slow; but as her heart pounded harder, the blood in her body heated, and her tight muscles loosened.  Abi lengthened her stride and quickened her pace.  Beads of sweat trickled down her forehead, stung her eyes, and blurred her vision.  So, when the trail turned sharply, Abi didn’t see the broken tree branches in front of her. 

She stumbled and landed face first in some underbrush.   She stood up, wiped the dirt and sweat from her face, and caught a glimpse of something just around the bend.   What are those old structures off in the distance?  I don’t think I’ve ever seen them before.  She shook off her fall and resumed her run, curiosity and adrenalin surging through her body.  Abi ran across a narrow, shallow bend at Dillehay Crossing where an old dilapidated ranch house, Texas wind wheel, and crumbling red barn came into view. 

  She approached the property and ventured inside the decrepit red barn.  She ran her fingers over a rusty, turn-of-the-century tractor.  Who once lived in this ranch house and drove this old tractor?  Abi strolled up the dirt and gravel walkway that led toward the discolored, broken-down ranch house.  The crumbling and sagging structure beckoned her inside; so, she crept up the rickety steps onto the front porch.  Using her shoulder, Abi shoved open the front door and found that—although the wooden house was decaying—the floors were not rotten and actually looked sturdy enough to bear her weight.

She entered the house, turned right, and discovered the parlor had a fireplace with an adjoining kitchen and an antiquated four-hole wood cook stove.  Abi picked up the empty cast iron cooking pot from the stove and pretended to stir its contents.  How long have you been waiting for the woman of the house to return? 

Abi retraced her steps then made an immediate left toward the stairs.  At the base of the steps, Abi saw her—the cloudy figure of a woman.  Abi’s eyes traveled up looking for some semblance of a face, but smoke—gray smoke—filled in the places where the woman’s nose, mouth, and eyes were supposed to be.  The woman turned and floated up the stairs, the morning light passing through her like sunlight through smoke.  Abi followed her.  Did the woman know Abi was there?   

At the top of the stairs, the woman disappeared as she faded through one of the bedroom doors.  A young woman’s frantic voice begged from behind the wall.  “Hurry!  Fetch the doctor right away!  Something’s terribly wrong!”  The woman’s voice made Abi’s skin crawl and the hairs on her neck bristle.

She jumped back, reversed her course, and scurried back through the house.    Once outside, Abi retraced her steps and ran back down the dirt and gravel road.  She raced across the shallow end of Dillehay Crossing and ran along the creek’s edge until her own front porch was in sight.  She stopped and caught her breath.  Questions whirled through her mind.  Who was the woman I saw?  Whose voice did I hear?  Just who were the ranchers who had once cared for the livestock and land on the other side of Dillehay Crossing?  Were they in any way related to her husband and the Mason family?  Why did they leave?  Hmmm.  I’ll have to ask Howie.  Will he believe me if I tell him about the woman I saw.  Well, maybe I shouldn’t tell him about her just yet.  To be continued......