Moving right along
I made it to 5k!!!
Mark's house was on the edge of a field just outside of town. The farmer who owned the field and the farm beyond it was a Mr. Gary Brown. He was an old timer now, been in the farming business his whole life. He also owned the house and the land Mark and his family were living on but as part of his dad's salary, they got to live there. His dad was hired hand, right hand man, and the business man that went between Mr. Brown's farm produce and the big company that distributed the produce. Right now the field was all plowed and planted. Come Fall time, it would be full of corn taller than Mark's older brother could reach. The house was a bit run down but it was snug and adequate for their family. It was a simple white and gray two story house with a small porch in front and lines of washing hanging along the side of it. There was a big tree out back with a tire swing and also a small garden that his mom, Lillian kept up. Mark's brother Daryl was away at college so Mark had been enjoying the fact that he had run of the house now with no older brother to boss him around. Daryl was getting a degree in business, like dad. He wanted to be a bit too much like dad, in Mark's opinion. As if he was showing that he was the favorite son or something.
James said goodbye as he skated off towards his own house. Mark saw his mom taking down the laundry and sped for the house, hoping not to be seen.
"Hold it right there, mister." She'd seen him anyway. Mark turned to see her holding a half folded sheet in her hands. "You don't even give a person a chance. How was school today?" she asked, finishing folding the sheet. Mark shrugged, walking slowly towards her. "It was ok."
"Any new assignments?"
Someday Mark was going to figure out how moms seem to know what you were thinking before you said anything. "Yeah, but I did what you said. I went to the library and I'm gonna get started on it tonight, honest."
His mom gave him that scrutinizing look, the one that goes right through you and tells her if you're telling the truth, and then nodded. "Ok, go get yourself washed up for dinner. Your father will be home soon." Mark dashed off to do just that, taking the porch stairs in one jump. "And no running in the house!" she called after him.
Later that night after the dishes were washed and put away, Mark was upstairs sitting in his room and trying to do his homework. Trying being the operative word. He didn’t realize the books he picked were written to make an exciting subject very dry and dull. They’d distilled it down to a bunch of facts and unproven claims. A couple of the individual stories were slightly interesting. Most involved bright lights or things being seen in the night sky that couldn’t be identified for sure. But he wasn’t getting much for his paper this way. And he couldn’t use the internet till tomorrow morning when the library opened again. He’d tried to convince his parents that they needed internet, but they thought it would be more of a distraction than a good work tool. They wouldn’t be saying that if they had to write this paper, Mark thought to himself with a sigh. He laid down the book with a thump on the bed and flung himself down to stare up at the ceiling. I sure can’t wait till I’m an adult and I don’t have to do homework anymore, he thought with satisfaction.
Picking himself back up, he looked at what he had for notes so far.
Argument - Do aliens exist?
Sightings - statistics on how many per year
Roswell
Area 51
Unproven theories
It was a start at least. He could look up some more stuff later online tomorrow. He’d had enough of these books for tonight. Any more and his brain was going to explode. Mark gathered up the books and started to put them back inside of his bookbag. His hand found something crinkly. “Forgot about you,” he said, pulling out the brown paper covered diary. He pulled off the paper again to look at the blue flowered cover. This time he unwrapped it all the way to see what it looked like without the old cover. It sure did look like a girl’s diary. As he turned it over in his hands slowly, his curiosity was growing. Nobody except his best friend knew that he had this. What if James was right? What if someone was hiding it for some strange reason? What could that reason be?
Mark put it down quickly. No, he told himself. This is somebody else’s and it goes into the lost and found as soon as he could get it there on Monday. The blue flowers looked cheerily back at him. “Although,” he said to himself. “There probably wouldn’t be any harm in reading a little bit. Maybe one page just to be sure it’s a diary.” What if someone left it there like 100 years ago or something? Then that person wouldn’t be around anymore and he could have found their last will and testament or something. Finally, Mark picked it up before he could change his mind and opened it up to the first page. The penciled words were neatly printed there. It’s a good thing she didn’t write in cursive, Mark thought. I hate it when girls write in cursive, you can never read it.
My name is Mara Tate and this is my story…
I suppose I should start with who I am before I start anything. I’m an 18 year old girl who makes her home in Springfield, Colorado. I’ve lived there all my life, never lived any place else. It’s a small town, barely 100 people total and they are so spread out over the hills that the town looks smaller than it really is. My family lives in the small yellow house next to the edge of the woods on the north side of the town. My dad’s name is Marshall Tate. If you ask anyone in town, they all know who he is. He’s run the only grocery store and gas pump place for years. At least as long as anyone can remember. His place is the only one for miles around but he likes it that way. It gives him a chance to talk with anyone that comes through town, meet new people and ask them where they are coming from and where they are going. I love that about him, he can get anyone to talk with just a smile and a hello.
My mom is Laura, my dad’s one true love as he says. To which my mom replies that she was sure his one true love was work. Then he kisses her to prove that it ain’t so...
Sorry, I got a bit emotional there...I miss them so much...
Anyway, I work in my dad’s store, helping out with anything I can. I have a younger brother, Shawn, who usually is supposed to help out but is always conveiniently missing and out riding his bike or some other mischief. He’s a real terror on wheels. Whole cars pull over to let him go by, I kid you not. I’ve seen it happen.
Last but not least is the baby of the family, Dakota. She’s only 3 but jabbers all the time. She loves her new found gift of gab and loves to tell everyone about it. I call her Peaches because her cheeks are exactly the same color as ripened peaches on a tree. She likes being called Peaches too, even if she can’t say it right yet.
That pretty much covers the Tate family. My life in a nutshell you could say.
Now to the real reason I’m writing in this journal in the first place. I’m not really sure how to put it down correctly or how to say what I want to. But I have quite a bit of time here and a pen and paper so I’m sure going to try.
The whole thing started sometime in July...
"Uh, uh, bubbafwy."
Mara smiled at her sister Dakota as she finished folding the towels on the porch. Her little sister was sitting on the wooden porch, looking up at the porch light. Sitting on the edge of the light was a beautiful luna moth. Mara put down her work and bent down to pick up her sister so she could see better. "That's right, it's a butterfly," she told her as they both looked up at the soft green and gold moth clinging to the lightbulb string. "Lovely, isn't it? Just like you." Mara kissed her sister on her chubby peach colored cheeks, making her giggle.
The screen door opened with a squeek, causing the moth to take flight again. "What's all the giggling out here?" Mara's mom asked, wiping her hands on her apron. "Peaches was looking at the butterfly." Mara handed Dakota to her mom as she reached for her with chubby arms. "Mama," she said happily. "Yes, well if you've finished with the laundry you shouldn't stay up to late tonight dear. You've got that new job opening tomorrow."
"I know, mom." Mara stacked the towels neatly and sighed. "I know you don't think waiting tables is the best thing a person can do," her mom cupped a hand under her chin and smiled at her. "But it's the start that counts." Mara smiled back and nodded. Laura Tate noted that Dakota was settling against her shoulder sleepily. "And it's your bedtime too, little miss." The two of them left, the door squeaking shut with a slam at the end behind them. Mara delayed picking up the laundry and walked to the end of the small porch to look up at the night sky. It was a beautiful clear night. The whole sky was studded with stars. Mara pulled out her cardboard telescope and put it to her eye. She'd made the telescope herself through her mail order astronomy course. It wasn't perfect but it was good enough to see craters on the moon and, on a good day, the rings of Saturn. It was a lovely night for stargazing for sure. There was a slight breeze blowing but it was warm on your skin. Tonight, Mara had heard there was going to be a meteor shower and she really didn't want to miss it, despite the fact that she had a job interview tomorrow. It wasn't really going to be much of an interview. Dolly Trenton already knew her and her whole family. Her diner was the best restaurant in town for sure. Tourists loved to stop in and take in an old fashioned home cooked meal. It wasn't going to be much of a job, only minimum wage, but it was going to be her first real job outside of the grocery store. She never minded working with him but he felt that she was turning into too much of a tomboy. She could fix nearly anything she put her mind to and could learn anything just by reading about it. She was taking a couple of mail order classes because they couldn't afford to send her to school anywhere yet. But Mara hoped that someday she would have enough and be able to earn her college degree. This job will hopefully be a first step out on her own as it were.
"You out here, honey?" Her dad came up to the screen door. Mara lowered the telescope and turned around. "You looking for mom?" she asked. "Yup," he said, coming through the squeaky door. "But you're pretty sweet too." He gave her a squeeze hug around her shoulders and looked up at the sky with her. "There's supposed to be a meteor shower tonight. Lots of shooting stars," Mara told him. "Really? That will sure be a sight. Don't stay up too long though..."
"I know, I know, tomorrow." Mara interrupted him with a roll of her eyes. "You guys have already told me a million times."
"Hey, did you know that you have a job interview tomorrow?" her dad kidded her in his silly announcer voice. Mara laughed at that. But her laughter was cut short as the first shooting star made its appearance. "Ohhh, there it is!" she exclaimed, putting the telescope back to her eye excitedly.
to be continued...so sleepy...
Mark's house was on the edge of a field just outside of town. The farmer who owned the field and the farm beyond it was a Mr. Gary Brown. He was an old timer now, been in the farming business his whole life. He also owned the house and the land Mark and his family were living on but as part of his dad's salary, they got to live there. His dad was hired hand, right hand man, and the business man that went between Mr. Brown's farm produce and the big company that distributed the produce. Right now the field was all plowed and planted. Come Fall time, it would be full of corn taller than Mark's older brother could reach. The house was a bit run down but it was snug and adequate for their family. It was a simple white and gray two story house with a small porch in front and lines of washing hanging along the side of it. There was a big tree out back with a tire swing and also a small garden that his mom, Lillian kept up. Mark's brother Daryl was away at college so Mark had been enjoying the fact that he had run of the house now with no older brother to boss him around. Daryl was getting a degree in business, like dad. He wanted to be a bit too much like dad, in Mark's opinion. As if he was showing that he was the favorite son or something.
James said goodbye as he skated off towards his own house. Mark saw his mom taking down the laundry and sped for the house, hoping not to be seen.
"Hold it right there, mister." She'd seen him anyway. Mark turned to see her holding a half folded sheet in her hands. "You don't even give a person a chance. How was school today?" she asked, finishing folding the sheet. Mark shrugged, walking slowly towards her. "It was ok."
"Any new assignments?"
Someday Mark was going to figure out how moms seem to know what you were thinking before you said anything. "Yeah, but I did what you said. I went to the library and I'm gonna get started on it tonight, honest."
His mom gave him that scrutinizing look, the one that goes right through you and tells her if you're telling the truth, and then nodded. "Ok, go get yourself washed up for dinner. Your father will be home soon." Mark dashed off to do just that, taking the porch stairs in one jump. "And no running in the house!" she called after him.
Later that night after the dishes were washed and put away, Mark was upstairs sitting in his room and trying to do his homework. Trying being the operative word. He didn’t realize the books he picked were written to make an exciting subject very dry and dull. They’d distilled it down to a bunch of facts and unproven claims. A couple of the individual stories were slightly interesting. Most involved bright lights or things being seen in the night sky that couldn’t be identified for sure. But he wasn’t getting much for his paper this way. And he couldn’t use the internet till tomorrow morning when the library opened again. He’d tried to convince his parents that they needed internet, but they thought it would be more of a distraction than a good work tool. They wouldn’t be saying that if they had to write this paper, Mark thought to himself with a sigh. He laid down the book with a thump on the bed and flung himself down to stare up at the ceiling. I sure can’t wait till I’m an adult and I don’t have to do homework anymore, he thought with satisfaction.
Picking himself back up, he looked at what he had for notes so far.
Argument - Do aliens exist?
Sightings - statistics on how many per year
Roswell
Area 51
Unproven theories
It was a start at least. He could look up some more stuff later online tomorrow. He’d had enough of these books for tonight. Any more and his brain was going to explode. Mark gathered up the books and started to put them back inside of his bookbag. His hand found something crinkly. “Forgot about you,” he said, pulling out the brown paper covered diary. He pulled off the paper again to look at the blue flowered cover. This time he unwrapped it all the way to see what it looked like without the old cover. It sure did look like a girl’s diary. As he turned it over in his hands slowly, his curiosity was growing. Nobody except his best friend knew that he had this. What if James was right? What if someone was hiding it for some strange reason? What could that reason be?
Mark put it down quickly. No, he told himself. This is somebody else’s and it goes into the lost and found as soon as he could get it there on Monday. The blue flowers looked cheerily back at him. “Although,” he said to himself. “There probably wouldn’t be any harm in reading a little bit. Maybe one page just to be sure it’s a diary.” What if someone left it there like 100 years ago or something? Then that person wouldn’t be around anymore and he could have found their last will and testament or something. Finally, Mark picked it up before he could change his mind and opened it up to the first page. The penciled words were neatly printed there. It’s a good thing she didn’t write in cursive, Mark thought. I hate it when girls write in cursive, you can never read it.
My name is Mara Tate and this is my story…
I suppose I should start with who I am before I start anything. I’m an 18 year old girl who makes her home in Springfield, Colorado. I’ve lived there all my life, never lived any place else. It’s a small town, barely 100 people total and they are so spread out over the hills that the town looks smaller than it really is. My family lives in the small yellow house next to the edge of the woods on the north side of the town. My dad’s name is Marshall Tate. If you ask anyone in town, they all know who he is. He’s run the only grocery store and gas pump place for years. At least as long as anyone can remember. His place is the only one for miles around but he likes it that way. It gives him a chance to talk with anyone that comes through town, meet new people and ask them where they are coming from and where they are going. I love that about him, he can get anyone to talk with just a smile and a hello.
My mom is Laura, my dad’s one true love as he says. To which my mom replies that she was sure his one true love was work. Then he kisses her to prove that it ain’t so...
Sorry, I got a bit emotional there...I miss them so much...
Anyway, I work in my dad’s store, helping out with anything I can. I have a younger brother, Shawn, who usually is supposed to help out but is always conveiniently missing and out riding his bike or some other mischief. He’s a real terror on wheels. Whole cars pull over to let him go by, I kid you not. I’ve seen it happen.
Last but not least is the baby of the family, Dakota. She’s only 3 but jabbers all the time. She loves her new found gift of gab and loves to tell everyone about it. I call her Peaches because her cheeks are exactly the same color as ripened peaches on a tree. She likes being called Peaches too, even if she can’t say it right yet.
That pretty much covers the Tate family. My life in a nutshell you could say.
Now to the real reason I’m writing in this journal in the first place. I’m not really sure how to put it down correctly or how to say what I want to. But I have quite a bit of time here and a pen and paper so I’m sure going to try.
The whole thing started sometime in July...
"Uh, uh, bubbafwy."
Mara smiled at her sister Dakota as she finished folding the towels on the porch. Her little sister was sitting on the wooden porch, looking up at the porch light. Sitting on the edge of the light was a beautiful luna moth. Mara put down her work and bent down to pick up her sister so she could see better. "That's right, it's a butterfly," she told her as they both looked up at the soft green and gold moth clinging to the lightbulb string. "Lovely, isn't it? Just like you." Mara kissed her sister on her chubby peach colored cheeks, making her giggle.
The screen door opened with a squeek, causing the moth to take flight again. "What's all the giggling out here?" Mara's mom asked, wiping her hands on her apron. "Peaches was looking at the butterfly." Mara handed Dakota to her mom as she reached for her with chubby arms. "Mama," she said happily. "Yes, well if you've finished with the laundry you shouldn't stay up to late tonight dear. You've got that new job opening tomorrow."
"I know, mom." Mara stacked the towels neatly and sighed. "I know you don't think waiting tables is the best thing a person can do," her mom cupped a hand under her chin and smiled at her. "But it's the start that counts." Mara smiled back and nodded. Laura Tate noted that Dakota was settling against her shoulder sleepily. "And it's your bedtime too, little miss." The two of them left, the door squeaking shut with a slam at the end behind them. Mara delayed picking up the laundry and walked to the end of the small porch to look up at the night sky. It was a beautiful clear night. The whole sky was studded with stars. Mara pulled out her cardboard telescope and put it to her eye. She'd made the telescope herself through her mail order astronomy course. It wasn't perfect but it was good enough to see craters on the moon and, on a good day, the rings of Saturn. It was a lovely night for stargazing for sure. There was a slight breeze blowing but it was warm on your skin. Tonight, Mara had heard there was going to be a meteor shower and she really didn't want to miss it, despite the fact that she had a job interview tomorrow. It wasn't really going to be much of an interview. Dolly Trenton already knew her and her whole family. Her diner was the best restaurant in town for sure. Tourists loved to stop in and take in an old fashioned home cooked meal. It wasn't going to be much of a job, only minimum wage, but it was going to be her first real job outside of the grocery store. She never minded working with him but he felt that she was turning into too much of a tomboy. She could fix nearly anything she put her mind to and could learn anything just by reading about it. She was taking a couple of mail order classes because they couldn't afford to send her to school anywhere yet. But Mara hoped that someday she would have enough and be able to earn her college degree. This job will hopefully be a first step out on her own as it were.
"You out here, honey?" Her dad came up to the screen door. Mara lowered the telescope and turned around. "You looking for mom?" she asked. "Yup," he said, coming through the squeaky door. "But you're pretty sweet too." He gave her a squeeze hug around her shoulders and looked up at the sky with her. "There's supposed to be a meteor shower tonight. Lots of shooting stars," Mara told him. "Really? That will sure be a sight. Don't stay up too long though..."
"I know, I know, tomorrow." Mara interrupted him with a roll of her eyes. "You guys have already told me a million times."
"Hey, did you know that you have a job interview tomorrow?" her dad kidded her in his silly announcer voice. Mara laughed at that. But her laughter was cut short as the first shooting star made its appearance. "Ohhh, there it is!" she exclaimed, putting the telescope back to her eye excitedly.
to be continued...so sleepy...