Happy Halloween!

UPON THE STAIRS

 

            Kelsie drug along the floor and up the stairs she labored until she reached the top of the first landing.  Every night was the same as Kelsie fled from the killer.  His yellow eyes burning into her while laughing at her attempts to live.  The front of her blouse was soaked red as it ran down her jeans sticking to her skin and running through her toes as she dragged her leg.  There was no pain because the shock and fear mingled with the adrenaline.  She fought the desire for at least a quick death.  Her eyes glazed over as her fingers pulled on the threadbare carpet covering the steps. 

            “And when you reach the top darling where will you then go?”

            Kelsie continued to climb as he followed behind.  The knife in his left hand catching the light of the moon.  It fell across the room revealing the blood stains on his pants where he wiped the knife off.  His face was evil in a way she couldn’t describe because he wasn’t ugly or deformed, but something made you want to turn and run.  He stopped as Kelsie slowed as he always did.  There was no hurry to catch her because where would she go and it wasn’t really about the last breath, but the many small breathes as she hyperventilated with a fear that one only knew when facing the devil himself. 

            “You are disappointing me tonight.  I much prefer you when you fight.”

            Kelsie stopped and turned to face him.  He dared to mock the way she died when dying wasn’t something you could ever control even if it were by your own hands.  Dying fell in the hands of someone of another world, another place, another time not to ever be revealed to those who still walked upon the dried earth.  He dared be disappointed because in death Kelsie didn’t meet his expectations.  He watched her face as the anger flashed through her eyes, and slowly he smiled knowing she would now try to kick out at him like she always did. 

            Kelsie kicked and landed her foot in the center of his chest as the pain shot up her leg like a hot poker going into the meat of her thigh.  She screamed in agony as he grabbed her foot and twisted it causing the room to start to dim and spin around her.  He released it, and it fell with a thump on the stair.  Kelsie pulled it up with her hand, and the tears streaked down her cheeks falling on the blood soaked blouse that revealed the shape of her beautiful breasts. 

            He reached up and cut the buttons off the blouse one by one as she turned away.  Using the tip of the knife he opened the blouse showing the cut that went to her chest to the top of her left breast.  Such a shame because Kelsie was truly a beautiful girl.  He reached down and put his hand under one, and she grabbed his hand throwing it aside as he smiled.  He put the flat side of the knife under her chin and lifted it up. 

            “How long will you deny me the simple things that I want?”

            Kelsie stared into his eyes as they turned a deep ocean blue and beckoned her to put her trust in him.  His voice was always so calm and soft as it whispered to her.  Kelsie tried to turn away, but he would turn the knife preventing her from looking away from him.  It nicked her throat, and a small drop of blood seeped out as he put his finger on it then put it in his mouth.  Such a sweet taste.

            Kelsie closed her eyes and took in a deep raspy breath as the pain from the cut burned into her soul with such vengeance that a chill visibly ran down her.  She opened them and looked back into his eyes that were soft and understanding.  He took the knife away and stepped back from her.  Her chest rose and fell with each labored breath as the moonlight moved through the dust that rose in the air.  She wondered how there could be dust in the air.  Kelsie looked around at the tattered curtains that hung haphazardly from the windows, worn and threadbare as if the sun had broken down the structure and color over time.  The chandelier was missing some of the crystal, and the webs covered most of its brilliance with dirt covering the rest. 

            “Look at me darling.”

            Kelsie turned and looked into his eyes.  This wasn’t real.  She had to wake up, and she had to do it now.  She willed herself to wake up, but he remained there on the stairs watching her.  Kelsie pulled herself closer to the banister and looked down between the spindles as the room spun slowly calling up to her.  She pulled herself up and away from him as he watched.  This was an interesting change.  Kelsie looked him in the eyes and then threw her weight against the banister as the wood cracked and fell into pieces as it dropped down the two flights crashing upon the floor.  She felt herself float and then stop as he reached around her pulling her back to him his eyes blazing yellow.

 

            “Death will bring you no peace.  There is nothing there for you to seek or hope for salvation.  It is too late.  You have pledged yourself, and I am here to seek the spoils of the game.”

            His breath was so hot against her neck as he whispered that she felt like it would ignite her skin.  Kelsie pushed away as he pulled her into his arms.  His strength was so brutal yet his touch was so soft.  She was weary and broken as the blood ran from her onto his shirt where it disappeared into his skin as though he were a sponge.  Kelsie reached up and touched his chest as his eyes became blue again.  He bent down and kissed her as she fought against desire and revolution of what he was and what he wanted to be and what he’d always do to her. 

            “You still deny me.”

            “I don’t.”  Her voice was weak, and her resolve was gone.

            “Oh, but you do because you are surrendering to the pain and not to my love.”

            “I can’t.”

            “You will.  We both know that eventually you will.”  He kissed her one last time and then she was alone until he came again.

 

@barbarasvetlick 6/2008

Paris

 

Paris has so many unique and well known attractions

but believing you can see them all in a week

is beyond crazy...this is a relative small city that will make your

fitbit love you.

We spent Thursday walking seven miles

through the neighborhoods of cafes and small boutiques

followed by a Sunset tour of the Eiffel Tower

which is absolutely stunning lit up.

 

The Alexander Bridge shows how much the Parisians

love gold.  All of the bridges over the Seine River have carvings

but the Alexander Bridge is named after Tzar Alexander

and was constructed at the end of the 19th century.

 

A trip to the cemetery, of course, was in search of Jim Morrison's

grave which was tucked behind a larger crypt.

I love cemeteries and this one did not disappoint at all

and we only touched on the many burial crypts that are in the cemetery.

The art of crypts is fascinating.

Many were old and falling apart but they all

had ornate metal doors and inside you could find shelves

and kneeling stones for the family to light candles and pray for the dead.

 

 

Cobblestones

they are everywhere in Paris

and the number one reason that you don't wear highheels

though I must admit to witnessing

many a young woman running down them without problems.

The weather was cold and rainy

so perfect for a week in Paris

though I would have much preferred sunny and cool.

The Grand Palace and Petite Palace sound so 17th Century

but they are both museums.

The Grand Palais des Champs-Élysées, commonly known as the Grand Palais, is a large historic exhibition hall and museum complex located at the Champs-Élysées in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, France. Construction of the Grand Palais began in 1897 following the demolition of the Palais de l'Industrie (Palace of Industry) as part of the preparation works for the Universal Exposition of 1900, which also included the creation of the adjacent Petit Palais and Pont Alexandre III

The city is filled with sculptures

on buildings, on street corners, in parks

I am not sure what this person did

but obviously no one wanted him/her to escape

the crypt

The city is filled with art museums.

Days were filled with trying a new Café

enjoying a city that holds

so much art that it is boggling.

 

It is good to be home

for it is a long day between the West and Paris.

 

barb

 

Are You Ready to Go to Paris?

I am a tourist

and even though my cellphone will not be on

we will have wifi in the apartment

and around town

so I am taking everyone on the trip

through the nooks and crannies

of history and hijinks

so if you want to follow the adventure

I will be on Instagram

 

barbara7975

 

Otherwise - after jet lag

I will blog sometime at the end of the month.

 

barb

What is a Dream!

That isn't a question because a lucid dreamer instinctively comprehends

it is more a declaratory statement

but I am going to take you on a journey

of my brain in Technicolor

slipping into that deep rim sleep cycle your brain gets bored

it doesn't have to do anything except

breath and pump blood

so it fixes a drink, whisky on the rocks,

lights a smoke and starts flipping through the stored images

because without a tongue

it must talk to you in little images

so it creates little books of colorful quirky images

thinking seriously about that question or issue that you left

sitting in the "In" box

the dream starts to form until the brain

is happy and believes you are darn sure smart enough

to understand the answer

Ah, but it usually doesn't work that easily

so the dream is repeated sometimes nightly and sometimes

occasionally

Until you comprehend the images

then your brain goes back to the In Box and picks

up the next problem.

There just isn't any rest for the brain.

 

I have written down my dreams

I have done dream cards which are images and poems

I have been puzzled by the dreams

I have studied them like hieroglyphics on the tomb wall

a giant jigsaw puzzle missing pieces

The answer...the answer

is right there in your brain with flashcards.

 

 

barb

 



Albuquerque and Balloons

Today is the first day of Balloon Fiesta 2015

which is a 10 day event

and around 800 balloonist who descend on the valley

along with 880,000 visitors

and 100,000 residents who crawl out of bed

at 5:00 am

 

We sat in traffic - there's only five miles

between the house and the 100 acre Balloon Fiesta Park

but it took us 2 hours of sitting to get near

the park but if you are not on the field

by 6:30 you don't get to enjoy the actual filling of the balloons

 

With that in mind

I got out of the van and took as many photos

as I could while walking with the slow

moving traffic

so we decided to not go into the actual park

which would have taken another hour

even though we could see it

 

The morning required coffee

with hot apple fritters on the back road

where the view of the rising

balloons were fantastic

 

I don't know if we'll try again because

I don't do mornings well

but we will probably balloon chase if they

come over the house

 

Welcome to October and Albuquerque

an event that fills the heart of every child no matter

how old!

 

this one is my favorite this year!!

A Direct Correlation

no...you can't go through life

full of smiles and blossoming optimism

but with spell check

I am learning more than I ever did in school

 

when the world is ugly

and it is posted over and over again

all over the internet with a million pieces of odd opinion

and I have to like...

delete, delete don't even post that

step away from the keyboard

because

really your closest friends

your family members who grew up in the same house

have this bizarre opinion that either

attacks you at 20 wpm

or rolls their eyes like 'not again'

you can feel it

 

boiling slowly

growing like mold in the corner

running like the cockroach when the light comes on

as you bang your head

squish, squish and squish

I need to stop looking at the internet

I need to stop listening

to idiots who think they should run the country

I need to stop saying I am

from mars

and they're coming back to get me

real soon...I hope.

 

I have the power

to save my sanity and yet I still look.

 

barb