Welcome to Fiction Friday! Today,Yvonne is hosting at her blog
My Back Door. Join us there for links to more fun fiction--whether you like reading fiction or writing it. We'd love to have you join us!
Today I'm posting the first part part of a longer story that I had a lot of fun with.
********Skirting the TruthReggie jammed his hat back on his head and glared at the girls who were bunched around him.
Dumb girls; shows how much they know! Telling me I can kiss 'em! Blech. Ain't no way I'd kiss a girl! He grabbed his bucket and stormed to the wagon, the girls trailing behind him, lugging their own water.
Myra smiled as Reggie stomped up. “Those girls pestering you again?”
“Yes'm, they sure can be a nuisance.”
Earl's eyes twinkled. “Least they recognize a prime man when they see one.”
“I ain't a man,” Reggie muttered, his face burning even though he knew Earl was teasing. “Is there anything else I can do for ya?”
“I told ya before, son, we hired ya to help me, not do everything for us. Go have some fun before we git moving again.”
Myra watched Reggie join the group of boys shooting marbles. “Maybe he'd let us adopt him. It's sure nice having a youngster around.”
Earl stretched out on the ground, favoring his broken arm. “He's worth his weight in gold, that's for sure, and he's nice to have around. I'm glad to see he's friends with those boys there instead of that group of hooligans that's always causing a ruckus.”
Reggie hunkered down with his friends, letting them do all the talking.
“About time ya got here. You gonna play or not?”
“You're just hoping for a chance to get you're lucky marble back.”
“Won't be a problem cuz ol' Reggie here ain't got no real skill and I do.”
The boys laughed while Reggie grinned at the friendly ribbing and knuckled back his hat as he lined up for his shot.
“Can I play?” Lizzie's voice came from right behind Reggie, making him jump and spoil a perfect shot.
“Nah, you're a girl and girls can't play.”
Reggie ducked his head while tugging his hat down to his eyebrows.
Lizzie planted her feet, her scowl settling on Reggie even though he hadn't said a word. “Oh, is that so?”
Just calm down, Reg. He scrutinized the marbles and ignored Lizzie.
“Get outta here, Lizzie. We don't want no gossiping girls round here.”
Turning to the boy who spoke, Lizzie narrowed her eyes. “I do not gossip.”
“Yah, right. You're with them gossiping girls all the time.”
“They're the only girls on this wagon train 'cept for the little girls.”
“So?”
Lizzie blew out an exasperated breath. “I wouldn't spend time with them if I had someone else to be with.” She looked pointedly at Reggie.
Reggie drew his dusty sleeve across his face, refusing to look at her.
How can she know? When Lizzie stalked away Reggie released the breath he'd been holding. “Ollie, it's yer turn. Hurry it up, will ya?”
“She likes ya, Reggie, but don't ask me why.” The boys guffawed, and jabbed each other.
“Ya don't know what you're talking about,” Reggie said, his face flaming.
She better not!The game was ruined for Reggie and he quickly lost two marbles, making the boys tease him for letting a silly girl get to him. He laughed and teased them right back, “You're just jealous.”
They have no idea... “I'm going to the river.”
Reggie ducked around the wagon and went into the scrub trees that lined the river.
I only talked to Lizzie that one time when she told me about Earl was thinking of hiring a boy to help him. Surely she don't...
Shrieks jerked him back to where he was. “You dirty boy! Thought ya could spy on us, huh?”
“Get outta here!”
Reggie stood with his mouth gaping before he turned and ran.
Dumb girls! They should of had look-outs posted! He vaulted over a rock and stopped to catch his breath.
They know better than to swim in their chemises without... “Ooow!” Reggie jumped, swiping at his pant legs. “Get off of me!” Frantically he swatted and mindlessly ran. When he reached the wagon he was still hollering and swiping his pants.
“Haul his drawers down, he's got bees up his pants,” Earl called as he carefully rolled to his feet.
With a quick yank Myra had his pants part way down before Reggie jerked them back up.
All three stood in stunned silence.
“You're a girl!”
Reggie's fingers clenched her waistband, her face flooding with color.
Oh, no. ...to be continued.
********This story started out at
Faithwriters, as a Writing Challenge entry, but these characters grabbed me and demanded more--LoL, they're still demanding more, I'm just trying to decide if now is the time or not. I hope you enjoyed them...
Linus, my beloved cat, is gone. He went out one night and didn't come home the next day. By mid-morning I had a good idea that he wouldn't be coming back because he had never done that before. He was bottle fed as a kitten and had always loved being in the house with us, even though my younger boys aggravated him by always wanting to snuggle with him. (He was soooo soft!) He would go out and follow the kids all around the yard and field as they played, just like a dog. We had him for 1 1/2 years and he grew big, lazy and very adept at communicating what he wanted. I have to admit that I truly miss him.
Living out in the midst of cornfields, like we do, losing small animals isn't unusual. There are dogs running loose, not to mention the coyotes and foxes. Predators abound both on the ground and in the air and small animals have to be kept close. The farther they roam from home the more likely they are to be injured or killed by a predator .
Our safety is found in God's shelter, in His dwelling place. The farther we roam from our Father, the greater the chance of being tormented by our adversary. 
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