2020: Baggage
Remember, 2020 starts with whatever baggage you carried into it. Some baggage you choose, some chose you and some you’ll never be able to put down.
I’ve seen a lot of resolutions and "2020 is going to be amazing”/”I’m going to change in 2020” posts. Just a few points to start the year:
You don’t need to change anything unless you feel like you want to
You don’t need to change your body every year
You don’t need to compare yourself to others
You don’t need to feel bad about doing nothing but enjoying life
If you want to do these things, that’s cool too but in my life I’ve noticed people (and felt like I) need permission to do, or not do, stuff. So consider this your permission to do nothing but enjoy the people in your life in 2020. Please put your mental health at the center of your resolutions.
Photo credit to Eric Rothermel
Editorial Calendar
This year I’m going submission crazy. To support my submissions, I’m building community around my content. Last year (so long ago…2019) I:
And now, I need to coordinate my messaging around all this to make sure I’m using my blog, facebook page and twitter profile. I setup a little editorial calendar for 2020 to keep me on track and maybe get some help from my lovely & supportive wife in the world of social media.
Story Time
I’ve been starting my newest project [im]poster and am immersed in that world for now. With that said, I wanted to do a quick story for you all this week extending on William Hope Hodgson’s House of the Borderlands. If you haven’t read this yet, I’d recommend it. Hodgson does some excellent descriptive work and I found his writing informative when I need models for establishing mood through setting. His work does drone on a bit at times (like a chapter talking about planets orbiting) but that’s what skimming is for :)
WARNING: This story does have a dead deer in it so if you love deer, you might want to skip this one. Why a deer? I was driving down the road on New Years Eve and saw a driver hit a deer and it was top of mind when I wrote this.
Enjoy!
Camp Crater Falls
“That’s not true!”
Danny says looking over the crater’s edge.
Water races down
into the blackness beyond the moonlight.
“Totally true story.”
Kyle crosses his heart
holding up the scout salute.
“Then where are they?”
Danny asks.
“You can hear them at night.
Just listen…”
Quiet settles over the crater
over the boys
only the trickling water
rhythmically splashing down
splattering on rocks in the darkness below.
”You can hear their hooves or squeals like pigs.”
Kyle puts his finger to his mouth
shushing the question forming in Danny.
“Get closer.”
Kyle whispers.
Danny leans to the crater ledge
listening for anything past the water
past the edge of moonlight glittering
on the streams of water falling down.
“Closer”
Kyle leans in beside him.
Danny kneels down to listen
focusing into the dark
hearing a faint
clatter of rocks.
“That’s the waterfall
hitting some rocks.”
Danny laughs off.
“Just keep listening.”
Kyle motions to the crater
”They’re down there.”
“The only thing down there
is a bunch of rocks.”
Danny stands up walking away.
Danny kept the fire going
While Kyle kept listening for the
snarls
or snorts
or any sign
of what the older boys told him
is in that crater.
As midnight approaches
Danny climbs into his sleeping bag.
Kyle kept listening.
“Nothing’s down there Kyle.”
Danny snatches his sleeping bag over himself.
”I’m going to sleep. Have fun being creeped out.”
Kyle doesn’t hear anything
as he stares into the night sky.
No crickets
no chirps
nothing but the still of night
trickling of water
and faint scuttling of rocks tripping down
the crater.
He looks over
his eyes adjusting from the fire
seeing maybe
a glimpse of movement in the moonlight.
He stops, hearing more rocks falling
from the crater sides
seeing more motion, maybe motion
maybe just tricks of the light.
A faint snort crackles through the waterfall
through the popping campfire
coming from Danny’s tent.
Kyle looks
seeing the tent shiver
something’s inside.
He rushes over
grabbing a stick
swinging the tent open
to see
Danny, snorting and squealing
like a pig then busting into laughter
when he see’s Kyle’s panic.
“Not funny Danny!”
Kyle grunts.
“Your face was too much!”
Danny laughs, pleased with his prank
”Oh no the Pig People are coming!”
Danny says
mocking Kyle.
The two go to sleep
awaking in the morning
packing camp
they head back to town.
Passing the crater’s far edge
they see hoof prints coming from
the crater
leading to a deer
dead and partially eaten
laying off the trail.
Taking in the sight
the boys hear the fading
snorts of a pig
echoing up the crater.
The trees shift a few feet away
as a ghastly pale figure stands.
It’s nose is over sized and smashed like a pig.
It’s eyes are empty slits of black.
Deer meat dangles from it’s tusks.
The thing runs off to the crater
as Danny and Kyle
sprint off into the woods
running to town
telling the shopkeeper what they saw
shocked at his response…
“You boys! Ain’t nothing been out there
since that crazy old man’s house
fell into the crater.”
the shopkeeper points to
an old photograph on the wall.
A picture of an old man
a cabin
and just behind the house
grainy and faded with time
one of the swine creatures peeks out
from the bushes.
“There!”
Danny yells
flailing at the photo.
Looking again
the swine creature
stares back at them.
In the photo
the black empty pig eyes blink
and the creature
ducks behind the bushes
hiding as the shopkeeper steps up.
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Thanks to Carol at Carol’s Corner for hosting poetry Friday this week! Also, thanks to Rudy and Peter Skitterians for the cover image for this week’s post. Check out more work from the Skitterlans here on Pixabay.