Trouble with Powers (1,100 words) - assignment one

                 If it hadn’t been for all the trouble Christopher Parkerson was in, he wouldn’t be leaving now to go to some aunt both he and his twin sister, Claudia, had never heard of.  It wasn’t fair!  Claudia loved her brother very much and tried hard to get him out of going to Massachusetts.  Who was this mystery sister Mom had never mentioned before?  And how could she help?

                “What’s the letter say, Chris?”  Claudia asked.  She glanced down at her watch to see how soon to departure.

                “You don’t want to know,” Chris replied putting the letter back in the envelope.

                “Yes I do!”

                Chris sighed.

                “Departure for Salem, Massachusetts will be at 8:00 at gate twelve,” announced the ticket agent over the p.a. system.

                “Chris!” Claudia cried.  “Please tell me quick before the bus leaves!”

                Chris bent over and picked up his luggage.  He turned to Claudia who was now crying.  Never had they been separated.  This was a fate worse than death!  It was bad enough that they had these strange powers.

                “Morgana, that’s her name, says I’ll be isolated from everyone,” Chris started.  “She said in her letter that I can’t even write to you or Mom!”

                “Why?  Who is she to say what you can or can’t do?”

                Claudia couldn’t bear the thought that she wouldn’t be able to hear from Chris.  What kind of relative could be so cruel as to forbid any contact with your family?

                “She also knows about our powers and she especially doesn’t want me to talk or write to you as long as I’m there.”  The more he thought about it, Aunt Morgana sounded like a prison guard.  Or better yet, a military guard for a concentration camp.

                Chills went down Chris’ spine.  Why would their mother send him there?  So what if he got caught shoplifting?  He had paid the price by going to those stupid correction classes after school.

                “Chris, they’re boarding the bus,” Claudia said pointing toward the line of passengers.

                “You know Claudia; this Aunt Morgana sounds like an evil witch!”

                Both of them turned to each other.  They felt frightened.

                “What if she is a witch?  What if she casts an evil spell on you?  What if…” Claudia couldn’t finish her sentence.

                “My God, Claudia, I can’t do this!”  Chris felt nauseated.  This was a nightmare!  The kind when it seems you can’t wake up.

                “Run away, Chris! Run far away!”

                “Where will I go?  I don’t have any money, “Chris shook his head.  “It’s no use, I have to go.”

                By now most of the passengers were on the bus.  Chris handed his driver his luggage and got in line.  Claudia burst into tears.

“Oh please, Claudia, maybe it won’t be all that bad.  It’s only for the rest of the school year,” Chris said trying to reassure her.

“That’s eight months!”

Chris gave his sister a hug.  In that moment, it seemed as if they would never see each other again.

                “I wish there was a way that we could use our powers to fast forward time,” Claudia said.

                “Everything will be okay, I promise.  And I will find a way to write or call.”

                Claudia wanted to believe him, but something deep down inside her said that it wouldn’t be possible.

                “Don’t make promises you can’t keep,” she said.

                With that, Chris hugged her again and got on the bus.  She saw him sit down and waved.  He waved back.

                Bye, Chris.  Please be careful, she said in her mind.

                He heard her and mouthed the words, I will.

                The bus shifted into gear and drove away from the terminal.  Claudia watched the red and white bus drive down the road and turn towards the interstate.  Chris was gone and she was all alone.  Slowly, she shuffled back to the car.  Things didn’t seem right.  Chris was hiding something from her, but what?

                On the bus, Chris got out Aunt Morgana’s letter.

                “Why didn’t I tell Claudia the truth?”  Chris mumbled to himself.  “Why didn’t I just tell her Morgana is a witch and she’s going to help the both of us control our powers.  She would then send for Claudia.  Mom is sending the both of us away because she’s embarrassed over us.  We’re children of the devil!  How stupid can you be?  We are no more the devil’s children than she is!  Claudia, I’m so sorry I lied to you, but Morgana specifically said not to tell anyone about her or us.”

                He leaned up against the window and closed his eyes.  He hoped that the visions wouldn’t come.  This was going to be a very long trip.

Copyright 1995 – 2012 Karen Elizabeth Waters

Victorian Romance

Hush hush my darling with

Soothing writings and orchestral symphonies.

With orgasmic sensuality

And titillating susceptibility.

I invite you to share my love.

Forbidden enchantress that

I am can create a

World full of intensity

With silk fans, feathers, gloves,

Lace and petticoats.

With velvet magic and

Satin desires.

With candles and flowers

And Victorian romance.

And I will love you with every fiber of my soul.

Copyright © 1997 – 2012 Karen Elizabeth Waters

Death and Deterioration

Age seems to drag us out

To the point of humiliation

As we are degraded to infancy.

Our bodies deteriorate,

Our minds drift back to a

Time with no worries.

They claim death is suppose

To be a beautiful thing,

But how can it be

When you suffer so much?

The pain, the agony,

The affliction, the grief.

The book of life ends

With a tragic ending.

Slumber finally hits us.

Copyright © 1997 – 2012 Karen Elizabeth Waters

The Two of You

The sky is cold and depressing,

But my heart is full of vibrance

As I await to hear from you,

My mind is all in a daze.

Can this all be a fantasy?

Can this passion be false pretensions?

Disillusions of a ravenous thirst

For your poetic fury, I sit and ponder over

Their meanings.

To be split in two, devoted to you both is maddening.

But I wouldn’t have it any other way.

How long will it last?

A few days, weeks, years, a life-time?

If it were up to me a life-time wouldn’t be enough.

I’m sorry if I hurt you,

I don’t mean it intentionally.

I wish there was a way

I could mend your bleeding heart and aching soul.

I wish there was a way we could

See each other, but there isn’t.

Copyright ©1997 – 2012 Karen Elizabeth Waters

In the Waters of the Ocean

In the waters of the ocean

I see her cry softly,

unto the sky it beholds her.

Softly, gently weeping in the mist,

I miss her so.

The waves stir in tranquil domestication

with footsteps imprinting

themselves in the cold sand.

High above, the full moon lights up the land,

and the stars twinkle in a harmonious beat.

She brings me softly to her feet.

Can't see her, can't smell her,

but her soul is in me.

For Mino

copyright © Karen Elizabeth Waters 2011

Bottom of the Sea

I walk along the dark colored sand
In bare feet as the tide washes away
My sadness.
The sky and ocean are violet
And the sun has set and it is now twilight.
All the thoughts in my head that
I had long ago haunt me on this
Hot summer night.
My heart has been broken and
Split into two, by people pretending
To love me.
I’ve given all my love to those in my past,
And they’ve used and abused me like
The waves that crash upon the rocks
Of the shoreline.
I, bright, like the light from the lighthouse,
Shine and lead those who need my help
Out of the rocky waters.
But now, that light is out.
I am now the siren that sings to men; capture
Them by drowning them by
Swimming with them down to the
Bottom of the sea.
They are no more and I am safe from
Their hooks forevermore.

copyright © Karen Elizabeth Waters 2012

The Flying Dutchman

It’s dark outside.
The ocean waves crash against
The shoreline.
I stand upon the cliff overlooking
The raging sea.
Where oh where is my love?
His ship should be nearing.
The beacon light from the lighthouse
Shines and circles warning travelers
Of the cliffs below me.
No word from my lover, but I know
He’s supposed to come to me soon.
I see a ship! It sees my lamp.
It turns away from me and heads elsewhere.
Could this be my lover’s ship?
I run with my gown and cloak flapping
In the breeze behind me, down to
The dock to wait for my lover’s ship.
The ship enters the dock and the
Sailors tie down the ship.
It is not my lover’s ship.
I return to my humble house and wait and listen carefully.
Listen for my love to come to me from the Flying Dutchman.
He’s been trapped by the captain of the Flying Dutchman.
He can only step on the land
Every ten years to see his family,
But then again, I’m his only family.
A loud knocking at my door.
I nearly jump out of my skin
And I go and answer it.
Two sailors standing there
With their hats in their hands.
“We have bad news, M’lady,” They say.
“The Flying Dutchman has need of a new
Captain. Your lover is our captain now.”
I fall to the floor in a heap of velvet and silk
And begin to cry.
“Can I see him?” I ask.
They both shake their heads.
“He is busy at the moment, but will
See you before the sun sets on
The ‘morrow.”
This is all I need to hear.
I dismiss the sailors and go to my room,
And pray to God that my love is alright.
At noon, the following day, I am
Startled by a loud knocking at my
Front door.
I rise from my place by the fire
And go to answer the door.
There, standing in the doorway is
My lover.
I grab him and hold him tightly.
He returns my hug and kisses me.
“You’re a beautiful sight to see,” he says.
“So are you,” I answer.
He picks me up and carries me to
The bedroom where we make love
For hours and fall asleep in each other’s arms.
Soon, it is time for him to return to his ship.
I begin to cry and tell him not to go.
“I must go, my love. I am the captain now,” he tells me.
“Can’t you assign someone else to be captain?” I beg.
“No, my love, I can’t,” he says sadly.
I begin to cry.
“Shhh…,” he coos. “I have something dear to me
That I want you to hold for me.”
I sniffle back the tears and look into
His beautiful eyes.
He presents a treasure chest.
“In this treasure chest is my heart. Don’t let anyone touch it.”
I hold the chest and lay my head upon it.
There is a clear sound of his heart beating inside of the
Wooden chest.
He then hands me a key hung on a chain.
I take it and put it around my neck.
“Don’t lose this,” he says. “This is the key to
My heart. You are the only one with a copy
Of it.”
I nod my head and kiss him in return.
“I promise, my love, to keep your heart safe
And to keep this key always around my neck,” I say.
With that, he gets up from the bed,
Gets dressed and heads downstairs.
I wrap myself in my robe and follow him.
We say our goodbyes at the door and
Soon he is off to the Flying Dutchman.
The sun is about to set and I see in the distance
A ship sailing.
When it reaches the edge of the sea,
The sun sparks and the ship is gone.
I am taken back by this magic.
When my lover returns, ten years later,
I have a surprise for him,
A ten year old child. A son, named after him.
My lover is so excited by this that he insists
That his heart is to be returned to his body and
He chooses another captain.
The crew allows this and gives their captain his heart back.
Another captain is chosen and their heart is taken.
My lover is free from the Dutchman and he
Comes home to me and his son.
The Flying Dutchman sails off into
The sunset once again for ten years.
My lover and I get married.
A private wedding.
Together, with our son, we move into
The lighthouse.
Our love is strong and true.
Nothing can take that away.

copyright © Karen Elizabeth Waters 2012