Life's Funny That Way by Marie Hankinson (free e books to read txt) 📕

Our Russian friend was locked in the car, afraid of the dark. We were lying flat on the dirt road, amongst the rustling corn stalks and creaking wind turbines.

“I’ve never seen a shooting star before.”

He turned to me stunned.

“You’ve never seen a shooting star?”

I shook my head. “Never.”

“I bet you’ll see one tonight.”

“What do you bet?”

“A kiss. I bet you a kiss you’ll see a shooting star tonight.”

I turned my head just in time to see a star shoot across the inky sky.

He kissed me before I even knew it.

I heard my dad drag something heavy down the hall.

Out of breath, he pulled a mattress into the tub. He said we were going to play a game, a hiding game. Excited, I raced under the mattress with my little brother.

That’s when the howling started. My brother cried, but the wind was louder. Much louder.

When it finally stopped, I peeked out from under the mattress. Silence. I wanted to find my dad. I was done playing. But he was better at this game than I was. I never did find him.

Once upon a time there lived a king in his castle. Each morning, the king would look out to his garden and wait for his little golden bird to play amongst the flowers and sing for him. He longed for her song, and for the whole day he would wait and wait for the little golden bird that never came. And so his kingdom fell into disarray and his people left him. But still he waited for the day that his little golden bird would sing for him once again. Creepers and vines soon hid her little grave from sight.

Publication Date: 06-22-2012

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