Copyright 2007 by Heather Rose Brown
I got to thinking about what Laika said about making a cluster of loosely related & not-necessarily-sequential drabbles featuring the lovers from All of You ... and kept thinking ... and eventually decided to give it a try.
Anyways, here's the original drabble, with four others related to it. I'm not sure what this would be called ... maybe a drabble series? I like Laika's suggestion of calling it a drabble cycle, but I'm not really sure what that would mean. Whatever you call it, please take a look and let me know what you think of this idea.
{{{warm huggs}}}
Heather Rose :)
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All of You
A sweet, aching buzz rippled through me when I felt Rachel's touch through my blouse and bra.
"Wow, they feel real."
"They are." I lifted her hand from my breast, then kissed her fingers before holding them between my palms. "So are other parts."
Another ripple passed through me as she stroked the back of my hand with a delicate fingertip. "I know, and I don't care."
I could barely breathe as I asked, "Why?"
My heart nearly burst when I saw her eyes glisten with unshed tears as she said, "Because I love you ... all of you."
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Drycleaners
Dark blotches made the handwritten letter on my lap almost unreadable.
"I can't believe it. My own family. ..."
Rachel started to pull me close. As much as I ached for comfort, I couldn't ... not just yet. "Wait a minute. Let me clean my face first."
She gently brushed aside the damp bangs covering my face. "What on earth for?"
"My foundation. It'll ruin your blouse."
She just smiled and pulled me in again until I accepted the comfort of her shoulder. As my tears turned into sobs, she said, "Silly girl, that's what drycleaners are for."
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Goddess Cards
With the full moon shining through the bedroom window gilding her bare skin silver, Rachel was the picture of a goddess as she sat with her legs crossed on the opposite corner of the bed. Slowly, with just the slightest bit of guilt, I made my move.
Rachel stared at the card I had dropped on the pile between us. "You had another draw four?"
"I'm sorry. Honest."
"That's okay." Grinning impishly, she slowly unrolled the silk stocking from her left leg. "But this is the last time I'm playing strip poker against you using uno cards."
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Together
Bubbles danced around our toes as the tide slid back into the ocean. I sighed as I watched a distant child being called away from sandcastle building to a large family gathered on a blanket.
Rachel squeezed my hand. "Some day."
"But how? With the hormones and all. ..."
She stopped and pulled at both of my hands until I was facing her. "Do you trust me?"
I didn't need to think twice. "Absolutely."
"We'll make it happen."
A thousand questions ran through my head. I only asked one. "How?"
Her smile outshone the sun setting behind her. "Together."
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Christmas Chocolate Rings
The fresh pine log snapped and hissed as it caught fire from the dying embers below. I nearly spilled what was left of my lukewarm cocoa on the blanket covering our legs when Rachel grabbed my mug.
"Wait a sec!" There was a metallic clank as Rachel fished something from my drink.
"What's going on?"
"Well, it wouldn't be very romantic if you choked on this."
Something damp and warm slid onto my finger. The hiss of snow blowing against the window and the sound of Bing Crosby crooning were forgotten when she asked, "Will you marry me?"
Comments
the incredible adventure of 2 girls in love
Just beautiful, Heather Rose! Like a song cycle, or maybe what it is is a SUITE...
it gives more of the story without messing with the integrity and wholeness of All of You,
the way a straightforward continuation could have. And it's rather eerie, since you used some of the very examples I imagined, only they're so much clearer; and each has a distinct context that makes it its own story. Great little vignettes invoking familiar situations from transgender fiction, lesbian fiction
and the romance genre. A whole lot of living and loving in 500 words!
Hugs, Laika
What borders on stupidity?
Canada and Mexico.
.
Flashes
The collection/cycle? comes across almost like flashes of memories. I usually like more detail but this was very nice. Sweet and filled with love was how it felt to me. Very good.
hugs!
grover
tricky
To put only a few words down to describe a scene, a feeling is difficult. Wordiness is pretty easy and most want meat with their veg. So poetry or maybe drabbles, haiku... whatever are usually poorly recieved in readership terms. Which is sad but I guess reflects a value judgement of sorts. I'll admit I'm not really a drabble fan and poetry also can be tough... you need to fill in all those blanks yourself...
But done well it tells a whole lot with very few words.
Heather, take a bow you have done very well with these. Drabble cycle... or ring maybe... whatever the case, or terminology... congrats.
Kristina
Short and sweet
A nice micro-mini saga.
I particularly got a laugh out of the Uno/poker reference. Slick, funny, loving, just an great little experimental piece.
John in Wauwatosa
John in Wauwatosa
So glad ...
... to see everyone's feedback on this experiment. It really means a lot to me when people take the time to share their thoughts and feelings. As I was writing, I found myself shifting from aching from the sadness in some parts, to giggling (especially while writing Goddess Cards), to smiling wistfully, to ... so many other things. I've already written some more drabbles sharing peeks into special moments in the lives of these two lovers, but I think I'll give everyone a break and post them later so I don't wind up taking up more space on the new stories list.
Heather Rose Brown :)
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Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend.
Inside of a dog it's too dark to read.
Groucho Marx