Another Grey and Drizzly Monday

Well, I've made it just under the wire. Sorry the blog post is so late today. I was supposed to have a solid two hours between work and other commitments this evening, but unfortunately I ended up having to stay at work for the two hours instead of investing it here. You want to know the funny part? I'm still not finished my work! I was just so exhausted and already late to my other commitments that I just threw up my hands and decided to leave it be until tomorrow.
It doesn't help that today was grey, rainy and windy again. If this is how summer's going to play out I'd better start saving my pennies for a vacation. I can't go through another winter without a whole lot of sun to prepare me.
In any case, I thought the miserable weather was the perfect atmosphere for playing with the imagination and dashing off a little flash fiction. I hope you enjoy it.

Marguerite's Keys

Marguerite has an obsession with keys. She collects them wherever she can find them, in antiques shops, rummaging through limp, dog-eared boxes at garage sales, in pockets of abandoned coats at thrift stores. She's even found them in the gutter, flashing as they catch the light amidst the dirt and leaves. 

Her very favourite few she wears on necklaces, strung on delicate ropes of gold chain. Others she's mounted on canvas or in shadow boxes, while even more remain littered across shelves or nestled in drawers. She keeps the lucky ones hidden around her house, a few on top of the fridge to guarantee she'll never go hungry, one inside her wallet for good fortune, and a few along her windowsills to guard against evil spirits. 

Each key opens something or locks it inside. Some are keys to good and special things, like love, empathy and truth. Others are for ugly things, such as distrust, jealousy and selfishness. She keeps these keys hidden in the basement, but she doesn't get rid of them. It's important to hold onto them, to know where they are so no one else can unlock them without her permission. 

But the most important key she keeps under her bed. It sits in a little wooden box, painted in bright colours. Every so often as Marguerite climbs into bed, she'll slip her hand down and feel for it, running her fingertips along its edges. She smiles as she drifts off to sleep, knowing that she can use it anytime she wants. It's her most important key, the key to possibility. 

There we have it! A cold rainy day ending on the hint of possibility. Let me know what you think in the comments below. Have a great evening!

Rainy Days

The rain has finally let up. It's been going non-stop (sometimes a gentle pitter patter, sometimes heavy with gusting winds) since Monday night. And it's amazing how rain can affect the psyche in so many different ways.

For me, it depends on the kind of rain. For the past few days it's been chilly, windy and grey. At first, it made me feel cozy and snuggly. All I wanted to do was wrap up in blankets, close the blinds and watch movies or read a good book. The weather outside was so cold it made me want to bake something, just to fill the house with warmth and good smells. But as the days and hours progressed, I grew sick of the chill, the dampness, the lack of reprieve. I grew cranky and ill-tempered, annoyed every time I looked out the window and saw nothing but grey and drizzle.

As it turns out, there's really only one kind of rain that I enjoy and that's a summer thunderstorm. You know what I mean. I'm talking about the kind of storm that erupts after days of sickeningly sweet heat. The kind of storm where the rain feels warm on your skin, where the sky lights up with lightening and thunder echoes menacingly through the walls. These are the storms where I open the blinds, turn off the lights and watch it all play out. Where the only lights I'll allow are candles because I like the way the flames flicker and dance.

Unfortunately, the last few days have not been like this. They've been miserable and cold and wet. Even now, with the rain finally gone, the days remain cold. The sun is remote in the sky, refusing to share her warmth. It doesn't feel like May, that's for sure. At least the rain has stopped for now. We can dry out and cross our fingers that soon the days will warm up again and summer will be around to stay. Cause honestly, I don't know if my husband can take another grumpy, rainy day me. (Not that I blame him)