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June 19, 2015
A Watch in Time – Chapter 9, Part 2
A Full Length Short Story by Golden Keyes Parsons
Chapter Nine – Part 2
Click here to start with Chapter One
(Claire tugged on her skirt. “Lily, sit down. They are about to start.”)
The choir stood, and the singing began again. The congregation rose to join in. She was trapped. After three or four songs, they sat down, and offering buckets were passed. Then Howard Butt rose to speak. Lily Kate sighed and opened her purse to see if there was anything that she could read during the sermon. Nothing but lipstick, a handkerchief, a room key and a small notepad and pencil.
“Turn in your Bibles to our Scripture for the evening.” His voice seemed to tremble a bit as he began, but gained strength as he proceeded through the message. In spite of her initial dread, Lily Kate found herself captivated by the sincerity and intensity of the charismatic young preacher.
The sermon lasted only about 20 minutes, and then the choir rose to sing, “Just As I Am, without one plea … “
“Jesus is waiting for you this evening. All you have to do is come to Him … just as you are, as the hymn says. Bring your confusion to Him. He cares for you. Commit your life to Him tonight once and for all.”
Tears sprang to her eyes, but pride wouldn’t let them fall. She looked down, and blinked them away. People started walking toward the front to make “decisions.” Claire moved out of her seat and down the aisle to the front. Then Lois did the same.
Emotions struggled within her—anger at being left alone by her friends, a tug in her heart to respond to the invitation. Confusion? Didn’t the preacher say to bring her confusion to Jesus? Could he really clear away her crazy confusion? There was probably no one at the meeting that evening more confused than she. Lily Kate found herself moving toward the aisle along with the mass of students making their way to the front.
Claire saw her and came to her side wrapping her in a hug. She wiped tears away with her fingers. “Oh, Lily Kate. I’m so glad you’ve responded. Are you coming to accept Jesus? May I pray with you?”
Lily Kate noticed a “Counselor” button that Claire had pinned on her blouse. That’s why she’d gone to the front. She was a counselor. For a moment she felt as if she’d been deceived, but at that point she was completely undone. All she could do was blubber through her tears that now had begun to fall, “I’m so confused.”
Claire nodded. “I understand.”
Lily Kate shook her head. “No, you don’t. You cannot possibly understand—no one can. I don’t even know who I am anymore.”
With eyes deliberating and discerning, Claire gazed intently at Lily Kate. “You are probably correct, but when nobody else understands, Jesus does. Simply give it to Him.” Claire led Lily Kate in a prayer. She had to admit that she did feel a tremendous relief as they finished praying. But she still didn’t know what to do.
She wanted to go to her house and see if any of her family was there. She turned to go back to her seat and bumped into a handsome young man.
“Lily Kate!”
She stared up into the gray-blue eyes of her brother. “David! Oh, David! Is it really you? I thought I’d lost you!”
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Join us next Friday for part 1 of chapter 10.
***Below is a clip that shows several real life testimonies from some of the actual participants in the Baylor Revival in 1946.***
http://tinyurl.com/puqprxp
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June 12, 2015
A Watch in Time – Chapter 9, Part 1
A Full Length Short Story by Golden Keyes Parsons
Chapter Nine – Part 1
Click here to start with Chapter One
Singing—all around her—singing. She was in the middle of a crowd of young people walking through downtown Waco, and Lily Kate found herself singing along with them: He lives! He lives! Christ Jesus lives today! She recognized the lyrics as a hymn they sang occasionally in her church.
The mass of wide-eyed college coeds interspersed with clean-cut young men in suits and ties moved as one behind a banner that touted “Waco Youth For Christ.” Lily Kate stumbled and looked at her feet encased in white sandals, but not the cute flip-flops she was accustomed to. They were chunky with an ankle strap, and she was wearing thin socks, rolled down. Oh my gosh! Anklets! She glanced about to discover that she was in the majority as far as her footwear was concerned. She covered her mouth and giggled.
A pretty redhead at her elbow smiled. “Hey, Roomie, what’s so funny?”
“Oh, nothing. I … I just was thinking about something.”
Lily Kate’s “roommate” nodded and returned to her singing as the group started into Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus, Look full in his wonderful face. She knew this one as well and joined in with the harmony. As they walked in the early evening, Lily Kate shrugged her sweater on around her shoulders.
Lily Kate was more confused than ever. Why am I in a completely different location from when I went through the time warp? What is the purpose of all of this? I met Ivy, my mysterious ancestor, and was able to offer her forgiveness. Can I not just go home now? And what of Clay? Whatever happened to my handsome pilot I fell in love with during my last thrust back in time during World War I? Did he come back from the war? And if he did, who did he find waiting for him? She felt around her neck, but the watch wasn’t there. The more she tried to figure it out, the more perplexed she became. She shook her head, and attempted to focus on where she found herself at the moment.
The volume of the singing increased as they approached a large revival tent at the corner of 5th and Clay. A poster on a telephone pole read “Waco Youth Revival – Straight From The Shoulder, Right To The Heart.” Black and white photos of several young men with sermon titles lined the poster. And the date April 28-May 3. It’s the historical Baylor Revival that took place in 1946 I learned about when I was a student there.
She looked at her roommate. “Who’s preaching tonight?”
“Well, it says Howard Butt for Saturday night.”
Visions of the huge H.E.B. supermarkets flooded Lily Kate’s mind. I’d venture to guess Howard Butt has no idea how successful his family’s grocery business is eventually going to become.
The throng of young people filed into the tent that was already half full. A choir of her peers filled the platform. Her roommate grabbed Lily Kate’s arm and pulled her toward the front. “C’mon, Lily! Lois is saving us seats.”
They threaded their way through the crowd toward a tall, slender brunette waving at them. “Over here, Claire, Lily. Hurry.”
So my roommate’s name is “Claire.” I’m obviously in college and living in the dorm at Baylor University
. Why not at home?
Lois grabbed up her purse and Bible, so Lily and Claire could scoot into the folding chairs. Lily was not only experiencing the discomfort of the hard chairs, but she was uneasy being in a revival tent. She had never been comfortable with extremes in religion, and a revival meeting bespoke of wild-eyed fanaticism to her. She didn’t like it. She stood, and looked for a way of escape.
Claire tugged on her skirt. “Lily, sit down. They are about to start.
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Join us next Friday for part 2 of chapter 9.
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June 5, 2015
A Watch in Time – Chapter 8, Part 2
A Full Length Short Story by Golden Keyes Parsons
Chapter Eight – Part 2
Click here to start with Chapter One
…“Following orders and trying to prevent the spread of the flu.”
“Well, you won’t do it by using the same spoon for each man without disinfecting it between doses. You’ll be spreading it.”
The nurse scowled. “This is the way we always do it.”
“Not anymore. Go get some alcohol and disinfect between each dose.”
The nurse hesitated, then scuttled away grumbling, after Lily Kate took the bottle of castor oil from her and replaced the cap. A lot of good this is going to do anyway. She turned and spoke to the men. “Listen carefully to what I’m telling you. Wash your hands frequently, and keep them away from your face. And don’t eat or drink after anyone else. That’s the best preventative of all.” She tucked the bottle of ill-tasting liquid into her purse, and hurried toward the next mess hall.
Lily Kate entered the stuffy hall, and gaped at what she encountered—so many patients crowded into the space that men had been placed side by side on cots with each soldier’s head and feet in opposite directions. There was hardly room for her to move up and down the aisles. A young dark haired corporal grabbed her hand. “I’m mighty thirsty, ma’am. Could you possibly get me something to drink?”
She moved from one soldier to another wiping their foreheads, giving them a sip of water, trying to ease their discomfort. Every soldier’s pleading eyes, grasping hand, soft voice reminded her that Clay might be in need of a similar gentle touch from a nurse in a foreign country, and she poured herself into her duties. Leaving the base late that afternoon, she shuddered as she walked by caskets stacked like firewood against the outside wall of the chapel.
Upon arriving home, bone-weary and ready to rest, she headed for the credenza where Garnet left the mail every day. Unfolding the newspaper, the headlines jumped out at her. FLU EPIDEMIC DEATH COUNT EXCEEDS BATTLE COUNT. After her day at the base hospital, she believed it.
She shuffled through the stack of letters. Nothing from Clay. It had been two weeks. What if something had happened to him? The authorities wouldn’t know to contact her unless they opened the watch to find her name and address. She didn’t even know how to get in touch with his family. All he had told her was that he was from Chicago—so much she didn’t know about him, yet she knew his heart. She knew his soul. And she loved him.
“Katherine, is that you?”
“Yes, Mothe
r.”
With the mail in her hand, Lily Kate walked into the parlor where Garnet sat surrounded by boxes. “I’ve been going through some things.” She held up a hand-smocked white long christening dress. “Awwww, here are some of your baby clothes.” She placed the dress on the back of the couch and picked up a pair of tiny shoes. “Aren’t they sweet?” Garnet continued to sort through the contents of the box. Lily Kate sat down on the couch next to her looking through the rest of the mail. Garnet turned and looked at Lily Kate with a knitted blanket clutched in her hands. “You were so precious to us—the best thing that ever happened to us.”
Lily Kate probed. “So I just ‘happened’?” She smiled at the older woman.
Flustered, Garnet laid the blanket next to the dress. “Oh, my goodness, you know what I mean.” She patted Lily Kate’s hand. Then she grasped hold of it and held it to her cheek, looking intently in her daughter’s eyes. “My dear child. I want you to know that I pray for you—every day I pray that you will find your destiny. As you travel through the years, find your destiny.”
What does she know—or suspect?
Garnet suddenly bent over again and rummaged in the box. She turned to Lily Kate with something in her hand and announced triumphantly. “Look, I found it. Aunt Lillian’s album.” She laid it on her daughter’s lap.
Lily Kate jumped up, and the album thudded to the floor. “No! Take it away!” But it was too late. The whirlwind enveloped her, and Garnet’s calling to her faded into the eddy.
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Join us next Friday for part 1 of chapter 9.
If you enjoyed this post, please share it with your friends and subscribe to my blog and newsletter below. You will receive my modern short story version of ‘Trapped: The Adulterous Woman’ in your thank you email.
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May 29, 2015
A Watch in Time – Chapter 8, Part 1
A Full Length Short Story by Golden Keyes Parsons
Chapter Eight – Part 1
Click here to start with Chapter One
Lily Kate mailed a letter every day to somewhere in Europe to the young pilot she’d met while he was stationed at Rich Field. He captured her heart, then went to war holding her literal future in his hands. Was it her fate to remain in 1918 and wait for the love of her life, or would she wake up any moment back in modern day Waco? Lily Kate needed to return to her real life. But what was real? She didn’t know anymore. And David …was her brother well? How was he explaining her absence in modern-day Waco?
She prayed for Clay, but she wasn’t sure how prayer worked in this other dimension. Visions of the boxy airplanes screaming through clouds and plunging to earth that she had seen in war movies and history books in grainy black and white photos roared through her mind now in vivid color. She imagined him wearing the leather helmet and dashing scarf 
barely escaping with his life. Sometimes the pictures in her mind exploded in fiery crashes or were swallowed up by the indigo water of the ocean. She closed her eyes and shook her head against the anguished visions. No need to torture herself. He’d been gone almost a year. She knew he was living on borrowed time the longer he was overseas. He wrote only once or twice a week, but what a way Lieutenant Clay Cole had with words. Pages filled with amorous declarations of his love for her made her simultaneously smile and cry. Assurances that he was well and not seeing much action failed to convince her.
She clambered onto the trolley. She had to admit that she was enjoying being a nurse, although she’d never previously considered it as a career.
Blanche looked up as Lily Kate approached the desk at the Red Cross headquarters. “Might as well not get settled in. You’re being transferred to the base hospital at Camp MacArthur. More soldiers coming down with the flu than they can handle. I’ll send you out in the ambulance.”
“Yes, of course. I’ll go right away.”
Thoughts rumbled through Lily Kate’s head as the ambulance rumbled toward the base. The driver, a middle-aged volunteer with a bushy mustache, handled the cumbersome vehicle with relative ease. Will the flu shot she got at the local pharmacy in modern Waco be effective against this strain of the Spanish flu? The young clean-shaven guard at the gate stuck his head into the ambulance window and looked at Lily Kate’s uniform. “We’re sending all the nurses to the mess hall. Too many patients for the hospital.” He pointed to the left. “You can let her off over there.”
Lily Kate got out of the ambulance and waved good-bye to the driver. “Good luck, young lady. This looks like tough duty.”
Walking past the first mess hall where soldiers stood in line, Lily Kate stared at a nurse administering castor oil to the men—using the same spoon for every dose. Lily Kate strode up to her, and grabbed the spoon from her hand “What do you think you’re doing?” The nurse pulled back spilling castor oil on the ground. The men waved their hats and cheered.
“Following orders and trying to prevent the spread of the flu.”
“Well, you won’t do it by using the same spoon for each man without disinfecting it between doses. You’ll be spreading it.”
The nurse scowled. “This is the way we always do it.”
“Not anymore. Go get some alcohol and disinfect between each dose.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Join us next Friday for part 2 of chapter 8.
If you enjoyed this post, please share it with your friends and subscribe to my blog and newsletter below. You will receive my modern short story version of ‘Trapped: The Adulterous Woman’ in your thank you email.
The post A Watch in Time – Chapter 8, Part 1 appeared first on Golden Keyes Parsons.
May 22, 2015
A Watch In Time – Chapter 7, Part 2
A Full Length Short Story by Golden Keyes Parsons
Chapter Seven – Part 2
Click here to start with Chapter One
…“We have a very direct connection, but one too complicated to explain. And my family has the means to afford her a decent burial.” She turned to the sheriff.
“Where is the body?”
“In the mortuary.”
“Take me to her.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Garnet and Lily Kate removed their black hats and gloves and placed them on the hall tree as they entered the cool foyer of the house. The graveside service was quick and simple. Nobody attending except the two of them, and the pastor they hired to say a few words. Blanche’s absence screamed her unspoken disapproval of Ivy.
A heavy cloak of sadness hung around Lily Kate’s shoulders—sadness that her ancestor, her great-great grandmother, struggled to simply exist; that even after leaving her destructive lifestyle, she found little acceptance or friendship; that she died alone. Lily Kate was experiencing a sadness that surprised her. She was grateful she had revealed her true identity to Ivy and offered her forgiveness. Perhaps she had completed her mission?
“Mother, where is the family album you found with Aunt Lillian when she died?”
Garnet paused with her hand on the banister. “The album? Dear me, I’ve not seen it since we renovated the house ten years ago. I remember packing it away in a box somewhere.” She started up the stairs. “I think I’ll lie down for a bit.”
“Very well. I’m going to go look for the album.”
“Why would you want to go to all that trouble? There’s nothing of interest in it.”
“I’m simply curious.”
Garnet flicked her wrist and continued up the stairs. She had refused to talk to Lily Kate about Ivy or anything surrounding the circumstances of her birth. She was surprised Garnet agreed to accompany her to the graveside.
A knock on the front door interrupted her thoughts. As she opened the door, the handsome young pilot grinned at her and removed his hat. “Afternoon, ma’am. I hope it’s acceptable that I dropped by.”
“Lieutenant Cole. Why, of course. Come in. How’s the arm?”
“Please, it’s Clay, and the arm’s fine.”
He came into her house, and Lily Kate pushed the door closed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The days passed quickly as Clay’s arm healed. Trying to find the album was pushed aside amidst evening walks, picnics in Cameron Park, and sitting in the swing on the porch in the velvet of humid summer nights. Captured by the chivalrous courtesies and respect Clay demonstrated, Lily Kate found herself falling in love. Alarmed, she tried to resist, but unsuccessfully so. She needed to reveal who she really was to him. And who might that be? She wasn’t sure she knew anymore.
The night grew late, and a whisper of moonlight fingered through the leaves onto the porch. The swing creaked, and the crickets chirped. “Clay, there’s something I must tell you.”
He looked at her with those beautiful hazel eyes that appeared brown in the dim light. “This sounds serious.” He rubbed his arm where the cast had been removed the week before, then took her hand. “I have something to tell you as well.”
“You go first.”
Clay touched her cheek with the back of his fingers. “You are so beautiful.”
“That’s what you have to tell me?”
He chuckled. “No, that fact surely has been obvious to you—that I consider you the most beautiful girl in the world.”
Lily Kate looked down at her hands. “Clay, I don’t think—”
“Shhhh. Don’t think, just listen.” He took her hands in his. “I have fallen in love with you. Will you wait for me?”
“Does that mean—?”
“I’ve been approved to start flying again. I’m being shipped overseas.”
“When?”
Clay moved closer to her. He took her in his arms and whispered in her ear. “Tomorrow morning.”
Tears stung her eyes as she clung to him, his stiff, starched uniform cool on her cheek. “I cannot bear to let you go. You’ll be in danger.”
“Aw, nothing’s going to happen to me. As long as I know you’re waiting for me, I’ll be fine.”
Lily Kate pulled away. “Clay, don’t ask any questions concerning what I am about to say to you. I love you too. My love for you transcends time itself, the here and now. If there’s any way possible I will wait for you.”
“That’s a strange thing to say.” He frowned. “Why wouldn’t it be possible?”
“No questions. Come with me.” She led him inside and removed the watch from around her neck. Digging in a small secretary in the hall, she pulled out a piece of paper and scribbled, “Lily Kate Monroe” along with her address on it. She folded it as tiny as she could and laid it inside the case of the watch. “Every time you look at this, remember me.”
Clay shook his head. “I don’t need this to remember you—or your address.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Join us next Friday for part 1 of chapter 8.
If you enjoyed this post, please share it with your friends and subscribe to my blog and newsletter below. You will receive my modern short story version of ‘Trapped: The Adulterous Woman’ in your thank you email.
The post A Watch In Time – Chapter 7, Part 2 appeared first on Golden Keyes Parsons.
May 15, 2015
A Watch In Time – Chapter 7, Part 1
A Full Length Short Story by Golden Keyes Parsons
Chapter Seven – Part 1
Click here to start with Chapter One
Lily Kate draped the watch around her neck as she ran down the stairs to catch the trolley. It was early, but she wanted to go by the hospital to check on Lieutenant Cole before going to the Red Cross.
Garnet called after her. “Katherine, aren’t you going to eat breakfast?” Lily’s middle name fell foreign on her ears, however, the aroma of cinnamon enticed her into the kitchen. Snatching a warm sweet roll from the counter, she hurried out the door.
She strode into the hospital with confidence—this time wearing a nurse’s uniform. After acquiring Lieutenant Cole’s room number, she found it quickly, and knocked on the open door.
Still in a hospital gown, the pilot pushed his breakfast tray away, and grinned at her. “Good morning. This is a welcome surprise.”
“Checking on my patient.”
“I appreciate the personal touch.” He tapped the cast on his arm. “Are they going to let me out of here today?”
“Since the break didn’t require surgery, I’m sure they will.” She looked at his uniform lying on the chair. “I’ll call someone to help you get dressed.”
“I kinda hoped maybe they had sent you to …”
“Ahem. Well, I don’t actually work here at the hospital.” Lily Kate felt her cheeks redden.
Lieutenant Cole laughed softly. “I’ve embarrassed you. Please forgive me.”
“No problem, Lieutenant— ”
“Please call me Clay. I’m Clay Cole.”
“Yes, I saw your name on your chart. I’m Katherine Monroe.”
“Yes, Katherine Monroe, I saw your name on your name tag.” His tone teased with her.
She turned to go. “I need to get to work. I’m glad you are doing better.”
“Wait a moment. Could I call on you? Looks like I’m going to be out of commission for a bit.”
An older nurse carrying a tray of medications appeared at the door. Lily Kate slipped by her into the hall as she waved good-bye to Clay. Her pulse quickened. Why did his question make her so nervous? “You know where to find me.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Is Ivy here?” Lily looked around the interior of the dark tent.
Blanche shook her head. “She hasn’t come in yet—which is most unusual for her. She’s normally early.”
“I’ll get started with the bandages.”
The minutes crept by, but no Ivy. Lily Kate didn’t want to make the woman uncomfortable, but she was eager to speak to her again about their family connection. How many people have the chance to experience such an encounter? A group of soldiers came in inquiring where the canteen was located.
Blanche gave them directions, then bustled to Lily Kate’s side . She picked up a bundle of bandages. “If Ivy’s not here by noon, she’s lost her job.”
“Perhaps we should check on her.”
“I have no idea where she lives.”
Lily Kate glanced at the clunky-looking telephone on Blanche’s desk. “I don’t suppose she has a phone either.”
“Not likely.” Blanche put the folded bandages in the cupboard.
Lily Kate shook her head. “Don’t you think we should call the sheriff’s office?”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lily watched as the sheriff shoved his hat back on his forehead and mumbled to Blanche. “ … probably last night. Heart attack. Never knew what hit her.”
Lily hurried over to Blanche’s desk. “Wha … what did you say? Ivy’s dead?”
“Evidently.”
“What about burial?” The sheriff put his hands in his pockets and shifted his weight. “Who should I contact to claim to body?”
Blanche’s heavy eyebrows formed a dark awning over her eyes. “I asked her many times about family, and she always claimed she had none. I guess it’ll be a pauper’s burial for her.”
“I’ll take care of it.”
Blanche stared at Lily Kate. “You? You just met her yesterday. Why would you be concerned about a worn-out former—”
“—former what, Blanche? A former human being who made her way in this world the only way she could? She deserves a dignified burial.”
“But you have no connection with her. Why bother?”
“We have a very direct connection, but one too complicated to explain. And my family has the means to afford her a decent burial.” She turned to the sheriff.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Join us next Friday for part 2 of chapter 7.
If you enjoyed this post, please share it with your friends and subscribe to my blog and newsletter below. You will receive my modern short story version of ‘Trapped: The Adulterous Woman’ in your thank you email.
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May 9, 2015
A Watch In Time – Chapter 6, Part 2
A Full Length Short Story by Golden Keyes Parsons
Chapter Six – Part 2
Click here to start with Chapter One
The woman pushed her glasses up on her nose. “It’s time to call it a day.”
“What about … ?” Lily motioned toward the young pilot sleeping on a cot. “Lieutenant Foster went back to Rich Field.”
“We’ll take him over to the hospital for the night. I told his friend he could pick him up in the morning.”
“I see.” Lily hesitated. “I told him I would stay with him.”
Blanche stood, and handed Lily a clipboard. “If you want to stay until they come to take him to the hospital, I suppose that would be fine. Night shift is coming in about 20 minutes.”
“Is Ivy still here?”
“I think so.” The heretofore gentle woman’s lips turned up in an unexpected sneer. “Humph! She works herself to death … so afraid she’s going to lose her job.”
“Why would she be afraid of losing her job? She seems to be a hard worker.”
“She is, but, you know, ever since they shut the red light district down … those gals … well, most of them can’t find decent work, so they’ve moved on. And good riddance, I say. However some have stayed in Waco, and are trying to make a living here. Ivy was lucky to have landed this job at all.” She shook her head and clicked her tongue.
Lily glanced at the name on the chart and walked away from Blanche, with no comment. Clayton Burl Cole. Strong name.
Ivy hovered over the nightstand next to the young pilot’s bed, pouring water into a cup. She looked up, startled, at Lily Kate. The characteristic gray-blue eyes that blinked at her hinted at unspoken decades in that one moment. She turned to leave. “Quittin’ time.”
“Wait, Ivy. I need to talk to you.”
“Have I done something wrong?”
“No. Nothing like that.” Lily clasped the watch. “It’s not what you’ve done, but who you are.”
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“I think you do.” Lily Kate motioned toward the back of the tent. “Come, sit down and, please, let me explain something to you.”
They sat facing each other in front of the cupboards. Ivy fidgeted with her cap, rearranging her hair. “I need to get back to work.”
“Not yet. You just said that it was quitting time.” Lily leaned forward, and took a deep breath. “Ivy, I’m going to ask you to believe something that is … well, unbelievable. I’m not who I seem to be. When you see me tomorrow, I may not be the same person. I am actually from the future. And I believe I’ve been sent back here to discover … to discover you.”
Ivy’s eyes grew wide, but she remained silent.
“Look at my eyes, my hair. They are your eyes—your hair. You are my ancestor, but I never knew anything about you until … until I was sent back to find you. I never knew anything about my heritage. The history of our family was always secretive, mysterious. My parents never told us anything about our ancestors.”
Ivy wrung her hands, the years of guilt and shame squeezing through her eyes in a torrent of tears and hitched sobs. “This is all too far-fetched for my simpleton brain.” She looked back at Lily. She reached her fingers toward the young girl, but pulled back without touching her. “But … but something about what you are saying rings true. It would ease my mind of a burden of sorrow I’ve carried for years, if I could believe it. I wouldn’t be surprised that the history of your ancestors has been hidden from you. I’m a disgrace. I’m a rotten excuse for a mother—for a human being. I had no way to support myself. My parents died on a wagon train headed west when I was 14. The wagon master dumped me off here in Waco, and the madam of the brothel was the only one who was kind to me. I worked as a … a … you know … a prostitute to exist.” She swallowed a sob. “And then when I became pregnant with you, I began to realize what I had done. I loved your father. I really did, I just couldn’t let him know about you, so I gave you to his family. When he was killed, I never forgave myself for not telling him.” She groaned and writhed in her chair. “Deceit and shame and guilt … always the guilt. I pray for God’s forgiveness, but I can never forgive myself. ”
Lily Kate placed her hand over Ivy’s rough one. “I may not ever see you again, or I may be back tomorrow. If I come back without the watch, you’ll know that it’s not me. But now I know why I’ve been sent to find you.”
Ivy wiped her eyes with her apron. “Why?”
“To tell you God is a God of mercy and compassion. He forgives those who turn to Him. Please accept that forgiveness from Him … and from me.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Photo credit: east_lothian_museums / Foter / CC BY-NC-SA
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Join us next Friday for part 1 of chapter 7.
If you enjoyed this post, please share it with your friends and subscribe to my blog and newsletter below. You will receive my modern short story version of ‘Trapped: The Adulterous Woman’ in your thank you email.
The post A Watch In Time – Chapter 6, Part 2 appeared first on Golden Keyes Parsons.
May 1, 2015
A Watch in Time – Chapter 6, Part 1
A Full Length Short Story by Golden Keyes Parsons
Chapter Six – Part 1
Click here to start with Chapter One
Ivy reached for the watch that dangled from Lily Kate’s neck as Lily bent over to put the folded bandages on the table. “Where did you get that watch?”
“I inherited from my aunt who passed away several years ago. I’m named after her.”
Ivy grasped the edge of the table and wiped perspiration from her forehead with one of the bandages. Her hand trembled.
“What was your aunt’s name?”
“Lillian Monroe. Are you alright?”
“Yes, it’s so hot.” She paused. “I thought your name was Katherine. Your last name is Monroe?”
Lily Kate nodded. “Is something wrong?”
The older woman looked at Lily Kate with watery eyes, then shook her head. She must have been attractive at one time, but now her skin was lined with deep wrinkles. However, her hair was dark and thick. “No. I … you … uh … you remind me of someone, that’s all.” She blew her nose. “We have work to do, and we’d best get about it. Don’t want to get in trouble. Fold those bandages and put them in the cabinets over there.” She pointed to several wooden cupboa
rds in the back of the tent, and then she bustled away.
Lily finished folding the bandages and put them away. Then she assisted Blanche with registration records and reports. Her hair clung to her neck in ringlets. Pumping a paper fan in front of her face, she stepped outside, and watched a Red Cross ambulance putter to the entrance of the tent. A tall slender soldier stepped from the vehicle holding his left arm which was bent at a crazy angle. A shorter, stockier soldier walked beside him, steadying the injured man.
Lily Kate rushed to his side. “Oh, my. Let me help you.”
The soldier flashed a tight grin. “Your assistance would be much appreciated—and much fairer and gentler than my colleague here.” He chuckled, then grimaced.
“What happened, Lieutenant? You’re stationed at Camp MacArthur?”
They entered the dark tent, and Lily nodded to Blanche. “Send for Dr. Cornelius. This looks like a multiple fracture.”
“Rich Field.” Laced with pain, the soldier’s voice cracked. “I’m a pilot.”
“Oh. Well, you won’t be piloting—for awhile at least.” She repeated her question. “What happened?”
He shook his head. “It was a training flight. Took a rough landing, and banged up my shoulder is all.” He grinned again at Lily, and fastened his gaze on her. “Not very glamorous, eh?” His hazel green eyes were rimmed with dark eyelashes, too 
thick for a man.
“Why don’t you lie down and try to rest until the doctor gets here? He shouldn’t be long. His office is across the street.”
The soldier nodded. “Would you, can you stay with me? It’s nice to have some female company—not that I don’t appreciate Lieutenant Foster here.”
His friend sat in a rickety wooden chair beside the table. “You’d better appreciate me. Gonna miss chow on account of you if we don’t get back to camp soon.”
Lily got a blanket from the metal cabinet, and laid it over the soldier. “Not to worry. We’ll forage some supper for you.”
The pilot sunk back on the table, covering his eyes with his good arm. He managed a muffled “Thank you.”
The soldier fell asleep after Dr. Cornelius set the arm. Lily made her way to the front of the tent to check in with Blanche. The woman pushed her glasses up on her nose. “It’s time to call it a day.”
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Join us next Friday for part 2 of chapter 6.
If you enjoyed this post, please share it with your friends and subscribe to my blog and newsletter below. You will receive my modern short story version of ‘Trapped: The Adulterous Woman’ in your thank you email.
The post A Watch in Time – Chapter 6, Part 1 appeared first on Golden Keyes Parsons.
April 24, 2015
A Watch In Time – Chapter 5, Part 2
A Full Length Short Story by Golden Keyes Parsons
Chapter Five – Part 1
Click here to start with Chapter One
She stared at the newspaper articles. It was only 1894. World War I was 13 years in the future. The familiar swirling enveloped her. She closed her eyes and waited.
A warm breeze blew across her face. She opened her eyes. Sunlight danced across the wicker furniture and parlor palms on the porch. An older Garnet stepped through the front door and faced her. Lily looked down at the white linen lawn dress trimmed in blue that she was wearing. The watch hung around her neck.
“I really don’t want you to do this, Katherine.”
“D-do what?”
Garnet wove her hankie round and round her fingers. “Volunteer to work at the Red Cross. It’s dangerous—all those soldiers. And since the police closed the … The Reservation … those disgraceful women are milling around downtown, 
trying to find work. And I’ve heard that several of them are volunteering for the Red Cross. It’s unseemly. You’re a proper young lady.”
Wartime. It’s obviously summer—must be the summer of 1917. That’s when Camp MacArthur opened. She would be 23 years old now–an old maid by the standards of the day.
“I don’t care if you are a nurse. As your mother, let me assure you that you have no business down there.” Garnet sat her plump figure down in the wicker rocker and picked up a fan from the side table. “Whoo! It’s hot already and not even 10 o’clock. The trolley will be along soon.”
A nurse? And she called herself “mother.” Garnet and David raised her, not Lillian?
Several moments of an uneasy silence passed. Lily Kate cleared her throat. “You’ve told me many times before, Gar-uh, Mother, but what exactly happened to Aunt Lillian?”
“You never get tired of hearing the story, do you?”
Lily Kate shook her head.
“The night you were born was the opening of the Cotton Palace. We came in from the festivities, and she went straight to her room. Said she wasn’t feeling well. I stayed up with you and when your father went to check on her later, she was lying on the floor with our family album open. The watch you now wear was clasped in her hand. She was gone. We don’t know what happened. Her heart probably gave out.”
“And the watch … it …”
“Uh, well, we wanted you to have the watch since it was … since Aunt Lillian was wearing it when she passed. Seeing as how you’re named for her, it seemed fitting you should have it.”
Garnet was dodging the truth. But perhaps she never knew the truth—that the baby was the child of their nephew and a prostitute from The Reservation. What had happened to the note?
Lily felt around the blue sash with her fingers. There it was. It made the jump through time with her.
A clang down the street announced the trolley was on its way. Garnet gave Lily Kate a smothering hug before she left the porch and got on the trolley. She rode to Franklin where she spotted a sign designating the Red Cross headquarters. She got off and made her way across the street amidst horse-drawn buggies and the new-fangled motor cars. Soldiers in uniform walked in and out of stores, leaning against lampposts, glancing aside at her as she entered the large tent.
A stern-looking, lanky woman with heavy eyebrows looked up as she entered the tent. “May I help you, young lady?” Her voice was soft and kind, not stern at all.
“I came to volunteer.”
“Have you registered?”
“I … I’m not sure.”
“Do you have nurse’s training, or do you want to give blood, or wrap bandages or … what do you want to do?”
“Hello, Katherine!” A woman of about 45 years of age waved at her from the bedside of a young soldier. “Where’s your uniform? Nurses can wear their own uniforms. You’re way too dressed up.”
“Oh, I didn’t know I needed to wear my own ….”
“Never mind.” She waved at the woman at the registry table. “Blanche, she’s already signed up. C’mon back. I’ll get you started.”
“Thanks, Ivy.”
Lily Kate picked her way down the aisle toward Ivy. Most of the soldiers seemed to be there for minor issues. The main activity appeared to be wrapping bandages. Ivy pointed out a stack of cloth on a table next to her. “Dig in.”
Lily bent over to pick up the bandages, holding the watch as it swung from her neck. She heard a gasp from the older woman. Ivy grabbed the watch with a trembling hand, her face drained of all color. “Where did you get this watch?”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Join us next Friday for part 1 of chapter 6.
If you enjoyed this post, please share it with your friends and subscribe to my blog and newsletter below. You will receive my modern short story version of ‘Trapped: The Adulterous Woman’ in your thank you email.
The post A Watch In Time – Chapter 5, Part 2 appeared first on Golden Keyes Parsons.
April 17, 2015
A Watch in Time – Chapter 5, Part 1
A Full Length Short Story by Golden Keyes Parsons
Chapter Five – Part 1
Click here to start with Chapter One
Lily Kate, David and Garnet left the Cotton Palace celebration early, and hurried home. A baby’s cries greeted them. 
Wagging her head, Tildy took their wraps. “Goodness, Miss Lillian. I’m certainly glad you’re home. That baby not one bit happy.”
“Did you find a wet nurse?”
“Yes’m, but that baby don’t want to nurse her. She just cry and cry.”
“Poor thing.” Lily Kate removed her gloves, and went into the kitchen. A young black woman sat in a rocking chair struggling to nurse the newborn, her own young baby in a cradle at her feet. Lily cooed at the bundle as she stroked the baby’s cheek with back of her fingers. “Oh, little darlin’. You must eat. Try stroking her cheek.”
“Yes’m.” The young mother mimicked Lily Kate, stroking the baby’s face. The infant latched on and began to nurse hungrily. Lily Kate backed up bumping into her brother. “Sorry, David. Let’s give them some privacy.”
Garnet hovered over the nursing child. She turned toward Lily and David, her eyes brimming with unshed tears. “A baby, David. We finally have a baby in the house.” She whispered as she caressed the baby’s toes peeking out from the blanket. “Let me burp her when she’s ready.” Garnet gathered her skirt around her and sat on the edge of one of the wooden kitchen chairs. “I’ll sit here quietly and wait.”
David backed out the door and pulled Lily into the hallway. “We’ve got to get out of here.”
“But … the baby.”
David tugged on the lapels of his coat, and slapped his chest. “This isn’t us, Lily. Not really. Somehow we have been given a window into our heritage, but we have to get back home. For goodness sake, Sis! There’s a woman in there who expects me to be her husband.”
“Very well. Just a moment.” Lily went back through the kitchen door. “Garnet, I believe I’ll go on to bed. I’m not feeling very well.”
“Oh?” Garnet started to rise.
“I’m fine. Simply a headache. Too much excitement tonight, I suppose. David can go with me. I’ll see you in the morning. Good night.”
“I think I’ll turn in also, Garnet. It’s been a long day.”
“Very well. Good night, Lillian. I’ll be up soon, David.” Garnet turned her attention back to the baby.
The album lay on the bed where David had tossed it when they were catapulted through the time warp. The lantern flickered on a writing table casting dark shadows on the two siblings’ faces as they hesitated at the foot of the bed.
“C’mon, Sis. Let’s get on with this. I don’t want to hang around here any longer.” He picked up the book and sat on the bed with it open in his lap as he stroked his mustache.
“Wait, David. I don’t know …” She grabbed for the album, as he was swallowed up in the darkness. It thudded to the floor. “No! David, don’t go without me.” Frantic, she picked the volume up and fanned the pages. Nothing’s happening! No, no! This can’t be. I can’t be left stranded here.
Minutes passed as she clasped the album to her chest, and paced back and forth. She heard Garnet go upstairs to their room. What, who would David’s “wife” find in her room?
Lily Kate wanted to run out of the house screaming, but that would accomplish nothing. Maybe if I look at some of the pictures … maybe that will put the time warp into motion. She pulled the chair from the desk, and turned up the lantern. Removing the note from her reticule, she tucked it into her belt. She turned page after page of old tintypes and letters—letters received from David when he fought in the Civil War, and correspondence concerning the Cotton Palace. She skimmed through newspaper articles about the horrific public lynching of a black man in 1916, and the coming of Camp MacArthur to Waco. 1916? World War I? She stared at the newspaper articles. It was only 1894. World War I was 13 years in the future. The familiar swirling enveloped her. She closed her eyes and waited.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Join us next Friday for part 2 of chapter 5.
If you enjoyed this post, please share it with your friends and subscribe to my blog and newsletter below. You will receive my modern short story version of ‘Trapped: The Adulterous Woman’ in your thank you email.
The post A Watch in Time – Chapter 5, Part 1 appeared first on Golden Keyes Parsons.
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