Tag: black

Lost:

Unsure which way to turn . . . .

~~ a short story

by tkbrown

The darkness surrounding her is so thick and black, she is certain it can be cut with a knife. The intensity of the weight it carries threatens to take her breath, leaves her dizzy with anxiety. There is no hint of light anywhere.

Julie cannot remember ever trying to maneuver in such vexatious surroundings. The dead silence only adds to the unwelcoming ambience which renders familiar surroundings unhinged. The unrealistic fear of stepping off into the unknown–a great abyss–besieges her. Moving forward stealthily, carefully placing one foot in front of the other, trying to recall the territorial map in her mind, Julie slips in the mud, stumbles, screams as she lands with a “Splat!!”

The scream is totally unexpected and only adds to the breach of peace skittering through her.

“Who’s there???” (a little less than forcefully).

“Who screamed?? she quivers.

Dead silence responds.

If only there were the least hint of light, the effort of traversing the familiar field would not be so affronting. She can almost hear the howling scene in any one of the mystery thriller movies she has ever seen. The scream, apparently emitted by some imagined other, has set her nerves on edge. There is nothing to hold too, . . . nothing to help her calm the jerkiness of movement. She slowly rises from the muck and steadies her stance by separating her feet just a bit. Standing there, covered with mud, she forces a slow steadiness to her inhale, then to her exhale–followed by another, and another.

Now, as she calms herself enough to think more clearly, it dawns on her that the fall has shifted her sense of direction and darkness is confounding her ability to decide which direction to take now. Bit by bit she turns, tries to orient in the inkiness, and bit by bit she searches the darkness for even the tiniest hint of light. At this point, any direction will do if it helps her find familiar territory again.

There, she sees it. Then it’s gone. She sees it again–a hint, ever so slight, a hint of light. It seems to be moving. As she watches, it grows ever so slowly–then a flicker–and she is sure of it. A light to move toward. Step by step she inches forward toward the light, not allowing any thought into her mind except the task at hand–move toward the light!

“Then spake Jesus unto them, saying, ‘I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.‘”

John 8:12 — Holy Bible: New Testament, King James Version (KJV)>

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Source:

Eds. King James Bible Online. (November 2007). John 8:12. “Holy Bible: New Testament, King James Version (KJV).” U.S. Congress. (24 June 2021). JOHN 8:12 KJV “Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not…” (kingjamesbibleonline.org).

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Photo Above: by Jeni Holland at Unsplash.com.

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My Morning Do . . . Morning Brew

~~ That first cup of morning brew . . .

~~ by tkbrown

The first, aromatic, energizing, cup of coffee is almost sensuously approached each morning by millions–maybe billions–around the world. How often is the first cup of coffee anticipated each morning with desire, need, and sleepiness while begging it to awaken and invigorate? There are a multitude of artworks depicting the need for coffee being first and foremost in most coffee-drinkers’ minds while blindly stumbling toward the coffee maker.

The earliest cup of brewed coffee, as we know it today, may have surfaced during the fifteenth century. Use of the brew quickly expanded with proliferation. Today, many countries around the world produce coffee with its aromatic beans which are roasted according to varying guidelines in order to achieve that perfect blend consumed with an almost lustful expectancy when waking to the brand new day.

Some like a strong, black, and robust flavor to that daily knock at cognition’s door. Others prefer a milder, damped-down flavor which awakens with less of a jolt; so, this group might add creams, flavors, or ice to create any number of specialties in the genre. Coffee houses around the world entice patrons with cappuccinos, espressos, demitasse, lattes, frappes–as well as the more recent cold brew.

The above list is just a sampling of the forms in which coffee may be consumed. In whatever form one likes it, one fact is very true: it is one of the most widely embraced beverages known to mankind. There are those who might fight their way through if hindered enroute to that first morning cup. Others are a bit mor mellow, but the eyes my need to be propped open with toothpicks until the morning ritual finally makes its way to the coffee. So, without further ado, I will quietly exit the room, leaving you to savor your morning brew.

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Photo Above By: SI Janko Ferlic on Unsplash.com.

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