Morning all. I know, running a little behind this morning. Our heat kicked on, and things were stirred through the air. So itchy watery eyes today and moving a little slow. But still the day goes on. So are we ready for the morning promt? Excellent, let’s go.
I like this one. It is a bit out there, but i kind of like it.
Thursday, November 10th, 2022: This is what you wanted isn’t it?
This is what you wanted isn’t it?” he screamed at the those, “More garden space?” Howard yelled before he moved to the front of the dump truck and climbed into the cab. Behind the truck were the remains of several small saplings. He had backed over them several times until they now lay white and broken on the pare ground. To Marcus as he looked out upon the scene, they looked a bit like dead bodies.
The image made something inside him quake, old memories began slipping closer to the surface.
While others gasped, Marcus admitted relief, at least to himself when Howard set the truck’s mechanism into motion and a load of what Marcus thought might be manure emptied out on top of the fallen trees. His memories seemed to retreat into shadow with their disappearance. Howard climbed out of the truck, leaving the door wide open.
He picked up a rake and brandished it like a weapon, holding it high like a victorious invader might after a difficult Battle. “You wanted more gardens. More flowers, well you shall have them,” Howard called.
He turned away from the house and stormed towards the pile of manure. He scaled it like a mountain, using the but end of the rake for balance. When he reached the top there was little time to plant a flag. Instead he turned the teeth of the rake to the pile and began attacking it with the rake, tearing down the mountain and spreading the manure in an ever widening area.
Everyone stood transfixed. Marcus knew at some point someone would come by and put an end to this. Surely Howard was having some sort of break down or episode. Now that his old memories were buried along with the trees he found himself curious as to how far this would go. Would Howard manage to take down the entire Manure Mountain?
Through the window he watched the furious attack. Howard moved in a frenzy and clumps of black sprayed out from every downward swing of his rake.
“Ah the cavalry,” Marcus said as he saw several of the guards approaching. A couple of the others looked at him. “Sorry,” he said, realizing he spoke out loud. He turned back to the window.
Howard wasn’t about to give up the field so easily. From where he stood Marcus could hear that the guards said something to Howard. He heard the rise and fall of their voices, but as they were using calming tones and not screaming at the house he couldn’t make out the words. He supposed they amounted to put down the rake and come inside, or some variation of that. Howard was having none of that. He Raised his rake menacingly. The guards eased forward.
‘Should have surrounded him instead of all coming from the same angle,’ Marcus thought as the guards, still in a pack facing Howard began to advance. Howard dug the rake into the mound of manure still remaining and flung a load at the guards. As they defended themselves from the spray, Howard turned and sprinted off towards the woods, Rake still held high like a battle flag.
‘Sprinted might be the wrong term,’ Marcus conceded, although he was certain that was the pace Howard was trying for. Unfortunately he was wearing his gardening boots and they were not built for speed. He still managed to stay ahead of the guards and disappeared into the tree line.
Ten til Midnight 