Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2012

Today I’ll begin posting my newest story, Learning Lea. I hope you enjoy reading what I’ve written as much as I’ve enjoyed creating it.  Without further delay….

Learning Lea

Lea rolled onto her side, the mattress creaking in the process. Her legs curled close to her body, her feet intertwined. A chill caught Lea, causing her muscles to flex. She was careful to prevent her razor sharp nails from slicing through the sheets and fought the urge to shiver, lest she wake Carl who spooned her from behind. She didn’t want to alert him to her distress…not again…. So she lay there, as her mind raced—an incessant cesspool of thoughts and images that consumed her, leaving her no escape. In the end, that’s all Lea wanted—to escape. 

For as long as she could recall, Lea sought peace…quiet…calm—a respite from the indelible mark society and its mystery left on her. Each day, she went out in the world, became a part of it, or so it appeared to those interested enough to take a second look. That was all Lea needed—to fool onlookers long enough to leave an impression that she was one of them.

Lea scooted apart from Carl. But, as she suspected, the effort was futile, for even in his slumber, Carl sought her out. His need to touch her usually comforted Lea. But not tonight. It was at times like these that Lea needed space. 

Knowing that if she remained in bed, she had no choice, Lea let Carl touch her, attempting to numb her body to the feel of him against her. She succeeded—mostly. Relaxing a bit, the edges of her reality began to shift in and out.  Similar to the focus being adjusted on a camera lens, what Lea saw, as she lay there in the dark, became fine-tuned and then…not.