Saturday, July 17, 2010

Mag 23



The flames! All around me. The heat! Becoming more and more intense. Then the smoke! Choking me. I began to cough and the coughing woke me from this terrible nightmare.

I lay in the bed, drenched with sweat, trying to reason it out. Why, why, had I suffered this agony in a dream? As I lay there, I realized I had not opened the window when I took to my bed. I rose and opened it now and a cooling breeze entered the room.

I sat on the edge of the bed, holding my head in my hands, still thinking about what had caused this terrible inferno in my dreams, nearly taking my life.

I got up, went to the kitchen for a drink of water. I left the lights off and simply felt my way.


Absent-mindedly I walked as if still in a dream into the hallway. Wham! What the hell was that? My toes had slammed into something hard and the pain was now real and intense. I cursed at whatever object I had struck.

I backed a short distance away and reached for the light switch on the wall. The glare was intense at first and then, as my eyes adjusted, I saw what I had walked into.

A fire extinguisher! A huge, old, heavy fire extinguisher. I had purchased the antique the day before at a garage sale. Undecided where to place it, I had left it in the hallway the previous evening. Then I had forgotten it until I walked into it in the dark.

Damnable old life saver.

I thought to myself, "they sure made them heavy in those days."

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The lovely Willow has instigated writers . . and people like myself who think they're writers . . to try their hand at a visual prompt each week. If you'd like to read others go to Magpie Tales and enjoy some more.

27 comments:

  1. A dream reminding one not to stub a toe, only to have a stubbed toe remind one of a dream. ;)

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  2. Nice twist in this Magpie, dreams funny how they remind us things that we did not finish...like put something in its proper place...bkm

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  3. Dreams are often funny phenomenas. A great take on the prompt!

    -Weasel

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  4. I enjoyed this, very well written. Thanks for visiting my blog.

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  5. Dreams! It's probably a good thing we don't remember most of them. I enjoyed your Magpie ...

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  6. Wonderfully done, but what a horrible dream! Why can't they all be pleasant?

    www.angiemuresan.com

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  7. Nice Magpie, good twist, funny how we incorporate our day into our dreams.

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  8. Good Magpie, hope your toe is better. Serve you right for leaving it in the hall.

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  9. Good job, Catalyst! A rude but welcome awakening...

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  10. An excellent take on the prompt, it had me stumped for a while..
    Hope your toes recovered!! LOL
    Christine

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  11. Great story-entwining a dream into reality! I enjoyed this! And thanks for your comments!

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  12. Great twist at the end! :)

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  13. Life imitates art...or antiques...or something like that. (another super-duper read, Mr. C)

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  14. I f I've stubbed them once, I stubbed toes a hundred times...! Never into anything antique, mind you!

    Nice Magpie!

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  15. Dear Catalyst: You know I didnt even think you would trip over the extinguisher, I was thinking you were dreaming of fire and then I thought, no I didnt think I guess...I thought you stubbed your toe on a wall or some cement thing. Like in an adobe house. I was thinking cool cave type and an alcove round doorway and then "you got me!". It was the extinguisher all along which probably got on the nightime psyche! Is this a true story? I sense it is, as it is a very well-written story! Vivid! Excellent!

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  16. I think this man's heart knows no truth!

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  17. Boy you got me on this one!
    I too thought you were going to wake to fire...
    good one

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  18. I enjoyed the story. I often wake after dreaming trying to figure out what the heck (although last night's was easy to interpret - I went to a picnic today wearing cropped pants & I dreamed about needing to shave my legs & I just couldn't ever get it done LOL).

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  19. Nice magpie, I really enjoyed reading this one, very well written.

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  20. eek, what a nightmare!
    and a good reminder for me to keep the path clear since someone is always up around here in the middle of the night, lol.

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  21. The things that plant themselves in our brain..such stuff as dreams...really enjoyed this!

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  22. wonderful magpie...and the dream bringsreality brings the dream....nice write.

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  23. I have disturbing dreams often and always awake wondering what brought that on. You described the sensation well. Nice magpie.

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  24. nice job...haunted by unfinished business...aren't we all? Great magpie!

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  25. Terrific Magpie. Glad you awakened before you melted...:)

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  26. A vivid description of a vivid night!

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  27. fantastic poem with such vivid imagery.

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