Caught in a Blizzard

I pulled the shades, dimmed the lights and sat at my computer, hoping to wait out the blizzard by shutting myself off from the world. I heard the wailing wind, and presumed the sound was accompanied by snow. I was popping out flash fiction pieces as quickly as possible in order to win an online contest with 10 different titles.

With a click I polished off five, "Water, Water, Everywhere," and started six, "Making A Splash;" the theme was, naturally, water.

Two weeks had passed since I had visited the store, and my pantry was bare. I had been subsisting on adrenalin for two days. I cheated by grabbing five minutes of sleep every few hours.

Riding the wave from number six, I dove into seven, "Keeping Your Head Above Water." The ringer on my telephone I muted, as well as the answering machine. 

I heard the relentless wind whipping  against my window, which seemed at times as if it must give way, but the glass held firm, creaking a little. I couldn't see the frozen tempest's ravages, so I was able to continue uninterrupted, except for once, when Nature's call refused to be ignored, after which I jumped off of one seat, and scurried back onto another. Out came nine, "Ice Water " and at last, 10, "Drip."

Finished! I logged on to the web site. Clicking on "Latest Contests," I read. The theme was fire! The water-themed contest was "Awaiting Final Calculation!" I had missed the deadline!

Jerking down the shade so hard that the entire length of white vinyl snapped loudly back to the roller at the top, I saw there was no snow. There was wind, a few scattered droplets of water, and it must have been bitterly cold, but the sidewalks and streets were clear. I listened to my answering machine messages. Mom. My credit card company. My boss, twice. 

" . . .if you don't call me with a good reason, then don't bother to call or show up!"

My mouth curled into a snarl at this, but one more of amusement than anger. The meteorologist had been wrong. I had been wrong. 

I scanned the list of titles for the current contest. Stretching to my full height, I drew the shade again, then changed the CD to Beethoven's Fifth. I settled down in front of my computer. Number one: "Striking The Match."

© August 3, 2012 by Allan M. Heller