Wednesday, February 27, 2013

February With a Twist #7: Odd Goods

This week, I'm participating in "February with a Twist" a project +Becket Moorby has organized through the +Flash Fiction Project on Google+.  These pieces are supposed to feature a twist of some kind.

This picture made me very happy to think on, puts in the hometown of my heart, Nome, Alaska. Part of me will always live there.  And I miss my sled dog.





embracing winter

Image courtesy of Jamie in Bytown via attribution license on Flickr Creative Commons (Attribution Link
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It was the modern equivalent of a mail-order bride, Susan's horrified mother had claimed. But, then, trying the same thing again and expecting different results was the definition of insanity, wasn't it? And she had tried it all. Speed dating. Match.com. Church groups. Letting friends set her up on the basis of her "nice personality."

So what if he lived in Alaska. It was just another place, wasn't it? Maybe it would be better than here. Susan liked what he'd had to say in his emails and over the phone. His picture was probably an honest one. It matched the age he claimed and wasn't too handsome to be believed. She'd sent an honest photo herself and he hadn't backed away.

What was that saying about Alaskan men? The odds are good, but the goods are odd. She could do with some good odds, even at the price of odd goods. And Michael seemed less odd, at least over the phone, than many of the friends-of-friends she'd spent awkward evenings with over the past ten years.

So, she'd bought the plane ticket and taken the trip. She pushed down all the thoughts about the worst that could happen and tried to find her adventurer's spirit.  No one thought this was a good idea.

She'd done her best to prepare, but she knew as soon as she stepped off the plane that the gear she bought in Ohio wasn't going to cut it. He was thoughtful though. He had a pair of bunny boots and some real gear waiting in his truck. He'd shown her the guest room in his small, but well-kept home, then walked her out to the dog kennels.

He seemed really happy when she asked if she could go for a ride. Susan had a good feeling about this one. This could be the ride of her life.

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