Mama's Comfort Food by DeVane Rhett

Author:DeVane, Rhett [DeVane, Rhett]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: Writers4Higher
Published: 2013-06-28T04:00:00+00:00

Karen stared at the headset for a moment before dialing the cell phone number written on the back of a Dragonfly Florist business card.

Jake Witherspoon’s voice answered after the second ring. “Hi, doll. What’s wrong? Can’t sleep?”

No matter how much she accepted technological advances such as caller ID, it still unnerved Karen when someone on the opposite end of the line knew her name before hello. “This a bad time?”

Jake chuckled. “You kidding? Two a.m. is never a bad time for a call from a friend. I told you I was available at all hours, and I meant it.”

“Don’t you ever sleep?”

“On my feet, I guess. Insomnia was the one gift of my unfortunate run-in with homo-hate that has kept on giving in the form of stabbing leg pain when I lay down. I rarely touch the sheets on my side of the bed.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. You didn’t do it. Besides, I get a lot done in the wee hours when it’s quiet enough to think. Does Evelyn know you’re awake? If she does, I bet she’s fit to be tied.”

“I went to bed at the same time she turned in. It was useless to toss and turn, so I got up and read on the loveseat in the garden room. I dozed off for a little while.”

“I’m familiar with that concept. Heaven forbid I should actually try to sleep on a mattress. I have to sneak up on slumber. Honestly, in the past three years, I’ve slept more on the recliner than in my own bed.” He paused. “So, what’s up? Want to sneak over and play some cards or something? I’m positively deadly at spades.”

“No, just wanted to hear a friendly voice.”

“You sound strange. Did you have that dream again?”

Karen released a long sigh. “Yeah.”

“Why don’t you tell Dr. Jake about it? Hell, it’ll beat having to watch reruns and infomercials.”

“It was different this time.”

“Different how?”

Karen struggled to pull the dreamscape into focus. “It started the same. I was on the path climbing steadily upward. Except this time, someone was following me. Not like an ominous presence, more like I was hiking with a companion. Someone I liked.”

“That’s an improvement, at least.”

“Soon, the path was so full of boulders; I had to get down on all fours to continue moving. I knew I couldn’t help the person behind me. I was barely able to pull myself along.”

“Freud would have a field day with this one.”

“Then, I was at the same clearing—the one with the dark cave. I was paralyzed with fear. Even felt my chest was constricting so that my breathing was labored. It felt so incredibly real!” Karen took several deep breaths. “The thing was in the cave—only I got the feeling it was waiting right at the entrance, just beyond a bend in the rock wall. Then, I was so angry my body shook with a rage so deep it was boiling up inside. Whatever was inside the cave—it needed to come out!”

“Sounds like a B-rated science fiction flick: Godzilla and the Cave of Doom.

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