There once lived an old man and an old woman who were peasants and had to work hard
to earn their daily bread. The old man used to go to fix fences and do other odd
jobs for the farmers around, and while he was gone the old woman, his wife, did the
work of the house and worked in their own little plot of land.
I inadvertently went to See's Candy last week (I was in the mall looking for phone
repair), and as it turns out, See's Candy now charges a dollar -- a full dollar --
for even the simplest of their wee confection offerings. I bought two chocolate
lollipops and two chocolate-caramel-almond things. The total cost was four-
something. I mean, the candies were tasty and all, but let's be real: A Snickers
bar is fifty cents. After this dollar-per-candy revelation, I may not find myself
wandering dreamily back into a See's Candy any time soon.
It was a simple tip of the hat. Grace didn't think that anyone else besides her had
even noticed it. It wasn't anything that the average person would notice, let alone
remember at the end of the day. That's why it seemed so unbelievable that this
little gesture would ultimately change the course of the world.
She nervously peered over the edge. She understood in her mind that the view was
supposed to be beautiful, but all she felt was fear. There had always been
something about heights that disturbed her, and now she could feel the full force
of this unease. She reluctantly crept a little closer with the encouragement of her
friends as the fear continued to build. She couldn't help but feel that something
horrible was about to happen.
She asked the question even though she didn't really want to hear the answer. It
was a no-win situation since she already knew. If he told the truth, she'd get
confirmation of her worst fears. If he lied, she'd know that he wasn't who she
thought he was which would be almost as bad. Yet she asked the question anyway and
waited for his answer.
"So, what do you think?" he asked nervously. He wanted to know the answer, but at
the same time, he didn't. He'd put his heart and soul into the project and he
wasn't sure he'd be able to recover if they didn't like what he produced. The
silence from the others in the room seemed to last a lifetime even though it had
only been a moment since he asked the question. "So, what do you think?" he asked
again.
Sometimes it's just better not to be seen. That's how Harry had always lived his
life. He prided himself as being the fly on the wall and the fae that blended into
the crowd. That's why he was so shocked that she noticed him.
He read about a hike called the incline in the guidebook. It said it was a
strenuous hike and to bring plenty of water. “A beautiful hike to the clouds”
described one review. “Not for the faint-hearted,” said another. “Not too bad of a
workout”, bragged a third review. I thought I’d hike it when I fly in from Maryland
on my day off from the senior citizen's wellness conference. I hiked 2 miles a day
around the neighborhood so I could handle a 1.1-mile hike. What a foolish mistake
that was for a 70-year-old low-lander.
