Late for the Sky

Another free day for the old biddies.

Muriel led the way down the dirt road to the meadow. Lewis trailed behind with a piece of grass hanging out of her mouth. Pauline pushed back some of her hair from her eyes. Clyde dragged her feet with a bottle of beer in her hand. Lewis kept her eyes on her friend’s back.

“So where are we going?” she asked. Muriel turned to her, smiling.

“Secret!” she said. The other three groaned aloud.

“You said that twenty minutes ago!” Pauline complained.

“So?” Muriel asked.

“Quit stringin’ us along!” Clyde yelled. Pauline gritted her teeth at her.

“Speak properly!” she hissed.

“NO!” Clyde shouted. Muriel laughed and Lewis sighed aloud.

“Patience,” Muriel said. “We’re almost there.” Her friends groaned once again.

“How many times is she going to see that?” Lewis whispered. The other two shrugged at her. Muriel led the way, grinning.

Annie leaned over the counter, sighing. Tucker looked up at her from putting down the stools.

“What is it now?” he asked. His wife glanced over at him.

“When was the last time you took me out somewhere?” Annie asked. Tucker paused and looked at her in an odd way.

“Why?” he asked.

“Take me somewhere,” his wife complained.

“Where?”

“Somewhere romantic.”

Tucker blinked at her. “Where?”

Annie frowned at him. “Where do you think?”

“Charley’s?”

“No.”

“The bar?”

“No!”

Tucker completely turned to her. “Then where?”

“A fancy restaurant!” Annie snapped. Her husband gave her a confused look.

“Where? Here?” he asked. His wife glared at him and stormed off to the kitchen. Tucker blinked at her.

What was all that about?, he thought. He went back to putting down the stools.

Muriel paused on the trail and turned to her friends. The other three old biddies stared at her.

“Why did we stop?” Pauline asked. Her friend grinned at her.

“Take a look around you!” she said. The women all did so, but couldn’t get it. Large trees eclipsed the high afternoon sun. The road itself seemed to vanish into the thick green moss behind them. No animals lived here either. Just the healthy green plants and flowers growing like a virus around them. Lewis blinked at her.

“So?” she asked. Muriel grinned at them.

“This is heaven!” she bragged. Her friends blinked at her.

“Huh?!?” they asked.

William laid down on his couch in pain. Liz wandered into the living room. She looked on at him with a tilted head.

“Are you okay?” she asked. William looked over at her. He shook his head.

“No?” his older niece asked. The old man shook his head.

“What’s wrong?” she asked. Didn’t take her long to guess. “It’s your back, isn’t it?” she asked. William nodded.

“Oh…” his niece said.

“What happened?” they both heard from the den. Uncle and niece looked to see Clover walking into the room. She made it over to her sister. Liz turned to her.

“He hurt his back again,” she whispered.

“With that pear tree?” Clover asked.

“I’ll bet,” her sister said.

“Oh…” the younger girl murmured. She walked over to the old man. William stared at her in silent pain. His niece leaned in close.

“Did you try to cut the pear tree again?” she asked. He nodded at her.

“Did you fall off the ladder?” Clover asked. Her uncle nodded again. Clover rocked back on her heels and sighed.

“We told you not to be messing with that tree!” she complained. “We told you to call a professional to deal with it. And what did you say? ‘I can deal with it myself, girls.’” She shook her head.

“Honestly,” she mumbled. William only dropped his head back on the couch.

“Behold!” Muriel said. “You are in my true paradise.” Clyde cocked her head at her.

“’His is wa we came ‘ere fo?” she asked. Pauline smacked her upside the head once again.

“Ow!” Clyde wailed.

“You never learn,” Pauline hissed.

“Why here?” Lewis asked Muriel. Their friend all grinned at them.

“It’s away from all that useless noise,” she said. “Just one with nature. Free from the nuisance of modern life. Just man with all of the trees around them!” Muriel twirled a bit before squealing with a light heart.

“Just become one with nature and free yourself from shackles of man!” she announced. “Join me!” However, she looked and her mates were walking away.

“Well that was a waste,” she heard Lewis say.

“Let’s go,” Clyde said.

“Wait!” Muriel cried. “Where are you going?!?”

“To the Sunny Plum!” Pauline yelled. “Are you coming?” Muriel stood there blinking for a long moment.

“Hey! Wait up!” she cried as she ran after her friends.

Today’s Mission: Failed!

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