Do It Again

My shoulders slumped as the manager walked away. He hadn't believed me when I told him I'd just scrubbed those tanks yesterday. 
I turned to glare at the tanks in question, frowning at the goldfish swimming within. Stupid, dirty fish. I shouldn't have been surprised that the manager didn't believe me. After all, the tanks did look filthy. But they always looked filthy! They looked filthy two minutes after I'd finished scrubbing yesterday! 
I exhaled, rolling up the sleeves of my uniform and grabbed out a sponge to scrub again at the algae growing within the tank. At least this would keep me busy for the next couple of hours if I did it right. 

-Inspiration from conversation at work. 

Brain: So you know how we have four blogs?
Me: ...Yah?
Brain: Now here me out, but what if....
Me: Yah?
Brain: What if we made a fifth blog!! 
Me: ()-() Why in the world would I do a crazy thing like that!? We already have FOUR blogs Brain. FOUR. We do not need to add in another one!
Brain: But come on! 
Me: Brain. NO.
Brain: Please!
Me: No.
Brain: I'm going to keep this up until you say yes! It will be fun I promise! There's all these cool ideas I have for it!

New Pants

I couldn't remember the feeling of putting on a brand new pair of pants. 
It had been years really.
I'd gotten used to the holes in my old pair of pants. 
After all it was the only pair I owned.
I had learned how to carefully step into them so that my toes wouldn't catch in the little openings and make them wider.
I'd learned how to use rags to create patches when the holes showed up in problematic areas. 
I'd gotten used to how thin they were. To how I would be instantly frozen to the bone if I'd got caught in a storm since the material was so thin now. It was hardly any protection.
But then.
Then, I'd been given these.
A brand new pair of pants. 
And I couldn't believe the difference.
I was warmer.
I felt...neater.
More confident.
I could stride about in public without worrying about my appearance.
Because for the first time in forever.
I looked like everyone else.
And no one could judge me for that.

-Inspiration from buying new work jeans and wearing them after my old pair got holes in the knees

Mental Stress

The ache behind my eyes probably started from tension at work. Mostly because I had cut my finger yesterday while cooking and was paranoid about it getting infected at work. So I was being extra careful in my movements with that particular hand to avoid getting the Band-Aid and therefore the cut wet or infected -as the last time I'd injured myself while cooking and then dealt with work -particularly fish tanks...I'd ended up getting an infection that I'm still recovering from two years later. :S So yah, mental tension there.
Then there was the anticipation and worry about posting a chapter in a fanfic I'm writing.
Plus just being woken up early in the morning before my alarm went off is also slightly draining. and dealing with a bunch of emotional energies, and customers who were not listening to me...

It was no wonder by the time I got home that I had I had tense shoulders and an ache behind my eyes that demanded I just lay down and close my eyes. 
Thankfully, a bit of meds and some heat packs and distraction with positive reviews on the chapter I posted has helped to make the headache go away! Woot! No worries tonight (hopefully) on being woken up with a major headache. ^^;;

Me: *accidentally cuts finger while cooking*
Brain: Whelp. This is how we die. 
Me: BRAIN! It's not that serious.
Brain: Fine. This is how we gain super amazing powers then!
Me: Oh, that would be so cool!

Rescued

He grabbed onto the rafters, clinging to it as the water rose to his chin. "Please come. Please come." He fervently prayed. Rescue had to come soon right? They knew where he was. They said they were on their way. Please. Someone had to come get him soon. If the water rose any more he was screwed. He closed his eyes, lips trembling. If he survived this, he was enrolling in swimming lessons. He wouldn't have been in this mess in the first place if he'd just known how to swim! 
"Hello? Anyone in here?" 
His eyes shot open as a male voice sounded from near the skylight. He hadn't been able to push it open further than a couple of inches. "Here! I'm here!" He called out frantically splashing the water. "Please! The water is rising! I'm here!" 
"Hold on kid, we hear you. We're coming."
He let out a ragged breath. Oh thank heavens. He wanted out of this nightmare. Now. 

-Inspiration from reading an article about the Houston Flooding and Rescue Efforts that were made.

Am I in the Right Place?

The trees loomed haphazardly over my car as I meandered my way cautiously through the darkened woods. The GPS told me that I should nearly be to the house. But I was beginning to doubt that I'd put in the right coordinates. The right address. I mean, even though I could see the lights of houses along the road, they all seemed to be....well abandoned. Neglected. I couldn't see my friend actually living here. They were old houses with grey stone work and ivy climbing up the sides. And Did I mention the trees? Because the trees were old and overgrown. For sure. My fingers tightened on the wheel as my car lights caught upon the figure of a tiny boy. Who hardly looked more than two, walking along the sidewalk.
"What are you doing out here alone?" I mumbled, glancing around to see if I could find a parent. Because who would let their toddler wander around after dark?! But I saw no one. And when I looked to him again, I stiffened. He was looking right at me. Eyes flashing red in the headlights, his teeth spread in a feral grin. Letting out a squeak, I floored it, racing past the creepy child in the blink of an eye. That was it. There was no way I was stopping here and getting out even if the GPS said my friends house had been three doors past the little demon boy. 

-Inspiration from trying to find a friends house in the dark.