Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Pluck

"And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee..."  The minister droned on, and Cassie barely restrained herself from screaming, If only someone would pluck me from this never ending sermon!  Four hours they'd all been sitting here, and all the minister wanted to discuss was what filthy sinners they all were! 

Cassie glanced at her mother.  After Cassie's father passed away last year, she had worried that her mother would fall away into the darkness of depression.  Instead, Cassie's mother had begun attending this new church, and these days she seemed more serene and happy than ever.  That was the entire reason that Cassie was sitting here today; she wanted to know exactly what was going on in this church.  As far as she could tell, most of the people in her mother's congregation were good people.  They fed the poor, her mother said, and cared for the sick.  That counted. Cassie wasn't very religious, but she recognized that right actions were more powerful than a few good words in this world today.  So why did the minister felt the need to rant about hell and damnation for four plus hours? 

The door behind the altar opened, and the ministered stopped in mid rant. He moved quietly to a small seat behind the podium, the rustle of his robes the only sound.  Every eye zeroed in as a man walked in front of the altar and stood.  Cassie stared.  His hair was dark, his eyes the blue of a tropical sea. His lips were made for sin, and her face felt flushed.  Her head spun; she realized that she had been holding her breath.  As Cassie exhaled, the man's head turned toward her.  Their eyes met, and she saw bright red flames burning in his eyes. Her heart fluttered.

"That's the Reverend," her mother whispered loudly.



The prompt is the third definition of  PLUCK.  The word always makes me think of that bible verse.  And Puritans.  But never chickens.  Go figure.

12 comments:

  1. oh my freaking crazy-amazingly-talented friend, this was so good.
    I read it three times and loved the flow, the use of the word, the innuendo ...everything you excel with.

    I LOVED IT. :) (thank you for letting me into your world and allowing me to read your words every day..week.)

    HAPPY THANKSGIVING

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  2. Wonderful and interesting story. I could feel her impatience and then her anxiety upon seeing the Reverend. Please do tell us more. I think you are missing a word in the second line of the second paragraph.

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  3. I felt like I was in her pocket or on her shoulder. This was really intimate and I liked what you did with pluck and innuendo.

    well crafted T


    Happy Thanksgiving

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  4. Whoa baaaaaby!!! This was sneaky good! (I would have sat through four hours. Just sayin'!) When I read your stories, I'm not even focused on or notice the word we're supposed to use.

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  5. The pace and the tension were excellent. And I love the line: his lips were made for sin. That is excellent. :)

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  6. Oh. OH. Suddenly those four hours don't seem so bad. haha I love the lip line.

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  7. ahahaha this is great; really really great! "His lips were made for sin" You really killed it! :D

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  8. Yes, that is a standout line.. his lips were made for sin. Great mood to the piece. 4 hrs listening to hell and damnation would make me want to commit a few sins too after being convinced I was already a filthy sinner.

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  9. Aha!Worth waiting for and listening to the 4 hours of ranting about sinners,lol!

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  10. Great job working that prompt word in!! I really enjoyed this one. Thanks for linking up. Don't forget to vote.

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  11. Oh I agree with all the ladies here! Just excellent!!! " His mouth was made for sin!" No wonder the rant of sin and damnation. My God....soooo Good!

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  12. Your punchlines are like a kick in the guts. But in SUCH a good way!!!

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