“Sally”

Author’s Note: This is a Take Ten to Write story and has not been proofread for errors. If I feel inspired or if there’s interest in the story, I’ll post a revised, edited, and extended version at a later date. Happy reading!

Prompt: “I don’t know what I’d do without __________.”

“I don’t know what I’d do without you,” I murmur.

She sits silently before me, practically glowing in the sunlight. I’ve never seen such a beautiful sight before, and I doubt I’ll ever see anything more beautiful in my life.

I gently place a hand on her side. She reacts gently to my touch, rocking back and forth as I comfort her.

She’s had a rough year, between the floods and the hurricanes. But now that it’s fall, she might be able to finally get some rest. All I need to do is keep her comfortable during the winter.

She shivers slightly beneath my hand. She’s cold.

I quickly grab a blanket and throw it over her. I take my time to make sure that she’s completely covered and that there’s no chance the blanket will go flying off.

She pushes into my gently in thanks. I sigh as I smooth down the blanket.

“We’ve got to get you inside, girl. It won’t be long now before the snow comes.”

She lets out a long sigh as she continues to rock gently back and forth.

“Hey!”

I turn to see my wife walking down the pier toward me.

“You’re going to catch a cold out here,” she scolds me, throwing a jacket around my shoulders.

“I’m fine,” I wave her off. But I will admit that the jacket is welcome.

“Come in,” my wife says gently. “I’ll help you bring her up tomorrow.”

I nod slowly. It’s getting late, and there’s no way we’ll be able to get her inside with such little light.

I turn back to her. “Good night, Sally,” I say with a smile. “Sleep well.”

My beautiful Sally creaks gently in response as she continues to rock on the little ripples in the lake.

Final Comments: I feel like I could’ve executed this story a bit better with stronger vocabulary.

Overall Rating: 😕