Time to Let Go 16.6
This is the last 10_per_genre Angst/Tragedy prompt! Slowly, we are working through these!
Title: Time to Let Go
Fandom: RPS
Story: Highway: Business Loop 16.6
Characters: Alan Davies and Robert Sean Leonard
Authors: michelleann68 + evila_elf = evila_ann
Prompt: 10_per_genre 01 Death (Angst/Tragedy)
Word Count: 1072
Rating: PG
Summary: Alan gets a distressing phone call and needs to make one of his own.
Authors’ Notes: Feel free to friend us if you want to read a day ahead of the communities.
Click here for the timeline if you need to get caught up or relive the good old times.
Previous story:
Let’s Make a Deal
Alan felt numb as he stood there. Traci’s call had been as chilling as a splash of cold water. He started to head for the door, but realized he still had the phone tightly gripped in his hand, dial tone urgently beeping. Maybe calling someone would be better than a drink or three. He maneuvered himself to the sofa, sitting before his rubbery legs could give out and deposit him on the floor.
***
The loud buzz of an alarm clock woke Robert and he reached out, trying to locate it and shut it up. When he hit the snooze several times and the noise continued, he cracked open an eye and looked at his cell phone next to it, small red light flashing. So he reached for his phone instead, pulling it underneath the warm blankets with him before answering. “Hello?”
“’Lo, love.” Alan’s voice was soft, and really did seem an ocean away.
“Alan? What’s wrong?”
“Rodger.”
“Oh, no.” Robert pulled the blankets off his face. “I’m so sorry.”
“Me sis just called. I knew it was coming, but...” he trailed off and sighed.
“Is there anything I can do?"
"Talk to me for awhile?"
"Sure." He rolled onto his back and settled down, burying his right arm back under the pillow. "Name the subject."
Alan was silent for a few moments. Really he just wanted to hear Robert's voice. "What are you reading?" he asked at last.
"Just a book of collected nature poems. The tranquility helps me sleep."
"Read me a few?"
Robert chuckled and sat up, reaching for the book with his glasses perched on top from his night stand. "I read this one a few nights ago," he talked as he propped up a pillow behind his back and settled the glasses on his nose. "I had been wanting to share it with you." He flipped through the pages. "Ah, here it is." He started to read it, trying his best to keep from laughing:
"The Cow in Apple Time
by Robert Frost
Something inspires the only cow of late
To make no more of a wall than an open gate,
And think no more of wall-builders than fools.
Her face is flecked with pomace and she drools
A cider syrup. Having tasted fruit,
She scorns a pasture withering to the root.
She runs from tree to tree where lie and sweeten.
The windfalls spiked with stubble and worm-eaten.
She leaves them bitten when she has to fly.
She bellows on a knoll against the sky.
Her udder shrivels and the milk goes dry."
Alan laughed and shook his head. "I think you are having a bit of a cow obsession."
"Oh, you are enjoying it as much as I am."
"That isn't the point."
"Fine, fine. Here's another, not a cow in sight:
Petals
by Amy Lowell
Life is a stream
On which we strew
Petal by petal the flower of our heart;
The end lost in dream,
They float past our view,
We only watch their glad, early start.
Freighted with hope,
Crimsoned with joy,
We scatter the leaves of our opening rose;
Their widening scope,
Their distant employ,
We never shall know. And the stream as it flows
Sweeps them away,
Each one is gone
Ever beyond into infinite ways.
We alone stay
While years hurry on,
The flower fared forth, though its fragrance still stays...."
Robert trailed off and there were several long moments of silence. "Alan?"
"'M still here." The way Robert had read that really brought tears to his eyes and he was swallowing, unsure whether to trust his voice.
"There is another silly one about frogs if you would rather...?"
Alan gave a surprised laugh. "No, that's okay, love. The ones you read were just lovely, in their own ways. I'm still sad, but I feel better."
"What else can I do?"
"You are doing it."
"Want to talk about it?"
"Want?"
"Need to talk about it?"
"I think so."
"What do you need to talk about?"
Alan took a deep breath, resting his head back and closing his eyes. "I remember when I first picked him up. He was a wee little thing, fit in the palm of me hand. I was just happy to have a companion. We really got in sync. He would run down the hall and never could stop, so most nights when I returned home I would be greeted by a ball of fluff hurtling towards me. It never ceased to make me smile. I felt..." Alan just stopped, the words frozen in his throat.
Robert let the silence settle, not rushing him or making him say anything he did not want to. Just allowing the grief to sit between the two of them.
The silence was comforting. In an odd way, it was what Alan wanted, just to know someone was there, that the loneliness he felt was just an illusion and temporary. "I'm going to miss him," he said at last, clearing his throat.
"He was a nice old guy. I'm glad I got to meet him. I wish that I could be there."
Yeah, me too, Alan thought wistfully. "Yeah. Look, I think I had better call Traci back. I was a bit abrupt when she called."
"Yeah, okay. And Alan? I'm here, you know that, for as long..."
"I know, I know. It's helped just to listen to your voice. I'm going to call me sis and then I think I will just have a little lie in."
"You should get out and do something, just don't sit around, dwelling won't help."
"I won't." Alan smiled at Robert's concern.
"I know, how about a jog? Get out and beat the streets."
"Maybe I will. I've been losing some of that tone I actually earned in Portugal."
"Just call me and let me know how things work out."
"I promise, thanks Robert. I love you."
"I love you, too. Take care of yourself. And call."
"I will, bye."
"Goodbye Fozzie, talk soon." Robert hung up the phone and pinched his nose, lifting his glasses off. He knew Alan was putting on a brave face; this had to be crushing to him. He logged on to his computer and went in search of something little to send to Alan, to let him know that he missed him and wished he could be there, holding him and caring for him...
16.07 Leveling
Title: Time to Let Go
Fandom: RPS
Story: Highway: Business Loop 16.6
Characters: Alan Davies and Robert Sean Leonard
Authors: michelleann68 + evila_elf = evila_ann
Prompt: 10_per_genre 01 Death (Angst/Tragedy)
Word Count: 1072
Rating: PG
Summary: Alan gets a distressing phone call and needs to make one of his own.
Authors’ Notes: Feel free to friend us if you want to read a day ahead of the communities.
Click here for the timeline if you need to get caught up or relive the good old times.
Previous story:
Let’s Make a Deal
Alan felt numb as he stood there. Traci’s call had been as chilling as a splash of cold water. He started to head for the door, but realized he still had the phone tightly gripped in his hand, dial tone urgently beeping. Maybe calling someone would be better than a drink or three. He maneuvered himself to the sofa, sitting before his rubbery legs could give out and deposit him on the floor.
***
The loud buzz of an alarm clock woke Robert and he reached out, trying to locate it and shut it up. When he hit the snooze several times and the noise continued, he cracked open an eye and looked at his cell phone next to it, small red light flashing. So he reached for his phone instead, pulling it underneath the warm blankets with him before answering. “Hello?”
“’Lo, love.” Alan’s voice was soft, and really did seem an ocean away.
“Alan? What’s wrong?”
“Rodger.”
“Oh, no.” Robert pulled the blankets off his face. “I’m so sorry.”
“Me sis just called. I knew it was coming, but...” he trailed off and sighed.
“Is there anything I can do?"
"Talk to me for awhile?"
"Sure." He rolled onto his back and settled down, burying his right arm back under the pillow. "Name the subject."
Alan was silent for a few moments. Really he just wanted to hear Robert's voice. "What are you reading?" he asked at last.
"Just a book of collected nature poems. The tranquility helps me sleep."
"Read me a few?"
Robert chuckled and sat up, reaching for the book with his glasses perched on top from his night stand. "I read this one a few nights ago," he talked as he propped up a pillow behind his back and settled the glasses on his nose. "I had been wanting to share it with you." He flipped through the pages. "Ah, here it is." He started to read it, trying his best to keep from laughing:
"The Cow in Apple Time
by Robert Frost
Something inspires the only cow of late
To make no more of a wall than an open gate,
And think no more of wall-builders than fools.
Her face is flecked with pomace and she drools
A cider syrup. Having tasted fruit,
She scorns a pasture withering to the root.
She runs from tree to tree where lie and sweeten.
The windfalls spiked with stubble and worm-eaten.
She leaves them bitten when she has to fly.
She bellows on a knoll against the sky.
Her udder shrivels and the milk goes dry."
Alan laughed and shook his head. "I think you are having a bit of a cow obsession."
"Oh, you are enjoying it as much as I am."
"That isn't the point."
"Fine, fine. Here's another, not a cow in sight:
Petals
by Amy Lowell
Life is a stream
On which we strew
Petal by petal the flower of our heart;
The end lost in dream,
They float past our view,
We only watch their glad, early start.
Freighted with hope,
Crimsoned with joy,
We scatter the leaves of our opening rose;
Their widening scope,
Their distant employ,
We never shall know. And the stream as it flows
Sweeps them away,
Each one is gone
Ever beyond into infinite ways.
We alone stay
While years hurry on,
The flower fared forth, though its fragrance still stays...."
Robert trailed off and there were several long moments of silence. "Alan?"
"'M still here." The way Robert had read that really brought tears to his eyes and he was swallowing, unsure whether to trust his voice.
"There is another silly one about frogs if you would rather...?"
Alan gave a surprised laugh. "No, that's okay, love. The ones you read were just lovely, in their own ways. I'm still sad, but I feel better."
"What else can I do?"
"You are doing it."
"Want to talk about it?"
"Want?"
"Need to talk about it?"
"I think so."
"What do you need to talk about?"
Alan took a deep breath, resting his head back and closing his eyes. "I remember when I first picked him up. He was a wee little thing, fit in the palm of me hand. I was just happy to have a companion. We really got in sync. He would run down the hall and never could stop, so most nights when I returned home I would be greeted by a ball of fluff hurtling towards me. It never ceased to make me smile. I felt..." Alan just stopped, the words frozen in his throat.
Robert let the silence settle, not rushing him or making him say anything he did not want to. Just allowing the grief to sit between the two of them.
The silence was comforting. In an odd way, it was what Alan wanted, just to know someone was there, that the loneliness he felt was just an illusion and temporary. "I'm going to miss him," he said at last, clearing his throat.
"He was a nice old guy. I'm glad I got to meet him. I wish that I could be there."
Yeah, me too, Alan thought wistfully. "Yeah. Look, I think I had better call Traci back. I was a bit abrupt when she called."
"Yeah, okay. And Alan? I'm here, you know that, for as long..."
"I know, I know. It's helped just to listen to your voice. I'm going to call me sis and then I think I will just have a little lie in."
"You should get out and do something, just don't sit around, dwelling won't help."
"I won't." Alan smiled at Robert's concern.
"I know, how about a jog? Get out and beat the streets."
"Maybe I will. I've been losing some of that tone I actually earned in Portugal."
"Just call me and let me know how things work out."
"I promise, thanks Robert. I love you."
"I love you, too. Take care of yourself. And call."
"I will, bye."
"Goodbye Fozzie, talk soon." Robert hung up the phone and pinched his nose, lifting his glasses off. He knew Alan was putting on a brave face; this had to be crushing to him. He logged on to his computer and went in search of something little to send to Alan, to let him know that he missed him and wished he could be there, holding him and caring for him...
16.07 Leveling