The Real LJ Idol Week 7: Feckless
"Felix, you are feckless! Absolutely feckless!"
Felix jumped at the sound of Gran's voice. Darn, he thought, I've done it again. It wasn't that he meant to enter awareness halfway through her speeches; it was just that the world in his mind was so very colorful and loud that the travel time just never quite matched up. He blinked at her. Feckless?
"You've not accomplished a thing this entire weekend! How many things are you supposed to get done every day? You didn't do a thing yesterday, and you think you're just going to sit there again today?"
It was true that he had not accomplished anything in her eyes. Felix hated collecting eggs from the chickens. He hated sweeping the floors. He hated--what else was there? He had such trouble keeping up with lists. Whatever else he was supposed to do, it was surely deeply hated. Felix wanted to be a writer, and when he wasn't doodling out his ideas he was watching them play out in his head. Gran just had no idea how busy he really was.
"You are nine years old, Felix. This is unacceptable. I need you. Go do something useful. Feckless Felix! I can't have it!"
Felix scrunched his nose. Feckless didn't sound very good. He had no idea what a feck was, but the way Gran spit out Feckless Felix indicated it was certainly not a positive. Felix knew then and there he had to find his feck.
Felix typically wandered more than walked, but this time he had a purpose as he strode down the dirt road. He knew that if anyone would be able to help him, it would be Abner who lived down the way. He was old and kind, and he would surely know where one might find a feck.
...
Abner scratched his chin. "Feckless Felix, eh? We can't have that. You're right. You need to find your feck."
Felix's shoulder slumped. "I don't know how. Do you have any ideas?"
"Let's see. It's still morning right?" Felix nodded. "Well," Abner squinted at him. "I suppose you might find a feck in Gran's chicken coop. Sometimes they're hiding in the eggs."
"What does it look like?"
"Oh, Felix, everyone's feck is different and they can be quite tricky. Grab a basket and bring all the good eggs and we'll take a look and see if one is actually a feck in disguise."
Felix ran to the coop and collected all the good eggs faster than he ever had before. When he returned, Abner carefully inspected each.
"These are some good eggs, but not one feck. Alright Felix, you're going to have to try something else."
Next Felix was sent to sweep all the nooks and crannies of the wooden floors in the living room and kitchen at Gran's. She moved this way and that to avoid his broom. Felix collected each bit of dust and dirt, especially the dust bunnies, into a pail. Abner explained that fecks sometimes hid out as dust bunnies.
"Nope," said Abner after he sifted through the pail. "No fecks in here. You can toss it."
"I'm never gonna find my feck!"
"Aw, Felix, your'e doing great. They're stubborn, but you're definitely getting closer. Let's see. Sometimes fecks hide in leaves. Why don't you get the rake and collect all Gran's leaves? I'll come check out your piles after and see if we can't find a feck."
So Felix raked up all of Gran's leaves and dragged Abner over to investigate. After a careful inspection, he shook his head. "Thought I saw one, but nope, no leafy fecks."
"Where else can I look?"
"See the burn barrel over there? You know how to burn paper, right?"
Felix nodded.
"Well, it looks pretty full. I reckon it's about ready. Burn it all then check the bottom for anything left--fecks don't burn.If you still don't find one, let me know--I've got one more idea."
...
Felix wiped sweat from his forehead. It was nearing noon and the flames felt hotter than the high sun. He peered into the burn barrel, but all he saw was ash. He poked a stick in just to make sure, but there was definitely nothing that could be considered a feck. Defeated, he walked back to Abner's.
"From the look on your face, I'm guessing you didn't find your feck, Felix."
Felix shook his head.
"Alright, come around back with me." Abner led him to his lovely rose bush in his backyard. "Ok, I'm going to let you in on a secret. Your Gran is better at spotting fecks than anyone I know."
"I guess that's why she knew so fast I was feckless?"
Abner nodded. "So I want you to clip off the biggest six roses and take them to her. I'm positive at least one of them will be your feck. It doesn't matter which one. Just give them to her, and she'll know what to do to keep it safe."
Felix carefully selected six beautiful roses. He nearly ran back to Gran's, though he was quite tired at this point and about ready for lunch.
He found her in the kitchen. "Gran, here!" He presented the roses to her.
"Oh, Felix. These are lovely! Are they for me?"
"Yeah, Abner said you'd know what to do to keep my feck safe."
"Your what?"
"My feck." He dropped his head. "You know, because I was feckless, but Abner said my feck would be here and you could keep them safe."
Gran cocked an eyebrow. "So what did you do all morning?"
"I looked for my feck. I got all the eggs, but Abner said it wasn't in there. I got all the dust and dirt too, and the leaves. And I burned the papers."
Gran smiled. "Well, good job Felix. I'm proud of you. Today you are not feckless."
"Today?"
"Well, to keep your feck, you've got to hunt it down every day."
"That seems like a lot of work," Felix frowned.
"Sure is, but we all have to do it. You don't want to be Feckless Felix, right?"
"Alright, Gran."
Gran laughed. "Take a break and eat some lunch. Don't worry. We'll always find plenty of ideas to find your feck if you lose it again!"
...
This was my post for Week 7 of therealljidol. When the poll is available, I will share it here. As always I appreciate your votes if you enjoyed my work and encourage you to read the other wonderful entries and vote accordingly!
Felix jumped at the sound of Gran's voice. Darn, he thought, I've done it again. It wasn't that he meant to enter awareness halfway through her speeches; it was just that the world in his mind was so very colorful and loud that the travel time just never quite matched up. He blinked at her. Feckless?
"You've not accomplished a thing this entire weekend! How many things are you supposed to get done every day? You didn't do a thing yesterday, and you think you're just going to sit there again today?"
It was true that he had not accomplished anything in her eyes. Felix hated collecting eggs from the chickens. He hated sweeping the floors. He hated--what else was there? He had such trouble keeping up with lists. Whatever else he was supposed to do, it was surely deeply hated. Felix wanted to be a writer, and when he wasn't doodling out his ideas he was watching them play out in his head. Gran just had no idea how busy he really was.
"You are nine years old, Felix. This is unacceptable. I need you. Go do something useful. Feckless Felix! I can't have it!"
Felix scrunched his nose. Feckless didn't sound very good. He had no idea what a feck was, but the way Gran spit out Feckless Felix indicated it was certainly not a positive. Felix knew then and there he had to find his feck.
Felix typically wandered more than walked, but this time he had a purpose as he strode down the dirt road. He knew that if anyone would be able to help him, it would be Abner who lived down the way. He was old and kind, and he would surely know where one might find a feck.
...
Abner scratched his chin. "Feckless Felix, eh? We can't have that. You're right. You need to find your feck."
Felix's shoulder slumped. "I don't know how. Do you have any ideas?"
"Let's see. It's still morning right?" Felix nodded. "Well," Abner squinted at him. "I suppose you might find a feck in Gran's chicken coop. Sometimes they're hiding in the eggs."
"What does it look like?"
"Oh, Felix, everyone's feck is different and they can be quite tricky. Grab a basket and bring all the good eggs and we'll take a look and see if one is actually a feck in disguise."
Felix ran to the coop and collected all the good eggs faster than he ever had before. When he returned, Abner carefully inspected each.
"These are some good eggs, but not one feck. Alright Felix, you're going to have to try something else."
Next Felix was sent to sweep all the nooks and crannies of the wooden floors in the living room and kitchen at Gran's. She moved this way and that to avoid his broom. Felix collected each bit of dust and dirt, especially the dust bunnies, into a pail. Abner explained that fecks sometimes hid out as dust bunnies.
"Nope," said Abner after he sifted through the pail. "No fecks in here. You can toss it."
"I'm never gonna find my feck!"
"Aw, Felix, your'e doing great. They're stubborn, but you're definitely getting closer. Let's see. Sometimes fecks hide in leaves. Why don't you get the rake and collect all Gran's leaves? I'll come check out your piles after and see if we can't find a feck."
So Felix raked up all of Gran's leaves and dragged Abner over to investigate. After a careful inspection, he shook his head. "Thought I saw one, but nope, no leafy fecks."
"Where else can I look?"
"See the burn barrel over there? You know how to burn paper, right?"
Felix nodded.
"Well, it looks pretty full. I reckon it's about ready. Burn it all then check the bottom for anything left--fecks don't burn.If you still don't find one, let me know--I've got one more idea."
...
Felix wiped sweat from his forehead. It was nearing noon and the flames felt hotter than the high sun. He peered into the burn barrel, but all he saw was ash. He poked a stick in just to make sure, but there was definitely nothing that could be considered a feck. Defeated, he walked back to Abner's.
"From the look on your face, I'm guessing you didn't find your feck, Felix."
Felix shook his head.
"Alright, come around back with me." Abner led him to his lovely rose bush in his backyard. "Ok, I'm going to let you in on a secret. Your Gran is better at spotting fecks than anyone I know."
"I guess that's why she knew so fast I was feckless?"
Abner nodded. "So I want you to clip off the biggest six roses and take them to her. I'm positive at least one of them will be your feck. It doesn't matter which one. Just give them to her, and she'll know what to do to keep it safe."
Felix carefully selected six beautiful roses. He nearly ran back to Gran's, though he was quite tired at this point and about ready for lunch.
He found her in the kitchen. "Gran, here!" He presented the roses to her.
"Oh, Felix. These are lovely! Are they for me?"
"Yeah, Abner said you'd know what to do to keep my feck safe."
"Your what?"
"My feck." He dropped his head. "You know, because I was feckless, but Abner said my feck would be here and you could keep them safe."
Gran cocked an eyebrow. "So what did you do all morning?"
"I looked for my feck. I got all the eggs, but Abner said it wasn't in there. I got all the dust and dirt too, and the leaves. And I burned the papers."
Gran smiled. "Well, good job Felix. I'm proud of you. Today you are not feckless."
"Today?"
"Well, to keep your feck, you've got to hunt it down every day."
"That seems like a lot of work," Felix frowned.
"Sure is, but we all have to do it. You don't want to be Feckless Felix, right?"
"Alright, Gran."
Gran laughed. "Take a break and eat some lunch. Don't worry. We'll always find plenty of ideas to find your feck if you lose it again!"
...
This was my post for Week 7 of therealljidol. When the poll is available, I will share it here. As always I appreciate your votes if you enjoyed my work and encourage you to read the other wonderful entries and vote accordingly!