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Glass Ball Publications

New and Exciting

Glass Ball Publications

New and Exciting

New and Exciting

Contact Me

Let me know if you would like a personalized story or my favorite recipe.

Jeannetee@glassballpublications.com

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Mrs Hocket’s Pockets

There is something strange happening on Wallerby Street. Stan and Mrs. Hocket are keeping a secret.

Most of the time, you can find Mrs. Hocket out in her yard with Salt and Pepper, her two cats. She wears brightly colored aprons that have enormous pockets. Salt and Pepper follow behind her.

Her yard is a tangle of apple trees, cherry trees, wildflowers, blueberry bushes, and raspberry bushes with bird feeders, bird baths, bat houses, whirligigs, and garden sculptures.

Stan frequently helps Mrs. Hocket.

Stan takes down the bird feeders to fill them.

Stan cleans out the bird baths.

In the Fall, Stan rakes her leaves.

In the winter, he shovels her sidewalk.

In the spring, they plant new flowers together.

In the summer Mrs. Hocket needs help collecting cherries from her tree. Stan calls his friends, and they climb the tree, each claiming a branch.

Mrs. Hocket watches them eat as many cherries as they pick until their hands and faces are stained red. “Oh my,” she says when her immense pockets bulge with fruit.

The children wait anxiously as the sweet smell drifts out from her kitchen.

“Who wants pie?” she calls, and the children come running.

Things started to look suspicious when Stan was visiting Mrs. Hocket more often than usual.

“Hey, Stan, we haven’t seen you much lately, what’s up?” said his friend Jack.

“Nothing,” said Stan “just busy I guess.”

“Want to ride bikes down the hill?” asked Christy.

“Maybe next week,” said Stan.

“Something’s up with Stan,” said Jack to Christy.

“Let’s follow him and figure this out,” said Christy.

Jack and Christy planned to hide outside Stan’s house the next day. They dressed in dark clothes, put on hats, and brought a canteen of water and some grapes. Christy and Jack took cover behind a row of bushes.

They sat and waited.

They ate grapes.

They sipped their water.

They waited some more.

Finally, Stan came out the front door, hopped on his bike, and rode away.

“Let’s go!” whispered Jack.

Christy and Jack quickly rode after Stan making sure he didn’t see them. He turned into Mrs. Hocket’s yard.

Jack and Christy rode down the hill in front of Mrs. Hocket’s house looking for anything suspicious.

They glanced over at Stan and Mrs. Hocket.

“I saw her reach into one of those giant pockets,” said Jack at the bottom of the hill.

“Me too. Let’s go up the hill and wave.”

Jack and Christy slowly rode up the hill. Mrs. Hocket smiled and beckoned for them to come over.

“What’s up?” asked Jack.

“Mrs. Hocket has a secret,” said Stan.

Mrs. Hocket smiled and pulled open her immense pockets. Jack and Christy peeked in.

“Kittens” they shouted!

Mrs. Hocket had three kittens in her pockets, one was black with white feet, one was white with black spots, and the last was all white.

“They are Salt and Pepper’s kittens,” announced Mrs. Hocket. “Come sit and meet them.”

Mrs. Hocket gently placed the kittens on the step. Stan handed the mostly black kitten to Jack.

“Can I call him Socks?” asked Jack. “He looks like he is wearing white socks.”

“Absolutely,” said Mrs. Hocket.

Then Stan gave the all-white kitten to Christy. Christy rubbed her soft velvety fur against her cheek.

“I love her!” exclaimed Christy. “I think she needs to be called Fluffy.”

“Sounds perfect,” said Mrs. Hocket.

Stan picked up the last kitten.

“This is Mac.” Mac was white with black spots, he was playful. Mac nibbled at Stan’s finger. Stan laughed. Stan rolled him over in his hand rubbing Mac’s belly. Mac said “Mew”.

Mrs. Hocket smiled as she watched the children play with the kittens.

Flash Fiction -

No Remorse

Jennie booked her annual waterfall tour, checking off year four. This time, she convinced her friend Shayla from work to join her. Jennie’s personal goal was to see as many waterfalls as possible in her lifetime. Usually, she had been a solo traveler, which wasn’t bad. She felt anchored with the Adventure Tour group.

Shayla was older, divorced, and frequently talked about finding her destiny. She couldn’t quite explain what she was seeking, and Jennie thought she might find it in Ecuador, this year’s destination.

Jennie stood at the checkpoint waiting. She had explained to Shayla that Ecuador is located on the equator and hoped Shayla had packed accordingly. Her tip was to pack sturdy hiking boots, bug spray, and lightweight, cool clothing.

Jennie’s mouth turned down as she saw Shayla pulling an oversized suitcase toward her.

Shayla gave a shrug and a half-smile. “Don’t take offense; I probably won’t need everything, but I wanted to be prepared for what could be my destiny. The rest can go in the trash or just return home.”

Jennie nodded, “All good. You’re on the verge of an epic adventure.” She reached up and touched Shayla’s shoulder and felt her tension melt.

Two flights and twelve hours later, they checked into their hotel. This tour group always booked them in quaint, picturesque accommodations. The two women inserted their keys into the doors of their rooms across the hall from one another. “Come get me when you’re settled,” Jennie said.

An hour later, Jennie fidgeted. What could be taking her so long? She had that huge suitcase, but I should respect her boundary and just wait, thought Jennie, tapping her fingers on her knee. Fifteen minutes later, Jennie gave in and made the decision to knock on Shayla’s door.

Shayla opened the door a crack, her hair was crunched to one side of her head, and there was a dry trail of drool on her cheek. “I’m sorry. I fell asleep. Come on in and just give me a minute to freshen up.”

Jennie entered the room. The giant suitcase was open on the floor, with Shayla’s belongings scattered throughout, including drawers, the dresser, the chair, and the TV. Did it explode?

“I’ll be ready in a flash,” said Shayla as she grabbed a bra from the chair and a top out of one of the drawers.

It didn’t take long before Shayla emerged from the bathroom. Jennie put her hand to her chest and did a double take, “Wow, you look great. Let’s get downstairs for the welcome meeting.”

A light dinner was served to the vacationers as they received their packets, which included the agenda and excursion details. Jennie had to see all three waterfalls on the trip. Shayla pointed to the one scouting for exotic birds and orchids within the rainforest. They agreed it would be an awesome holiday.

Every day was action-packed. The weather was superb, the Ceviche was the best Jennie had ever eaten, and the flora and fauna entranced Shayla.

On the fifth day, the women followed the group on the path to the San Raphael waterfall. Jennie noticed that Shayla limped as they approached the cliff and the water’s edge. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” said Shayla as she sat down on a rock to remove her shoes. “Just a little blister, I don’t want to derail the trip for a sore foot.” “Aahhh,” she breathed, tilting her eyes to the sky and lowering her foot into the cool water.

Other people in the group were stripping off their clothes and shoes. “I hope you don’t have remorse for coming on this trip,” said Jennie.

Shayla stood to watch people jumping over the waterfall. “Not at all, this has been great.” Their group mates shouted and laughed as they splashed into the deep water below. “This confirms it. My destiny is in the water,” she said as she jumped over the edge.

“Noooo,” screamed Jennie. “You can’t swim!”