Strong and fierce

Chapter 1

      A life, yes a happy life. One of no sorrows,  one of joy and prosperity. To watch the dull colored seeds sprout into magnificent flowers every spring. The clouds slowly navigate through the sky and play a game of freeze tag as they collect into bundles. The simplest things in life to make you happy. My life was a good life, some may argue the best. Good parents who tried their best to raise me, after all there is no handbook to raising a child. A beautiful, two story, white house where the city couldn't reach us, as we could chose to reach it instead. Lush green grass covered the property through all seasons, dad said it was best to keep planting it year round something about keeping the ph in the soil down. Somehow I really didn't pay attention all that much to the pesky talks he gave about keeping the grass "neat, clean, and pristine", as he always said for some reason. What I didn't know is that my world as I knew it, was about to come crashing down.

    Our body's are physical yes. But do we really stay in them after we pass. After everything is gone and we are no longer able to talk, hear, breath are we still really there. No, clearly we have gone on and just a shell of what we once became left behind. Do we really dare to try to break through the bonds of the human imagination of life after death or do we leave it uncultivated and left to die.

The tv blared through the optics of the technology, a loud buzzing sound coming through the speakers as they strained to project more sound. Something about Mojo, Brazil a virus, or a horrible case of the flu spreading like wildfire. It was nothing unheard of, after all it was flu season and the number of cases were surely going to sky rocket. The lady looked to be in her late 40s, she looked fake. No one could have skin as flawless as hers for her age, or even better yet smile as she talks about prey vs predator or I mean politics vs mans rights. You would think she would get bored with all the political drama day in and day out, but what did I know, maybe it tooted her horn just as much as the prey loved to lie down and wait for the predator to attack, until it gets the notion to sprint away at the last second.
    "Everlee"
    The voice drifted in through my mind. That was my name, growing up all the other kids had regulars names like Beth or Lacy, but no, my name was Everlee. The name sounded like a conjunction of ever and lee. I curse the person who created that awful name. Maybe It was fate trying to play with my mind somehow, of how much hate I have put toward my name given at birth.
     "Everlee"
    Oh, look there it was again. Cursed word how I wish it would stop ringing in my ears and allow me to watch the fake news lady try to entertain what it felt like to be toddlers watching. Yet we aren't stupid or at least not all stupid, our brains have grown and continue to grow everyday but somehow I doubt hers has even began to branch out. Then it goes black, she's gone in a instant. I glance up. Oops..
      My mother ever so lovingly stood behind the tv with the cord to create the woman, in her hand, a blank look on her face as she scrutinized me with her icy glare. This tended to happen a lot more than it should but my thoughts just whirled about in my head and slowly took over every piece of my time.
      "I'm sorry." It was all I had to say. It was all I could say.
      "This is the third time this week that you have been like this. I'm trying to get your attention Everlee, please don't make me get like this toward you."  She was not happy the blank expression she showed earlier was gone and surfaced more to a grim look, her hands placed on her hips with the cord still between her hand swinging back and forth.
        "I'm sorry, I was lost in my thoughts. The flu cases are rising in Brazil. They are calling it a pandemic." Pandemic was not the right word at all to describe just a few more cases of the flu, the world was not in panic to say the least.
         " I know, just try to be more in the moment Lee, go to town and buy some potato's. I'm making veggie soup and somehow I managed to get everything at the store besides potato's and you know your farther won't eat it without them. Says it gives it a flunk taste but I really just thing that he doesn't like my soup, try's to get out of eatin it. As for that pandemic it's bohunges. And don't be too long at town." She lowered the cord down but did not replug it into the wooden wall, and left to go back into the kitchen with that grim look still plastered to her face.
        Lee, she called me that since the first time we had met skin to skin. It was better than Everlee at least, but still left a dry taste in my mouth. As for dads potato's he just did it to pester her. The old man could put on a grand show of spitting out his food and spewing it all over the table cursing that no potato's had even touched his spoon. He did not like any of the food she cooked but he had not liked food going on two years. He only ate enough to get by. He was a gentle man but it was one of the things he could not stand for and would not stand for.
      I fumble to pick up the money she had left on the other side of the couch. I fingered it with my thumb Five dollars. Potato's were only three, she always gave a little extra for me to buy a snack for the way home but truly I just let the clerk keep it. There was no use to buy food when we had plenty of food here. 
          With a heart felt sigh I get up and put my feet into motion to put on my old rugged tennis shoes. "Nice and broke in", as dad liked to call them. I had to agree of course. Walking out into the fresh air awakened my senses to the birds chirping about the pretty weather. It was a beautiful day but was not every day. Walking to get into the old Chevy truck I start the engine and slam the door shut with a bang. It was a awful thing to hear. Sounded like two cats trying to dull it out and neither being a victor. With all this in mind the dirt path awaited me to a long drive ahead.