The old mule was not happy to be pulled from the barn and his bucket of oats. Crispin could hardly blame the beast. The sky was a solid blanket of melancholy gray. There was just enough drizzle falling from that soggy sack to soak both man and animal to the bone. On top of that, the air hinted of a hard winter to come.
Not frigid, but biting enough to make the journey miserable.
Crispin rehearsed his sermon. The mules long ears seemed to twitch at just the right passages. Or maybe it was the stony trail that was sending splinters of pain up the old mule's hooves.
Even with only the mule as an audience, Crispin could feel the heat roll from under his collar. His cheeks were sure to be two rosy apples.
And his neck.
Even the clerical collar could not hide the scarlet flames of nervous anxiety that were sure to be racing up towards his ear lobes.
And what if his voice cracked?
Or he laughed, inappropriately?
Or stood in front of a sea of eyes and fainted behind the pulpit?
He reined in these errant thoughts and forced himself to continue reciting the message he had worked on for two weeks.
It wasn't much, he decided. Not like the sage shepherds he'd been privileged to hear during his lifetime. And he would certainly never hold a candle to Grandfather.
Once again, Crispin felt the feather-tickle of doubt in the pit of his stomach.
He pulled hard on the reins, ran into the bushes, and threw up.
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Love Songs: The Wrong Note - A Collection of Short Stories
General FictionA second volume of short stories in the Love Songs collection. Many of the stories in this collection focus on the theme of love and how it sometimes goes wrong. A large collection of stories that run the gamut from humorous to tragic. 1. Love Songs...
