Spirk (with a small dose of Pinto)

Tag: October Flashes

  • October 2023 Continuing Story

    Part 3 (end of first chapter)

    Jim narrowed his eyes at the short but lanky man with the moustache standing by his trash cans.

    “Clyde?”

    “Evening, Mr. Kirk.”

    “What are you doing?” He lowered the crowbar.

    “Becky called me from New York, said you had some racoon problems and to come on out and set up some traps.”

    Clyde was Becky’s cousin. Didn’t have a very high IQ but he was a nice man.

    Clyde stepped away from the cans. “I don’t see any signs of racoons, Mr. Kirk. But I set out traps anyhow.”

    “It’s Jim. What do you see signs of?”

    Clyde shrugged. “Nothing really. No signs of rats or racoons. But maybe you wouldn’t see anything specific. Traps are set now though, so I’ll come check on them in a day or two if that’s all right with you, Mr. Kirk.”

    “Yeah, that’s fine.” Jim glanced around where the trash cans were and over toward the front yard. “See anything else around, Clyde?”

    “Like what?”

    Yeah, what, Jim? Glowing red eyes?

    “I don’t really know, I guess. Anything weird I suppose.”

    Clyde looked at Jim like maybe he was crazy and Jim wasn’t sure he was far off. So he smiled.

    “You want a shot of whiskey for your trouble?”

    “Wasn’t any trouble, but I’ll take the whiskey.”

    Jim hesitated. He didn’t necessarily want Clyde in the house. He didn’t really have any issues with Clyde, but he didn’t exactly trust him either. Becky had mentioned once that her cousin sometimes stole things. Not usually from people he knew, but still.

    “I’ll bring it right out,” Jim said. “You wait here.”

    “I will, Mr. Kirk.”

    Jim went into his house and over to his liquor cabinet. He quickly poured two shots of whiskey and then brought them back out the front door. True to his word, Clyde stood just where Jim had left him.

    He handed a shot to Clyde and kept one for himself.

    Clyde didn’t immediately drink the shot, but instead asked, “You and Becky going to be married someday?”

    Jim wasn’t sure exactly how to answer that. For Clyde, yeah, but most especially for himself.

    So he settled on the vague, “She wants to, I think.”

    Clyde nodded and thew back the shot. Jim followed suit, feeling it burn down his throat.

    Clyde handed the empty shot glass to Jim. “I’ll be on my way now, Mr. Kirk. I’ll check back on those traps like I said. And if you need anything else, you give me a call.

    Jim called after him as he headed for his truck, “You want some money?”

    “Nope, that’s all right.”

    And just a few minutes later he was gone. Jim watched him until the lights from his truck faded away out of sight.

    He set the shot glasses down on the porch and walked to where the pumpkins and scarecrows were. He clenched the crowbar.

    Looking for what? Again, he really had no clue. And not surprisingly he didn’t see anything anyway.

    With a shake of his head at his only foolishness, grabbed the glasses and went back into the house. Double locking the front door. Then he double locked the back door too.

    And just before he went to sleep, he thought he heard a whisper.

    “Jim.”       

  • October 2023 Continuing Story

    Part 2

    Photo by Alex Shuper on Pexels.com

    “Professor Kirk!”

    The loud yell startled Jim out of whatever trance he’d been in. That had been happening more often lately. He’d be in the middle of something and then he’d zone out. He wondered if he was losing his mind.

    He plastered on a smile as he faced the student who’d just shouted at him. “No need to yell, Adam.”

    Adam had the grace to blush. “Sorry, Professor. It’s just I’d been trying to get your attention for a while.”

    Jim was a physics teacher at Riverside College. It was nearly the end of the day and he was in his office at the college having finished teaching two classes that day.

    “I’m sorry. My mind was wandering.”

     “I was just wondering if you’d had a chance to go over the papers we submitted last week.”

    “Not yet,” Jim admitted. “I will this week though. See you in Thursday’s morning class.”

    An effort to dismiss Adam and send him on his way. He seemed a little too eager to spend time with Jim and Jim certainly didn’t want to encourage any student crushes.

    Beyond Adam, through the glass of his office door, Jim spotted a man walking by wearing a woolen beanie pulled down low well past his ears. It was the second time he’d seen the tall, slim man walking by. He couldn’t recall seeing him before and looked older than most of the students there. A new instructor?

    “Sir?”

    Jim blinked and glanced at Adam again. “Yes?”

    Adam sighed dramatically and pushed the glasses he wore up his nose. “Nothing, Professor. See you in class.”

    And he was gone.

    Jim was relieved. He closed up his briefcase and prepared to leave his office to return home.

    It didn’t really bother him to live alone at the farmhouse. He’d considered asking Becky to share the place with him but given what she’d just said to him, he was no longer sure.

    He made his way out to the parking lot where staff members parked and got into his Escort.

    He thought of the man with the beanie again. It was a warm day. It was the time of year where days were nice and nights chilly but either way it wasn’t the weather for wool beanies.  

    And if he was a new instructor it seemed strange as the semester had begun some weeks earlier, at the beginning of September. But then again he could be a substitute instructor, Jim guessed. It wasn’t as though the dean of his particular science gave him any inside information about goings on.

    Jim guessed what made him the most curious about the stranger was that each time he’d walked by Jim’s office, he had stared into the office to look directly at Jim. And somehow, Jim had gotten a sense of de ja vu each time.

    With a shake of his head, Jim started up his car and left the college. It was nearing four and though it wasn’t yet supper time he decided to go through a drive-thru for some hamburgers rather than cook for himself.

    At home, there was nothing unusual. His front yard of pumpkins and scare crows looked untouched. Nothing was knocked over by the trash either. He would have thought he’d imagined the crash the night before except that Becky had heard it too.

    His answering machine had a message so he pushed the button. Of course it was Becky.

    “It’s just me. I’m in New York now for the night. I’ll let you know how I am tomorrow too when I get a chance. Bye, Jim.”

    He felt no particular warmth at her message. No particular emotion at all. It was like she could have been anyone. A stranger even. What was wrong with him? Shouldn’t he be happy to hear from his girlfriend?

    Jim just didn’t know and he began to worry about himself. Scratch that. He was already worried. It was just something to add to the list.

    He’d just finished watching an episode of Dallas and was preparing to go to bed when a light flashed outside.

    Jim grabbed the crowbar and a flash light of his own and headed outside once more.   

  • October 2023 Continuing Story

    And so we begin part one. You may get a few surprises with this one!

    PART ONE

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    Riverside, Iowa

    October 1980

    It was just after nine o’clock when Jim heard a loud crash out in the front yard of his farmhouse.

    He put his hand on Becky’s leg. “Stay here.”

    “Probably a racoon,” she guessed. “I’ll stop the movie.”

    They’d been watching a VHS tape on the brand new player Jim had purchased last week.

    It was chilly out, but Jim didn’t bother with his coat. He did grab a crowbar he kept in a closet by the front door though.

    He stepped out onto the porch. Several moths flew around the porch light.

    “Who’s there?”

    No one answered of course. If it had been a racoon or other animal getting into the trash they wouldn’t have and if it was some person with nefarious purposes they probably wouldn’t either.

    He stepped off the porch, crowbar at the ready. Nothing by the trashcans and they were upright. He turned and walked to the front of the house by the picture window. Nothing there either. The pumpkins and scarecrows he’d set out in yard in September were untouched, There wasn’t a sign of anybody or anything. Nothing broken.

    Jim pursed his lips and went back into the house. Becky was putting on her coat.

    “Well?” she asked.

    “Didn’t see a thing. Must be kids playing pranks for Halloween.”

    “It’s only October 2. Seems a little early for tricks and treats.”

    Jim nodded. “Probably.”

    “Racoons,” she said matter-of-factly. “You get Clyde to come over and lay some traps.  That’ll take care of it. Drive me home?”

    “Unless you want to stay.”

    Becky shook her head reluctantly. “Can’t. Roberta’s coming for me early. Going out on flight to Denver at six in the morning from Iowa City. And from there New York. Speaking of, I’m going to be gone on several shifts over the next several days. Won’t be back for a while.”

    Becky was a stewardess for TWA. She was often gone for extended periods of time. She liked it. And it seemed to ensure neither of them ever got tired of whatever they had going between them.

    Jim grabbed his coat and keys and they made their way out to his Ford Escort.

    Becky only lived a few blocks away and they were at her apartment in no time. He leaned over to give her a lingering kiss.

    “Tell me how the movie ends,” she said, wiping her lipstick from his lips.

    “Okay. And safe travels up there.”

    “Jim, when I come back we need to talk.”

    “That doesn’t sound good.”

    She smiled. “Nothing that bad. But it’s time we decide about where our relationship is going. What are the next steps for us.”

    “I see,” Jim replied with a nod.

    “You love me, don’t you?”

    “Of course.” But the response was automatic with no real feeling behind it and Jim couldn’t even say why.

    But she didn’t seem to notice or care.

    “That’s why we need to talk. Riverside’s great but—”

    “My family’s lived here for a lot of years.”

    “I know. But it doesn’t mean you have to stay here forever. People sell places and move on all the time. The point is, Jim, I’ve been offered to transfer to the Denver area as my main hub. It’s got a lot more going for it then this Podunk town and you can find a teaching position there, you know you can. It would mean a big promotion for me. And if we moved there we could get married and start a family. Just…think about it. We’ll talk about it when I get back.”

    She leaned in to kiss him again, then opened the car door, got out and ran into her apartment building.

    Jim sat there in the car for a moment considering. He didn’t want to move. And something…was off. But he had no idea what.

    With a sigh, he put the Escort in gear and drove back home.

    Once he parked and got out he started to head for the front door. But as he glanced toward the scarecrows and pumpkins he thought he saw glowing red eyes.

    “What the hell?”

    He rubbed his eyes and looked again.

    Nothing.

    Jim went into his house and locked the door. He didn’t bother watching the rest of the movie. He just went to bed.

  • Flash Fic, October 28, 2022

    This is a mini sequel to October Romance from 2017

    Photo by Karolina Grabowska on Pexels.com

    “Hey, it’s the dog from last year.”

    Jim eyed him out of one closed eye. “I’m not a dog. Not this year.”

    Boyce got close to Jim in the hospital bed and scanned him with a medical equipment. “What are you supposed to be? Big Foot?”

    He raised his arm to block the light Doctor Boyce shined in his eyes. “Ouch. Do you mind?”

    “What is his condition, Doctor?” Spock asked from somewhere in the room. Jim couldn’t see him.

    “Seems to have a bit of a concussion.”

    “Seems?” That was Bones. Sounded outraged too. “What kind of a doctor are you?”

    Boyce straightened and gave Bones the evil eye. “Listen, son, I was treating injuries when you were still in nappies.”

    “Can we maybe focus on me?” Jim wondered.

    “You’ve got a nasty bump on your noggin.” Boyce smiled. “No fleas though.”

    Jim would have rolled his eyes except it would have hurt.

    “You’re going to have to spend the night for observation.” He glanced over, Jim figured, at the other two. “Your boyfriends will have to come back tomorrow.”

    Bones choked.

    “Boyfriend,” Spock said icily. “I am Jim’s mate.”

    “Oh. Okay. I assumed you were a threesome.” Boyce patted Jim’s shoulder. “Get some rest. I’ll send a nurse in to remove that costume. Whatever it is. Try not to end up here next Halloween.” He eyed Bones. “Now that I think of it since it was the other one last year and this kid here this year, it’ll be you next time.”

    “Over my dead body,” Bones mumbled.     

    Boyce looked at Jim. “What happened anyway?”

    “I slipped in, uh, cow, uh, you know, at the Halloween Festival and hit my head.”

    “Ah.” The doctor nodded. “That explains the smell. The nurse will give you a sponge bath too. You two out.”

    “But—”

    “Out. He needs rest. Come back in the morning.”

    Then all three of them left and shortly after Nurse Ratchet appeared a few minutes later. She seemed to take pleasure in yanking his ruined costume off and rubbing his skin raw.

    “Want anything?” she demanded when she was done.

    “Coffee?”

    “Nope. You can have milk.”

    “Chocolate?”

    “Nope. You can have one cookie. Oatmeal raisin.”

    Jim nodded. “Okay.”

    “I’ll be back.”

    Jim sighed. That was exactly what he feared.

  • Flash Fic, October 26, 2022

    Photo by Monstera on Pexels.com

    A bit of silliness today.

    “What is that?”

    Jim looked over his shoulder at Spock, who had just come into Jim’s quarters from their shared bathroom.

    “It’s a ghost.”

    “A ghost?”

    Jim grinned as he finished hanging the “ghost” from his ceiling. It was a round ball covered in a white sheet with glowing red eyes, and with a remote control it would wiggle and fly a bit with spooky music playing. He stepped off the step stool.

    “I had this when I was a kid. When we had that break on Earth recently and I saw my mom I asked her if I could have it.”

    “Why?”

    “She was going to throw it away if you can believe it.”

    Spock eyed it. “I can believe it.”

    Jim laughed. “It’s spooky season so I wanted to hang it up.”

    “So it will normally not be hanging from the ceiling?”

    “No, I guess not.” Jim grabbed the remote and pressed it, grinning madly while Spock watched it with undisguised derision.  When it was still once more, Jim grabbed Spock and kissed him. “How about that chess game?”

    Much later, in the middle of the night, Jim turned it on again, cackling when Spock sat straight up in bed.

    When Spock rose, his hair standing on end, his hands on his hips, he glared at Jim.

    “That’s it. We are sleeping in my quarters.”

  • Flash Fic, October 24, 2022

    “You said you’d carve a pumpkin with me.”

    Sam gave his brother a nasty look. “I changed my mind. Another day.”

    “But it’s almost Halloween and you said—”

    “I’m not going to carve a damn pumpkin with you, all right? Halloween sucks and you’re too old to be dressing up and going trick or treating and carving pumpkins.”

    Jim stood there holding the pumpkin he’d wanted to carve. He could feel the sting of the tears pooling in his eyes, and the painful lump in his throat.

    Sam crossed his arms in front of his chest. “Anyway, you need to grow up. Things are going to change around here.”

    “Change?”

    “That’s right. I’m making plans to split.”

    Jim blinked, aware that dislodged some of the tears he’d fought to suppress onto his cheeks. “You can’t leave.”

    “Watch me.”

    “Keptin, we’re beginning the pumpkin carving contest. Didn’t you want to compete, sir?”

    Jim forced a smile as the memories of Sam’s cruelty and abandonment got pushed aside. “I think there are plenty of competitors, Ensign. I’ll be happy to judge.”

    Chekov nodded. “Okay, Keptin.”

    Jim was aware of Spock moving over to appear by his side. “Hey.”

    “You are not participating in the festivities?”

    “Not these ones, no.” He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. “The whole…pumpkin carving thing sort of brings up some memories from my childhood I’d rather forget.”

    He remembered throwing and destroying that pumpkin he’d picked out of so many at the pumpkin farm after Sam’s rejection. It made him sad the instant he’d smashed it to bits. All it had done was upset him, not Sam, and Jim figured he’d learned an important lesson that day.

     He turned to face Spock when he realized the Vulcan was watching him carefully.

    “What?”

    “I do not like it when you are…melancholy.”

    “Sorry, sweetheart.”

    “You owe me no apology. I know that this relationship is new for both of us, I just do not know what to do to clear the clouds I see in your eyes sometimes.”

    Jim smiled and put his hand on Spock’s arm. “You’re doing good, I promise. Help me judge these things?”

    “Of course. Though I am not certain I can be entirely unbiased. Nyota has entered.”

    “Yeah? What’s she doing?”

    Spock paused. “Us.” Jim laughed. “This I gotta see.”

    Photo by Kelsie Cabeceiras on Pexels.com

  • Flash Fic, October 21, 2022

    Photo by Mu0103lina Su00eerbu on Pexels.com

    When Spock arrived to see him, Jim was sitting up in bed and when Jim saw that Spock was bringing him a drink, he brightened.

    “Spock, you’re my hero if that’s Bones’ special Autumn Spiked Punch.”

    Because Jim had managed to incur the wrath of some hairy spear throwing alien he was currently confined to the medbay instead of at the Autumn Ball being held for crew morale. Typical.

    “It is most certainly not,” Spock said, handing the cup to Jim. “It is pumpkin spiced tea.”

    Jim made a face but he accepted the cup.

    “How do you feel?”

    “Like I’m missing out.”

    “T’hy’la, it is not even very interesting. I was there and it was merely a few people drinking, laughing, and dancing.”

    Jim sighed. “Oh, yeah, that just sounds terrible. Drinking and dancing. Nothing fun about that.”

    “I did bring you a scone with your tea.” Spock handed him a wrapped baked good.

    “Swell.” But Jim took a bite. “It’s good.”

    “Doctor McCoy said you can be discharged day after tomorrow.”

    “Two more nights?”

    Spock nodded. “And then you will be off for twenty four hours.”

    “What?”

    “I will be off too.” Spock paused. “To take care of you.”

    Jim perked up. “Okay, that sounds good.”

    “I thought you might think so.”

    “No Autumn Spiked punch though?”

    “No.”

    Jim sighed again and sipped his tea. He watched as Spock pulled up a chair.

    “You don’t have to sit with me.”

    “In fact I do.”

    Jim smiled. “Okay. But when I fall asleep, it’s okay to leave.”

    “I will keep that in mind.”

    Much later, Jim woke in the night to see Spock still sitting beside his bed. He sighed softly and went to sleep.  
         

  • Flash Fic, October 19, 2022

    Photo by olia danilevich on Pexels.com

    Jim knew he had to be the adult here, but adulting was hard. At least in some circumstances.

    He had never planned to have kids. He had decided long ago he’d make a terrible father. Sometimes he revisited that opinion but even still such a thing hadn’t been in his plans.

    Being faced with Sam’s son, therefore, hadn’t ever even been something he considered. Sam had abandoned Jim long ago. Jim hadn’t even known there was a kid until he’d been notified after the end of the five-year-mission that Sam and his wife had been killed in a shuttle crash on some planet called Deneva.      

    Their son, Peter, now seven years old, was living with Jim’s mom.

    Jim approached the boy as he sat on the back porch of the Kirk’s farmhouse. It was late October, but at the moment it was still relatively light outside.

    Jim carried a largish pumpkin with him.

    “Hey.”

    Peter glanced at him but did not smile or greet him in return. He was seated on the bottom step of the porch.

    Jim sat down beside him. It wasn’t as easy as it used to be.

    “I brought a pumpkin. Thought you might like to help me carve it.”

    “Okay.”

    “You don’t have to if you don’t want to, though. It’s just Spock’s going to carve one and we’re going to have a contest as to whose looks the best.” Jim sighed. “He’ll probably cream me without your help.”

    Peter looked at him. “You don’t wanna carve it with him?”

    Jim smiled. “Too much competitiveness between us. I mean, sure, he’s my husband, but he likes to prove he’s better than me.”

    “Seems illogical.”

    “Sure does. And if you don’t help me, I’ll be stuck with your grandma and she’s the world’s worst pumpkin carver.” He gently ruffled Peter’s hair. “We can have hot apple cider while we do it. And cookies.”

    Peter looked like he was thinking about it and then he nodded. “Okay, sure.”

    Jim patted his leg and stood. “Grab that pumpkin and let’s go.”

    His nephew had lost both of his parents and was devastated. Jim knew. It wasn’t much, Jim guessed, but a bit of progress with Peter was better than nothing. He put his hand on the kid’s shoulder and smiled as they entered the house.    

  • Flash Fic, October 17, 2022

    Photo by Karolina Grabowska on Pexels.com

    “What candy should we get?”

    Spock paused from peering into his shopping cart to make sure Vanik hadn’t added extra items he didn’t think were necessary to flick a glance at his nephew.

    The little pest, to use Jim’s affectionate nickname for him, had insisted on going to the market with Spock as he prepared to select things for their Halloween movie night. Jim had decided the task of shopping should be left to Spock.

    Jim had an important simulation test coming up he was preparing for and Jim had given Spock his best captain look, even though he was not yet one, and Spock had decided it was wise not to argue.

    As he was departing for the shopping trip, Vanik had arrived to visit and Jim sent Spock’s nephew off with him. Somewhat gleefully, Spock noticed.

    “Candy?”

    “It’s going to be Halloween,” Vanik replied. “Jim has a sweet tooth.”

    Spock stared at him. “Jim does.”

    It wasn’t entirely a lie, Spock conceded. Jim was fond of certain sweets and candy was among them. But he also knew no one could beat Vanik for his love of all things sweet.

    “And me. Hell hath no fury like a man whose mate forgot his candy,” Vanik made up on the spot.

    Spock sighed. The pest wasn’t wrong. And he absolutely hated displeasing Jim. Likely other Vulcans would call him an illogical sap, but there it was.

    “What do you recommend?” Spock asked as he wheeled his cart toward the Halloween candy display.

    “He likes peanut butter cups.”

    “True.”  Spock selected two bags while Vanik nodded his approval.

    “And the nougat with the peanuts.”

    Vanik’s favorite.

    Spock picked up a bag and then added a second when Vanik gave him puppy dog eyes.

    “Gummy worms?”

    Spock nodded and added them and sweetarts as he knew Jim liked those too. “That is most certainly enough.”

    “All right! Time to check out.”

    And Vanik ran ahead. Spock wasn’t sure he ever had that much energy. But he followed after him, wondering how early he could get Vanik to go home. He wanted to spend some private time with his mate.