Zelda - A to Z Blogging Challenge

Blogging from A to Z Challenge
April 2015
This month I will be participating in the “Blogging from A-Z Challenge”

What is it?

I will be Blogging everyday beginning on April First with a topic themed on something with the letterA, then on April second another topic with the letter B as the theme, and so on until I finish on April thirtieth with the theme based on the letter Z.   The theme of the day is the letter scheduled for that day.

My theme will be short fictional (well mostly fictional) stories about women.  Each woman’s name will begin with the appropriate letter of the alphabet for that day.

Zelda has been lurking, only coming out of the shadows three times.  We first meet her in “Hanna’s Ring.  The next time she makes an appearance is in the story titled  “Kate - The Eyes of The Swan.”
And finally she thwarts “Xena” by outbidding her at an auction.

“Who exactly is Zelda?”

I’ll let her speak for herself.

Zelda

Hello my darlings.  I have been waiting all month for you.  I knew you would eventually show up and I knew it would be today. 
You wish to bargain with Zelda, heh?  
I have been generous with pearls from my chest of storied treasures, no?  
Now my dears, you must leave me one of your own. 
I will place your tale into my enchanted box to live along with the others.  
For I see into you with curious eyes,  hear your voice with caring ears and touch your soul with tender hands. 
Your story belongs to me now. 

Yvette A to Z Blogging Challenge

Blogging from A to Z Challenge
April 2015
This month I will be participating in the “Blogging from A-Z Challenge”

What is it?

I will be Blogging everyday beginning on April First with a topic themed on something with the letterA, then on April second another topic with the letter B as the theme, and so on until I finish on April thirtieth with the theme based on the letter Z.   The theme of the day is the letter scheduled for that day.

My theme will be short fictional (well mostly fictional) stories about women.  Each woman’s name will begin with the appropriate letter of the alphabet for that day.
All of the women will have the common life experience of a loss of some type.
I invite you, Dear reader, to comment on how you interpret the loss.

Yvette

Yvette was painfully shy. 
The month was June and she was a high school senior.  She, along with 429 other students, would be graduating in just 10 days. 
Yvette was an average looking girl.  She was just about the same height as most of the other girls.  She wasn’t thin, but she wasn’t fat either.  She didn’t have waist length hair nor was it cropped super short.  Her clothes were not fancy, but they were not plain. 
When the hallways were full of students passing onto their next class, Yvette blended in with the throng.
She wondered what it was like to be part of the group.  The group who was not ordinarily average.  The group who saved seats for each other in the cafeteria and hung out together on weekends.
Yvette did participate in three extra curricular activities.  She did the typing for the school newspaper,  sang in the chorus, and was a member of the business club.
She had three best girlfriends and a steady boyfriend.
After graduation she lost touch with the three girls.  Her steady boyfriend became enamored with a taller, thinner girl with waist length hair and broke up with Yvette. 
Two years later Yvette graduated from Secretarial Business School.  She went to work in an office where she met her future husband.  They waited exactly three years to move into their first home.  They adopted a puppy and six months later their first child was born.  They had two more children spaced 3 years apart.  She drove a soccer mom van and worked as apart-time receptionist for a local dentist.
And yet Yvette was still painfully shy. 
She wondered what it was like to be part of the group.  The group of women who stood a little apart from the crowd.  They lunched  on Wednesday afternoons and saved seats for each other at the games. 
Yvette’s children  grew up, went to college, married and went on to live their own average lives.
She divorced, re-married and became a grandmother.  
They moved into an active adult community.  
And yet Yvette was still painfully shy.
She wondered what it was like to be part of the group.  The group of ladies who played mahjong on Thursday evenings, and saved seats for each other at the Women’s club luncheons. 
The month was June and Yvette was now a widow in her late sixties.  
The letter had been forwarded from one of her former addresses.  
“You are warmly invited to Washington High School’s 50th reunion.”
She visited the web site that was mentioned in the letter.   
There were “then” and “now” photos posted on the site. 
As she looked at the pictures of her former class mates, she realized how similar they had all come to look.  
The women mostly all had blond hair and wore their short hair in a bob style. 
The men were gray or balding. 
Yvette smiled to herself.  How ordinarily average they all seemed now.  
She would not be going to the reunion.  
She was still painfully shy.
But she couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like to be part of the group.  The group of old friends who would surely save each other a seat at the dance. 

Xena - A to Z Blogging Challenge

Blogging from A to Z Challenge
April 2015
This month I will be participating in the “Blogging from A-Z Challenge”

What is it?

I will be Blogging everyday beginning on April First with a topic themed on something with the letterA, then on April second another topic with the letter B as the theme, and so on until I finish on April thirtieth with the theme based on the letter Z.   The theme of the day is the letter scheduled for that day.

My theme will be short fictional (well mostly fictional) stories about women.  Each woman’s name will begin with the appropriate letter of the alphabet for that day.
All of the women will have the common life experience of a loss of some type.
I invite you, Dear reader, to comment on how you interpret the loss.

Xena

The auction was scheduled to start at 9:00 a.m.  Xena arrived at the hall at 7:00 that morning to preview the items and save herself a front row seat. 
The aisles were lined with tables and shelves filled with old things.   Things from dad’s now empty house, grandma’s attic, or aunt Sophie’s jewelry box.  Old things that Susie or John didn’t want and quite frankly couldn’t understand why Dad, Grandma or aunt Sophie ever collected such things. 
But, Xena loved old things.  She shopped at thrift shops and second hand stores for her clothing. 
She was drawn to the 1960s era.  She wore long flowing skirts, peasant blouses and a braided band around her forehead. 
She was especially obsessed with one old thing in particular. One that she had been pursuing for the last ten years.  It was the one she needed to complete her most valued old thing collection. 
The first time she saw It was at Sam’s “Every Other Friday Night” auction.
The craftsmanship was exquisite, displaying the finest of detail.  It sparkled under the spotlight. 
“This is one of a kind, folks,” claimed Sam.  “You’ll never see another one like it,” he added. 
And he started the bidding off at $25.00
Xena was an auction novice back then.  When Sam asked for $35.00, Xena tentatively held up her paddle.  She was quickly outbid, though.  
The bidding was lively.   When she turned around she saw that that several other lovers of old things were competing against her. 
She didn’t win her treasure that day and has been on a quest ever since.
Over the years, Xena has established good relationships with a lot of other auction regulars.  
Except, that is, for Zelda.  You might say that she and Zelda were auction arch enemies.
And anyway, as the saying goes, “There are no friends at an auction when the bidding begins.” 
Xena could hardly believe her eyes when she saw It advertised on the “Now and Again’s” web site. 
She was one of the first to arrive that morning and she was sure hoping that Zelda wouldn’t show up. 
Xena perused the items which were going to be auctioned off.   She strolled up and down each aisle pretending to be interested in this or that old thing.   
She was there for the prize, though.  And she intended to get It, no matter what the cost. 
She knew that Bob, the auctioneer probably would have It up front.  Maybe even under lock and key.  Certainly he would have someone guarding It, that was for sure. 
She nonchalantly made her way through the growing crowd.
And there It was.   As glorious as she remembered.  
At 9:00 Bob made the announcement for everyone to take their seats.  
“The auction is about to start,” he called out. 
As everyone got seated, Xena scanned the audience looking for Zelda.  She was relieved to see that she wasn’t in the room.
After three hours of waiting, It finally was going to be the next item up for bidding. 
When Bob held It up, Xena could barely breath.  Her pulse raced and her heart began to thump. 
Bob started the bidding at $50.00.  Xena held back, not wanting to show her hand. 
At $150, Bob called, “Going once, going twice…
Xena, called out, “Here, $160!”
Her opponent hesitated, then said, “I’ll go $170!”
Xena and her opponent went back and forth for several more times and finally Xena’s opponent dropped out at $200. 
Xena relaxed, she knew It was going to be hers at last.
Once again Bob called “Going once, twice…
Then a voice from the back of the room called out “three hundred dollars!”
Xena didn’t even have to turn around, she recognized Zelda’s voice.