Through the Drinking Glass

Hello out there,

A small update on my well being and then we’ll jump right into this short story I wrote.

I’m almost done line editing my book. I plan to do a quick edit after I finish the line edit. I’m going to clean all of the little things that probably shouldn’t be there up. After that I’m going to get in contact with my editors and see about getting another copy edit done.

I’ve been going through a lot of pain lately. One of my wisdom teeth has a hole in it and the pain has been giving me major headaches and dizziness. Concentrating on anything other than the pain has been tough. I have a dentist appointment in a few weeks but I hope to be finished with my editing by then and writing again.

Now you’re up to date! I hope you enjoy this short story!

After I finish a drink I would often pick up my glass and look through it. The view would be warped and limited to a circle. The circular boundary along the edges comforted me. Those blurred walls are like a second home.

Sometimes, like today, a little liquid was left and it spilled onto my face. The strong smell of alcohol drifted into my nose. Pure Comfort.

“Thaanks, Jimmy,” I slurred.

I used the glass as if it were a spyglass and Jimmy was nowhere to be seen. He would be back, eventually, if he wanted to get paid.

Slowly my attention drifted back to the glass against my head. It seemed an amazing feat for someone to create a glass like this. It was so smooth along my fingertips. Nearly flawless. The person or machine who made it must have been proud that day. If machines could think that is.

I kept staring into my glass and along one of its edges something seemed to move.

——

Slowly a car drove into view like it was in slow motion. Its glossy red paint reflected in the sunlight. Chrome ran along the fender. I could almost see myself in it.

My hands suddenly gripped my steering wheel as I slammed on the brakes. The screech of ti—

——

“Jimmy!” I screamed.

“Calm ‘ur tits,” Jimmy said.

I turned and through the glass, a warped Jimmy came around the corner.

“I need morrre, Jimmy.”

“Put ‘ur glass down. ‘Ur not a child,” he said, “‘asides, If it’s up on ‘ur face, how ’em I supposed to fill it up ‘gain?”

Without a pause, I set the glass back on the bar. The room looked normal again. Too normal.

Jimmy spun around, grabbed a plate and set it in front of me. Crispy tater tots and a small bowl of melted cheese graced the plate. I had ordered these I remembered.

I looked up at Jimmy, lifted my glass slightly and then let it back down. It made a solid thump on the wooden bar.

Jimmy pried the glass from my clenched hand. He’d done this before. I watched as he cleaned the glass and put something that wasn’t alcohol into it.

“Jimmy,” I said while watching him.

“I ‘az gonna put rum in it too. Calm ‘ur—”

“Tits,” I finished with a grin.

A single tater tot sat on my plate. There was no more cheese left and I didn’t like eating tots without cheese. I pushed the plate away, grabbed my drink and finished it off. I set the glass down and stood up. I had to urgently use the bathroom. As I was getting off my chair I overspun and my hand hit the glass. It fell straight down and crashed into the grou—

——

The screeching was deafening as my car slammed into the other one. My wife’s body lurched forward and hit the windshield and then I was blinded by something white that appeared in my vision.

——

Pieces of glass flew all over the place and the circular bottom of the glass rolled over to my foot and bumped into it. I instinctively picked it up. Surprisingly it was intact. I brought it up to my eye looking through it. The world returned to its warped self.

I slid to the ground next to my chair. When I put my hand down on the floor to steady myself my hand stung. I quickly pulled it up and a shard of glass had worked its way into it. A small dribble of blood slowly crept its way down my palm until it got to my wrist.

I heard footsteps quickly approaching. Jimmy circled around the bar and walked up to me. I raised my hand to show him the blood.

“‘Ur never gonna learn ar’ ya,” he said and grabbed my arm pulling me to my feet.

I slipped the round glass bottom into my right pant’s pocket as he led me into the bathroom.

I used the paper towels to wipe the water from my hands and then from my eyes. I didn’t dare look at myself in the mirror. I tossed the towels into the trash and walked back into the bar.

The floor was clean, on my spot at the bar was a bandaid and another drink.

“Las’ call,” Jimmy said while looking at me.

I put my head on the bar. Done with drinking for now.

***

Jimmy released me and I flopped down onto the cot. I could barely recognize the bars’ back room through my drunken haze.

“‘Ur gonna hav’ ta stay here tonight,” he told me.

It was fine by me and I waved my hand at him, letting him know I understood. I rolled to  my side and let sleep take me.

——

I punched the white thing in front of me and it deflated. A small breeze gently brushed against my hair. I looked to my right and no one was there. Someone was supposed to be there.

I put my hand to my forehead and took a deep breath. Then I remembered.

“Heather!” I yelled.

I opened the car door and stumbled out. My legs felt like jello. I examined the area and saw an overturned car a few yards away. My truck had a huge dent in the front. I grabbed my head when a bout of tinnitus overcame my hearing. I had to lean against the truck to keep myself steady. Eventually, the ringing stopped and I began the hunt for my wife.

She wasn’t by the overturned car. There was a man yelling at me but I ignored him.

I expanded my search a few yards out when I spotted blood.

And then all of my nightmares came true.

This one was a bit dark. I wrote it around the same time I wrote “That of a Child” so that’s where my frame of mind was at the time.

I can’t wait to get back in to writing and talking with you all again.

I hope you all have a wonderful morning!
Katherine