Tuesday Tales – Storm

 

It`s time for Tuesday Tales.

 

Today we have an excerpt from The Easter Redemption, a Laurel Holidays serial that will be debuting on my website in spring.

Please do bear in mind that these snippets are unedited so please be kind if you find any mistakes.

This story may have gay erotic scenes, strong social issues addressed and mature language. If those things offend now is the time to move onto another Tuesday Tales blog. Thanks for stopping by!

 

 

 

I kicked up some whitetails, pausing to admire their grace as they bounded off, shaking wet snow from bushes. My feet were frozen. Yep, boots and food were my first two major purchases. I stared at the trees as I passed, running my hands on the bark, breathing deeply as I plowed on through snow that lay three feet deep in places. The creek led me to a building that was crafted out of rough lumber. The roof was sloped and covered with green tin. Three silver chimneys reached to the bright blue sky. There was a large cupola on the roof as well.

Around the back were huge holding tanks. The ground was trampled and muddy and the sound of voices inside the sugar house led me around the front.

Above the door was a wooden maple leaf that read Stallard Family Maple Est. 1935 as a snapping flag that read OPEN danced in the early March wind. I ran a hand over my hair and face, threw back my shoulders, and entered the large wooden building. I stepped into a small sales area as small silver bells over the door jingled. Shelves filled with jugs of maple syrup as well as other woodsy type things like candles, bags of cookies and boxes of maple taffy greeted me. One row of shelves held family images in white birch frames. Old timey ones in sepia where men were out in snow up to your asshole with horses harnessed to long sled with tanks. Another was of an old couple, quite elderly, celebrating a 50^th anniversary according to the huge cake in front of them. Yet another showed the farm from the air. And the last one was of a youngish White couple and three children, a young boy of about six who was wearing swim trunks. The boy was tanned and smiling, his skin glowing a few shades darker than the adults with him. Both grown-ups were holding small Black toddlers of perhaps two or so on their hips, the little girls wearing matching pink swimsuits. They were all smiling widely, happy as clams.

There was an old-fashioned register on a hardwood counter. The whole place smelled of pancakes. My stomach rumbled despite having had two sandwiches for breakfast.

Masculine voices could be heard behind a door that led out of the sales area. I reached up to tap the tiny bells again then waited, hands in front pockets, fingers rubbing my tokens. The door opened and a tall, dark-haired man around my age stepped into the room. He was a handsome man with a trim beard like mine, his hairline was receding but that took nothing away from his looks. His brown eyes were warm, friendly, and he held out his hand.

“Hey there, we didn’t hear you pulling up. Dad and I were tinkering with the evaporator. If you’re looking for new stock we don’t have any yet. The weather was terrible and we’re just now about to get tapping and boiling. One snowstorm after another.”

“Oh, no, I’m not here to buy anything. I’m here to see if you’re hiring?”

 

 

Tuesday Tales