DESERT SONG

Delerium in the desert...

     Sam could hear the desert singing to him�"rocks, cactus, sand. He plodded along, listening in a dazed delirium. His water had run out three days ago�"or was it four? Without any desert skills, he didn’t know which plants were edible, which might give him water. All he could do was stagger on, hoping for some sign of civilization.

 

     He’d lost track of things by now. Sam didn’t remember where he’d been, didn’t know where he was going. All he was sure of now was the singing: voices clear as crystal, pure as new snow…soft as that feather bed when he’d stayed at Grandma’s…sweet as the maple syrup Uncle Morris had tapped…

 

     Sam dreamed as he walked; dreamed of a lake spread across the desert. But when he bent down to get a drink, all he scooped up was a handful of sand. Finally he stumbled and fell. He lay on his back, looking up at the stars. Each one was a pool of water. The voices rose and fell like a mighty organ… chimed like Christmas bells… chanted like angels in a cathedral, mixed with incense and wine…

 

     And when Sam was ready, the voices sang him to sleep.

Reviews

[Astrid]

How sombre yet beautiful.

Note:
There are two random quotation marks in the very beginning, "Sam could hear the desert singing to him"rocks, cactus, sand. He plodded along, listening in a dazed delirium. His water had run out three days ago"or was it four?"

[Marie]

Those quote marks are suposed to be dashes. When I paste from Word to this site, that's what happens. I try to remember to over the story after it's posted and fit=x them, but I just forgot to this time.

[Workvio]

I am not a big fan of brevity ... Why so? ... Because, I am a long winded wordy person, and brevity scares the honey right outta my comb ... But this ... This is brevity at its best, exemplified ... You have painted a very real movie-like mental image for your reader to walk, live, thirst, and die (die?) in ... Excellently and majestically done ... Truly a pleasure to read, even for an overly talkative old man like me ... I absolutely loved it ... Lastly, I see that you, too, like to use the long dash that this site robot renders as quotation marks where you don not want or need them ... LOL! ... Thank you, for sharing ... It was a treat of treats ...

[Marie]

Thank you. I try to go back and change those quote marks into dashes when i post a piece, but sometimes I forget. I don't post anything over 1,000 words here, because people don't like to read longer work. And short fiction is easier to get published. I'm glad you enjoyed the piece.

[Workvio]

Yep, I hate those " marks ... LOL! Yes, we live in an ADHD generation where people now lack the attention span of a gnat ... I fear one day people will cease to read, or know how to read, because we now live in a video age ... We are all affected by it ... I do not have the ability to focus in the writing of a novel, but I am too wordy and long winded for very much flash fiction ... So I tend to write long short stories, or stories that are novelette in length, combining them as a series in hopes of a book one day, if I should live so long ... I wish I could write shorter fiction, but that is not the way of things with me ... And yes, I did enjoy this piece of your heart penned to page ...

[Cryingkate]

I'm not sure if this was an intentional inspiration.
But I interpreted this as.
When Sam was lost in the desert and was physically dried and thirst to the point of delusion, He fell to his lowest, yet he took sight of the stars which are symbolic for angels which is also Angles of light.

There is actually a song sent out from these stars. Every living thing is alive by vibration. Degrees of light are degrees of vibration and vibration can be thought of as songs.(The Harmonic Spheres)

Anyhow..... I interpret.. When Sam was ready means that Sam had obviously time to meditate on his situation and I see that He was lullabyed and comforted into a state of acceptance.
Whether Sam lived or died has no bearing in my mind.
I really think Sam's thirst was quenched by the Pools of water delivered by the Stars (The Angels)
His Soul was quenched and that,is all that matters really.
Sam found his water in the desert.

Marie as usual you write the neatest writes and sometimes you surpass yourself and just utterly have me enchanted. this is another of one of those.
I regret that I don't come visit you more.

[Marie]

I don't know why I didn't see this earlier; sometimes comments get left out, for whatever reason. I would never have found the interpretation you put on this, but you can see mor deeply than I do.

[Cryingkate]

Does that mean that you can see what I see in this?
When I write my songs that come to me quickly and without any effort I know when they are truly inspired because, I don't see the deep layers as I am writing them down. It is after I write them that I can go back and see the layers. Even years and YEars later I find even a stronger deeper layer.
To me this is proof of the higher intelligence, The mind of God I guess working thru us.
I'm guessing then that you didn't even realize how Beautifullly inspirational your write really was.

I'm not saying this to butter you up. Sometimes your writes make me read with open mouth J(aw Dropping) as the story fills my heart with warmth, truth, understanding, joy, contentment. I read the story behind the story and fall deeply into it.
Other times you take me away from the depth of the deep and just unwind in a funny little ditty as though it were a fairy tale away from the seriousness of life and relax in a moment of now.

You are so gifted... and such wise advice woven into the story. I think of you as the next door neighbor that I adopted as an Aunt.
I can't tell you how many times I wished you were my neighbor :-) I am so glad to have met you, even if it is here in cyber world.
You are one of my treasures and persons who have touched my life.

Thanks for being here and being you. Oh yes,,, by the way... I also miss some comments. I think when more then one comment comes in at a time, somehow we catch one but not both. Or opening the page looses the alert for botd like a spoiled child at Christmash or more. I also am good for reading them when in a hurry but don't have time then to come back. I'm bad like a spoiled child on Christmas I open one gift after another without stopping to say thank you for each gift LOL... Geez, now that I see it . I'll try to do better :-)

[Cryingkate]

I see some typos.. please excuse them.. The sun is in my eyes and my diabetes is acting up affecting my eyes. It's extra bad this week. The little square we write in, is not visible like after we send it is.
Thanks

[Cryingkate]

You know.... I'd love to hear you do your own review of this, now that time has passed esp...

[Marie]

I can't really review my own work. It's what I wanted to write; it says what I wanted to say.

[Will Neill]

Marie, In a way we could read into this as a metaphor of life, there are times we find ourselves lost in the desert. day to day living can make us delerious with stress, some find 'water' and survive others do not and give up. A good story.
Will

[Marie]

Thank you. I meant it as sort of a prose poem...

[Woody]

getting lost in the desert must be one of the most harrowing thing that can happen.
the structure of the sentences and your descriptions are a joy to behold, Marie.

[Marie]

Thanks. I really can't imagine such a harrowing thing happening. Oh wait, i did, didn't I?

[Woody]

haha you certainly did!
a burgeoning idea is niggling at the back of my mind. how about I turn it into a comic write?

[Marie]

If anyone can do it, you can.

[Cryingkate]

Sorry. to interrupt but saw this and am laughing with yous and Woody,, let me know when you get the comic sequel done.

[Woody]

ok Kate. I'll make sure to let you know :)

[Cryingkate]

Thanks Woody. PS I have missed ya. I'll be around soon..

[Jimmy Yetts]

The man could have done worse. Apparently, that desert was all the hell Sam was ever going to see.
A grand story, Marie, succinctly told.

[Marie]

Thank you. I thought, in a curious way, it ended rather well for Sam.