Short Story Creative Writing Contest
Writing Contest ~ Honorable Mention
The Mind's Ride
By Katy Cloer
Oh, to ride the mind, what an experience! Katrina and Joel had just gotten to Venice. Their plans were to explore not only the city but to find themselves again. But How? This they did not know. Their relationship had gone into a very stale, dishonoring place. Could they ever bring back the passion they once shared? Maybe not, but this weekend would tell them what path their life would take from here.
As they disembarked the plane, after a very long and tiring ride all they could think of was to get to their hotel and lie down, sleep, relax. Who cared about working things out? Just rest, that's all they could crave. Joel hailed a taxi and they were on their way to the blissful retreat of sleep. Not even speaking to one another at this point, they rode in complete silence.
The traffic was horrific this time of evening. And the ride seemed unbearably unending. Having had their luggage delivered to their hotel that left them with nothing but themselves. At this point they had been in the cab for over an hour and being stuck in the jam of cars was just too much. Katrina yelled for the driver to just let them out here. They would continue on foot. Joel rolling his eyes paid the man and they started making their way down the winding streets of Venice.
They didn't have much farther to go so Katrina was walking at a fairly upbeat pace. Still they did not talk, no holding hands as lovers do when in this wonderful city. Just an icy coldness between them. When they had gotten about halfway there, they came across the Gondoliers. Katrina's heart skipped a beat. So many times she had read about this, so many times she had dreamed about being here in this very spot. She stood there looking at the weird looking little boats as they passed by carrying people of all shapes and cultures. Some of them full of people, some with just two lone lovers inside. How she longed to be one of them; sitting with her lover, nothing wrong in the world, only the two of them holding one another; looking lovingly into each others eyes, seeing the beautiful landscape surrounding them, feeling the softness of the night breeze brushing their skin. Feeling as though they were one. Knowing that when they left this ride they would rush back to the private world of their room and make sweet, burning love to each other for the rest of their time here. And knowing that all was right in their world.
But then as she glanced across to find her lover, all she found was that bold icy coldness, that stare of a man that is bitterly waiting for her to be done with her dreams. Her heart breaking, she turned and once again started the walk toward their hotel. Only to turn and glance and take with her the one thing he could not take from her, the ride of her mind.
Copyright © 2006 Katy Cloer. All rights reserved.
Winning Contest entry in this short story creative went to:
A Breath of Wind
By Olga Redko
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