About Family, A Collection of Short Stories

By Carly Compass

From the author of the Electric Series a stunning new book. Carly Compass has compiled a collection of short stories about families. Who can you count on in a crisis? Who stands up for you and supports you in your endeavors? Is it the biological members known as blood relatives? Or have you gained a group of friends that stand by your side? About Family examines these different scenarios in thought provoking stories that are sure to entertain. Issues between siblings, husbands and wives, children and their parents and vise versa are all thoroughly examined in these twisting tales that reveal our strengths and weaknesses.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Carly Compass
• Release date: Feb 16, 2018
• ISBN: 9781370716944

Carly Compass

Carly Compass has a Bachelors Degree in Writing and English from Elmhurst College. She is an avid reader, reviewer as well as a member in good standing of both Phi Theta Kappa and Sigma Tau Delta International Honors Societies. She has a number of short stories under her belt published in: the Prairie Light Review, Black Widows, Web of Poetry, and the Middle Western Voice. Her first series, Electric was published in the fall of 2014 with critical acclaim and five star reviews across the board for all four books. She became a best selling author on Amazon when Book 4 came out to the waiting arms of her readers in April of 2015. Electric, The Beginning Book 1 is available for a free download. Books 1, 2, 3 are also available in a discounted combination set. All books read well as stand alone, but you'll want to read every word and leave no page unturned. Pick up your copy today and let the world know what you think by leaving a review! Carly loves hearing from her readers, feel free to connect across the board on all social media.

Book preview

ABOUT FAMILY

A Collection of Short Stories

Poetry and Prose

By Carly Compass

ISBN:

© Carly Compass, 2017, all rights reserved

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the author, with the exception of the use of brief quotations in a book review.

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events are entirely coincidental.

Table of Contents

Book Description

Acknowledgements

Dedication

Ivory Tower Part 3

Pride

In Dreams

Hierarchy

Fire Fighters

Fire Starter

A Poem

Love Lost

Union

Commandeered

The Aleph

Family

Too Large to Contain

Misspent

Stuck in the Middle with You

Endurance

About the Author

List of Publications

Contact

Book Description

From the author of the Electric Series a stunning new book. Carly Compass has compiled a collection of short stories about families. Who can you count on in a crisis? Who stands up for you and supports you in your endeavors? Is it the biological members known as blood relatives? Or have you gained a group of friends that stand by your side? About Family examines these different scenarios in thought provoking stories that are sure to entertain. Issues between siblings, husbands and wives, children and their parents and vis versa are all thoroughly examined in these twisting tales that reveal our strengths and weaknesses.

Acknowledgements

It has been an exciting new year getting these books out. I am happy to present, About Family, to all my readers, I hope you enjoy the poetry and prose within. Thank you for all your kind support.

I would like to invite my readers to tell me which stories that you enjoyed so much that you want to know more about the characters, in your reviews. I will get a good idea of which stories to develop into a novel. So please feel free to mention any and all in your reviews, posted on Amazon, Smashwords and Goodreads. I will stay in contact and let you know which stories will make it into a novel.

I want to thank all my readers and online friends. Your support has been invaluable. Thank you, Carly’s Comets, marketing books into the stratosphere! A special thanks to: Tammy Leisy, Betty Foye Mileti, Sol Muller, Britany Rients, Tonya Morton Jones, Devika Fernando, Dawn Shepard, Joanne Keniston, Shadrach Del’Monte, Julian Anderson, Gary Dolman, Stewart Kenyon, and Michelle Greer. Your kind thoughtfulness is immensely appreciated. Thank you all so much.

Dedication

This book is dedicated

to my readers!

Who are my family.

Thank you all.

I hope you enjoy

The Thought

Provoking

Stories within.

The best people possess a feeling for beauty, the courage to take risks, the discipline to tell the truth, the capacity for sacrifice. Ironically, their virtues make them vulnerable: They are often wounded, sometimes destroyed. Ernest Hemingway

A little more than kin, and less than kind.

William Shakespeare

Hamlet Act 1, scene 2, 64–67

Ivory Tower

Part 3

{Parts 1 and 2 are published in, About Love)

Sally Costanzo gave Jesse Worthington one last, long and lingering kiss before she opened the Jaguar X type door and jumped into the backseat, giggling.

So, you two are a thing now? her mom, Sheila asked, as Sally slammed the door.

Yeah, Sally said, putting on her seatbelt.

Well, you don’t have to be so obvious about it, Sally’s sister, Jemma huffed from the passenger seat.

Sheila shifted into drive with her foot on the brake, clicked on the left turn signal, looked into the rearview mirror and watched Jesse sauntered to Dr. Worthington’s SUV. Jesse’s 6’4" frame hopped into the black Escalade parked behind her. Sheila shook her head, and looked into the side view mirror and merged out of the parking spot.

When did it become official, Sheila asked.

A few days ago.

You do know that Jesse is my professor’s son.

Yeah, I know. I know, Sally said, rolling her eyes looking out the window as they drove.

Did you know that Dr. Worthington was parked right behind us?

No, Sally said shifting uncomfortably.

A kiss good bye is fine. Keep it short and sweet, Sheila said.

Sally hissed and huffed in the backseat.

Sheila knew there was nothing she could do about it, besides Jesse was a very handsome boy and not a bad catch, but the timing of this couldn’t be worse. Sheila left Dr. Worthington’s class and drove to the high school to find her professor parked right behind her. What a mess!

They arrived home and everyone went about their activities. Sheila had to get dinner on the table and write a paper for her Fiction Writing class. The girls went upstairs to their rooms while Sheila prepared the meatloaf, popped it in the oven and went downstairs to the computer to write her paper.

Dinner, Sheila called out an hour later.

The family gathered around the round table set for five.

I got the lead in Marvin’s Room, Jemma said.

Congratulations, Sheila said, passing the green beans.

That’s terrific honey, her father, James said, as he passed the mashed potatoes.

Not another play, her brother, Donny groaned.

So, when do rehearsals start? Sheila asked taking a bite of her meatloaf.

Tomorrow.

What time will you need to be picked up? Sheila asked.

My parking permit came in today. So, can I take the van? Jemma asked.

Sure, you can drive Sally in the morning and I will pick you up in the afternoon, Sheila said looking at Sally.

Okay. Both Sally and Jemma agreed.

***

In the proceeding months, Sheila continued the grueling schedule of working and going to school while maintaining the family routine.

She had a strict schedule for maintaining the house with dinner on the table every night. She would get home from school most days and find Jesse on her couch. Jesse now had his own car and would drive Sally home, hang out and have dinner with the family most nights.

Sally would attend Dr. Worthington class where he always seemed to nudge in a comment into the writing prompts that seemed personal to Sheila as if Jesse was going home and reporting everything to his father about his experiences in the Costanzo home.

"Remember about character development, does your character make their bed every morning, or do they leave it in shambles? What does that say about them?

Is dinner promptly on the table every night or do they order fast food? All of these literary devices give your readers clues to who your characters are. Don’t state the facts, reveal them in small doses. We don’t want a grocery list of telling, but subtle nuances showing that enable the reader to draw their own conclusions.

Sheila tried to navigate the situation as best she could, feeling self-conscious and inhibited in his class, knowing that any paper she handed in could be seen by Jesse and thereby seen by her daughter, Sally.

Winter slowly shifted into spring, the crocus gave way to the daffodil and with it torrential rains. One Friday night during a particular bad thunderstorm James shouted, the power is out, as he looked out the window.

Oh my god! What about the sump pump? Sheila asked running to his side.

I’ll go check it, James said with Sheila following close behind. They grabbed the flashlights and went downstairs.

The water is coming in, Sheila said in a panic as she watched the water level rising, bubbling up from the sump pump pit and quickly spreading to the dirty laundry laying on the floor. She immediately picked up anything that was on the floor and remembered the power strip for their computer and ran into the office to make sure all of the electrical plugs were up and off the floor. She lit candles so that they wouldn’t run out of flashlight batteries when she heard a gigantic roar of machinery.

What was that? Sheila asked as the roar continued to reverberate outside the house. The couple went upstairs to investigate. James poked his head out of the sliding glass door as the rain pelted down on him and looked in the direction of the noise and saw their neighbors had, Generators.

Oh shit, we need a generator Sheila said. Where can we buy one, Sheila asked James.

I don’t know, Home Depot, or the hardware store.

Why don’t you see if we can plugin to the neighbor’s generator while I look around, Sheila said grabbing the yellow pages.

James put on his raincoat and went outside. He saw a figure wearing a hooded yellow rain slicker two doors down and called out, Ron.

Ron turned his head and greeted James as the rain came down in sheets, It looks like a bad one, he yelled over the roar of the generator and thunder clapping overhead, extending his hand to James in greeting.

Yeah. We don’t have a generator. Sheila is in the house calling stores right now. Can I plug into yours until we find one?

Sure, Ron yelled. But you better get one. This happens all the time.

Really, James yelled surprised.

Unfortunately, yes.

I’ve lived in Clancy for sixteen years, ten blocks north of here and we never lost power.

Yeah, it has something to do with the power grid. But you have to keep your sump pump going or your basement will flood.

The things they don’t mention when you buy a house, James shouted, shocked. Okay, thanks. Let me get my extension cords and I’ll be right back.

I’ll be here. Ron shouted, getting his gas can to fill his generator with more fuel.

Sheila called every store in the area on her cell phone. It was 8:00 p.m. and stores would be closing in an hour, her cell phone battery was almost out. She called four stores, by the time James returned.

James thrust open the door soaking wet and said, Okay, Ron said we can hook up to theirs. I am going to run the cord through the window well. Go down in the basement and plugin the sump pumps.

Okay, Sheila said going down to the basement.

Oh my God! The water has reached the stairs! There is about 4 inches of water down here, Sheila yelled up as she sloshed through the basement thinking about electrical cords wondering what would happen if the power went back on right then while she was standing in water, hoping the water levels didn’t rise any more.

Sheila made it to the basement window, opened it and grabbed the cord that James had snaked down to her. She plugged in the sump pumps and looked around at the wreckage. Unable to see in the dark of night, she knew everything was ruined! Her heart sank but she knew that this fight had just begun. She wadded through the water and went back upstairs wondering how long it would take the sump pump to clear the basement of thousands of gallons of water.

Oh my god the carpet, the books cases we just installed, the books on the lower shelves, I better get those, Sheila said and ran downstairs. Once everything was at the highest point that Sheila could get it to she thought of Nick and John, they might have a generator.

Sheila went back upstairs and called Nick he didn’t answer so she left a message. Then with great hesitation she put in a call to John. Hello Sheila, Wilma said.

Hi Wilma. Our power just went out and I was wondering if John had a generator?

Likely story. I told you not to call here.

I just need a generator. All the stores in the area are out.

Too bad baby, Wilma said and disconnected the call.

Sheila shook a little, partly from being wet, but mainly from the chilly reception she received.

James and Sheila were besides themselves. They lived in Clancy for sixteen years and never experienced a power outage. Their old house didn’t have a basement, so all of this was new to them.

Moments