Sweet Saturday Samples - July 21

When we left Elly and the Geriatrics last week, Elly had just discovered that the brakes didn’t work on the golf cart she was driving. Here’s what happened next. (By the way, she’s disguised as her grandmother.)

      Oh, God. I'm gonna crash.

      Panicked, Elly steered the runaway cart toward a pile of mulch up ahead, hoping the bark chips would stop her or at least cushion the crash. She gripped the steering wheel, ducked her head, and braced for impact.

      Seconds later, the cart’s front wheels plowed into the pile. But though the vehicle came to an abrupt halt, Elly kept going and flipped into the mulch. In slow motion, the cart seemed to sigh, tilted onto its side, and then slid down to the pavement.

      Elly rolled to her back and stared up at the evening sky, catching her breath and trying to stop her head from spinning. She wiggled her arms and legs.

      Nothing broken.

      A glance back up the street told her Mrs. Bagley wasn’t in sight. Then Elly heard pounding footsteps and shouts.

      "Mrs. Macaulay! Mrs. Macaulay! Are you all right?"

       She turned to see Derek rushing toward her, his dark eyes wide.

       "Elly?" He let out a whoosh of breath. "I thought you were your grandmother. Are you okay?"

       "Yeah." She nodded, more embarrassed than hurt. “I’m fine.”

       Why does he always see me at my worst?

       She looked down at her clothes and brushed at the bits of bark stuck all over her body. A giggle tickled her throat.

       I look like a grizzly bear, covered with brown fur.

       Derek shook his head. “Are you sure you’re okay? I knew the cart was going too fast to make the turn. I was afraid that Mrs. M….” He stopped and chuckled. “Elly, what’s going on?” Derek moved closer and extended his hand. “Here, let me help you.”

       Elly grasped Derek’s palm and let him pull her to her feet, her relieved laughter joining his. She enjoyed the firm feel of his hand holding hers, but when she looked over his shoulder, she gasped, dismayed to see Mrs. Bagley now standing at the top of the hill. 
       She grabbed Derek’s arm and pulled him behind the mound of mulch. “I've got to get out of here.”

       "Why? What's going on?" He frowned and turned his head to follow her gaze. “Are you sure you aren’t hurt?”

       "No, I’m okay. Really. It's Mrs. Bagley and . . . it's a long story. Oh, God, if she sees me, there's gonna be trouble."

        Derek shrugged. "It’s getting dark, and she probably can’t see us all that well. I doubt she can walk this far. What's the big deal?"

       "Please. I’ll explain later. I need to leave. Now.”

       Being rescued by a knight on a white horse would be romantic, but I’ll take a good-looking man in a pickup truck any day – even if it’s an old Ford! How about you?

       By the way, I’m still tweaking the ending chapters of this work-in-progress.

~ Sandy Nachlinger ~

What's Sweet Saturday Samples?

Each week, writers post brief samples of their work on their own blogs and then link them to the main site, so readers can conveniently “hop” from blog to blog, meet new authors and become better acquainted with ones they already know. All samples are rated PG-13 (or milder), though the books from which they're taken may be spicier. 
For more SWEET SATURDAY SAMPLES, click HERE.


Photo credits:
Ford F-150: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ford_F-150_XL_Reg._Cab.JPG
Rainbow Swirl Lollipop: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lollipop. This photo was taken by Evan-Amos as a part of Vanamo Media, which creates public domain works for educational purposes.