Minute By Minute
CopyRight 1998 Ginger Johnson
All Rights Reserved

Karin stared at the computer screen, the white background burned her eyes. The black cursor blinked at her. Fingers, on worn keys, remained still. Mentally, she rummaged through her mind, looking for some small item, a tidbit, a spark that would make the words flow.

The silence thundered through the house. She heard the the hydraulic system on the garbage truck scream as it stopped. Roaring from a car stereo seeped into the room. Karin stood for a moment, frowning at the emptiness in her soul. Thinking back, she wondered if the magic would ever happen again

She tried to piece together when the darkness had invaded her imagination. When it sapped the center of her world. Memories of the past month came to her one by one.

The death of her muse had been a slow one, painful. Day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute, a poison eating away at the confidence of her talent, her self-assurance. Her strength, her desire ebbed away.

Returning to her chair, Karin stared at the screen once more. The cloudiness of her mind cleared as a path opened to her. The dream she had for the past months was gone.

Nimble fingers danced upon the keys, the block gone. The words tumbled upon the keys, her mind racing to stay ahead of the despair, the anger, the grief, the giving away of the fantasy and seeing the reality of a future denied to her. Relief poured as she realized her escape from a life of hurt and tears. A small seed of hope for a new dream was planted and she felt the roots began to grow.