WFW- A Burst of Light

This weeks Words for Wednesday is hosted by Grannie Annie over at Fools Rush In. Like always the purpose of the words is to encourage us to write, a story, poem, or whatever comes to mind.

If you join in please stop by Grannie Annies blog Fools Rush In and let everyone know where your post is so that everyone can enjoy it.

I am going to continue our story of Todd and Tammy that I started a few weeks back, this is likely to be the series finale for this story, if you missed the first four you can find the first one here Sitting on the window sill and the follow ups here Two miles from town. and The Broken Lock and also Slipping under the blankets.
Granny Annie tested our brains today with her word selection, but I pulled it off and used every one.

Words for today are:
Flat-Hat, inalienable, construe, dithyramb, sericeous, fidelity
and/or
poltroon, ludic, turpitude, bosky, assay, repudiate

A Burst of Light

Todd froze in place for a brief moment, and waited for Woody to construe his stillness as giving up. He suddenly grabbed the barrel of the revolver under his chin and pushed it forward and up away from his face, splitting his chin wide open with the front sight of the gun in the process. There was the sound of a loud explosion and all he could hear was a ringing in his ears.

Woody struggled to keep possession of his service revolver as Todd wrestled him for it, it was like everything was suddenly moving in slow motion, he knew the gun had discharged sending a bullet flying God knows where, but Todd was still fighting with him. They were tangled in the blankets from Tammy's bed and as they rolled off of the edge, Woody felt as if he was floating until the back of his head struck the dresser and the gun vanished from his grip.

The gun finally shook free and Todd found himself holding it by the barrel. The turpitude of this man made it easy for him to use it like a hammer and he began slamming the butt of the gun repeatedly into Woody's skull. Todd felt his head suddenly jerk forward and saw a burst of light as he dropped the gun and fell on top of the deputy.

Dan threw old man Jefferson's shotgun onto the bed and picked up Woody's revolver. Dan had cracked Todd in the back of the head with the butt of the shotgun stock; he felt an inalienable right to continue but knew once he started it would be hard to stop.

Tammy was standing in the doorway now watching him, her eyes were wide open and filled with tears, one hand covered her mouth and the other held her belly, she just stood there not moving at all.

Dan rolled Todd off of Woody and after grabbing Woody's handcuffs he secured Todd's hands behind his back and left him lying face down on the floor. Dan scrambled over to Woody and only got Tammy's attention by yelling loudly, Tammy call 911!

Todd opened his eyes and looked around, he tried to sit up but found himself handcuffed to the bed, as he yanked on the cuffs the door opened. Woody, with his head wrapped in bandages walked into the room followed by the Sheriff and two more deputies.

Todd Vickers was read his Miranda rights and officially arrested. He was charged with kidnapping, rape of a minor, false imprisonment, attempted murder, assault on a peace officer, two counts of auto theft, and burglary just to start with. After Woody read all the charges, he said, Todd old man Jefferson says to tell you that you owe him for a tank of gas.

The Sheriff stepped forward grinning with an arrogant demeanor and held up the local newspaper. Just look at the headlines this morning. "Kidnapper Caught With Pants Down...Literally", the picture is a little ludicrous but I like it, he said turning the paper around for Todd to see a color picture of himself lying handcuffed and face down on the floor with his naked butt blurred out, but still obvious. I think some of your new friends down at the penitentiary are going to be interested in this.

The Sheriff dropped the paper and it landed right on Todd's lap. The Sheriff smiled at Todd and placed his mobile phone to his ear, turned and walked out of the room followed by Woody and his other deputies.

A tear rolled down Todd's cheek as he screamed at the top of his lungs and threw the newspaper towards the closing door.

Tammy screamed at the top of her lungs as her baby made its arrival. Fifteen hours of labor was not easy for Tammy. She was scared something was wrong with the baby because it was taking so long, the nurses laughing and telling her that this was all normal didn't make her feel any better either.

She had never hurt so bad in her whole life, but the sound of a slap and then the wailing of the newborn was so much of a relief to her. Just the sound of that little voice crying out for the first time made all of the pain Tammy had just gone through seem worth it somehow.

When the baby was laid upon her chest, Tammy looked down at the face of her newborn angel, she was the most beautiful thing Tammy had ever seen, her reddish looking skin had a sericeous quality, covered in little downy hairs that Tammy thought strange but cute at the same time. She smiled and said. Hello baby girl, your name is Danielle Elizabeth Hayes, I'm going to call you Dani.

Dani's name is a combination of Tammy's Dad's name Daniel, and her Mother's name Elizabeth. Tammy's Mom Beth had died when Tammy was only ten years old but she still loved and missed her, Dan's fidelity to Beth was still important to him, and Dani sharing Beth's name would only make him love her more. Dani would soon become her grandpa's shadow. Dan loved her and always took her everywhere he went. If you saw Dan that meant Dani was right there too.

Sixteen years later Tammy moved back home to help Dan out, he was slowing down and wasn't much able to take care of himself anymore. He couldn't navigate the cellar stairs to get his canned goods and having the girls back in his house was a blessing. Tammy took the spare bedroom next to her Dad's and Dani moved into Tammy's old bedroom. She loved sitting on the windowsill just looking out of the window at the bosky terrain, all of the trees and undergrowth gave her a secluded feeling of comfort.

Dani had met a guy in town named Jerry; he was a few years older and really good-looking. Jerry was a bit of a bad boy; a wild one but oh so gentlemanly at the same time, she was in awe of his stories, he had done everything from helping birth baby animals on his uncle's farm, to masterminding the theft of a crop duster that he and a cousin used to flat-hat sunbathers over on Lake Hartwell.

Dani wasn't sure how many of his tales were true. Jerry liked using words that she didn't always understand like assay and dithyramb, he even told her that he could help her learn so much more about life than just words, and that she would be a weak poltroon if she wouldn't let him help her.

Dani wasn't sure exactly what this meant but he always gave her gifts and always said the right thing to make her feel special. He had just that day told her that he loved her.

Jerry had his own place out in the next county and wanted Dani to come with him to live there. He told her that it would be great and he wanted to take her away from her life of picking up after her Grandpa and following her Momma's rules.

Jerry smoothly said to her, A pretty girl like you should be queen of her own castle, not picking up after old people like some servant. With me you won't have to do anything but what you want, you will love it.

She was standing by the windowsill in a brief moment of indecision wondering if she could really do this, I mean this wasn't some dynamic diabolical plot against her Momma and Grandpa, it was just that he made her wonder if she wanted to be here any longer, she was going to be sixteen and a half next week and she figured that was long enough to be stuck at home.

Dani's Momma always freaked out if she left her window open at night. She would tell her, Be sure that window is locked tight Baby Girl, you never know what's lurking out there in the woods.

Once Momma's lights go out this would be too easy, she could slide right out this window and meet Jerry up at the blacktop, he said that he would be waiting next to the driveway at midnight, and their life together could begin.

Dani's mind was made up; she was going to do the hardest thing that she had ever chosen to do. She leaned out the window and looked at her duffle bag sitting on the ground, and then she climbed up into the window.

Dani slid off of the windowsill and quietly landed in the dewy wet grass outside, she grabbed her duffle bag from behind the hedges and tossed it back inside the window.

Dani pulled herself up into the window, then closed and locked it. Jerry was going to be mad, she had to repudiate him, he was way too old for her anyways, and she laughed at herself because that is a word he would have used.

Right now her Momma needed her help with Grandpa, and she really loved this old windowsill, her place was right here.