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Off the Rails, They Said – Friday Fictioneers

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Well golly-gee whitkicker.  I shoulda known when I woke up at 5 and could not fall back asleep that my day was not gonna go according to plan.  I gave up on sleep, dressed, grabbed my camera and planned to drive just to the overpass to capture the early morning light; so of course my exit was closed, forcing me onto the highway and well, while I was there, might as well go allllll the way to the end and maybe be lucky enough to capture a heron or something.  Got eaten alive by the skeeters whilst attempting.  Couldn’t stay long as I had to get back, do my yoga and take a shower before work.  But hey, it was still early so I’d be able to do my FF… it is, after all, my photo and all.  But nooooo… Start my smoothie, leaving the addition of the frozen fruit till after my shower, so I could sip and write.  Take said shower and, hmmm… the house is awfully quiet. Except for the beep of my alarm system telling me there was no power.  So, no smoothie, no uploading of photos, no writing of FF… And then, work was so darn busy, I couldn’t even be a bad employee and write it there!

Apologies for my long preamble.  Thanks Rochelle for choose my pic!  The one good thing is, this morning, I heard this song and I thought, that could work… Miracles of miracles, I did not forget my plan and here I am, inspired by it!  My story is squished between the photo and the song 😉  Should you be inspired to play along, just click on the frog below and add you 100-word link!

Cute cartoon frog with a stop sign, illustration, vector on white background. | CanStock

Click to play!

Off the Rails, They Said

A too-sharp mind was what she had, they said.   That she was spinning out of control and needed to dull the edges.  That’s what they told her, anyway.  And really, what reason did she have to not believe them?  She knew she had been erratic and they feared for her. It was love, they said.  They loved her.  Here, they said, take these pills, you’ll feel so much better.  So she choked them down and went from full-speed ahead to barely a crawl.  If she could just make it to her bed, it would all stop. She’d be just fine.

 

121 thoughts on “Off the Rails, They Said – Friday Fictioneers”

  2. I remember days like that. Retirement is such a wonderful thing. Off the rails now is entirely different. It’s more of a “pivot.” And I HATE the use of that word these days…but truly that’s what it is.

    Liked by 1 person

  8. Ah, Dale, it is okay to have a day.
    You know. To match the poor unfulfilled smoothie, left to ponder the meaning of life’s blades all by it’s lonesome. Sans energy.
    The poor lady, too, left dulled.
    I hope tomorrow – or even this evening – isn’t a lot more fun!
    xoxo
    Your NYNF, who took this in a totally different direction … not down at all … oh well … you’ll understand … 😉

    Liked by 2 people

  12. Well yesterday is done now, Dale.

    Of course we had the preamble and the story to read. My brain combined the two, then added the song. As for the pills, the songs “Mother’s Little Helper” and “White Rabbit” came to mind, as well.

    Excellent. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    • That it is. And I may have laid it on a tad thick. 😉

      You know, I guess it’s normal that they would go together. Irony and all that. Yes, those songs would come to mind!

      Thank you. 😊

      Liked by 1 person

  13. Oh, that story is so sad! I was not expecting that.
    It makes me think of women locked up in the past because they didn’t conform. This seems merely a different sort of locking up.

    I guess your power is back since you posted? Isn’t that the second time it’s gone off recently?

    Liked by 1 person

  14. A strange kind of love and probably on not to be trusted! We all get off the rails from time to time but how else would we know we’re back on track! 😉
    Great writing, Dale and photo, and video. xoxoxoxoxoxo

    Liked by 1 person

  15. Wow. Just take some pills and you’ll be fine. Ugh. As a retired therapist, I used pills as a “cure” almost never. Mostly, in this kind of scenario, they’re just a way to get someone else to behave in a way that makes everyone else comfortable. And conformable.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Exactly, Linda. I only believe in the pills that are necessary… say you have a chemical imbalance in your brain or are missing an organ that is necessary.

      Liked by 1 person

      • Zactly. Too often, a person goes to his doctor and describes depressive symptoms, and the doc hands him a script for Lexapro or something similar without suggesting counseling at the same time. Drove me nuts while I was working, because by the time the person finally comes for my kind of help, they’re a hot mess. It takes a while to sort everything out and figure out where to start with therapy.

        Liked by 1 person

  16. Off-the-rails is how I would describe my day yesterday. No pills involved, just general wackiness. I know there was a full moon recently…and I really do believe around full moon time – at least for me – things can get weird. Yet, I love a full moon anytime of year…bring on the crazy!

    Liked by 1 person

  19. This story feels tragic to me, Dale. I think she was better with the sharp mind, but either they have taken her mind or she’s given it away. Neither is a happy ending.
    I hope your day got better after posting. I thought it was going to be a Rogers tale of woe, but power outage might actually be worse than internet outage… maybe?!

    Liked by 1 person

    • It does to me, too. I’m glad you saw that. I took the mood from the song. And no, neither would be a happy ending.
      It sure did. Nope, I don’t deal with Rogers 😉 It ended up being down for over 2.5 hours. My daughter works from home so she wasn’t really complaining 😉

      Like

  20. Mental illness is a tough call. People should have the freedom to choose, and yet the mania and terror that drives some folks is impossible to reason with. I’ve a friend who refused diagnosis and all meds. “They just want to control my mind!” She lived for years with the daily paranoia that authorities, including doctors, wanted to get rid of her. That side isn’t so great, either

    Liked by 1 person

    • Yes, it is. They should have the freedom to choose but man, you are right. It can be unbearable for people around them. Most know the benefits of properly managed meds. Those who choose nothing, oy…

      Liked by 1 person

  21. Pingback: The Survivor – MJL Stories

    • Thank you, Dan. There are days where you just think, lemme go back and start over!
      I was a very bad employee at my previous job as it was soooo boring…

      Liked by 1 person

  23. You don’t disappoint Dale, really punchy stuff, its a sad tale I think, slowing the bird down with drugs probably is the easy way, the lazy way, just turning the “problem” into another problem which can be brushed under the carpet. Its a good take.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Aww thank you, Sir Shrawls. Glad you found it punchy – I wanted it to be. And yes, slowing the bird down is not the ideal at all. Glad you enjoyed.

      Like

    • Yes. As I mention in the overly long preamble (where it probably got lost!), I heard the song on my way home and knew where I wanted to go… And yes, it is sad…

      Like

  26. Q

    She made the mistake of believing their love when it was only their attention she had gained in the first place. They ignored her Stop sign, as these types of peeps are wont to do, and instead filled her head with their own insecurities. You’ve captured that place where the naysayers are the only nay worth shushing. And then you add the medicinal kidnapping of the poor girl’s mind to boot and I gotta hope she is able to break on through to the other side.

    Good song!

    B

    Liked by 1 person

  28. That sunny picture then you hit us with the serious stuff!
    As a non-conformer I can see pills might sometimes help but are often there to put people in a little convenient box. As a child I was constantly characterised by my tendency to over-worry. Took decades to realise my imagination comes from the same space, as does my ability to strategize and I need to make friends with that part of me, not turn it off.
    There, you got me thinking!

    Liked by 1 person

    • Sometimes you just have to surprise. And I am so glad you interpret my words this way. Turning it all off is for others’ convenience.
      It’s good when a reader is made to think! 😊

      Liked by 1 person

  29. Dear Dale,

    Now Bill has me singing, “She goes running for the shelter of her mother’s little helper…” We have pills to cure addiction…pills to slow us down…pill to speed us up…My red flag would be waving at “her mind’s too sharp.” Hmm. Well done as always my friend. Evocative piece and song that makes one think.

    Shalom and lotsa thoughtful, undrugged, hugs,

    Rochelle

    Liked by 2 people

    • Dear Rochelle,

      Oh great. Thanks. Mind you, it is a change from “Off the Rails” which has been playing pretty much non-stop in MINE since Wednesday… And yes, pills for everything and so glad your red flag was the same as mine. So glad you enjoyed and were made to think 😉

      Shalom and lotsa clear-headed love,

      Dale

      Like

  30. How sad. We live in a society which thinks that pills are the answer to every ailment.
    They like to push pills even when it isn’t necessary. Some doctors are quick to prescribe antibiotics. People have become too dependent on pills. Growing up, instead of giving me aspirin for headaches, my mother used to put something called Limacol on a handkerchief and place it on my forehead and it worked.

    Liked by 1 person

    • It is very sad. And pills given for no good reason but to “shut someone up” – wrong on every level.
      Good for you mom. I agree about the overuse of antibiotics, as well!

      Liked by 1 person

  33. Really thought-provoking this one, Dale. How can a mind be too sharp and therefore dulled by prescription drugs? No! I hope those who understand will allow that sharp mind to flourish.

    Liked by 1 person

  37. Excellent story, Dale! So, so sad. There is no such thing as too sharp a mind. There are far too many who are too lazy to use their own minds though.
    You open so many cans of worms here. From ‘curing’ every bit of ‘out-of-the-norm’ behaviour with pills to calling women’s problems hysteria to ‘conversion therapy’. Medieval thinking.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Thank you, Gabi. It is very sad because those with a too-sharp mind scare those without. Completely Medieval!!
      To think I was inspired by this beautifully sung song!

      Liked by 1 person

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