(Author’s note: It’s hot. It’s sweltery. It’s insanely weird outside. And there are thunderstorms on the way. All I can say is…time to write!)
One More River
by Miles H. Rost
Sweat.
It got in Giuseppi’s eyes, down his striped shirt, and soaked through his beret.
He made sure none of it got on the bottles of milk he was ferrying. One last bridge, one last load, then homeward.
He saw the dock, and started to guide his gondola over.
“LOOK OUT!”
Giuseppi looked to his right, in time to see a yacht twice his size ram him, cutting clean through the gondola.
Shock. Fear. Anger.
He glared at the yacht, grabbed a bottle of milk that hadn’t sunk, and chucked it at the yacht.
He went down with all the milk.
Music and Fiction 
He was soooo close. 🙂 I could go for a nice glass of cold milk with some cookies in the AC. Hopefully you’re escaping the heat somehow, my friend.
-David
It cooled off on Thursday. But yeah, it was quite warm for a few days. And yes, to quote Hall and Oates “So close, yet so far away…”
Fighting to the last. I got right into your story and really felt for Guiseppe.
He’s a stubborn one, that’s for sure.
A terrific tale and the cream on the milk was a piece by my favourite music-maker!
Click to read my FriFic tale
One of my faves as well.
A sort of rightness to his ending, tragic though it was. Great tale
It just seemed to work out in the end.
Great piece. Holds the attention very well.
Thank you!
Going down with the milk…This guy must be a violinist. I’ve heard they’re looking for some players for a ship…Titanic.
Best wishes,
Rowena
He had nothing else. It was the milk, or nothing at all.
The milkman went down with his vessel. That’s a graphic description of his perspiration, Miles…
HA! XD
A yacht? In a canal? Well, I guess so. Must have been a lot bigger canal than this picture portrayed. And I really hope the milkman could swim.
Some canals are bigger than others. Panama Canal, anyone? 😀
Yes, that’s true. It just took me by surprise because of the picture 🙂
Oh dear, but I can’t resist saying it…there’s no use crying over it. He and his living down the drain,I feel for the man
I feel for him. Tough job to steer a gondola – apparently its years of training. Well, spilled milk and all that 😉