FICLET: Walls

I saw a post on Facebook about emotionally hitting a wall and how a wall can be supportive and a place to rest. That post sparked a Neanderthal and Wench ficlet.

Title: Walls
Characters: Neanderthal/Wench
Series: Neanderthal and Wench


Barrier.
Separator.
Divider.

All words to describe the wall I was currently looking at. A couple more words: blank and boring. And that was supposed to help me. A blank wall. Boring me to death. That was the goal of the Neanderthal. To bore me to death! To have a blank mind, not think at all!

Ok. So maybe I was getting a little carried away. Just a little, mind you. Neanderthal does like our debates. He’ll often play devil’s advocate just to enjoy our sparring conversations. Each of us arguing our point.

But. Like the caveman he is, there are some things he won’t debate. He becomes like that wall I was staring at. An immovable force. A barrier that divides me from....well, me. My own destructive thoughts.

When he brings down that his Neanderthal club he separates me from what can hurt me. Separates me so that I can look at things with a calm mind. He helps me divide things when I get overwhelmed. Then I can take things in small parts and solve them. Neanderthal, with his knuckle-dragging hands, his bushy eyebrows, and his stomping feet, fortifies me. Just like a wall. Protecting.

Well, damn it. Neanderthal isn’t just a caveman! He’s my wall too. He’s my bulwark. And he has to be a mind reader as I feel him standing close behind me. He knows I’ve stopped stressing, which is why he stood me in front of the wall in the first place. My mind has stopped spinning and is making a small bit of sense.

I turn and wrap my arms around him. “Thank you for being my wall,” I whisper to him. I laugh as his left eyebrow raises. “Don’t worry, that’s a good thing.”

My Neanderthal nods. He knows my way of thinking is often....odd. He lowers his head and kisses me. Then grabs my hand. He guides me outside where the sun is shining. As we step outside I think of a few more words to describe walls.

Protecting.
Supporting.
Sturdy.


End

Off to read more Neanderthal and Wench.