Spare Change
by
Lady MoonHawke
Disclaimer: I don't own Highlander, as usual. I don't own Rachel, who
is specifically mentioned, or any inferred characters herein. The views
about Central African politics are all mine, so please don't blame any other
Agency if you don't agree. Now, on with the good part.
Sanity. That's what I crave. Unusual, perhaps, but it is my wish all
the same. Very unusual, even.
When all was said and done, we went to Scotland, though I couldn't bear
to remain after her death. Xu rattled in my pocket, souvenirs of a country
where peace was not to be found. Yuan mixed with them, collected in a land
of dragon-backed mountains and ice-cold deserts. Zaire gave me francs.
At least, it used to be Zaire; Central African politics can be murky. Birr
from Ethiopia. Colon from El Salvador. Drachma from the beautiful islands
around Greece. Every place I went gave me another little reminder of where
I'd been without her. Finding what I was looking for was another matter.
Greenland, that Viking joke on the rest of the world, was the end. Homesickness,
exhaustion and loneliness had set in. I went home.
JFK is crowded, packed with people coming and going. Keep moving, people,
for your end will come soon enough. Lucky them, to know that there is an
end. My fate is not so bright.
Near home again, the store and Rachel's familiar face. Oh, my Rachel.
Pity this poor wandering fool.
Quietly she takes my coat and automatically clears the pockets. Reaches
out a cupped palm filled with the flotsam and jetsam of my travels.
Shrugging, I answer her unasked question, "Spare change."
The End.
Notes, for those interested.
I didn't really plan to write an ABC piece this time, but I'm starting
to think that planning has very little to do with it.
After Lone Gunman Friday night, I caught the last 15 minutes of
Highlander on FX. I heard the word 'sanity' during "A Kind of Magic"
and I knew that was where it would start. From there, the dictionary provided
Xu, a small monetary unit of Vietnam. And it was off, Connor picking up
bits of money from different countries in a search for sanity that can only
end in his own backyard.
Thanks to Rhi for the kick in the pants. I can only seem to write HL under
pressure.
Written for Rhiannon Shaw’s April ABC Challenge.
Visit Rhi’s Eyrie.
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