Starsky came in the door of their house with arms loaded with brightly wrapped presents. “Hutch, where are you?” Getting no reply, he walked to the small Christmas tree he had talked his lover into and carefully placed each present under it.
He stood for a few moments enjoying all the colorful lights and decorations on their first tree. Happiness filled his heart. THIS Christmas was going to be the best ever.
“Hutch?” He walked over to look in the bedroom, but didn’t find his blond partner there. As he walked toward the kitchen, he caught sight of him out in the greenhouse/patio attached to the back of their house.
The sun was shining brightly through the glass roof and seemed to spotlight his lover’s pale golden hair. The glow made it look like he had a halo. Hutch was bent over a small table with a look of total concentration on his face. As Starsky walked nearer the door to the greenhouse, he saw that Hutch was writing in a small notebook.
As he watched, Hutch lifted his pencil from the paper and looked out toward the ocean, which was almost their back yard. He could tell Hutch was thinking deeply. Even though his partner’s sky blue eyes were open, Starsky could tell he was looking inward. He knew every look his partner had, and this one was of deep introspection.
Starsky went back into the kitchen and grabbed two beers before heading out into the glassed in area where they spent a lot of their time. He pushed the door open and stepped out of the house. He let the door close on its own resulting in a bang. When the noise didn’t bring those blue eyes up to meet him, he walked over to the table and set one of the beers to the side of the papers in front of Hutch.
Bending down, he placed a quick kiss on Hutch’s cheek and tried to look at what he was working so hard on. The kiss jarred Hutch and he quickly closed the cover of the notebook he had been writing in, but Starsky had seen what looked like stanzas or poems.
“Whatcha’ doin’ Hutch?”
“Just writing… something, Starsk.”
“Yeah, like what?” Starsky sat down in the chair across from his partner.
“Just… writing.” Hutch replied.
“You looked like you were a long way away there, Hutch. What’s on your mind?”
“Nothing, Starsk. Just writing… stuff.” Hutch shrugged and picked up the beer for a sip.
“Yanno, Hutch, I know you pretty well by now. And you had that look on your face.”
“Look? What look?” Hutch glanced up quickly. Almost nervously.
Starsky took a sip of his own beer then looked up to see his lover’s eyes. “That look where you’re thinkin’ of what happened. When I was shot. You’re thinkin’ about ‘what if he’d died’… again.”
“Starsky…”
Starsky didn’t let him finish. “Hutch, you gotta let that go. It’s over and I did live. I am alive. Your love brought me back, kept me going through all the therapy. You brought me back. It’s over, it’s done. Let it stay in the past, ok? I swear, I’m here. I’m healthy. And, I love you.”
Hutch looked up at the sincere look on his partner’s face. “I know. It’s just that it was so close, too damn close.” Hutch reached out to caress the side of Starsky’s face. “I could have lost you. Lost us.”
“Yeah, well you didn’t. So whatcha’ writin’, huh?”
Hutch didn’t answer, but the light pink color that stained his cheeks, caught Starsky’s eyes. “Hutch? What are you writing?”
“Look, Starsk, it’s nothing, ok. Just writing some stuff.”
“Oh no. Not gonna’ be that easy.” Starsky reached out to grab the notebook from Hutch’s hands. Surprised when he was able to so easily capture his prize, he leafed to the page he had glimpsed before. He read what Hutch had written there.
“paradise almost
lost in a parking garage
saved by running feet”
“Hutch?? What… what is this?”
Hutch sighed. “That day, when Dobey told me I needed to hurry. I thought you would be dead by the time I got there, Starsk. He said ‘I think you better hurry’, and I ran through the hospital. They told me later, that when I burst through the doors at the end of the hallway…” Hutch had to stop for a minute, “th-th-they told me you had died. That when I ran through those doors… your heart started to beat again.”
“Ah, Buddy. I had no idea.” Starsky reached across the table and patted Hutch on the arm. “So what is this? Some kind of poem, or something?”
“It’s a haiku, Starsk. A form of poetry. It’s a very short form of Japanese poetry.”
“Wow!” Starsky re-read the Haiku. “This is what happened… when I died?”
“Yeah, Starsky. Thinking back. This is what happened. I guess I just…”
“So, that poetry workshop you went to last month taught you this?” Starsky looked up at Hutch’s face.
“I guess so. Haiku say so much in just 17 syllables, Starsk, so you have to condense all your feelings… everything you are feeling… into just those 17 syllables. That’s what I was trying to do… condense everything that was going through my mind when you… when I thought you… when Dobey said I needed to… Hurry…”
“Wow… so… 17 syllables, huh?”
“Yeah, mushbrain, but they have to have a pattern.”
“What kinda pattern?”
“You really want to know, Starsk?” At his partner’s nod Hutch went on to explain, “It’s five syllables in the first line, seven in the second, then five in the last line.”
“Man, Hutch. Tell a story in basically seventeen syllables?”
“Yeah, I guess so. I-I-I’ve been thinkin’ about that night recently… guess I was trying to work it out.” Hutch ducked his head.
“Hey! I wanna try this ‘highkuku’ out!”
“It’s ‘hai-ku’, Starsk.”
“Whatever. Tell me again how to do it?” Starsky ripped a piece of paper out of Hutch’s notebook, grabbed an extra pen from the table, and took up a position like he was going to pen the next great American novel.
“Starsk…” At Starsky’s serious look, Hutch stopped what he had been going to say. “Ok… it’s just five syllables in the first line, then seven in the second, and just five in the last line. Got it?”
Starsky put the end of the pen against his lips and closed his eyes to think. Hutch got his notebook back where he wanted it and began to write again, looking back at that horrible time when he thought he had lost his lover.
“Hey, Hutch?”
Hutch looked up. “What Starsk?”
“Do commas and stuff count?”
“No, Buddy. Just words. A lot of Haiku doesn’t use any punctuation.”
“Oh, ok. Thanks.” Hutch watched Starsky’s dark head of curls bend back over the paper in front of him.
Hutch wrote for a bit. Crossed a couple of words out, then wrote again. He looked over at Starsky who looked up then.
“You got another one done, Hutch?” Starsky nodded toward Hutch’s notebook. At Hutch’s affirmative nod he said, “Read it to me?”
“Aw, come on, Starsk… it’s just words…”
“Read it to me!”
Hutch picked up the notebook and read,
“crashing through the doors
heart and mind screaming “don’t go”
love binding you here”
Hutch put it down and looked away from his partner’s face. He wasn’t used to sharing such stuff with Starsky.
“Damn. Your love did pull me back. I could feel it. I was walkin’ towards this bright light, but something kept pulling me back. It was so strong, I couldn’t fight it. So… I turned around.” Hutch was looking more upset… almost fragile… he had to figure out how to pull him back. “So, let me finish my Highkuku, then I’ll read it to you, ‘kay?”
Hutch smiled at Starsky and went back to his own writing.
After a few more minutes, “So, what was the… cadence again, Hutch?”
“Meter, Starsk, meter. Five, seven, five.”
“Oh yeah. Sorry, forgot.”
Starsky waited a minute.
“That poetry thingy was pretty awesome, huh, partner?”
Hutch sighed and looked up from his page. “Yeah, Starsk, I learned a lot.”
Starsky let him look back down and saw him frown at his page.
“What other kind of poetry did they teach ya about? Huh, Hutch?”
“Starsk! I thought you were going to write a haiku. Not keep interrupting me writing mine?”
“Oh, sorry, yeah. Go ahead. I’ll just shut up and work on mine, while you do yours. Sorry.”
Again, Starsky waited a couple of minutes. He still saw the hurt on his lover’s face. “Hey, Hutch?”
“Yes, Starsky?”
“What did ya get me for Christmas?”
“What? Starsky, I am trying to work through these feelings here. Can we talk later?”
“Oh, yeah. Sorry again.”
Another minute. “So five, seven, five? What if I need six or nine?”
“STARSKY!!”
“Sorry.” Starsky bent over the piece of paper in front of him on the table. He wrote a few words. Frowned. Then tapped his fingers on the table to count out the meter. He forgot where he was in the count, and started tapping on the table to count again.
“I swear, Starsk, you are trying to drive me out of my mind!”
“Wha?” Starsky looked at Hutch with the most innocent, wide-eyed look he could manage.
“Never mind. Just write.” Hutch tried to ignore his partner’s tapping fingers and concentrate on what he had been writing. But the quiet didn’t last long.
Starsky wrote furiously on his paper. He would stop and tap his fingers, then his pen when it seemed his fingers didn’t quite make the correct rhythm.
Hutch tossed his pen down, closed his notebook, and stood. Starsky looked up at him. “Where ya going, Blondie?”
Hutch sighed. “I can’t think with all the racket you’re making. Tapping. Muttering under your breath. I can’t concentrate on what I was feeling.”
Starsky bit back a grin. He hadn’t though it would be so quick or easy getting his partner to stop focusing on the past. Now he had to play this just right.
“Wait a sec, Hutch.” He quickly wrote something else on his paper. “Don’t you wanna hear my highkuku?”
Hutch gave him a surprised look. “You wrote one, buddy? Really? That quick?”
Starsky waved Hutch back to his seat, stood up and picked up his paper. He took a sip of beer, cleared his throat and read the first line of his haiku.
“I want to live Hutch…”
He stopped there and glanced at his lover who seemed frozen in place. He glanced back at what he had written and read the entire thing.
“I want to live Hutch
there’s pizzas to be eaten
bring me a burger?”
Hutch sat there, stunned for a few seconds as the last two lines registered in his brain. “Pizza… bring me a… STARSKY!”
A few seconds warning was all Starsky needed. He took off running for the beach with his big blond lover chasing after him.
Hutch’s laughter was the best early Christmas present ever.
This is a classic! Thank you for sharing this great gift with Starsky at his lovable best. You got Hutch just perfectly too.
Thank you, Marianrose! I tried. LOL.
Ah, Starsky! Isn’t he the best? Reminded me of how he played chess with Hutch 😀
Heee…. heee… pizza’s and burgers. Oh, that rascal! 😀
Good thing Hutch has him around — Thank you for the lovely story, ksstarfire!
And that picture! Wow!
Thank you Sam. Starsky is so easy and fun to write. Hutch is a bit more work. LOL. You are welcome for the story, but I think the very talented Ms Flamingo came up with the pic. Which I ADORE!!! So thank you to whoever came up with it!
That was great! 🙂 I love Starsky and Hutch being like this…so them. Thanks for the story!
Duluth, thank you! I enjoy writing them in just everyday love and life!
Hutch’s two haiku poems were beautiful and perfect but Starsky was right; he was wallowing. And does Starsky know exactly how to jolt Hutch out of such self-reflections and get him happy again? You just bet he does! This was beautifully thought out and then exquisitely written, ks, thanks so much for sharing. Gonna read it again now, to capture a few more of the lovely insights and character traits you described so well. Thx!!!
Pat, THANK YOU for your kind words! To me, it’s just plain fun to write them as friends and lovers. I try so hard to write what touches someone in some way. Thank you for letting me knwo I succeeded in this for you!
Congrats on making the Calendar! This is a great story. The Haikus were lovely. The dialogue was pitch perfect. Familiar banter but with a touch of poignancy. “Damn. Your love did pull me back. I could feel it.” Nicely done.
Thanks Spencer!! I was so stunned when Ms Flamingo told me she was going to use this story on the calendar!! Stunned and pleased and happy and and and.. LOL I am so glad Hutch has Starsky to keep him from brooding!
Loved Starsky’s Haiku most of all! Hutch’ were too angst filled. You are a gifted writer, thanks for sharing so. Much with so few words.
Elaine, thank you. Your words touch my heart. As I said before, I DO try very hard to write things that resonate with readers. Thank you, again, for letting me know I succeeded this time.
I’ve never written a hiku before is my life, ks, but your story put these words in my head. For whatever it’s worth, and because I hope you’ll take it as the gift it’s intended, here’s what I just wrote as my Starsky and Hutch hiku:
Curly dark and blond
Two pairs of intense blue eyes
Forty years of love
Thank you for the inspiration.
WOW, Pat! YES! VERY well done. I would never know you hadn’t written Haiku forever! That was totally beautiful and spot on! I will treasure this gift. And you are so welcome for the inspiration.
I write Haiku sometimes when it does have to be condensed and simple yet tangled. You have to get tot he bare bones of what you are feeling. Well, unless it’s Starsky! Then it’s all bets are off!
Thank you, again. That was truly beautiful and very very very well done.
A++++++
Thanks so much, ks, I’m really glad you liked it. I got straight A’s all through high school and college but never one with six plus signs after it. I’m thrilled you enjoyed my gift to you and tribute to them that much.
P.S. and I didn’t even spell haiku correctly. Sorry, hope it doesn’t detract, too much.
Actually, Pat.. it made me laugh, because it was such a Starsky thing to do! No worries. It didn’t distract at all. It ADDED!
Made me laugh, too, at myself (sheepish grin) Didn’t think about it but, you’re right, it was a Starsky thing to do. Thanks for thinking it added.
You are so welcome. Sometimes, when I have to FOCUS on something to quiet my brain, I will do a Haiku, because it MAKES me pay attention. There are some really stunning ones out there. But I really did like yours, and I think it portrayed them perfectly. It DID say so much in just a few words. BRAVA!!
I really liked Starsky here. He knew what to do to get Hutch’s attention away from his brooding and he learned a new skill! Plus they ended up having fun. Thanks!
Kat, You are so welcome! And thank you. I am glad you enjoyed the story. It was a lot of fun to write!
Beautiful interaction – typically Starsky&Hutch!!!
I so enjoyed reading this!!!
;D
Bee,
Thank you! I am very happy it pleased you! I much prefer to write the happy side of their love… though the H/C stories can be fun too. Just a different kind of fun! Thank you, again!
I really love this. The dialogue was just perfect. Touching and humorous- everything I love about Starsky and Hutch!
Thank you, OK7. Glad you enjoyed it. They are so fun to write!
What a fun story. I enjoyed it very much. Thank you
You are so welcome, Linda, glad you enjoyed it!
What a sweet story! I wasn’t sure where this was going at first, but I completely love where it ended up. Starsky’s haiku is so great! And such a great way to pull Hutch out of his funk the way only Starsky can.
Thank you, Calliatra. Yeah, Starsky will never change. Which is a VERY good thing. I am glad it made you happy by the end!
I would first like to thank, Flamingo or whichever Elf made and put the pic at the end of my story. It is totally AWESOME!
Next, I would like to thank everyone who read my offering and left such wonderful comments on it.
I have to thank all the ladies in Bromance group for encouraging me to write, for editoral help, tips, etc.
Thank you ALL!
ksstarfire
Loved the haikus you wrote in your story, KSstarfire. They were very moving. Brevity is NEVER something I am good at. That’s why I find haikus so fascinating.
You captured so much emotion in just a few words. You used the words artistically but you are also like a surgeon with words.
Hutch’s words captured what we saw in the ep and brought me back to those moments and the emotions David Soul projected into his performance so vividly.
What a wonderful tribute you wrote to both characters. Because Starsky’s impishness was adorable because he exasperated Hutch out of that melancholy with such endearing insight.
You took us inside the emotions both characters were experiencing as your story unfolded making their past and present come alive. For me it was wonderful how you mentioned them living together in a house by the ocean and giving us that beguiling glimpse of their future as a couple.
What a Dickens you are! Did you write your story to have the elements of Past, Present and Future like Dickens did in A Christmas Carol because you shared it on an Advent calendar?
I liked how you wove those elements together in your story like a beautiful tapestry.
Thank you!
Ursula
Ursula,
I apologize a million times. I could have sworn I answered your post, but when I came back to check, I didn’t find it. Maybe it was because my pc was crashing?
Anyway. WOW! Thank you!! Your words of praise are so very touching for me. A writer can write all day, every day for years, but if the words don’t resonate with a reader, it’s kind of a waste of time. So it’s wonderful to read your post and see that I accomplised what I was setting out to accomplish.
I wanted to entertain. I wanted to make people feel their emotions and see, that even in the future they are and ever will be, in my heart, the same.
Your kind words make me want to pull out more of my old notes for story ideas and write me. Thank you very much Ms Ursula!!
My admiration to the Elf who created the photo of Hutch chasing Starsky on the beach at the end of KSstarfire’s Christmas story. That is amazing artistry.
Please tell us who did that. You are one talented Elf!
Creating silhouettes–in motion–that look like Starsky & Hutch is mind boggling. I can’t quit staring at them.
What you created is mesmerizing!
Bravo!
Urusla
Ursula,
I create a lot of the images that appear after the stories. But I actually “create” very little of it. You can google very specific images, such as “men running in silhouette,” and “beach at sunset.” Then you find images of the guy’s in profile, change the color, and then put it all together. I’ve learned many things thanks to fandom — how to produce self-published books (zines), photo restoration, website management, convention organizing, and working with Photoshop, though I’m an amateur at it. I’m glad my little images adds a little something extra to the wonderful stories everyone’s been gifting us with. –Flamingo
Please don’t try to belittle what you create, Flamingo. As far as I’m concerned, what you do is not only art, it’s pure magic. The illustrations you and the elves have contributed to this year’s stories have added wonderful visual elements they would not have had, without them. Give yourselves pats on the backs and have an eggnog, on me THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I so totally agree with Pat, Ms Flamingo!! My story was ok. But with the impact of the picture you and your Elves posted to it, it became “complete”. Thank you for all who have worked on this calendar this year. It’s been amazing to be a small part of it, and wonderful to look at day after day!! Thank you all!! Have another eggnog on me!
Perfect. So them. Love the story, love the art. Thank you to all involved.
Thank you, wightfaerie!! I have loved your gifts!!
Wonderful story, I’m a longtime fan of Haiku and was excited to read this story. Perfect Hutch and Starsky poetry and a great story (and pic!) to tie it all together. Very heartwarming and true to thei characters.
Talented writers
Each gift coming from the heart
And the boys live on
Thank you, KS!
Awww thank you Ly888ly888. I do enjoy Haiku, and I loved yours! Thank you!!
Heehee–I’m late catching up on the stories, but I could so see Starsky working hard on his creation and Hutch’s concentration blown!
Dawnebeth, I came back to look at the pic the Elves put on this story and found your comment! Thank you! I am a huge fan of your writing, and feel very honored to have you comment on one of mine. Thank you again!