So, the previous post got a bit long, so I decided to split it up and get two posts for the price of one. Plus it naturally felt like two seperate posts, and I need more content. :p
Anyway, as you will see, none of the following fiction is in my usual style. I usually prefer to write ridiculous things, and none of this is ridiculous. In fact, these really aren't even slightly amusing, and are serious enough that if I wrote this out as a full novel, I probably wouldn't even read this myself. Except for the last one, because if I'm going to read something serious, it's going to be science fiction.
We were given several prompts, usually to write just a single paragraph, during the first couple of months of class, and for some reason I kept using the same characters. That may have been part of the assignment, but I can't even remember what most of the assignments were, so I guess we'll never know. Also, these three all involve the same characters, but are not in any particular order, nor are they necessarily in the same continuity, I just numbered them in the order I wrote them.
These have no titles, so I'll just call them:
Jessica
1.
Despite the heat of the sun, she could not resist taking a jacket. "What if it rains?" Jessica thought to herself. "What if the temperature suddenly changes?" She couldn't help her neurosis. Her mother had instilled a constant fear of the "What if?" in her from an early age, and that kind of mentality is a hard thing to get rid of. Her mother had a "What if?" for everything. From terrifying scenarios like, "What if you're robbed at gunpoint?" To ridiculous ones like, "What if you run out of peas?" Her mother insisted she wasn't a worrier, just a realist, but Jessica's psychiatrist had a decidedly different opinion.
2.
When she thought back to that day, she'd remember it in two ways. Two parts. One great, and one terrible. The day had started out so well, it had been full of so many little victories, so many firsts. Jessica had successfully left the house with only a few things necessary for the day. Her purse, a bottle of water, and a protein bar. She had even managed to leave her jacket and cell phone, and she didn't even think about them once! She didn't wipe down the booth at Starbucks, she didn't use her foot to flush the toilet, and it hadn't bothered her! Much! It had been one of her best days since she'd started therapy. Then she got home and saw the missed calls and the text.
From Dad: Mom is in the hospital. Call me.
3.
After dinner, Jessica offered to help with the dishes. She really didn't want to, but the rest of her family was preoccupied with other post-holiday meal activities, like football and Catan. If she didn't help she would probably have to deal with her mother's chastising glances for the rest of the day. The glances may or may not actually happen, but when she was a kid her mother had been the queen of passive aggression, and as good as she had been lately, that never really goes away.
"Well! Nice of someone to show up!" her mom chirped, feigning cheerfulness.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm a saint." She grab the dishtowel and started drying. "Why haven't you guys gotten a new dishwasher yet?"
"Because we don't need one! Since you all moved out, it's just your dad and me. Besides, we had one and someone broke it, remember?"
"Good grief mom. I was 12. And that thing was ancient. I have never been convinced that it was my fault anyway. I know I set it right." She set another dish in the cupboard.
"Well never mind," her mom said, washing another dish. "What's done is done. I forgave you years ago."
Jessica rolled her eyes, but didn't say anything. She'd learned to pick her battles years ago, and this one wasn't worth it. They washed and dried in silence until Jessica set a pot on the counter.
"Don't put that there!" her mom said suddenly. "I haven't wiped the counter yet!"
"It's fine mom. The counter is clean. And it's not like anyone is going to eat off the bottom of a pot anyway."
"It doesn't matter. Give it to me."
Jessica handed her the pot and she proceeded to rewash the bottom and dry it herself. Jessica rolled her eyes and grabbed another glass to dry, but as she picked it up, it slipped from her fingers and crashed to the floor.
"Jessica!" her mom yelled.
"What? It was an accident!"
"Go get a broom!" her mom exclaimed, "I'll do this myself!"
Jessica went to get the broom out of the closet. This could not have gone worse. She was 27 years old, but her mom still treated her like a child.
"The glass is all the way over by the fridge." her mom said sharply. "Sweep that up before someone steps on it."
Jessica glared at her.
"Why do you act like this?"
"Like what?"
"Why do you treat me like a kid?"
"Why don't you stop acting like one?"
"What?! I am in therapy because of you!"
Her mom's jaw dropped, and she stared at her for what seemed like an eternity. Then she slowly put down the dish cloth, turned, and left the room.
~
My last one is probably my best one, and I think I actually do remember the prompt for this one. I'm pretty sure we were supposed to take a memorable scene from a book and put our own spin on it. Basically pay homage to a scene, but write something wholly original. The scene I chose was from one of my favorite books, A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L'Engle.
Toward the end of the book, most of the characters escape the planet Camazotz, where the main character, Meg, has lost her little brother, and is injured when they escape. The inhabitants of Camazotz are basically human, but they are all either evil, or have been brainwashed by evil. They all then find themselves on another alien world, however here, the creatures are decidedly NOT human. They are so completely alien, that Meg is horrified at the sight of them, and repulsed when they touch her. However, by touching her, they are healing her, and despite their terrifying looks, they are actually incredibly kind, and they care for them until they are well enough to go back to Camazotz to save Meg's little brother.
That has always been one of my favorite parts of that book, and I love the idea of a person/creature that is horrifying to look at, but it's actually one of the kindest people you'd ever meet. It's kind of taking the old saying, 'Don't judge others by their outward appearance' to the extreme. So I decided to write something like that myself.
Also, this story is not about my brother Jacob, nor is it about either of my friends named Rachel. I just happen to like those names, plus the Biblical characters with those names were married, so I thought they would be a good fit for the couple in this story.
Jacob froze in horror at the creature that was approaching them through the snow. It walked on four legs, vaguely similar to a gorilla, but had no features resembling anything even remotely close to human, and its two mouths were full of razor sharp teeth. He wanted to run but he couldn't, both because he was too terrified, and because he didn't want to leave Rachel. He tried to yell, but he found himself unable to make a sound.
The creature towered over them and looked down. It had to be at least twelve feet tall, with two mouths, and seven eyes. It stared at them but it didn't look like it wanted to harm them. In fact, its eyes looked... kind? With one enormous hand, it carefully picked him up, and with the other hand, it picked up Rachel's unconscious body as well. It held them close to its chest and as it did so, its body seemed to envelop them, wrapping them with something like very thin tentacles or very thick fur, until they were inside something that he could only imagine was like a kangaroo's pouch. When they were safely inside, the creature slowly let go and began walking, leaving the crash site behind.
As Jacob lay there, pressed against the creature's chest, he noticed how warm its body was, and how it had the softest fur he had ever felt. As he lay there, he could feel its hearts beating slowly, softly. Without even meaning to, he quietly slipped into a deep, dreamless sleep.
~
And that's all I have from that class. I still have some even older assignments from my poetry class over a year ago that I really should get around to posting too. Actually, the amount of stuff that I have, poetry, photos from last year, etc. that I haven't gotten around to posting yet, is terrible. One of these days I'll get around to all that as well. One of these days... My photo blog really needs an update. Maybe I'll try to get at least one post done there this month. Maybe... :p
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