A while ago I wrote the beginning of a short story, the post was called “Mr Bones.” I recommend reading it if you intend to read its continuation below.
Nobody understood. Nobody knew why. But they went along with it all the same.
Once he had frantically searched around the garden, Mr Bones stoped and stood exactly where his brief case and coat had been. For several minutes he stood completely still and silent, his eyes filled with anger and confusion as he thought solely of his missing possessions. Mr Bones was frozen for so long that his mind began to drift off, he managed to snap out of his uncalled for visions of lying on a beach, and bring himself back to the present dilemma. The awakening to reality prompted him to take action, he turned to search around the far side of the fountain again but decided instead to go back up to the school. Walking briskly to the principles’ office, Mr Bones felt like a schoolboy, he imagined himself making feeble attempts at covering up his careless action of leaving all the SACs unattended. ‘I turned around for a second, and when I looked back they were gone!’ but Mr Bones knew that he would end up telling the truth.
Metres away from Mrs Proshore’s office, Mr Bones inhaled deeply and wiped his sweaty hands on his pants. After knocking three soft times, he heard the principle’s bitter chirp call him in.
“What can I do for you, Paul?” Mrs Proshore asked once he’d let himself into her office, suggesting she had little time to spare or that there were many other things she would rather be doing. He felt intimidated by her sharp features, her slick black hair was tied into a tight neat bun, not a single strand fell out of place.
“Well” he began “I believe a theft has occurred” he was instantly upset with his choice of words, but tried to maintain confidence in himself.
“I see” Mrs Proshore commented wearily, perhaps several other thefts had been reported that same morning. She rummaged through some papers, Mr Bones was almost certain they had nothing to do with him or thefts of any kind. Her silence lasted for longer than he could deal with.
“What should I do?” he prompted, keen to get some kind of response from her. She looked up as if she’d almost forgotten he was there and sighed.
“Well. That depends on what was stolen” whether or not Mr Bones answered seemed last on Mrs Proshore’s things-I-care-about list.
“My year 12 Biology SAC reports” he confessed in a breath.
“Right. Well then, that’s your problem. There’s obviously nothing I can do to help. I don’t support stealing but I don’t have the means to reverse it. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I must get back to.... this” she continued with her apparently busy day, as if he had already left. Without saying a word, Mr Bones smiled in failure and walked away.
Never before had he been so uncertain of what to do. He didn’t know where to go or if (and therefore who) he should report his problem. Feeling somewhat awkward standing aimlessly outside the principles’ office, Mr Bones thoughtlessly decided to wait in his period 4 Biology classroom for the twenty minutes remaining of lunch. Slipping his hands into the pockets on the sides of his pants, he headed leisurely to level three. A sense of being followed radiated through Mr Bones, the eerily empty corridors began to send shivers up his arms, and a sudden impulsive drive forced Mr Bones into a jog. He was relieved to push open the class room door, and stood panting for several seconds, before he noticed another sound in the classroom he presumed would be empty.
Having completely forgot about Lucy and her tearful run by earlier, Mr Bones was surprised to see her sitting in her usual seat at the front of his class. He noticed she was sobbing quietly to herself. “Lucy?” he asked, the back of her natural blonde wavy hair was all he could see. She automatically stopped sniffling, whipped her eyes with the back of her hand and turned to face Mr Bones. She managed to contain her tears for less than a few seconds, before bursting into another round of weeping. Her face was sickly white, making her normal red lips even redder and her eyes were puffy pink from crying.
Being a considerate man who treated the welfare of his students with high regards, Mr Bones walked down the lab and sat next to Lucy, who had taken to putting her face in her hands. Without thinking he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, causing her to retract in a single bound, before Mr Bones knew it she was on the other side of the lab between the Bunsen burners of two working benches. “I didn’t mean to-” he began, but could find no words to explain himself. Evidently Lucy took this as a release of a threat because she let her stiff posture drop.
“Sorry” she apologised, and sat down on the floor between the lab benches. Mr Bones was now reluctant to try approaching her, so he stayed where he was and hoped that words could make her feel better.
“Do you want to talk about it?” he asked, partly hoping that she would so that he could help. Lucy went to speak, but changed her mind and took a shaky, uneven breath in. “Maybe I could help?” he suggested. She looked up in what seemed like appreciation but shock her head sorrowfully. Mr Bones let her grieve in peace for a while, now there was nothing he could do but sit in the front row, observing his classroom from the reverse angle of what he was used to. Without forgetting about Lucy for even a millisecond, he fiddled with the end of his navy blue tie. Lucy’s loud breaths and soft sniffles echoed through the room.
“Do you-” began Lucy before an uncontrollable inhale of air overcame her “-have a tissue?” she asked like it would mean the world to her if he did. Mr Bones made the action of sliding his hand into his coat pocket to retrieve his packet of Kleenex Aloe Vera tissues but, offcourse, his coat was elsewhere. Feeling foolish for thinking he was wearing a jacket, Mr Bones cleared his throat and walked over to his desk, which faced the class. Knowing very well his own classroom, he opened up the third drawer from the bottom and took out a box of brand-less tissues. He felt as if he was ripping Lucy off, for he knew these tissues to be scratchy and far less ‘enjoyable’ to use than his missing Kleenex ones.
“Here” he said with a smile, and placed them on the corner of his desk closest to Lucy. He didn’t want to scare her again, so he walked away from his desk to give her enough personal space to take the tissues. She stumbled to get up, but eventually made it to the tissues and blew her noise dramatically loud.
“Thank you” she said sincerely, once she was done. Taking another tissue to wipe her eyes.
“Is there anything at all I can do to help?” Mr Bones offered, now a few paces away from the desk. Rather unexpectedly, Lucy dashed over to Mr Bones and wrapped her arms around him. Soaking his shirt with tears, she stood shaking. Mr Bones first thought was to push her away, but this was a special circumstance, and he felt somewhat fatherly as he placed his hands on her back and spoke quiet phrases such as “It’s OK” and “let it all out.” They stood like this for more than a minute.
Noticing Lucy’s hair was falling into her mouth, he caringly pushed it aside for her. Revealing two small, red circles of blood, one above the other like a snake bite, on her neck.
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Monday, April 20, 2009
Happyville
Here's a dream I had a couple of years ago. It's long and poorly written, but don't let that put you off reading it....
It was a lovely summer’s day in Happyville. The grass was healthy and green, the flowers were in full bloom. The houses were arranged perfectly along the street, the picket fences out the front were as white as snow. Children played merrily up and down the honey scented road, chasing the ice-cream van when it came around. No one was mowing their lawns today, it was Sunday, rest day. You could hear the bees buzzing and the birds singing their soothing song for the world to hear. The sound of laughter was about, but you could still sleep soundly if you wished. The flowers smelt sweater than any other flower I’d ever smelt, in fact I think this was the first place I had actually picked up a flowers and held it up to my nose. The feeling was pure and delicate.
I had been there before, but this time (like every other time I had came) it felt like a place that may not be the same next time you visit, so while I was in this place I cherished every little second. I had just come from an incredibly cold place so the heat there was almost unbearable, I wanted to go inside one of the houses to cool down but I knew that once I did this perfect street may not be the same when I got back.
My Auntie and my cousin live on that street. They’re very happy there. I couldn’t stay forever, the heat always becomes too much and I have to leave. Or maybe the happiness and the peace is too beautiful and I feel I don’t deserve it. Either way, I get to a stage of my visits at Happyville and I know I really must go. They all tell me to stay, but that just makes me realise how much I really ought to get going. “What if you never return?” my Aunties always asks as I go to leave “I always return” I reply each time as if it’s written somewhere I should say it, and she answers after a pause “what if it’s different when you return?” and then as if I was hit in the head with a stone I usually burst into tears. I know she’s right, and it’s my biggest fear. What if my favourite place in the world is different when I go back? But still, I leave.
On this particular day the heat hadn’t got to me just yet and I was enjoying my time as much as possible. It didn’t even pass my mind that I would be leaving this place, not that it passed my mind that I would stay forever. It just was, and there was no time involved. What time was it? What day was it? What year was it? I didn’t care less, I didn’t even think of it. If I knew I only had hours left in this place, maybe I wouldn’t have enjoyed it as much. Or maybe I would have enjoyed it even more, who knows.
Because my auntie and cousin live in Happyville they get free access to the local pool. The heat sometimes gets a little much for them too, but lucky they can just go to the cool pool around the corner and heal themselves. On this visit to Happyville I was heading to their house for a visit. But as it so happened they were out for a bit, having a swim.
I opened the picket fence and walked up the cobblestone footpath positioned in the exact centre of their front lawn, to the front door. I knocked three times and waited for an answer. My auntie’s partner opened the door, we greeted each other. And then before I asked he told me that my cousin and auntie were out. I didn’t ask how long they’d be and he didn’t tell me, time doesn’t exist in Happyville.
I went inside the house I thought I was very familiar with, but it seemed different on this day for some reason, I couldn’t pin point the difference for as soon as I walked into this new looking house I completely forgot what I had known it to be. It was a lot darker than outside, the curtains were shut to keep the cool in. There was no way of seeing the beautiful street outside unless you went back outside, there was also no way of knowing if it had become night time yet.
He gestured to a room at the end of an unfamiliar corridor and so I headed down, slightly scared, to the door only meters away. As I think back to this day I realise that I shouldn’t have gone into the room at the end of the corridor, in fact I shouldn’t have even knocked on the front door. I should have stayed out on the front lawn and enjoyed the sun until my auntie and cousin came home. But I had no way of knowing they weren’t in, and so I knocked, and I went into the room at the end of the corridor.
The room was large but there wasn’t much space. There were heaps of people, apparently waiting, in the room. Some were sitting, they had made themselves comfortable as someone would after waiting in the same place for a long time. Some were pacing around like they just couldn’t wait any longer. It wasn’t noisy but the people were all talking dully amongst themselves. As I entered the room not a single head looked up at me, I felt very alone. It seemed as though everyone in the room had at least one other person who they knew, who they could talk with and wait with. But I had no one, I had come alone.
It could have been hours later, or it could have been only minutes. When a man, whose face I can’t recall, came out from a door at the back of the room. It was exactly opposite the door I had entered the room through. He addressed the entire room, as he spoke everyone looked around “It’s time to get your injections now” he announced and at the time I wasn’t sure if he meant me as well. Everyone seemed to know that this was coming, perhaps this was what they were all waiting for. At this moment I completely forgot why I was in the room, I forgot that I was waiting for my auntie and cousin to come home, I forgot my aunties partner was just out the front. And so at this forgetful moment I believed that the injections were what I had been waiting for as well. Amongst the crowd I went through the door the man had come through.
It was a doctors. Beyond the door was a doctors. It wasn’t a hospital with long white corridors and the smell of curing drugs. It was a grey carpeted, fully operating doctors place. As we walked through the door it was like we were in a whole new building. Everyone cued up in a single filed line that lead into a mysterious room which everyone looked fairly familiar with. So I went to the back of the line, maybe there I could avoid getting an injection, but it just made the wait longer and the nerves worse. As the line got shorter my heart beat faster, my hands sweat and my mouth went dry. I seemed in much more of a mess than all the other people.
Why was there a doctors at the back of my aunties house any way? I couldn’t help wondering why a bunch of randoms were lined up to have injections at the back of my auntie’s house. It didn’t make much sense, and I hated not knowing. It scared me. I felt as though the reason was really obvious to everyone else there and if I asked them where they were from they would just laugh at me, I didn’t want to draw attention to myself let alone embarrass myself. So I went with the flow.
This place seemed as though at times it got really busy. There were a few more rooms than the one we were cued up to go into. There was a reception desk but there was no one behind it and it was all closed up. As the cue got shorter and shorter it seemed to get later and later, it wasn’t like me to be wondering what time it was in Happyville. Then I felt sick, sick by the thought that time didn’t matter here, because to me, all of a sudden, it really really did.
I was also incredibly worried by the fact that I hadn’t a clue what the injections were for, would it kill me? That was a bit full on, so I pushed that idea away. But I was still very scared. I began to find Happyville creepy, not just the doctors we were in now, but the outside too. I started to feel a slight eeriness about the perfectness of the place. The most perfect place on earth now scared me because it was too perfect. I had no desire to go back outside any more. The doctors had ruined Happyville, it would never be the same again.
But then, just when I was starting to get depressed and the most perfect place was no longer perfect. Someone realised how scared I looked, finally, someone noticed that I existed! I wasn’t invisible anymore! And it felt good. I was reading a poster blue tacked to the reception desk, trying to get some information about the injection I was going to get. It was useless. The boy in front of me could tell that I was worried and confused. “Don’t worry” he said, I was shocked that he was talking to me and jumped a little. It was embarrassing but he giggled it away lightly. “Me and my sister will go in before you” he said and then I noticed he was with a girl around his age, she had blonde hair and blue eyes just like him. I presumed they where twins, but I never asked. She was dressed very well and was stylish, she had white tips on her nails and her hair was obviously straightened recently. She wore silver high heals which made her the same height as her brother. Unlike her brother she seemed very edgy and anxious to go in, this was comforting, to know that me and at least one other where in the same boat. “She needs me in with her, if I didn’t go she’d be too scared” he told me, I wasn’t sure if he too was getting an injection or if he was only there to comfort her. I didn’t ask because I was still getting over the shock that someone in this place was not only talking to me, but being nice as well.
His sister was trying to get a word with him but he pushed her away because he was talking to me. “I’m Lucas” he said and held out his hand “Luna” I said and we shook. “If you like I can go in with you too, if that would make it easier” he wasn’t sure if I’d except his over, but I was all for it “that would be really nice” I said, and so it was settled. Him and his sister went into the room. I stood and waited in the foyer. Who knows how long I waited. Who cares, I wasn’t as scared any more. I was anxious to see how Lucas’ sister would come out. Dead. Happy. Bleeding. The suspense was killing me.
There wasn’t a single person in the doctors place any more. I was waiting all by myself. It was frightening. So I thought of Lucas and how he was only a door away. I longed for him to come back, so I could ask him what on earth was going on, so he could help me through this dark time. There was a silence in the foyer. I couldn’t hear a thing. So I strained my ears for just one little sound. A scream from the room Lucas and his sister were in, or voices through the door everyone had exited by. I strained my ears until I heard the ticking of a clock. It was coming from one of the rooms.
I headed slowly to the room, turned the knob and stepped in. I wanted to go back and make sure Lucas hadn’t come out but I was dying to know the time. I looked around the room. It was a high school classroom. Completely empty. The shutters were shut and a pink light was coming through them as if it were sunrise or sunset outside. I now had a very strong desire to get back to reality, to find the time. I looked passed the lined up rows of desks and chairs and above the clear white board. There was a clock. It was ticking loudly now. Louder than before. I started at it for ages, but as hard as I tried, I couldn’t read it. I had lost the ability to read time. I ran out of the room and back to the foyer. I was scared.
I stood and waited for Lucas. I thought of how kind he had been. He was the only one who could tell that I was lost and unsure. She had tears in her eyes and her makeup was smudged as she came out, her brother close behind trying to make her feel better. She pushed him away, put her hand to her mouth and ran (as fast as possible in high heals) out of the foyer, and out of our sight.
“Everything will be alright” Lucas said to me, I was staring at the door his sister had left and I couldn’t take my eyes of it. I eventually turned away from it and faced him, his hand was held out and he said again with more emphasise “You’re going to be fine.” I walked slowly and unsurely towards him and took his hand in mine “that’s the way” he said calmly. He opened the door and hand in hand I went in after him.
The room was like a doctors office, not a proper place to be injected. It was personalised to suit the doctors tastes. This wasn’t a positive thing, the paintings and office like desk made the room seem too much like an ordinary study. In contrast the man who was standing in the room wore a white coat, much like the ones I was familiar with general doctors wearing. He began to put a yellow liquid into a needle. The needle was long and very pointy, I realised at this point that on previous visits to the doctors to get injections, I had never looked at the actual needle. So I couldn’t compare this one with ones I had had before, this worried me. Was it a normal injection?
“Take a seat” he said gesturing to a leather couch which faced a fire place. I looked at Lucas questioningly and he nodded, he reassured me that everything would be alright. His hand still in mine, we walked over and sat down on the couch. Sitting on leather couches when it’s really hot, is rather uncomfortable, and you never feel as though you shouldn’t be doing it. I was sure that I shouldn’t be sure about anything.
I couldn’t stop looking at the doctor, who was sterilizing and preparing my injection. Lucas put his fingers on my chin and turned my head so I was facing him, I looked him in the eye and he whispered “There’s nothing to worry about” he nodded and I nodded back. It was obvious his words hadn’t completely turned me around, I was very anxious.
My eyes never left Lucas’, the pointy metal pierced my skin, and liquid poured into my body. Lucas squeezed my hand tighter as my face expressed utter pain. It felt like it stayed in me for ages and ages and it wasn’t until Lucas let go of my hand, patted me on the shoulder and said “It’s all over, you did it” that I realised the needle was out.
I stood up and headed out the door. I didn’t look back at the doctor. I thought Lucas was right behind me, but he wasn’t. He never left the room with me. I knew now that I had done what I had to do. It was my life and I didn’t have to find the crowd of people and wait with them (if they were still waiting that is) I headed straight for the front door. I went into the foyer and out the door that lead into the room we waited in, I walked down the corridor and then straight out the front door.
It was as sunny as always, it was exactly the same as I had left it. Only I didn’t feel the same there. I wasn’t happy. It felt as though the sun was setting and it was getting dark, dark and cool. But the children were playing as if it was midday. As I sat on the front stair I realised that this was what my auntie meant when she had said “what if it’s different when you return?” because this time it was different. And it would never ever be the same ever again.
My auntie and cousin came laughing down the street, wearing bathers and towels around there shoulders. They weren’t surprised to see me, It was as if they expected me to be sitting on their front stair. Everything was expected in Happyville, even if you didn’t expect it. “Would you like to go for a swim?” my auntie asked. I had no desire to go for a swim, it was starting to get cool and I didn’t need to.
“I’m not allowed to go swimming here, I don’t live here, I don’t have access to the free pool” I said conclusively. My auntie and cousin looked at each other with confused looks and my cousin said
“But you can now? You can live here now can’t you?” she said it as though she was expecting me to stay this time. I surprised myself when I said
“yeah I suppose I can live here now.”
Was it something in the injection that made me see Happyville differently? Was it something in the injection that made me feel a cool breeze whilst sitting on the step? Something in that yellow liquid made Happyville seem almost... normal? I could live there now! It wasn’t as perfect as before but the heat would never become too much for me. And if it did I could just go for a swim!
I’m still living in Happyville. Happyville is still the greatest place on earth, maybe not as great as before, but now I never have to leave it. For my birthday that year my auntie gave me a watch. Life was normal, and I never had to go back to the place beyond my aunties house. I never saw Lucas again either though, I think that’s a good thing, I don’t think he leaves the doctors place.
It was a lovely summer’s day in Happyville. The grass was healthy and green, the flowers were in full bloom. The houses were arranged perfectly along the street, the picket fences out the front were as white as snow. Children played merrily up and down the honey scented road, chasing the ice-cream van when it came around. No one was mowing their lawns today, it was Sunday, rest day. You could hear the bees buzzing and the birds singing their soothing song for the world to hear. The sound of laughter was about, but you could still sleep soundly if you wished. The flowers smelt sweater than any other flower I’d ever smelt, in fact I think this was the first place I had actually picked up a flowers and held it up to my nose. The feeling was pure and delicate.
I had been there before, but this time (like every other time I had came) it felt like a place that may not be the same next time you visit, so while I was in this place I cherished every little second. I had just come from an incredibly cold place so the heat there was almost unbearable, I wanted to go inside one of the houses to cool down but I knew that once I did this perfect street may not be the same when I got back.
My Auntie and my cousin live on that street. They’re very happy there. I couldn’t stay forever, the heat always becomes too much and I have to leave. Or maybe the happiness and the peace is too beautiful and I feel I don’t deserve it. Either way, I get to a stage of my visits at Happyville and I know I really must go. They all tell me to stay, but that just makes me realise how much I really ought to get going. “What if you never return?” my Aunties always asks as I go to leave “I always return” I reply each time as if it’s written somewhere I should say it, and she answers after a pause “what if it’s different when you return?” and then as if I was hit in the head with a stone I usually burst into tears. I know she’s right, and it’s my biggest fear. What if my favourite place in the world is different when I go back? But still, I leave.
On this particular day the heat hadn’t got to me just yet and I was enjoying my time as much as possible. It didn’t even pass my mind that I would be leaving this place, not that it passed my mind that I would stay forever. It just was, and there was no time involved. What time was it? What day was it? What year was it? I didn’t care less, I didn’t even think of it. If I knew I only had hours left in this place, maybe I wouldn’t have enjoyed it as much. Or maybe I would have enjoyed it even more, who knows.
Because my auntie and cousin live in Happyville they get free access to the local pool. The heat sometimes gets a little much for them too, but lucky they can just go to the cool pool around the corner and heal themselves. On this visit to Happyville I was heading to their house for a visit. But as it so happened they were out for a bit, having a swim.
I opened the picket fence and walked up the cobblestone footpath positioned in the exact centre of their front lawn, to the front door. I knocked three times and waited for an answer. My auntie’s partner opened the door, we greeted each other. And then before I asked he told me that my cousin and auntie were out. I didn’t ask how long they’d be and he didn’t tell me, time doesn’t exist in Happyville.
I went inside the house I thought I was very familiar with, but it seemed different on this day for some reason, I couldn’t pin point the difference for as soon as I walked into this new looking house I completely forgot what I had known it to be. It was a lot darker than outside, the curtains were shut to keep the cool in. There was no way of seeing the beautiful street outside unless you went back outside, there was also no way of knowing if it had become night time yet.
He gestured to a room at the end of an unfamiliar corridor and so I headed down, slightly scared, to the door only meters away. As I think back to this day I realise that I shouldn’t have gone into the room at the end of the corridor, in fact I shouldn’t have even knocked on the front door. I should have stayed out on the front lawn and enjoyed the sun until my auntie and cousin came home. But I had no way of knowing they weren’t in, and so I knocked, and I went into the room at the end of the corridor.
The room was large but there wasn’t much space. There were heaps of people, apparently waiting, in the room. Some were sitting, they had made themselves comfortable as someone would after waiting in the same place for a long time. Some were pacing around like they just couldn’t wait any longer. It wasn’t noisy but the people were all talking dully amongst themselves. As I entered the room not a single head looked up at me, I felt very alone. It seemed as though everyone in the room had at least one other person who they knew, who they could talk with and wait with. But I had no one, I had come alone.
It could have been hours later, or it could have been only minutes. When a man, whose face I can’t recall, came out from a door at the back of the room. It was exactly opposite the door I had entered the room through. He addressed the entire room, as he spoke everyone looked around “It’s time to get your injections now” he announced and at the time I wasn’t sure if he meant me as well. Everyone seemed to know that this was coming, perhaps this was what they were all waiting for. At this moment I completely forgot why I was in the room, I forgot that I was waiting for my auntie and cousin to come home, I forgot my aunties partner was just out the front. And so at this forgetful moment I believed that the injections were what I had been waiting for as well. Amongst the crowd I went through the door the man had come through.
It was a doctors. Beyond the door was a doctors. It wasn’t a hospital with long white corridors and the smell of curing drugs. It was a grey carpeted, fully operating doctors place. As we walked through the door it was like we were in a whole new building. Everyone cued up in a single filed line that lead into a mysterious room which everyone looked fairly familiar with. So I went to the back of the line, maybe there I could avoid getting an injection, but it just made the wait longer and the nerves worse. As the line got shorter my heart beat faster, my hands sweat and my mouth went dry. I seemed in much more of a mess than all the other people.
Why was there a doctors at the back of my aunties house any way? I couldn’t help wondering why a bunch of randoms were lined up to have injections at the back of my auntie’s house. It didn’t make much sense, and I hated not knowing. It scared me. I felt as though the reason was really obvious to everyone else there and if I asked them where they were from they would just laugh at me, I didn’t want to draw attention to myself let alone embarrass myself. So I went with the flow.
This place seemed as though at times it got really busy. There were a few more rooms than the one we were cued up to go into. There was a reception desk but there was no one behind it and it was all closed up. As the cue got shorter and shorter it seemed to get later and later, it wasn’t like me to be wondering what time it was in Happyville. Then I felt sick, sick by the thought that time didn’t matter here, because to me, all of a sudden, it really really did.
I was also incredibly worried by the fact that I hadn’t a clue what the injections were for, would it kill me? That was a bit full on, so I pushed that idea away. But I was still very scared. I began to find Happyville creepy, not just the doctors we were in now, but the outside too. I started to feel a slight eeriness about the perfectness of the place. The most perfect place on earth now scared me because it was too perfect. I had no desire to go back outside any more. The doctors had ruined Happyville, it would never be the same again.
But then, just when I was starting to get depressed and the most perfect place was no longer perfect. Someone realised how scared I looked, finally, someone noticed that I existed! I wasn’t invisible anymore! And it felt good. I was reading a poster blue tacked to the reception desk, trying to get some information about the injection I was going to get. It was useless. The boy in front of me could tell that I was worried and confused. “Don’t worry” he said, I was shocked that he was talking to me and jumped a little. It was embarrassing but he giggled it away lightly. “Me and my sister will go in before you” he said and then I noticed he was with a girl around his age, she had blonde hair and blue eyes just like him. I presumed they where twins, but I never asked. She was dressed very well and was stylish, she had white tips on her nails and her hair was obviously straightened recently. She wore silver high heals which made her the same height as her brother. Unlike her brother she seemed very edgy and anxious to go in, this was comforting, to know that me and at least one other where in the same boat. “She needs me in with her, if I didn’t go she’d be too scared” he told me, I wasn’t sure if he too was getting an injection or if he was only there to comfort her. I didn’t ask because I was still getting over the shock that someone in this place was not only talking to me, but being nice as well.
His sister was trying to get a word with him but he pushed her away because he was talking to me. “I’m Lucas” he said and held out his hand “Luna” I said and we shook. “If you like I can go in with you too, if that would make it easier” he wasn’t sure if I’d except his over, but I was all for it “that would be really nice” I said, and so it was settled. Him and his sister went into the room. I stood and waited in the foyer. Who knows how long I waited. Who cares, I wasn’t as scared any more. I was anxious to see how Lucas’ sister would come out. Dead. Happy. Bleeding. The suspense was killing me.
There wasn’t a single person in the doctors place any more. I was waiting all by myself. It was frightening. So I thought of Lucas and how he was only a door away. I longed for him to come back, so I could ask him what on earth was going on, so he could help me through this dark time. There was a silence in the foyer. I couldn’t hear a thing. So I strained my ears for just one little sound. A scream from the room Lucas and his sister were in, or voices through the door everyone had exited by. I strained my ears until I heard the ticking of a clock. It was coming from one of the rooms.
I headed slowly to the room, turned the knob and stepped in. I wanted to go back and make sure Lucas hadn’t come out but I was dying to know the time. I looked around the room. It was a high school classroom. Completely empty. The shutters were shut and a pink light was coming through them as if it were sunrise or sunset outside. I now had a very strong desire to get back to reality, to find the time. I looked passed the lined up rows of desks and chairs and above the clear white board. There was a clock. It was ticking loudly now. Louder than before. I started at it for ages, but as hard as I tried, I couldn’t read it. I had lost the ability to read time. I ran out of the room and back to the foyer. I was scared.
I stood and waited for Lucas. I thought of how kind he had been. He was the only one who could tell that I was lost and unsure. She had tears in her eyes and her makeup was smudged as she came out, her brother close behind trying to make her feel better. She pushed him away, put her hand to her mouth and ran (as fast as possible in high heals) out of the foyer, and out of our sight.
“Everything will be alright” Lucas said to me, I was staring at the door his sister had left and I couldn’t take my eyes of it. I eventually turned away from it and faced him, his hand was held out and he said again with more emphasise “You’re going to be fine.” I walked slowly and unsurely towards him and took his hand in mine “that’s the way” he said calmly. He opened the door and hand in hand I went in after him.
The room was like a doctors office, not a proper place to be injected. It was personalised to suit the doctors tastes. This wasn’t a positive thing, the paintings and office like desk made the room seem too much like an ordinary study. In contrast the man who was standing in the room wore a white coat, much like the ones I was familiar with general doctors wearing. He began to put a yellow liquid into a needle. The needle was long and very pointy, I realised at this point that on previous visits to the doctors to get injections, I had never looked at the actual needle. So I couldn’t compare this one with ones I had had before, this worried me. Was it a normal injection?
“Take a seat” he said gesturing to a leather couch which faced a fire place. I looked at Lucas questioningly and he nodded, he reassured me that everything would be alright. His hand still in mine, we walked over and sat down on the couch. Sitting on leather couches when it’s really hot, is rather uncomfortable, and you never feel as though you shouldn’t be doing it. I was sure that I shouldn’t be sure about anything.
I couldn’t stop looking at the doctor, who was sterilizing and preparing my injection. Lucas put his fingers on my chin and turned my head so I was facing him, I looked him in the eye and he whispered “There’s nothing to worry about” he nodded and I nodded back. It was obvious his words hadn’t completely turned me around, I was very anxious.
My eyes never left Lucas’, the pointy metal pierced my skin, and liquid poured into my body. Lucas squeezed my hand tighter as my face expressed utter pain. It felt like it stayed in me for ages and ages and it wasn’t until Lucas let go of my hand, patted me on the shoulder and said “It’s all over, you did it” that I realised the needle was out.
I stood up and headed out the door. I didn’t look back at the doctor. I thought Lucas was right behind me, but he wasn’t. He never left the room with me. I knew now that I had done what I had to do. It was my life and I didn’t have to find the crowd of people and wait with them (if they were still waiting that is) I headed straight for the front door. I went into the foyer and out the door that lead into the room we waited in, I walked down the corridor and then straight out the front door.
It was as sunny as always, it was exactly the same as I had left it. Only I didn’t feel the same there. I wasn’t happy. It felt as though the sun was setting and it was getting dark, dark and cool. But the children were playing as if it was midday. As I sat on the front stair I realised that this was what my auntie meant when she had said “what if it’s different when you return?” because this time it was different. And it would never ever be the same ever again.
My auntie and cousin came laughing down the street, wearing bathers and towels around there shoulders. They weren’t surprised to see me, It was as if they expected me to be sitting on their front stair. Everything was expected in Happyville, even if you didn’t expect it. “Would you like to go for a swim?” my auntie asked. I had no desire to go for a swim, it was starting to get cool and I didn’t need to.
“I’m not allowed to go swimming here, I don’t live here, I don’t have access to the free pool” I said conclusively. My auntie and cousin looked at each other with confused looks and my cousin said
“But you can now? You can live here now can’t you?” she said it as though she was expecting me to stay this time. I surprised myself when I said
“yeah I suppose I can live here now.”
Was it something in the injection that made me see Happyville differently? Was it something in the injection that made me feel a cool breeze whilst sitting on the step? Something in that yellow liquid made Happyville seem almost... normal? I could live there now! It wasn’t as perfect as before but the heat would never become too much for me. And if it did I could just go for a swim!
I’m still living in Happyville. Happyville is still the greatest place on earth, maybe not as great as before, but now I never have to leave it. For my birthday that year my auntie gave me a watch. Life was normal, and I never had to go back to the place beyond my aunties house. I never saw Lucas again either though, I think that’s a good thing, I don’t think he leaves the doctors place.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
It doesn't get much better than this!
Today, when I was coming home from a baby shower, I passed a church. A sign on the wall of the church read:
Not sure if God loves you?
Easter nails it.
Just a little bit of Christian humour for you all.
Today High School Musical 3 became available for rent at all video stores. I hope that you didn’t know this fact, because High School Musical (often abbreviated to HSM) fans may not feel welcome here. Having said that, everyone is welcome to visit my blog (whether you feel welcome or not is something else.) My little sister reserved a copy at our local video store... and then decided to reserve it at another video store “just in case.” After spending $5 of my money on renting the aforementioned DVD, I thought that perhaps my sister would be somewhat happy. However, we went to the supermarket and she stumbled across a For-Sale copy which she insisted on buying.
Mum: We’ll get it for your birthday.
Sister: But my birthday is ages away!
Mum: Just not today then, your dad is really against High School Musical, every time you bring home merchandise he gets annoyed. You’re obsessed with it.
Sister: I’m not that obsessed with it.
Me: how can you be “not that obsessed” with something?
Mum: Only a little bit dead!
You should be aware of just how fanatic my sister is about this film. It’s like a bomb went off in her bedroom, not just any bomb, a High School Musical bomb. The reason I bring this stereotypical-cheesy-teenager film up is because, on the back of the DVD in the special effects section, it says:
HSM3 Bloopers – get ready to LOL with the cast!
Not sure if God loves you?
Easter nails it.
Just a little bit of Christian humour for you all.
Today High School Musical 3 became available for rent at all video stores. I hope that you didn’t know this fact, because High School Musical (often abbreviated to HSM) fans may not feel welcome here. Having said that, everyone is welcome to visit my blog (whether you feel welcome or not is something else.) My little sister reserved a copy at our local video store... and then decided to reserve it at another video store “just in case.” After spending $5 of my money on renting the aforementioned DVD, I thought that perhaps my sister would be somewhat happy. However, we went to the supermarket and she stumbled across a For-Sale copy which she insisted on buying.
Mum: We’ll get it for your birthday.
Sister: But my birthday is ages away!
Mum: Just not today then, your dad is really against High School Musical, every time you bring home merchandise he gets annoyed. You’re obsessed with it.
Sister: I’m not that obsessed with it.
Me: how can you be “not that obsessed” with something?
Mum: Only a little bit dead!
You should be aware of just how fanatic my sister is about this film. It’s like a bomb went off in her bedroom, not just any bomb, a High School Musical bomb. The reason I bring this stereotypical-cheesy-teenager film up is because, on the back of the DVD in the special effects section, it says:
HSM3 Bloopers – get ready to LOL with the cast!
It amused me. At the moment my sister is playing the film over and over again... it's moments like these you wonder why the back cover of the DVD says "it doesn't get much better than this!" and not "it doesn't get much worse than playing-this-film-several-times-in-a-row!" Now I just have to work on getting "I want it all" out of my head..... I hope very much that you don't know what I meant by that.
Monday, April 6, 2009
Money
Here’s a post about money (as you may have gathered from the title.) I’m writing it because I always disliked money, but now I think I hate it. I’ll start you off with a segment of a short story:
The thickening wind left Kiara with little choice but to retreat into the milkbar to her left. The overpowering force bellowed behind her, pushing her semi-unwillingly through the doors. Kiara straightened her back and took off her beanie, letting her short red hair breath in the warmth of the shop. School had been kind to her today, and Kiara’s backpack contained a limited weight of books. She left it on her shoulders. Looking around the store for something warm, she noticed one last donut under the Serve-Yourself-Hot-Food sign. As she reached for the donut, an unexpected hand touched hers.
“You can have it” the boy who owned the hand insisted. His eyes glistened sky-blue and Kiara was momentarily silenced by his charm. He smiled knowingly and gazed back, with equal entrancement, into her eyes.
“Are you sure?” Kiara asked, despite not caring about the donut at all anymore.
“Absolutely. I got the last one yesterday” he assured her. So Kiara smiled thankfully, and grabbed the last donut for herself. The boy opted for a hot-chocolate - which he made from the coffee machine next to the hot-food section - and the two of them walked to the counter together.
The boy gestured for Kiara to get served first, she smiled thankfully (again) and payed for her donut. The boy set his hot-chocolate on the counter.
“That’s $4” the shopkeeper recited. The boy seemed surprised at the cost, and began to rummage through his pockets, pulling out 20 and 50 cent pieces now and again.
“I’ll get it” Kiara stepped it, giving a five dollar note to the shopkeeper. She took the dollar change and handed the hot-chocolate to the boy. “Here you are” she said pleasantly, but the boy frowned and briskly walked away. Kiara was somewhat shocked and couldn’t figure out what she’d done wrong. Did he want to pay for it himself? Was he embarrassed? Had she managed to offend him in her attempt at being nice? Maybe he had enough change in his pocket, maybe he didn’t. Either way, Kiara was uncertain of how things could have worked out better. She took her donut from the counter and trudged off into the bitter outdoors.
As you can see from this little story, money is often fairly complicated and it’s impossible to know how other people feel about it unless you talk to them. If Kiara hadn’t interfered, and the boy had bought his own hot-chocolate then the two of them could have become good friends. Or something more. But, because of Kiara’s generous and caring nature, the situation has ended in confusion and dislike.
Money brings out the worst in people more frequently than it brings out the best. Greed, jealousy and lies spring off money far too often, turning our world to corruption and leading happy people to desire wealth and material items over love and living things. There are so many people who have forgotten that money is meant to be a way to help humans live in harmony, it wasn’t supposed to tear relationships apart and cause uncountable amounts of conflict. The worst thing about money, is that I can’t think of a good replacement for it. It’s hard to successfully claim you hate something, when getting rid of it seems foolish. There are a few alternative options to living in a world with money:
1. We go back to trading. I’m fairly sure this would be disastrous, there would either be too many rules or not enough rules “my carrot is SO worth your potato!” could be replied with either “no it isn’t. It says here in my copy of the Trading Laws Manual on page 567, paragraph 10... that carrots have to be double the weight of the potato for trade to be equal” or “no it isn’t. I say you give me three carrots and I give you one potato” the later will eventuate into a heated debate. So, it doesn’t seem smart to return to trading.
2. We have no personal belongings, everything is shared with everyone. We are all equals. Obviously this would be awful, we have developed too far in having our own possessions and working hard to earn more items. There is no way we could successfully go back from that. However, if I started my own little country, perhaps this would be an ideal way to live.... then again, children lacking a favourite toy of their own, people working hard to supply food for everyone else ending up with just as much as someone who doesn’t work at all... wouldn’t be particularly pleasant or involve less conflicts than money. It wouldn’t prevail, so let’s not do that.
I could come up with one or two more ways of living, but I’ll leave it there. The point is, we have invented money and there’s no going back from that, it works well but it is poisonous. Money would be perfect if humans were perfect, but we’re not, we have a touch of greed in us that is highlighted when money becomes all too desirable.
Sometimes money brings out the best in people. It gives those who are generous a chance to act, to donate lots of money to charities etc. Sometimes I find it hard to understand why a cure to a disease, or a starving country can’t just be helped and supported without money. Money is paper. Paper doesn’t come up with scientific breakthroughs or produce food. Humans, and the earth, do that. I know it’s the way of our world, but why can’t we just fly over to poor countries and build them good houses, give them food to grow for themselves and help them without the need for practically useless bits of green paper?
To conclude, I’ll just say that I know my opinion is fairly unique and rather debatable. I just don’t get why someone shouldn’t be able to finish building their house merely because they’ve run out of pieces of green paper.
The thickening wind left Kiara with little choice but to retreat into the milkbar to her left. The overpowering force bellowed behind her, pushing her semi-unwillingly through the doors. Kiara straightened her back and took off her beanie, letting her short red hair breath in the warmth of the shop. School had been kind to her today, and Kiara’s backpack contained a limited weight of books. She left it on her shoulders. Looking around the store for something warm, she noticed one last donut under the Serve-Yourself-Hot-Food sign. As she reached for the donut, an unexpected hand touched hers.
“You can have it” the boy who owned the hand insisted. His eyes glistened sky-blue and Kiara was momentarily silenced by his charm. He smiled knowingly and gazed back, with equal entrancement, into her eyes.
“Are you sure?” Kiara asked, despite not caring about the donut at all anymore.
“Absolutely. I got the last one yesterday” he assured her. So Kiara smiled thankfully, and grabbed the last donut for herself. The boy opted for a hot-chocolate - which he made from the coffee machine next to the hot-food section - and the two of them walked to the counter together.
The boy gestured for Kiara to get served first, she smiled thankfully (again) and payed for her donut. The boy set his hot-chocolate on the counter.
“That’s $4” the shopkeeper recited. The boy seemed surprised at the cost, and began to rummage through his pockets, pulling out 20 and 50 cent pieces now and again.
“I’ll get it” Kiara stepped it, giving a five dollar note to the shopkeeper. She took the dollar change and handed the hot-chocolate to the boy. “Here you are” she said pleasantly, but the boy frowned and briskly walked away. Kiara was somewhat shocked and couldn’t figure out what she’d done wrong. Did he want to pay for it himself? Was he embarrassed? Had she managed to offend him in her attempt at being nice? Maybe he had enough change in his pocket, maybe he didn’t. Either way, Kiara was uncertain of how things could have worked out better. She took her donut from the counter and trudged off into the bitter outdoors.
As you can see from this little story, money is often fairly complicated and it’s impossible to know how other people feel about it unless you talk to them. If Kiara hadn’t interfered, and the boy had bought his own hot-chocolate then the two of them could have become good friends. Or something more. But, because of Kiara’s generous and caring nature, the situation has ended in confusion and dislike.
Money brings out the worst in people more frequently than it brings out the best. Greed, jealousy and lies spring off money far too often, turning our world to corruption and leading happy people to desire wealth and material items over love and living things. There are so many people who have forgotten that money is meant to be a way to help humans live in harmony, it wasn’t supposed to tear relationships apart and cause uncountable amounts of conflict. The worst thing about money, is that I can’t think of a good replacement for it. It’s hard to successfully claim you hate something, when getting rid of it seems foolish. There are a few alternative options to living in a world with money:
1. We go back to trading. I’m fairly sure this would be disastrous, there would either be too many rules or not enough rules “my carrot is SO worth your potato!” could be replied with either “no it isn’t. It says here in my copy of the Trading Laws Manual on page 567, paragraph 10... that carrots have to be double the weight of the potato for trade to be equal” or “no it isn’t. I say you give me three carrots and I give you one potato” the later will eventuate into a heated debate. So, it doesn’t seem smart to return to trading.
2. We have no personal belongings, everything is shared with everyone. We are all equals. Obviously this would be awful, we have developed too far in having our own possessions and working hard to earn more items. There is no way we could successfully go back from that. However, if I started my own little country, perhaps this would be an ideal way to live.... then again, children lacking a favourite toy of their own, people working hard to supply food for everyone else ending up with just as much as someone who doesn’t work at all... wouldn’t be particularly pleasant or involve less conflicts than money. It wouldn’t prevail, so let’s not do that.
I could come up with one or two more ways of living, but I’ll leave it there. The point is, we have invented money and there’s no going back from that, it works well but it is poisonous. Money would be perfect if humans were perfect, but we’re not, we have a touch of greed in us that is highlighted when money becomes all too desirable.
Sometimes money brings out the best in people. It gives those who are generous a chance to act, to donate lots of money to charities etc. Sometimes I find it hard to understand why a cure to a disease, or a starving country can’t just be helped and supported without money. Money is paper. Paper doesn’t come up with scientific breakthroughs or produce food. Humans, and the earth, do that. I know it’s the way of our world, but why can’t we just fly over to poor countries and build them good houses, give them food to grow for themselves and help them without the need for practically useless bits of green paper?
To conclude, I’ll just say that I know my opinion is fairly unique and rather debatable. I just don’t get why someone shouldn’t be able to finish building their house merely because they’ve run out of pieces of green paper.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Mr Bones
Nobody understood. Nobody knew why. But they went along with it all the same.
The school stood tall, overlooking its oversized front garden. Walking up the hill was strenuous work for Mr Bones, who (despite his fit, young state) was worn out from the busy term. His muscles were tired. He longed for a fresh start, to renew his mind and his body. For now, however, he was on a mission for some coffee. Through the front gates. Down the common corridor. As he smiled to various students, Mr Bones wondered thoughtfully how many smiles he gave away in a day. A lot. He was a fan of giving smiles, all his students – even ex students – got a grin as he worked swiftly by.
“Hi Mr Bones!” waved Lucy from Biology 4.1 class. He greeted her cheerfully, before turning -almost instinctively- into the staff kitchen. Small and cosy, warm and stuffy. Mr Bones preferred the kitchen at his old job. It was easier to breath, more conventional than relaxing, at the veterinary kitchen. He also much preferred the coffee there. After a term of teaching, Mr Bones still hadn’t completely settled in. He liked to believe his teaching style had improved over the last few months, his students seemed fond of him and their marks were gradually getting better and better.
He filled up the glass kettle, insuring it had enough water for the next coffee deprived teacher to come along. As he waited for it to boil, Mr Bones headed over to the far walls small window. The only window in the room. He gazed down at the fountain, noting that his brief case and coat had been left in an unorganised manner. He ran a hand through his smooth brown hair, not an everyday action for Mr Bones, but it seemed to help revitalise him. He pushed the glass pane out, and stuck his head through. The kettle whistled in completion, Mr Bones jumped slightly at the sound, bumping his head painlessly on the open window above him. He rubbed it anyway.
He poured the boiled water into his faded-brown mug, added coffee and milk, and stood stirring the ingredients together for far longer than necessary.
On his way back to the garden, the corridors were empty. There were no students for Mr Bones to smile at. For this he was grateful, his energy levels were low and simple smiles were becoming an effort. Walking dangerously fast towards him, was Lucy again. She had her head down and seemed to be thinking with intense concern. “Hi Lucy” Mr Bones greeted her, she looked up at him briefly, her nostrils flared in surprise but the same worried look remained on her face. Suddenly, she increased her speed to a jog. Puzzled as he was, Mr Bones turned around and watched as she disappeared down the hall. He contemplated chasing after her to see if she was alright, but thought better of it and reluctantly continued on his way.
Walking down the hill, Mr Bones became aware that his brief case and coat were not in sight. He hoped that they were merely further around the fountain than he could see, but as he got closer it became more than evident that they were gone. Mr Bones looked left and then right, hoping to find someone running off with his belongings. There was nothing.
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