Tuesday, May 9, 2017

#9 - Simple Twist of Fate

Nathaniel was working with Banks at Jimmy's, the overcast growing. The radio was mumbling out the news.
"Yeah, well, he's not gotten that much better, but it could be a lot worse, I guess," said Banks about Michael's piano playing.
"Practice makes perfect," chuckled Nathaniel, putting up the newest books from shipment.
"How's your art coming along?" he asked.
"Oh, well, it's going good, actually. I've got more people who want to see my stuff- Some guy from a big city called me earlier this morning."
"Neat! It's good that you're getting somewhere."
"Wait," Banks walked over to the radio. "Don't a Sep and Chambly live in Winthrop Place?"
"Maybe. I don't know most of 'em."
"Last night, at 1:45 AM," the radio announced, "Caverly was driving his car when he accidentally struck Maralise. It is suspected that Maralise was sleep deprived, and unable to move out of the way of Caverly's vehicle. Both lived in Winthrop Place."

Nathaniel was walking through town when Beck called.
"Hey," Nathaniel answered.
"Hey, man. How are you?"
"I'm doing good. How about you?"
"I'm doing better, I think. Want to go to the Karnival Diner and catch up? It's been a while, sorry."
"Nah, no, that's fine. Just things have been changing, man. How does tomorrow morning sound?"
"Yeah, that sounds good. Also... isn't it pouring outside?"
"Yeah," Nathaniel laughed, "but you know me. I find peace in the rain."

He stood in the park, the stone cold statue standing over. The rest of town was illuminating in the black, the rain going down softly.
He did not know Sep or Chambly. He didn't know their lives, their dreams, or their regrets. He didn't know what they may have been thinking.
He did know, however, that each and every one of them shared two things: the passing of life and the halt of death.

I suppose that, really, it all comes down to a simple twist of fate.


Sunday, May 7, 2017

#8 - Shadows Are Falling

Nathaniel strode around in the massive IKEA. He had never been to one, Finnburg is small, and he wouldn't have gone, except that Banks had invited him, along with Michael. If anything, he liked her art work, and her tastes made his mind run like fabled spices of the far off lands. The two worked at Jimmy's Bookstore, discussing music- Nathaniel about guitar, and Bank about Michael's, somewhat, painful piano music.

He had been roaming around - when the power went out.

Shadows are falling, and I've been here all day, he thought. The panic and screaming was getting to Nathaniel when he saw the clown. The man with a painted face and fake life was looking around, as though nothing happened. Nathaniel made his way over and the clown turned.

"Where is the ringmaster?" he stood tall.

"He's skipped out of town," the clown said.

Nathaniel's body tensed and he bit his lower lip- his fists began to tighten and his brain was racing.

"Yeah, well, can you send him a message?"

"What?"

Nathaniel's right hand, clenched, socked the clown right in his jaw, tumbling him to the ground.

"Stay the hell away. Forever."

The clown slowly shuffled back up and ran quickly around the corner.

"Damn," said a voice.

Turning, he saw it was Beck.

"Oh," he sighed. "Yeah. I guess."

Beck laughed. "Well, does that mean some kind of ending to your problem?"

Nathaniel paused. "Yeah, I mean..." he glanced around. "If you want to be happy, get rid of the bad, ya know?"

Beck nodded, smiling. Something came over his face, suddenly and his eyes darted around. "I've, uh, gotta go, actually. See ya around," he turned back towards the doors, the sun streaming through them.

Nathaniel smiled and strode around.



Wednesday, April 26, 2017

#7 - Over the Rainbow

Under the red sky
They are gone forever now
Now he understands

“Nathaniel,” said the man with shining and round glasses, shaking his hand, “thank you very much for spending time with me today. I’m very sorry about your parents when you were young, and it is very brave of you to come and talk about it. Please, feel free to call at any time.”
Nathaniel nodded lightly, and smiled with a chuckle. “Thanks,” he paused. He looked through the room; the mahogany walls and the paintings of heroes and justice made him feel the odor of his father’s study come back. That home was still there. He glanced to the window, the shining sun and white heaves gleaming. “I… well,” he saw the double rainbow across the sky. “I think I’ll come to good days.”
“Of course! It takes time. Have a good day.”
He smiled, leaving. At the darkness of night, he, for the first time, felt just over the borderline.

Monday, January 23, 2017

#5 (6) - The Cold & The Ice

Nathaniel stepped out from Winthrop Place, a deep, black color enveloping the sky. The starts prickled throughout the darkness, shining dots in the night. The air was a deep, striking cold, even in Nathaniel's thick black coat made by Le'Huzanna. Taking a sigh, a small smile crept on Nathaniel's lips. 
Past along Redwood Avenue, there is a circular pond. Once of crystal clear water, it was now thick ice that would sometimes shimmer from the light of the full moon. Nathaniel reached the pond, a family out on one end and the visiting inmates on another end. While the police department was taking a risk having the inmates out there in the open, they kept keen eyes on the people in orange. Or black and white striped outfits. 
Nathaniel stood on one end of the pond, his eyes now looking into the frozen pond. It seemed to him that the turquoise ice shined brightly on his face. 
I was thinkin' about turquoise, 
I was thinkin' about gold,
I was thinkin' about dragons...

"Howdy," a police officer came up to stand next to Nathaniel, taking his eyes off of the inmates. "You enjoyin' the cold still?"
"No, not much," he chuckled. "How 'bout you?"
"Eh, well, I've been everywhere. Been in the devilish cold, and sat through an endless desert. I'm used to it." Nathaniel nodded.
"Say, you from Cabiness? Your voice seems to have a hint of it in there."
"Yeah, right out of town," Nathaniel said looking at the man. 
"Ah, yeah, thought so. I've a son from there. Visited him last spring and he had that accent, ha! Real pleasure to hear it, I suppose." The officer put his eyes back on the inmates, hands hanging by his sides. "Least he ain't sounding like he speaks pig or somethin'." 
Nathaniel let out a small chuckle. 
"Ya know, it's always nice to see the inmates smile. I mean, yeah, they did break the law- at least according to the jury- but they're still human, you know? Still got a brain and a heart. And when they're out here, they've got a smile too." 
The officer looked at Nathaniel's feet. "Ya know that you need skates to go on there, right? There's plenty of pairs by a small box with 'Little Free Library of Ice Skates' on it. Sure that you'll find a size to fit you."
Nathaniel looked at the inmates, locking his eyes as they whizzed by and by on the ice. The sky was missing the starts and was filled of clouds, and snow began to slowly drizzle down. 

Wore a white garb at the hospital for that whole year.
It was always clean, smooth. The blood still showed though... I could still see it and it wouldn't wash away.
The Doc was nice and all- his terminology was real boring. 
One day, The Nurse took me out to the fields. The sky was orange from the dawn, and the grass was dead as the trees. The air was freezing, and ice sickles hang from the branches.
"C'mon," she told me in her voice, "go and play on the ice with the skates."
Taking my feet on there, her holding me, I just barely didn't fall. She gave me a second to stand, and right afterwards told me to push forward. 
I did and fell. With her telling me to, I got right back up and tried again. And again. And again. And again.
Until I wasn't falling anymore and just sliding on the ice in circles. Endless circles and time that was ending. We went back into Amity Mental Hospital, both of us laughing and giggling the whole trip back to Room 222.

"Where'd you say I can get a pair of skates?"