Some sad news today. Our longtime regular contributor, Sophie Novak, is taking a leave of absence from The Write Practice to visit her family in Macedonia and travel around the Balkans for a few months (she lives in Bath, UK).
At the start of January, another of our longtime contributors, Katie Axelson, left to travel through Central and South America for a year. She'll be blogging here if you'd like to follow along.
Apparently, if you write for The Write Practice there's a really good chance you'll end up travelling the world soon. So that's fun.
While we hope to see them again soon on The Write Practice, we will miss them both. Sophie brought a passion for literature and a warm, generous spirit to the community. Katie was fantastic to banter with and is one of the most dependable writers (and friends) I know. It's an honor to have them be part of The Write Practice team and community.
Today, I'd like to dedicate our practice to Sophie and Katie. As a thank you to all they've given us, let's write something special for them.
PRACTICE
Write a scene or short story about a young woman embarking on a journey. Name the main character either Sophie or Katie (or have two characters!).
Write for fifteen minutes (or more). When you're finished, post your practice in the comments section.
To Katie and Sophie, bon voyage!
“So, this is finally it, huh,” Sophie questioned softly, her eyes not leaving the bowl of Rice Krispies she had in front of her.
Katie finished dropping the final pieces of her own kitchen gadgets into the cardboard box. It was already straining under the weight of the brown and green pottery she made during her Senior year. “Yeah, guess so,” she answered. “Hey, um, do you want this bowl I made? I don’t think Curtis will want it in the new place.”
Sophie looked up to see Katie running a finger around the bowl. She had no love lost for Curtis and wished more than anything that he’d spontaneously evaporate. “Big surprise,” she muttered, only slightly under her breath.
“Huh?” Katie asked. “Did you say something?”
“Oh, um, yeah sure, I’ll take it. I think it’s pretty,” Sophie told her with a slight tang in her voice. “Curtis doesn’t know what’s valuable.”
Katie looked toward the kitchen window and sighed. That was an understatement.
Sophie thumbed through her backpack. Well, more like wedged her hand inside and forced her fingers to feel every thing. She had repacked it five times, at least. Every pocket, every conceivable nook and cranny, bulged with stuff. Camera, international phone, wallet, passport, medicine, tissues…nothing that wouldn’t be on the packing lists of nearly everyone beside her on the plane.
She hoped that the flight wouldn’t be too full. Her carry on bag was way too big to put under the seat. She’d probably be stuck in the section of people who all decided to shop at Duty Free, essentially doubling all carry on bags.
A loud speaker reminded travelers something about maletas. Maleta, maleta, maleta. How could she already have forgotten the word? She’d only seen it on a gazillion Spanish 1 tests.It would be a long year. Anyone she tried to speak to in Spanish either switched to English immediately or stared at her like she was from another world.
I am, actually, she wanted to say. The US. She wished that she had taken the time to practice Spanish with her neighbors. What if her guide to Machu Picchu didn’t speak English? What if he was trying to tell her something about poisonous snakes or something?
Dictionary. That’s what she forgot. It was helpfully tucked in between her two favorite shirts in her suitcase, deep in the bowels of the airport awaiting transport to Peru. She tapped her foot. An older guy reading a newspaper glared at her.
Somehow, she made it onto the plane without knocking anyone out with her bag. Somehow, she got a whole row of seats to herself.
Sophie let out a long sigh and closed her eyes. Now it was sleep. Sleep until they landed in Lima.
Someone pounded down the aisle. It rattled her seat. Irritated, Sophie opened one eye. Two grungy looking people, a guy with a crazy long beard and a dreadlocked girl barreled down the aisle towards her. They screeched to a halt by her row. The only row, she couldn’t help noticing, that was empty.
The guy shoved their two enormous backpacks into the overhead bins while the girl scooted into Sophie’s row. Sophie closed her eyes and pretended to be asleep.
The two chattered away in Spanish. Oh, the humiliation of it all. These two white people could speak Spanish. And they had to sit next to her.
Sophie couldn’t sleep. The two wouldn’t shut up. She pulled her tour package out of her purse and started to look at it.
She felt eyes on the back of her neck. Turning, she met the cat green eyes of the girl beside her head on. “Looking at something?” she asked.
“Oh yes,” the other girl bubbled. “I just saw your tour package. I’m Katie. I’ll be your guide for the trip up Machu Picchu.”
Great, Sophie thought. A show off and a trail guide. What else could go wrong?
Sophie and Katie had been best friends since childhood. They grew up sharing their hopes and dreams together. Every single milestone in their lives, big or small, significant or insignificant was shared as they grew up next door to each other. Sophie’s family had moved into the house next door to Katie when she was just three. They had move there from Africa. Kenya, in fact. When they first met, Sophie regaled her new friend with stories of elephants and giraffes and lions. Of wide open savannas. Sophie’s family settled in next door to Katie’s and the fun travel and safaris had stopped. Her mother had put her foot down, telling her father that he road was no place to raise children. When they first moved in, Sophie’s mother was visibly pregnant with Sophie’s little brother Bobby. Her father had accepted a job at the local paper. He entertained them with stories of his travels around the world as a war corespondent and later travel writer. But, the wandering ways of her father’s life her mother fell in love with all shifted and changed after she started having children She started to crave a normal suburban upbringing for her children. And they settled into suburban family life. After the arrival of Sophie’s baby brother Tommy, her father started to grow restless and crave the road again. He wasn’t really cut out for the suburban life, however much he loved his wife and family. He started to take assignments abroad again and would be gone for long periods of time. And when he came back, he would delight Sophie and Katie with tales of his travels to foreign lands, into the jungles of the Amazon, trekking with Aborigines, hunting for medicinal plants with medicine men in deep forests where technology had not even made an appearance. He told of the tales of people living off the land, in harmony with nature and growing and harvesting everything they consumed. There were no grocery stores there. The people lived off the land and had a great appreciation for nature and the spirits that inhabited nature. But, he was gone far too quickly for Sophie, off on his next adventure. She held on to his essence in his absence by remembering his stories. Katie and Sophie had vowed to do some big travels and visit some of the places that Sophie’s father had told them about. So today, as Katie and Sophie finished packing up their backpacks, each item carefully selected, space was at a premium. They would have to carry everything they took on their backs. They were going off for a monthlong trek keep into the Amazon,with a tribe that still practiced naturally medicine and lived as they had when Sophie’s father had first reported on them twenty years ago. Sophie’s father had helped them arrange the trip as a graduation present. This would be their first big journey away from their comfortable suburban life.
COLORFUL KATE
Once the plane leveled out, Kate unbuckled and relaxed in her seat. Off on my big adventure, she thought with a smile. And, oh joy! I get a window seat this time. She gazed out at the white clouds below; they made her think of a flash-frozen sea.
She noted that she’d been given a seat right by the emergency exit. She nodded her approval. Just in case… She grabbed her novel out of her tote bag and started reading.
Several bumps jolted her and she sat upright. Air turbulence was no new thing to her, but this was a bit much. She bumped hard against the side of the plane and the Emergency door beside her popped open.
The suction pulled her of the plane; next thing she knew she was free-falling. She grabbed at a big puff of white that appeared in front of her, but it was only cloud and her hands went right through it. She landed with a bump on a pale sandy beach.
She came to a few minutes later and stared at the anemic landscape. Shades of eggshell, tones of tan–even the sea looked beige. What sort of a country was this?
She got up, dusted herself off, and started walking down a dirt lane, all the time marveling at the colorless world around her. By and by she came to some fields; the plants growing in it were all shades of ecru. She stuck out her tongue. Can’t be much food value in that stuff.
She was happy to see two older ladies slowly making their way along the lane toward her. Kate hurried to meet them. “Excuse me, she said, but I’m lost…”
“Oh, I can see you are,” the one lady exclaimed. “With that shirt you have on, you definitely belong in the yellows.”
“Yellows? But I’m looking for my plane..”
“What color is it,” the woman demanded.
“Well, it’s white…”
“Oh. Do you see that high hill over there?” She pointed toward a blue hill in the distance. “The whites are on the other side of that hill, beyond the blues.”
“But my plane has some streaks of blue and red letters,” said Kate.
“Oh, dear,” the woman grumbled to her friend. “Someone’s always inventing something new, aren’t they, Buttermilk.”
“Don’t you just hate that!” said Buttermilk.
Kate wrinkled up her nose, thinking of being called Buttermilk by her college friends.
The first woman addressed Kate again. “But you definitely don’t belong here, unless you cover up all that glaring yellow. And those mottled pants! You look simply hideous.”
Kate bristled. “Hideous? But…”
“Just telling you. Don’t get huffy.”
“Yes, you must get redone if you want to stay here,” Buttermilk put in.
Kate looked around. “I don’t want to stay here. This is so blah.”
“Blah!”
“Blah,” echoed her friend. “Well, I never! Come along, Buttermilk.” She stuck her nose in the air and tottered off.
“Perhaps she’ll get eaten by the orange and black tiger that lives in the dark green jungle,” Kate heard Buttermilk say.
“A fitting end to those who are so color-blind,” agreed the other.
“How will I ever find my plane?” Kate wailed.
The little girl stood fidgeting in line, impatient with need to talk to the lady behind the desk. Her mother stood beside her, holding her hand tight lest she bolted.
“Katie sweetie, stop squirming.” Her mother said. “We are next in line. It won’t take long now.”
Katie looked down at her new shoes, not seeing them at all, her mind distracted with concern for her best friend.
She suddenly looked up at her mother, panic written large on her face, and said, “What if they don’t find her, ma! She is alone and afraid.”
“Shh honey, they will. Sophie will come back to us before you know it”.
“But what if they don’t find her before our flight?”, Katie asked, her voice rising in panic. “We will have to cancel our trip and search for her.”
“We can’t do that now.” Her mother said shaking her head. “You know that daddy is waiting for us in Seattle.”
Seeing the look of dejection on the little girl’s little face, she quickly added,” I’m sure the nice people here will find Sophie and keep her safe until we get back”
“Next, please”, announced the lady, interrupting their conversation. Katie and her mother quickly stepped up to the desk. A big sign hung above the counter “TSA Lost and Found Items”
“So, how can I help you?”, asked the lady in a bored voice, looking at the clock on the wall. She was a big built lady, dressed in a blue TSA uniform and had her hair pulled back in a stern looking bun.
Katie spoke up anxiously, “I lost my best friend in the airport just now. Her name is Sophie. Please find her.”
The TSA lady’s eyes met that of Katie’s mother with a look of question in them.
Katie’s mother quickly extracted a photo from her purse saying, “Here is a picture of my daughter with Sophie.” “That is Sophie”, she added pointing at the picture.
The TSA lady looked at the picture. The little girl standing in front of her was in it. The girl was smiling brightly in the picture, taken at some beach, wearing a pink polka dot swimsuit. She held what appeared to be a rubber giraffe in her hand.
“That is Sophie?”, she asked. “Yes!” said the little girl, bobbing her head up and down.
“Alright maa’m”, she addressed Katie’s mother. “Have you filled up form A13 indicating the lost item?”
“Yes, I have. Here it is”, she said as she handed over the piece of paper across the counter.
The lady took her time entering the details written on the form into the computer.
Not waiting for her to finish, Katie asked impatiently,” Will you be able to find Sophie?”.
The lady didn’t look up from the data entry task she was performing and said in a bored tone,” If someone finds her, she will be returned to this office. We will let you know when that happens.”
“This is your ticket number. Hold on to it.” she said as she finished typing the details and handed them a printout of their record. “You can call our office and check back to see the status of your case.”
“Next, Please !” she said, urging them to move along.
Katie felt a sense of dejection wash over her as she realized that she might never see Sophie again.
Her mother took her in a comforting hug, whispering encouragements and stroking her hair.
“Excuse me”, they heard someone say. Katie looked up and saw a middle-aged woman stand beside them.
“Is this yours?” She asked, holding up something for them to see.
“Sophie !!!!” Katie shrieked, jumping up to snatch the little rubber giraffe.
The relief of seeing her precious Sophie alongwith the anxiety of the last hour caught up with Katie in a torrent, and she wept hard holding her toy close to her chest.
She vaguely heard the stranger narrating how she saw the toy fall out of the little girl’s open backpack as she rode the upward escalator. The stranger had then retrieved the toy hoping to return it to the TSA Lost and Found desk, but was glad to return it instead to its rightful owner.
Katie’s mother thanked the woman, grateful for her kindness, while Katie beamed a beautiful smile and waved goodbye, as the stranger took their leave.
As their flight arrival flashed on the overhead screen, Katie held her mother’s hand in one hand and clutched her precious Sophie in the other and skipped happily towards their gate.
I really liked how you introduced Sophie. At first I was confused as to why they’d be at lost and found looking for someone, but then everything made sense. I can be a little slow on the uptake:)
The first “Sophie” that comes to my mind is the rubber giraffe which is my child’s favorite toy. When the prompt was to write a passage about a Sophie, It was only natural that I would weave my story around the toy my child loves 🙂
In case you haven’t seen this toy before, here is a link:
http://sophiegiraffeusa.com/sophie-the-giraffe.html
The first “Sophie” that comes to my mind these days is the rubber giraffe that is my child’s favorite toy. So, when the prompt to write about a Sophie came along, it was only natural that I wrote about this toy that my child loves 🙂
in case you haven’t see this toy before, here is a picture 🙂
http://sophiegiraffeusa.com/sophie-the-giraffe.html
She stood on one leg, and then the other. Restlessness still gripped her. She tried to kick her leg out just slightly to release the tightness… she kicked the person in front of her. Mumbling apologies and blushing in mortification, SophieMae went back to just standing. Her backpack seemed to just way down on her, causing her shoulders to join her legs in the soreness category. In her opinion, lines were always too long, giving you too much time to think, which is never a good thing. Every sign had been read, every person’s face studied, every floor tile examined, every piece of lugged glanced over and she had even taken the time to know the back of her hand. Her eyes were tired of looking… she just wanted to go.
Sophie had wanted to do this for years. High school, of course, never was friendly enough to allow it, though. As soon as senior year had started, Sophie had felt a suffocation slam into her. She found it impossible to even think for herself, not with college counselors and teachers and parents shoving admissions criteria transcripts recommendation letters test scores essays into her face. Sophie was overwhelmed by the deliberateness of it all, every single second she lived had to be measured, tracked, meticulously chosen.
It was two weeks before her chosen school’s application deadline, but she didn’t care. Well, okay, she did care, but she decided to push it to the far back of her mind for a bit. She needed some fresh spontaneity.
Her backpack had a notebook, pens, and a few articles of clothing. She was nibbling along her nails and thumping her foot on the sidewalk repeatedly.
Sophie’s plan was not a plan in the traditional sense. She would get on the first bus that came to this stop and ride till she was in a whole different neighborhood. She would get off and walk to the nearest train station. She would hop on the train and take a nap. She’d wake up and get off at the station with the prettiest name. Then she would meet totally different places and people and record everything she’d see in her
notebook. It wasn’t much, just very random. And that’s what made all the difference.
A bus arriving at the stop snapped Sophie out of her thoughts. Several passengers got off. She clutched the straps of her backpack tightly. She tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. Taking a deep breath, Sophie placed her foot on the bus stairs. Her first step into the world of the unplanned. It would be glorious.
The vibrancy of an airport had always excited Katie, but now she had three more reasons to crank up her exhilaration to the next level. First, her destination was the ultimate, must-seen, architectural city, which had been the residence of great architects like Antoni Gaudi, Josep Lluis Sert, and Domènech i Montaner. And she wasn’t going as a tourist. No, she would go as a professional, an urban planner in one of the most-wanted architect agencies in the whole West Europe. The third reason–one she was most proud of–was that by going, she meant she had left Jeff behind.
Yup, you heard her right. She’d left Crappy Boy.
She paused, inhaling the fresh air of freedom, and paused again. Crap, did she remember to bring the ticket? Juggling the luggage and the shopping bags on one hand, she fumbled around the hobo bag she carried. Idiot! Please, don’t tell her she’d left it home.
Oh, there it was. She exhaled in relief, only to realize a second later that it was an e-ticket. An e-ticket! That meant she could show up with only her passport and everything would still be okay. She felt her cheek reddened, and then hoped none of the other travelers passing her had seen her blushed. She admitted, she was never good with technology, and it had been a while ago since she’d traveled anywhere with an airplane.
Actually, this was the first time since the accident.
But well, so here she was. She straightened up, took a deep breath and puffed her chest out. On the way to freedom. To the city of her dream. Where Gaudi had built his playground, where dreamy building like Sagrada Familia came to existence. To the city where the winter was warm, the coals hot, and the people tangoed on the street.
Barcelona.
That was a lovely story! Great job!
So sad to see you two go. 🙁 Have fun traveling the world!
Thanks! I’m sad too, but I’ll be back. 🙂
Sophie and Katie I’ve enjoyed learning from both of you through The Write Practice. Thank you for sharing your unique perspective on writing and life with us. Happy travels!
Thanks, Beck!
Thank you so much Beck!
Farewell. I hope you two have fun traveling!
Thanks Alicia!
The beeping cut through Sophie’s head like a knife: she
really shouldn’t have had quite so many Bloody Marys last night. The comforting
world of bunnies and marshmallows disappeared in a puff of fairy dust.
She reached out for her alarm clock, though even as she did
so she knew that something wasn’t quite right. Her fingers stretched across the
night stand, and explored their way in the darkness through the usual
paraphernalia, but it wasn’t there.
Wakefulness sneaked slowly up on her. Did she remember
putting it on the dresser on the far side of the room, so she wouldn’t miss it
or shut it off too quickly?
She found a light switch and, with a snap, the room appeared
before her. The clock was on the floor beside the bed, on its back, thrown by an
unknown or unknowing hand.
Full vision was not yet hers: she shook her head, willing
the mist to clear, and still the noise continued. It wasn’t continuous, but
kept starting and stopping. It wasn’t coming from anywhere inside the room,
though, that much was certain.
Two truths hit Sophie at the same time. First, that it was
five minutes past eight. And, second, that the noise outside was the taxi,
waiting to take her to the airport.
That is captivating! Fabulous job!
“Katie!” A voice carried my name through the house as it entered,”Katie! You here Katie?!”
“Yeah, I’m here Nick!” I shouted back, ” I’m in the kitchen!”
A few footsteps later and he was beaming at me from the other side of the counter seeing me through the window that faced the entry hall.
“There’s my partner in crime!” Nick exclaimed opening his arms and handing me one of the grocery sacks in his hand,” I got you some treats. I also got some stuff for your mom and a couple things for your dad, so don’t eat it all your self or I’ll get in trouble for that.”
“In trouble? For something I did? That never happens. I don’t know what your talking about.” I joked with Nick. We had been pretty troublesome when we were younger. At family gatherings and parties we were known as the two terrors. We made a mess everywhere, not too big, but we loved decorating bedrooms and bathroom mirrors with make-up. I looked in the bag, knowing what to expect as I turned towards the fridge. Yep, Nick had supplied us with two containers of cookies and cream ice cream-one for me, one for mom- a bag of Carmel corn for dad and rolos special for me.”Thanks Nick.” He was now in the kitchen with me so I was able to give him a welcome hug and count it as a thank you hug as well.
“I owe it to the aunt, uncle and cousin who let me spend a night with them every year on my way to Montana.”
“You know our soft spot is in common likes, especially when it comes to goodies.”
“I do don’t I?”Nick teased on our way into the living room.
“My mom said to let you in when you got here and to tell you she will be picking up dinner on her way home and to call when you get here so she can have and order ready. Because she is going to be home late and won’t have time to make dinner.”
“What?! I look forward to her green bean casserole! I wait a whole year just to have it fresh.”
“I know. Oh! Guess who is sixteen and has leveled up to be trusted with partial access to family recipes!”
“Let me guess, Frankenstien?!”
“No! Your dork!” I said playfully shoving him into the arm of the couch.
“Then who? It can not be you. You are only fourteen years old, aren’t you?” He said sitting up and shoving me the other way.
“It is me! I am sixteen.” I said proudly, jumping off the couch and heading towards the kitchen again.” I know where the recipe is.”
“Wait, we-like seriously me and you- are going to make your moms casserole? Her famous green bean casserole?” Nick said astonished as he bit my heels on the way to the kitchen.”Your mom trusts you to cook in the kitchen? Unsupervised?”
“Calm down hotshot. She’s usually around the house or my dad. And yes, we, are going to make green bean casserole. You know what we are going to do next?” I said whirling around and pointing my finger at his nose with a mischievous look on my face.
“What?” My eighteen year old cousin whispered not sure if he should be frightened or excited.
“We’re going to burn it! Ha! What do ya think about that?”
“Burn it? Are you crazy?”
“No! Ding-dong! Anyone home?! We wouldn’t burn it, on purpose. We are going to hide it in the fridge and you are going to hide and surprise my mom! And we are NOT going to call her. How does that sound?”
“That sounds like the typical thing to do.”
“But is it he appropriate time? She said daring to be mature.” We laughed at my side comment before Nick replied holding the over dramatic tension we had built.
“It’s always appropriate to give adults a wake up call, especially when it’s unexpected.”
“Isn’t it always unexpected?” I asked, pulling the blow horn out of my back pocket and blowing it in his face as I backed up and ran for my life from the four minute mile track runner.
We laughed all through the house taunting each other around every corner. Until he wore me out, pinned me and tickled me till I could no longer feel my sides.
“Ok! Ok, I c-can hardly breath!” I wheezed so he would get off,”We need to get going on the casserole!” I realized aloud jumping up and sprinting with tired energy to the kitchen and got to work. We goofed off and made the casserole.
Once it was in the oven we took the next twenty minutes to crash on the couch. We woke up to the timer and bolted to the kitchen, barely saving the green beans from burning. We each took a small spoonful then placed the rest in the fridge. We wrestled with newfound energy until the front door opened.
“Katie! I’m home! Is-” Mom stopped as I came around the corner.” There you are. Is Nick here yet? You didn’t call. Why does it smell like something burned in here?”
Nick took the opportunity to creep behind her a hug her from behind. She screamed as he released her whirling around ready to hit him with her purse.
“NICK! You rascal! Did you just get here?”
“No I’ve been here for a couple hours.” He said with a chuckle full of pleasure. “It was just something we cooked up in our troublesome minds.”
“It’s not the only thing you two cooked up. What did you guys do? And for the record, scaring your aunt is not recommended when you are the guest.” She said exasperated.
“Sorry Sophie, we were just playin. We made mud pies and baked em! Want one?”
“Aw haha ha! I have the last laugh, there is not mud on the floor. You too can not do mud pies without making a mess and your hands have absolutely not trace of dirt.” We had all settled in the living room now.
“You got us mom, we made toast and Nick decided to try extra crispy.”
“Naw-uh! You two aren’t foolin anyone! You made-” she paused and got a good whif before deciding what we had made,” you two made-” she stopped again as another voice entered the house.
“Sophie! Did you burn the green bean casserole? I thought you weren’t making that tonight for Nick because-” my dad stopped as he entered the room seeing us on the couch.
“Hi honey, I was just realizing what they had burned. They made it before I got home.”
“Oh. I should have guessed the two terrors had been reunited if the house smelled like this. You never burn food sweetheart. Nice to see you again Nick! This is always the time of year that gets me going, having you here. It’s when I finally start my New Years resolution!”
We all shared a laugh knowing dad never made new year resolution, if he did they probably would start in June.
“Well we didn’t burn the green bean casserole. We almost did, but we should eat it before it gets too cold.” Nick suggested.
We all got up, set the table and shared the casserole. Nick and I were served last because dad was not slick enough to cover the missing corner before mom noticed.
We chatted as we ate, sharing stories and catching up with Nick. After we had pretty much cleared our plates Nick sat back in his chair stuffed. He sat up again a moment later looking a bit anxious.
“I-I have not come for only one night.” He said cautiously looking at me.
“What?” I said glancing around at the people seated at the table.
“Katie is going.”
“To Montana?!” I was shocked.
“Yes. It’s your turn. Your the next oldest cousin. I’m an adult, legally. I can’t go.”
“To Montana?” Was all I could say. I had never been out of the state. Nick moved from Arizona to Mexico when he was seven. He was used to traveling. I had never left the state of California.
“Wow, I’m surprised I didn’t get a Katie reply. I expected a ‘because your not a minor?’ response. Something.”
“I told it would be more of a shock than you thought.” Dad added.
“Well…”
“She doesn’t even understand why you go to Montana.” Mom said softly as she held my hand.
“Why?” I asked, finding my voice.
“I told you. It’s because I’m eighteen. I’m too old. Adults aren’t aloud where your going.”
“Am I going to Neverland?” I asked finding my personality.
I succeeded in making Nick laugh long and hard before he could respond. And judging by his focus, it was pretty serious.” That’s the North Star. In Montana you will have a guide take you to willows sewing shop. There is a portal to your adventure. It sounds cheesy, but it’s quite serious. It’s not bad, it’s just a way to learn. It’s where everyone in our family- extended too- have found their talent or career in life.”
“By spending my summer in a sewing shop?”
“No. I can not tell you anymore. It will be explained when you get there. You need to rest.”
“Why?”
“You leave tomorrow, morning.” And he got up and left the room with his plate. I did not speak with him while we did dishes then he disappeared. I did not see him again until he came into my room after my parents finished telling me goodnight. He came in quietly and calmly, still dressed in his his worn travel jeans and T-shirt.
As soon as he entered I broke into tears. He sat on the edge of the bed and then moved closer to put his arm around me.
“Why are you crying?” He said softly using his old methods for getting me to spill my secrets, tell him why I was hurt and everything, making him my best friend. “I’m not leaving you like I have in the past. If anyone should be crying its me. You’re the one leaving. You’re leaving me. Leaving me all alone with your parents. For a whole month!”
“While I learn what my talent is by spending a month in a sewing shop?”
“No. Look, it’s more than a sewing shop. You only go through the shop. You don’t stay in it.”
“Then why do I have to go? Why didn’t anyone ask me if I wanted to go? What if I-”
“No ‘what if’s, no one asked me. And you don’t have to go. But I will tell you there are people in danger if you don’t go they will die. A visit from someone of Abram blood relation is salvation to them. They need you. Adults do not understand it. You have to go. You are actually lucky. Since you are the you youngest cousin you get to go until your oldest child is fourteen. You get to go get then the rest of us.”
“But why hasn’t anyone told me about it?” I asked, sniffling, wishing I could just cry myself to sleep. Nick wouldn’t let me. He will not leave anyone he sees crying until they smile with real happiness.
“It’s not that your not trusted. It’s-it’s just that it’s… You will understand when you get there. By the time you are ready to come home you will understand. Now can I get a smile out of you?” He said changing from not answering my question to making me smile so I could go to sleep and staring me down mischievously.
“No.” I said with a shaky voice. Slowly crawling away backwards and falling off the bed laughing. Nick followed through with his intentions and tickled me, for the second time that day, until my sides ached and I couldn’t breath.
“Well, goodnight partner. Sleep well.” He said after helping me into bed. He left without another word and headed for his room.
We were all up by eight AM as usual when Nick stayed with us. He always got the eleven o’clock flight. Now it was my flight. We drove to the airport in silence. I was in no mood to play the usual car games Nick and I always enjoyed on our way to the airport to drop him off. Accept now I was the one being dropped off.
We all rushed around, not speaking to each other getting my bags out of the car. Nick walked me through the airport and to the gate. We never really talked, we only communicated on the surface, hiding our emotions and distress.
When it was time for me to board and Nick could accompany me no farther, we hugged saying goodbye and stopped fighting the tears. He stood at the gate and watched me as I walked away. I could not bring myself to look back and wave, but I caught sight of him out of the corner of my eye as I turned the corner and left him behind.
Not knowing where I was going, what I was going to be doing or why.
Hope you enjoy!
I got so absorbed in the story it took me two hours to type up on my iPod! Sorry for the spelling and grammar errors. I was working at midnight and lazy when proof reading.
The following is a part of a novel I wrote, ‘The King is in Check!’ published as EBook by Amazon Kindle.
I couldn’t resist uploading it as it suits the prompt so well!
The
next morning, Vidya woke up early, brushed and looked around for Ramu. There
was no sign of him being around and Vidya guessed that he should have gone to
the market. He made a cup of coffee and strolled around the garden, looking at
the beautiful flowers and breathing in their fragrance. ‘This is life. Just be
with nature, become aware and benefit from their gifts,’ he thought.
As he strolled near the gate, he
heard a wonderful voice singing,
‘Can you hear the drums, Fernando?
I remember long ago another starry
night like this
In the firelight Fernando
you were humming to yourself and
softly strumming your guitar
I could hear the distant drums
and sounds of bugle calls were coming
from afar……’
Mesmerised, Vidya opened the gate
and saw a beautiful girl, around twenty, strumming a guitar and singing. She
looked far away, obviously not seeing and all her attention was turned inwards.
She didn’t even notice Vidya.
The famous ABBA song was sung by
people all over the world, and Vidya himself had sung this song on stage.
Overwhelmed by the deep emotion of the moment, Vidya joined in–
” There was something in the
air that night
the stars were bright, Fernando
they were shining there for you and
me
for liberty, Fernando…….’.
They sang the song together. Vidya was in
ecstasy. The girl, just coming out of her spell, looked at Vidya and realised
that he had been singing with her. She smiled. Her cute face now gleamed with
the tears she had shed so unconsciously while singing the song. Vidya was
moved. He couldn’t take his eyes off her. He had never felt this way about a
girl and instantly he knew this was the girl he was going to live life with
forever.
‘ABBA has such power,’ he smiled
apologetically.
‘Hi, I am Kate from Australia, so
nice to meet you, thank you very much for singing with me…’ the girl was
saying and extended her hand. Vidya grabbed at it and held it for dear life.
She was very fair, tall, over five
feet ten, had a strongly built and attractive body. Her eyes were light brown
in colour, she had a sharp and prominent nose, a mouth which was small but
looked as if she was going to smile anytime now, the lower lip protruded a
little downwards when she closed her mouth. When she smiled or laughed, the
lower lip expanded fully and made it look beautiful. The nose was set a little
higher above the lips than usual, which made her mouth look sexy. Her black
hair, tied as a bunch carelessly, reached her lower neckline. Vidya shifted his
eyes off her and said
‘I am Vidya, won’t you come in and
join me for a cup of coffee?”
‘That would be great. But would you
mind if a couple of my friends joined us? They will be coming looking for me
anyway,’ said the girl, walking in with him. ‘We are a group from Australia,
U.K. and the USA and we have been touring around some of the countries. We are
tourists, you know and we settled in the park out there last night. We can’t
afford hotels, can we now, and we keep moving all the time.” the girl
spoke very fast.
‘Are you hippies?’ asked Vidya.
‘Tourists,’ the girl corrected
sharply.
It didn’t matter to Vidya, and he
poured the coffee. He asked, ‘you are Kate what?’
‘Kate Nothing’ she said.
She gazed back up the stairs, traced her eyes along the oak bannister worn to a slick dark gloss from many years of kids tacky hands and sneaky slides. Sophie smiled as the memories of childhood and family seeped through her heart. One tear perched at the ready tempted to fall; a farewell drop.
She turned toward the front door and scooped her new back pack up from the corner.
There was nobody to say goodbye to. She was the last to leave. Every body else had bounced and jostled out of the old house in jubilant and nervous states amidst excited farewells, last minute photos and firm slaps on the back.
All she had to do was pull the old doors to and descend the four porch steps. Nobody to look back to. No quick return for a last minute good bye kiss or hug.
The door creaked, a slow moan, after so many years of slams and bangs. A creak in to retirement. Sophie laughed.
Who would of thought I’d be the last to leave? Me. The story teller. The one who’d always told stories of great adventures, amazing buildings, enchanting undiscovered woodlands and mysterious unexplained events.
A chill whipped across her chest, she shuddered. One tear tipped into the corner of her eye.
Sophie pulled both the straps of the back pack into place and shrugged it into the middle of her back. The truth spanned out before her. All the childish imaginings, all the curious what-ifs rolled along the avenue.
The pavement rippled beneath the morning sun,smiling at her light uncertain step; pushing up to greet and steady her lonely farewell.
Sophie turned slightly, blew a kiss to the old stone house, dug her hands deep into her parka pockets and walked forth into the invitation of the shimmering unknown.
Go girls go! I live abroad now, and if I didn’t travel when I had the chance I might still be living the daily grind doing a 9-5 instead of writing and volunteering. I just want to shout out if you come to Nicaragua give us a holler we’ll take good care of you down here!