tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22469066193594802782024-03-12T19:32:41.014-04:00The VeilleeEm + Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12651833449881968705noreply@blogger.comBlogger31125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2246906619359480278.post-91988842465356618202012-06-18T11:44:00.001-04:002012-06-18T11:45:48.080-04:00Vagina Blog: No Longer a Dirty Word<br />
<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">In response to the recent political debate involving <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/14/michigan-woman-lawmakers-silenced-_n_1598168.html">lawmaker Lisa Brown to be silenced</a>, a movement towards women's voices being heard speaking against this unfair treatment not only toward Miss Brown, but to all women everywhere who are being treated unfairly by the political system, has sprung up. It all started with Veillee contributor <a href="http://theveillee.blogspot.com/2012/01/first-post-welcome-to-veillee.html">Rachel Lynn Brody</a> reaching out to Vagina Monologues writer, <a href="http://www.vday.org/about/more-about/eveensler">Eve Ensler</a>, asking her if she <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 24px;">would she be willing to support a round-the-clock reading of her play outside the Michigan State Legislature. Ensler responded by organizing the reading TONIGHT on the steps of MI's capitol. Now, Rachel is organizing one in Union Square, NYC, and heeding the call for bloggers and women-lovers everywhere to have their voices heard.</span></span></div>
<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 24px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; line-height: 24px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Here is Veillee co-founder Jessica Pherson having her voice heard. If you have something you'd like to say concerning this issue, please send it to veilleesubmissions@gmail.com. At the very least, spread the word and love your vagina!</span></span></div>
<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: small; line-height: 24px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px;">No Longer a Dirty Word</span></span></div>
<div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px;">by Jessica Pherson</span></span></div>
<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: small;">Growing up for me, vagina WAS a dirty word.</span></div>
<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: small;">It was practically a curse. It felt wrong in my mouth when I said it- even uttered it -and it made me feel…<i>uncomfortable.</i> </span></div>
<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: small;">I could never really explain why, but I think I know now. I was only a kid then, simply absorbing the thoughts and feelings of those around me, and clearly, they felt that vagina was not a word you were to speak out loud, unless perhaps in a doctor's office. Even then it was a bit…<i>taboo. </i>To say the name of a body part. Yes, taboo. </span></div>
<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: small;">Even as a teenager and young adult I chose to use other words to describe my vagina, such as "my lady parts", or simply, "down there". Yes, <i>down there.</i> The forbidden region below my waistline. </span></div>
<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: small;">For whatever reason, saying penis wasn't as bad. I'd still prefer to say "dick" or "schlong" or "rod" or whatever, but saying penis was never as bad as saying vagina. Vagina. Vagina, vagina, vagina.</span></div>
<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: small;">I'm all grown up now and I can say it out loud without getting that weird twitch in my tummy that tells me I just said something I shouldn't have. It's the name of my genitals. My birth canal. Where all human life comes from. Why on Earth should I be embarrassed to call it by its given name? </span></div>
<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: small;">I have even heard a story from my friend's mother who used to be a nurse, where a woman from a Spanish-speaking country didn't know what the word vagina meant, and thought it sounded lovely. So, she named her daughter Vagina. True story. Somebody out there thinks its a pretty name.</span></div>
<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: small;">A few years back, I took part in a spiritual ceremony where, with a group, I went into a deep meditation and entered the nether regions of my mind, bringing to light many hidden away thoughts and feelings to the surface so they could be dealt with properly. It was a profound and cleansing experience to say the very least, and one of the feelings I dealt with had to do with my body image and the way I saw my vagina. Apparently, not so subconsciously, I felt that my vagina was ugly and weird. My higher self decided this just could not go on, so I was given a fantastic visual display of vaginas pasted onto faces and flying through the air and generally forced into my vision, up close and personal. And, at first, it made me uncomfortable, as much as I hate to admit that. But, then I saw its beauty. I saw it for the rose that it is, and I felt so happy I couldn't stop smiling. This was something so magnificent, and it was a part of me. <i>I have one of those, </i>I recall thinking. This is the mystical organ that brings human life to this world and brings men to their knees. This is the organ that starts conflict and debate and power. Power to<i> ME.</i> Why oh why should I feel anything negative towards it all?</span></div>
<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: small;">Yet, here we are. So many of us human still look upon this appendage, this "God's stab wound", as something that causes trouble, and therefore must be controlled. By men. Not the women who they belong to, but the men who somehow got the idea that they are higher than God and believe they are the ones to decide what goes in and out of these "love caves." </span></div>
<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: small;">But, NO MORE. Tonight, in Michigan and in NYC and wherever else women who are not taking this crap anymore are standing together to bring attention to this situation before it gets any more out of hand than it already has. I invite you to the steps of Michigan's capital to join Eve Ensler of "The Vagina Monologues" fame and stand in unity against this war against the rights of women everywhere. Can't make it to MI? Join Rachel Lynn Brody and many other amazing women (maybe even myself) tonight at Union Square in Manhattan to bring the message there. Can't make it to NYC either? Start your own gathering wherever you are, however you can. Whether it be in a public place with a large crowd, in the privacy of your own home, or simply in a post like this on the internet- get the word out there! Let's stand in unity whatever way possible and have our voices heard! No bra burning this time- it's time to use our words, our hearts, and our inner vagina-love to put a stop to this silent battle that will be silent no more.</span></div>
<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: small;">Thanks for reading, I hope I made some impact and perhaps awakened something inside of you as well. Please feel free to submit your words to The Veillee for publishing if you have no where else to put it, and we will be happy to share it every way possible. </span></div>
<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">More links related to this endeavor:</span></div>
<div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><a href="http://rlbrody.com/2012/06/15/vagina-vagina-vagina/">Vagina, Vagina, Vagina</a></span></div>
<div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://rlbrody.com/2012/06/17/the-vagina-monoblogs-nyc-vaginagate-solidarity-event/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The Vagina Blogs NYC</span></a></div>
<div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/268583796582574/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Vagina Blogs Take Back the Capitol!</span></a></div>
<div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://rlbrody.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/michiganemail.jpg"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Mich Democratic Party</span></a></div>
<div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/16/lisa-brown-vagina-monologues-_n_1602788.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Huff Post</span></a></div>
<div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>Em + Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12651833449881968705noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2246906619359480278.post-52668523070173330892012-06-17T23:07:00.000-04:002012-06-17T23:07:39.373-04:00VaginaBlogsPlease consider participating in this effort! We will be joining other bloggers and concerned citizens tomorrow evening at Union Square. <br />
<br />
<a href="http://rlbrody.com/2012/06/17/the-vagina-monoblogs-nyc-vaginagate-solidarity-event/">http://rlbrody.com/2012/06/17/the-vagina-monoblogs-nyc-vaginagate-solidarity-event/</a>Em + Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12651833449881968705noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2246906619359480278.post-2328357811166170482012-05-09T12:45:00.001-04:002012-05-09T12:45:56.804-04:00On Duarte Street: Part II<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Today we present the second part of <em>On Duarte Street</em>. Please read, enjoy, and don't forget to leave Mia some feedback! </span><br />
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRLN6vm1nqwoh3U-gbthpBT6DmeEdZY3iyhxxnjC9QxSWlRiyiMviGl-6UOTIx1cn4PQy69tPNGHevXvtGll6v8funIPdxgzeQQXVmVmLr_wdy9UBjyO8cdo72QzbCOZA39CBKBoI-hYS6/s1600/key.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRLN6vm1nqwoh3U-gbthpBT6DmeEdZY3iyhxxnjC9QxSWlRiyiMviGl-6UOTIx1cn4PQy69tPNGHevXvtGll6v8funIPdxgzeQQXVmVmLr_wdy9UBjyO8cdo72QzbCOZA39CBKBoI-hYS6/s1600/key.png" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">© Regina Garcia, 2012</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">A<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> Selection From: </span></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;">
EN LA CALLE DUARTE or ON DUARTE STREET</div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;">
An Illustrated Novel in Four Parts</div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;">
Written by Marirosa Mia Garcia</div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;">
Illustrated by Regina Garcia<br />
<br />
Part II</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
Inside,
the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bruja</i> motioned towards a large
red chair for the Girl to sit while she went into the kitchen. It made a
strange creaking noise as the Girl sat and she bounced up and down several
times just to see what other noises it would make. The Girl ran her fingers
across the fabric of the large red chair as her eyes danced across the room,
drinking everything in. The Witch’s apartment was stuck in the days of dinner
parties and deep rich fabrics; when men still wore linen <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">guayaberas</i> and furniture had wicker inlays. Though well kept, it didn’t stop time from
wearing out the fabrics and dulling its colors here and there. The couch – large and imposing – retained the
imprints of the bodies that once spent hours lounging on it. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
The
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bruja</i> returned with a plate of
cookies and sat in the chair opposite the Girl.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“</b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">¿Que quieres?</i>” she asked, fiddling with one of the two
gold rings around her fingers.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
This
seemed to be a simple question to the Girl.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mi abuela</i>,” she answered.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
The
witch shook her head. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“</b>She is gone.
You know this.<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">”</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“You
cannot bring her back?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“No.
She is on another journey now.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“It’s
not fair!” the chair squeaked as the Girl slammed her hand against the armrest.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“It
never is. But that’s not why you are here<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">.
¿Que quieres?</i>”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“I
don’t understand.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“Yes,
you do. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">¿Que quieres?</i> What do you
want? Your grandmother is dead, yes. But there is something that you want. It
nags at you. It’s why you are here, why you sat at the steps.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
The
Girl – nose scrunched once again - stared at the ceiling. The <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bruja</i> waited, patiently, the plate of
cookies still in her hand. She was in no rush. This part often took the
longest. Then finally, as if she had found the answer in the cracks the Girl
smiled.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“I
want to say goodbye,” the Girl said. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“</b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Si,</i>” the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bruja</i>
said and placed the plate with three cookies in front of the Girl. “That is it, then. I can help you with that.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;">
The Girl reached over grabbed one cookie,
taking a large bite as she listened.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“You
will need three things,” the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bruja </i>said,
watching the crumbs fall down deep into her carpet, fighting the urge to clean
them.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“</b>Three things?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“</b>Yes. The first, I have, and would be glad to lend to you.
You will, of course, return it to me at the end of your journey.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
The
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bruja</i> reached under her blouse and
produced a shiny gold key that dangled from a chain. It shone for a moment in
the sunlight before the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bruja</i> removed
it from her neck and handed it to the Girl who turned it back and forth in her
hand.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“</b>A key?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“</b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Si, una llave</i>. You
will need it to cross the boundary.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
The
Girl finished the cookie, placed the key inside her pocket and reached for the
second cookie.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“</b>The boundary?” the Girl asked.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“Yes.
Between Life and Death. It will be the first of the few boundaries you will be
able to cross and return from.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“</b>How many – ”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
The
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bruja </i>held up her hand. “Many. But
only a few are known to the living.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“</b>How- how did you get this key?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
The
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bruja</i> chuckled and her cheeks turned
red.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“I’m
afraid that is a very long and complicated story, only half of which is mine. I
would love to share it, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">pero</i>, time is
short. Now, the second object you will need is knowledge.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
At
this, the Girl brightened quite a bit. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“</b>I’m very smart,” the Girl said. “My teacher tells me so all
the time.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“</b>Do you know any riddles? <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">¿Adivinanzas?</i>”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
The
Girl’s shoulders fell and she shoved the last of the second cookie in her
mouth. “No.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“</b>Ask your grandfather. I remember he had the best <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">adivinanzas</i> in the world, back when I
was young and he was single. You will need them, just in case.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“</b>Just in case what?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“Just
in case. A good riddle is invaluable in certain situations.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
The
Girl reached for the last cookie.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> “</b>Finally, the third thing,” the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bruja </i>said picking up a large crumb that
had fallen. “Which might be the hardest thing you will need to get: Four
traveling coins.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“What
are traveling coins?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“They
are coins that have seen the world and back in the pockets of a traveler. They
start off as nickels, dimes, quarters – but through time they change. They
become more. They have gone on many journeys and you will need them for yours.
To get a traveler to part with four coins will be a hard task. But you will
need them to cross – for safe passage with the boatman - to reach her before it
is too late to say goodbye. And, of course, to return.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“</b>I must find a traveler then?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“</b>And get him to part with the coins.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“</b>Once I have the three things, what do I do?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
The
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bruja</i> stood and reached for the empty
plate, to take back to the kitchen. When she returned she had a small bag with
a few more cookies and a small glass bottle.
She handed the cookies to the Girl. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Escucha.</i> These stairs that lead down to
your grandfather’s apartment, they keep going.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“They
don’t. They stop at his door.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“</b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Callate y escucha</i>. Yes, they do. When you’re ready to
start your journey, I want you to stand behind the steps, right where the
stairs form their shadow. With the key in your hand, your shadow must reach
into the darkness and open the door.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“</b>My shadow?” the Girl pointed to herself. “A door? There is
no door, there’s just a wall.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“</b>Trust me. There’s a door; it has always been there. You’ve
seen it many times, but like many things that can only be seen from the corner
of your eye, you disregard it. We all do. But, it is there.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
The
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bruja</i> continued, telling the Girl a
few things she would likely encounter, the things she would need to know – just
in case. The <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bruja</i> knew many things,
but not all.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“</b>Now you must go. If you wait too long, the sun will
disappear.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;">
As the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bruja </i>ushered the Girl out the door she handed her the small bottle
and wrapped the Girl’s hands around it.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“</b>A small favor, for myself.” the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bruja </i>said. “A bit of earth, if you don’t mind.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“</b>Earth?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“</b>A bit of earth from below. When you can. That’s all I need.
When you return, I would like to hear about your journey. There are many things
I still do not know and would love to learn. Therefore, you must be careful.
Don’t lose the key and don’t lose yourself. Remember who you are at all times
and why you are there – that is the best advice I can give you. A memory is a
terrible thing to lose and to forget things would be very bad. Now go.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
As
the Girl turned to leave, the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bruja</i>
grabbed her hand and brought her close once again. The <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bruja </i>held the Girl’s face in her hand and waited for their eyes to
meet. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“</b>It will be hard, this journey. But I have no doubt you will make
it. I see it in your eyes,” the Witch smiled. “Yet I also see stubbornness – I
recognized it as I would my own. And I tell you this <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">de todo corazón</i> – your
grandmother is dead. She is dead. Don’t forget that.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
And
even though she wished that she had given the Girl some words of inspiration,
the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bruja </i>knew that it would do more
harm than good. Letting the Girl go, she turned back inside and closed the
door. Holding the bag of cookies and glass bottle, the Girl headed down the
steps. She stopped to collect the soda her Grandfather had left her, then
entered the apartment. She passed her parents as they called relatives on the
phone - discussing arrangements. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Si, al medio dia. Funeral…</i>” she heard
her mother say into the phone. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
Heading
to the kitchen she placed the soda on the counter but kept the bag of cookies
with her.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
Then
she entered her grandfather’s bedroom, where he sat in his rocking chair – very
quiet, very still. When he saw her, he mustered a weak smile in her direction.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dime</i>, did she open the door?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
The
Girl nodded.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">¿Que dijo?</i>”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“She
said you used to tell riddles. She said you were very good. Can you tell me
one?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
Her
Grandfather smiled and motioned to his lap. He whispered the riddle into her
ear and she scrunched up her face. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“I
don’t get it.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
He
smiled and tugged at her ponytail. “Think about it.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
Minutes
later the Girl walked out of the room in search of the four coins. Back in the
room, her Grandfather sat, in his chair, letting the warmth of the day settle
in his bones. He wasn’t sure what for, but there he stayed. Waiting for his own
journey to start perhaps.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
The
Girl didn’t have to go far in search for the coins, just a few steps outside
the doors of the Duarte building, out into the blazing sun. As if waiting for
her all along, the Old Man turned and extended his hand.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“You
owe me a quarter,” he said to the Girl. “I cut to the chase when it comes to
people owing me things, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">tu sabes</i>?
Otherwise quarters just pile up all over the place.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“</b>Yes, I know,” she said to him like she’d owed quarters
before and wasn’t worried. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“</b>Well, where is it? I don’t see any quarter.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“I
don’t have any right now.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;">
The Old Man huffed and started to
walk away.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“Wait!
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Necesito algo</i>.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“You
need something from me? You owe me a quarter, what makes you think- ”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“Please,”
the Girl said and her eyes started to tear.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
The
Old Man’s shoulders slumped in defeat and he kicked the dirt in front of him. “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">¿Que? </i>What do you need?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“</b>Four traveling coins,” she said, shifting her weight from
one leg to the other.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
The
Old Man stared at the Girl like she’d sprouted a second head. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“</b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">¿Queque?! </i>What did you say?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“</b>Coins for safe passage.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“</b>I know what they are! Why do you need them?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“</b>I need them. Do you have any?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“</b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Quizas. Depende</i>. What will you give me? I don’t do
charity!”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;">
The Girl presented the bag of
cookies.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“What
else do you have?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
Moments
later the Old Man gulped down a can of soda with one hand, while the other held
the bag of cookies and 2 other sodas.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“Ahhhhhhhhhhh.
Not a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">cervesita</i> but it’s not bad.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
He
handed the Girl the four small coins that once upon a time used to be quarters,
nickels, dimes, but now, either warped by time or magic, were something else.
She inspected them closely; holding them up to the light then placed them in
her pocket.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“Can’t
use those to buy candy. Only good for one thing.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“Safe
passage,” she said. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“You’ll
need it where you’re going.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“</b>How do you know where I’m going?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“</b>Only one place to go with those.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“</b>Where did you get them?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“</b>Always keep some coins on my self,” he patted his pocket
that jingled softly. “Just in case. You never know when you need to pay the
fare.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“</b>How do you know so much?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
He
looked away.<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> “</b>I travel – things have
a way of finding me.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;">
Tucking the cans and cookies into
his pocket, he waved to the Girl as he turned. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“</b>You still owe me a quarter. Don’t forget. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I won’t</i>.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;">
The Girl sat on the steps for a
moment, staring at the objects she’d gathered.
The sun bounced off each one as she moved them around on her palm.
Eventually, she placed the objects in her pockets and walked around the stairs
to where the shadow dwelled. She walked by the shadow several times, trying to
catch a glimpse of the door as she passed. A woman entered the building and
stared at the Girl for a moment – puzzled by her actions. The Girl stopped and
smiled politely, as her mother had always taught her.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;">
“It’s hard to look out of the corner
of your eyes,” the Girl said. “I forget to hold still and then it’s no longer
the corner.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
The
woman nodded, as if understanding, and smiled before she rushed up the stairs
to her apartment. The Girl returned to
her task. She studied her own shadow and practiced for a moment – extending her
empty hand forward – making her shadow hand disappear below the steps. She
found that because the sun was in an odd position she had to lean forward just
a bit before extending her hand. She fell in a couple of times and even
disappeared into the darkness below the steps, before re-emerging seconds later
in a panic. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
Finally,
finding the correct footing, she took the key from her pocket and reached into
the dark.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
For
a moment the Girl’s hand remained suspended in the shadow. Nothing happened.
Then, slowly, the shadow wound itself around her hand, causing it to turn
slightly to the right. The Girl’s eyes widened; a sliver of light – not white,
but orange, red, and violet - colors of the dusk – sliced through. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
The
Girl glanced at her Grandfather’s apartment door for a moment, worry and doubt
clouding her thoughts. Shaking her head to get rid of them, she turned back to
the opening.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“Remember
who I am and why I am there,” she said to no one in particular before stepping
into the light and down, down the endless steps made of tree roots and old
ruins jutting out of the ground. The light was darker now, deeper tones of
orange and red. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
The
stairs kept going and going. They turned into small bridges over large chasms
then back to stairs. She stopped on one occasion to look at a ruin that peeked
out of the earth, its marbled columns like weeds. Finally, the stairs ended,
and an open expanse lay before her; an underground cavern as infinite as the
universe, yet not.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
A
place where in its darkness you could almost see the edge of infinity, as the
night starts to play at the edge of our universe. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;">
The Girl placed the key – which had
been dangling from her hand – back into her pocket. She took out two of the
traveling coins and rolled them over in her hands, then put back in her pocket.
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“Now
where do I go?</div>
</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">To be continued...</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">
We sincerely hope to see the full illustrated novel in print sometime soon, Mia. (The sooner the better!) Thank you so very much for sharing.<br />
<br />
</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">
<b>Marirosa Mia
Garcia</b> was born and raised in San Juan, Puerto
Rico. She received her MFA in Creative Writing from the New School in New
York City. Her first novel<i>, On Duarte Street, </i>is an
illustrated novel inspired by the residents of Duarte Street in Santurce. You
can often find her reviewing books on <a href="http://pleasedontreadthisbook.com/">PleaseDontReadThisBook.com</a>.<br />
<br /><br />
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">To learn more about the author, please take a look at her Q&A in the <a href="http://theveillee.blogspot.com/p/matchbox.html">Matchbox</a> section of this blog.</span></div>Em + Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12651833449881968705noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2246906619359480278.post-27072950418988191792012-05-02T12:04:00.003-04:002012-05-02T16:30:32.837-04:00On Duarte Street: Part I<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">
Hello, beautiful people! We are so excited to introduce the work of a writer whose imagination knows no bounds. (Hyperbolic? Not in the least.) Marirosa Mia Garcia has agreed to share with us two selections from her new novel. This week we give you part one.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">
The supernatural fantasy starts off in a colorful, magical, timeless San Juan. Where it goes from there, you'll just have to find out for yourself. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Also, please note the gorgeous illustrations by Regina Garcia. Artistic brilliance clearly runs in the family. </span></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiONoY56C0CViaKhf1ThABOCa_Z4ZoytaH_rVimBALwwJdEnTgO37kkCh_vU4qq5yNbyqpWFShxkQwXd3E5OJDdAOupyOMeRCcO_QEjOkq5MBfobi4mDSPnx9jW_26__WsZRlJEsbiMSPB/s1600/Duarte+Pic.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiONoY56C0CViaKhf1ThABOCa_Z4ZoytaH_rVimBALwwJdEnTgO37kkCh_vU4qq5yNbyqpWFShxkQwXd3E5OJDdAOupyOMeRCcO_QEjOkq5MBfobi4mDSPnx9jW_26__WsZRlJEsbiMSPB/s1600/Duarte+Pic.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">© Regina Garcia, 2012</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif";">A<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> Selection From: </span></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;">
EN LA CALLE DUARTE or ON DUARTE STREET<span style="font-size: 14pt;"></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;">
An Illustrated Novel in Four Parts</div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;">
Written by Marirosa Mia Garcia</div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;">
Illustrated by Regina Garcia </div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;">
<br />
Part I<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
The
Duarte building had its day in the sun back when buildings had character and
personality. When erecting a structure meant sweeping arches and detailed tile
floorings; not pane upon pane of mirrored buildings stretching high to a sky
they could never reach. A time when the sun played off its angles, instead of
stripping it of its color and helping the vines creep their way up its walls. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
A
Girl – no more than nine, no less than seven - sat on top of a trash collection
bin, wearing a worn school uniform. She reached over the iron-gate to pick some
yellow flowers, which grew around the bin that stood between her and the rest
of the world. She watched as an old bum came walking up to the gate, tipping an
imaginary hat her way.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“</b>Psst. Psst. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Oye mija
oye</i>,” The Old Man said from his side of the fence. “No need to be accused of anything. Little
Girls can get you into trouble nowadays…” he thought to himself. He shuffled
back and forth for a moment – mindful of the gate and the distance between
himself and the Girl. “No need…”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“</b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">¿Que?</i>” she said, barely lifting her head to look
him in the eye. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
Clearing
his throat, he leaned forward. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“</b>You
got a quarter?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“What
good is a quarter?” </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“Always
start small,” he shrugged. “Do you have one?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
The
Girl took a moment to consider this – scrunching up her nose and looking up at
the sky - as if somewhere on her person, she might just have a quarter she had
forgotten about. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“No,”
she said letting her eyes drop back to the flower. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“</b>You sure? I’m not looking for charity, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">pa’ que sepas</i>. Give me a quarter and I’ll tell you a secret. Pretty
good price, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">si me preguntas a mi</i>.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“</b>Don’t have one.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“</b>How about your <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Papi</i>?
Go ask him for one.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
The
Girl shook her head and twirled the flower before starting to pull the petals
off one by one, and watching them as they danced their way down to the grass
below. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“</b>He’s busy.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“</b>Humm. It’s a pretty big secret. Too big. Too big not to tell
I think. It’s just a quarter.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“</b>Don’t have one.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
The
Old Man nodded but did not leave; instead he continued to watch the Girl as she
tore the flower apart, pulling at each petal like she hated every one of them.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">¿Que te pasa? </i>You got a grudge against
that flower, or something?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;">
The Girl didn’t answer; instead she
reached for another flower and began to destroy it as well.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“</b>You need to talk, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">nena</i>?
Seems to me like you need to talk. People say I’m a good listener. From
Mayaguez in the West to Caguas in the East and every place in between. Nobody
listens like me.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
With
no answer and a mound of flower petals forming under the Girl’s feet, the Old
Man decided it was time to move on. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“You
sure? Makes no difference to me. Not like you got a quarter, or anything.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
She
lifted her head then, and looked him straight in the eye. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“</b>My grandmother died in her sleep. They wouldn’t let me see
her.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
The
Old Man looked at the remains of the flowers, then back up to the Girl. She
reached for a new one and started to pluck the petals once again.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“</b>You’re going to run out of flowers at that rate, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">nena.”</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“</b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">¿Y que?</i>”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“</b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">¿Y que?</i> Listen, your parents are protecting you.
Be grateful. I had no parents to protect me. I was born just like this, old.” </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
He
smiled and waited for her to smile back, but she didn’t.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“</b>I’m
not grateful.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“</b>I can see,” he said.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“</b>It’s not fair. I should get to see her,” she said.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“</b>Should?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“</b>Should.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
A
smile crept across the Old Man’s face as the Girl continued to stare him down.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“</b>Should it is then. I
guess you need this secret more than I do.
You can owe me the quarter. You’re good for it, I can tell. You see up
there, on the third floor. That window there.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
He
pointed off to a window with a dark green awning and horizontal metal shades
that were white yet dingy with time.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“¿<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Si y que?</i>” she said.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“A
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">bruja</i> lives there.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“A
witch, there? <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">¿Ahi?</i>”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“</b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ahi</i>. Ask around, I’m no liar, a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">bruja</i> lives there. Just ask. From
Isabela in the North, although come to think of it, it’s more West-ish – ”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“</b>So?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“</b>So? Kids these days,” he scratched the top of his head. “A <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">bruja</i> does magic, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">magia, nena</i>. Don’t need to say more than that. You owe me a
quarter.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
And
with that the Old Man turned to leave. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“Where
are you going?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“I’ve
got other things to do,” he said and waved. “I’ll be back, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">todavia me queda un poquito mas</i>.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
The
Old Man weaved in and out of the crowd, disappearing into the mass. Alone, she
stayed for a few minutes more until the wind carried the petals off then entered
through the wrought iron gates of EL DUARTE and disappeared herself. Inside she stood by the steps of the building
and craned her neck back in hopes of catching a glimpse of the Witch’s door,
even though she would never see it from where she stood. With her head still
craned up Grandfather arrived and tapped her lightly on the shoulder. He was a
thin old man, though his face was still kind. Worn out from the dealings of the
day he still managed a smile.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“</b>Does a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">bruja</i> live
on the third floor?” the Girl asked as soon as she saw him.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“</b>I don’t know, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">mija</i>.
No one ever sees her anymore,” he replied.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“Was
she a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">bruja </i>back when people saw
her?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“I
do not believe so,” her Grandfather said. “Why does it matter?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“</b>Can I sit here for a while?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
Her
Grandfather smiled and nodded. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“</b>You
can sit for as long as you want. She will not come out.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“</b>I can wait. I don’t want to go back inside. I’m in the way.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;">
He nodded once more.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“</b>Me too. I will bring
you something while you wait. But, do not move from this step. I saw you
earlier. No more of that.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
The
Girl sighed. “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Esta bien.</i>”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
Alone,
the Girl moved up the steps closer to the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bruja</i>’s
door and sat on the dusty orange stairs and waited. Moments later her
Grandfather brought her a soda and repeated his instructions before leaving
once again. Still, she waited. She stared at the door on the third floor then
back down to her feet. She found a trail of ants making their way from one step
to another and she watched as they marched down and down.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
Slowly,
a sliver of light emerged from above, though the Girl was not conscious of
this. It grew as the door opened and the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bruja</i>
peeked out through the blinding light. Eventually, seeing the light, the Girl
looked up. She and the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bruja</i> stared
at each other for a few seconds, before the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bruja</i>’s
face broke into a sad smile.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mija</i>, I’m sorry about your grandmother,”
the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bruja </i>said.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“How
did you know?” the Girl replied.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“</b>I know. I feel things moving. Settling.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“</b>Can you – Can you bring her back?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“</b>No.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“</b>But you can do magic. Isn’t that what <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">brujas</i> do?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
The<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> Bruja</i> smiled. It was a strange smile.
Not human, but not evil, almost fairy-like, impish in a way. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“</b>It is not a journey for me to take,” the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bruja </i>said, shaking her head. “There are
things…<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">es complicado</i>.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
The
Girl nodded but found that her breathing sped faster and faster until she felt
her heart would burst. She covered her face and wept. The door swung open and
the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bruja</i> stepped out. She held the
Girl in her arms and rocked her slowly for a moment. And though she was a small
woman her arms enveloped the Girl with ease. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“</b>Come, come inside,” the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bruja
</i>said. “We will talk.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
The
Girl looked back down the winding steps and in her mind she followed them down
to her Grandfather’s place. He would worry.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“</b>But my grandfather.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“</b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dejo la puerta abierta</i>. He will know you are here. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ven, entra</i>.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
The
Girl stared at the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bruja</i>’s open arms
and without hesitation followed her inside. True to her word the door remained
open - light streaming out and down the steps. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 13pt;">
<b><span style="font-size: 13pt;">Marirosa Mia
Garcia</span></b><span style="font-size: 13pt;"> was born and raised in San Juan, Puerto
Rico. She received her MFA in Creative Writing from the New School in New
York City. Her first novel<i>, On Duarte Street, </i>is an
illustrated novel inspired by the residents of Duarte Street in Santurce. You
can often find her reviewing books on <a href="http://pleasedontreadthisbook.com/">PleaseDontReadThisBook.com</a>.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 13pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">To learn more about the author, please take a look at her Q&A in the <a href="http://theveillee.blogspot.com/p/matchbox.html">Matchbox</a> section of this blog. </span><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 0.5in;">
</div>Em + Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12651833449881968705noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2246906619359480278.post-38238126068268056132012-04-18T11:37:00.001-04:002012-04-18T14:32:18.397-04:00The Poet: Part 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Without further ado, here is the second installment of <a href="http://theveillee.blogspot.com/2012/04/poet-part-1.html">The Poet</a>. Enjoy!</span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-Lng91JePia3omAfoOnpLyLR1_6_VHfNp_5HhM3CAJeox2hpCVPQFvymMzcoGaFDtNV7CUhuDZyYY_wl0l5RMBlzjt7NmlVy9U-t_B6i2Rg9SdB2dJWCp9aqC2M3hOqatahW1ksMvqMoM/s320/dying-flowers.jpg" width="320" /></div>
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo courtesy of this <a href="http://threecatsonasofa.com/2011/10/02/book-review-wired-by-martha-randolph-carr/">blog</a>.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"> <span style="font-size: small;">The Poet</span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Part II</span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />By Jessica Pherson</span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
Francine’s poetry collection was a success. She titled it <i>Shades of a Spirit </i>and it was an instant
hit in the poetry world, topping the bestsellers lists for weeks. In this day
and age, poetry was nearly dead; only names of figures who’d been prominent decades
ago still rang in the average person’s mind, like John Keats and Sylvia Plath,
who were both long gone. Most people only heard such names in school, and
quickly forgot them afterward – perhaps only dredging them up again on occasion
for the odd trivia game. Francine Gordon
had become a household name, and she feared this would happen to her one day as
well, all but forgotten until someone on Jeopardy asked the eternal phrase: “Who
is Francine Gordon?”</div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
Francine did many live readings, readings that packed
bookstores to the brim. Readings after which the entire room formed a line to
get an autograph from her. Readings that reaped tears and joy and applause. </div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
At the end of one particular reading at a little bookstore
in lower Manhattan, a gentleman with large, doe-like eyes approached her. The
man’s eyes appeared large because he was staring at her in complete awe. His
deep blue irises glistened with a veil of tears, tears of astonishment and
admiration. His eyes were accentuated even more so by his dome-like bald head-
shaved bald –and quivering moistened lips. </div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
She remained calm as he walked slowly up to the table, as if
each step was getting heavier than the last. Was he so afraid to meet her? He
was clutching a stack of books- her books; collections of sorrow and
serendipity. Finally, he was within a foot of the table and Francine flashed
him a friendly smile. Forced, but friendly. The man let out a little whine and
bit his lower lip, bringing the books closer up to his chest as he did so. </div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
“Would you like me to sign those for you?” Francine asked
him, somewhat cautiously.</div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
He snapped out of it for a moment, and nodded his head
goofily, then placed the books on the table top before her. </div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
“Who shall I make these out to?” She then asked the man as
she clicked the top of her pen.</div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
“D-Donald,” the struck fan stuttered. </div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
“Okay, Donald,” Francine said. She bent her head down to
write in the front of each book, all the while the man just stood over her,
mouth agape.</div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
Once she had finished her task, she handed the books back to
him and smiled, the smile that was becoming a trademark smile for her with lips
tightly clenched. Her default expression for fans and polite exchanges. The man
took them, then managed to stammer something out as he grasped the books tightly
to his chest. “I-I just <i>adore </i>you,”
he said.</div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
“Oh, why thank you,” she replied. “I’m glad you enjoy my
work, that means a lot.”</div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
“Your work- no, your <i>masterpieces</i>,
have gotten me through some tough times. I just want you to know that.” </div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
Francine regarded him for a moment, for some reason not sure
what to say right away. She eye-balled him, with a single eyebrow raised, then
said: “They have only created tough times for me.”</div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
The man just stared back at her, his eyes still wide but
this time more so in wonder rather than awe. </div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
She should have been happy, and sometimes she was. But,
still, she felt the cold hand of sadness on her back, a hand that poked then
prodded then soon tightly clutched, unrelenting, until she found herself having
long, sleepless nights where she would just stare and stare and do nothing but
sit or lay awake in bed. Sometimes it was like she was not even in her body
anymore; it was like her spirit had fled her and was drifting along aimlessly
somewhere else in a world she could not reach physically. Those were the times
when she just felt numb and her mind seemed to simply make a whirring sound
that echoed between her ears. It was strange, yet familiar. Like how it would
sound inside of a vacuum.</div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
She did a good job of keeping it from Carmen and anyone else
who might notice. She didn’t have any close family or friends, so it wasn’t too
difficult. She would just paste on the plastic smile whenever Carmen would ask
how she was doing or squeeze her shoulder in an encouraging way. Why should she
be sad, after all? She had everything she wanted- a great career, a beautiful
home, good physical health…</div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
But, her personal life had always been dreary. She had never
been very good at relationships. For someone who could so easily connect so deeply
with feelings through written words, it was very hard for her to actually speak
these words. This was why she wrote. This was how she released those feelings,
feelings that would not and could not ever be spoken about to anyone. Yet there
they were on paper for all the world to see. What a paradox. This often left
her feeling lonely and isolated, yet also seemed to further her work.</div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
The days went by and Francine’s star continued to rise. She
was invited to be a guest on the Poet’s Corner radio show; she went to many
parties where she was considered a “very special” or “high-profile” guest; toasts
were made to her, and fan letters poured in faster than she could respond to
them. Life was all one big blur of excitement that should’ve kept her happy and
satisfied, but instead only seemed to drain and empty her all the more swiftly.</div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
Carmen was pleased, and most of the worry in her eyes had
disappeared. Francine wondered if her friend really knew her as well as she
thought. Could she see through her façade of happiness? Or was she too swept up
in Francine’s success to notice anymore? Francine tried not to let it bother
her, as she had enough on her mind anyway- albeit hollow void. She tried to use
Carmen’s upbeat perkiness as an example of how she should be, but she simply
could not replicate it.</div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
One day Francine, Carmen, and three of their colleagues were
out for a late dinner after a live reading at a prestigious benefit for young
readers in New York City. Everyone was laughing and drinking and clanking their
glasses together, slapping each other on the back, enjoying desserts, generally
having a good time. Francine did what she could to blend in, but eventually it
got to be too much. While a fellow poet, Leon de Venti, was telling a story
that had everyone else at the table rolling with laughter, Francine sat
silently, staring into her glass. She studied the little red straw sticking out
and the glistening ice cubes within. At some point it registered: Carmen’s
muffled voice calling her name. When she looked up, everyone was staring at
her, expressions of deep concern and confusion painted across their faces. The
laughter had died and all eyes were on her.</div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
She figured she’d better speak up. “Hmm?” She mustered, but
it was a sad attempt. Even her “hmm” drifted off back into her stare.</div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
An awkward silence befell the table as Leon coughed and
Delia Hanford shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Carmen spoke. “Frankie, are
you alright? Can I get you anything?” She laid her hand on Francine’s shoulder.</div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
Francine did not look, and just kept on staring,
transporting herself into a world of infinite void. “No, Carmen, darling. I’m
fine,” she said mechanically.</div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
The others at the table exchanged worried, uncomfortable
looks, and then it was Leon who called the waiter over for the check. Each
guest put out their money due and then bid Francine and Carmen farewell, for
they knew the fun of the night had now come to an end. Once they were alone,
Carmen squeezed Francine’s hand, finally snapping her out of the trance. </div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
“Francine, what’s going on?” She asked quietly.</div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
Francine looked into her friend’s eyes then sighed deeply.
“Carmen, I just don’t know anymore. Why do I feel this way?”</div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
“What way?” Carmen replied.</div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
“So…empty?” She tapped her long white finger on the side of
the glass as Carmen searched for a response.</div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
“How ‘bout I drive you home?” she finally said.</div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
The two women paid the bill then walked the two blocks to
where Carmen had parked her Town Car. They were silent at first, but then
Carmen finally said, as if she’d been mulling over the proper words: “Describe
this feeling of ‘empty’ to me.”</div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
Francine was at a loss for words. The feelings she never
spoke of simply could not be suddenly formed into sounds of actual words.
Instead, she just started to silently cry. She let the warm tears slide down
her cheeks, and at the same moment, raindrops began to hit the windshield. </div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
Carmen was focused on the road at the time. She did not see
Francine’s tears, and only called out to her. “Francine?”</div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
“I don’t know how to put the way I am feeling into words
right now,” she replied. “But, you have read my work, so I think you can figure
it out.”</div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
Carmen was silent, too silent. It was as if someone had hit
the mute button to the volume within the vehicle. Even the rain was silent. Or
did it just seem to be silent to Francine? </div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
“I’m worried about you,” Carmen said. “I don’t want you
to…do anything <i>rash</i>.”</div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
Francine said nothing.</div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
“Promise me you won’t, okay? She continued. “We’ll get you
some help. We’ll call Dr. Berger in the morning, okay?” Francine felt her
friend’s eyes on her as she waited for a response. Francine just nodded and
sighed a deep sigh, then stared out the window all the way to her home in the
Catskills.</div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
* * * * * *</div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
Carmen walked her in and asked her if she wanted her to stay
over. Francine told her that would not be necessary, that she would be okay and
that they would call her therapist in the morning and set up an appointment to
help figure it all out. She must’ve sounded convincing, because Carmen did leave
after about half an hour of watching her and bid her farewell, promising to
call her first thing in the morning.</div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
“Get some rest,” she told Francine as she pecked her gently
on the cheek. Then she was gone.</div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
As soon as she left, Francine sat down in her study and
stared at her computer. After a while, she turned to one of the pieces of paper
beside the computer and started to write a letter.<i><br /></i></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
<i>Dearest Carmen,</i></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
<i>I cannot explain to
you why I am the way I am, for I do not know why I am the way I am. I am as
deep a mystery to myself as I am to you. What I do know is that you are my
dearest and most loyal friend, and I highly value our friendship in my heart.
You have always been there for me and have always been honest with me, and for
that I thank you. </i></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
<i>I am also grateful for
your patience and understanding in these dark chapters of my life. The only
regret is that I had to have the dark times at all, for I would better enjoy my
time with you and the rest of this world had it not been always overshadowed by
a gray cloud. </i></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
<i>Please forgive me if
this hurts you; you are all I have. I hope you understand, and know that I love
you very much.</i></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
<i>Eternally, </i></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
<i>Francine Esmeralda
Gordon</i></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;">
<i>Final Farewell</i></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;">
<i>As the tide comes in, it must also recede</i></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;">
<i>And this time my waters will not return</i></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;">
<i>It is time for this jet of blood to be drained completely,</i></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;">
<i>And for this waterfall of foolishness to come to an end</i></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;">
<i>I am ready for peace,</i></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;">
<i>I am ready for the infinite void</i></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;">
<i>I am ready for the blades of grass to wave above my head</i></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;">
<i>While I slumber in the soft, warm Earth</i></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;">
<i>Cover me, O welcoming arms of The End</i></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;">
<i>What comes next-</i></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;">
<i>-if anything</i></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;">
<i>I do not know</i></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;">
<i>All I know is</i></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;">
<i>I am ready to go</i></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
The next morning, Carmen called her as promised, but after
three tries gone unanswered, worry grew inside of her and she decided to drive
over instead. When she got there, she found the door unlocked. She called out,
but got no answer. She checked the kitchen, the study, the living room, the
back porch; her friend was nowhere to be found. A feeling of dread rose inside
of her as she walked up the stairs to the second floor. She went to Francine’s
bedroom door, which was slightly ajar. She called Francine’s name again,
softly, as she slowly pushed the door open. She gasped hollowly when she saw
her dear friend lying on her bed. She was face-up, on her back, with her hands
carefully folded over her chest, as if she were lying in a coffin. She could’ve
been in a deep sleep, but Carmen’s instinct knew better. She knew her friend
had done it, that she had left this world for good. And even though she rushed
over to Francine’s bedside and called her name and checked her pulse, she knew
the EMTs who would later arrive would not be able to save her.</div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
She had made sure this time; she had taken the right dose, some
time ago too, probably shortly after Carmen had left her the previous night.
Guilt overcame Carmen at first, along with deep loss and sadness, but then she
knew it was okay. Her friend was where she wanted to be, and she would forever
be without the cold hand of sadness on her back.</div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Jessica Pherson</b> is one of the Founders of The Veillee and author of her own blog,<a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_493996523"> Healthy Mommy, Healthy Baby. </a>She
works from home part time for an eco-friendly jewelry company/retailer
and is also a stay-at-home mom to Lily. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Learn more about Jessica by checking out <a href="http://theveillee.blogspot.com/p/matchbox.html">The Matchbox</a> section of this blog! </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span>
</div>
</div>Em + Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12651833449881968705noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2246906619359480278.post-8719503869066647342012-04-11T10:55:00.001-04:002012-04-11T11:07:23.145-04:00The Poet: Part 1<br />
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br />
Good day, Veillee Readers! We are pleased to present the first
part of another wonderful story from our very own Jessica Pherson. This time, she
takes us into the heavy world of a chronically depressed writer, and offers a glimpse of the constant tug of war between light and dark that can exist within the
poetic mind. </div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://us.123rf.com/400wm/400/400/andykazie/andykazie0610/andykazie061000025/585631-some-pond-weeds-and-fall-leaves-along-a-small-pond.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://us.123rf.com/400wm/400/400/andykazie/andykazie0610/andykazie061000025/585631-some-pond-weeds-and-fall-leaves-along-a-small-pond.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Courtesy <a href="http://www.123rf.com/photo_585631_some-pond-weeds-and-fall-leaves-along-a-small-pond.html">this website</a></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;">The Poet</span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Part I</span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
It was finished, and it was magnificent. <i>My magnum opus</i>, she thought proudly. She
lay her pen down and leaned back in her chair. There was no better feeling than
the feeling of satisfaction she felt after completing a poem. This was her best
yet; it had to be.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
This worried her though. The darkness would soon set in. How
close to the edge would it take her this time? She let the thought bounce
around inside the walls of her skull, then quickly rose from her chair and
stood at the window, searching for the view that would help her escape her
thoughts. She stood there, staring into the landscape of her backyard; it was a
colorful picture of willow and sassafras trees with a lovely pond in the
foreground. Rows of flowerbeds that would bloom again once spring returned,
bringing the perfume of peonies, poppies, hyacinths, and lilies back to her
senses. She closed her eyes and tried to focus on that, on the first fresh
scent of spring lilies- her favorite flower. They lined her home’s entire
foundations. She meditated until the exasperating sensation of worry passed,
then went to the kitchen to pour herself a glass of lemonade. She had freshly
squeezed it that morning, then set it aside, deciding it would be her reward
once she’d completed the poem. The poem that had been sifting through her brain
for months, looking for its place in the cluttered room of her mind. She opened
her refrigerator then took out the crystal pitcher and poured some of the pale
yellow liquid into a deep blue glass she found in the cupboard. No ice, just a
few sprigs of fresh mint from the herb garden on her windowsill. She drank and found satisfaction again,
delighted that she had chosen this as her reward. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
Suddenly the phone rang, interrupting her peaceful calm and
she thought for a moment that she would not answer it. But, curiosity got the
best of her and she checked the caller ID, seeing that it was her close friend
and publicist, Carmen. She answered it.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
“Hello, Carmen,” she said coolly. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
“Hello, Francine,” Carmen replied in her usual chipper tone.
“How are things?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
“I’ve done it, Carmen,” she replied proudly. “I’ve finally
finished it.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
There was a pause on the other end of the line, but then
Carmen suddenly knew what her friend meant. “Oh- <i>no</i>! The poem? You finished it? That’s great!”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
“Yes,” Francine said, proudly again. “It is done and I am
enjoying a cool glass of lemonade, and now that you’re on the phone with me, I
feel compelled to invite you over to join me.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
“Oh, how wonderful!” Carmen went on. “You know, I <i>will</i> come by. I have a few errands to
run today, but I’ll stop by your house first for a bit because I am <i>dying </i>to read it!” Then she was silent,
they both were, having each acknowledged Carmen’s faux pas. She had said <i>that word</i>, why did it have to be <i>that word</i>? Carmen was now searching for
the words to say and Francine was trying not to crumble to the floor. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
“Oh, dear, I’m so sorry, Francine,” Carmen cried nervously.
“I am <i>so</i> stupid sometimes! I just say
things and…and I don’t even think!”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
“It’s alright,” Francine replied regaining her composure.
She had to, after all. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
“Poor word choice,” she said. “But, I do <i>really </i>want to read it. I’m leaving
right now. See you soon, hun.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
Francine said goodbye then hung up the phone, pressing the
END button then letting the phone carelessly drop on the counter, allowing a
low <i>clunk </i>to ring out in the silent
room. She stood motionless, staring. Not at anything in particular, just
staring. She took a deep breath, having realized she’d stopped breathing, then
picked up her glass and went outside.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
The air was still and the temperature warm with a slight
chill in the thick air, like an ice cube dropped into a glass of warm milk.
Francine pulled her cream-colored duster closed around her waist then sipped
from her glass, although the sweet beverage did not give her the same pleasure
it had just moments ago. She looked up at the cloudy, graying sky and watched
the leaves of the sassafras dance like a wildfire in the slowly escalating
breeze. Flashes of yellow and orange and red…</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
She sat down in a wire-framed chair on the open patio and
leaned back, trying to relax, trying to calm her mind again and not think so
damn much. Her mind was often her greatest gift and also her greatest enemy.
She sighed, trying to hold back tears. <i>No,
no</i>, she thought. <i>Not now. You have so
much to be happy for, why are you so sad</i>? She tapped the nail of her index
finger on her glass, a pathetic attempt at distracting her mind. It was not so
easily fooled. She opened her eyes again and stared off into the distance, soon
focusing on the lake. The water was so calm, it almost looked inviting. She
imagined it feeling like a cool embrace were she to step into it, a watery tomb
of solitude. She sighed again. Carmen would be there soon, she didn’t live too
far away.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
Francine did hear her friend pull up the driveway of her
home quickly enough; she lived about thirty minutes away, but she was there in
less than twenty. She had the slight look of alarm with a strong hint of relief
on her face when she walked through the door. The dark, thick frames on her
equally thick-lensed glasses accentuated her expression all the more. It was as
if her eyes were saying, <i>Thank God</i>.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
Francine decided not to comment on her friend’s worried
look, and instead stuck a glass of lemonade into her hand as soon as she had
set her coat and purse down. “Freshly squeezed this morning,” she said pertly.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
“Oh, thank you, dear,” Carmen said, taking a sip. “Mmm, it’s
delicious! Your talent is relentless!”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
Francine merely smiled at the forced gesture. The cloud had
set in further during her wait for Carmen’s arrival. It was always a downhill
affair as soon as she had completed a piece of writing; first there was the
satisfaction, then the pride, then the sadness, then the disappointment, then
the battle, then…well, after that she just went back and forth, and then it
would quickly become her trying to hold onto her sanity and her survival. It
was always so fleeting when she was doing what she truly enjoyed most; it was
her unsympathetic curse.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
Carmen just stood there in the hallway, searching her
friend’s stoic face for a hint at what may come of this meeting today. Francine
just stared at the floor, a small and very forced smile on her thin lips. Her
long, thin white hair hung over face like wisps of a willow tree. Her frame was
thin, narrow, mostly hard edges. Dressed all in cream, she looked like a Nordic
spirit stepping into the material world bringing forth some type of message. A
message of what, though? Carmen smiled back nervously, then sighed.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
“So, let’s see it,” she finally said.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
Francine’s head snapped up and she looked directly into
Carmen’s eyes, as if coming out of a daze. The light returned to her face and
she smiled genuinely, and then beckoned her friend to her study. “Come,” she
said, and headed to the other room.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
The study was just around the corner from the kitchen,
slightly hidden in a little nook-like area of the house. Its walls were a soft
lavender and the curtains were an antique white. All that was in the room was
Francine’s desk which held the computer, a lamp, a file box, and some loose
paper and pens for jotting down quick notes; a shelf full of books and
references; an original piece of artwork she’d found at a flea market years ago
of a garden basked in sunlight; and another shelf that held a few scented
candles and a vase of wilted flowers she’d forgotten about. They were dried
enough to turn to dust at any moment.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
Francine clicked the mouse and pulled up the document for
Carmen to view. She then ushered her publicist to take a seat and Carmen
obliged, then got right down to it. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
“Would you like some more lemonade?” Francine asked her,
noticing that her glass was now empty. Apparently the lemonade was even better
than she had thought.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
“Why, yes I would, thank you,” Carmen replied handing her
the glass then quickly returning back to the glowing screen before her.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
As soon as she left the room, Francine let out a deep sigh
as she trudged to the kitchen. Once she got there, she pressed her hands flat,
palms down on the granite countertop and bowed her head. She started to lightly
shake her head from side to side, a poor effort at knocking the demons away.
Her hands turned into fists and pounded the countertop, gently enough for
Carmen not to hear. “Get it together,” she whispered to herself. She slowly let
out another deep sigh, then withdrew the pitcher from the fridge and refilled
Carmen’s glass. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
She waited a few minutes before returning to the study;
Carmen was a fast reader, but she still wanted to give her enough time to fully
analyze the work. When she did enter the room, Carmen was leaning back in the
chair with her legs crossed and shoulders slouched forward, her hands folded
under her chin with her index fingers touching her lips. She was looking down,
deep in thought. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
When she noticed Francine standing over her with the glass,
she looked a bit startled, but took the glass gently, nodding a thank you. As
she took a sip, Francine stood waiting anxiously for her response.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
She took a long drink of the lemonade, and then said,
“Francine, it’s amazing.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
“You think so?” Francine replied, unable to fight back the
joy welling up in her heart. For now, the demons were kept at bay.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
Carmen looked her right in the eyes. “Yes, Frankie, I do.
This will be the perfect opening to your collection- or the perfect finale.
This so comes from the depths of your heart, I can tell. This is what <i>defines </i>you, as a poet- as an <i>artist</i>! Simply magnificent, my friend.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
Francine felt a tear forming in the corner of her eye. She
let it fall once it was ready and did not wipe it away. “Thank you, Carmen.
That means a lot to me. I’m glad.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
“Oh,” Carmen said with a pinched whine, cocking her head to
the side and removing her glasses, allowing them to dangle carelessly from her
fingertips. “I’m glad you’re glad. You deserve it. You really have me worried
sometimes, you know. I only want what’s best for you, not only as your
publicist but as your friend.” She leaned back with a look of reminiscence on
her face. “We’ve known each other for a long time, haven’t we?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
“Yes, we have,” Francine said, even though she knew she did
not have to answer since Carmen was merely commenting. “Almost ten years now.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
Carmen nodded dreamily. “Yes, that long, you’re right…you
have accomplished so much.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
“<i>We </i>have,”
Francine corrected, a look of sincerity in her icy blue eyes.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
Carmen just smiled. She had such a handsome face. Not
beautiful in the conventional way, but truly handsome. She had strong features
and tanned skin like Italian leather, yet smooth with few wrinkles. Her lips
were full, but not overly pouty, just very broad. A prominent nose centered her
heart-shaped face, and her eyes were a very deep brown with heavy brows laying
over them. She was somewhat petite, but still managed to take over a room with
her presence when she wanted to. Francine truly admired her.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
Carmen suddenly clasped her hands together. “Now, what shall
we do to celebrate?”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;">
* * *</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">(Tune in next week for the conclusion of Francine's story.)</span></i></div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Jessica Pherson</b> is one of the Founders of The Veillee and author of her own blog,<a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_493996523"> Healthy Mommy, Healthy Baby. </a>She
works from home part time for an eco-friendly jewelry company/retailer
and is also a stay-at-home mom to Lily. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Learn more about Jessica by checking out <a href="http://theveillee.blogspot.com/p/matchbox.html">The Matchbox</a> section of this blog! </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<br />Em + Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12651833449881968705noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2246906619359480278.post-49411062591163931052012-04-04T20:18:00.000-04:002012-04-18T14:32:49.683-04:00Acrobatic Psyche<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Hello, beautiful Veillee readers! Did you miss us? After a crazy March, we're happy to be back and thrilled to welcome spring. So get comfy, crack a window, smell the flowers, and enjoy this breezy piece of poetry from our newest contributor. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Happy April!</span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaArRmBpqXweouZJP2KOEI6aDuiNpzq-1WnEbCNyBeFLPDKA3h1JOnZ6V_b9C_tV6yS__avkS-VLb9zDE-mhykxWjOSYdQDlaF3zPP6r2ae1SrI9QZfeeU4Qgekh2P-k7hECpvsWnwNDIr/s1600/colz.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaArRmBpqXweouZJP2KOEI6aDuiNpzq-1WnEbCNyBeFLPDKA3h1JOnZ6V_b9C_tV6yS__avkS-VLb9zDE-mhykxWjOSYdQDlaF3zPP6r2ae1SrI9QZfeeU4Qgekh2P-k7hECpvsWnwNDIr/s320/colz.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">acrobatic.psyche</span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">by gretelbean </span></b></div>
<br />
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="apple-style-span"><b><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">i watch cool
nights through this cracked window to look at old men
dressed out of style with smooth
insanities like blown glass on your face, faded and
pale, as dulled faint stars, lightyears away, cartwheel slowly
through the soft firmament of mute straining trees. </span></b></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="apple-style-span"><b><span style="font-family: "Courier New";">alone, with a
distant light, i carve this ruined face as i dwell
in the most perfect silence the world never knew.</span></b></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Gretelbean is a Brooklyn based multimedia artist. Check out her blog <a href="http://thehellgateproject.blogspot.com/">here</a>!</span></span><b><span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> </span></b></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>Em + Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12651833449881968705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2246906619359480278.post-31446822615276886512012-03-09T21:42:00.000-05:002012-03-10T12:06:46.348-05:00Our First Tribute.<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">An honest and touching poem from our very own Jess, who happens to be one of the women </span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I</span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i> </i>admire.</span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
The Women I Admire</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
By Jessica Pherson</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
I admire the women</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
Who carry their young on their backs</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
Who bend over in fields all day</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
Whose skin cracks over sore knuckles</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
I admire the women</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
Who work three jobs for their family</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
And never complain</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
Who want to buy themselves a new pair of shoes</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
But save for food instead</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
I admire the women</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
Who stand up for their beliefs</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
And follow their dreams</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
Who bring light into this world</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
Often shrouded in darkness</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
Who get up everyday</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
With a smile on their face</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
Even when someone is out there waiting</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
To wipe it away</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
I admire the women</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
Who have touched my life,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
Who have touched our lives,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
Who have created the human race</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
I admire the woman </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
Who brought me into this world</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
Who is my shoulder to cry on</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
Who is always there when I need her</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
Who I see in the mirror each day<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivB57iY-Ky6AayW3rgfJKlzMVLGa5OgWW_dU0t10G_jKIOzp64SfR4QKog2WpFEpdhQtB4Auxcusrm9MisYQU9OUkF4WmVloNE5kIbp_KTlkojEL-J24OB1Eh6cQRXHr_z7EWOe4WkMLXL/s1600/IMG_2400.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivB57iY-Ky6AayW3rgfJKlzMVLGa5OgWW_dU0t10G_jKIOzp64SfR4QKog2WpFEpdhQtB4Auxcusrm9MisYQU9OUkF4WmVloNE5kIbp_KTlkojEL-J24OB1Eh6cQRXHr_z7EWOe4WkMLXL/s400/IMG_2400.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">photo by Jessica Pherson</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Jessica Pherson</b> is one of the Founders of The Veillee and author of her own blog,<a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_493996523"> Healthy Mommy, Healthy Baby. </a>She
works from home part time for an eco-friendly jewelry company/retailer
and is also a stay-at-home mom to Lily. She wrote this poem in honor of International Women's Day for all the women whose good works go unnoticed. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Learn more about Jessica by checking out <a href="http://theveillee.blogspot.com/p/matchbox.html">The Matchbox</a> section of this blog! </span><span style="font-style: normal;"> </span><br />
<br />
<br /></div>Em + Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12651833449881968705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2246906619359480278.post-14667257490931854202012-03-09T13:09:00.002-05:002012-04-18T14:33:29.931-04:00Women...and stuff.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://images.cdn.fotopedia.com/flickr-3277961180-hd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://images.cdn.fotopedia.com/flickr-3277961180-hd.jpg" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo by Ego Technique*</span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Yesterday, International Women's Day, was unseasonably gorgeous here in New York. I walked through the park, without my coat. I delighted in birdsong, and spotted a female squirrel running here and
there, searching for the hoard she must have stashed during the frigid
months. All I could think about was how appropriate the day's beauty was
for a celebration of women and all that we bring to the world. And then I started thinking about the solar storm raging in the heavens...and how this warm weather reflects a distinct change in our climate...and how women in other parts of the world are still fighting for freedoms that many of us have enjoyed for nearly a century. <i>Only</i> a century. Which really isn't very long, is it? In the grand scheme of things...<br />
<br />
SO, even though I'd love to have you guys to submit some wicked cool sci-fi stuff about solar flares and post-apocalyptic ghost cities, in reference to yesterday's anti-climactic solar storm, I think I'd rather ask you to send in tributes to the inspirational women in your life. If you had to choose one person for "Woman of the Year," who would it be? Post your answer in the comments section of this post, or send them to veilleesubmissions@gmail.com.<br />
<br />
We look forward to hearing your stories.<br />
<br />
Write on,<br />
Em <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">* Ego Technique has nothing to do with The Veillee, and does not necessarily support anything we stand for. He, or she, or they, simply took a nice photo of a female figure, which can be viewed at the Brooklyn Museum. <a href="http://www.fotopedia.com/items/flickr-3277961180">http://www.fotopedia.com/items/flickr-3277961180 </a></span></i><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>Em + Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12651833449881968705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2246906619359480278.post-43940632783528813172012-03-06T10:32:00.000-05:002012-03-06T10:33:56.070-05:00Divine Redistribution<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
Hi everyone,</div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
We have a new story for you! Catherine Pherson already shared some wonderful poetry with us, and now we get the pleasure of reading her fiction. The following short story is in line with our March theme (<a href="http://theveillee.blogspot.com/2012/02/call-for-march-submissions-champion.html">see description here</a>), and addresses the economic inequality present in our society. In doing so, this tale also gives us a little dose of the poetic justice we all long for, but so rarely see. Read and take heart, friends!<br />
<br />
-Em</div>
<br />
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;">
DIVINE REDISTRIBUTION</div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;">
By Catherine Pherson </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
Martha
Lee Hobart had a million things on her mind, as usual. As she turned the key in the final lock to
secure the front door of her luxury Greenwich Village apartment, she mentally
sped through the obstacle course of the day ahead. Lunch with her gossipy friends Gina and
Janice came first. A glance at the
jeweled face of her watch reassured her that she had plenty of time to get to
the Rosa Mexicana restaurant on Columbus Avenue by 1:00. After lunch, she would drive across town to
her favorite salon, where she had a 3:30 appointment for cut and color. She hoped her husband Don had remembered that
they were going to Atlantic City this evening.
This thought reminded her that she should stop at her bank branch before
heading uptown. She preferred to take a
set amount of cash to Atlantic City, and she would not allow herself to
continue to gamble after that amount was gone.
She knew her own obsessive personality well enough to realize that she
could get into deep trouble once she started down the slippery slope of
gambling on credit.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
Holding
her full-length fox fur coat closed with her left hand and slinging her crocodile
bag onto her shoulder with her right, Martha Lee clattered down the parquet
hallway to the elevators. Cooking odors
wafted under the doors of neighboring apartments. Some late riser’s bacon and coffee mingled
incongruously with the rich scent of simmering curry. As Martha Lee punched the down arrow to
summon the elevator, the electronic strains of Beethoven’s 5<sup>th</sup>
alerted her to an incoming call. She
reached into her bag, feeling for the handsome monogrammed leather case Don had
given her, along with a new iPhone, at Christmas. When she pulled the phone out and glanced at
the glowing screen, she saw with dismay that the call was from her old college
roommate Jessica. Jessica had always
been the crusading type, volunteering
to clean up polluted waterways, build homes for the needy and raise
funds for various bleeding-heart causes.
In recent weeks, she had been pestering Martha Lee to purchase tickets
to a charity ball to benefit a free health clinic in Harlem. The phone went back into the crocodile bag,
the call unanswered.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">In
the subterranean parking garage, while she waited for the attendant to bring up
her Mercedes, Martha Lee’s elegantly manicured fingers tapped out a text
message to Don, reminding him that she was planning to pick him up in front of
his lower Manhattan office building at 5:00 sharp. That man was always in a meeting or on a
conference call, and an engagement with his wife could easily slip his mind if
he was involved in discussing his byzantine business deals. Just as she was hitting the SEND button, the
youthful parking attendant brought up her car, slid out from behind the wheel
of the gleaming vehicle and held the door for Martha Lee. She checked the upholstery for any signs of
dirt or debris before she inserted herself into the driver’s seat; you could
never be sure what happened inside your car while it was parked in the
garage. Satisfied that the pristine
interior had not been violated, she pushed the gear shift to DRIVE and pulled
up onto the sidewalk on West 13<sup>th</sup> Street. She didn’t notice an elderly couple,
strolling arm in arm, who had to stagger back to avoid colliding with the
emerging car. Martha Lee briefly glanced
to her left, checking for approaching traffic, and then pulled into the street.</span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
It was a
dull winter day, with weak sunlight barely penetrating a solid mass of gray
cloud sky. At the end of the block,
Martha Lee turned left into the hurrying traffic on 7<sup>th</sup> Avenue. She negotiated a few more turns to get to the
Avenue of the Americas before pulling over to double park in front of the
Citibank branch where she conducted most of her banking business. She left the motor running, doors securely
locked, and swept into the bank with her usual air of entitlement. Bypassing the teller counters, Martha Lee
moved to the rear of the lobby to request the assistance of a bank
manager. She asked for two thousand
dollars in hundred dollar bills to be withdrawn from her checking account. A few minutes later, she was tucking the
envelope of cash into the coat pocket where her keys were already jingling.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
As she
emerged from the bank, a gust of chill wind sent the skirts of her fur coat
billowing and generously dusted her face with urban filth. Martha Lee felt the intensely irritating sting
of a tiny foreign object imbedding itself under her eyelid. While pulling her keys out to remotely unlock
the Mercedes – thankfully, there was no ticket on its windshield – she tried to
delicately dislodge the bit of trash without smirching her eye makeup. At that very moment, the iPhone began to ring
inside the crocodile bag. Rubbing her
eye, fishing for her phone and opening her car door simultaneously, Martha Lee
failed to notice the bank envelope slipping out of her pocket and onto the
pavement. She jumped into her car, put
her phone to her ear to greet Gina at the other end of the line, and pulled out
into the traffic heading uptown.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
As
Martha Lee passed through the intersection at Avenue of the Americas and 14<sup>th</sup>
Street, a petite figure emerged from the subway stairs onto the avenue, heading
south. Rosa Sanchez had as many thoughts
swirling through her brain as the woman in the Mercedes. Before she reached St. Vincent’s Hospital to
begin her duties with the housekeeping staff, she needed to stop at a drug
store to get a new baby thermometer, to replace the one that had failed to
register any temperature when inserted in 8-month-old Juan’s bottom last
night. Rosa had known without the
confirmation of the thermometer that the little boy was burning with fever, and
she’d given him some Infant Tylenol to make him more comfortable. He seemed better this morning, so Rosa’s
sense of guilt had not been too acute when she had delivered Juan and his older
sister Graciela to the facility on 103<sup>rd</sup> Street that provided
affordable child care services for working mothers.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
At the
corner of 13<sup>th</sup> Street, Rosa encountered the noxious, filthy homeless
man who regularly panhandled on the spot.
Some days, when she was feeling flush in the pockets, Rosa would drop a
few coins into the man’s paper cup.
Today, conscious of looming expenses that were already beyond her means,
Rosa handed the man the second of two buttered rolls she had purchased for her
own breakfast. She hoped some other kind
person would provide him with a cup of coffee to wash down his roll and warm
his bones. She only fleetingly allowed
herself to contemplate a world where she had enough cash to treat the poor old
fellow to a sumptuous meal at a nice, warm diner. If God had wanted her to be rich, she would
have been born into a very different family.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
Rosa’s
family, far from providing her with a lap of luxury in which to wallow, was
currently burning through her paychecks much faster than she could earn
them. The little ones always needed
something – disposable diapers, doctor visits, new shoes. Rosa’s husband Reynaldo was unable to work
because of a knee injury he had suffered on his last construction job, so Rosa
had to pay his doctor bills, too. The
biggest drain on her purse at the present was the fee for the nursing home
where she’d had to place her mother Honoria.
Honoria‘s mind had become shrouded in a fog which her daughter could not
penetrate. The old lady didn’t recognize
the apartment Rosa shared with her husband and children – she thought she was
being held there against her will - and she would run out into the street
searching for a familiar person to rescue her.
Reynaldo didn’t have the strength now to restrain his mother-in-law, and
Rosa couldn’t stay home with her, so Honoria had been placed in a facility with
24-hour nursing care. Rosa didn’t know
how much longer she’d be able to keep her mother in the facility; she was
already over a thousand dollars behind in the payments. Rosa tried not to indulge in fruitless worry
about this debt. She had prayed to the
blessed Virgin for aid, so the problem was out of her hands.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
Rosa
continued down the Avenue of the Americas, her attention divided between thoughts
of family and the task of navigating through the crowd. She was forced to step off the curb to get
around a delivery truck that was blocking the walkway. She continued walking in the street for a little
way, until the stream of pedestrians thinned out enough for her to once again
obtain the sidewalk. As she was about to
place her oxford-encased foot on the curb, she noticed a white envelope
littering the street. She picked it up
with a gloved hand at the same moment her eyes located a trash receptacle on
the next corner. Rosa moved along
considerately, trying not to jostle into other people who were sharing the
sidewalk with her on this chilly winter day.
Snatches of ribald laughter mingled with irritated outbursts of
profanity from some men working on an electrical connection. Strains of popular music emanated from a
radio on a nearby newsstand. When she
reached the corner and was about to toss the envelope into the waste bin, Rosa
paused to contemplate the weight and thickness of her trash find. Maybe she should check inside the envelope, just
in case it contained something valuable that had been dropped
accidentally. She lifted the envelope
flap to discover a short stack of currency.
To be precise, the envelope contained a stack of hundred dollar bills.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
The
crowds ceased to flow around her as Rosa’s mind carried her far away to a land
of new possibilities. With this windfall
of cash, she could buy the homeless man many good meals. She could get the best quality baby
thermometer available for Juan. Maybe
she could even pay off her debt to the nursing home. Then Rosa wondered about the person who had
dropped the envelope of money. Perhaps
that person had debts to pay, hungry children and sick relatives, just as she
did. Would it be possible to return the
cash to its rightful owner? It was in an
ordinary white bank envelope with no name or identifying information written
upon it. If she tried to turn it in (to
whom? the police? a bank?), would it
ever find its way back into the hands that had dropped it? Rosa thought not. Besides, hadn’t she prayed to the Virgin
Mother for relief? This money – which
she alone of all the passing throng had noticed and retrieved – must be the
answer to that prayer.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Glancing
up at the clock on a nearby storefront, Rosa realized that she was going to be
late for her shift at the hospital if she didn’t fly. She carefully placed the envelope in a pocket
inside the battered, ancient hobo bag she carried everywhere, before continuing
briskly down the avenue. She would wait
until after work to find a drug store where she could purchase the baby
thermometer. And then she would find a
church where she could light a candle and pray.
Having sent so many prayers for money winging up to heaven, Rosa
wondered fleetingly if the Virgin Mary was already waiting patiently to receive
her prayers of gratitude.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Catherine Pherson</b>
was born in California and raised mainly in North Carolina. A
theatrical actress by trade, she has performed in many shows, including </span><i style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Lettuce and Lovage, The Mousetrap, </i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">and </span><i style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Master Class</i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">. She lives in New Jersey with her husband, Rob, and is mother to Jessica and Mallory and grandmother to Lily and April. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Read more about Catherine Pherson on </span><a href="http://theveillee.blogspot.com/p/matchbox.html" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The Matchbox</a><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">!</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Has
this tale inspired you to want to take action and have your voice
heard? Please send us your work today at veilleesubmissions@gmail.com. </span></span>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Feedback is greatly appreciated and encouraged!</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>Em + Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12651833449881968705noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2246906619359480278.post-89633503249928911172012-03-01T11:33:00.001-05:002012-03-02T10:26:43.732-05:00A Portrait of the Heroine<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
To kick-off our "<a href="http://theveillee.blogspot.com/2012/02/call-for-march-submissions-champion.html">Champion Your Cause</a>" theme for March, we have a little gem brought to you by our own Emerald Nash. Em wrote this story several years ago, but current events involving a certain technology giant inspired her to revive it. The tale paints a picture of the archetypal heroine overcoming obstacles laid before her by those wishing to keep her weak and contained -- a slave to progress (i.e. the Industrial Revolution). Allow yourself to be swept back in time and witness a young girl becoming a woman, taking control, and truly championing a cause -- in this case, her own freedom.</div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
Enjoy, and be inspired!</div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
-- Jess </div>
<br />
<br />
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<style>
<!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:"Times New Roman";
panose-1:0 2 2 6 3 5 4 5 2 3;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:50331648 0 0 0 1 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:SimSun;
mso-font-alt:宋体;
mso-font-charset:134;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:3 680460288 22 0 262145 0;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{mso-style-parent:"";
margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-language:ZH-CN;}
p.MsoCommentText, li.MsoCommentText, div.MsoCommentText
{margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-language:ZH-CN;}
span.MsoCommentReference
{font-size:8.0pt;}
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-parent:"";
font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";}
@page Section1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in;
mso-header-margin:.5in;
mso-footer-margin:.5in;
mso-paper-source:0;}
div.Section1
{page:Section1;}
-->
</style>
</div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
They
Shall Not Win Today</div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
by Emerald Nash</div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">
Mary was already
up when the whistle sounded. Wrapped in a shawl, she stood as close to the
fireplace as caution would allow. She had nothing to warm her belly; nothing to
warm her soul. Even the sun neglected her at this hour, and the puny sparks of
the fire were miserable in comparison. Those empty, early hours were always the
worst. She thought the heaviness in her chest might crush her.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">
The second whistle
blew, slicing through the silent countryside. Mary, seized by reflex, started
to reach for her bonnet, but she caught herself and stood quite still.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“Not today,” she
said. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">
Speaking aloud
sometimes made her feel less alone. Other times it compounded her isolation: a
single voice echoing against bare walls.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">
She put the fire out, then wondered at
herself for doing so. The place could burn to the ground for all she cared. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">
Once all
preparations had been made, she opened the door to the frosty air and looked
one last time around the single room hut. Her eyes settled for a moment on the
makeshift cot which once supported her mother’s lifeless body. Mary could see
her there, not dead from
disease or childbirth or accident, but from her body’s absolute refusal to go
on.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">
Mary’s mother had
been beautiful once. She'd had milky skin and deep chestnut hair which contrasted
Mary’s flaxen curls and ruddy complexion. And she glowed with an especially
strong inner light. Until hardship wore it away, erasing the color from her
cheeks; dousing the fire in her eyes. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%;">
Mary
turned and shut the door on those memories.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">
Breath rose in a
white cloud before her; she wrapped the shawl tightly around her thin frame. It
was dark, but to the east streaks of crimson were beginning to shoot forth from
the horizon. She saw in the distance, ablaze with the first flames of morning,
the looming smoke stacks of the factory. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">
Soon those
monstrous funnels would spew streams of filthy air. Men, women, boys and girls,
would all file into the building – bracing themselves for the long day of work.
For once, she would not join them. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">
She continued to
watch the silhouetted structure. The gates of Hell. Like an image straight from
the pages of Dante.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">
She set out with
her boots crunching against the frozen mud.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">
How often she had
looked at the Roman road in the distance, with that ancient wall somewhere at
the end of it. A wall built by Hadrian’s laborers, laborers just like herself.
A wall built to stay the barbarians, those unwashed hordes of the north.
Thinking of them always brought her strength. Even the mightiest forces of oppression
had limitations. Perhaps if she turned wild enough — painted her face blue,
matted her hair with lime, took to the woods — she could then beat back the
legions that threatened her.<span class="MsoCommentReference"><a class="msocomanchor" href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=2246906619359480278&pli=1#_msocom_1" id="_anchor_1" name="_msoanchor_1"></a><span style="display: none;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">
The road stretched
out over hills and vales, she admired its perfect straightness, and thought of
those savage northern folk; no
longer “savage,” no longer free, but part of the growing machine that was
Britain, her country.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-indent: 0.5in;">
Today she would
take that Roman road, but she was half afraid her body would betray her, turn
back, and carry her to the inferno.
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: left;">
<i>No. Not today.</i> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: left;">
Before
reaching the road, she encountered Mrs. Armstrong, plodding along toward the mill.</div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: left;">
“Miss
Mary, aren’t you headed to work?”</div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“I’m going to the ships.”</div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: left;">
The
bushes were now rippling with birdsong and the sky was ash-colored. </div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: left;">
Mrs.
Armstrong was still and silent, then nodded once and said, “Godspeed you,
child.” </div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: left;">
Two
hours down the road Mary stopped for a rest and craved her morning serving of watery, factory-provided, porridge. She removed her boots, rubbed her sore feet, and sat.
Perhaps she should turn back. The image of her mother’s lifeless face flashed
before her. She rose and continued moving, the heaviness in her chest had
returned.</div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: left;">
Mary
reached her destination; the blood surged furiously through her veins, pounding
in her ears. Her hands began to sweat. Her mouth went dry. </div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: left;">
<i>Give
me strength</i>, she prayed.<i> Give me courage.</i></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: left;">
Aside
from the factory, the ship was the largest thing she had ever seen. And there
were so many people — everywhere. She felt paralyzed standing at the base of
the gangplank. Finally, she spoke to a man in a uniform standing on the dock.</div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: left;">
“I
beg your pardon, sir,” she nearly whispered, so low he did not hear. She
repeated herself with more volume, “I beg your pardon.” </div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: left;">
The
man turned and looked at her, “Yes?”</div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: left;">
“How
do I get on the ship, sir?” </div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: left;">
At
first he laughed at the question’s simplicity. Then, noticing her anxiety, he
wrinkled his brow and said, “Over there,” and pointed to a small building
further along the dock, “you can buy a ticket.” </div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: left;">
“Thank
you, sir.” </div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: left;">
She
exchanged nearly all of her coins for the passage. Again she stood at the bottom
of the plank. The wind swirled brutally about her and she stared at the choppy
grey water, rough and ruthless. She had never seen so much water. It was
endless. The sun was now fully up, casting a soft magical light on the world.
The air smelled of salt and fish and coal and too many people. The sound of
hooves on stone mingled with the screeching of gulls, the shouts of dock
workers, and the cries of vendors.</div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: left;">
While
Mary gazed, lost in her reverie, an old shawlie worked her way through the motley crowd. She
approached groups and individuals alike, offering up fortunes. Her requests for
shillings and pennies were thinly masked as humble afterthoughts. But
when she arrived at the place where Mary stood, her face changed – features
arranging themselves into the countenance of a concerned mother. She seized
Mary by the arm, not unkindly. </div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: left;">
“My
dear,” she croaked. “Do you not see her?”</div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: left;">
Startled,
Mary jerked to free her arm, but it would not be freed. She looked down at the
shriveled crone. </div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: left;">
“I
have no money.” She said.</div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: left;">
The
woman ignored the comment. “You have devils on all sides. <i>She</i> is keeping
them at bay.”</div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: left;">
Mary
stared into the dark, wizened eyes. “I don’t know what you’re speaking of.”</div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: left;">
“There
is a woman, yonder. Dark of hair she is. And watching you.” </div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
Mary spun and
scanned the crowd wildly.</div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
The old woman
continued. “You are safe. They shall be powerless against you. They shall not
win today.” She patted Mary’s arm affectionately. “May God and all his angels
keep you, child.” And with that she moved away. </div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%; text-align: left;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
For
a moment Mary stared at the spot where the old woman had been, and a tear slid
down her cheek. She turned and looked at the swarm moving up the gangplank.
Before she knew it, her boots were pounding out a hollow rhythm on the boards –
one to echo her own heartbeat. As she
reached the top, she turned and looked one last time for a dark haired woman in
the crowd, but could see nothing through the sea of shoulders. And so, with the
old woman’s words ringing in her head, she allowed herself to be swept away. <i>They
shall not win today.</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 200%;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<i> </i></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<div>
<div class="msocomtxt" id="_com_3">
<div class="MsoCommentText" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"></span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Emerald Nash</b>
is currently based in Brooklyn. She studied performing arts at The
American Musical and Dramatic Academy, and received her B.A. in
Literature and Screenwriting from The New School. Her current day job at
The Explorers Club involves brandy-sipping adventurers, a plethora of
dead animal trophies, and one really cool live cat named Lowell. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Has this tale inspired you to want to take action and have your voice heard? Please send us your work today at veilleesubmissions@gmail.com. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Feedback is greatly appreciated and encouraged!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>Em + Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12651833449881968705noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2246906619359480278.post-44116869356195289332012-02-28T10:14:00.000-05:002012-02-28T10:14:56.223-05:00The River<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
OK. We're getting things back on track here. It's not even March yet, but we're certainly feeling madness already. Here's a little ditty to calm things down though, a dreamy poem to get lost in, we only hope it doesn't bring you to tears. But, if it does, we hope it's in a good way.<br />
<br />
-Jess </div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.scenicreflections.com/ithumbs/THE_RIVER_DUCKS_Wallpaper_ygxa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.scenicreflections.com/ithumbs/THE_RIVER_DUCKS_Wallpaper_ygxa.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<style>
<!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:"Times New Roman";
panose-1:0 2 2 6 3 5 4 5 2 3;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:50331648 0 0 0 1 0;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{mso-style-parent:"";
margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";}
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-parent:"";
font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";}
@page Section1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in;
mso-header-margin:.5in;
mso-footer-margin:.5in;
mso-paper-source:0;}
div.Section1
{page:Section1;}
-->
</style>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;">
The River</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;">
by Alyssa Walker </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;">
The river is calling</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;">
It’s swaying me so</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;">
Icy blue waters</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;">
Mesmerized by their flow</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;">
The ducks float so lightly</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;">
While I watch my pebbles sink</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;">
The blue turns to black</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;">
Darker than ink</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;">
Clouds form overhead</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;">
The sun disappears</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;">
The river is running</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;">
As fast as my tears</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Alyssa Walker</b> is a stay-at-home mom who likes to write poetry and paint in her spare time. She lives </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">in New Jersey near the Passaic River, which inspired her to write this poem. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Comments are appreciated! Remember, we're still looking for March submissions. Read all about it </span><a href="http://theveillee.blogspot.com/2012/02/call-for-march-submissions-champion.html" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">here</a><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. Happy Tuesday :)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>Em + Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12651833449881968705noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2246906619359480278.post-77852097461753732412012-02-23T10:52:00.003-05:002012-02-23T10:52:58.000-05:00HOLY FREE WRITING CLASSES!!! (At Columbia.)Um, for serious. Check this out: <a href="http://arts.columbia.edu/intro-courses-2012">http://arts.columbia.edu/intro-courses-2012</a>.<br />
<br />
Columbia is giving their grad students an opportunity to teach, and you should take full advantage! Sign up by 6:00pm on February 25th. Classes begin on February 27th. The class times are a little tough to find, so I'm
providing you with a <a href="http://arts.columbia.edu/files/soa/content/Spring_2012_Intro_coursebook.pdf">short cut</a>! <br />
<br />
Think about it, you could take classes where James Franco once snoozed.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://theblemish.com/images/2009/03/james-franco-columbia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="247" src="http://theblemish.com/images/2009/03/james-franco-columbia.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Many thanks to my awesome roommate for sharing this info!<br />
<br />
Write on,<br />
Em <br />
<br />
<br />Em + Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12651833449881968705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2246906619359480278.post-20401319296752302772012-02-21T17:25:00.001-05:002012-02-21T17:28:27.413-05:00CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: Champion Your Cause<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://liberalwarriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/vintage-war-propaganda-posters251.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://liberalwarriors.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/vintage-war-propaganda-posters251.jpg" width="216" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
Do you ever feel overwhelmed by all the causes out there?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
Don’t eat it if it’s not organic; don’t buy it if it’s not locally grown. Recycle, reuse. Don’t waste water. Fight the oil industry by
driving eco-friendly cars, or by riding a bike. Don’t buy clothing from Target,
Wal-Mart, H&M, Forever 21, Gap, Old Navy, Nike, Lacoste, Donna Karan, or
pretty much any other name brand ever invented. They use sweatshops and child
labor. Hey – there’s always American Apparel! But should we really support
those ad campaigns with the anorexic, coked up-looking models who are most likely underage? You’re dirt poor but still need furniture, eh? Don’t buy it from
IKEA. Don’t drink coffee or eat chocolate unless it’s Fair Trade. Don’t shop
from Trader Joe’s or eat at Chipotle; they mistreat farm workers. Your computer
died and you need another one? Tough luck, there’s no such thing as an ethically
manufactured laptop. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
It's always something: the healthcare debacle, our earth’s dwindling resources,
global warming, climate change, blood diamonds, human trafficking, hydraulic fracturing,
rape, war, poverty – makes your head swim, doesn’t it?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
Most of us care deeply about ALL of these issues, but sometimes
you have to pick your battles. And that’s what we’d like you to do for the
month of March here at <i>The Veillee</i>.
Please pick a cause that’s near to your heart, and help us understand
it on a deeper, more personal level. Give us more than a hastily shared link on
Facebook. If you write it, we’ll read it with the seriousness and attention it
deserves. Whether it’s through fiction, non-fiction or poetry, give us
something that we can tuck away and use as ammunition during our weak moments.
It’s so easy to turn off and tune out. Help us remember why we must not let our guard down.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
Please submit material to <a href="mailto:veilleesubmissions@gmail.com">veilleesubmissions@gmail.com</a>. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>Em + Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12651833449881968705noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2246906619359480278.post-8512311365765822382012-02-16T10:48:00.000-05:002012-02-29T23:36:37.414-05:00Liar<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
I've been completely addicted to detective stories and murder mysteries lately, so when the following submission appeared in our inbox, it felt like receiving a nice little a box of gourmet chocolates -- impeccably crafted, satisfying to the core, and wrapped in attractively compact packaging. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
Maybe you can't read that massive New York Times bestseller at your office desk, but you can read this. And you should!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
-Em</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;">
<u>Liar</u></div>
<div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">By James Robinson </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> I haven’t slept in days. I lay here, staring at the ceiling and listening to the incessant hum of
the fluorescent lights above me and I think. And God help me, I remember. </span></div>
<div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
My mother came to see me, once.
Aside from various police officials she has been my only visitor. She walked
in, that same stooped shuffle that had carried her as long as I could remember,
and she could not look at me. I didn’t dare breathe, praying, hoping she would
look me in my eyes. Finally, she raised her head and our eyes met through the
glass and I saw. I saw that dawning horror I had seen so many times the past
few days and I knew that she knew. She knew what had become of mama’s darling
bouncing boy. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
A murderer. She had raised a
murderer. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
One look was all she wanted. A few
seconds of emotions flying across her face too fast to follow and she was
stumbling out of the room, tears in her eyes. The strongest woman I had ever
known, and all it took was one look at the burden, the knowledge in my eyes and
she had broken. Momentary guilt was followed by a feeling of exultation. I had
always been broken. It was only fair she was too.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
My sin, other than the obvious, was
loving too much. I think. Perhaps I may have been too possessive, I don’t know.
My thoughts are getting more and more muddled. I just want to sleep but those
GODDAMN LIGHTS. If I could just close my eyes…But if I close my eyes I know all
I will see is her.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
Karen. Tiny, adorable Karen. Barely coming up to my chest she moved with
the quiet confidence of someone twice her size and three times as beautiful. I
wanted that. I wanted (to be?) her as soon as I saw that self-assured stride. I
imagine Cleopatra walked like that, occasionally deigning a nod to one of her
worthier subjects and lighting their life for a small instant. Except I didn’t
want an instant. What I got was three months. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
I will not say it was too good to
be true, because it wasn’t. Aside from her unnatural confidence, Karen had a bitterness
to her; a coolness to the rest of humanity that I never saw a reason for. It
left a sharp edge where most people wanted soft roundness. It made us a good
match in my eyes, her coldness and my isolationism. We did well together.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
Eventually, obviously, she broke it
off and I may have overreacted a bit. I did not touch her, or threaten her.
Aside from my awe for her, I was afraid that if she felt inferior for even a
moment, that glorious confidence would be gone forever and she would be lost to
me. I just watched. There’s no harm in watching, right? Of course not.
Sometimes she knew I was there, most of the time she did not. And then she
left.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
How dare she? She knew what I
needed from her, and it was easy to get. She didn’t have to do a thing. Why was
that so hard? Just walk. Walk and I watch. I paced the sidewalk outside her
apartment for days, not believing. I may have overreacted a bit. Did I say that
already? The humming. You understand. I may have gotten a bit angry. Ok, I was
seething inside. What she freely gave to everyone around her was too good for
me to catch the fringes of. She was already lost to me, confidence be damned. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
So when I saw her duck into the
alley that went behind her apartment I followed her. I just wanted to talk. I
wanted her to know how I felt, that not everyone was a cold-hearted bitch. That
normal people have feelings and you DON’T FUCK WITH FEELINGS. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
When I turned the corner she was
waiting. She just stood there, all illusion of confidence shattered. She was
shaking. It was all an illusion. A lie. This whole time she was lying to me
with every step she took. Here, finally, she was being honest with me. I was
grateful. It would make everything easier.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
We both looked down when the knife
came out, a sharp light in the gloom. She began to back away and I closed, the
knife burying to the hilt in soft, yielding flesh.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“I’m sorry.”</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
It came out a whisper. She answered
with a weak smile. The sympathy and warmth in her eyes was a blow to my chest,
leaving me unable to breathe. I didn’t understand, and then I did. Yes, it had
been a lie, but not the lie I thought. I thought she was weakness hiding behind
a guise of strength. I hadn’t been sorry. I was the liar. A liar, and now, a
murderer.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
I sat there with her, holding on to
her until I felt the warmth of her body leave, but I hadn’t been thinking ahead
and now it showed. Someone had called the police. Two black and whites screamed
around the corner and slammed to a stop, the officers scrambling to get to me.
I sat woodenly, too numb to resist.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
It was all rather straightforward
from there. I was sure people had seen me watching Karen’s apartment. I was at
the crime scene covered in blood. My fingerprints were all over the murder
weapon. What could I say in my defense? Two uniforms flanked me, keeping me
there until a detective had looked over the scene. A quick walk through
apparently gave him all the information he needed. Finally, he looked at the
corpse. He looked at me; giving me a slightly sad, disgusted shake of the head
and waving the uniforms to take me away.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
Since then I haven’t slept a wink.
They say you can tell when you’ve the murderer. When you put him in his cell he
goes right to sleep. He knows he’s been caught. If that were admissible
evidence, any jury could take one look into my insomniac’s eyes and immediately
find me innocent. But I’m not.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
A sound. My door. They have kept me
waiting long enough; it’s time to tell them my story. Two of them come through
the door, the detective from the scene dimming the lights on their way in.
Thank God, the humming stops. The one I don’t recognize turns on a bright
overhead I hadn’t noticed before and points it in my face. I expect them to
interrogate me or ask me why. They do neither. Instead one of them begins
reciting the details in a disinterested monotone.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
“22 year old male, puncture wound
to the chest.” </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
No, no no. How stupid are these
people? They’ve left me alone all this time and now they’re going to try and
pin the wrong murder on me?</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
At least the humming is gone. I can
gather my thoughts. I will confess. I owe her no less. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
Except…I gather my thoughts.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
The detective, walking through the
scene of the crime. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
He looked at the corpse. He looked
at me.<b style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">James Robinson</b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> is a (recently) former US Marine. He is a student currently
enrolled in his first semester at a community college. No, he won't tell
you which one. Aren't they all the same? He has no idea what degree he
is pursuing or what to do with this new thing called "free time," so
this week he wrote something. When James was ten his father made the
mistake of leaving his Brian Lumley books out, starting James's
one-sided love affair with horror</span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>Em + Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12651833449881968705noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2246906619359480278.post-17283546701000094302012-02-14T13:05:00.000-05:002012-02-14T23:40:05.252-05:00Love & Passion<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://preraphaelitesociety.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/burne-jones-love-among-the-ruins.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://preraphaelitesociety.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/burne-jones-love-among-the-ruins.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
It's that day again! The day so many of us claim to hate because of its corporate associations. A day filled with red and pink, hearts and roses, naked cherubim and the hope that something fantastically romantic will pop out of nowhere and take us by surprise.</div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
Perhaps it was my parents and their love of celebration that made this day special for me as a child. I always woke up to something bright, shiny, and heart-shaped on the breakfast table. It was exciting! Now, as an adult, I always try to make Valentine's Day fun and whimsical. It just feels like a perfect excuse to celebrate, and to express love! </div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
So today at The Veillee we've decided to dive into the theme of love and passion, and have gathered some poems for the occasion. Love has many forms, and though, according to some, we can thank Chaucer and those crazy troubadours of the middle ages for linking Valentine's Day with Romantic love, it's often good to think about what truly makes our hearts beat. What is it that gets us out of bed every day? What, or who, makes our world spin? The following poems deal with just that, and we're thrilled to feature them here on this special day!</div>
<br />
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
XO!</div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Em</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<u>The Nape of Your Neck</u> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">By Jessica Pherson</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
My favorite part of you</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
My lips fit right in</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
So soft and tender</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
So delicate and sweet</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
The perfume outpouring</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
From such a small spot</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
I could look at it forever</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
My nose happily ingrained</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
Into that little</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
Nape of your neck</div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;">
<u>THE WORK</u></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">By Catherine Pherson</span><u> </u></div>
<br />
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;">
Crisp white blouse, navy pleats of skirt<br />
Hair waves of liquid amber<br />
Patiently waiting to swallow the bitter brew<br />
Joyful singing and guitars<br />
Musical prayer <br />
<br />
Give me strength, give me love, give me light <br />
<br />
Scent of flowers, sound of the heart of the forest<br />
Blazing light behind the eyes<br />
Joining of prayers for the voyage heavenward<br />
Asking God to use this<br />
Lump of clay<br />
<br />
Others arriving, auras of rainbow all around<br />
Flitting the periphery<br />
Quickening heartbeat, sweet anticipation<br />
Shine Your light through me<br />
To lead them home <br />
<br />
Black pours in, obliterating everything<br />
All energy flowing away<br />
So much suffering, so much unbearable pain<br />
How can it possibly<br />
Be healed <br />
<br />
Give me strength, give me love, give me light <br />
<br />
Trembling, shaking with the force of beings<br />
Lost in eternal darkness<br />
Terrified of retribution, craving forgiveness<br />
Seeking the holy light<br />
In blind hope <br />
<br />
The light is the way, no ferocity will prevail<br />
Only humility and love<br />
Beautiful, loving light beams shining out<br />
From fissures in the heart<br />
Follow them <br />
<br />
All of us together in a boat on the sea<br />
Sailing toward<br />
An unknown shore, an uncertain destiny<br />
Fear not, for the Lord<br />
Is with us <br />
<br />
Give me strength, give me love, give me light <br />
<br />
Body collapsed in exhaustion, mind numb<br />
Filled with gratitude<br />
For the opportunity to serve God, brothers and sisters<br />
Thanks for all good gifts<br />
Amen</div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<u><span style="font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace;">Mesmerized</span></u><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace;">By Jessica Pherson</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace;">Mesmerized</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace;">That’s how you leave me</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace;">I don’t know how else to say it</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace;">I don’t know how it happened</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace;">That night</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace;">Not so long ago</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace;">Who would’ve thought?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace;">Not I</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace;">We shocked ’em all, babe</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace;">None more than I</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace;">I think you felt just as surprised</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace;">As I did</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace;">Look at us now</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace;">No more coat check for us</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace;">No more sleepless nights</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace;">Unless we’re star gazing</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace;">So much anticipation</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace;">So much on the way</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace;">It’s only just beginning</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace;">And I’m glad I got you</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace;">For now let’s just get cozy</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace;">For now let’s just relax</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace;">For now let’s just try to enjoy it</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace;">And hope that it always lasts</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;">
<u>Embrace</u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">By Jessica Pherson</span><br />
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;">
I knew it wasn’t over</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;">
But I’d thought I’d gotten close</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;">
But then I had to see you</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;">
And had to be caught in your embrace</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;">
I wasn’t expecting it</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;">
I wasn’t expecting it to be so grand</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;">
I didn’t want to let you go</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;">
I could’ve devoured you right there</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;">
But, it wouldn’t have been right</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;">
No, we’re not allowed</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;">
But, you told me you loved me</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;">
And you told me how much you missed me</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;">
And that was enough</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;">
And I was left </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;">
<i>Satisfied </i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;">
By your words</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;">
Your embrace was so perfect</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;">
I could’ve held you forever</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;">
I’ll never forget it</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;">
Like all the other special moments we’ve had</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;">
The butterflies I’ve caught in my net</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;">
But, had to set free</div>
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Catherine Pherson</b> was born in California and raised mainly in North Carolina. A theatrical actress by trade, she has performed in many shows, including </span><i style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Lettuce and Lovage, The Mousetrap, </i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">and </span><i style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Master Class</i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">. She lives in New Jersey with her husband, Rob, and is mother to Jessica and Mallory and grandmother to Lily and April. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Jessica Pherson</b> is one of the Founders of The Veillee and author of her own blog,<a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_493996523"> Healthy Mommy, Healthy Baby. </a>She
works from home part time for an eco-friendly jewelry company/retailer
and is also a stay-at-home mom to Lily. </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
Read more about Catherine Pherson and Jessica Pherson on <a href="http://theveillee.blogspot.com/p/matchbox.html">The Matchbox</a>!</div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Em + Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12651833449881968705noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2246906619359480278.post-3410532641845769822012-02-09T10:24:00.001-05:002012-02-10T09:56:52.874-05:00Only Anarchist (Avengers) Are Pretty<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Greetings Veillee people! We're excited to hear your feedback on today's submission. It's a dreamy little tale, which will have all you artist-trapped-in-office types cheering from your cubicles. </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The weekend is nearly here. Until then, let Kacy Muir sweep you away from your desk and that creepy boss of yours. Just make sure he or she is not hovering over your shoulder...</span> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Only Anarchist (Avengers) Are Pretty</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">by Kacy Muir</span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Sharon dreamt the night before. An apocalyptic fairytale with people running out of a building in droves, steadfast and opposite the direction she had been.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">When she woke, she felt satisfied. It was 6:45 A.M. on Friday – the only day the office was given permission to dress casually.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Sharon traded in her usual dress and suit attire for something she was comfortable in– something the old Sharon would not punch her in the face for wearing — a gray sweater covering an O.A.A.P. handmade shirt, black jeans, and Doc Martin boots.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Sharon sat at her desk, directly in front of a large office. The door to the office was closed but within the room she heard her boss muted by a woman with a cackling laugh–the kind of laugh that could draw blood.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">She blotted her lips in boredom, making a popping sound that echoed throughout the office.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">As Sharon rotated in her chair, she passively spent the day thinking about getting out of this place. She became someone she never thought she would– a yes girl to everyone but herself.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">She spent most of her days saying yes to her slimy boss Vinny Spinoza – doing all the deeds necessary to keep her job as his executive assistant. But there were some things she was not willing to do.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">His advances and his all-too-uncomfortable stares had grown to not just upset her, but to create this notion that the only way he could be stopped was to end him for good. As if she had been some feminine avenger and he, Doctor Arthur Light — entrapping her in darkness.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Sharon really wanted to tell her boss to go screw. She wanted to dial his pregnant wife and say that her beloved husband, instead of doing over-time, was in fact, doing every two-leg opening in this goddamn place.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Years before, Sharon was using words with vigor. Busy banding with her brothers and sisters in the darkened Corner House as they recited slam poetry back and forth over a pint or two.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Over the years, she turned into a babbling baby. One concerned with the expectation of others. It was a disappointing blow to her creativity, but she had to pay the bills. Without a family or a home to call her own, she was her only source of solace.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">But, once that notion inside of her began to develop, she became something so much more. As if in all her post punk glory she was shining with the truth and knowledge that seemed to surpass others around her.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">When Sharon walked into the office this morning, she had done so with a purpose unknown to every frantic passerby on the street. But for her, she had every reason in the world to continue ahead.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Today, she would burn this place to the ground and with it, Vinny Spinoza.</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Kacy Muir</b> is </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">a
freelance writer from Brooklyn, NY by way of New Brunswick, NJ. Her
life and travels fill her works with such topics as guerrilla baking,
Bruce Springsteen, and searching for the real-life Lloyd Dobler. She
has been published in </span><i style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The Weekender</i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">, an arts and entertainment magazine and </span><i style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Blood Lotus</i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">, an online literary journal. She is currently working on a poetry chapbook about her daily subway travels.</span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Visit her blog, <a href="http://songsofsirens.wordpress.com/">Songs of Sirens</a>, to read more of Kacy's work.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Read more about Miss Muir at <a href="http://theveillee.blogspot.com/p/matchbox.html">The Matchbox</a>. </span>Em + Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12651833449881968705noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2246906619359480278.post-18527861934218561642012-02-07T11:42:00.001-05:002012-02-07T11:42:58.955-05:00Something to Savor<span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande',tahoma,verdana,arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;"></span><br />
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We hope you all enjoyed your weekends. Ours were filled with family functions, Marilyn Monroe flicks, all night partying, and what Em described as "the best Superbowl party ever." Sa-weeet. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">As we informed you in <a href="http://theveillee.blogspot.com/2012/02/schedule-change.html">our last post</a>, we will now be posting on Tues and Thurs in order to give you readers more time to savor these lovely works. This is subject to change depending on how many submissions we start to receive. And today's post is definitely something to savor, with a melodic poem from artist-extraordinaire Jessica Licciardello. Enjoy and please leave feedback, thanks!</span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px;">
<b><span style="font-size: small;">We Are The Birds of Light</span></b></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;">by Jessica Licciardello</span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Bring forth holding flag of life</span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;">
come from above with God spirit shine</span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;">with this message is known kind</span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;">
this truth known while underway</span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;">threadbare withers and torn</span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;">
not for us that destiny bechose</span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;">did not create the bird of prey</span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;">
which did come to being </span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;">a hellish tool did make</span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;">
not similar, nothing same</span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;">seen it now our course</span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;">
fashioned with love the word</span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;">the comfort of this known be</span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;">
will bring us our time</span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;">for we are the birds of light</span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;">
we will have our home</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4jY47oKtWPM9HsOa5KBHrWe69W0TtJwcxv-E6hpUts3sXulbgKdUkGoTdrrVVJ8nZdjMjgCYpXtCpB5HEqx85F8oZArKQW0Hs_JqBk9BSPF50z7NZZNkdiSXe2qjyUfBP3fUIjVvMYDoS/s1600/BirdsofLight.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4jY47oKtWPM9HsOa5KBHrWe69W0TtJwcxv-E6hpUts3sXulbgKdUkGoTdrrVVJ8nZdjMjgCYpXtCpB5HEqx85F8oZArKQW0Hs_JqBk9BSPF50z7NZZNkdiSXe2qjyUfBP3fUIjVvMYDoS/s320/BirdsofLight.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">original artwork by Jessica Licciardello</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px;">
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Jessica Licciardello is an artist and illustrator that has been drawing
and painting since childhood. She earned a BA Degree in Studio Art and
Art History from Marist College in New York, and she is now based in
Montclair, New Jersey. Her unique style and visual techniques capture
the essence of color, texture and thought provoking composition. Her inspiration is drawn from her experiences in life,
art, music, reflecting time spent in nature roaming the land of the
Hudson Valley, and the abundantly fruitful landscapes of the Garden
State. This is her first published poem.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Learn more about Jessica and her work at <a href="http://www.saatchionline.com/jessicalicciardello">Saatchionline.com</a> and at her gallery's <a href="http://www.facebook.com/jessicalicciardelloartwork">Facebook page</a>.</span><br />
<br />
</div>Em + Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12651833449881968705noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2246906619359480278.post-83351411616962840502012-02-04T16:46:00.001-05:002012-02-04T16:46:02.839-05:00Schedule Change!Hi all!<br />
<br />
SO -- we just wanted to give everyone a heads up about the change in our posting schedule. Though we started out with a bang, we'd like to take things down a notch and spend more time savoring our submissions. (This actually means that we're trying to give people more time to read and comment. PLEASE COMMENT!)<br />
<br />
Starting next week, we will be posting only on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Please do stop by and take a look at our new offerings. We gurantee they'll be cool. <br />
<br />
For now, here's the internet's standard picture blogs featuring hot guys and girls reading. What more could you want on a Saturday afternoon? You're welcome.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://hotgirlsreading.tumblr.com/">http://hotgirlsreading.tumblr.com/</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" height="320" sda="true" src="http://30.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l2bx1jUE2h1qc0rgyo1_500.jpg" width="249" /></div>
<br />
<a href="http://hotguysreadingbooks.tumblr.com/">http://hotguysreadingbooks.tumblr.com/</a><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.jeffandwill.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/tumblr_ldhg1mI2qJ1qarksao1_1280-e1292621603925.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" sda="true" src="http://www.jeffandwill.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/tumblr_ldhg1mI2qJ1qarksao1_1280-e1292621603925.jpg" width="228" /></a></div>
<br />
Love,<br />
Jess and EmEm + Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12651833449881968705noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2246906619359480278.post-87008351434832201122012-02-01T11:13:00.000-05:002012-02-01T11:13:28.819-05:00February Call for Submissions<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Thank you all for all your support and feedback during the first three weeks of our little blog's launch. All comments and words of encouragement are all greatly appreciated and taken into account! We hope you will continue to visit for future posts, and catch up on any of the quality posts you may have missed.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">This month we're still looking for submissions, and the suggested them is: passion! We'd love for you to write about your personal passion -- whatever that may be -- or about passion in general. It doesn't need to be "sexy passion" (unless you want
it be!), just anything that drives you or a character in a story, poem,
play, etc. Also, with February being Black History Month, and the month
of Valentine's Day, feel free to share something related to either of
those themes. A poem in support of equality...divulge on your first
kiss...an ode to the love of your life...a tribute to an inspiring
African-American...the possibilities are endless! By no means does your submission need to coincide with these ideas, they are merely suggestions intended to invoke inspiration. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Send all submissions, comments and inquiries to veilleesubmissions@gmail.com. We want to hear from you and put your writing on The Veillee! What are you waiting for?</span></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://write-strong.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/creative-writing-prompts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://write-strong.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/creative-writing-prompts.jpg" /></a></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>Em + Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12651833449881968705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2246906619359480278.post-40727382437693932212012-01-30T00:00:00.000-05:002012-01-30T11:36:17.242-05:00The Ninth Victim part 3<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It's Monday again, but here's something some of you may have actually been looking forward to. Without further introduction, the conclusion of Jessica Pherson's </span><i style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The Ninth Victim</i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">.</span><br />
<br />
<i style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">(if you missed parts 1 and 2, look <a href="http://theveillee.blogspot.com/2012/01/ninth-victim-part-1.html">here</a> and <a href="http://theveillee.blogspot.com/2012/01/ninth-victim-part-2.html">here</a>)</i><br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;">
The Ninth Victim part 3</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Jessica Pherson</span><i style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></i></div>
<style>
</style><br />
<style>
<!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:"Times New Roman";
panose-1:0 2 2 6 3 5 4 5 2 3;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:50331648 0 0 0 1 0;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{mso-style-parent:"";
margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";}
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-parent:"";
font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";}
@page Section1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in;
mso-header-margin:.5in;
mso-footer-margin:.5in;
mso-paper-source:0;}
div.Section1
{page:Section1;}
-->
</style>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
There it was- on the table, all for her viewing and
dissecting pleasure. She let go of
my hand and shot back up from being crouched on the floor. I felt her presence
standing behind me as my chest heaved strongly from all the tension being
released. Yet, a new sort of tension set in, one that made me uneasy and my
guts twist inside. She slowly walked around from behind me until she was
standing directly in front of me again, her eyes focused on mine and her lips
slightly parted. There was a piercing silence in the room as I sensed she
finally truly understood why I was there. It was all making sense to her now.
She took it all in, analyzing it in her own way as she stood over me like a
statuesque Greek goddess. She was a goddess to me. I suddenly felt as though I
had finally found who could be the one, the woman for me. I never do get what I
really want. </div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
“You just wanted to what?” She asked quietly. “Kill me?”
But, then she answered her own question. “You just wanted to kill me.”</div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
I just stared up at her and let my gaze do the talking. A
strange calmness came over me as my stomach stopped churning and my heartbeat
slowed down again. </div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
She suddenly let out a sound, “Humph.” She turned to look to
the side, her tongue in her cheek and hands on her hips. Betty glinted at her
side. Then she shook her head the way people do when they can’t believe what
they’re hearing, even though they know it’s true. Strands of blond hair slipped
from her ponytail as she did so. “So, what are you then?” she asked as she
lifted her head to look at me. “Some kind of serial killer psychopath?”</div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
I inhaled deeply and nodded, almost proudly. I was accepting
who I was to another person for the first time. It felt good to admit it, like
a release. I was a serial killer. Psychopath, though? Maybe, but not in my
mind. This was all completely natural, everything up until this point anyway.
Now things were a cross between a dream and a nightmare.</div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
“Wow,” she announced as she smirked at me and nodded again.
“I have a fucking serial killer psycho…in my living room.” She clapped her
hands together, still gripping the knife. “Now I think I’ve really seen it
all.”</div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
“You’re the first person I’ve ever told,” I said to her.</div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
“Well, just paint me tickled pink- did I win the lotto or
something?” She quipped sarcastically. Then she laughed an evil sort of laugh.
“This is too much…you just made this even <i>easier</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> on me now…”</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
“What?” I asked, even though I already knew the answer.</div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
“Why, getting rid of you, of course!” she exclaimed, actually
jubilant. “No one’s going to come looking for your sorry John Wayne
Gacy-looking ass!”</div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
I was offended by the John Wayne Gacy comment, and
sheepishly I looked down at my stomach. <i>Had I really gained weight?</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> “I fancy myself more for a Ted Bundy, I’d say,” I
muttered loud enough for her to hear.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
This made Christine laugh. “Your sense of humor’s better
than I thought! Hysterical! Too bad Bundy didn’t have a mustache. By the way,
it makes you look like a washed-up porn star from the ‘70s,” she said, as she
gestured toward my face with my blade. </div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
I shifted in the chair. I was starting to get really
uncomfortable, not so much emotionally, but physically; the ropes were really
starting to take their toll on my muscles. I twisted my arms about as best as I
could and swiveled my hips a bit. Christine noticed and tsked. “Oh, poor baby.
Are you uncomfortable? <i>Good.</i><span style="font-style: normal;">” </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
She stepped towards me then straddled me, climbing into my
lap. Her ass cheeks were on my knees and her breath was in my face. She got
really close again, peering right into my eyes, her hands on my shoulders,
Betty’s blade just centimeters from my right ear. “How many women have you
killed already?” she asked me in a hushed voice. She sounded sensual.</div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
I paused before responding, wondering if I should answer
honestly. I realized I didn’t have anything to lose as this point, so I did.
“Eight.”</div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
“So, I was supposed to be your ninth victim?” she asked in
the tone of a statement.</div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
“That’s right,” I replied quietly.</div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
“Huh.” She seemed to ponder over this as her eyes looked to
the side. “And what made you come after me?”</div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
I sighed. “Everything, I guess.”</div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
“Everything?”</div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
“Yeah, the way you look, the way you move, the way you…just
are. I can’t really describe it. I was just drawn to you.”</div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
“In a way that makes you want…<i>to kill me</i><span style="font-style: normal;">?”</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
I shrugged as best as I could with my arms tied behind my
back. “It’s what I do.”</div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
She stuck her tongue out a bit and curled it over her top
front teeth, and narrowed her eyes at me, mulling it all over. “You. Sick. <i>Fuck</i><span style="font-style: normal;">.” Then she got off of me and sat back down on her
sofa and crossed her arms over her chest. I felt like a boyfriend of hers who
had just said something offensive right before he was about to get laid.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
“Well, what about you?” I asked. “What’s <i>your</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> deal? You’re clearly no school teacher,” I said.
Then, reconsidered. “Or </span><i>are you</i><span style="font-style: normal;">?”</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
“Ha!” She said. “You’d like that wouldn’t you?”</div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
“Seeing as it’s summer and you’re not going to a job, it’s
entirely possible.” Again I attempted to shrug.</div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
She gave me a derisive look. “Well, sorry to disappoint
you.”</div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
“So, what are you? Some kind of professional assassin or
something?” I snorted.</div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
She looked at me with her eyebrows raised, her eyes serious,
a small smile on her lips. </div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
She was an assassin. I had wanted to kill an assassin.</div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
How badass.</div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
“Wow, really?” was all I could say. </div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
“Well, something like that,” she replied as she uncrossed
her arms and started playing around with my knife, lightly twisting the tip of
the blade into her index finger. “Too bad you’ll never really know, because no
one does who isn’t supposed to. And I don’t feel like explaining it all to you
just because you just poured your heart and soul out to me- or should I say
heart<i>less </i><span style="font-style: normal;">and soul</span><i>less</i><span style="font-style: normal;">?” </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
“What? You think you’re better than me just because you get <i>paid</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> to kill people?” She looked surprised at my comment,
so I knew I’d hit something. “So, it is true? That’s what pays for this house,
huh? And all your damn dry-cleaning! And the cheesy art on the walls.” I shook
my head a bit. “And you think you’re better than me? Lady, we’re in the same
rank it seems, okay?”</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
She leaped up at that and again brought the knife to my
throat, pressing her forehead against mine so our eyes were less than an inch
apart. “Look, <i>Tubby</i><span style="font-style: normal;">, I’m the one holding
the knife right now, so I think you should can it on the slick talk, </span><i>okay</i><span style="font-style: normal;">? I’m </span><i>nothing</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> like you and you’re </span><i>nothing </i><span style="font-style: normal;">like me, so don’t talk to me about </span><i>ranks</i><span style="font-style: normal;">. You came here to satisfy some sick, sadistic urge
inside you that probably stems from your alcoholic daddy or your mommy beating
you when she caught you jerking off. </span><i>You</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> don’t get to talk to me about you being anything </span><i>near </i><span style="font-style: normal;">to what I am! The only rank </span><i>you’re in </i><span style="font-style: normal;">is the one that caters to the slimebags the unlucky
souls in Hell </span><i>walk on</i><span style="font-style: normal;">!”</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
I stared back at her, wild-eyed and unsure of how to
respond. All I could muster was, “Okay!” It’s funny, I knew I was going to die
at her hands- I <i>had to</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> at this time
–yet, when death came as close as it just had, I still reacted fearfully and
wanting to keep a hold of my life. Survival was still in my instincts. It made
me feel human for a moment.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
She slowly loosened her grip again and pulled the knife away
from me as she stepped back closer to the couch. Then she began to speak again.
“I’ve done the things I’ve done because it’s what I was <i>meant to do.</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> Because those were the skills God gave me- to kill
people </span><i>quietly</i><span style="font-style: normal;">. To do it in a way
that makes the world a better place, </span><i>trust me.</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> I didn’t take away anyone’s darling daughters or
loving mothers. That’s what you</span><i> </i><span style="font-style: normal;">did
though, no doubt. I’ve killed your kind before. The ones who abuse women just
for fun. Just for </span><i>kicks. </i><span style="font-style: normal;">Just
because they feel bad about themselves but are too sick and deranged to even
know what to do about it, so they find pleasure in torturing and killing
others. I’ve killed the men who give men the bad names they have among women.
The corruptors, the greedy, the violent evil ones who think they can stop
anyone who gets in their way with a gun or a knife. </span><i>I </i><span style="font-style: normal;">do that because it’s what I was </span><i>meant</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> to do. Not to satisfy any animalistic urge as I’m
sure you do.”</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
I regarded her for a moment, admiring her intensity. She was
quite a woman. It really was a shame it had to end like this, without me
getting to know her in the ways I was longing to now. Sure, I was getting to
know a side of her a select few actually knew. Everyone else who saw this woman
day-to-day, like the dry cleaner, the grocer, her neighbors- they had no clue
who this woman really was. I didn’t know her either, but I knew more than they
did, and that made me feel almost as god-like as she was. I wondered if I was
beaming. I still felt I should speak my mind. “But, we are the same, you and
I,” I said. “You do take pleasure…I can tell by the way you’ve handled me
tonight. You enjoy it just as much as I do. You get off on it just as much as I
do. The only thing that separates us is a superiority complex and a paycheck-
you have both and I have neither.”</div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
Her intensity increased as I seemed to have a struck a
nerve, but it was a nerve that rang true. She knew it was true, she had to. She
had been in denial for so long, and I had released her from it, as she was
about to release me from mine. We were killers, and we enjoyed it.</div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
“I won’t get paid for my last kill, though,” she said. “This
last one is just for me.”</div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
“I’m guessing it’s not Valerie or Randall,” I said.</div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
She smiled lightly and shook her head. </div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
I closed my eyes and bowed my head. It just seemed like the
right thing to do. I was just glad it would be done with my own knife, it was
fitting. I had been through so much with Betty, and surely you’d want your
lover to pull the plug if you were in a coma living off life-support for years
and years. I was ready to wake up, to see what was next for me, to move on. I
lifted my head again and opened my eyes to look at her. She looked like a
shining beacon of light as she stood over me, her golden hair glowing like the
sun. Then I closed my eyes for the last time and let the quick darkness wash
over me. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;">
END </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Jessica Pherson</b> is one of the Founders of The Veillee and author of her own blog,<a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_493996523"> Healthy Mommy, Healthy Baby. </a>She works from home part time for an eco-friendly jewelry company/retailer and is also a stay-at-home mom to Lily. This is her first completed short story to be published online.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Learn more about Jessica by checking out <a href="http://theveillee.blogspot.com/p/matchbox.html">The Matchbox</a> section of this blog! </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">If you enjoyed it, please tell us in the comments! We love to hear feedback :) Also, remember we are looking for more read-worthy new work for February, so send your ballads today to veilleesubmissions@gmail.com.</span></b><br />
<br />
</div>Em + Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12651833449881968705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2246906619359480278.post-83064914310181452112012-01-27T09:00:00.000-05:002012-01-27T09:59:36.844-05:00The Ninth Victim Part 2<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;">
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">
We hope you enjoyed this week's offerings; we also equally hope you were left as intrigued as you were unsettled. This dreary Friday in New York brings you the second part of titillating short story, The Ninth Victim. When we last left off, our killer had just entered the home of his targeted victim, where the tables have suddenly been turned and he finds himself tied to a chair with his unlikely attacker.To catch up on or read the first part, <a href="http://theveillee.blogspot.com/2012/01/ninth-victim-part-1.html">click here.</a></div>
<div style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Otherwise, enjoy, and please comment and let us know what you think! Keep in kind, we are still looking for submissions for February! Send in your poems, stories, scripts, soliquies, whatever you got! Send them to veilleesubmissions@gmail.com and see them posted here on The Veillee!</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<br />
The Ninth Victim part 2</div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;">
Jessica Pherson </div>
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br />
<style>
J<!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:"Times New Roman";
panose-1:0 2 2 6 3 5 4 5 2 3;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:50331648 0 0 0 1 0;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{mso-style-parent:"";
margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";}
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-parent:"";
font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";}
@page Section1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in;
mso-header-margin:.5in;
mso-footer-margin:.5in;
mso-paper-source:0;}
div.Section1
{page:Section1;}
-->
</style> </div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"></span><style>
<!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:"Times New Roman";
panose-1:0 2 2 6 3 5 4 5 2 3;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:50331648 0 0 0 1 0;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{mso-style-parent:"";
margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";}
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-parent:"";
font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";}
@page Section1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in;
mso-header-margin:.5in;
mso-footer-margin:.5in;
mso-paper-source:0;}
div.Section1
{page:Section1;}
-->
</style> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
I felt beads of sweat breaking out on my forehead. Something about her tone made me think that perhaps she hadn’t called the police. But, then what was she planning to do with me? Did she have a husband or lover after all and she wanted him to do away with me instead as revenge for my invading their home with murder on the mind?</div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
Christine shifted in her seat so that she was leaning in closer with her elbows on her knees and hands outstretched in front of her, holding the red mug. She narrowed her eyes at me, trying to figure me out. “Well, let’s not beat around the bush- who sent you?” Her tone went from casual and friendly to sharp and demanding in that single sentence.</div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
I was taken aback by the question and I just stared at her, more confused than ever. <i>What did she think?</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> </span><i>That someone sent me?</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> </span><i>Why would she think that?</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> My mind was reeling. I felt like a mouse trapped in a maze searching for the escape.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
“Well?” she said, loudly. “Who sent you?” The volume of her voice was surprising.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
I started to open my mouth to say something, but I couldn’t. I can’t explain why, I just had no words and was unsure of how to respond on top of that. Perhaps if she thought someone sent me she had something to hide as well. I was intrigued. I decided to play dumb for a while. I clamped my hanging jaw back shut and exhaled heavily.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://media.wnyc.org/media/photologue/photos/cache/tied_up_medium_image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://media.wnyc.org/media/photologue/photos/cache/tied_up_medium_image.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
“What? Cat got your tongue?” She asked smugly as she chucked her chin in jest at her cat sitting on the arm of the sofa, as if they were partners in on this joke together. I still said nothing, and even went so far as to look away. Her eyes narrowed like little arrowheads in her eye sockets. “Fine,” she said. She stood up sharply and stood over me, still holding her mug. She regarded me for a moment as I looked up at her, breathing heavily again in fear of what she might do, then she tossed her steaming hot drink into my face. I cried out in pain and clamped my eyes shut from the burning. It <i>had</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> been tea apparently. Green tea. I groaned and clenched my teeth. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
“Who sent you?!” She demanded again, getting louder and firmer, less playful now. I just groaned and grimaced and struggled with the ropes. It did nothing. I was in there tighter than a boa’s prey. I tried to kick my feet and they moved less than an inch.</div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
“You’re not going <i>anywhere</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> until you tell me who fucking sent you!” She nearly screamed. Then she kicked my shin, </span><i>hard.</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> I cried out again, unable to do anything about the throbbing pain shooting up my leg or the stinging of my eyes. I figured I had better say something. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
“No one sent me!” I snapped.</div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
She said nothing for a moment, and just stood over me quietly. Then she said, “I have more hot water, you know. And <i>your knife</i><span style="font-style: normal;">.” </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
I shuddered inside at the coldness of her tone, yet I also felt strangely aroused. <i>Who was this woman</i><span style="font-style: normal;">? “No one sent me,” I repeated, slowly, trying to sound as truthful and serious as possible. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
“Liar!” She yelled.<br />
<br />
Then she was on top of me with Betty at my throat. I felt the cool blade against the delicate skin of my neck as she held it firmly against my neck. I could not get away from it. All I could do was declare my innocence about who she seemed to think I was, although innocent I was anything but. “No one sent me, <i>nobody</i><span style="font-style: normal;">!”</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
“Who was it?” She went on. “Was it the Agency? Did Randall send you?”</div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
“No!”</div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
“Was it Valerie? It was Valerie, that bitch…” She gritted her teeth and snarled like a tigress turning the tables on the hunter.</div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
“No, no.”</div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
She looked down at me in disgust without moving the knife or loosening her grip. “Well, you don’t look like the type the government would send after me, so tell me, dammit! Who sent you?”</div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
“No one sent me!” I yelled as loud as I could, which wasn’t very loud. But, it seemed to be effective since she stopped asking me and just stared into my eyes, trying to gauge whether or not I was telling the truth. She pressed the knife roughly against my neck and I felt it slide into my flesh a little. Then she was off of me and back to standing over me. I could feel a trickle of blood drip down my neck, but she hadn’t cut me deep. I exhaled like my breath was being sucked out of me. My heart beat in my chest like a drum and the blood rushed back to my head as if it had only evacuated temporarily to escape this crazed woman. I breathed heavily, like a fat man on a treadmill, and again began to struggle with the ropes out of instinct, although I knew it was futile.</div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
She stood over me, silently for a moment, holding the handle of the knife loosely, showing me she saw me as no threat. “If no one sent you,” she then began, “then why are you <i>here</i><span style="font-style: normal;">?” </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
I stared up at her, not sure of what to say. Betty’s blade flashed me in my eyes as Christine turned her wrist gently. The neckline of the over-sized T-shirt she was wearing had slipped down, revealing her bare lightly bronzed left shoulder.</div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
“I…I…came to rob you,” I muttered.</div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
“<i>To rob me</i><span style="font-style: normal;">?” she replied. She didn’t sound like she believed me.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-style: normal;"> </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
“Yes, ma’am,” I said. “But, I’m very sorry, and, if you let me go, I will leave and never come back.”</div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
“Well, how nice of you,” she said, smirking.</div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
I looked at her hopefully, but what a false hope it was. Clearly I had chosen the wrong woman to slice up that night.<br />
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
“I-I shouldn’t have broken into your house, ma’am, and I am very sorry, and I have learned my lesson. I never did this before, but I’m down on my luck as so many of us are right now…and you have such a nice home. But, but that doesn’t mean I should rob you, so I’ll just be on my way…”</div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
“What makes you think I haven’t called the police?” Christine asked, crossing her arms over her chest like a precocious little girl.</div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
“Well, I don’t know that, ma’am, but I think that if you had, they would’ve been here by now, seeing as I must have been tied up for quite some time now.”</div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
“And how do you know that?”</div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
“How do I know what?”</div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
“That you’ve been tied up for ‘quite some time’. What makes you say that?”</div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
“Well, it just feels that way, judging by how bad I feel and how you were asking me if…” My voice trailed off, as I suddenly realized what she was actually asking me.</div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
“Asking you if what?” She said.</div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
“If I was…sent by someone.”</div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
“And you say you weren’t, right?”</div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
“Right.”</div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
“You came here to rob me, as you said.”</div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
“Th-that’s right.” The beads started pouring down my cheeks again.</div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
“But, then I asked you who sent you, which means, maybe I’m not just some random woman you’ve been staking out for weeks- ten weeks and five days to be exact –maybe I’m more than that, hmm?”</div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
I felt the color drain from my face. She had known I’d been stalking her? How?</div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
She smiled again, reading my face like an open book. “That’s right, buddy-boy. I knew you were coming. I’ve been waiting for you. I’ve got a memory for faces like a hooker has for her johns. I first saw you at the book store on highway 97 and you followed me home with the carefulness of a wolf in sheep’s clothing, but you didn’t consider this one thing- the only one who can detect a wolf in sheep’s clothing is a wolf herself.” </div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc_474H2kWaQ7tjPF1oqjOp0zTIvBh73vigpSuPxUv2HdhdwmLnq9eZLVcBX9DXfEjJL6DhsfF1ASPzOfufrTNe9Fsnk1-jcrzpTPvRHYZeqvlaz3T5INm21iDBPruDS4dAjiS3eqhkDWp/s1600/knifelips.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc_474H2kWaQ7tjPF1oqjOp0zTIvBh73vigpSuPxUv2HdhdwmLnq9eZLVcBX9DXfEjJL6DhsfF1ASPzOfufrTNe9Fsnk1-jcrzpTPvRHYZeqvlaz3T5INm21iDBPruDS4dAjiS3eqhkDWp/s200/knifelips.jpg" width="200" /></a>She started to pace a bit, not taking her eyes off of me. “Now, the thing is, I wonder,” she said, pausing to lightly touch the tip of my knife’s blade to her lower lip and roll her eyes up toward the ceiling. “Would someone who simply wanted to ‘rob’ me stake me out for so long? It seems a bit ridiculous to me. I mean, I’m not <i>rich</i><span style="font-style: normal;">, now am I? Judging by my home, I clearly have money, but I’m not rich enough for you to take such a long time to come after me, right? What do you think?”</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
I didn’t know what to say, so I said nothing.</div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
“I mean, I’m not in the burglar biz or anything, so maybe you all have some type of <i>protocol </i><span style="font-style: normal;">that I may not be aware of, but I do know a thing or two about stalking people, and normally if I want to make sure I get someone, I stalk them for a fairly long time- a few weeks or a month at least. And then I would prep up with certain items, like things to pick a lock with and some rope in case the person I was robbing happened to wake up and a knife is a good idea to defend myself with in case I should need to do that…” Her voice trailed off as she fiddled with Betty for a moment, drawing attention to the fact that I fit the bill for the type of person she was describing. Then she continued, “But, a plastic sheet? Chloroform? Hmm…that’s a bit more professional I think, and for some reason, you don’t strike me as a professional robber. No, no. Something about you is…a tad bit more </span><i>sinister</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> than that.”</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
She leaned in closely to my face. I could feel her breath on me; it was warm and had the faint aroma of honey on it. Her eyes were even deeper and more beautiful up close and I was truly regretting everything I was now missing out on because of my carelessness in choosing a victim that did not fit my normal MO. What was there left for me to do now? Christine was no ordinary woman- if <i>Christine</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> was even her real name. I felt she was going to kill me no matter what I did or said, so I decided to take this as a sign from God that my number was up, and I could confess my sins to this demonic angel or deny it until my death that would likely be much slower if I continued to evade her questions. Either way I was going to die, and this did seem like the fitting way for me to go- at the hands of a woman, a woman who could’ve been my trophy, rather than the other way around. </span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
I gulped a big gulp of air and saliva, taking it all in as if it would be my last time doing so. Then I looked her right in the eyes and said, “Christine, I came here to kill you, because that’s what I do.” </div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
She just stared at me for a moment, then rolled her eyes. “Okay, we’ve already <i>established that</i><span style="font-style: normal;">, so now </span><i>tell me</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> who you’re working for!” She grasped my throat with one hand while holding my legs down with the other and stared straight into my eyes with the look of some type of wild and demonic creature. She had a strong grip. I gasped for air and she let me go, but not before socking me across the face.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
“Tell me, <i>now</i><span style="font-style: normal;">! Who are you? Who sent you? And how do you want to die? Because tonight is certainly going to be your last…”</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
I coughed and heaved and felt an erection throbbing in my pants. I never knew I could get so turned on by someone torturing me, as I have always been the torturer. Christine must’ve noticed, because she started to laugh. </div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
“Ha! You like being beaten by a woman, do you? Well, we could do this all night…” She said smirking and cracking her knuckles. I was starting to think I might be dreaming; I had been so careful. How could she have known I was following her? <i>Who was this woman</i><span style="font-style: normal;">? This woman who I was so desperate to have under my knife’s blade, to have her bound and gagged and ready for me to do with as I pleased…I found myself admiring her, how she stood over me with such confidence, the way she spoke was so carefree, so uncaring that a man had come her to kill her, probably rape her too depending on how things went. Here she stood, in her over-sized T-shirt and cut-off cotton shorts and little pink slippers. She knew she had me and that there was no way I was going to escape. What choice did I have but to simply tell her the truth? Or better yet, make up a complete and total lie? Which action was more likely to establish my freedom, if either would? I thought quickly…</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
“You’re right,” I mumbled, hanging my head in shame. “Someone did send me.”</div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
Christine leaned in close to me, putting her hands on my knees. “<i>Who</i><span style="font-style: normal;">?”</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
“Someone who wants you dead…because you’ve wronged them.”</div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
Christine looked at me peculiarly. “Could you be a little more <i>informative</i><span style="font-style: normal;">? Like, by giving me a goddamn name!”</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
I gulped. <i>A name…a name? Shit.</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> “I-I can’t tell you.”</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
“Why? Because they’ll kill you? I’ll be doing that anyway, so you may as well fess up.”</div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
“Worse than that,” I went on, just saying whatever words came to mind. “They…have my family.”</div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
“Funny,” she said, eyeballing me. “You don’t seem like the family type.”</div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
“Well I have a wife and two kids!” I exclaimed. The truth was, I did. But, they weren’t being held hostage anywhere. “And he said he’d kill ‘em if I told you who sent me. So, you may as well do me in or…”</div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
“<i>Or</i><span style="font-style: normal;">?”</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
“Or, we could work something out. Like…a type of deal. I could tell him I killed you and he’d stop coming after you, and then we’d both be free.”</div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
“You mean to say,” she said after considering my words carefully. “If I let you go, you’ll go to whoever it is who hired you to kill me, and tell them you went ahead and did it- even thought you didn’t, and you <i>won’t</i><span style="font-style: normal;">– in exchange for my letting you go?”</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
“That’s right!” I said as seriously and coolly as I could.</div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
“Hmmm,” she said looking up with her eyes and puckering her lips. God, she was sexy. “Sounds like it just might work…only, what if <i>he</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> wants to see a body?”</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
My heart sank. <i>Duh</i><span style="font-style: normal;">, I thought. “Uh, well, he just trusts me so much I know he won’t ask, and you can relocate if you have to, that way we’ll never find you.”</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
She looked at me, her eyes narrowing again, obviously thinking about all this. Then she said, “It was Bill who sent you, wasn’t it?”</div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<i>Bill</i><span style="font-style: normal;">? Should I go along with it? Why not? Unless it was a trap. I considered it for a moment, but she appeared to be genuinely asking. Bill was a common name after all, I could work with it somehow. I decided to pretend like I didn’t want her to know she had guessed right, then to play it from there. I tried to look equally surprised and confused, then replied, “</span><i>Bill</i><span style="font-style: normal;">? Who? No, it wasn’t Bill, I really can’t tell you, ma’am.”</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
“C’mon,” she said digging her grip into my kneecap. It really hurt. “It was Bill, wasn’t it? Only he’s foolish enough to send such a sad sack of an assassin to get me. He really underestimates me all the time, which is why I don’t work with him anymore. He’s also jealous about me not wanting to be with him.” She rolled her eyes. “He’s just not my type, you see. Too cocky, in all the wrong ways, if you know what I mean.” She smiled.</div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
“Ma’am, I’m sorry I really don’t- OW!” She dug some very sharp fingernails into the tendons behind my knees. “Okay!” I cried, as if giving up. “It was Bill, it was Bill! But, I’ll handle it and he’ll leave you alone, I promise!”</div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
She released her grip on my poor knee after one final squeeze then stepped back from me. “I knew it,” she said proudly. “He never could get over losing what he could never have anyway.” Then she said, “Okay, let’s do it.”</div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
My eyes popped out of my head, I couldn’t believe my relief. “Really? I mean, it makes sense, doesn’t it? This way, we both win and he’ll just leave you alone.”</div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
“Yes, it really does, I mean…Bill’s an idiot anyway, and he’ll probably just take your word for it, like you said.”</div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
“Yes!” I couldn’t believe my luck, even though a little voice inside my head was sounding a very small alarm that my feeling of relief just couldn’t focus on at the moment. </div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
“Yes, as long as you <i>promise</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> to leave and never return and tell Bill I’m a goner and he doesn’t have to worry about me anymore.” She pointed a long slender finger in my face.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
“Yes, of course! That’s the deal.” I tried to calm down so I didn’t sound like such a goon and more like a professional, since that’s what she seemed to think I was. </div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
“Okay, let me untie you.” She got behind me and started working the ropes on my wrists. I started to breathe normally again, although my heart still raced. Was I really getting out of here alive? Furthermore, was I still going to try and kill her anyway? Because I was greatly considering it. Even though I was all amped up from terror, it is a fine line between horrified fear and ecstatic arousal. I tried to think quickly as she started to free my hands. Should I kick her in the face while she untied my feet? Or should I go straight for the throat once my hands were free? She would probably be expecting something like that, so a swift kick to the-</div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
All of a sudden I was feeling shooting pains in my right hand. I screamed in agony seemingly out of nowhere and tried to kick legs in the chair. She had broken my middle finger. </div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
“What kind of idiot do you take me for?” She demanded. </div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
“Wha-what?” I panted. </div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
“There is no Bill!” She said. “I made it up, and you took it hook, line, and sinker. You are clearly <i>too dumb</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> to be a pro! Who the </span><i>fuck </i><span style="font-style: normal;">are you, why are you in my house, why have you been following me, and why are you here to </span><i>kill me</i><span style="font-style: normal;">?”</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
“Because I just want to, okay?” I yelped.<br />
<br />
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;">End of Part2</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><i>(Check back Monday for Part 3!)</i></span></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Jessica Pherson</b> is one of the Founders of The Veillee and author of her own blog,<a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_493996523"> Healthy Mommy, Healthy Baby. </a>She works from home part time for an eco-friendly jewelry company/retailer and is also a stay-at-home mom to Lily. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Learn more about Jessica by checking out <a href="http://theveillee.blogspot.com/p/matchbox.html">The Matchbox</a> section of this blog! </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span> </div>Em + Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12651833449881968705noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2246906619359480278.post-26318943685761774022012-01-25T10:39:00.002-05:002012-01-27T10:02:12.490-05:00HAPPY BIRTHDAY, RABBIE BURNS!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://yesteryearsnews.files.wordpress.com/2009/12/robert-burns.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://yesteryearsnews.files.wordpress.com/2009/12/robert-burns.jpg" width="149" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div style="color: orange; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
So, Robert Burns is one of my favorite Romantic poets. Reasons? 1.) He was Scottish, and proud of it! 2.) He was a down-to-earth farm boy, unlike so many of his lordly contemporaries, and saw beauty in life's humble things. </div>
<div style="color: orange; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</div>
<div style="color: orange; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br />
In honor of his birthday, I'm posting this poem/song -- one of my favorites -- which happens to share a name with my good friend, Jess! </div>
<br />
<div style="color: #999999; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
M'Pherson's Farewell</div>
<div style="color: #999999; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
By Robert Burns</div>
<div style="color: #999999; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
1788 </div>
<div style="color: #999999; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #999999; font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
Farewell, ye dungeons dark and strong,<br />
The wretch's destinie!<br />
M'Pherson's time will not be long<br />
On yonder gallows-tree.<br />
<br />
Chorus.-Sae rantingly, sae wantonly,<br />
Sae dauntingly gaed he;<br />
He play'd a spring, and danc'd it round,<br />
Below the gallows-tree.<br />
<br />
O, what is death but parting breath?<br />
On many a bloody plain<br />
I've dared his face, and in this place<br />
I scorn him yet again!<br />
Sae rantingly, &c.<br />
<br />
Untie these bands from off my hands,<br />
And bring me to my sword;<br />
And there's no a man in all Scotland<br />
But I'll brave him at a word.<br />
Sae rantingly, &c.<br />
<br />
I've liv'd a life of sturt and strife;<br />
I die by treacherie:<br />
It burns my heart I must depart,<br />
And not avenged be.<br />
Sae rantingly, &c.<br />
<br />
Now farewell light, thou sunshine bright,<br />
And all beneath the sky!<br />
May coward shame distain his name,<br />
The wretch that dares not die!<br />
Sae rantingly, &c.</div>
<br />
(<a href="http://www.robertburns.org/works/207.shtml"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #274e13;">Click here if you'd like help with those crazy Scottish words, or if you'd like to read more of Burns' work</span></span>.</a>)<br />
<div style="color: black;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: black;">
<br /></div>
<h1 style="color: black;">
</h1>
<br />Em + Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12651833449881968705noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2246906619359480278.post-58523447554964373562012-01-25T10:01:00.000-05:002012-01-25T10:08:39.978-05:00Some Poe-etry (Continued)Good morning, Veillee readers! Today we bring you a lovely pair of Poe-inspired poems to compliment this mid-winter Wednesday.<br />
<br />
Enjoy!<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br />
THE CLOCK<br />
By Jessica Ray<br />
<br />
The clock on the wall keeps ticking, ticking,<br />
And with each beat it is slowly picking<br />
Away at my dark soul.<br />
For it knows when my time has come,<br />
That I shall return to where I came from --<br />
The ugly, cold dirt.<br />
Then no longer will I hurt.<br />
But the clock on the wall keeps ticking.<br />
Ticking. <br />
<br />
<br />
ENTOMBMENT<br />
By Francie Hemmings<br />
<br />
Bury me,<br />
In the weight of you,<br />
In folds of cotton and feathers.<br />
Bury me low in the curls from your head<br />
And whisper things only we know.<br />
<br />
Bury me.<br />
On a hill of green,<br />
Near a brook, and a tree full of dew.<br />
Bury me down, my forehead to yours,<br />
In a pine box made for two.<br />
<br />
Bury me.<br />
Tightly and firmly<br />
So the sea in your heart<br />
Does not toss me out<br />
When that change in your glance stays for good.<br />
<br />
Bury me,<br />
And all of me,<br />
Every last inch of my soul.<br />
Bury me<br />
So I may never see<br />
Your hand in the hand of another.<br />
<br />
Bury me.<br />
Bury me deep where no one shall find me,<br />
Not Desire nor Love nor Affection.<br />
Bury me standing in the walls of a crypt<br />
Where the bones of those passed will remind me –<br />
<br />
Some things, at least, do last.<br />
<br />
Bury me.<br />
In Hades’ dark lair<br />
Where sunshine may never enter.<br />
Where even he, and his flowery queen,<br />
Will look on my face and have pity.<br />
<br />
Bury me,<br />
And all of me,<br />
Every last inch of my soul.<br />
Bury me<br />
So I may never see<br />
Your hand in the hand of another.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<b>Jessica Ray </b>is currently based in Knoxville,
Tennessee, where she loves to cook with her daughter, spend time with her
husband, and visit Starbucks far too regularly. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
<b>Francie Hemmings </b>is
a student of Creative Writing at Brooklyn College and likes to Jazzercise in
her spare time. </div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">
<br /></div>Em + Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12651833449881968705noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2246906619359480278.post-36125067463095584212012-01-23T11:56:00.000-05:002012-02-08T17:58:03.724-05:00The Apprentice<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We hope you all enjoyed your weekend! Now, in continuation of our collection of Edgar Allan Poe tributes, we bring you a tale that takes us inside the mind of a disgruntled transit worker, ready for retirement, but not before he takes care of a few things first. Ladies and gentlemen, here is the debut work of fiction from The Veillee's very own Em! Enjoy...</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">The Apprentice</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">By Emerald Nash</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://brooklynprints.com/images/0601_small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="http://brooklynprints.com/images/0601_small.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.bridgeandtunnelclub.com/bigmap/brooklyn/greenpoint/indiast/09subwayentrance.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">It
started with the economic downturn, this mass hiring of young people. The stock
market plummeted, the vice tightened on the middle class, and suddenly even
college shoo-ins flocked to the Police Force, the Army, various construction
jobs, and of course, us. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> Hell, even college graduates found us.
Their fancy degrees, useless in the stagnate economy, were expensive, unpaid
for, and still accruing interest.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> I would’ve felt bad for the sorry lot,
except you can bet if I’d had the chance to go to college, I’da gone to be a
doctor or a lawyer or something useful. None of this filmmaker/fashion-designer
nonsense kids waste their money on these days.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> Now don’t get me wrong. The Transit
Authority’s no stranger to young people. Way it used to be, once in a while
they’d onboard a handful of green boys, or maybe even a young lady or two –
usually single girls with babies at home. Always tugged at your heart to see
that. The difference is: back then, the kids joining our team were here to
work, to make a life. They had families to support. Couldn’t afford to keep
running to the next best thing, and there were no illusions about that.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> Young people just can’t accept their lot in
life the way they used to. In their heads everything ought to be better than it
is.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> That’s just my observation though. And
that’s certainly how it was with this particular kid. My apprentice, my
protégé, my charge. He was a straight-up fool from the beginning. First day of
work he says to me: </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> “All right gramps, boss me around all you
want. I’m just here ‘til my record label takes off.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> Record label. They really give diplomas for
dreams like that, huh?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> I couldn’t get over it. My total years
of seniority were greater that his total years of life. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> He was always slouching and shuffling, all
the things my elders used to harp on me about; can’t really fault him for that,
I guess. Sometimes a man’s got to grow into his body. But the lack of eye
contact, the casual way he regarded me – his superior! And the foul language –
to say it irritated me would be an understatement.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> And he always had those head phones jammed
into his ears, constantly emanating crazy rhythms -- which didn’t sound too bad
if I’m being honest, it was just the audacity with which he wore the things
that got me. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> I’m telling you, I could have dealt with
those unsavory qualities had it not been for that damn tic. It was just too
much. Always a sudden and startling seizure of the muscles on the right side of
his face, the spasm made it seem like he was winking at me. And to make matters
worse, it always happened when he got wound up, so any time he and I had an
argument it seemed he was punctuating his sarcastic words with a smart-assed
wink. I knew the physical action was involuntary, but it was fuel for the fire
nonetheless. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> Ninety days with this kid. How would I
manage?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> One afternoon my supervisor sent word
(along with congratulations on my new eligibility for retirement) that they’d
be walling up the unused public restrooms at the south end of the station. I’d
been a booth agent at that location for the better part of 30 years and never
before had anyone expressed an interest in doing something with those old
toilets. The neighborhood <i>is </i>slowly changing, I guess, and the new crowd
probably don’t like the thought of what bums, addicts, and horny teenagers get
up to in there. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> I was in favor of the improvement; one less
thing for me to keep an eye on. I wondered, though, why wouldn’t they just tear
the thing down instead of plastering over it? Budget cuts, I figured. A quick
fix instead of a permanent solution. It was then that the idea hatched in my
mind.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> Just a spark of inspiration, I dismissed it
all at first, but with each passing day I began to realize that a perfect,
foolproof plan had landed in my lap. And each day that tic pushed me closer to
my resolution. Finally, I decided to do it; I would just need to time
everything exactly right. Waiting would be the hard part.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> When the day arrived I found myself calmer
than expected. The kid came shuffling in as usual, twenty five minutes late for
our 4:00pm shift. Eyes bloodshot,lids heavy. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> “You’re late,” I said.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> “Easy, gramps. You’re just jealous cause
I’m gonna be a famous filmmaker and you’re gonna be here ‘til you die.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> “I thought you were gonna be a famous DJ.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> “Record producer. And I changed my mind.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> “What a shame. And you went to school for
it and everything.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> “I told you, my degree’s in media studies.
I can do <i>all</i> that shit.” </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> “Still don’t excuse you being nearly half
an hour late – every day.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> No response.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> Excellent. So far, it was shaping up to
look like a perfectly normal day. I was pleased with myself. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> Our shift passed as usual: me answering
passengers’ questions, him commenting on the females that passed. At 12:45 I
surprised him by standing and stretching.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> “I got to head out early tonight. Some
things to take care of.” </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> He looked at me for a moment then said,
“What've you got to take care of at this hour, old man? If that were me leaving
early, shit…”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> “Just make the rounds like you’re supposed
to. And don’t forget to hang them signs I gave you.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> “Yeah. I got it.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> I picked up my jacket and bag and turned to
go.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> “Oh, and don’t forget to check around the
bathrooms. I found old Carlos in there two nights ago.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> “Should get better locks.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> He winked.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> I stared him down.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> “It’s the last time we’ll have to do it,” I
said. “They’re walling it up tomorrow.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> “Yeah,” he said. “I got it.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> I stepped out of the booth, closed the door
behind me, and ascended my favorite set of stairs at the northeast corner of
the station. I breathed the crisp autumn air. The moon was full and round in
its opalescent glory, hanging low over the brownstones. Savoring the late night
silence, I walked the two blocks above ground to the other end of the station
and down into the cavernous depths. Swiping my card, I moved through the
turnstile, just like a regular old passenger. It was deserted. Not a soul in
sight, nor would there be for hours.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> Arriving at the decrepit washrooms, I
paused for a moment and considered that this would be the last night I’d see
the old station exactly as it was when I started all those years ago. It was
the end of an era.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> No time to waste though. I quickly unlocked
the men’s room and slipped inside, leaving the door slightly ajar. That would
guarantee success. One thing I had to give the kid, he wasn’t a coward. He
loved knowing that he might discover something exciting or dangerous in those
bathrooms. He lived for finding the broken padlocks, investigating, and, if he was
lucky, getting to call the cops. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> I checked the time on my cell phone: 12:56.
He would be here soon. I removed all necessary materials from my backpack and
steeled myself for the moments to come. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> Soon enough, I heard the tell-tale
shuffling of the young underachiever heading my way, keys jangling at his hip.
The sound stopped just outside the bathroom and slowly the door eased open.
Harsh florescent light flooded the room.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> “Who’s there.” A demand, not a question.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> With that I pounced! And within seconds had
the little bastard bound by wrists and feet – mouth clumsily, but effectively
gagged with a wool sock. He barely had time to make a noise. Woulda been fine
if he had; no one to hear him at 1:00am in this god-forsaken corner of the
borough. I switched on the workshop lantern I’d strategically placed there days
before. His face was twisted in fear and confusion. Then, upon recognizing me,
it softened in relief.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> Hands under his arm pits, I scooped him
upright. He had trouble balancing, but succeeded in spitting out the sock.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> “The fuck you doin’, man? You scared the
shit outta me!”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> His face was convulsing wildly, his eye
blinking out of control.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> I helped him lean against an old pipe,
which extended from floor to ceiling. He seemed grateful for the support and
began breathing a little easier.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> “Seriously, man,” he said. “Good prank.
Untie me now.” </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> I didn’t respond. I simply gathered the
chains and began wrapping them in an intricate pattern around his body,
securing him to the pipe. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> “Hey, man. Stop this!” His pitch was
beginning to escalate. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> I snapped the padlock shut, and stood back
to admire my work. It was beautiful in a way. Another spasm seized his face.
Between tics I could see the terror in his eyes.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> He screamed repeatedly now, struggling
hopelessly against his bonds.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> I found the sock lying on the ground,
picked it up and stuffed it back into his mouth – this time securing it with
several layers of duct tape.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> His muffled cries were pitiful, but I
gathered my things and faced him.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> “Goodnight, kid,” I said, and switched off
the light.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> Closing the door behind me, I felt the
strangest sense of relief at knowing the blinking eye, the twitching face,
would be gone forever. I locked up the room for the last time and finally went
home.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> The next morning men came with bricks and
mortar and tiles. In 48 hours the whole thing was done. No more restrooms to
check. And still no sign of the cops.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> After five days, I called my supervisor and
told him the kid hadn’t shown up all week. He instructed me to give it another
day or so before calling the police.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> I knew the kid had no family. Only a mother
he didn’t speak to often; she had moved down south some years ago. And I
figured a girlfriend was out of the question for his skinny, twitchy ass. No
one to ask after him, no one to suspect.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> I eventually did call the authorities; they
came and asked questions. I answered, I lied. They said there was no sign of
foul play at his apartment; if anything violent did happen, it was probably
drug related. Before long they stopped coming around, stopped asking questions.
But I knew the smell would soon be a problem.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> And it was. I managed to thinly cover it up
for several weeks with cinnamon scented air freshener, but people began to ask
about it. The stench of human decay is distinct, and powerful. So I knew my
time was running short. But I wasn’t worried. By the time the cops came back
around, I’d be on a bus to the border with my retirement money in pocket.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> I wondered who would take my place.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> Probably another failed DJ or something,
just waiting for his big break.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"> And the kid? He would go down officially in
the books as another statistic. One more example as to why this new generation
is one big turn-over risk – the dreamers, the unemployable, the good-for-nothings.
The kid still is good for nothing; he just ain’t around to bother me no more.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";">THE END</span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We hope you enjoyed this tale, and that you will provide your thoughts on it below. Stop back Wednesday for some more poetry, and for part two of <i>The Ninth Victim</i> on Friday. It's going to be a tantalizing week!</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Courier New";"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Emerald Nash</b> is currently based in Brooklyn. She studied performing arts at The American Musical and Dramatic Academy, and received her B.A. in Literature and Screenwriting from The New School. Her current day job at The Explorers Club involves brandy-sipping adventurers, a plethora of dead animal trophies, and one really cool live cat named Lowell. </span></span></div>
</div>Em + Jesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12651833449881968705noreply@blogger.com8