Archive for the ‘Not so true’ Category

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Greediest guests

April 8, 2011

She stared at the pin-thick bones strewn across the ballroom floor. She had spent months planning this day, and now everyone she loved most was crying, fighting or both.

I wish to apologize for the disaster, said the banquet captain. I have no idea why everyone rushed toward the salmon–there was perfectly good prime rib at the other table.

She looked across to where a chef still held carving knife and fork. She marched over and demanded a slice of the roast’s rarest part, determined to take pleasure in the blood left behind on her white china plate.

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The babysitters

April 6, 2011

They made note of the dangers, of the sharp edges and small biting mouths. They developed escape plans and taped them to the backs of closet doors, because it’s wiser not to leave before grabbing a jacket or sweater. They held conversations in the back yard where they could not be overheard. It is important to watch out around the varmints, one said to the other. It is important to maintain solidarity at all times.

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Doomed from the get-go

April 4, 2011
She was not a woman who requested evenings when mornings were an option. She preferred sunlight when it was freshest and most brittle, and dew evaporating from blades of grass. She preferred tea to coffee, and wheat toast served with an egg.

He was a creature of small, twinkly lights, and the drinks served beneath them. His skin always looked just slightly tan, but that’s because he made sure to keep to dim rooms. No one was ever sure why they went on so many dates. It was obvious to everyone around them they would never get along.

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The definition of far

April 2, 2011

They drove past dark water, her hand on the window crank as if it might save her from disaster.

Are you getting enough air? he asked.

She nodded, though a bead of sweat had just trickled down the back of her neck.

Is it far now? she asked. It felt like they had been on the road for days.

Depends on how you define far, he said, and he gunned the engine just a little, propelling them forward into the lighted space just ahead of the grill. I say we’ll get there when we get there.

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Suspension of consciousness

March 22, 2011
Somewhere high above, she comforted herself to sleep, bid her eyes to close before she crossed a line into wakefulness again. It had been a bumpy ride across the country, the airplane rattling like an old house in a storm, and so the aisles had remained clear, passengers and flight attendants alike strapped to their seats as if they would blow away if not tied down. She knew better than to try to stay vigilant. Only a suspension of consciousness would help her feel safe as she hurtled across the sky.

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Beats unspoken

March 16, 2011

Tell me something, she said. Will you miss me when I’m gone?

He didn’t want to say yes, not aloud, not quite yet. He wanted to see if she noticed the way his fingers trembled just a bit. He wanted to tell her he loved her, but he couldn’t say that yet, either.

I will miss this, he said. I will miss us.

He began counting, one heartbeat at a time, as she walked away. He would carry the numbers with him like memories until she returned.

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Derailed

March 14, 2011

She had approached the day as if it were a track to barrel down, her path glinting bright in the morning sun. But trains still run on wheels, and when the news arrived, it loosened the pins that held hers fast. She felt them skitter away to the sides, her plans tipping one way or the other, left scattered alongside where they should have been. It would take days to get out of this mess, she realized, days of piecing metal back together, lifting and pushing and tugging until everything returned the way it had been when she first picked up speed.

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