Post by pj on Feb 6, 2008 22:11:13 GMT -5
Lucie's feet slapped against the carpeted floor of her apartment's hall unto she came upon the front door of her apartment, her plastic bags of fat pants in one hand, and Maddie's hand in the other. Pulling her hand from Maddie's, she reached into a cheap leather purse and began rummaging around for her keys.
Maddie's eyes widened as she slurped happily on a slushie. Looking down at a small, yellow and red plastic Mickey Mouse watch on her hand, she frowned and held it closer to her face. It was one of the old fashioned kind, and she wasn't so adept at reading those just yet. But she did see a little black hand on a nine and a bigger hand somewhere floating between the vicinity of a seven and an eight.
"Momma," Maddie said, attempting to draw her mother's attention, while still examining her watch, "Momma, what's this mean?" She stood up on her tippy-toes and thrust the little watch in her mother's face. Lucie dodged the watch, still searching in her purse and said, "It means that it's time for you to go to bed."
Maddie frowned. That wasn't exactly the answer she was looking for. "But what time is it?" She whined, hoping her mother would quite dodging the question. Persistent though she was, Lucie was adamant on ignoring her question, and had managed to find her keys.
"Aha!" Lucie exclaimed, pulling the keys from her bag. Sticking the key into the lock, she turned and after a familiar clicking noise, ushered Maddie inside the apartment. A moment later they were in the small apartment, and Lucie switched on the light, sighing from exhaustion.
"Finally," she muttered. It had seemed as though her day had just gone on and on and on...and on. After her lovely encounter at the thrift store, which was already painful enough due to the sole reason she had even gone there-(fat pants, nobody like to buy them, but everyone has to at some point)- only made worse by some lady with a severe superiority complex. Lucie then had about three-thousand (exaggeration) errands to run, which took them well into the night. And of course- Maddie wanted to go to the restaurant with the slowest possible service for dinner. And being the painfully kind parent she was, she gave in to her poor daughter's request. Mostly because she was compensating for the awful things said to her at the thrift store, but also because she loved seeing her daughter happy. With a weary smile, she went over to her little room, and threw the plastic bags on her bed. Little footsteps, followed by a tugging of her blue Wal-Mart shirt and Lucie turned around.
"Momma?" Maddie asked sweetly, suppressing a yawn, "Can I watch TV?"
Lucie smiled down at her daughter, trying not to laugh. She was quite funny at times. Nearly falling down from being so tired- and she still wanted to stay up. Little kids could be funny at times. "No, honey," Came her motherly response, "You have to go to bed. It's super late and I had absolutely no intention of staying out as late as we did." Maddie' face fell, but she obliged, even going into the bathroom to brush her teeth.
Hearing the sound of running water, Lucie smiled to herself. "That's my girl." She knew she was a good parent, and no matter what anyone said, her daughter was pretty darn smart. A lot smarter than I was at that age...
Less than an hour later, Lucie stood over her daughter's little twin bed with Speed Racer sheets, and kissed her good night. Tucking her in, it seemed as though the girl's head hit the pillow she fell asleep straightaway. In pajamas herself, Lucie covered a yawn with her hand and retreated to her own bed.
***
Gray fog seemed to seep from every inch of the atmosphere, making it impossible to see faces, or people. All she could hear were sounds. Sounds of...happiness. There was something going on. Lucie felt her way around the fog- like a blind person without any guide, vainly trying to hear where the noises were coming from.
"Hello?" She cried, but there came no answer. Her hands felt something tall, large, metallic in structure. She wondered vaguely if she had been to this place before. But since she couldn't see it, it would be futile to attempt to place the building with anything she knew.
A moment later, the voices came back- but one in particular rung in her mind. It sounded so familiar- but she couldn't place it. It was on the tip of her tongue. He sounded angry, or frustrated. Or perhaps both. There was another male voice somewhere, but she didn't recognize that one at all and it disappeared quickly.
Suddenly her vision came back and she was in a meadow of beautiful flowers. A turkey walked past her, tramping on flowers. With a stern voice, it spoke, "Do not put your nose where it doesn't belong," it said. Lucie made a puzzled face and walked through the meadow and past the flowers. A door sprung up out of nowhere and she opened it, entering the fog world once more.
Groaning in frustration to be back in the land of no sight, she walked blindly through the fog and stopped when she heard some voices. This time, she heard a distinctly British female voice- one she could not recognize even if she tried. Another British voice, but this time male, and she couldn't exactly tell what it was they were saying. Just the tone, the general mood of these invisible people was clear to her. And the female, she could tell that the female was angry. But it wasn't a frustrated anger like the earlier man's, it was a darker, more simmered anger- one she could feel deep within her and turned her insides to ice.
Suddenly, Lucie was standing atop a hill, and the turkey was sitting contentedly beside her. Gobbling happily, snippets of English could be heard. "Watch carefully," was all Lucie managed to catch between gobbles. And, as though the turkey had prophesied something, a great mushroom explosion appeared in front of her- followed by shooting stars and flowers like some psychedelic dream. Lucie screwed up her face in confusion.
"What is this?" she spoke wordlessly to the turkey who understood. The turkey merely nodded, gobbling, and faced the stars and flowers shooting into the sky..
A moment later and Lucie was back in the fog. Screams could be heard- agonizing screams and Lucie swore she heard the frustrated man's voice amongst the melee. But she couldn't see, and she could barely hear as the din of her own scream was drowning out the rest...
Maddie's eyes widened as she slurped happily on a slushie. Looking down at a small, yellow and red plastic Mickey Mouse watch on her hand, she frowned and held it closer to her face. It was one of the old fashioned kind, and she wasn't so adept at reading those just yet. But she did see a little black hand on a nine and a bigger hand somewhere floating between the vicinity of a seven and an eight.
"Momma," Maddie said, attempting to draw her mother's attention, while still examining her watch, "Momma, what's this mean?" She stood up on her tippy-toes and thrust the little watch in her mother's face. Lucie dodged the watch, still searching in her purse and said, "It means that it's time for you to go to bed."
Maddie frowned. That wasn't exactly the answer she was looking for. "But what time is it?" She whined, hoping her mother would quite dodging the question. Persistent though she was, Lucie was adamant on ignoring her question, and had managed to find her keys.
"Aha!" Lucie exclaimed, pulling the keys from her bag. Sticking the key into the lock, she turned and after a familiar clicking noise, ushered Maddie inside the apartment. A moment later they were in the small apartment, and Lucie switched on the light, sighing from exhaustion.
"Finally," she muttered. It had seemed as though her day had just gone on and on and on...and on. After her lovely encounter at the thrift store, which was already painful enough due to the sole reason she had even gone there-(fat pants, nobody like to buy them, but everyone has to at some point)- only made worse by some lady with a severe superiority complex. Lucie then had about three-thousand (exaggeration) errands to run, which took them well into the night. And of course- Maddie wanted to go to the restaurant with the slowest possible service for dinner. And being the painfully kind parent she was, she gave in to her poor daughter's request. Mostly because she was compensating for the awful things said to her at the thrift store, but also because she loved seeing her daughter happy. With a weary smile, she went over to her little room, and threw the plastic bags on her bed. Little footsteps, followed by a tugging of her blue Wal-Mart shirt and Lucie turned around.
"Momma?" Maddie asked sweetly, suppressing a yawn, "Can I watch TV?"
Lucie smiled down at her daughter, trying not to laugh. She was quite funny at times. Nearly falling down from being so tired- and she still wanted to stay up. Little kids could be funny at times. "No, honey," Came her motherly response, "You have to go to bed. It's super late and I had absolutely no intention of staying out as late as we did." Maddie' face fell, but she obliged, even going into the bathroom to brush her teeth.
Hearing the sound of running water, Lucie smiled to herself. "That's my girl." She knew she was a good parent, and no matter what anyone said, her daughter was pretty darn smart. A lot smarter than I was at that age...
Less than an hour later, Lucie stood over her daughter's little twin bed with Speed Racer sheets, and kissed her good night. Tucking her in, it seemed as though the girl's head hit the pillow she fell asleep straightaway. In pajamas herself, Lucie covered a yawn with her hand and retreated to her own bed.
***
Gray fog seemed to seep from every inch of the atmosphere, making it impossible to see faces, or people. All she could hear were sounds. Sounds of...happiness. There was something going on. Lucie felt her way around the fog- like a blind person without any guide, vainly trying to hear where the noises were coming from.
"Hello?" She cried, but there came no answer. Her hands felt something tall, large, metallic in structure. She wondered vaguely if she had been to this place before. But since she couldn't see it, it would be futile to attempt to place the building with anything she knew.
A moment later, the voices came back- but one in particular rung in her mind. It sounded so familiar- but she couldn't place it. It was on the tip of her tongue. He sounded angry, or frustrated. Or perhaps both. There was another male voice somewhere, but she didn't recognize that one at all and it disappeared quickly.
Suddenly her vision came back and she was in a meadow of beautiful flowers. A turkey walked past her, tramping on flowers. With a stern voice, it spoke, "Do not put your nose where it doesn't belong," it said. Lucie made a puzzled face and walked through the meadow and past the flowers. A door sprung up out of nowhere and she opened it, entering the fog world once more.
Groaning in frustration to be back in the land of no sight, she walked blindly through the fog and stopped when she heard some voices. This time, she heard a distinctly British female voice- one she could not recognize even if she tried. Another British voice, but this time male, and she couldn't exactly tell what it was they were saying. Just the tone, the general mood of these invisible people was clear to her. And the female, she could tell that the female was angry. But it wasn't a frustrated anger like the earlier man's, it was a darker, more simmered anger- one she could feel deep within her and turned her insides to ice.
Suddenly, Lucie was standing atop a hill, and the turkey was sitting contentedly beside her. Gobbling happily, snippets of English could be heard. "Watch carefully," was all Lucie managed to catch between gobbles. And, as though the turkey had prophesied something, a great mushroom explosion appeared in front of her- followed by shooting stars and flowers like some psychedelic dream. Lucie screwed up her face in confusion.
"What is this?" she spoke wordlessly to the turkey who understood. The turkey merely nodded, gobbling, and faced the stars and flowers shooting into the sky..
A moment later and Lucie was back in the fog. Screams could be heard- agonizing screams and Lucie swore she heard the frustrated man's voice amongst the melee. But she couldn't see, and she could barely hear as the din of her own scream was drowning out the rest...