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So, for my English class, we are required to hand in "short essays" every week. These are between 250-500 words, though we are not to take that as a hard limit should we feel inspired to do a bit more. Essay is a bit of a misnomer, though, as they can be stories or personal anecdotes or whatever. The only things he said are right out are poetry, mathematical forumlae, and Other People's Writing. :) We are given a choice of topics and the ability to interpret them however we wish.
As for me, I can't help but think: Hmm. 500 word pieces of short fiction that doesn't have to do anything else or be connected to a larger story? Why, it's the second cousin of game intro fiction! Awesome. Even more awesome is that it's short enough to post HERE. :) So that's right, friends and neighbors, I will share my homework assignments with you. Comments are encouraged. If something seems good enough and well received, I might even think about trying to do something else with it. *grin*
So without further ado, today's first assignment. The topic assigned was "ice," so we herewith present "Frost."
“I wish you were different.”
She sighed. “Different how?” Her warm breath melted a hole in the frost on the window. The feathery spears of ice softened and blurred around the edges of the clear, damp glass, giving her a tiny space to look out. From here she could see the icicles on the eaves, no more than six feet away, reflecting a warped sky and earth in their bumps and imperfections.
“More independent. You are just so needy, so clinging. You smother me,” he said.
She didn’t turn to look at him, although she could tell by the pause that he was wanting her to, waiting for her to do so. “I didn’t think that’s what I was doing. How do you want me to act?” Her breath melted a bit more frost, and the clear space got bigger. Now she could see a bit more sky past the edge of the eaves. It looked almost as though the clouds might be breaking up. It was hard to tell.
“I just told you. Don’t be stupid.”
“I’m not stupid.”
“Well, you’re evidently not a bloody genius either, are you?”
“Please, don’t.” She said the words as she had countless times before. This argument had stopped being original roughly six months into their relationship, the steps in their painful ballet so deeply ingrained now that neither had to wait for a cue. This time, though, her heart wasn’t in it. She felt it in her soul, observed it as one would an actress saying her lines in a play. “Oh, isn’t her delivery fine,” someone might say.
She sighed again, this time more deliberately, trying to surreptitiously direct her breath to melt more of the frost, so she could see a bit more sky.
“I just don’t see why you can’t be more yourself, why you let people run over you. I should be able to do what I want without you needing to be there every second, without having to check in like a convict with his parole officer.”
“I do the same for you.”
“I don’t want you to, though. Can’t you understand?” From the corner of her eye, she caught the flare of his lighter. He always smoked when they fought. She hated that.
She turned her attention back to the window. A flash of brilliant blue caught her eye and then the whole window blazed with glory, a thousand tiny crystals reflecting the light of the sun in a dazzling display. She blinked, dazed, squinting through the glare. She was able to make out the closest icicle, suddenly beautiful as a ray of sunshine hit it. A tiny drop of moisture formed on its surface and moved slowly down, gathering speed and size as it did. She caught her breath. It hovered at the tip, clinging, then let go in a glorious free fall.
She stared for a moment longer, then turned to face him. “Yes. Yes, I think I do.” She stood up from the window seat and walked past him to the door, closing it behind her.
As for me, I can't help but think: Hmm. 500 word pieces of short fiction that doesn't have to do anything else or be connected to a larger story? Why, it's the second cousin of game intro fiction! Awesome. Even more awesome is that it's short enough to post HERE. :) So that's right, friends and neighbors, I will share my homework assignments with you. Comments are encouraged. If something seems good enough and well received, I might even think about trying to do something else with it. *grin*
So without further ado, today's first assignment. The topic assigned was "ice," so we herewith present "Frost."
“I wish you were different.”
She sighed. “Different how?” Her warm breath melted a hole in the frost on the window. The feathery spears of ice softened and blurred around the edges of the clear, damp glass, giving her a tiny space to look out. From here she could see the icicles on the eaves, no more than six feet away, reflecting a warped sky and earth in their bumps and imperfections.
“More independent. You are just so needy, so clinging. You smother me,” he said.
She didn’t turn to look at him, although she could tell by the pause that he was wanting her to, waiting for her to do so. “I didn’t think that’s what I was doing. How do you want me to act?” Her breath melted a bit more frost, and the clear space got bigger. Now she could see a bit more sky past the edge of the eaves. It looked almost as though the clouds might be breaking up. It was hard to tell.
“I just told you. Don’t be stupid.”
“I’m not stupid.”
“Well, you’re evidently not a bloody genius either, are you?”
“Please, don’t.” She said the words as she had countless times before. This argument had stopped being original roughly six months into their relationship, the steps in their painful ballet so deeply ingrained now that neither had to wait for a cue. This time, though, her heart wasn’t in it. She felt it in her soul, observed it as one would an actress saying her lines in a play. “Oh, isn’t her delivery fine,” someone might say.
She sighed again, this time more deliberately, trying to surreptitiously direct her breath to melt more of the frost, so she could see a bit more sky.
“I just don’t see why you can’t be more yourself, why you let people run over you. I should be able to do what I want without you needing to be there every second, without having to check in like a convict with his parole officer.”
“I do the same for you.”
“I don’t want you to, though. Can’t you understand?” From the corner of her eye, she caught the flare of his lighter. He always smoked when they fought. She hated that.
She turned her attention back to the window. A flash of brilliant blue caught her eye and then the whole window blazed with glory, a thousand tiny crystals reflecting the light of the sun in a dazzling display. She blinked, dazed, squinting through the glare. She was able to make out the closest icicle, suddenly beautiful as a ray of sunshine hit it. A tiny drop of moisture formed on its surface and moved slowly down, gathering speed and size as it did. She caught her breath. It hovered at the tip, clinging, then let go in a glorious free fall.
She stared for a moment longer, then turned to face him. “Yes. Yes, I think I do.” She stood up from the window seat and walked past him to the door, closing it behind her.
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Date: 2007-04-07 09:09 pm (UTC)From: