Today marks the first of every Tuesday where our school will have concerts during University Hour. Along with the concert, they had other activities going along in the campus, the most noticeable one, to me, was the protest to raise awareness of what is going on in Gaza.
Anyway, the band, Breezy Love Joy, was singing one of their songs as the protest started. He sang, “I just want to be free, set me free, I want to feel free.”
As he uttered those words the 30-40 students protesting passed by, each holding a different sign, to give an awareness to the students enjoying the concert.
A student with the biggest poster stepped forward from the back of the stage, it read, "End the Siege on Gaza." He continued to walk forward.
His eyes met mine, and with his stare I was aware not only of the deaths of hundreds, for the past few days, but the death of the personal soul. He stared. The vocalist sang, “Set me free-e-e.” The back up singers followed. They all sang for freedom.
The sounds and the stare resonated into my body. The protesters continued to walk. With each step they created ripples in my head. One thought to another, it was forever continuous.
The last of the protesters passed, and the vocalist whispered, “I just want to be free.”
_______________________________
I know this isn't fiction, but I haven't had time to edit and write chapter two. It will be up soon. I'm a bit disappointed that no one commented on this blog, but I was happy to see that my deviantart account and fiction press got traffic and people commented. Anyway, I'll get to writing chapter two. For now, I will post random blogs and short stories. I will not talk about my day, but I'm thinking of getting another blogspot so I can blog about my day. Maybe, I will.
Anyway, I believe I subscribed to all of my followers. I thought I had done it before, but I guess not. I'll be reading your posts too (:
Friday, January 16, 2009
Thursday, January 1, 2009
The Movement
We have been traveling for a couple of weeks and it was nice to stop to eat cooked food. The café was nearly empty. There was only a group of students dining here, besides us and the staff. The students were laughing quite loudly at some apparent joke. I wished that our stay in the café could be as interesting as their laugh entailed. The red seats and the metallic table were as cold as the weather; all reminders of the absence of warm feeling that home brings.
A middle-aged woman came over to our table. She was wearing skin tight spandex pants and a white button-down shirt. She wore a small pink apron over her clothing. Her curly chestnut-brown hair surrounded her oval-shaped head in a pleasing manner. No grey hairs, I guess the hair follicles were still capable of producing the coloring in her hair. Her thin lips wore a silky red lipstick that didn’t seem to match her green eye shadow.
“So what is the sweet couple having today,” she managed to spit out while she chewed gum. “The special today is grilled cheese with chicken fritters.” She stood there with a blank expression, and a notepad and pen in hand, ready to take our order.
“Oh, we’re not together,” I replied. “We’re just really good friends.”
Emily ordered an omelet while I choose the pancakes. The warm feeling going down my esophagus reminded me of home. I was pleased with my selection. I was so busy consuming my food that I didn’t notice the placement of the syrup which caused me to spill it all over my jeans. I wasn’t sure what to do, so I attempted to play it cool.
“Can I borrow your car keys Emily?” I asked. “I want to change jeans.”
“Why?” asked Emily, perplexed.
I ignored her question and waited until she handed me the keys. After a couple of minutes of intense waiting, she finally gave up and handed me the keys. I was halfway out of the establishment when I heard Emily say, “I don’t get you sometimes. You’re so weird, Joseph.”
I zipped up my jacket and prepared myself for the cold weather. No, it wasn’t cold, it was freezing, cold was a windy low 60 degree weather, this was 3 inch snow day. My jacket was too thin and I could feel the icy wind and the snow hitting my back.
There was a cop car hiding behind a “Welcome to Happy Times Café” sign. The two officers were outside of the car, one pointing a radar gun at unsuspecting victims, the other was just leaning on the car door minding his own business.
I walked around the café to the almost empty parking lot, where I noticed that two individuals had their car parked in the middle of the road and each had a rifle at hand. Both were wearing jeans and a t-shirt, one wore a cowboy hat. The man with the cowboy hat was very well built, so I was scared for my life. I could see their mouths moving but couldn’t hear any words until the scrawnier one yelled, “I have to tell him!”
The voice sounded familiar, so I looked up and stared at him for a while. The two men started coming forward towards me, and I noticed it was Nicholas, my brother.
“Why hello there Joe*,” he whispered as he came face to face with me, “aren’t you going to give your older brother a hug?”
I gave him an almost robotic hug because I wasn’t sure if the cold weather was messing with my head. After I successfully changed jeans, we started to walk towards his car whilst we caught up with one another. I told him that I was in a road trip with Emily while he confessed that his alibi for running away from home was false. He told me about his adventures with his friend Benjamin. I was so enthralled with his stories that I didn’t notice that we’ve been walking deeper and deeper into the forest, and that for the past minute I was walking forward by myself. When I turned around my brother and Benjamin were aiming their rifles at me.
The face that once showed a blissful smile now showed one of despair. I panicked. I ran. I ran away from the bullets that started buzzing by my body, and away from the fact that my brother was behind it all.
After minutes of my flight response and countless bullets, I hid behind a tree. I was hoping that if I was quiet enough I can leave the forest undetected. My breathing did not help. Weeks of being sedentary in a car really did wonders to the body. Both passed by the tree. I tiptoed from tree to tree until about the fifth one down when I stepped on a branch making a loud cracking sound.
Nicholas and Benjamin ran towards me aiming their guns once more. I ran, confused on why he was shooting me and where the energy to keep running away came. I heard a bullet pass my ear, or it might have skinned my ear but I was too worried on survival to feel the pain my ear might be emitting.
The next bullet hit my right hand. The pain was immediate and “it hurt like a mother,” as the folks back home will say. I couldn’t hear bullets anymore. I heard Benjamin yelling for me to stop. I looked at my hand and couldn’t grasp how my hand looked perfectly fine. It was just a rosy red, as if someone had smacked it a few seconds ago.
“About time you stopped,” they said in unison.
“About time I stop? Are you kidding me! What the fuck is your problem? You and your best friend,” I yelled, bitterly, “are shooting at me for no reason! What the fuck were you even shooting at me?”
“They’re not real bullets,” added Benjamin.
“We started to shoot at you because the cop was looking at us,” explained my brother, “you see, you’re in great da-”
“WHAT?” I yelled. “Why would you aim a gun at someone if an officer was looking at you? That’s insane.”
“Can you shut up and listen to your older brother for once,” he said, “I’m trying to help you. You’re in great danger. The reason I was shooting you was because I’m on their side but I’m a double agent. They suspected me from the start but I served as a connection to you. The female cop over there, behind the welcome sign is part of the game, the other is clueless. They’ve been following you for days, as have we. Anyway, my assignment was to kill you because you serve as a threat to us, well them.”
“Okay,” I said, “I know you’re fucking with me, so I’m going to head back to Emily, she must be worried sick.”
As I turned around to head back, the female officer was walking toward us. I couldn’t see her partner. She asked what had happened among us and why she heard bullets. I lied. I told her that we were just catching up on our childhood. She took out her pistol at the sight of the rifles.
“Throw your weapons on the ground, put your hands up and turn around,” she yelled.
They followed her instructions. I turned around and lifted my arms.
BANG!
Benjamin fell to the ground, instantly: dead. I closed my eyes. One of us was next. I got to my knees and awaited Death to sweep me from my feet.
BANG!
After the shot, I heard a thud. My brother fell to the ground, he was dead too.
“You are under arrest for the deaths of your Nicholas Houle and Benjamin Gray,” she said.
“I’m what?” I exclaimed, as tears ran down my face, “you killed them! They’ll trace it to you and you’ll go to jail!”
“Are they going to believe a cop or a civilian?” she asked. “I could simply tell them there was a heated argument among you three. I was taken by surprise and you stole my weapon, killing the two that lie dead right now. It’s as simple as that. Now, how much did he reveal?”
“What are you talking about?” I asked. “Reveal what?”
“Stop acting so innocent,” she mentioned, “I know he told you something but if you keep denying it then you wouldn’t mind going in for questioning.”
She handcuffed me and we headed toward the café. Her partner was leaning against the café, waiting for her to come back. He looked awkward, almost as if he were posing for a photo. Instead of walking to her car, we walked into the café where Emily was idly drinking coffee.
The café was now empty. The students who were once there had left and the staff seemed to have disappeared. I, once again, envied the students.
She sat me down in front of Emily.
“It’s about time,” said Emily. “It took you two long enough.”
“You’re on their side?” I asked as I tried to squirm my way out of the handcuffs.
It proved fruitless. The cop tightened her grip on my body, restraining me from getting any closer to my friend.
Emily motioned for them to let go of me. “Just let him go,” she said, “he won’t do a thing. Why, yes of course, I’m on their side. Why do you think I choose to take you along for the road trip, instead of my boyfriend?”
“I thought you were my friend,” I said, sulking.
“Oh, but I am. It’s just,” Emily responded, “the game comes first. Now, let’s hurry, before he gets an idea and escapes.”
We started to walk outside to be taken to her car and then into custody. I struggled away from the officer’s grasp. She was unusually strong. I wanted to escape to the forest but her strength was too much for my weak body.
The other cop, to my surprise, was talking to another woman. The woman had smooth, silky white skin, almost pale, with a fair complexion. Her hair was curly and blond. She was wearing a sun dress, heels and a flowery hat; she was clearly not dressed for the weather. They seemed to enjoy each other’s company.
The female officer called him over and I saw it as my chance of escape. I kicked her shin and started running toward the forest. The lady in the sun dress screamed and the male officer came my way. He punched me in the stomach. I lost all the air in my lungs. I fell to the ground and gasped for air.
I was picked up from the floor and attempted to escape once more. Then I felt a huge force hit the back of my head and with a thud I fell to the ground. The last thing I saw were the exposed ankles of the woman in the sun dress. There seemed to be some writing on her right ankle. I focused all my energy in trying to read what it said. “Joseph, you’ll be okay.”
Her ankle told me that I’ll be okay.
The woman’s message was the only thing that seemed to make sense at the moment. I closed my eyes and thought of her ankle.
I woke up, tied to a chair in an empty room, my head resting on an empty table. There was an increasingly growing pain in the back of my head. The room was more desolate than the road Emily and I had traveled a few days ago.
More importantly, I knew that woman lied. I was not okay. I will not be okay and there was no hope for me anymore.
___________________________________
Author's Comments:
*The reason behind the (*) after the name Joe, is because I wasn't sure if Joe was short for Joseph.
I was told to never criticize my work when I present it, so I will not criticize what I wrote.
This is chapter one of the novel I'm writing titled, "Pieces."
Both titles (the chapter & book) aren't working titles so they are subject to change.
The only huge problem I had while writing this is the dialogue. I don't think I've ever written dialogue so I often found myself trying to make it work. I'm still not sure if that's the proper way to write dialogue.
Sorry for the cussing, it just seemed appropriate at that part of the writing.
As for the worries about being plagiarized, I do have all my writing backed up on my laptop, different emails and different blogs to show the improvement from first draft to final draft. (So if there is ever a discussion that I stole it from someone else, I have all that proof and if my laptop gets stolen, I can still see my writing.) I did get a fictionpress, so I will be posting it there before here. I also post it on my deviantart account before. So, thanks for reading. Please tell me what you think of the story.
A middle-aged woman came over to our table. She was wearing skin tight spandex pants and a white button-down shirt. She wore a small pink apron over her clothing. Her curly chestnut-brown hair surrounded her oval-shaped head in a pleasing manner. No grey hairs, I guess the hair follicles were still capable of producing the coloring in her hair. Her thin lips wore a silky red lipstick that didn’t seem to match her green eye shadow.
“So what is the sweet couple having today,” she managed to spit out while she chewed gum. “The special today is grilled cheese with chicken fritters.” She stood there with a blank expression, and a notepad and pen in hand, ready to take our order.
“Oh, we’re not together,” I replied. “We’re just really good friends.”
Emily ordered an omelet while I choose the pancakes. The warm feeling going down my esophagus reminded me of home. I was pleased with my selection. I was so busy consuming my food that I didn’t notice the placement of the syrup which caused me to spill it all over my jeans. I wasn’t sure what to do, so I attempted to play it cool.
“Can I borrow your car keys Emily?” I asked. “I want to change jeans.”
“Why?” asked Emily, perplexed.
I ignored her question and waited until she handed me the keys. After a couple of minutes of intense waiting, she finally gave up and handed me the keys. I was halfway out of the establishment when I heard Emily say, “I don’t get you sometimes. You’re so weird, Joseph.”
I zipped up my jacket and prepared myself for the cold weather. No, it wasn’t cold, it was freezing, cold was a windy low 60 degree weather, this was 3 inch snow day. My jacket was too thin and I could feel the icy wind and the snow hitting my back.
There was a cop car hiding behind a “Welcome to Happy Times Café” sign. The two officers were outside of the car, one pointing a radar gun at unsuspecting victims, the other was just leaning on the car door minding his own business.
I walked around the café to the almost empty parking lot, where I noticed that two individuals had their car parked in the middle of the road and each had a rifle at hand. Both were wearing jeans and a t-shirt, one wore a cowboy hat. The man with the cowboy hat was very well built, so I was scared for my life. I could see their mouths moving but couldn’t hear any words until the scrawnier one yelled, “I have to tell him!”
The voice sounded familiar, so I looked up and stared at him for a while. The two men started coming forward towards me, and I noticed it was Nicholas, my brother.
“Why hello there Joe*,” he whispered as he came face to face with me, “aren’t you going to give your older brother a hug?”
I gave him an almost robotic hug because I wasn’t sure if the cold weather was messing with my head. After I successfully changed jeans, we started to walk towards his car whilst we caught up with one another. I told him that I was in a road trip with Emily while he confessed that his alibi for running away from home was false. He told me about his adventures with his friend Benjamin. I was so enthralled with his stories that I didn’t notice that we’ve been walking deeper and deeper into the forest, and that for the past minute I was walking forward by myself. When I turned around my brother and Benjamin were aiming their rifles at me.
The face that once showed a blissful smile now showed one of despair. I panicked. I ran. I ran away from the bullets that started buzzing by my body, and away from the fact that my brother was behind it all.
After minutes of my flight response and countless bullets, I hid behind a tree. I was hoping that if I was quiet enough I can leave the forest undetected. My breathing did not help. Weeks of being sedentary in a car really did wonders to the body. Both passed by the tree. I tiptoed from tree to tree until about the fifth one down when I stepped on a branch making a loud cracking sound.
Nicholas and Benjamin ran towards me aiming their guns once more. I ran, confused on why he was shooting me and where the energy to keep running away came. I heard a bullet pass my ear, or it might have skinned my ear but I was too worried on survival to feel the pain my ear might be emitting.
The next bullet hit my right hand. The pain was immediate and “it hurt like a mother,” as the folks back home will say. I couldn’t hear bullets anymore. I heard Benjamin yelling for me to stop. I looked at my hand and couldn’t grasp how my hand looked perfectly fine. It was just a rosy red, as if someone had smacked it a few seconds ago.
“About time you stopped,” they said in unison.
“About time I stop? Are you kidding me! What the fuck is your problem? You and your best friend,” I yelled, bitterly, “are shooting at me for no reason! What the fuck were you even shooting at me?”
“They’re not real bullets,” added Benjamin.
“We started to shoot at you because the cop was looking at us,” explained my brother, “you see, you’re in great da-”
“WHAT?” I yelled. “Why would you aim a gun at someone if an officer was looking at you? That’s insane.”
“Can you shut up and listen to your older brother for once,” he said, “I’m trying to help you. You’re in great danger. The reason I was shooting you was because I’m on their side but I’m a double agent. They suspected me from the start but I served as a connection to you. The female cop over there, behind the welcome sign is part of the game, the other is clueless. They’ve been following you for days, as have we. Anyway, my assignment was to kill you because you serve as a threat to us, well them.”
“Okay,” I said, “I know you’re fucking with me, so I’m going to head back to Emily, she must be worried sick.”
As I turned around to head back, the female officer was walking toward us. I couldn’t see her partner. She asked what had happened among us and why she heard bullets. I lied. I told her that we were just catching up on our childhood. She took out her pistol at the sight of the rifles.
“Throw your weapons on the ground, put your hands up and turn around,” she yelled.
They followed her instructions. I turned around and lifted my arms.
BANG!
Benjamin fell to the ground, instantly: dead. I closed my eyes. One of us was next. I got to my knees and awaited Death to sweep me from my feet.
BANG!
After the shot, I heard a thud. My brother fell to the ground, he was dead too.
“You are under arrest for the deaths of your Nicholas Houle and Benjamin Gray,” she said.
“I’m what?” I exclaimed, as tears ran down my face, “you killed them! They’ll trace it to you and you’ll go to jail!”
“Are they going to believe a cop or a civilian?” she asked. “I could simply tell them there was a heated argument among you three. I was taken by surprise and you stole my weapon, killing the two that lie dead right now. It’s as simple as that. Now, how much did he reveal?”
“What are you talking about?” I asked. “Reveal what?”
“Stop acting so innocent,” she mentioned, “I know he told you something but if you keep denying it then you wouldn’t mind going in for questioning.”
She handcuffed me and we headed toward the café. Her partner was leaning against the café, waiting for her to come back. He looked awkward, almost as if he were posing for a photo. Instead of walking to her car, we walked into the café where Emily was idly drinking coffee.
The café was now empty. The students who were once there had left and the staff seemed to have disappeared. I, once again, envied the students.
She sat me down in front of Emily.
“It’s about time,” said Emily. “It took you two long enough.”
“You’re on their side?” I asked as I tried to squirm my way out of the handcuffs.
It proved fruitless. The cop tightened her grip on my body, restraining me from getting any closer to my friend.
Emily motioned for them to let go of me. “Just let him go,” she said, “he won’t do a thing. Why, yes of course, I’m on their side. Why do you think I choose to take you along for the road trip, instead of my boyfriend?”
“I thought you were my friend,” I said, sulking.
“Oh, but I am. It’s just,” Emily responded, “the game comes first. Now, let’s hurry, before he gets an idea and escapes.”
We started to walk outside to be taken to her car and then into custody. I struggled away from the officer’s grasp. She was unusually strong. I wanted to escape to the forest but her strength was too much for my weak body.
The other cop, to my surprise, was talking to another woman. The woman had smooth, silky white skin, almost pale, with a fair complexion. Her hair was curly and blond. She was wearing a sun dress, heels and a flowery hat; she was clearly not dressed for the weather. They seemed to enjoy each other’s company.
The female officer called him over and I saw it as my chance of escape. I kicked her shin and started running toward the forest. The lady in the sun dress screamed and the male officer came my way. He punched me in the stomach. I lost all the air in my lungs. I fell to the ground and gasped for air.
I was picked up from the floor and attempted to escape once more. Then I felt a huge force hit the back of my head and with a thud I fell to the ground. The last thing I saw were the exposed ankles of the woman in the sun dress. There seemed to be some writing on her right ankle. I focused all my energy in trying to read what it said. “Joseph, you’ll be okay.”
Her ankle told me that I’ll be okay.
The woman’s message was the only thing that seemed to make sense at the moment. I closed my eyes and thought of her ankle.
I woke up, tied to a chair in an empty room, my head resting on an empty table. There was an increasingly growing pain in the back of my head. The room was more desolate than the road Emily and I had traveled a few days ago.
More importantly, I knew that woman lied. I was not okay. I will not be okay and there was no hope for me anymore.
___________________________________
Author's Comments:
*The reason behind the (*) after the name Joe, is because I wasn't sure if Joe was short for Joseph.
I was told to never criticize my work when I present it, so I will not criticize what I wrote.
This is chapter one of the novel I'm writing titled, "Pieces."
Both titles (the chapter & book) aren't working titles so they are subject to change.
The only huge problem I had while writing this is the dialogue. I don't think I've ever written dialogue so I often found myself trying to make it work. I'm still not sure if that's the proper way to write dialogue.
Sorry for the cussing, it just seemed appropriate at that part of the writing.
As for the worries about being plagiarized, I do have all my writing backed up on my laptop, different emails and different blogs to show the improvement from first draft to final draft. (So if there is ever a discussion that I stole it from someone else, I have all that proof and if my laptop gets stolen, I can still see my writing.) I did get a fictionpress, so I will be posting it there before here. I also post it on my deviantart account before. So, thanks for reading. Please tell me what you think of the story.
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