*********
WE open on a girl, young, probably twenty-five, standing outside of a motel in a puffy sleeved wedding dress. Her eyes are closed against tears, and their is a cigarette expertly held in her right hand.There is a loud bang from the building behind her, and she flinches, her eyes opening for only a second. Distant laughter. She drops her cigarette onto the pavement and stomps it out. She is not wearing shoes.
A bus stops a block away from her, and she leans almost imperceptibly towards it. Now her eyes are wide, and she swallows. The bus drives away.
The veil she wears is gaudy, tiered floral. It is already lopsided and she takes it off. She holds it with both hands, examines it like she's unsure what its for.
There is a noise again, but off to her left. She watches, and soon a boy appears. Nine or ten, dark haired and round faced. The t-shirt he is wearing is too small. He is carefully watching the ground and doesn't notice our woman until nearly bumping into her.
He looks up.
"What are you looking for?" says the woman.
"My lunch money."
"Your lunch money?"
"Yes."
"Did you drop it?"
The boy stops walking. "I buried it."
"You buried it?"
"Yes. Under a rock."
"Why?"
"So the guys wouldn't take it."
"What guys?"
"At school."
"Boys at school are taking your lunch money?"
"Not if I bury it first."
"And come back for it."
"Yes."
"You're pretty smart."
The boy shrugs.
"Do you want help looking for it?"
The boy opens his mouth to speak, but sees something first. The rock he is looking for. He pounces on it, and flips it over. Underneath is a ziploc bag full of coins, mostly pennies, and a few crumpled dollar bills.
The boy eyes his find, apparently satisfied that its all there.
"Glad your plan worked," says the woman.
He looks up at her and pauses. He is fully aware of her for the first time. "Why are you wearing a wedding dress?" he says.
The woman pulls a box of cigarettes from who knows where and sticks one in her mouth without lighting it.
"So nobody takes it," she says finally.
********
I don't know how it ends, but there you have it. Any ideas?
Sarah Allen
Nothing springs to mind but if you decide to continue this, post the next segment. I'd like to see where you went with it.
ReplyDeleteSounds like the beginning of a Quentin Taratino film. We are already half way into the story with this scene and later we find out the dress has been soaked in $500,000 worth of dissolved cocaine.
ReplyDeleteI don't have any real ideas about where to go next, but I really like it! It's almost chaiasmus-like.
ReplyDeleteI think it would make a great flash fiction piece just the way it is.
ReplyDelete