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This is my entry to the Jan 15, 2009 Poetigress thursday prompt: "Sirens"
The phone rang.
Alder rubbed her temples and looked at the clock. The numbers flickered in her mind’s eye, trading places with four letter words.
She stared at her computer screen and counted the tiles in the surrealist painting. “Fifty-four, counting down,” she said, her words escaping any meaning.
Tired with her charge, she pushed her rolling chair away from the table and felt the wind caress her face. The sweet smell of fragrant flowers filled her lungs and it wasn’t until she opened her eyes that she saw the scented candle in front of the fan.
“Damn insomnia…” she said to her shadow. She was angry when she didn’t receive a response. She slumped into her chair and looked at her stuffed animals sitting on a shelf across the room.
“You never sleep,” she said and heard the words echo in the nearly empty apartment. “You’ve no problems. No bills. No angry girlfriends to worry about.”
She stared back at the phone. Wasn’t it shaking only moments before? She picked up the receiver.
“Hello?”
Dead tone. A buzz called to her from the depths of tunnels located below the surface. Three beeps and a voice answered. “We’re sorry, but the call cannot be completed as dialed. Please check the number and dial again.”
“You shouldn’t call all the time. It’s not healthy,” she said to the voice.
“We’re sorry, but the call cannot be completed as dialed. Please check the number an dial again.”
“You’re never a good conversationalist.”
“We’re sorry.”
“No, it’s okay. I don’t mean to be angry.”
“Dial again.”
“No, no. I’ll be better next time. I promise.”
“But the call…”
“It’s okay. I’ll talk to you later.”
With that, Alder hung up.
She turned to her computer screen and saw a puppy dancing around on the screensaver.
“There you are!” Alder said, wheeling her legs over to the screen. “I was looking for you!”
The dog wagged its tail and sniffed a pipe that appeared next to it in the blackness.
“Don’t…don’t go in there.”
The puppy jumped into the pipe and Alder gasped.
She saw the green tube pull back and stretch and stretch and stretch until it became as a road where illuminated ants trailed. The circuits sizzled with life as more pipes appeared and then more and more until the screen was a maze with no hope of escape.
“No!” Alder shouted as she touched the mouse. The screen went back to the surrealist image as Alder sat back in her chair. The room was quiet once more.
“I need some coffee.”
She got up and felt the ground shift underneath her feet. She stumbled for a bit before catching herself on her bedpost. A leather strap fell off the side and slinked into the crack between the wood and the mattress. She decided to leave it alone since it liked it there.
The kitchen was a mess, stained in paint and strange substances Alder had long forgotten about. Her padded socks made each step feel like a stroll through a green garden. She was told the cat claws would provide intense sensation, so she listened and they did.
The coffee pot was missing.
“Huh?” she said, her voice a low growl now. She looked around the kitchen and spotted a silver bell on the counter. She hit and it jingled, causing her to giggle.
“Mmph!”
“I’ll use this instead!” Alder said as the closet remained silent. She looked at it and tried to remember where she had put her favorite chair. She placed her ear against the door.
The phone rang.
She grabbed the bell and placed it on her collar. As she stepped towards the phone, the jingle of the bell caused her to stop. She crouched and found she couldn’t move unless her hands and feet touched the floor. She crawled to the phone and knocked over the received with her hand. She placed an ear against it.
“Do you know what day it is?” the voice asked.
Alder tried to respond but only moaned.
“It’s four o’clock in the morning. You’ve done well to see the nights to their end. Did you see the fairies like you wanted?”
Alder meowed.
“Did they tell you where they keep their diamonds?”
She meowed again.
“Did the closet say anything else today?”
Alder purred.
“I’ll take care of that when I get there. Just hang on. I’ll be right over. Until then, I think there’s something under the bed you might like.”
The phone stopped. Alder listened and then hearing nothing, trotted over to the bed. It squirmed uneasily and she licked the face in order to satiate it. She crawled underneath and heard sighs of contentment reach her heart.
- ~ -
The phone rang.
Alder rubbed her temples and looked at the clock. The numbers flickered in her mind’s eye, trading places with four letter words.
She stared at her computer screen and counted the tiles in the surrealist painting. “Fifty-four, counting down,” she said, her words escaping any meaning.
Tired with her charge, she pushed her rolling chair away from the table and felt the wind caress her face. The sweet smell of fragrant flowers filled her lungs and it wasn’t until she opened her eyes that she saw the scented candle in front of the fan.
“Damn insomnia…” she said to her shadow. She was angry when she didn’t receive a response. She slumped into her chair and looked at her stuffed animals sitting on a shelf across the room.
“You never sleep,” she said and heard the words echo in the nearly empty apartment. “You’ve no problems. No bills. No angry girlfriends to worry about.”
She stared back at the phone. Wasn’t it shaking only moments before? She picked up the receiver.
“Hello?”
Dead tone. A buzz called to her from the depths of tunnels located below the surface. Three beeps and a voice answered. “We’re sorry, but the call cannot be completed as dialed. Please check the number and dial again.”
“You shouldn’t call all the time. It’s not healthy,” she said to the voice.
“We’re sorry, but the call cannot be completed as dialed. Please check the number an dial again.”
“You’re never a good conversationalist.”
“We’re sorry.”
“No, it’s okay. I don’t mean to be angry.”
“Dial again.”
“No, no. I’ll be better next time. I promise.”
“But the call…”
“It’s okay. I’ll talk to you later.”
With that, Alder hung up.
She turned to her computer screen and saw a puppy dancing around on the screensaver.
“There you are!” Alder said, wheeling her legs over to the screen. “I was looking for you!”
The dog wagged its tail and sniffed a pipe that appeared next to it in the blackness.
“Don’t…don’t go in there.”
The puppy jumped into the pipe and Alder gasped.
She saw the green tube pull back and stretch and stretch and stretch until it became as a road where illuminated ants trailed. The circuits sizzled with life as more pipes appeared and then more and more until the screen was a maze with no hope of escape.
“No!” Alder shouted as she touched the mouse. The screen went back to the surrealist image as Alder sat back in her chair. The room was quiet once more.
“I need some coffee.”
She got up and felt the ground shift underneath her feet. She stumbled for a bit before catching herself on her bedpost. A leather strap fell off the side and slinked into the crack between the wood and the mattress. She decided to leave it alone since it liked it there.
The kitchen was a mess, stained in paint and strange substances Alder had long forgotten about. Her padded socks made each step feel like a stroll through a green garden. She was told the cat claws would provide intense sensation, so she listened and they did.
The coffee pot was missing.
“Huh?” she said, her voice a low growl now. She looked around the kitchen and spotted a silver bell on the counter. She hit and it jingled, causing her to giggle.
“Mmph!”
“I’ll use this instead!” Alder said as the closet remained silent. She looked at it and tried to remember where she had put her favorite chair. She placed her ear against the door.
The phone rang.
She grabbed the bell and placed it on her collar. As she stepped towards the phone, the jingle of the bell caused her to stop. She crouched and found she couldn’t move unless her hands and feet touched the floor. She crawled to the phone and knocked over the received with her hand. She placed an ear against it.
“Do you know what day it is?” the voice asked.
Alder tried to respond but only moaned.
“It’s four o’clock in the morning. You’ve done well to see the nights to their end. Did you see the fairies like you wanted?”
Alder meowed.
“Did they tell you where they keep their diamonds?”
She meowed again.
“Did the closet say anything else today?”
Alder purred.
“I’ll take care of that when I get there. Just hang on. I’ll be right over. Until then, I think there’s something under the bed you might like.”
The phone stopped. Alder listened and then hearing nothing, trotted over to the bed. It squirmed uneasily and she licked the face in order to satiate it. She crawled underneath and heard sighs of contentment reach her heart.
- ~ -
Category Story / All
Species Unspecified / Any
Size 120 x 120px
File Size 8.3 kB
That was... interesting.
I do have one comment about something I noticed. Rather than just tell you straight out here is a hint:
Look how you are starting sentences in the first few paragraphs (5 or 7 or so). I think you should be able to see the problem I'm talking about. Easy fix that would really make the opening a lot better.
I do have one comment about something I noticed. Rather than just tell you straight out here is a hint:
Look how you are starting sentences in the first few paragraphs (5 or 7 or so). I think you should be able to see the problem I'm talking about. Easy fix that would really make the opening a lot better.
Thank you! Although many people say they're lost when they read this, they also often say they enjoyed it nonetheless. Quite strange, isn't it, to enjoy something that always seems to elude understanding?
This story functions as a type of Rorschach. Many people see a reflection of themselves in it. Others strive to attain a rational coherent train of thought that travels through the narrative.
Thank you again for taking the time to read my story.
-Vaperfox
This story functions as a type of Rorschach. Many people see a reflection of themselves in it. Others strive to attain a rational coherent train of thought that travels through the narrative.
Thank you again for taking the time to read my story.
-Vaperfox
Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it. I did like the haunting subtheme that permeates it, but of course, it only exists for those who want to see it. Some have said this is a very funny story. I was surprised at the comment, but happy nonetheless.
I'm thankful you're taking the time to read "The Spirit of Christmas." If you like the beginning, it only gets better from there. =^.^=
-vaperfox
I'm thankful you're taking the time to read "The Spirit of Christmas." If you like the beginning, it only gets better from there. =^.^=
-vaperfox
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