Sunday December 6th, 2009

The exercise:

So around four o'clock yesterday afternoon I got up to take a break from writing and realized that I wasn't in any pain. Seeing as I haven't taken any painkillers since Thursday night, this was a rather exciting development.

There's still some swelling, and I can't really open my jaw all the way, but just sitting around there's no aching anymore. Today is also exciting because I get to start putting heat on my cheeks.

Anyway. Recovery is going better than expected. And your prompt today is: a night at the movies.

Mine:

As I watched the previews play
So many spoilers were on display
I glanced at my ticket and thought,
How many movies had I bought?

Because now that I knew
The villain is the man in blue,
And the city survived the attack,
Why should I ever come back?

3 comments:

Greg said...

Wow, pain-free so fast? You must heal quickly then! That's definitely good news though, and it sounds like the residual side-effects are wearing off smoothly as well :)

Great little poem, I often sit through the trailers in the cinema and think "That looks like all the best bits from that film... oh well, that saves me money going to see it at least." I think I like the first verse better than the second, it seems to have a slightly smoother flow to it.

A night at the movies

Dr. Septopus clacked his beak and rummaged in his popcorn with three of his tentacles. He settled back in his seat, and stared happily up at the big silver screen in front of him, alone in the dark with his imagination and that of the film's director. Exactly as a night at the movies should be.
He'd had difficulties distracting the rest of the Council of Nastiness for long enough to successfully get away from them. He couldn't bring the Green Lightbulb because he gave off bursts of light when he got angry or excited or happy or... well, whenever he got emotional. Apart from interrupting the film, those bursts of light were also laced with gamma radiation, and there were usually dead and dying people by the end of the film, even in Jane Austen.
He also disliked bringing Sylvestra because she invariably felt that the main female character was insufficiently emancipated and would say so in a loud voice throughout the film, ruining it for him. She'd stayed blessedly quiet in Brokeback Mountain though.
The trailers started up, and Dr. Septopus relaxed some more, opening his mind up to the possibilities displayed on the screen, and realising that he could hear familiar voices behind him.
"No, Lightbulb, I don't know where Dr. Septopus went, but does it matter? He's missing out on a trip to the cinema with us, and that's his problem."
A green flash of scintillating light answered that comment, and a couple of seconds later someone a few rows in front of him keeled over with a muffled thud.

Monica Manning said...

A Night at the Movies

“Butter on your popcorn, sir?” Frank shook his head at the pimple-faced teen behind the concession counter.

“Don’t be ridiculous, you can’t have popcorn without butter.” His wife’s nasal voice attacked him.

“I don’t want butter,” he murmured.

“Fine!” Barbara snapped. “I do. I’ll have a large popcorn with butter. No…make it extra butter.” She sneered at Frank, knowing that paying for the extra butter would anger him.

He pulled a worn leather wallet from his coat pocket and, with great care, removed the bills to pay for their movie snacks. The smile that played on Frank’s lips went unnoticed by his wife as she walked away with her popcorn and soda.

As they walked down the hall toward the theatre, Barbara continued to berate him, preaching about popcorn etiquette. The woman just never let up; her harping was a constant assault. Nothing satisfied her, least of all Frank. Five short years of marriage felt like fifty. From the moment they were married, Frank knew it was a mistake. Even at the wedding reception, she had lectured him on how he held his fork. She was happiest when she was humiliating him. Frank sat in silence and ate his dry popcorn while his wife badgered him. Her tirade ended only when the lights dimmed and the film began to play.

Barbara’s choice of movie was an art film, which he was certain she selected simply to annoy him. With little dialogue in the picture, the stillness of the movie theatre was punctuated by the crunching of popcorn as moviegoers shovelled handfuls of fluffy kernels into their cavernous mouths. Frank sat motionless in his seat, staring blindly at the screen throughout the entire film, listening to the deafening sound of snapping corn echo off the walls.

The movie had barely finished when he gathered his empty popcorn bucket and drink cup. Without looking at Barbara, he muttered, “I’ll meet you at the car.”

Frank took his time walking along the corridor, gazing at the colourful posters of movies that played in other theatres—movies he would have preferred to see. From the corner of his eye, he watched the staff open the doors to the theatre in preparation for the exodus.

Several minutes passed before one of the gangly teens entered the dark theatre. Frank heard shouting, then turned back to scrutinize a bright poster as several staff members ran into the theatre. A high pitched scream carried down the hall and a few people turned to look with mild interest. The manager came running and spoke in hushed tones with a uniformed boy who was quite agitated by the sight in the room.

“Everyone is just sitting in their seats, sir.” The lad’s breath came in short bursts as he recalled the scene. “They’re in their seats, all staring at the screen, with half-empty buckets of buttered popcorn in their laps.”

The manager squeezed the boy’s shoulder. “Thank you, Craig,” and he walked into the theatre.

“I think they’re all dead, sir,” Craig called after his supervisor.

A faint smile played across Frank’s face. He thrust his hands in his pockets and walked out of the theatre alone.

Marc said...

Greg - I think a lot of it has to do with my oral surgeon. He costs a bit extra, but I'd say it's well worth it.

Trailers that spoil the movie drive me crazy. If I see one that I really want to see then I just wait a long time before watching the movie and I'll usually have forgotten the spoilers :P

Haha, that's a great ending to your story :)

Monica - Ah, that was a satisfying conclusion. And if others had to die so that Frank could be free... so be it! :D