Wednesday September 14th, 2011

The exercise:

I think it's about time for another go at the Random CD Prompt. So go pick a song as randomly as you can manage and use its first line as your own - and then go wherever you want with it. If this is your first attempt, feel free to click on the label below to see previous examples.

Had a relatively quick harvest this morning other than the berries, which are somehow still going strong. That's certainly not a complaint though, as I'm happy to pick them as long as they care to ripen.

The north side of the house now has its first coat of paint, which only leaves the east side to go. Tomorrow? I think so.

Mine:

Automatic Flowers - Our Lady Peace

"... and Sarah thinks she's died here once before."

I looked up from my newspaper slowly, not sure that I had heard Nathan correctly. He was staring out the window, watching the rain fall in sporadic drops to the pavement two floors below.

"What was that?" I asked after another minute passed in silence.

"She says it happened in the kitchen. Paring knife in the neck."

"Who did it?"

"The attack came from behind." Nathan looked away from the window to gaze at the bedroom door. Sarah was sound asleep on the other side after her latest episode. "She never saw his face."

"Then how does she even know it's a he?"

"Because it always is," Nathan said, just loud enough to be heard over the weather report on the radio. "It always is."

5 comments:

Greg said...

Sorry about the lateness of this comment, I spent all of yesterday (as in, 4am->10pm) flying to and from Dublin to give a 7 hour training session. I'm still rather exhausted, because I had to get up at 5 today and had a 90 minute meeting at 9am!
Sounds like the house is nearly there though. Fantastic!
And that's a creepy little story you crafted there. I'm not sure why the very last sentence is so powerful but it is, and it tells us almost more than all the other words put together!

Solsbury Hill - Peter Gabriel

Climbing up on Solsbury Hill Gillian was having trouble getting her breath. Finally, half-way up, she stopped, her hands on her knees and her hair hanging over her face. Damian stopped as well, and put a hand on her shoulders. She shook him off.
"What?" he said. "Are you alright?"
"Yes. Well. Yes. No."
"See," he said, trying to put his hand back. She shook him off again.
"Oh crap." She flicked her hair back and looked up at him, her chest still heaving as she tried to breathe steadily. "Look, I wa– was going to wai– wait until we got to– to the top."
"Wait for what?" Damian's face was so sweetly puzzled she almost lost the control she'd regained over her breathing.
"To break up with you," she said, the words quieter than she'd intended, than she'd rehearsed. "I've been seeing someone else."
He stared at her for horribly long seconds that dragged into a minute, and then a second minute. Then he turned his back on her and stomped off, still climbing up Solsbury Hill. She watched him go, then turned round and headed back down again with a gasp of relief.

Marc said...

Greg - that is a rather hectic schedule :(

I'm glad you liked mine - I've been toying with the idea of expanding it, but haven't found the time to do so yet. Maybe on the cruise?

Great little scene. You always squeeze in the most wonderful little details :)

Greg said...

Definitely continue it! Though only on the cruise if you need some time away from your family -- with only five days, I think there'll be lots and lots of other things to do!

Denin said...

I've been too exhausted to write lately! Yesterday I was at my school from 6:45 AM to 10:45 PM, with the last 10 hours being nothing but music rehearsals and performances. And guess what else I'm doing today? More performances! It's a wonder I'm passing my classes at all.

-----------------------------------

Stone Temple Pilots - Atlanta

"She lives in the bungalow..."

And must get out. The sun dried crusty brown grass on every lawn reminds her of the pathetic excuse of a neighborhood she lives in. In fact, her own lawn is the only green on the street. All the houses are faded reds or blues that have descended into monotony.
Feeling compressed into a nearly panicking state, she rushes into her own neatly painted home over her pristine grass, sighing in relief at the beautiful confines of her entryway. Perhaps I could quit my job and stay in here forever, she thought. No need to subject myself to a real life horror movie everyday. As she adjusted a crooked coat on the coat rack, she walked into the kitchen quietly, making sure to step in the center of every tile. A dirty dish in the sink drew a sharp intake out of her as she scurried over to wash it.

From the next yard, a woman watched her scrub the plate with a manic zeal. She had never fit in here, the woman thought. Ever since the first day, when she had spent three hours spraying and cleaning an already sparkling car. Maybe she'll calm down someday, the woman pondered as she stepped into the soft green grass. Frowning at a small patch of dead grass in the corner, she realized, then again, maybe she won't.

Hermione Granger said...

Koool