The exercise:
I was watching Jeopardy tonight and decided to use whatever the Final Jeopardy category was as the starter. Thus: island chains.
Mine:
Old man Enki sat motionless in his rocking chair, feet planted firmly on the rotting wooden beams of his front porch. He watched the young men stroll past his home without a glance in his direction, too caught up in themselves to notice a relic like him.
Pushing down with his toes, Enki brought the rocking chair back into action. The miniature islands on the chain around his neck clinked softly against each other, as they always did; slowly, surely rubbing the paint off of each other.
There was Mykonos, where he had met his first wife when he was too young to know better; Jersey, the island that took his right arm in the boating accident; and Vanuatu, his only son's burial ground.
Memories, so many memories, clinked rhythmically together, as Enki rocked back and forth, back and forth, until he saw the sun fall below the horizon for the final time. He closed his eyes, rested his chin softly on his chest and drifted away, the waves of time carrying him home.
I like the idea of a necklace of islands, more so because each one is a specific memory. It's kind of sad that so many of the memories are sad too, but I guess that's one of the things about life; there have to good and bad memories mixed in there together. It's beautifully described.
ReplyDeleteIsland Chain
"It's an island chain," said the Green Lightbulb proudly. "I had it made in China."
Dr. Septopus and Sylvestra looked at the enormously thick links of chain that were obstructing the door to the Council of Nastiness's headquarters, and then Sylvestra reached out a long, black-nylon clad leg and poked it with a toe. It didn't move.
"What's it for?" asked Dr. Septopus. He adjusted his pince-beak glasses on his squid-like nose and squinted.
"Chaining islands down," said the Green Lightbulb. His tone conveyed the impatience of someone who feels that they are repeating themselves without good reason.
"Why?" asked Sylvestra. "They hardly float off by themselves."
"Atlantis did," said Dr. Septopus.
"Atlantis sank," said Sylvestra. "Someone let an invention get a bit out of control. Didn't they?"
"I wouldn't know," said Dr. Septopus studying the chain again. He seemed fascinated by it all of a sudden.
"There are floating islands," said Green, making them both jump; they'd forgotten he was there. "And I intend to catch one."
Greg - thanks for contributing to this one, and I'm glad you enjoyed my take :)
ReplyDeleteHaha, some great details in here. And I'm quite fond of this idea of catching floating islands...