The exercise:
Your prompt today is: the assistant.
Kat and I are headed to Kamloops this weekend for one of her cousin's wedding. I'll be leaving straight from work, so I'm scheduling the next two days tonight and I'll be back on Sunday. With pictures this time, I swear!
...
Okay, now that I've put my camera in the most obvious place possible, let's get to writing, shall we?
Mine:
He answers all my calls,
Runs errands at the mall,
Willingly takes the fall –
He really does it all!
He always makes me laugh
And helps my kids with math;
When I’m on the war path
I still get my sponge bath!
Now, with all of that having been said,
I wish he’d stay out of my wife’s bed.
He reached his hairy arm out, his floppy lips curling into an over-sized smile that showed his yellowed crooked teeth. The audience laughed and applauded. The assistant took a bow. "And for my next trick," the magician began, "my assistant will now use his charms to woo that beautiful woman into giving me her phone number."
ReplyDeleteAgain, the audience laughed. Whistles and catcalls floated to the ceiling of the large auditorium as the assistance ambled agiley down the aisle. Midway to the woman selected by the magician, he stooped and picked something off the carpet. He held it before his eyes, the piece so small not even those in the end seats could make out what it was. Still, he scrutinized it with an intensity most people would have found alarming outside of the auditorium. Without warning, the young assistant popped it into his mouth and then tumbled forward, completing the perfect somersault to thunderous applause.
He swept his long arm across his middle and bowed to the floor, his face hovering barely an inch above the red carpet. He bowed tot he other size to continued applause. The audiences eyes were fixed on him, curious as to the next antic. He didn't fail to please. He leaped from his bow, his foot landing confidently on the thin edge of the seat arm. The shirt tails of his dinner jacket traced large circles in the air as he leaped and twirled over the seat arms of the next two rows.
Applause and laughter echoed off the walls and ceilings of the room. The assistant stopped. He looked at the young woman who was blushing deeply from equal parts embarrassment and joy. The young assistant stood balanced on one foot the row in front of her. He looked at her, his lips spreading wide again, a look that made everyone feel cheery even though he had such a funny little face. Slowly, ever so cautiously, he lowered himself to the ground and took steps toward the young woman. His steps showed a great degree of gravity and seriousness.
The audience quieted, anticipating the moment. The assistant reached his long arm toward her, gently taking her hand in his. His deep sigh filled up the room and maybe broke a few of the audiences heart. He bent down, his large brown eyes still trained on hers and placed a gentle kiss on her hand. Quick as a flash, he climbed into her lap and curled up into a fetal position, sucking on his thumb.
The audience sat silently having forgotten what the end result was to be. "So, what do you think?" said the man sitting next to the woman. She looked at him startled from the strength of his voice and the sudden appearance of the magician in the seat next to her. He smiled his glorious smile and handed her a rose. "Do I get your phone number?"
She laughed. "Only if your little Bobo Monkey is part of the deal," she responded, smoothing the fur on the young assistant monkey curled in her lap. The audience's approval exploded and Bobo left a wet kiss on her face.
No dragons mentioned, but it builds a little more on my plot/characters:
ReplyDeleteI'm worried about my prince. He has not been sleeping well ever since his son disappeared.
Many nights he doesn't go to bed, or he goes very late. When he does go to bed, I hear him tossing in his big bed all night long.
If only we were back in our own palace in the Capital, I would go to Pohatan Suz, and she would fix me a powder for his nightly tisane. But we are in such disfavor with His Highness The Emperor (may he live long) that my prince was not permitted the usual entourage. Just me.
Here, in this strange city, I am afraid to be seen searching for a pohatan. This city seethes with intrigue and counter-intrigue, and I do not know whom I can trust. I dare not risk my prince appearing weak.
@Morganna: I'm intrigued! In such a small space you build a lot of mystery and tension -- good work!
ReplyDelete@Heather: I loved the Bobo monkey, I thought it was a great take on the prompt. And such a nice change for a magician's assistant! You take such care in your writing, it's obvious that you really connect with your characters.
@Marc: Hmmm, if you're getting sponge baths from your (male) assistant, I'd question if you were really that worried about him being in your wife's bed.... Your poem did make me laugh though when I read it, which was after the flight back from Montréal with no sleep -- so you're definitely doing something right!
The assistant
"We call her Death's Assistant," whispered Marjorie, leaning forward so that her ample chest rested on her knees. I focused on her sensible shoes, black and scuffed, but leaned in too to hear better. "Not to her face, of course, that would be mean. But she's got the worst record on the ward for survivors."
We were in the staff room for Ward 7, Geriatric Medicine at St. Elsewhere hospital, and this was only my second day. It seemed all of the nurses had grudges against the others, and they were taking it in turns to try and recruit me to their side.
"What does she do?" I asked in as hushed a tone as I could manage. "I mean, is it deliberate?"
"Oh no," said Marjorie, clearly picking her words with care. "But she does carry a surprising amount of morphine with her...."
Heather - I agree with Greg, that was an excellent take on the prompt :)
ReplyDeleteMorganna - that's a great vignette!
Greg - also a great take on the vignette. I think a longer story lurks within what you have there :)