Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Part 8

"For the devil is come down unto you,
having great wrath,
because he knoweth that he hath but a short time."

~ Revelations 12:12




For as long as she could remember, Eleanor had enjoyed the sound of traffic, cars running along a busy street, going some distance to nowhere. She didn’t hear the ocean until nearly an adult, but when she finally stood on a beach in California and listened to the rhythm of the waves, she was surprised at how similar the two sounds were. The two were forever associated in her mind after that visit to the beach. She smiled a little to herself whenever she thought of it, listening to the ebb and flow of vehicles, released from whatever traffic light far off they’d been standing at before they passed her on their way.
She could hear traffic now; the realization came to Eleanor gradually. She looked around in growing apprehension. Where am I? On the wall of a freeway overpass, her legs dangling over the side, her bare feet were illuminated by the glow of the passing cars. Occasionally one would honk, but she knew it was entirely too dark for them to really see her. Unable to see the face of her watch, she wondered what time it was.

“Are you going to jump?” The voice came from her right, and startled her. As she glanced across, toward the voice, she wondered what the answer to the question really was, or had been, until just a moment ago. She didn't remember what she had been thinking before she heard the voice.

It was a satyr, dark in the shadows around it. Its goaty legs were covered in coarse hair and one hoof was tapping the cement behind the other, as if a motion done during contemplation. There was an old army jacket over his bare chest and shoulders. Knobby horns protruded from its low forehead, poking through curly matted hair. Its hands were on the edge of the wall next to her as it watched the traffic passing below. It spat over the wall and looked at Eleanor, eyes glittering.

“Are you going to jump?” it asked again.

Eleanor shook her head, disoriented. “I don’t know.”

“What do you mean, you don’t know?” It gestured to the traffic slipping away below. “You’ve been sitting there for half an hour. Haven’t you figured it out yet?”

“Have I?" she murmured. She didn't move. "Do you know what time it is?”

The satyr shook its head. “I never know what time it is. It’s just… day or night. Right now it’s night.”

Eleanor looked back down at her feet. “Right.” What's the last thing I remember? Jack's tears, Cailyn singing the ABC's, a razor blade gleaming in the sink...

The satyr regarded her for a moment. “Look,” it said. “If you’re going to jump, then do it. I can’t wait around all night.”

She said to it, “Why do you care, either way? Nobody said you had to wait for anything.”

The long fingers tapped the concrete. “This is my bridge. I see everything that goes on here.”

“What do you mean, your bridge?”

It spread its hands, palms up. “I live here, well… under actually. But this is my house, and if you’re going to make a mess, I’m bloody well going to watch.”

Eleanor sat for a long moment, watching the traffic. “I always liked the sound of it,” she said.

“Hmm?” answered the satyr. “You mean the cars? I’ve always liked it too. That’s why I picked this bridge. It’s pretty steady, day or night. I don’t get jumpers here very often. People usually like to use the bridges nearer to the city center.”

She looked at it. “There have been people who have jumped from here before?”

“Sure,” it replied. “There are always one or two every year. Mostly around the holidays. But I’ve never had one so young, or female.”

She pulled her legs back and turned around, putting her feet on the pavement. The satyr shrugged, a bit disappointed.

“What street is this?” she asked it.

It pointed back down the road, toward town. “Parkway Boulevard.”

Eleanor began to walk. The satyr followed her, its hooves clicking on the sidewalk. “Where are you going?” it asked her.

“Home,” she told it. "I need to get back."

“Where’s home?”

“About four miles that way.” She didn’t stop.

“Want me to walk with you?”

“Not really,” she replied.

“But the city streets can be dangerous. Maybe I could help you.”

Eleanor almost laughed. She stopped now to address it. “I understand that your kind have quite a well-known reputation, and I appreciate the offer, but no thanks.”

It shrugged again and turned back to the overpass. “Well, if you ever want to talk again, or finally ever really feel the need to jump, my bridge is the best.”

She walked on, raising one hand and twisting it in farewell.

“Yeah,” she muttered. “I’ll keep that in mind.”


3 comments:

  1. This piece feels somewhat disconnected to me. I wasn't sure if it was a memory or a dream or if it was happening currently. From the first two paragraphs, I really thought it was Eleanor as a little girl.

    The preceding section showed us, or at least me, that her children still need her; they're still having experiences that will require her knowledge and experience to take care of (like being bitten by a faery). I'm surprised the thought of jumping off a bridge comes to Eleanor so soon after that episode.
    I think mentioning the kids and how they still don't need her, they'd still be better off without her, could show us the troubled thought-processes she's going through, as well as giving us a reference to the timeline.
    In the next section Harvest says something like, "You don't remember, do you?" So maybe this piece is supposed to feel disconnected? That's a cool concept, I can dig that.

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  2. K. I see what you mean about needing a context in time. I will add a few things to make it more specific and easier to place.

    It IS supposed to be disconnected tho. When I explain how the two different story lines hook up, I am thinking that it will make sense. I mean with Eleanor and the Sophie, et al. But if it doesn't we will keep these points you've raised in mind for future development, yeah?

    There IS a method to my madness! ;)

    If it were printed in a book, Parts 8 and 8.2 would be more connected. So if you see parts that have the same main number, read them all in a row and hopefully it will be more... whatever it is. Not understandable probably. Not yet anyway. O.O But... readable? Dunno.

    I'm so glad you're reading!

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  3. Oh, part 8.3 would also go with those two I mentioned...

    ReplyDelete