(no subject)
THE GIFT OF EXILE
Sequel fanfiction in four parts.
Source: Slightly more influenced by the film than the short story.
Disclaimer: Ennis, Jack, all the other characters appearing in Brokeback Mountain and its storyline are the creations and property of Annie Proulx, and of Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana who authored the screenplay. I am deriving no income from this work.
Author’s Notes: I have made no effort to imitate Annie Proulx's style; her style is her own. "Dialect" passages are not intended to be dialect as such, but standard American colloquial pronunciation. Some Southern idioms are also used. This is a very first fiction attempt and as such is more than a little autobiographical.
This story includes a metaphysical subplot featuring Jack.
PLOT SYNOPSIS TO DATE:
A year after Jack’s death, Ennis attends his daughter’s wedding although he’s still struggling with grief and depression. Two unexpected and significant events happen for him that day. Jack shows up as an unseen guest and he and Ennis silently repeat the wedding vows together. Later at the reception, Ennis meets some of Curt’s out-of-state relatives including his second cousin David, who has also been mourning the death of a partner.
In the following few months, changes are taking place in Ennis’ family: Jenny wants to move to Denver and Curt is considering looking for other employment. Ennis gets a letter from Mrs. Twist asking him to come up to Lightning Flat and carry out Jack’s wishes. Ennis visits with Mrs. Twist, learns some more about Jack’s life growing up and comes out to another person for the first time. He then sets out to take Jack’s ashes to Brokeback Mountain.
CHAPTERS:
Chapter 1: http://talkstocoyotes.livejournal.com/392.html
Chapter 2: http://talkstocoyotes.livejournal.com/523.html
Chapter 3: http://talkstocoyotes.livejournal.com/1066.html
Chapter 4: http://talkstocoyotes.livejournal.com/1485.html
Chapter 5: http://talkstocoyotes.livejournal.com/1704.html
Chapter 6: http://talkstocoyotes.livejournal.com/2038.html
Chapter 7: http://talkstocoyotes.livejournal.com/2358.html
Chapter 8: http://talkstocoyotes.livejournal.com/2635.html
From Chapter 2, at Alma Junior's wedding:
He could feel the unmistakable contours of Jack’s hand. Now, however, there were only the borders of the pressure that he felt, and he briefly longed to feel the details of this part of Jack’s now-vanished physical body: the smooth asymmetrical ovals of fingernails, then the comparative roughness of skin with the tiny rivulets that were knuckles and the bigger ones of bones and veins. He had always loved to look at hands. People said that the eyes were the "windows of the soul’ and maybe they were; but the hands were what did the soul’s work in the world that everyone knew. As Curt began to repeat the same vows to Alma, with the ceremonial prompting, he was almost not surprised to hear the echoing voice that seemed to hover in some twilight space between thought and physical hearing.
"I, Alma, take you Curt. . ."
I, Jack, take you Ennis. . .
There was no explanation, and no denying it. Ennis closed his eyes and gave himself over to the moment. He could feel an unseen mouth nuzzling his hair, just above his left ear.
"You may kiss the bride," the minister said.