Ficpost
((A little scene from Courtney's childhood.))
“Hey, Courtney!” A brown-skinned boy with thick black curls flopped onto the steps next to a scrawny eight-year-old girl.
“Mmm? Hi, Malcolm.” She answered vaguely.
It was a sunny afternoon in the Philadelphia neighborhood. The street shimmered, waves of heat rising off the asphalt. There hadn’t been enough rain lately, and the few stunted saplings that grew from spaces in the sidewalk were wilting. Courtney was curled in the shade at the front of her apartment building, reading a book.
“You want to go skating? Or sneak into the movies?” Malcolm asked eagerly.
In point of fact, they had never been successful at sneaking into the movie theater, but they kept trying.
“Um…in a minute. I’m almost done with this chapter.” She didn’t look up.
He frowned, waited a few seconds, then vied for her attention again. “We could go to the 7-11 and buy candy and slurpees. I have some allowance money.”
“Just gimme a minute, okay?” Courtney snapped, turning a page.
Malcolm sighed and craned his neck to read the cover of the book. ‘The Unicorn Treasury’ it said. He rolled his eyes. When she finally closed the book, he asked, “Why do you read that stuff? I mean, you don’t read anything else.”
She shrugged and shoved the book into the pocket of her shorts. “’Cause I like it.”
“You know it’s all fake, right? I mean, unicorns and magic and stuff. It’s not real.”
The little girl scowled and toed a loose pebble. “That doesn’t matter. It’s not about whether it’s real or not. It’s about all the things you could do if it were real.”
He blinked at her. “You’re weird sometimes, you know?”
Courtney shrugged again and stood up. “Deal with it. I want a slurpee. C’mon.”
As they ran off toward the 7-11, a unicorn, only slightly distorted by the bend in the book cover, peered out of her pocket.
“Hey, Courtney!” A brown-skinned boy with thick black curls flopped onto the steps next to a scrawny eight-year-old girl.
“Mmm? Hi, Malcolm.” She answered vaguely.
It was a sunny afternoon in the Philadelphia neighborhood. The street shimmered, waves of heat rising off the asphalt. There hadn’t been enough rain lately, and the few stunted saplings that grew from spaces in the sidewalk were wilting. Courtney was curled in the shade at the front of her apartment building, reading a book.
“You want to go skating? Or sneak into the movies?” Malcolm asked eagerly.
In point of fact, they had never been successful at sneaking into the movie theater, but they kept trying.
“Um…in a minute. I’m almost done with this chapter.” She didn’t look up.
He frowned, waited a few seconds, then vied for her attention again. “We could go to the 7-11 and buy candy and slurpees. I have some allowance money.”
“Just gimme a minute, okay?” Courtney snapped, turning a page.
Malcolm sighed and craned his neck to read the cover of the book. ‘The Unicorn Treasury’ it said. He rolled his eyes. When she finally closed the book, he asked, “Why do you read that stuff? I mean, you don’t read anything else.”
She shrugged and shoved the book into the pocket of her shorts. “’Cause I like it.”
“You know it’s all fake, right? I mean, unicorns and magic and stuff. It’s not real.”
The little girl scowled and toed a loose pebble. “That doesn’t matter. It’s not about whether it’s real or not. It’s about all the things you could do if it were real.”
He blinked at her. “You’re weird sometimes, you know?”
Courtney shrugged again and stood up. “Deal with it. I want a slurpee. C’mon.”
As they ran off toward the 7-11, a unicorn, only slightly distorted by the bend in the book cover, peered out of her pocket.