(no subject)
kay so here's a story i'm working on, and it sucks. but it's just to break the ice on my writers block.
it's a story with a moral (eyeroll), about when politicians use fear to gain power, and how paranoia wrecks communities. kinda like bush making people scared to open their mail because there might be anthrax inside.
EDIT: it's not finished, btw. not even halfway.
anyway:
Wallace County was a small, quiet place. Small enough that when someone scribbled their name on a garbage can in white spray paint, everyone knew who did it because there' only so many people named "Bradley" in Wallace. The town had a first-place trophy peewee baseball team, public picnics, a "U-Pick" apple orchard and, once a summer, the annual Strawberry Festival.
Children helped old ladies cross streets even though everyone always stopped for pedestrians and folks still said things like "golly" and "swell". There were tire swings in the park, and kids biked over to Grandma's for cherry pie on nice days.
Yeah, it was a great town to grow up in. That is, until Valerie Harris pulled herself out of bed early one Sunday afternoon and, crunching on MiniWheats, turned on the TV.
"-platform for next month's county election includes a crack-down on jaywalkers," said an angular woman in an equally angular blazer on Valerie's TV set. A grey-haired man at a podium filled her screen, and cleared his throat before speaking.
"Wallace is wonderful town," he said to an audience who cheered back at him. "It's a beautiful town indeed, but there’s an issue that worries me: jaywalkers. These unlawful folk have no respect for the law or for anyone who is driving. Why, just the other day I saw a little child cross in the middle of the street with her Mama! No more than six years old and already she is ignoring crosswalks and streetlights. What kind of a lesson is that for a promising young citizen like herself? God forbid something should happen to her when her Mama wasn’t looking! I love Wallace,” the crowd cheered in agreement “-and I can assure you that I do not want a single citizen of our wonderful town to be in danger. I promise that, if elected, I will do my very best to stomp out risky and unlawful behavior in Wallace. Thank you.” The crowd roared. Valerie changed the channel to a cartoon of a boy skateboarding with a kangaroo.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Valerie was walking to school. No cars were on the road, and she didn’t think twice before crossing the center of the street.
A man in sunglasses and a blue uniform peaked out from behind a tree and called her over to the sidewalk. He gave her a stern talking-to about the dangers of jaywalking, mostly the same stuff she had heard from the man in the suit on the television. She promised to be more careful, and told him she understood the risks. She walked off feeling strange, as if something was being taken from her.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Valerie came home two days later and turned on the TV to watch Oprah. The same man was on the television, saying that he’s seen reports by the police and that since he asked police to really take notice, the number of reported jaywalkers has increased by 180%. He told the crowd that they need someone to take care of this increasing problem.
He won by a landslide in the election.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Valerie woke up two Sundays later and, crunching on MiniWheats, turned on the television. The new mayor addressed the town on her screen.
“I would like to congratulate the police force on the wonderful job handling the town’s jaywalking problem,” he said, a comforting smile on his face, “And for all their hard work preparing for the next big problem this town faces: vandalism. Vandalism! In Wallace! Lord above, I thought more of our citizens than to stoop to scribbling names on property! Why, just the other day I watched my neighbor, a sweet old dame in her sixties, forced to scrub black permanent marker off her recycling bin. A lovely woman such as herself should not have to slave away to keep her house looking clean. Townsfolk, keep your eyes open! Would you want your property defaced with cusswords? I am prepared to battle these law-breakers to keep our town as beautiful as the day it was built! Thank you, folks, and God bless you and God bless Wallace!”
Valerie switched the station to a program on arctic aquatic life.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When the school called Valerie’ parents four days later, she pleaded with them and insisted that it hadn’t been her who wrote on the desk.
“Oh, please!” scoffed her mother, “Take responsibility for your actions! I taught you better than that. You’re not better than a common vandal! For all I know, it was you who defaced the mayor’s neighbor’s recycling bin! Such a sweet woman, how could you do a thing like that to such a sweet woman? What had she ever done to you? Oh, just wait till your father gets home! Now go to your room! Such a darling old dame…”
Valerie stared at her ceiling and wondered how retracing a rose on her desk in math class had convinced her mother she had defaced the property of a defenseless old lady. She wondered what her punishment was going to be.
i think it moves really quickly... any feedback?
~emily<3
RAVE ON
it's a story with a moral (eyeroll), about when politicians use fear to gain power, and how paranoia wrecks communities. kinda like bush making people scared to open their mail because there might be anthrax inside.
EDIT: it's not finished, btw. not even halfway.
anyway:
Wallace County was a small, quiet place. Small enough that when someone scribbled their name on a garbage can in white spray paint, everyone knew who did it because there' only so many people named "Bradley" in Wallace. The town had a first-place trophy peewee baseball team, public picnics, a "U-Pick" apple orchard and, once a summer, the annual Strawberry Festival.
Children helped old ladies cross streets even though everyone always stopped for pedestrians and folks still said things like "golly" and "swell". There were tire swings in the park, and kids biked over to Grandma's for cherry pie on nice days.
Yeah, it was a great town to grow up in. That is, until Valerie Harris pulled herself out of bed early one Sunday afternoon and, crunching on MiniWheats, turned on the TV.
"-platform for next month's county election includes a crack-down on jaywalkers," said an angular woman in an equally angular blazer on Valerie's TV set. A grey-haired man at a podium filled her screen, and cleared his throat before speaking.
"Wallace is wonderful town," he said to an audience who cheered back at him. "It's a beautiful town indeed, but there’s an issue that worries me: jaywalkers. These unlawful folk have no respect for the law or for anyone who is driving. Why, just the other day I saw a little child cross in the middle of the street with her Mama! No more than six years old and already she is ignoring crosswalks and streetlights. What kind of a lesson is that for a promising young citizen like herself? God forbid something should happen to her when her Mama wasn’t looking! I love Wallace,” the crowd cheered in agreement “-and I can assure you that I do not want a single citizen of our wonderful town to be in danger. I promise that, if elected, I will do my very best to stomp out risky and unlawful behavior in Wallace. Thank you.” The crowd roared. Valerie changed the channel to a cartoon of a boy skateboarding with a kangaroo.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Valerie was walking to school. No cars were on the road, and she didn’t think twice before crossing the center of the street.
A man in sunglasses and a blue uniform peaked out from behind a tree and called her over to the sidewalk. He gave her a stern talking-to about the dangers of jaywalking, mostly the same stuff she had heard from the man in the suit on the television. She promised to be more careful, and told him she understood the risks. She walked off feeling strange, as if something was being taken from her.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Valerie came home two days later and turned on the TV to watch Oprah. The same man was on the television, saying that he’s seen reports by the police and that since he asked police to really take notice, the number of reported jaywalkers has increased by 180%. He told the crowd that they need someone to take care of this increasing problem.
He won by a landslide in the election.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Valerie woke up two Sundays later and, crunching on MiniWheats, turned on the television. The new mayor addressed the town on her screen.
“I would like to congratulate the police force on the wonderful job handling the town’s jaywalking problem,” he said, a comforting smile on his face, “And for all their hard work preparing for the next big problem this town faces: vandalism. Vandalism! In Wallace! Lord above, I thought more of our citizens than to stoop to scribbling names on property! Why, just the other day I watched my neighbor, a sweet old dame in her sixties, forced to scrub black permanent marker off her recycling bin. A lovely woman such as herself should not have to slave away to keep her house looking clean. Townsfolk, keep your eyes open! Would you want your property defaced with cusswords? I am prepared to battle these law-breakers to keep our town as beautiful as the day it was built! Thank you, folks, and God bless you and God bless Wallace!”
Valerie switched the station to a program on arctic aquatic life.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When the school called Valerie’ parents four days later, she pleaded with them and insisted that it hadn’t been her who wrote on the desk.
“Oh, please!” scoffed her mother, “Take responsibility for your actions! I taught you better than that. You’re not better than a common vandal! For all I know, it was you who defaced the mayor’s neighbor’s recycling bin! Such a sweet woman, how could you do a thing like that to such a sweet woman? What had she ever done to you? Oh, just wait till your father gets home! Now go to your room! Such a darling old dame…”
Valerie stared at her ceiling and wondered how retracing a rose on her desk in math class had convinced her mother she had defaced the property of a defenseless old lady. She wondered what her punishment was going to be.
i think it moves really quickly... any feedback?
~emily<3
RAVE ON