therealljidol week 25: the Waffle House Index

[j0ydivided]

The announcement came in mid-June. "THE END OF THE WORLD", blared the papers -- but it wasn't news. Most of us already knew, or had guessed. They were confirming what we already suspected

Comments

[i_17bingo]

I thought this was an excellent blend of a fantastic situation with actual human beings reacting to that situation. A nice mixture of grief and denial.

[j0ydivided]

Thank you.

[halfshellvenus]

Sad and haunting, and so very human. I can see going through exactly those thoughts and that progress, both from the narrator's side and from Jess'. This has the kind of quite, lovely staying power of many of kickthehobbit's stories, though you may not be familiar with her work.

[j0ydivided]

Thank you.

I'm familiar with her work, and I'll take that comparison as a compliment.

[halfshellvenus]

It very much is! :)

[beeker121]

I really liked that you stayed so focused on these two, and how the world ending affected them directly as opposed to larger questions. To have a friend like that to spend time with at the end of the world would be a goodness. This is such a quiet, intimate story despite the end of the world part, and that's wonderfully affecting. Well done.

[j0ydivided]

Thank you! I really didn't want it to be about the "hows" so much as the "whys" -- I'm glad that worked for you.

[rayaso]

This mood in your entry was so melancholy (in a good way), melding the death of the mother with the end of the world, and posing a great question: if you knew the Earth was ending soon, how would you spend your time? I guess the closing of a Waffle House would mean it was serious. I have read of "end of the world" cults whose members quit their jobs, sell their belongings, etc., in an anticipation, and are left with nothing when the "calculation" is a little off. One of the things I like about your story is that there is still a little ambiguity about the end, although the closing of Waffle House must mean it's pretty certain.

[j0ydivided]

Thank you

[rayaso]

Thanks for the interesting information. I enjoy hearing about how people arrive at their end products. Mine usually involve banging my head on the wall.

[marlawentmad]

Oh, this is too good. I love that you didn't focus on the ins-and-outs of how or why the world was ending. These two characters are so endearing, like a little makeshift family showing a brave face to the world.

[j0ydivided]

Thank you! The "hows" felt less important than the relationship between Jessie and Dani -- less, "oh my God the world is ending, let's dissect why!" and more, "the world is ending, but my main character's world has already ended, with the death of her mother. How would you feel?"