November 30, 2011

• Some sort of Story

  Well despite the fact that the XWWC Thing is about to kick off and i’m going to be re posting my story to get all your votes

  (Remember to Timestamp your story if you happen to be a contestant reading this )

  Anyway Despite that I am going to risk pushing the limit of the modern day attention span by also asking you to read this story.

  The concept for this tale was originally going to be more about a kind of Platonic Leon the Professional relationship as I was talking about HERE

  But as is often the way with a story it changed during the writing, into something aimilar but slightly different, If i’m honest it seems to me that most of my stories turn out something like this…well certainly one of my LKJSlain writing prompts did.

  So personally I think it could do with a bit more of a unique concept behind it and more time spent on the characters, but i’ll be interested what others make of it.

  ---

  If she defocused Grace could pretend that time was moving a double speed as she stared out at the desert whizzing by. She shuffled trying to rearrange her dress.

  “Don’t crumple it honey!” Her mothers’ voice broke her daydream,

  “Just this once try to stay tidy and pretty will you”

  Grace didn’t say anything she just stared out of the window again, just this once was one of her mothers’ favourites, it was always ‘just this once’. She looked over at her dad, he was concentrating on the road, the setting sun catching the side of his glasses, his gaze was set on the distance, the distance where he lived.

  “I need the bathroom” Grace broke the silence that had descended over the car for the past hour.

  Her mother sighed, “There’s a rest stop up ahead honey”.

  They pulled in a few moments later, “do you think it’s self service?” Dad said almost to himself,

  “look at this place Jeff, what do you think?!” answered mom sharply. Grace got out of the car as soon as it stopped.

  “Don’t take too long honey we have to be there soon!” Her mother called as she turned from her purse where she was digging, searching for something.

  It was almost dark and the small gas station stood out against the dark purple and red desert like a ghostly oasis. Grace walked towards the grimy restroom door, as she did she looked out at the setting red sun glinting off the shiny sides of big rigs parked up like resting animals in the huge open truck stop adjacent.

   

  The bathroom was dark and predominantly green, it felt dangerous and dream like, at any moment she thought something strange or magical could happen…and it might not be something good. As she washed her hands she stared at the little girl in the mirror before her. She looked sad, out of place.

  Suddenly the door opened and a man slid in, he was tall and looked hounded, Grace felt her heart skip a beat at the sudden noise. The man moved to the sinks right next to her, and stood on tip toes to look out the small flash windows that opened to the truck stop.

  “Where are your parents little girl?” The man asked turning for a moment to look at her.

  “Buying gas” she responded looking up at him with an odd mix of fear and fascination.

  “Well if you’re done you’d better be runnin’ off darlin’” He looked out of the window again and pressed his hand against his coat.

   

  Grace side stepped the man and headed towards the door, but before she reached it she stopped.

  “Why are you scared?” She said turning to the man.

  “Why do you say I’m scared?” The man turned and looked directly at her.

  “I dunno, but you are..arn’t you?” The man knelt down and looked into her eyes.

  “How old are you darlin?”

  “nine, and a half” Grace said suddenly feeling self conscious.

  The man smiled “Well thank ya for your concern but I’m just fine okay?” He stood again and looked out of the window. Grace looked up at him for a moment, and then turned.

  “Fuck!” The mans sudden shout surprised Grace and stopped her in her tracks, she looked back and saw that he was holding a gun, checking its chamber.

  “Change of plans darlin’ I’m real sorry about this but I’m gonna need your help”

   

  Grace didn’t say a word, the warnings of her mother about strangers suddenly ringing in her head.

  “Just look out that door and tell me what ya see, that’s all…okay?”The man nervously peered out of the window again. Grace backed up against the door and opening it only a crack pressed her eye against the cool metal. Outside she could hear the crunching of gravel and dust as a car slowed to a halt, it was a police car its siren was off but the lights on top still cast their jarring red/blue mix over the gas station walls.

   

  “They comin’ this way?” The man pressed, tension clearly in his voice.

  “Yep” Grace nodded and lent against the door. “Are they looking for you?”

  “Yeah kid, and if they find me somthin’ bads gonna happen” The man rubbed his forehead and cursed quietly. The long moment seem to stretch out in that quiet still room, the only sound the dripping of a broken tap.

  “I could help?” Grace offered. In her mind the scene had taken on that of an old noir film, him the desperate gumshoe her the glamorous dame. The man stared at her his gaze going deep inside his own mind, as if he were questioning himself.

   

  Suddenly the door jerked and Grace was half push and half sprung towards the man, out of instinct more than thought the man knelt and closed his arm, the one without the gun, around her. Standing in the doorway was a state trooper, he was over weight and had a world weary expression deeply engraved into his face.

  “What the Fu..” Before the trooper had finished his sentence the man had whisked Grace off her feet and was advancing at a run. The impact threw the trooper to the ground and grace saw his face caught in the bright blue of the siren for a moment before they were out into the dusk.

  The man turned and pressing his pistol to Graces head reversed quickly towards the patrol car. At the door of the gas station the troopers partner had already drawn his gun and was aiming it in their direction, while the trooper on the ground was hurriedly unclipping his side arm as he struggle to right himself.

  “Don’t do something stupid Parker!” Shouted the trooper as he pointed his gun and stood. The man looked down and caught Graces eyes for a moment, they silently share that moment and then the man tightened his grip her and retreated to the car.

  In one move they were in the car Grace was thrown across to the passenger seat as the man slid into the drivers side. Grace turned to look out of the windscreen just in time to see her mothers face marked with fear as she was restrained by the officer near the gas station before the car was slammed into gear and they sped out into the darkness, Grace looked back for as long as she could until the gas stations light were nothing but a glow obscured by the dust behind them.

   

  Grace sat on the bed her legs hanging over the edge, the sheets were sludge grey and didn’t look entirely clean, the man sat in a dilapidated chair by the window, they stared at each other in silence. The trip too had past in silence; the man was driving quickly and never once looked over at her. When they reached the motel he’d told her to get out and wait by a vacant room as he went in to pay.

   

  “I’m Grace” She eventually said, looking at the carpet as she spoke.

  “Nate Parker…just call me Parker, everybody else does” He rubbed his neck and forehead and then stretched his shoulders.

  “What the fuck am I gonna do?” as he spoke he lent forwards and stared at Grace “…what the fuck..”

   

  Silence once again descended and then Grace said half to her self “We could play?”.

  “I never have anyone to play with at home” she added and looked back at the carpet.

  Parker chuckled surprised by the normality of the statement “Sure, what do you wanna play?”

  “I dunno…cards?”

  “Yea?…hell why not…I’m guessin’ you’re not talking poker right?” Parker laughed at the thought.

  “Noooo, I don’t play poker! That’s a boring game my dad plays.” Grace said with a big smile. “I want to play Slaps or Liar”

  “Heh okay you’re the boss, but you’ll have to teach me how to play, okay?”

   

  As they played they both forgot for a while the strangeness of their night and lives,  as they laughed and joked Grace felt grown up, while Parker felt young and innocent for a while. But as the hours past reality once again seeped into each of them. By 3:00am Grace could barely keep her eyes open and eventually she fell asleep, Parker carried her to one of the two beds, tucked her in and sat on the other bed watching her as she slept.

  When Parker woke the first thing he saw was Grace. She was sitting on the side of his bed staring down at him, the light from the low morning sun caught he face in a golden haze, her brown hair glowing bronze.

  “Morning” She spoke quietly and gave a half smile, she then paused and thought for a moment. “Are you…bad?”

  Parker rubbed his eyes and put his arms behind his head. “Mornin’ kid, I’d say it’s too early…but it’s never the right time for that kinda question huh?” He smiled and closed his eyes, he was comfortable, he was safe for now and he actually felt at peace.

  “Yea, I’m bad…those men who came for me, they had every right to, hell they had every right to shoot first…guess I got lucky”

  “You don’t seem all that bad to me” Grace looked away at the sun as she spoke.

  “Thanks kid, I’ll tell em you think so if they ever catch up with me again” He chuckled and smiled at her. She lay down beside him and stared up at the ceiling.

   

  “Did you know you were bad?…when you were young?” The question surprised him, leaning on one shoulder he put his hand on her cheek.

  “Hey, no…it’s not like that okay? Nothing made me this way, other than my dumb choice okay?” She looked at him, her face sad and concerned.

  “But nothing stops you being bad, sometimes you just are…sometimes you have to be”

  “Huh Shit kid, you don’t have to worry about that…not for a long time yet, maybe never” He lay back down

  “You got parents, they love ya right?…you just let them worry about what’s bad or not” Grace rolled over and lay her head on his chest, she could feel him tense up for a moment and then he relaxed and she could hear his heart and breath as his chest slowly rose and fell.

   

  “I was wrong, you weren’t scared.” As she spoke she closed her eyes and listened.

  “Yea…what was I then?” He rested his arm over her and stared out towards the golden sun.

  “You’re lonely….it’s okay so am I”

   

  Grace showed up later that day at the Cactus Flower Motel, she was unharmed and sitting on a bench by the car park. Her mother left the car before it had stopped and embraced her, holding on as tightly as she could as she wept with relief, her father could only stand and stare as tears streamed down his face.

  Though she was questioned for several hours afterwards she had little to say about the man who had taken her, other than they’d played cards and talked.

  Nate Parkers where abouts is still unknown.    

   

  • 9:49 pm
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