i imagine

these are a series of very short scenes i wrote as an exercise for my brain. i hope you enjoy them! :)

I. i imagine pale green walls with white curtains on the windows. i imagine a grey cat asleep beside a chocolate and eggshell dog, in a puddle of sunlight. i imagine that the dog's ears are soft and limp like damp mittens, and hang over his front paws. i imagine you can hear his whispery snore from the hall but not beyond.

II. i imagine two girls lying on hot plastic lawn chairs by the pool, browning their backs as they prop their heads on folded arms and talk idly about boys and friends and nothing. i imagine the air smells like chlorine and ozone and sunscreen, and that the rumble of the drink machine causes the overzealous lifeguard to call thunder and clear the pool. i imagine that the sky is cloudless right now, but whipped cream clouds are rising and will bring storms as the day ages.

III. i imagine a father standing by his car, waiting with crossed arms and leashed impatience as his daughter hugs her mother one last time. his handsome face looks older. i imagine his car smells like peppermint and Calvin Klein for men, and that he took it to be cleaned before he came to pick her up. i imagine that he forgot to check the glove box, and that she'll find a small make-up bag and a spotted tissue that don't belong to either of them.

IV. i imagine a soldier disembarking from the civilian flight from DC. i imagine that he flinches every time someone thanks him, and doesn't notice when the businessman who sat two rows behind pushes past him at the gate. his mother is waiting at baggage claim, and she cries when she sees his face.

V. i imagine a woman with too much eyeliner locked in a staring contest with a tired cop. i imagine they've done this before, and they both know how it ends. the cop is thinking about his daughter; the woman wants to forget hers. she slides her chair back and crosses her legs, and he can't help looking.

VI. i imagine four mourners standing at a grave, the priest wrapping up the service as the first snowflakes begin to fall. i imagine all four are dressed in shades of black and grey, and that the woman on the end refuses to cry and ruin her makeup. i imagine not one of them is sorry to see the small coffin lowered into the cold ground.

VII. i imagine a wash-out young man sitting on a perfectly made bed with his shoulders slumped and his hands hanging between his knees. on the floor between his feet is a framed photograph, the face distorted by broken glass. i imagine that he can't make a sound, even though there's no one to hear. he waited too long and said too little. he's lost more than his chance.

VIII. i imagine a young woman sitting on a curb at midnight, wearing heels and a fuck-me red party dress. she has racoon eyes from her mascara, and hiccups from the wine. she's bleeding, and trying to hold onto the alcohol haze to deaden her fear. but shame has eaten away the numbness and she presses call on her cell phone. her voice breaks when her mother answers.

IX. i imagine he is standing at the window of a small apartment, the woman of the night asleep on the rumpled bed behind him. he can't remember what they did, but he feels the cold when he puts his hand against the glass. she wakes up to the sound of sirens, and someone banging on the apartment door.

WolfGrrl