So… I took a little staycation. I biked, I swam, I walked, I canoed. I did no writing. Unless, you count an occasional tweet or Facebook post.
I did think about Marla and Ray and what’s going on in their environment..
I must admit, my progress on May His Tribe Increase is a bit darker than planned. For sure it’s because the characters are adults now. Still, I can’t help but think the current environment is playing a role.
If you’re interested in starting at Chapter 1, click here.
Chapter 11
“Is this corn?” Ray tugged at the hem of Marla’s coat.
“Uh-huh, Sweet-Pea.”
Ray knew before she looked that Marla wasn’t looking. For one thing, if this was really corn, Marla would be on her knees with her pocket magnifying glass. The one she said she got from her boss when she worked as a scientist. The one that secreted inside a leather case etched with intersecting octagons, that Marla said represented a complex molecule called a hormone. She tugged at the hem of Marla’s jacket.
“Is this corn?”
“Yes, Sunshine. Now stay close. The pedalabout will be here any minute.”
“Marrr-laa,” Ray shouted. “Is it really?”
“Stop shouting,” Marla said. “You’ll break the seal.” She bent to check Ray’s Outsider.
“Well, is it?”
“Is what what?” Marla was alreadying straightening, turning her head toward the street. “The pedalabout is less than a block away.”
“This.” Ray tugged hard at Marla’s hand and pointed to the crack in the broken sidewalk.
Marla did not get out her magnifying glass. She clapped at the place on her Outsider that covered her mouth. She grabbed the top of her hat as if it were about to fly away. She hugged herself and dropped to her knees.
“Oh my God, Ray. How did you see this?” Marla put a hand on either side of the tiny plant trying to poke through the cement.
“Well, I’ve been keeping my eye out for the sparrow, like Raincoat Man said I should. Birds don’t fly all the time. Sometimes sparrows hop on the ground, right?” Ray said. “So I keep my eyes open everywhere.”
“It’s a dandelion.”
“No it’s not.”
“Yes, it is. It is.”
“No it’s not,” Ray’s voice started to quiver. She felt on the edge of shouting again. “I know what a lion looks like, even if I never saw one for real.”
Marla let out a squeak or a giggle. It was difficult for Ray to discern through the muffle of their outsiders.
“Not a dandy lion, Sunshine. A dandelion.”
Ray tugged at Marla’s jacket again.
“The pedalabout is here. What should we do?”
Marla scrambled to her feet, collected their bags and straightened her jacket. She put her foot over the dandylion while shifting her weight to the other leg, as the driver pulled toward the curb.
Ray saw Raincoat Man peering at her from the other side as she took her place and readied her feet to pedal.
“Be prepared to carry your weight,” he murmured through his Outsider. “Everyone must.”
Dandelions are very tenacious aren’t they? So, it seems, is Ray..
Until next Friday, when we’ll both learn more.