Transmissions from Earth
Sunday, October 29, 2006
The weekly serial continues! Expect more every Sunday night.
2.
In Lily’s dream she was walking through an enormous old house that was bathed in sun. Every way she turned she found herself facing down a long, sunlit hallway dressed with rich teak and plush carpeting. She began to walk down one of the grand halls, passing under enormous stained-glass windows that streamed with light and color. At the end of the hall was a large oaken door that swung open at the slightest push and slid away with only the faintest hiss. Lily found herself standing in front of the largest garden she had ever seen. A path wound across a small bridge over a pond and into the garden proper. As she was about to step onto the bridge and walk into the garden, she heard a small voice coming from the pond.
“Where are you going, Lily?” A small frog was staring up at her inquisitively.
“Well, I…”
“What sort of journey is this, Lily?” The frog continued to stare.
“I suppose I just want to see the garden…is that a problem?”
“That’s not very decisive! What part of the garden do you want to see?” The frog started to look indignant, which is extremely hard for frogs to do. It might have been effect of the dream, but this particular frog managed it disconcertingly well.
“I don’t know, frog! I just want to explore it I guess. Am I allowed to explore?”
“You’re allowed to do anything you want, Lily. The choices you make are your own…you just have to know why you’re making them.” With that, the frog hopped a bit and dove into the pond with a splash. Lily stared at the garden, and then at her feet. She took a few steps, and found herself in the middle of the bridge. She looked back at the hallway she had come from, and looked forward into the garden where she was going. She took a deep breath, and stepped into the garden.
The sun was shining brightly. Walking forward, Lily found herself wandering between rose bushes and daffodils, winding ivy and kelly green fern. The air was filled with the soft droning of bees and the scent of the spring in bloom. As she pushed her way deeper into the spectacular garden, she turned and tried to see the pond and the bridge. A row of sunflowers that most definitely hadn’t been there before blocked her line of sight. Lily started to panic, and turned back along the path. She stumbled forward, and upon looking down she discovered the cobblestone path she had been on before was gone, replaced with one of red clay. Whirling around, she saw a bench by a fountain. The noise of the bees was replaced with the gentle gurgle of water. When had that changed? Suddenly, the words of the frog echoed in her mind. What sort of journey was she on?
She had told the frog she wanted to explore. At once, she was calmer. Her journey was to take her to all parts of the garden. It was hardly the garden’s fault if it wanted to show itself to her all at once, was it not? She closed her eyes and turned around. When she opened them, she intended to see the pond and the bridge.
When she opened them, she woke up. The pond and the bridge were in front of her, marking the beginning of a path that ran through some rolling hills and appeared to stretch for miles, ending at a city near the ocean. Her home was nowhere to be found.
¶ 7:49 PM 0 Comments
2.
In Lily’s dream she was walking through an enormous old house that was bathed in sun. Every way she turned she found herself facing down a long, sunlit hallway dressed with rich teak and plush carpeting. She began to walk down one of the grand halls, passing under enormous stained-glass windows that streamed with light and color. At the end of the hall was a large oaken door that swung open at the slightest push and slid away with only the faintest hiss. Lily found herself standing in front of the largest garden she had ever seen. A path wound across a small bridge over a pond and into the garden proper. As she was about to step onto the bridge and walk into the garden, she heard a small voice coming from the pond.
“Where are you going, Lily?” A small frog was staring up at her inquisitively.
“Well, I…”
“What sort of journey is this, Lily?” The frog continued to stare.
“I suppose I just want to see the garden…is that a problem?”
“That’s not very decisive! What part of the garden do you want to see?” The frog started to look indignant, which is extremely hard for frogs to do. It might have been effect of the dream, but this particular frog managed it disconcertingly well.
“I don’t know, frog! I just want to explore it I guess. Am I allowed to explore?”
“You’re allowed to do anything you want, Lily. The choices you make are your own…you just have to know why you’re making them.” With that, the frog hopped a bit and dove into the pond with a splash. Lily stared at the garden, and then at her feet. She took a few steps, and found herself in the middle of the bridge. She looked back at the hallway she had come from, and looked forward into the garden where she was going. She took a deep breath, and stepped into the garden.
The sun was shining brightly. Walking forward, Lily found herself wandering between rose bushes and daffodils, winding ivy and kelly green fern. The air was filled with the soft droning of bees and the scent of the spring in bloom. As she pushed her way deeper into the spectacular garden, she turned and tried to see the pond and the bridge. A row of sunflowers that most definitely hadn’t been there before blocked her line of sight. Lily started to panic, and turned back along the path. She stumbled forward, and upon looking down she discovered the cobblestone path she had been on before was gone, replaced with one of red clay. Whirling around, she saw a bench by a fountain. The noise of the bees was replaced with the gentle gurgle of water. When had that changed? Suddenly, the words of the frog echoed in her mind. What sort of journey was she on?
She had told the frog she wanted to explore. At once, she was calmer. Her journey was to take her to all parts of the garden. It was hardly the garden’s fault if it wanted to show itself to her all at once, was it not? She closed her eyes and turned around. When she opened them, she intended to see the pond and the bridge.
When she opened them, she woke up. The pond and the bridge were in front of her, marking the beginning of a path that ran through some rolling hills and appeared to stretch for miles, ending at a city near the ocean. Her home was nowhere to be found.
¶ 7:49 PM 0 Comments
Sunday, October 22, 2006
sorry for the two-month hiatus...I really haven't had anything worth writing or saying, at least to an audience. That said, I'm going to get cracking on a longer story that I started a while back, and I thought I might post the first chapter (written earlier)...it can be a sort of serial thing.
1.
Lily was coming towards the end of a very bad day. Well, that was inaccurate, she thought. It was a perfectly average day, and that was the problem. Every day was the same, as far as she could tell. She sighed faintly and continued walking home from the bus stop. School didn’t help the situation much. She felt like she had yet to learn anything this year, and it was coming up to the end of May. At least it was one of those nice days that seem to creep in at the beginning of summer, something breezy and warm and drenched in sun. She smiled slightly and angled her face towards the sky, hoping to catch the tracings of a gust of wind. The day might be perfectly average, but that wouldn’t stop her from enjoying the nicer parts of it.
Lily was 14 years old, and as her mother would say, very pretty if she put some effort into it. According to her father, she was extremely capable but didn’t apply herself. Lily, however, always thought of herself as smack dab in the middle of normal. The breeze kicked up, and the wind rustled through the trees. She was close to home now, and undecided on what to do for the rest of the afternoon. Being so close to the end of the school year, her teachers seemed to have given up on assigning any homework, and although Lily didn’t mind that in the slightest, she often found herself lacking anything to do in her afternoons.
As Lily walked onto her lawn, she noticed that the once-clear sky had begun to darken with clouds, and the scattered gusts of wind had become a steady blow. Stifling a sudden urge to shiver, she darted into the house and shut the door behind her. Setting her backpack on the kitchen table, she wandered over to the living room. The house was empty, but that wasn’t a surprise. Both her parents worked, and Lily had grown up coming home before them every day. She settled herself on the couch and turned on the TV. One of her parents had watched it last, and the news was on. On the screen was an exceedingly well-manicured anchorwoman talking about the incoming storm front, and how it looked to be a rough night. The segment ended with a graphic of a rain cloud with a smiley face. Lily sat up and looked out the window. The sun had vanished from the sky, replaced with an ominous blanket of clouds. The wind was blowing stronger than before, and the leaves were shaking hard enough to come near breaking off the branches. The first few drops of rain fell.
After an hour, the rain was coming down in sheets. Puddles gathered in the driveway. Lily stared out the window, watching the water gather in pockets on the lawn. It pooled in some places, in others it made tiny rivulets that worked towards the street. Thunder started rolling across the sky, accompanied by a fork of lightning. As Lily watched, the phone rang. She walked to the kitchen to answer it.
“Hello?”
“Lily? It’s Mom. The radio is saying that the bridge is closed because of flooding, so I’m not going to be able to get home tonight. Tell Dad to make dinner.”
“Um, okay. Is there anything else?”
“Oh, there are candles in the top cupboard if the power goes out. Love you.”
“I love you too, Mom.” She hung up and went back to the couch.
Lily continued to switch between watching the television and the rain. It was completely dark now, and the rain was showing no signs of stopping. After perhaps half an hour, the phone rang again. This time it was her father.
“Lil, I can’t talk now, but the vendors in New York are trying to close the deal I’ve been working on. Tell Mom I’m flying out tonight.”
“But-“
“Love you honey. See you in a couple days.” Her father hung up.
Lily sighed. The rain was coming down harder than ever, and lightning was crackling down with frightening regularity. She went to the cupboard and found a can of soup for dinner. After a short while, Lily discovered her eyelids getting heavy, and she soon fell asleep on the couch, the TV quietly running in the background. ¶ 11:31 PM 0 Comments
1.
Lily was coming towards the end of a very bad day. Well, that was inaccurate, she thought. It was a perfectly average day, and that was the problem. Every day was the same, as far as she could tell. She sighed faintly and continued walking home from the bus stop. School didn’t help the situation much. She felt like she had yet to learn anything this year, and it was coming up to the end of May. At least it was one of those nice days that seem to creep in at the beginning of summer, something breezy and warm and drenched in sun. She smiled slightly and angled her face towards the sky, hoping to catch the tracings of a gust of wind. The day might be perfectly average, but that wouldn’t stop her from enjoying the nicer parts of it.
Lily was 14 years old, and as her mother would say, very pretty if she put some effort into it. According to her father, she was extremely capable but didn’t apply herself. Lily, however, always thought of herself as smack dab in the middle of normal. The breeze kicked up, and the wind rustled through the trees. She was close to home now, and undecided on what to do for the rest of the afternoon. Being so close to the end of the school year, her teachers seemed to have given up on assigning any homework, and although Lily didn’t mind that in the slightest, she often found herself lacking anything to do in her afternoons.
As Lily walked onto her lawn, she noticed that the once-clear sky had begun to darken with clouds, and the scattered gusts of wind had become a steady blow. Stifling a sudden urge to shiver, she darted into the house and shut the door behind her. Setting her backpack on the kitchen table, she wandered over to the living room. The house was empty, but that wasn’t a surprise. Both her parents worked, and Lily had grown up coming home before them every day. She settled herself on the couch and turned on the TV. One of her parents had watched it last, and the news was on. On the screen was an exceedingly well-manicured anchorwoman talking about the incoming storm front, and how it looked to be a rough night. The segment ended with a graphic of a rain cloud with a smiley face. Lily sat up and looked out the window. The sun had vanished from the sky, replaced with an ominous blanket of clouds. The wind was blowing stronger than before, and the leaves were shaking hard enough to come near breaking off the branches. The first few drops of rain fell.
After an hour, the rain was coming down in sheets. Puddles gathered in the driveway. Lily stared out the window, watching the water gather in pockets on the lawn. It pooled in some places, in others it made tiny rivulets that worked towards the street. Thunder started rolling across the sky, accompanied by a fork of lightning. As Lily watched, the phone rang. She walked to the kitchen to answer it.
“Hello?”
“Lily? It’s Mom. The radio is saying that the bridge is closed because of flooding, so I’m not going to be able to get home tonight. Tell Dad to make dinner.”
“Um, okay. Is there anything else?”
“Oh, there are candles in the top cupboard if the power goes out. Love you.”
“I love you too, Mom.” She hung up and went back to the couch.
Lily continued to switch between watching the television and the rain. It was completely dark now, and the rain was showing no signs of stopping. After perhaps half an hour, the phone rang again. This time it was her father.
“Lil, I can’t talk now, but the vendors in New York are trying to close the deal I’ve been working on. Tell Mom I’m flying out tonight.”
“But-“
“Love you honey. See you in a couple days.” Her father hung up.
Lily sighed. The rain was coming down harder than ever, and lightning was crackling down with frightening regularity. She went to the cupboard and found a can of soup for dinner. After a short while, Lily discovered her eyelids getting heavy, and she soon fell asleep on the couch, the TV quietly running in the background. ¶ 11:31 PM 0 Comments
