Post by Liz on Oct 13, 2007 18:24:58 GMT -5
Okay, this is for my final Creative Writing portfolio.
Card Castle
Will placed another card on top of his card castle, his eyes focused and unblinking, apparently unaware of the party going on around him. He was aware of it, of course, since that much noise was hard to ignore, but he wasn’t really bothered by it. Mostly he was focusing on not knocking over the cards.
“A card castle?”
Will glanced up, his hand hovering over the card he had just placed. A girl was standing across the table from him, peering at the castle with a critical eye. He couldn’t see her very well in the dim light, but she appeared to have dark brown hair and a rather pale face. She was wearing a black turtleneck sweater that was belted around her hips with a wide burgundy belt, and a white skirt that fell to just past her knees. She had a rather thick coating of eyeliner framing her eyes. He wished he could see what color her eyes were. He liked eyes.
“Yeah,” he said after a moment. He looked back to his cards. The next layer would be tricky. One false move, and the whole thing would collapse.
“Something you usually do at parties?”
“Uh…no. No, not really,” he said, looking back up at the girl. “But I don’t know anyone here.”
“I’m Linley,” she said, reaching a hand over the card caste for him to shake. “Now you know me. You’ll have to find a new excuse.”
“I may know you, but you don’t know me.”
“I don’t remember that being one of the requirements.” Her lips parted in a cheerful grin. “But out of curiosity, what is your name?”
“Will,” he said, and then went back to his cards.
A few minutes later, he looked back up. Linley was still there, kneeling on the other side of the table and watching him with eager eyes. Blue eyes, he could see now that she was closer.
“You still here?” he asked.
“I don’t know anyone else at this party.”
“So introduce yourself.”
“Don’t want to,” she said, laughing.
“Why’d you introduce yourself to me?” he asked, carefully leaning two cards against each other so that they’d stay upright.
“Because the kind of guy who makes card castles while there’s a party going on around him is the kind of guy I want to meet,” she said. Her eyes met his for a moment before he looked away.
“Oh. Can I ask why?”
“Yeah, you can. But I’ll be completely unprepared, and won’t have an answer.”
“I won’t bother, then,” he said, setting up two more cards.
“I’ll let you know if I think of something,” she said. Her mouth hung open for a second, as though she wanted to say something else, but she shook her head quickly and smiled. “Please, continue with your castle. I like watching you build it.”
“…kay,” he mumbled, setting up the last two cards in the row.
He had to hand it to her, she wasn’t a bad audience. She only spoke when he asked her a question, and didn’t squeak when the whole castle almost fell over. She just watched him with wide eyes, occasionally catching his eye and smiling. He almost liked having her there. She was sort of a comforting presence.
“Last two cards,” he said at last, holding them up. Linley looked at them for a moment.
“Break a leg,” she said, her voice solemn.
He grinned shakily and moved the cards towards the top of the tower. He had to stand up to be at a good angle to do it. Linley stood up too, balancing on her tiptoes to be the same height as him. Their eyes met for a moment. Her face was flushed with excitement. He thought his might be, too.
“Here goes…” he said. The two cards hovered over the castle for a moment before touching down. “Finished.” Will sighed deeply and looked around blearily.
It was late; most of the people were gone; just a few people were left slow dancing and pressing each other against walls. He looked at his watch. It’d been three hours.
He looked at Linley and laughed quietly, rubbing a hand across his sweating forehead.
“Card castle master,” she said, the right corner of her mouth jerking up into a lopsided smile.
“D’you wanna knock it over?” he asked, staring at the castle.
“Seems a shame,” she said, kneeling back down. He returned to his seat on the couch, contemplating the structure.
“Do it,” he said after a moment.
“All right.”
Linley reached out and slid one of the vertical cards out of the bottom row. The whole thing collapsed in a flurry of white, black, and red, raining on their heads and onto the table.
“d**n. I feel like I just wasted about three hours,” Will laughed, rubbing his forehead.
“Wasted? I wouldn’t say that.”
“No?”
“You met me, didn’t you?”
Will shrugged, but he moved his hand away from his eyes so he could see her properly. She was leaning her elbows on the table and cupping her chin in her palms.
“True.” He picked up a card and twirled it between his fingers. “It’s funny how just one card can make the difference between a structure and a pile of rubbish,” he said. He tossed the card to her and she caught it, smiling.
“That’s why I came over here,” she said.
“Why?”
“You’re a special person, Will. I’m very glad to have met you.”
She suddenly stood up in a relaxed, smooth motion, her white skirt swirling around her legs. She walked around the table to him, bent down, and kissed him. Will was too shocked to do anything more than sit in stunned silence until she broke away and straightened up again. He realized that the playing card he’d tossed her was folded in half in his hand, so he unfolded it, looking up at her in confusion. A number was written above the ace of hearts.
“Call me sometime. We can make another castle.” She turned to leave, waving over her shoulder.
“Wait.” Will stood up and grabbed her hand. “Let’s go somewhere; come on.”
“Where would still be open at three in the morning?”
“Anywhere…just…please?”
“Call me.” She pulled her hand out of his grip. “Call me tomorrow.” She placed a hand on either side of his head and kissed him again. This time he wasn’t so shocked, and managed to react like a human, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her closer to him. She laughed and pushed away from him. “Tomorrow.”
And then she was gone, out the door. He felt a flurry of cold air from outside as the door opened, and then the sudden warmth as it shut again. He held up the playing card that he still held clutched in his hand and looked at it for a moment before tucking it carefully into his pocket. Tomorrow.
Card Castle
Will placed another card on top of his card castle, his eyes focused and unblinking, apparently unaware of the party going on around him. He was aware of it, of course, since that much noise was hard to ignore, but he wasn’t really bothered by it. Mostly he was focusing on not knocking over the cards.
“A card castle?”
Will glanced up, his hand hovering over the card he had just placed. A girl was standing across the table from him, peering at the castle with a critical eye. He couldn’t see her very well in the dim light, but she appeared to have dark brown hair and a rather pale face. She was wearing a black turtleneck sweater that was belted around her hips with a wide burgundy belt, and a white skirt that fell to just past her knees. She had a rather thick coating of eyeliner framing her eyes. He wished he could see what color her eyes were. He liked eyes.
“Yeah,” he said after a moment. He looked back to his cards. The next layer would be tricky. One false move, and the whole thing would collapse.
“Something you usually do at parties?”
“Uh…no. No, not really,” he said, looking back up at the girl. “But I don’t know anyone here.”
“I’m Linley,” she said, reaching a hand over the card caste for him to shake. “Now you know me. You’ll have to find a new excuse.”
“I may know you, but you don’t know me.”
“I don’t remember that being one of the requirements.” Her lips parted in a cheerful grin. “But out of curiosity, what is your name?”
“Will,” he said, and then went back to his cards.
A few minutes later, he looked back up. Linley was still there, kneeling on the other side of the table and watching him with eager eyes. Blue eyes, he could see now that she was closer.
“You still here?” he asked.
“I don’t know anyone else at this party.”
“So introduce yourself.”
“Don’t want to,” she said, laughing.
“Why’d you introduce yourself to me?” he asked, carefully leaning two cards against each other so that they’d stay upright.
“Because the kind of guy who makes card castles while there’s a party going on around him is the kind of guy I want to meet,” she said. Her eyes met his for a moment before he looked away.
“Oh. Can I ask why?”
“Yeah, you can. But I’ll be completely unprepared, and won’t have an answer.”
“I won’t bother, then,” he said, setting up two more cards.
“I’ll let you know if I think of something,” she said. Her mouth hung open for a second, as though she wanted to say something else, but she shook her head quickly and smiled. “Please, continue with your castle. I like watching you build it.”
“…kay,” he mumbled, setting up the last two cards in the row.
He had to hand it to her, she wasn’t a bad audience. She only spoke when he asked her a question, and didn’t squeak when the whole castle almost fell over. She just watched him with wide eyes, occasionally catching his eye and smiling. He almost liked having her there. She was sort of a comforting presence.
“Last two cards,” he said at last, holding them up. Linley looked at them for a moment.
“Break a leg,” she said, her voice solemn.
He grinned shakily and moved the cards towards the top of the tower. He had to stand up to be at a good angle to do it. Linley stood up too, balancing on her tiptoes to be the same height as him. Their eyes met for a moment. Her face was flushed with excitement. He thought his might be, too.
“Here goes…” he said. The two cards hovered over the castle for a moment before touching down. “Finished.” Will sighed deeply and looked around blearily.
It was late; most of the people were gone; just a few people were left slow dancing and pressing each other against walls. He looked at his watch. It’d been three hours.
He looked at Linley and laughed quietly, rubbing a hand across his sweating forehead.
“Card castle master,” she said, the right corner of her mouth jerking up into a lopsided smile.
“D’you wanna knock it over?” he asked, staring at the castle.
“Seems a shame,” she said, kneeling back down. He returned to his seat on the couch, contemplating the structure.
“Do it,” he said after a moment.
“All right.”
Linley reached out and slid one of the vertical cards out of the bottom row. The whole thing collapsed in a flurry of white, black, and red, raining on their heads and onto the table.
“d**n. I feel like I just wasted about three hours,” Will laughed, rubbing his forehead.
“Wasted? I wouldn’t say that.”
“No?”
“You met me, didn’t you?”
Will shrugged, but he moved his hand away from his eyes so he could see her properly. She was leaning her elbows on the table and cupping her chin in her palms.
“True.” He picked up a card and twirled it between his fingers. “It’s funny how just one card can make the difference between a structure and a pile of rubbish,” he said. He tossed the card to her and she caught it, smiling.
“That’s why I came over here,” she said.
“Why?”
“You’re a special person, Will. I’m very glad to have met you.”
She suddenly stood up in a relaxed, smooth motion, her white skirt swirling around her legs. She walked around the table to him, bent down, and kissed him. Will was too shocked to do anything more than sit in stunned silence until she broke away and straightened up again. He realized that the playing card he’d tossed her was folded in half in his hand, so he unfolded it, looking up at her in confusion. A number was written above the ace of hearts.
“Call me sometime. We can make another castle.” She turned to leave, waving over her shoulder.
“Wait.” Will stood up and grabbed her hand. “Let’s go somewhere; come on.”
“Where would still be open at three in the morning?”
“Anywhere…just…please?”
“Call me.” She pulled her hand out of his grip. “Call me tomorrow.” She placed a hand on either side of his head and kissed him again. This time he wasn’t so shocked, and managed to react like a human, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her closer to him. She laughed and pushed away from him. “Tomorrow.”
And then she was gone, out the door. He felt a flurry of cold air from outside as the door opened, and then the sudden warmth as it shut again. He held up the playing card that he still held clutched in his hand and looked at it for a moment before tucking it carefully into his pocket. Tomorrow.
;D