Doubble Dutch
Jul 4, 2007, 01:20 AM
I figure we could all use something mediocre to fill in the time between posts in the good stories. (Seriously, there are BIG gaps people!) so here, for your viewing, entertainment (And possibly both!) is some strange little story from the back of my brain. Once again, I am eager for criticism. (I had better be because I'm gonna get it either way.)
So without further ado, here is chapter one:
Things often start out of nowhere; the mind always looks for a point where it can say 'There! That's where it began!' hence the start of many stories with 'Once upon a time' when is not important, so long as there is a start, all is well. Real life of course is harder to pin down, events blend into each other, build gradually then break upon the world. We all live stories in which a million events play each day, some big, some small, we can never tell what the future will hold, no matter how much money we pay certain people to find out.
* * *
Spaz twitched nervously, there was no way out. curse this infernal place! It was driving him crazy, everywhere he turned there was just another solid white blank wall; featureless and very thick. The air was stale and smelt of old paper, the light was weak and artificial and there was an incessant droning in the background. Why had he come? Couldn't he have just got out of it? 'Lets make a day of it.' Jazz had said, well, he hadn't looked so smarmy when he'd been dragged away, and serve him right too. Ah, look who it was, he was being brought back now!
It was hard to recognize him under the dozen or so large boxes he was carrying in the slightly tipsy way of one who has been exposed to several hours concentrated shopping and who is now trying to balance an assortment of different packages in both arms, <i>and</i> see where they're going. Eva looked around impatiently, fiddling with a brooch she hadn't had when she left.
"Are you still hare? I thought Lori would be done hours ago."
As if to provide an answer the door at the end of the waiting room opened and Lori stepped neatly out clutching a small sheaf of papers. She had a nervous and slightly tired expression, one found commonly among those who have dealt with beurocratcy. Eva sidled over in the manner of one who wants to show off new ornamentation and browsed quickly through the application form.
"Well, you certainly took your time! There wasn't troubble with security was there? I mean sure your family may not have the best record, but look at some of the people they grant accounts to!"
"What? Oh no, the application went well enough they um.. just want to see Spaz about something."
"Oh good then, it figures, all this fuss over nothing."
"Um, no, it's a bit more complicated, I think me and Jazz should discuss-"
Spaz had been waiting too long already, he itched to get up and do something, even if it was fill in some dumb form, then he could get out of this place and do something <i>fun</i> He pushed past Lori and entered the interview room. Outside he could still hear his siblings chattering on about something or other. He'd rather be playing video games.
"Jazz, we need to talk, fast."
"Why? What's up now?"
"Well, you know how- oh my, Eva, where <i>did</i> you get that?"
"It was on sale at Armond's; feel that, pure silk! And it was an absolute bargain!"
"Do they have it in light blue?"
"I think so, I bet we could get matching doubbles!"
"Really? Great! Let's go!"
Jazz groaned ashe watched the two rabbits dash off, they were putting the sales staff's children through college. He ambled after them, tripped over an unseen pot plant and landed face down amid a pile or garments and jewelry.
* * *
The interview room was a smaller version of the building as a whole, it was sterile, dry and oppressive, containing only a battered desk piled high with paper, a plastic pot plant and a broken chair at which sat a lizard just as dry and unoticeable as the papers he worked with. The lizard looked up when he walked in and gave one of those not-quite-reaching-the-eyes smiles so beloved of fast food workers, and rustled a few papers.
"Ah, Mr S Jackrabbit, correct? So sorry about this but it's company policy, individuals with uncertain upbringing are required to sign several subclauses."
The statement was clipped, precise and orderly, like words typed into sound. The response from Spaz was a simple look of utter incomprehension, anyone exposed to this for long enough either gave up or desperately tried to fill the silence with explanation. It was thus very useful.
"That is Mr Jackrabbit, we don't know enough about your mother to allow a straight signing, you'll have to sign here, here here, and here if you're 26 or older."
"Aaaah! Gosh, Jazz'll be real mad when he gets back, having to do even more!"
"Hmmn? Oh no, you must have misunderstood me Mr Jackrabbit, only you are required to do this."
"What? That's not fair! Jazz gets all the breaks! Just 'cause he's older. Oh and is married to a princess, oh, and the whole saving the planet thing."
"No, again you misunderstand me, there is no problem with your step-siblings parentage, we simply have no information on who <i>your</i> mother is."
"Oh."
So without further ado, here is chapter one:
Things often start out of nowhere; the mind always looks for a point where it can say 'There! That's where it began!' hence the start of many stories with 'Once upon a time' when is not important, so long as there is a start, all is well. Real life of course is harder to pin down, events blend into each other, build gradually then break upon the world. We all live stories in which a million events play each day, some big, some small, we can never tell what the future will hold, no matter how much money we pay certain people to find out.
* * *
Spaz twitched nervously, there was no way out. curse this infernal place! It was driving him crazy, everywhere he turned there was just another solid white blank wall; featureless and very thick. The air was stale and smelt of old paper, the light was weak and artificial and there was an incessant droning in the background. Why had he come? Couldn't he have just got out of it? 'Lets make a day of it.' Jazz had said, well, he hadn't looked so smarmy when he'd been dragged away, and serve him right too. Ah, look who it was, he was being brought back now!
It was hard to recognize him under the dozen or so large boxes he was carrying in the slightly tipsy way of one who has been exposed to several hours concentrated shopping and who is now trying to balance an assortment of different packages in both arms, <i>and</i> see where they're going. Eva looked around impatiently, fiddling with a brooch she hadn't had when she left.
"Are you still hare? I thought Lori would be done hours ago."
As if to provide an answer the door at the end of the waiting room opened and Lori stepped neatly out clutching a small sheaf of papers. She had a nervous and slightly tired expression, one found commonly among those who have dealt with beurocratcy. Eva sidled over in the manner of one who wants to show off new ornamentation and browsed quickly through the application form.
"Well, you certainly took your time! There wasn't troubble with security was there? I mean sure your family may not have the best record, but look at some of the people they grant accounts to!"
"What? Oh no, the application went well enough they um.. just want to see Spaz about something."
"Oh good then, it figures, all this fuss over nothing."
"Um, no, it's a bit more complicated, I think me and Jazz should discuss-"
Spaz had been waiting too long already, he itched to get up and do something, even if it was fill in some dumb form, then he could get out of this place and do something <i>fun</i> He pushed past Lori and entered the interview room. Outside he could still hear his siblings chattering on about something or other. He'd rather be playing video games.
"Jazz, we need to talk, fast."
"Why? What's up now?"
"Well, you know how- oh my, Eva, where <i>did</i> you get that?"
"It was on sale at Armond's; feel that, pure silk! And it was an absolute bargain!"
"Do they have it in light blue?"
"I think so, I bet we could get matching doubbles!"
"Really? Great! Let's go!"
Jazz groaned ashe watched the two rabbits dash off, they were putting the sales staff's children through college. He ambled after them, tripped over an unseen pot plant and landed face down amid a pile or garments and jewelry.
* * *
The interview room was a smaller version of the building as a whole, it was sterile, dry and oppressive, containing only a battered desk piled high with paper, a plastic pot plant and a broken chair at which sat a lizard just as dry and unoticeable as the papers he worked with. The lizard looked up when he walked in and gave one of those not-quite-reaching-the-eyes smiles so beloved of fast food workers, and rustled a few papers.
"Ah, Mr S Jackrabbit, correct? So sorry about this but it's company policy, individuals with uncertain upbringing are required to sign several subclauses."
The statement was clipped, precise and orderly, like words typed into sound. The response from Spaz was a simple look of utter incomprehension, anyone exposed to this for long enough either gave up or desperately tried to fill the silence with explanation. It was thus very useful.
"That is Mr Jackrabbit, we don't know enough about your mother to allow a straight signing, you'll have to sign here, here here, and here if you're 26 or older."
"Aaaah! Gosh, Jazz'll be real mad when he gets back, having to do even more!"
"Hmmn? Oh no, you must have misunderstood me Mr Jackrabbit, only you are required to do this."
"What? That's not fair! Jazz gets all the breaks! Just 'cause he's older. Oh and is married to a princess, oh, and the whole saving the planet thing."
"No, again you misunderstand me, there is no problem with your step-siblings parentage, we simply have no information on who <i>your</i> mother is."
"Oh."