I'll add on section by section with in today, I don't know why I didn't think of this sooner,
I'll just add it to this post, there'll be only one post, thank you. I desparately need to shorten it.
But I don't know how.
Prologue
She sat there, in the subway train, going north from Dundas Station to Sheppard, playing Dance Dance Revolution on her cell phone. Finally, that was the last of all her exams. Three hours long, of course she fell asleep sometime between the forty minute mark and the second hour mark, at least that forty minutes she was awake was enough time to finish. Which high school teacher was it that said that she’d be needing all the time she gets on university exams? Whatever, it must have been ‘her’, the one that thought she was just plain stupid to even get this far. Shows her. It’s not easy, but it’s not as hard as they made it out to be.
“Game Over!!” flashed on the tiny screen of her Motorola phone. Realizing she’s not really playing all that much attention, she put the phone into her bag, resigning herself to just listen to her mp3 player. Life was becoming boring, tiresome, and routine, she was getting sick of it all. Only ten minutes or so more, she’d be home. Home for some real sleep, sleep, it feels as if it’s been an eternity since she last got enough. Even on weekends when she didn’t have assignments or work, she’d have to keep up her oh so social face. Seriously, why is it so hard to get some down time?
And then it hit her, she felt like she fell a mile, and jerked her head back up. She had dozed off. Just in time, the next stop, Sheppard Station, was just announced over the intercom. She gathered all her bags, three of them, a carry on, a wheelie, a backpack, of course, and her purse. She got up, made her way to the door, and waited till the train slowly came to a stop. Walking over to the escalator, making her way to the eastbound platform, and resigned herself to drowsily wait for the train, strangely enough, both sides just happened to be unoccupied by a train. Both sides’ destinations were east. She’s having doubts about having decided to stay with her class mate for the month to be near the campus and for study purposes. Should have stayed home, then there wouldn’t be all this to carry, she wouldn’t be having that muscle cramp above her shoulder bone.
She rolled her shoulders and her head from side to side, and felt the air around start to move. And herd the distinct roar of the train make its way behind her. Damn, theories of relativity, that fifty/fifty chance, it wasn’t on her side today. Making her way into the train, he found her self a corner seat by the window, and made her self comfortable, waited four stops for Don Mills Station, making sure to stay alert now, if she fell asleep now, she wouldn’t be able to get real sleep when she gets home. She actually lives a little east of Don Mills Station, in a little apartment of her own. She used to have a room mate, who, a month ago, decided to move in with her boyfriend. She wouldn’t be able to take the bus, it’s too late, about two, now she’s regretting spending ‘a little’ time to celebrate after the exams with her friends. At least she didn’t drink too much, keeping in mind the last time.
Luckily, her neighbour, a lady who happens to adore her, is kind and offered to give her a ride back to the apartment. “Hello, Miriam, hi, it’s Selene, I’m here.” Miriam, her neighbour lady, had asked Selene to give her a call when she gets there. Selene could swear, her head was spinning, and she was just so tired. Guilt suddenly swallowed her, Miriam probably had an even tiresome day, six year old twin girls and a job, calling her out to pick up some girl in the middle of the night now seems like a stupid agreement. They met one night last summer, Selene was waiting for an elevator, ready to go out with some friends, and when the elevator doors chimed open, Miriam had one of her daughters in her arms, sleeping, and the other held onto the opposite hand, dragging her feet in exhaustion. Selene, for some reason or another, decided not to ignore it, she offered to carry the sleeping one in while Miriam unlocked her suite. Miriam had made a joke about day cares, Selene not quite paying attention offered to care for the children in the day while she was out at work.
“I’m so sorry for making you pick me up, I should have just stayed the night there and come in the morning,” Selene immediately said getting into the minivan.
“Nonsense, my mother-in-law came to visit, you know how it gets when the relatives visit, everyone stays up all night and sleeps all day, she just came today, the girls are still playing with what their grandma brought them,” Miriam said in her Chinese accented fast talking way, with a smile. “So do you have any plans for the summer?”
“Yeah! Sleep!”
“Sounds like a good plan to me, you look terrible! We’re going to take my mother-in-law site seeing, take her to our china town, and pacific mall, and Kensington market, she’ll see, Toronto is more Chinese than china!”
“You plan is almost as good as mine.” They talked the rest of the short way, and finally, Selene was able to fall into her bed. Not caring to change, wash up, eat, or anything else, just sleep, tonight, not even her thoughts will be able to keep her awake.
2 comments:
And then it hit her, she felt like she fell a mile, and jerked her head back up. She had dozed off. Just in time, the next stop, Sheppard Station. I love this line. It stands out for me because it uses strong descriptive language and is offered quite so simply and I find myself chuckling at the idea of being so tired that you would drop a mile, jerk your head back up and arrive at the next stop just in time. It has a very comical and mechanical pattern of motion and it is so amusing to have this scene replayed in my head.
This short story feels more like a memoir as I was reading it. In a way, it seems to state things a matter of factly. For example, your tend to write, “she actually lives a little east of donmils,” She gathered all her bags…a backpack of course, as if they need even more reaffirmation, which they probably don’t. Its as if the author knows way too much about the character that the element of surprise is being taken away. Also the flow of ideas, her thoughts and the way she describes the outside world is confusing to follow, but then maybe that’s the style you were going for.
I like how you incorporate the names of well known Toronto districts such as Kensington Market, China Town and Pacific mall, to name a few. It exposes the reader to a bit of history and culture, and a little more about where the character s coming from. This is also a good characterization as well as style technique you have applied to your short story.
As for dialogue I liked how you separated the dialogue in terms of its alignment and position so that the reader is aware of who is talking, especially the character’s response to her neighbour Miriam, “Yeah sleep”. I like that it is separated from the rest of the paragraphs into a single line. It re-emphasizes her feeling of fatigue.
Hi Nadia,
I like the all the description in your story very much. I, myself, could relate to the no-sleep part quite well. And readers being able to relate to the story often make it more enjoyable and meaningful to the readers.
I also like the fact that I recognize the subway stations and parts of Toronto that you mention because then I can actual picture the scene. I can picture Selene on the subway and switching lines and waiting at the bus stops etc.
And I know you said this is only a part of the story but I think having some sort of up and down, a problem even up till this point in the story would make it more interesting. Like maybe she forgets her purse on the subway or she drops her house keys somewhere or the subway has to stop suddenly in the middle of no where and she has yet to wait more until she can get home and just sleep.
But I like how Miriam is introduced and the info you give about how they first met.
I was also curious about why Selene is carrying so many things with her. I'm interested to see how the rest of the story will turn out. :)
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