Short Story: Autumn

Autumn sat at the edge of the last table in the row in the dingy lunchroom. She wasn’t alone, not technically, but she knew nothing about the other people at the table. She didn’t speak to them, and they didn’t speak to her. It was as if they had this mutual, unwritten contract not to regard one another’s existence. Had the others chosen to acknowledge her, they still wouldn’t have known anything about her but what they could assume. They would see her mousy brown hair (that would ordinarily reflect the soft fluorescent lighting) tucked carefully into an over-sized hoodie as if it were body armor, and assume that she was anti-social and strange. They would see her bitten nails hastily moved from sight if she sensed eyes in her direction, and they would not see any form of curves on her completely enshrouded body. Her clothing made sure of that.
But, that’s if they even bothered to look. They still would have been wrong, but it would have been something. Maybe I am anti-social, she thought, but everything was different before Monica left. Things have changed since she went so far away from me. Her tone became bitter inside her head, and it saddened her, because she knew it wasn’t her Monica’s fault for leaving. It had only been a matter of time...
Her empty eyes roved across the room, seemingly searching for something, though neither she, nor anyone else for that matter, knew quite what that something was. Especially not the “guidance” counselor, who claimed to know her and her “issues” so well. She shuddered inwardly and took a bite out of the apple that sat next to a healthily-proportioned turkey sandwich. Reflected in the tumultuous gray pools set beneath her un-plucked eyebrows, the cafeteria appeared even more despondent than usual.
The brick walls were maimed by decades of boredom-driven students who had nothing better to do than dig at the corners of the red stones with their pens until they crumbled just a little bit more. The inspirational posters, though dog-eared and outdated, remained dutifully on the walls, portraying their messages of hope to the viewers, who couldn’t care less. Whenever anyone sat down or pulled themselves back to their feet, the benches announced the action with a tired moan and a characteristic creak. There were no longer windows to the outside, only cracked panes of glass that seem less transparent with each passing day. The custodians didn’t bother to clean them anymore – it was no longer worth the effort of trying to scrape the filth from the spider-webbing lines etched in by stray rocks or textbooks. Her aimlessly ambling eyes stopped to observe a nearby scene, where another girl was eating.
A boy entered the scene briefly, conversing with the girl before moving on to his own lunch gathering. He was new to the school, and girl’s all over Holkem High’s campus seem to swoon whenever they entered a 50-foot radius of his presence. As he turned from the girl’s table, his eyes locked with Autumn’s for a brief moment. She shuddered – she had a feeling that she’d met him before somewhere, and not somewhere pleasant. Yes, things certainly have changed since Monica had left. Since Jess had taken over the scene…
***
Jess smiled as she looked across at her friends at their usual lunch table. She gave her pin-straight, highlighted hair an extra flip as she pulled out her nearly calorie-free lunch. The flirtatious trick worked, and she congratulated herself as James gave her that smile of his – the one he only dished out for only a select few. She winked back. “You comin’ this weekend? My parents are still going to be in Aspen, you know, so it’s only gonna be, like, a few people…a little get-together, you know?” His answer came coupled with a soft chuckle.
“I get your drift, Jess, and I’ll be there.” She flashed him a blinding smile and swung back around in an impossibly graceful move. James walked away to his own lunch table, apparently marveling to himself how anyone could possess the ability to do that in a miniskirt.
“Ooo, Girls, did you see that? Ha ha! James is actually going to come! I can’t wait ‘till tomorrow night.” She giggled to her friends and waited for the praise that they would lavish on her after such a statement. “I’m so nervous though…seriously…what if I screw this whole thing up? I’ll never be able to face him again!” Again a rush of support poured from the group, and, for the moment, her butterflies settled.
***
Autumn glared at Jess from where she sat in her corner. James was all over her. No surprise there, though, that was so like Jess to just throw herself at any half-decent cest-pool of testosterone that shuffles by. Not that any of them were even half-decent anyway…
“It’s not her fault, she can’t help it.” Someone said softly as they walked by. Autumn’s eyes shot upward to identify the voice, but all she saw was their backs crossing to the doorway. Weirdos, she criticized. Who wears all white after labor day? Her shoulders lifted in an unconscious movement as she shrugged off the interruption and refocused on the brunette irritant that sat before her.
***
Jess managed to choke down the few baby carrots in front of her, before declaring she was simply too full to eat another morsel. She glanced towards the wall and when she looked back her friends had placed a turkey sandwich in front of her. “Oh, come on now, I ate your apple already, and now you think I can fit a sandwich in too? You’re nuts!” The girls across from her exchanged a quick look that suggested the phrase “isn’t that ironic?” before returning to the task at hand.
“Just eat it Jess.”
“Yeah, you’re already a size one, it doesn’t get any thinner than that.”
“If I get fat you guys - ”
“Trust us, you’re fine. Just eat.”
***
Autumn shook her head at the foolish girl in front of her, hardly believing what she saw. If she were any skinnier, she’d be transparent. And she doesn’t even see it. And all the guys still think she’s the hottest thing since sliced bread. She shook her head once more, as if to finalize the sentiment, and then bit into her sandwich. Mmm…She couldn’t imagine not wanting to eat a turkey sandwich, they were her absolute favorite.
***
James sighed and took his place at the staff table. “It’s so sad, you know? Autumn has been here for 2 years, and yet she shows no progression. It’s like she still has no idea that she has a problem at all…It makes me feel like all of this is so futile…this whole therapy thing, I mean.” The male nurse addressed his fellow mental health clinicians in a voice that could only be described as defeated.
“Does she still look confused when you don’t call her Autumn?” Another nurse inquired.
“Yeah, she does.” He answered.
“Poor thing, and her parents are always gone, too. At least she thinks they’re in Aspen instead of knowing she’s been abandoned.” The co-workers all nodded sympathetically and glanced back at the girl who was now sitting alone on the corner of a bench. Autumn seemed so small inside her medium sized hoodie. Due to her refusal to eat half of the time, the sweatshirt hung off of her bony shoulders like toilet paper from a the claws of a bare fall tree.
“Believe it or not, she did used to be worse than this.” An older nurse chimed in. “Have you ever heard her mention Monica? That was another one of her personalities…the poor dear..”
The collective sigh of the nursing staff seemed to mimic the sigh of the wind that crept along the building, leaping out unexpectedly from corners and causing the brittle leaves to jerk violently through the air.
***
Another sigh echoed through the lunchroom, one so downhearted that it sent a lonely chill down the emitter’s own spine. “When will this end?” Autumn wondered. “This crazy high school drama is getting too confusing for me.” She rose from her seat and shuffled her way towards the doors to the hallway. As she paused in front of the shiny aluminum trash barrels, the room’s harsh lighting caused her bracelet to glint its reflection onto the side of the receptacle. “Autumn Viner, Holkem Psychiatric Hospital, Room 374.”

Who's There?

A Clerk At An X-Rated Movie Theater:

I glanced behind me back through the tinted doors. I could still get away from him. He’d been staring at me since I had walked through the doors. His beady black eyes flickered between the door of theater six, and me. From the moment I’d set eyes on him, my female radar had been blaring full force. “Get away! Stop! Turn around!!” He wasn’t exactly the type of guy I’d bring home to my mother, but that wasn’t it. I could tell that he didn’t just work here for the extra cash between semesters at whatever Nerd University he attended; he genuinely enjoyed his employment. No doubt he spent his days concocting all sorts of sick fantasies about every skirt that flitted through those doors. Those doors that were still behind me and still provided a chance of escape.
I can’t believe you lost that bet. Darn Red Sox. They just had to lose that game, didn’t they… I scolded myself for ever participating in a bet with such high stakes. I raised my eyes a few degrees and risked looking up from my coffee cup. My pupils narrowed and their aim shot downward again. Why couldn’t he take his greasy stare somewhere else and leave me alone?! Way to go Karen…look at the fix you’ve gotten yourself into now…Well, you got into it, you’re going to have to finish the situation.
My lungs expanded with a deep, shaky breath and I pushed my chair away from the rickety metal table with a loud screech. Yeah, that’ll definitely divert his attention…real smooth... I annoyed myself with my own sarcasm, and shook my head in self-criticism as I made my way across the lobby. Save for a young couple lost in their own PDA, the sleazy clerk, and myself, it was empty. Two more steps and I would be there. There’s no turning back now… I stopped at the ticket booth and looked up confidently. “One for ‘XXX Seduction', please.”

A Lonely Woman At A Singles Dance:

After a brief perusal of his surroundings, he was disappointed he’d been talked into coming at all. There was Grandma at the bar, with her martini and Eau De Mothball perfume, and there was Marge Simpson’s twin sister (barring the bright blue beehive) smoking a cigarette out the window. And of course there was always Big Bertha dancing with Tiny Tim on the scuffed dance floor. But it would be cruel to interrupt them when Tim was so clearly stricken speechless by her tangoing skills (or was it the lack of oxygen in his brain due to her clutching him like a precious jewel?). Either way, he was perfectly content to settle back with his drink and watch the others shift awkwardly in their seats, waiting for someone else to initiate a conversation. Or so he thought.
That was the moment when his cynical eyes first saw her. In between Granny and a biker whose lack in hygiene education almost excelled his clearly extensive education in horrible flirting tactics, sat a woman so lovely that for a moment, he forgot completely what it was to hurt. All he could focus on was her, and the way her auburn hair fell in gentle waves around her powder-soft face. She looked up after a moment, seeming to sense the penetrating stare that had been focused on her. Her eyes did not have the glitter he’d expected, but rather, though they were as beautiful as she was, reflected the dull emptiness that had filled his soul for the past two years since Diane had passed on. Her face flushed, and her gaze drifted downward. He held his watch for a moment longer, and wasn’t let down – she glanced back up for a moment before turning to order a drink from the bar.
Before he had a chance to stop himself, his feet began to walk themselves over to her. He had to meet her, know her name. He stopped a few feet behind her and reached out to lay his hand on her shoulder. As she turned, their eyes met, and all words escaped him. They remained locked in another world, each other’s worlds, drowning in one another’s eyes until the bartender cut in with a sharp “Uhh…miss?”
“Oh...yes, of course. So sorry,” Her smooth British accent flipped off of her tongue as she reached out and grasped the slender neck of the martini glass.
“I’m Mark,” he said, still awestruck from the beauty that stood before him.
“Cassandra…call me Cassie.”
“Alright, Cassie, would you like to dance?”
“I’d love to.”

A Farmer’s Wife:

A sigh escaped her lips as she felt the sun’s rays creep over the window sill. She rose from her bed obediently, washed up quickly and began frying bacon on the stove. Her husband ambled down the creaky wooden stairs soon after her, and sat silently at the table until he had ingested the first few sips of his strong black coffee.
“Crop should be good this year. A few more sunny days and those shoots’ll start pokin’ their heads out.”
“That’s good, we need to redeem ourselves after last year. That horrible rot…” She shuddered in her plain gingham dress. Memories of last year were not something she wanted to relive.
After breakfast, her husband went out to the fields and she went to the stables to tend to their dairy cows. Her small calloused hands worked quickly with experience, and soon she had several pails of sweet smelling milk. As she turned to carry them back to the house, the breeze assisted a wisp of hair in escaping the practical braid she kept it in. She sighed again and blew the graying strand out of her eyes.
“Another day…another chore,” She murmured, and made her way up the rickety steps and back into the house.

What's In A Name?

1. A petty white-collar thief who robs his boss over seven years.
- Richard Downing is the type of person who works through his six-year-old daughter’s very first swim meet.
- Richard Downing is the type of person who thinks that the true meaning of the holidays can be wrapped in shiny paper.
- Richard Downing is the type of person who will show off the diamond tennis bracelet he bought his wife to the guys at the office before giving it to her.
- Richard Downing is the type of person whose loafers are never scuffed.
- Richard Downing is the type of person who considers golfing with the head of the company his life dream.

2 . An envious, bitter woman who makes her sister’s life miserable by systematically trying to undercut her pleasure and self-confidence.
- Judith Knife is the type of person who calls her sister in the middle of her honeymoon to alternate between planting seeds of doubt in her ear and scaring her into thinking she left the stove on at home.
- Judith Knife is the type of person who brings her misfit, obnoxious boyfriend to mellow family gatherings.
- Judith Knife is the type of person who jogs for 30 minutes, 3 times a week, but never without makeup.
- Judith Knife is the type of person who would ask her sister if she was gaining weight or if her wedding gown just wasn’t tailored correctly.
- Judith Knife is the type of person who would use her maternity leave to send her sister a virus via email, but label it as “pictures of your new nephew!”

3. A sweet young man too shy to speak to an attractive woman he sees every day at work.
- Brian Turner is the type of person who wears khakis and rugby shirts seven days a week.
- Brian Turner is the type of person who is still afraid someone will yell at him if he skips a class in college, even though he’s been there for two years.
- Brian Turner is the type of person who has a smile that would make any girl swoon, but is completely unaware of that feature.
- Brian Turner is the type of person who apologizes too much.
- Brian Turner is the type of person who isn’t ashamed to say he’s only had two girlfriends.

4. The owner of a fast food restaurant who comes on to his young female employees.
- Damian Pahl is the type of person who thinks that the .5 ounce bottles of cologne were made for a single dose.
- Damian Pahl is the type of person who parents don’t want to be around when their teenage daughters have to work late.
- Damian Pahl is the type of person who likes to whisper in the ears of, and hovers around the shoulders of his employees while they are working the fryer in the back.
- Damian Pahl is the type of person who would brings his wife to work to make fun of his employees, and then flirts with them as soon as she leaves.
- Damian Pahl is the type of person who thinks its sexy to not wash his hair for several weeks.

5. A grandmother who just won the lottery.
- Gloria Wells is the type of person who runs to Baby Gap as soon as she cashes in the winning ticket.
- Gloria Wells is the type of person who refuses to dye her hair, but embraces the natural “blonde” that age has graced her with.
- Gloria Wells is the type of person who has seven bird feeders and three birdbaths visible from her kitchen window so that she can watch her feathered friends while she washes the dishes.
- Gloria Wells is the type of person who volunteers as a greeter every Sunday at church.
- Gloria Wells is the type of person who wouldn’t mind trading in her Mercedes for a minivan if it meant spending more time with her grandchildren.

Super Short Story

The sky wept for days on end, with no relief from its drizzling wetness. Frustrated with her young sons’ pent-up energy, Bridget O’Reilly sent them out to find stray bits of coal and timber to use for fuel in the fireplace. Cael, the younger, seemed generally put out by the situation, especially since it meant following his older brother around and doing as he was told by yet another elder. Ronan, despite the power shift that always occurred when their parents weren’t around, would rather they had been able to stay inside and continue with their somewhat rambunctious game of marbles. But they trudged out into the rain, and set off for the area of Limerick where they would be more likely to find what they were looking for.
They walked briskly, their silence only interrupted by the odd question from Cael every now and again.
“D’you think we’ll have a ham for Easter this year, Ronan?”
“No, mam says it’ll be pig’s head as usual.”
“Michael Flynn’s family’s havin’ ham.”
“Well, go live them then, and shut yer mouth.”
Cael closed the opening in his dejected face and resumed his silent march. The road, which was in a state of horrible disrepair, coupled with the rain that was borderline torrential at this point made it difficult to distinguish the ooze-filled potholes from the sturdier sections of the road. They continued this way for some distance, turning in and out of allies, poking through newspapers and trash heaps, trying in vain to find some scrap of dry and useful fuel. While he was distracted by the fog rolling over nearby hills that could be seen through the gaps of alleyways, Cael misjudged a step and tumbled into a small ditch near the curb of the road. Ronan’s eyes rolled unsympathetically as he reached down to drag his baby brother back to his feet.
“Mam’s going to skin you alive, Cael. We’ve only had these shirts for a fortnight now, and look at you – covered in filth.” Cael’s chin began to tremble, and Ronan was in no mood to deal with tears. “Let’s just go back home, ok? There’s nothing out here to find.”
With a nod of his head, Cael turned back to follow his brother’s footsteps back the way they came. The fog continued to roll in, foaming off of the gurgling river that served as the northern seam of the city, and enveloping the homes, factories, and churches that composed the stage for the daily scenes of Limerick’s citizens. Ronan looked at his surroundings with older eyes. He knew that those factories didn’t have as many jobs as the people needed to provide for their families. He knew that in a year or two he’d have to start helping out his family by getting a job of some sort, and that soon after, Cael would have to join him.
In spite of his irritation, Ronan felt a deep sense of brotherly responsibility for the well being of Cael, and was not looking forward to the day where he too would have to join the young labor force of their poverty-stricken city. His eyes, mature beyond their years due to seeing paycheck after paycheck fill their father’s beer mug instead of their bellies, roved around the numerous pubs lining the street. Just before they turned the corner to their street, Ronan, lost in a moment of compassion, reached out and put a hand on Cael’s chest to stop him where he was.
“Take off yer shirt, Cael.”
“What? Why?”
“Just do it. Here, take mine,” he instructed.
Cael, bewildered, did as he was told, and swapped shirts with his older brother. Ronan slid his hands into the soggy sleeves and felt a sudden chill shake his dampened body as he pulled the other sleeve on and buttoned up the front. Because Cael was tall for his age, his shirt fit Ronan as if it was his own.
“Let’s go – they’ll be worried about us, ‘tis almost dark.”
They quickly trotted up the cobbled road and scampered through the wooden door of their home. Bridget looked up from the stew on the dimly smoldering fire and waggled the wooden spoon at the muddy rascals in the doorway.
“What’ve you done? Look at you – a mess! A complete mess!”
Ronan shrugged slightly, and simply explained that he had slipped on the road.
“Well see to it you be more careful, or it’ll be you that’s doin’ the laundry next week! Take it off and come sit near the fire while it dries.”
Ronan obeyed, and as he glanced to his side, he briefly met Cael’s thankful stare.
“Someday you’ll understand,” he whispered.
“But…why?”
“Because yer my brother.”

Plot Outline for "The Writer's Daily Times"

1. Exposition - Steve, a chubby middle-aged man, finds himself larger than he remembers, and decides, once again, to begin bike riding to get into shape.

2. Conflict - Steve can't convince his wife that this time he's really going to get into shape.

3. Complications - Steve pretends to race his friend, wins, and then finds he has real competition up ahead.

4. Climax - Steve pushes himself as hard as he can, but can't quite catch up. Then he competition gets hit by both a bus and a van.

5. Falling Action - Steve witnesses the accident and is very shaken; he turns around and bikes home.

6. Resolution - Steve decides that the bike really isn't for him.

First Line....Last Line

Just in time to miss her only morning class. I couldnt believe it. I had overslept - again! And you call her your dream girl, I berrated myself. If you really liked her, don't you think you could drag yourself out of bed long enough to introduce yourself and speak with her for five minutes?! My mind flipped back and forth between rationalizing and reprimanding my reasoning for my continual absence in her life. She'll never like me. I'm only a freshman! She's two whole years older than me! An upperclassmen. I shook my head as I turned back to my dorm to get ready for another dateless day. You don't really know that until you try, do you? I broke into a light jog and then into a run, needing something else to focus on for five minutes. My panting and the pounding of my feet on the cracked asphalt couldn't drown out the argument in my head. No matter how fast I ran, the conversation managed to keep my pace.
She's too good for you...
Just try! What have you got to lose?...
Are you crazy? You'll be a laughing stock! A freshman and a junior? Please, let's not kid ourselves...
You aren't just a freshman. You are ... a runner!
Barely..
A good student!
Geek.
A... a....
Just go to class, freshman.
I arrived at my dorm and gathered my books for another mind-numbing hour of Essay Writing 101 and headed off to the northern part of campus. The day passed, uneventful, and eventually I fell into a deep and drawn-out sleep. I awoke to the sound of my alarm clock, but in the fuzz of my dreams, I barely noticed my hand repeatedly hitting the snooze button. When I finally pulled myself from beneath my quilt and prepared for the day, I knew before I set one foot out the door towards the Math-Science building that I had done it once again. I arrived to see a wisp of blonde hair float out of the lecture hall surrounded by a loud gaggle of upperclassmen females. I sighed. Just in time to miss her only morning class.

Opposing Sentences Assignment

1.Birth / Death
~There is no greater miracle in the world than that of new life.
~The soft chill of the spring breeze shivered across my neck as I turned away from the gravesite.

2. Summer / Winter
~I nestled into the vibrant grass warmed by the sweet summer sun and watched the blue jays dive into the brush.
~My foot pressed the brake as I attempted to maneuver my car through the crystalline roads so set on wreaking havoc on my plans.

3. Happy / Sad
~I couldn't help it - the laughter burst forth like the seeds from a cherry tomato that had been bitten into too quickly.
~The reflected image of myself stared back helplessly as the first tear slid down my cheek.

4. Sane / Insane
~She made her way through the crowd and tossed her coffee cup into the already oevrflowing trash receptacle.
~My walk turns into a full-out sprint and I shove my way past the unbelievably calm crowd; I know the crocodile is right on my heels!

5. Best Day / Worst Day
~I recounted the occurences that day: the winning lottery number, the new car in my driveway, the birth of my granddaughter - could it get any better?
~He gazed at the back of his car driving away from him with his wife behind the wheel, and her boyfriend riding shotgun.

6. Day / Night
~She rose with the sun, and flung open her curtains to welcome the day.
~I felt the velvety softness of the the blanket envelope me in my soft warm cocoon and lull me into the the rejuvinating sleep I desperately needed.

7. Love / Break-Up
~As I wrapped my arms his neck, I knew that this was where I was meant to be.
~My empty heart rattled in my chest, the echoes stabbing me with each reverberation - "What did I do?..."

8. Good / Evil
~Her prayer flowed outward like a ribbon from her heart, to her mouth, to the ears of her God.
~He pulled on the stained denim jacket, and the eye of Satan that adorned the back glared at anyone who dared watch him exit.

9. Past / Future
~ The pageant winner smiled back at my now aged body from the glossy page of the photo album.
~I looked down, and to my shock, could no longer see my toes; this baby better come soon.

10. First / Last
~My feet pounded on the pavement and I broke through the ribbon.
~As I fought for breath I closed in on the end of the race, knowing that no one was behind me.