Excerpt #2
More writings. Probably really long, cut to save flists.
Magpie walked close next to The Power. She wanted to tell him how she felt about Warfarin, but she knew he would never care. Warfarin does what he pleases, he really just wants to escape just like I do.
Magpie: What if you left together?
The Power: What if we did, huh?
-Well you’re running from your pain, but you’re taking him with you?
-I can’t escape my pain. He’s coming with to be my emotional support.
-Really now. If you try to run off into the woods he will pull you down into the snow and run his hands through your hair like you do, like she did, and he will punch you in the face, make you bleed, then kiss your wounds, is that what you want?
ETA: In retrospect, this sounds a lot worse than intended. It really just means they fight a lot, but really care about each other. I can't edit this as I write it.
-What if I did?
-Why is it always ifs? Why not just do it, then?
-I will. I’ll bring him to Sweden with my boat, my grand little ship, and we’ll be safe.
-And what about your family, your girls?
-You’ll be okay. You and Sera will be fine.
-You’re right. I guess it’s inevitable. But at least for now we all have each other, that’s what counts.
-The present.
-Yes.
Warfarin could feel The Power’s ghost hand on his ghost neck, holding his hair like a train on a dress, but it wasn’t as weird. He liked having his hair touched, but nobody really noticed. Maybe they thought he hated it. He reached up absentmindedly and pulled on a strand of blonde hair. Maybe he was going crazy. The Power would never feel this way, he would be much more primal about it, his heart had been bruised and he would bruise back. Warfarin knew that The Power was his only hope for going home, but he had to have tact. Warfarin would break it to him gently, maybe without words. Maybe he would just sneak over in the night at the abandoned house in the cold and lean in close, breathe hot into his ear, let his hands say what his voice could not.
Sera Fina lay in her sleeping bag, surrounded by boots, clothes, and beer cans. They had intended to go to a punk show at Field Haus, but the time at Paradise had been enough for one day. They were all smashed, they had drank themselves to death. The Power wasn’t asleep, she could see his ankles moving as he stood up, and walked over to the window. Sera Fina wanted desperately to go to him, but she knew she had to stop being so attached to him, she had to cut off any ties because she knew he was leaving, she knew he would up and fly away before any of the others did. Sera Fina was terrified of the group splitting up. She knew she would never lose Magpie, they were going to stick together no matter where the wind blew them. She didn’t want to lose Warfarin, who was a good friend to her. She didn’t want to lose The Power, who for all his negativity and brutality could be surprisingly emotional. He had opened himself up to her, and now he was going to leave her with a gaping hole in his chest, where she had snatched his heart away. She rolled towards The Power’s sleeping spot, always the same, and she flung her arm over his bedding, and waited with her eyes almost closed to see whether he would shove her away. The Power was looking out at the moon, and smoking a cigarette out the broken window. The smoke curled around him like a dingy halo, like the antithesis to his inner self. He seemed truly at peace now, and Sera Fina couldn’t take that away from him. She slid her hand back, close to her chest, and decided that he could leave if he wanted. Maybe his heart wasn’t hers to take.
Magpie had been quiet lately. She was feeling introverted, she didn’t want to be bubbly and bright, the one force of happiness permeating the group’s negative energies. She was a bird, singing her way into their hearts. But today she was down in the dumps, sitting bored on the wooden porch of the squat. She knew it wasn’t smart to let the neighbors see her, but she didn’t care. Magpie lit herself a cigarette and looked, dejected, into the pack. It was nearing empty. Magpie sniffed and looked around. She was tired, and wished someone would come out and sit by her. It was late at night, dark, and the rest of her friends were out doing their own thing. She liked solitude, but not loneliness. She rocked back and forth, to keep warm and comfort herself. Her many necklaces and bracelets jangled like wind chimes, her eyes closed and she sat and listened to the nighttime noises. Cars going past, people laughing at dinner parties, and distant footsteps crunching in the grass. Warfarin and The Power had returned from the corner store, their packs full of clanking beer bottles. Magpie smiled and held out her cigarette for one of the guys to share. She knew this night was about to get a lot less lonely.
~*~*~*~
-Warfarin. Dude.
-What? Warfarin rolled over in his sleeping bag, half asleep. His long hair fell in front of his face like curtains. The Power was up on one elbow, his black hair sticking up everywhere. Warfarin avoided staring at him, his hands shining in the darkness.
-Hey, what do you think about… boats?
-I like boats. I used to go on fishing trips with my dad when I was a kid, before everything bad happened.
-What if I got a boat, and we went there?
-Where, Sweden? The land of my childhood and bad memories?
-I thought you wanted to back there.
-I do, but not my hometown. Maybe we could go to Umeå.
-No idea. I’ll go wherever, to get out of this stupid city. I need you there with me.
-I’ll be there. Maybe I can be your emotional support, instead of Sera Fina.
-Whatever, I’ll figure it out. She helped me, but it was more than I needed. I owe her.
-You owe her, so you’re leaving her?
-I just need to be less lonely.
-Surrounded by your friends, you can feel so alone at the same time. I know what it’s like.
And Warfarin and The Power fell asleep, their fitful dreams winding together in the deep dark of the abandoned house, their hearts drumming like a war tattoo. When Magpie woke up the next morning, she peered over at them and secretly wished they would hold hands or something.
~*~*~*~
Sera Fina loved this place. She was sitting in a diner ignoring the patrons, ignoring the waitress who kept coming around to refill her coffee, leaning back with her eyes closed and reveling in how delicious everything was. Magpie was sitting on a tall stool next to the table, perched above everybody else.
I feel like a queen.
Warfarin and The Power were standing by the jukebox, fighting over which song to play first, slamming buttons and throwing dimes at each other. The Power grabbed his friend’s hair and yanked it.
Ow, not the hair, dude, fuck off! It was my turn!
Some of those dimes were from my pockets!
Well, now they’re the floor’s dimes, get off me!
Warfarin and The Power returned to the table, both a little more scuffed up than before. There was a faint metal song emanating from the back of the diner. Sera Fina smirked and sipped at her coffee. Magpie perched and felt queenly. The clock ticked slower and slower and seemed to melt off the wall.
Magpie walked close next to The Power. She wanted to tell him how she felt about Warfarin, but she knew he would never care. Warfarin does what he pleases, he really just wants to escape just like I do.
Magpie: What if you left together?
The Power: What if we did, huh?
-Well you’re running from your pain, but you’re taking him with you?
-I can’t escape my pain. He’s coming with to be my emotional support.
-Really now. If you try to run off into the woods he will pull you down into the snow and run his hands through your hair like you do, like she did, and he will punch you in the face, make you bleed, then kiss your wounds, is that what you want?
ETA: In retrospect, this sounds a lot worse than intended. It really just means they fight a lot, but really care about each other. I can't edit this as I write it.
-What if I did?
-Why is it always ifs? Why not just do it, then?
-I will. I’ll bring him to Sweden with my boat, my grand little ship, and we’ll be safe.
-And what about your family, your girls?
-You’ll be okay. You and Sera will be fine.
-You’re right. I guess it’s inevitable. But at least for now we all have each other, that’s what counts.
-The present.
-Yes.
Warfarin could feel The Power’s ghost hand on his ghost neck, holding his hair like a train on a dress, but it wasn’t as weird. He liked having his hair touched, but nobody really noticed. Maybe they thought he hated it. He reached up absentmindedly and pulled on a strand of blonde hair. Maybe he was going crazy. The Power would never feel this way, he would be much more primal about it, his heart had been bruised and he would bruise back. Warfarin knew that The Power was his only hope for going home, but he had to have tact. Warfarin would break it to him gently, maybe without words. Maybe he would just sneak over in the night at the abandoned house in the cold and lean in close, breathe hot into his ear, let his hands say what his voice could not.
Sera Fina lay in her sleeping bag, surrounded by boots, clothes, and beer cans. They had intended to go to a punk show at Field Haus, but the time at Paradise had been enough for one day. They were all smashed, they had drank themselves to death. The Power wasn’t asleep, she could see his ankles moving as he stood up, and walked over to the window. Sera Fina wanted desperately to go to him, but she knew she had to stop being so attached to him, she had to cut off any ties because she knew he was leaving, she knew he would up and fly away before any of the others did. Sera Fina was terrified of the group splitting up. She knew she would never lose Magpie, they were going to stick together no matter where the wind blew them. She didn’t want to lose Warfarin, who was a good friend to her. She didn’t want to lose The Power, who for all his negativity and brutality could be surprisingly emotional. He had opened himself up to her, and now he was going to leave her with a gaping hole in his chest, where she had snatched his heart away. She rolled towards The Power’s sleeping spot, always the same, and she flung her arm over his bedding, and waited with her eyes almost closed to see whether he would shove her away. The Power was looking out at the moon, and smoking a cigarette out the broken window. The smoke curled around him like a dingy halo, like the antithesis to his inner self. He seemed truly at peace now, and Sera Fina couldn’t take that away from him. She slid her hand back, close to her chest, and decided that he could leave if he wanted. Maybe his heart wasn’t hers to take.
Magpie had been quiet lately. She was feeling introverted, she didn’t want to be bubbly and bright, the one force of happiness permeating the group’s negative energies. She was a bird, singing her way into their hearts. But today she was down in the dumps, sitting bored on the wooden porch of the squat. She knew it wasn’t smart to let the neighbors see her, but she didn’t care. Magpie lit herself a cigarette and looked, dejected, into the pack. It was nearing empty. Magpie sniffed and looked around. She was tired, and wished someone would come out and sit by her. It was late at night, dark, and the rest of her friends were out doing their own thing. She liked solitude, but not loneliness. She rocked back and forth, to keep warm and comfort herself. Her many necklaces and bracelets jangled like wind chimes, her eyes closed and she sat and listened to the nighttime noises. Cars going past, people laughing at dinner parties, and distant footsteps crunching in the grass. Warfarin and The Power had returned from the corner store, their packs full of clanking beer bottles. Magpie smiled and held out her cigarette for one of the guys to share. She knew this night was about to get a lot less lonely.
~*~*~*~
-Warfarin. Dude.
-What? Warfarin rolled over in his sleeping bag, half asleep. His long hair fell in front of his face like curtains. The Power was up on one elbow, his black hair sticking up everywhere. Warfarin avoided staring at him, his hands shining in the darkness.
-Hey, what do you think about… boats?
-I like boats. I used to go on fishing trips with my dad when I was a kid, before everything bad happened.
-What if I got a boat, and we went there?
-Where, Sweden? The land of my childhood and bad memories?
-I thought you wanted to back there.
-I do, but not my hometown. Maybe we could go to Umeå.
-No idea. I’ll go wherever, to get out of this stupid city. I need you there with me.
-I’ll be there. Maybe I can be your emotional support, instead of Sera Fina.
-Whatever, I’ll figure it out. She helped me, but it was more than I needed. I owe her.
-You owe her, so you’re leaving her?
-I just need to be less lonely.
-Surrounded by your friends, you can feel so alone at the same time. I know what it’s like.
And Warfarin and The Power fell asleep, their fitful dreams winding together in the deep dark of the abandoned house, their hearts drumming like a war tattoo. When Magpie woke up the next morning, she peered over at them and secretly wished they would hold hands or something.
~*~*~*~
Sera Fina loved this place. She was sitting in a diner ignoring the patrons, ignoring the waitress who kept coming around to refill her coffee, leaning back with her eyes closed and reveling in how delicious everything was. Magpie was sitting on a tall stool next to the table, perched above everybody else.
I feel like a queen.
Warfarin and The Power were standing by the jukebox, fighting over which song to play first, slamming buttons and throwing dimes at each other. The Power grabbed his friend’s hair and yanked it.
Ow, not the hair, dude, fuck off! It was my turn!
Some of those dimes were from my pockets!
Well, now they’re the floor’s dimes, get off me!
Warfarin and The Power returned to the table, both a little more scuffed up than before. There was a faint metal song emanating from the back of the diner. Sera Fina smirked and sipped at her coffee. Magpie perched and felt queenly. The clock ticked slower and slower and seemed to melt off the wall.