Tag: free-write

The Age of Mauve

~ Piece, of the Sky

meta-vaporeon

Keo sat in front of a white table-cloth, in a café by the sea. The sun had just set; the sky was a ruddy violet. She was wearing an Oxford blue jacket, over a gray sweater vest.

The wind rushed out to the water, ruffling the red cloth awning. Keo set down her the china tea-cup and looked out to the last vestiges of the day.

She went to the discothèque – flashing lights, darkened room, the entire dance floor flooded with people. Keo sipped a cognac glass of brandy and watched the throng surge to and fro, the lines from the bar, the enthusiastic music lovers surrounding the DJ booth. Keo let the neon waves of light and sound wash over her.

While the party was still at its peak, she took a taxi home, silent cab winding through the cobblestone streets. She woke the next morning, under her white sheets, in a quaint second-floor apartment, with windows that let in the early morning heat.

Once dressed, and armed with a cup of coffee, she looked out onto the balcony, with cars passing below, and vendors hawking fruits and vegetables, from wicker baskets.

The next weekend, she leaned against the wall, watching lavender light sweep through the club. Another woman, in a buttoned-up shirt approached her, and asked in her ear, over the volume of the music, “You don’t dance?”

“I do dance,” Keo yelled back, over the Mediterranean EDM. They did a shy two-step to the remixed pop song and escaped back out into the cool night, to Keo’s favorite café.

“Do you come here often?” the other woman, with a short-cropped, brunette haircut said, gesturing to the coffeehouse and bistro.

“Yes,” Keo said, “The seafood during the day is quite good. Not far from here, you can also take a ferry out to the forested islands.”

“Sounds mysterious.”

“There’s a large park on one of them. Full of marble fountains and swans.”

“Must be magical,” the woman smiled, leaning over her coffee.

“It’s actually quite ordinary,” Keo said, stirring her own cup, “But that’s what makes it magical.”

They stopped to listen to the splash of the oars of a small boat, being rowed out, onto the black waves.

day time

Jettisoned

~ Piece, of the Sky

treasure

The frogs croaked in the creek, behind the house. Alli and Jan sat on the back porch, looking out into the dark yard under the navy-blue sky. Distant stars twinkled, like icebergs on a polar ocean. The lawn was ringed by trees; eventually the land sloped down into the river.

They fanned themselves in the summer heat, sipping iced tea and watching lightning bugs blink in and out of view.

“What made you come back?” Jan asked.

“I got caught in a swirling maelstrom up there. You were right about Dallas.” Alli said.

Jan looked at the woods, that eventually joined the Everglades, “I never meant all the things I said.”

“You were just upset,” Alli said, patting her hand, “We both were.”

“I just couldn’t believe she was taking my place,” Jan shrugged.

“And then she left me too,” Alli said, with a rueful smile.

Jan looked shocked, “For another woman?”

“Yep,” another sheepish grin, “First, she disappeared off to Australia. Never told me if she was ever coming back. Next thing I know, she’s stolen the girlfriend of my friend, Kaan. You remember Kaan? Then, she decamps to Thailand. Haven’t heard from her since.”

“So strange,” Jan said, shaking her head, “You probably weren’t the first one. This other woman – did Dallas leave her also?”

“As far as I know, Aspen went with her to Thailand,” Alli said, looking out into the night, “But Kaan also hasn’t received any news.”

“That’s terrible,” Jan sighed, “They’re out there, of course; they just never deigned to call or write.”

“Not me,” Alli said, “I came back to you.”

“How is your friend Nealy?” Jan wondered.

“Nealy? Nealy went to Shanghai and came back. Now she spends most of her time in San Francisco.”

“So, the old gang’s all over the place,” Jan said, gesturing with her glass.

“Yes, in New York, it’s just Kaan and I.”

“What about these girlfriends from NYU you told me about? The writers?” asked Jan.

“Oh, Beth and Ran? Yes, Ran is great. She’s going to teach me how to surf. We met on a cruise,” Alli explained.

“Well, it’s good to know that you are happy,” Jan said, leaning back in her wicker chair.

Alli frowned, “I worry about whether Ran is happy though. She seems to be going through something with her ex, Karen.”

“I wouldn’t stress about it,” Jan patted Alli’s hand this time, “Just be there for her.”

An owl arose out of the woods at the back of the house. It carried itself out over the river, holding a mouse in its claws.

jettisoned