Post by ZARIA LOUISE THOMPSON on Aug 15, 2012 20:36:46 GMT -5
TAKE WHAT IS LEFT OF ME
AND MAKE IT A BEAUTIFUL MELODY
ZARIA LOUISE THOMPSON
YOU'D BE MY REMEDY
Twenty two ,.,., civilian ,.,., NYU senior ,.,., Dianna Argon
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AND MAKE IT A BEAUTIFUL MELODY
ZARIA LOUISE THOMPSON
YOU'D BE MY REMEDY
Twenty two ,.,., civilian ,.,., NYU senior ,.,., Dianna Argon
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C is for ColdThe world always seemed cold. It was cold and hard and shiny. That was part of Zaria’s problem, she always felt a chill. Her mother had brought her to the doctors over it a couple of times, and she’d been told that she had a slightly high body temperature, but that didn’t explain what she claimed to feel. The next suggestion was a psychosomatic cause to the cold, but her mother had ended the appointment right then and there. The next time she had an appointment Zaria had been brought to see a different doctor.
So Zaria took to coats, sweaters, jackets, and scarves. This turned out not to be awful in the full fashion scale of things. Layers became her best friend, but then again she rarely if ever stripped a layer off. As time went on she just began to ignore the cold as best she could. After all it had seemed like no matter what she did it wasn’t going to get better anyways. There were instances where she did start to feel more comfortable. Her sister, her grandmother, at work, those were all people and places where the chill lessened a little. She figured that the cold had to be at least in part on purpose. She figured that it was her mother with that central air conditioning. She seemed to have it in her head that heat made her age.
When she thought about it now, Zaria realized that she barely even noticed the cold anymore. She was so used to it that it barely even registered in the least. It just seemed to fit the life that they all existed in. There were invisible walls everywhere, borders, boundries, and she started to realize that they all needed the cold. She lived in a world made of money, and if heat got too close it would all go up in smoke.
A is for Amira
“Engaged?” Zaria’s sister nodded as she looked at her hand. It was stretched out in from of her, her fingers spread.
“Yes, Andrew and I are going to get married. Did you hear that he has a new job? He’s a Vice President at his father’s company now. Now, did you really look at it Zaria? Four carats, four! I bet mother won’t even know what to say.”
Zaria looked confused. “About you getting married?”
“No silly, about the ring. Even the first one that daddy gave her was just two carats.” Zaria still looked down in confusion. She wasn’t sure what to say, she hadn’t know that this was a competition. She wasn’t comfortable with that concept anyways, and none of this seemed right. Zaria loved her sister, and she didn’t want to watch her go this way as well, and it never seemed like Amira would before. Miri was independent, Miri was smart, and now Miri was falling into the money trap. Zaria’s shoulder started to slump a little bit. If there wasn’t hope for Amira, then how could there ever be any hope for her?
“That’s great Miri, I’m really happy for you. Andrew seemed like a really nice guy.”
“Oh thank you Zarzar! Be my maid of honor? Please? I promise I won’t put you in tangerine.”
Zaria smiled faintly at her sister. “Of course Emmy.”
“Yes, Andrew and I are going to get married. Did you hear that he has a new job? He’s a Vice President at his father’s company now. Now, did you really look at it Zaria? Four carats, four! I bet mother won’t even know what to say.”
Zaria looked confused. “About you getting married?”
“No silly, about the ring. Even the first one that daddy gave her was just two carats.” Zaria still looked down in confusion. She wasn’t sure what to say, she hadn’t know that this was a competition. She wasn’t comfortable with that concept anyways, and none of this seemed right. Zaria loved her sister, and she didn’t want to watch her go this way as well, and it never seemed like Amira would before. Miri was independent, Miri was smart, and now Miri was falling into the money trap. Zaria’s shoulder started to slump a little bit. If there wasn’t hope for Amira, then how could there ever be any hope for her?
“That’s great Miri, I’m really happy for you. Andrew seemed like a really nice guy.”
“Oh thank you Zarzar! Be my maid of honor? Please? I promise I won’t put you in tangerine.”
Zaria smiled faintly at her sister. “Of course Emmy.”
P is for Pool
[color-red] “Miri, I don’t think we should.”
[/color] Miri shrugged and Ari looked anxious. They were at Grandma Elise’s with their nanny Consuela while their parents were away. Her father was in Paris for business and their mother had demanded to go with him this time. Usually this wasn’t the case, but it didn’t’ concern the girls all that much. Miri had seemed to be going mad trying to figure out what she wanted to do. She was just bored. “It’ll be fine. I learned how to swim before, and I can teach you too! If you’re worried about Grandma getting mad she won’t, she’ll be proud, so will Consuela.”
“Ok Miri.” Zaria walked over to the edge of the pool. Her ducky PJs were long enough to brush on the tile that surrounded the pool. Grandma Elise had everything and this was her indoor pool in the basement. She hadn’t locked it, probably because she never used it and so hadn’t thought to do so. “What do I do now?’
“Just jump in and then if you kick your legs and move your arms you’ll be swimming. You just have to lift your head once in a while to breathe.”
“I’m scared.”
“Do it Zarzar, jump!’ She yelled the last world, and in the echoing pool room the noise startled Zaria. She jumped a little in surprise, slipped, and fell right into the pool. She hit the cold water and started doing what Amira told her. She kicked and moved her arms, but she went nowhere. Realizing she wasn’t moving she tried harder as she started to run out of air. It occurred to her then that she might drown, and this occurred to Amira as well. Ari slowly stopped moving and then Miri jumped in. She grabbed Ari with one hand and kicked them into the shallow end. She got over to the stairs and dragged Ari out of the pool. The six year old splutted for a moment, catching her breath. Then Zaria’s face twisted up, ready to cry but another abrupt shout came from her sister.
“Don’t cry Zarzar! Don’t cry and don’t tell anyone about this. We’ll go upstairs and you can wear my pajamas, ok? I know that Consuela brought the pink ones, and you like that pair.” Zaria looked at her sister, silent, and nodded. Miri smiled at her and then beckoned as she started for the stairs. Zaria followed in her dripping pajamas.
She never did learn how to swim. [/size][/right]
R is for Rich
“Mama and Daddy are going to Milan on business, Emmy is at equestrian camp, and so we thought you might want to go spend a week with Grandma Elise.” Zaria’s face did not betray the unhappiness that accompanied that news. At eight the idea of Grandma Elise’s house was not a pleasant one. It was a cold building, a dark building, and those were the two things that Zaria could not stand. In a few hours she was there in that museum of a house. She was led back to see her grandmother, passing through cavernous hall after cavernous hall. It was dust free, but it gave an air of being just the opposite. Clearly nothing had been moved in years, nothing had been touched with bare and living skin. That might have usually made touching tempting to a child, but in this case it was not. It was a museum of misery, a museum of only wealth. Everything appeared like it might hold the disease that seemed to lurk under the surface there, the disease that slowly turned whoever caught it into something inanimate as well.
“Zaria? Zaria!” Zaria walked over to the woman in the motor chair. The curtains in the room were drawn, letting in only a dull light at most.
“Yes Grandma? I’m here.” Her grandmother smiled, revealing aged teeth under thin lipsticked lips.
“I am glad you came to visit me. It is about time you girls spent more time with me. It isn’t like your father is ever around, and that mother of yours…” She made a sound like a snort and that made Zaria giggle. Elise heard this and smiled at her granddaughter. There was a sudden buzz as Elise’s chair moved.
“Have you ever heard of Billie Holliday?” She reached down, picked up a record and put it into the old record player.
[/right]“Zaria? Zaria!” Zaria walked over to the woman in the motor chair. The curtains in the room were drawn, letting in only a dull light at most.
“Yes Grandma? I’m here.” Her grandmother smiled, revealing aged teeth under thin lipsticked lips.
“I am glad you came to visit me. It is about time you girls spent more time with me. It isn’t like your father is ever around, and that mother of yours…” She made a sound like a snort and that made Zaria giggle. Elise heard this and smiled at her granddaughter. There was a sudden buzz as Elise’s chair moved.
“Have you ever heard of Billie Holliday?” She reached down, picked up a record and put it into the old record player.
I is for Intimacy
She had thought this might be a good idea, but at the moment she was not entirely sure. Right now things were so quiet, though she could hear and feel Nate’s breath on the back of her neck. She stared off at the wall as she tried to process everything. She wanted to be closer to Nate, and this had seemed like the best way to do that to her. In all fairness she was not the best at getting close to people. Also, she had nothing to complain about right now, far from. It wasn’t like it had been a negative experience, just a very thought provoking one for her.
So she reflected for a little bit longer. It hadn’t had exactly the desired effect, but then again it wasn’t like this was a cure all for everything. That took communication and utter honesty, and those were two things that totally scared her. Still, there was something about them that just felt so right to her, and she hoped that he felt the same way about things. However she did notice one thing, that being here, with him, she did feel a bit warmer. So Zaria quietly turned over and tucked her head under Nate’s chin. In a few minutes she was fast asleep.
So she reflected for a little bit longer. It hadn’t had exactly the desired effect, but then again it wasn’t like this was a cure all for everything. That took communication and utter honesty, and those were two things that totally scared her. Still, there was something about them that just felt so right to her, and she hoped that he felt the same way about things. However she did notice one thing, that being here, with him, she did feel a bit warmer. So Zaria quietly turned over and tucked her head under Nate’s chin. In a few minutes she was fast asleep.
C is for Cholera
“I thought that this wasn’t that dangerous.” Zaria looked up from the slide that she was looking at.
“It can be dangerous based on the strain. Haiti was proof enough of that. If it is virulent enough and especially if it was weaponized it would be a disaster. If someone put that in the water supply there would only be so much we could do. It can be treated, but lets be frank, we don’t have enough facilities to treat the entire city.” The intern’s eyes bulged a little bit. Zaria’s lips twitched into a smile, and she resisted the urge to let slip a little giggle. “Some of these samples are the weaponized kind, so we need to be very careful.”
[/b] “It can be dangerous based on the strain. Haiti was proof enough of that. If it is virulent enough and especially if it was weaponized it would be a disaster. If someone put that in the water supply there would only be so much we could do. It can be treated, but lets be frank, we don’t have enough facilities to treat the entire city.” The intern’s eyes bulged a little bit. Zaria’s lips twitched into a smile, and she resisted the urge to let slip a little giggle. “Some of these samples are the weaponized kind, so we need to be very careful.”
“Why do we have that?” The intern looked a shade closer to terrified and Zaria capped the dormant sample she was working with.
“Because if we know how it works then we can figure out how to neutralize it if something ever happens. We need to figure out cures for these diseases which are simple, cheap, and easy to produce. But all of that is the reason why you needed to get that security clearance in order to come here. So, you’ll be fine, could you hand me that slide?”
The intern did. [/size][/right]
O is for Other woman
“No, no, it’s ok, I’m just going to go home!” Zaria made a straight line for the door. This sleepover had fallen through something fierce. Lily had come down with the flu, and in an attempt to avoid catching it herself Zaria was trying to get out of there as fast as possible. Mrs. Wilts had understood and had called their chauffer immediately in order to bring Zaria home. At first she had offered to just take a cab back, but Mrs. Wilts had refused that, claiming accurately that doing that was a little too dangerous for a fourteen year old girl.
She arrived home and politely thanked the driver before hurrying up the steps into the house. Her mother was away with her sorority sister from back in the day, they’d gone to Cancun. Amira wasn’t home either, she was away at school. Zaria looked around the empty house and then headed upstairs. It seemed like her father had given the staff the night off, which was kind of unusual. Then she heard a faint noise. It was a very feminine giggle. Zaria’s brow furrowed and she followed the noise, tiptoeing to keep quiet. It was coming from her parents’ bedroom. The door was cracked open and so Zaria walked closer and peeked in.
A moment later she had snapped her head back away from the door. Who was that woman? That was the only question that she could raise because it was very clear what her father was doing in there with that woman. Zaria tried to stay as quiet as possible as she also tried to get away as quickly as possible. She went to her room and closed the door. She never said a word about it.
She arrived home and politely thanked the driver before hurrying up the steps into the house. Her mother was away with her sorority sister from back in the day, they’d gone to Cancun. Amira wasn’t home either, she was away at school. Zaria looked around the empty house and then headed upstairs. It seemed like her father had given the staff the night off, which was kind of unusual. Then she heard a faint noise. It was a very feminine giggle. Zaria’s brow furrowed and she followed the noise, tiptoeing to keep quiet. It was coming from her parents’ bedroom. The door was cracked open and so Zaria walked closer and peeked in.
A moment later she had snapped her head back away from the door. Who was that woman? That was the only question that she could raise because it was very clear what her father was doing in there with that woman. Zaria tried to stay as quiet as possible as she also tried to get away as quickly as possible. She went to her room and closed the door. She never said a word about it.
R is for Reality
“But Mama, I’m scared.”
“Zaria, go back to bed.” She didn’t, instead Zaria continued to tug at her mother’s covers. There was silence in what felt like the even deeper darkness of her parents’ bedroom. She felt somewhat comforted for the moment though, at least she was near another living and breathing soul, one who was supposed to love her. After a moment her mother rolled back over. “Where is Rosa? Why don’t you call for Rosa?” Zaria blinked for a moment. She didn’t understand. She knew that Rosa had taken care of her for as long as she could remember, but in all the books that Rosa had read to her the mothers were the ones who helped to chase the dark away.
“Rosa?”
“Yes, Rosa. Now go ahead Zaria, off you go.”
“But I don’t want Rosa, I want…”
“For goodness sake Zaria! I’m tired and there’s nothing to be afraid of! I don’t know what you think is in there, but nothing is there! It’s just you, and anything else is just in your head!”
Her mother rolled back over again. Zaria waited for another moment and then walked back down the hall. She went back into her room, closed the door, and went to bed with her face buried in her pillow.
[/right]“Zaria, go back to bed.” She didn’t, instead Zaria continued to tug at her mother’s covers. There was silence in what felt like the even deeper darkness of her parents’ bedroom. She felt somewhat comforted for the moment though, at least she was near another living and breathing soul, one who was supposed to love her. After a moment her mother rolled back over. “Where is Rosa? Why don’t you call for Rosa?” Zaria blinked for a moment. She didn’t understand. She knew that Rosa had taken care of her for as long as she could remember, but in all the books that Rosa had read to her the mothers were the ones who helped to chase the dark away.
“Rosa?”
“Yes, Rosa. Now go ahead Zaria, off you go.”
“But I don’t want Rosa, I want…”
“For goodness sake Zaria! I’m tired and there’s nothing to be afraid of! I don’t know what you think is in there, but nothing is there! It’s just you, and anything else is just in your head!”
Her mother rolled back over again. Zaria waited for another moment and then walked back down the hall. She went back into her room, closed the door, and went to bed with her face buried in her pillow.
N is for Nate
I’ll see you in the morning sun
And when the night is through
I’ll be looking at the moon
But I’ll be seeing you.
This one’s still being written
[/size]And when the night is through
I’ll be looking at the moon
But I’ll be seeing you.
This one’s still being written
[/size][/blockquote][/blockquote][/justify]
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gwyri ,.,., immortal! ,.,., adminedit ,.,., stasja berezin
gwyri ,.,., immortal! ,.,., adminedit ,.,., stasja berezin
lyrics from sing it out; switchfoot
this little thing was made by
dragonwick over on caution,
or rach ?! on little white lie.
don't steal! keep the credit on.
this little thing was made by
dragonwick over on caution,
or rach ?! on little white lie.
don't steal! keep the credit on.
