The first time he saw her standing in the moonlight on the balcony Tom's heart felt and overwhelming special interest toward her. She turned and her eyes met his shoes and he knew she was the one. She could see his hands, so strong, so masculine, flapping by his sides like the first moves of a mating dance between cranes. As he approched her with a bouncing gait, she felt deeply attracted and stared out at nothingness.
His mouth opened, and he paused, she looked at the distance past his left shoulder, started to speak, then stopped. She could feel his hot flesh pressing against her, he was only six foot away. "Lovely night for Final Fantasy," he said, and after five minutes passed she said, "did you say something?"
Both felt an overwhelming perseveration and special interest toward the other, the smell of jasmine floated on the night air. Before them was a wide staircase lit by the moon, below a path led in to the dark and fragrant garden. Her mouth opened but no words came, her pale arms floated up in some mystic Hula move, flowing toward the garden below. They stopped, and she became a statue. Tom circled around her to the far side of the staircase and stepped upon the first step by the far bannister. From there her could see her shoes. Her feet moved slowly, unsure of where they were going, but she made it to the same step, on the other end of the staircase.
For a half hour they stared at each others shoes, then at the spot where they had been, and discovered them anew on a lower step. They reached the trail into the garden, walking together down opposite sides of the path, tripping, stumbling, and stopping to stare at clouds moving over the moon. They came to a moon lit pond with benches, and each chose one to sit on. Time was meaningless when they were together.
By the time they had walked on, around the pond, the sun was rising. Both were dirty from falls, her dress was ripped from when she had walked into a tree, while watching light play on the water. Her neatly dressed hair was scattered about her head, full of leaves, Tom's shirt tail hung out, his pants torn at the knee, with spots of blood showing. They were sitting in the grass six foot apart watching morning shadows move over the lawn when her father found them.
A week later they stood six foot apart before an alter as some man droned on about something, demanded answers, as both were poked in the ribs to answer now. When they were finally allowed to leave people threw things all over them, they both recoiled from the crowd, and ran into each other, falling down. More rice fell, and in panic Tom grabbed her hand and lifted her to her feet, and she hit him very hard with her other hand. Before them was an open car door, they ran and stumbled, falling into the back seat in a pile, he still held her hand, so she hit him again.
The car spead away, brought them to a small cottage, on the back of her fathers estate, and the driver insisted they get out. They did but on the far side of the car from him. and he did not even bother to close the door as he hopped in and drove away. She had broken Tom's grip on her hand, and possibly one of his fingers. They each looked away, paced, flapped their arms, and ignored the other. After a while they both stopped and stared at trees growing.
They were both soaking wet when they noticed it was raining. Looking about they saw a cottage, and Tom went and knocked on the door. No one answered, but she found an unlocked window and climbed in, after a half hour Tom noticed she was missing. He knocked on the door again, and when no one answered, he too went in the window.
She was sitting by the fire place with sissors, cutting pieces off of her dress and feeding the flames. She ignored him as he sat at the other end of the fire place. He watched her cut, became distracted by the flames, then took off his wet tie and threw it in the flames. She watched it burn and seemed pleased. Soon his coat followed, then a large piece of her dress. after several hours both were naked, and looking about the room they found throw pillows and doileys to keep the flames burning. When those were gone Tom noticed a stack of wood by one side of the fireplace. By the time the fire was burning well he noticed she was gone.
She returned with a bowl of pudding, placed it between them and they took turns dipping some with their fingers, then sucking the fingers fully in their mouths. Their hands touched as they both reached for more pudding, and neither pulled back, they sat with hands touching in pudding for a long while, Tom expecting to get punched any second, but it did not come.
She stared into the fire, but was blinded by the touch in the pudding, At last she pulled back her hand and put it in her mouth, and Tom did the same. Both sat and rocked before the flames. Suddenly she stood up, steadied herself on the mantle, and said, "Perseverate me now!" and walked off to the one bed in the one bedroom. After a while Tom noticed she had left, and went looking for her. He was trying to remember her name.
He found her laid out on the bed, looking at him she could not remember if he had perseverated her, but thought she wanted to do it again. She pulled him down on the bed and in panic he froze, every part of his body stiff and catatonic. He seemed dead. She liked him better that way, less confusion. His face did not seem the same so she sat on him to put her hands over his eyes so she could look at him. Part of him touched her and without thinking she sat on it. It hurt, but she noticed the headboard was from the time of Henery II. Fifteen minutes later she noticed she was sitting on a stiff dead man, and went to move, but an feeling inside distracted her.
Gray light filtered in the window, morning birds were singing, when she again noticed she was sitting on a dead man, covering his eyes. She was very tired, he was too heavey to push on the floor, and falling by his side she was asleep in seconds. When she awoke he was still dead, his eyes staring at the ceiling. He was as ridgid as the night before so she covered his eyes with a pillow, and sat on him again.
When the sun was very high in the sky she again notice the Henery II headboard, was sure she had seen it somewhere, but had no idea where. Noticing the man under her, she got up went to get something to eat. After she was gone Tom got up, followed to the kitchen, where she asked who he was. After a few minutes, he said "Tom." On the table were slices of bread with butter and jam, one of her arms drifted like a snake in the air, Tom thought she was going to hit him, but she was pointing at the bread.
As he ate she wandered about the cottage. none of the maids came to dress her, she stared out the window. She went back in the kitchen where Tom was finishing the bread, she grabbed the last piece from his hand and ate it. "Who am I," she said, and Tom could not remember. Minutes passed, then Tom said, "You are my special interest." Finishing the bread she stared at the wall, then noticing Tom, grabbed his hand, and demanded, "Perseverate me now!" and marched to the bedroom dragging Tom.
They lived happily ever after.
20 Mar 2007, 1:02 pm
