BorisKLuca
May 19th, 2008, 03:37 PM
Author’s Note: I am American. I know nothing of Europe except what I’ve read and researched. I have never been on a train; I’m kind of assuming what they are like. This is a little off-the-wall. Very odd. Also, I wrote it backwards, meaning I wrote the ending before the beginning but I am posting everything from beginning to end. So it’s all done pretty much. I want to edit everything before I post. The song at the beginning and end is “The Last Thing on Your Mind” by Lights. An incredible song, I listened to it on repeat when I wrote this.
Hope you like.
unearth
Verb
1. to discover by searching
Chapter 1
Don't think too hard, if you think it hurts that bad.
Don't talk about it, don't let it get you down.
It's only one part, of the story.
Just let it go, don't let it bring you down now.
Sing the last thing on your mind.
The last word on your breath.
I'll be the one to keep you, keep you at your best.
The last thing on your mind.
'Cause I don't need your mess.
I'll be the one to keep you one disaster less
Between you and me I don’t really have direction in my life. I have no idea what is to become of me. I don’t know where I’ll be in 10 years; I don’t know where I’ll be tomorrow. And I kind of hope life isn’t about that, I hope life isn’t about where we’re going, I hope life is about where we are. Currently I am traveling by train from London to Berlin. It’s about a ten hour trip, but I don’t mind. Nothing waits for me in Berlin.
I feel the impending silence fill me. Loneliness sits next to me on this train; it’s got the window seat. I glance around catching sight of myself in a window. My hair is unhealthily long and a dull brassy blonde. My face is plain and American. My eyes are vaguely yellow and my nose a bit too immense for my face. I haven’t eaten in days saving up for this ticket and my body is beginning to show the consequences. My clothes are simple; I haven’t bought anything since I came to Europe so my generic “I heart NY” shirt stands out. My jeans have holes in them and the hem is dirty. My sandals are strapped to my heels and falling apart. I might not make it to Berlin, I might fall apart right here on the train.
In my possession I have two sets of clothes, an old Polaroid camera, a little bit of money, letters from my mother saying “come home”, but I won’t, and then there is my old sketchbook nearly filled up. The only thing I have of any value is the necklace around my neck with its heart-shaped diamonds, the only thing my grandmother ever gave me. The only thing I could never sell.
Beyond me sitting across the aisle is a bizarre looking boy. He’s wearing a baseball hat over long honey dread-locks, oversized clothes on a thin frame, and thick headphones covering his ears. His eyes are closed and his tongue is lightly toying with his shiny lip ring. His face is angular and nose seamless. His skin is a rough olive; it was hard to see much else because of the obscurity of his hat.
I glance from him to out the window, the pale sunlight, the coy organic hills, the French villas, the peppermint clouds, and supple spring countryside in between the bursting emerald trees, this country is beautiful. My eyes flicker closed letting the train noise filter into my body.
“Oh nein!” a person in front of me calls and the rest of the people are screaming loudly. My eyes fly open hearing the loud cursing in a multitude of different languages and the train is speeding. The countryside is flying passed the window and there are words like “derail”, “collision” floating in the air. Everyone is jumping up from their seats and standing in the aisles. The boy across from me has removed his headphones and is now standing in front of his seat about an arm’s length away.
He speaks something in German almost falling forward when the train jerks to the left. I’m standing now too. Some passengers are beating on the train door but the conductor isn’t answering. One of them grabs a something and hits it against the door. The door falls flat, but the conductor isn’t inside. The train is running on the tracks by itself. Panic sweeps through the train and people are crying. Fear strikes right into my heart like needle.
And I think, “We’re going to die.”
For a second time stands still.
Then in one breath the train door is thrown open. The landscape is blurry with greens and blues. People stare slowly and then one jumps. Up a head there’s a split in the tracks and with no conductor the train will derail. It’s jump or die. It’s a test of how much you want to live.
“Come on,” the boy urges grabbing me by the arm. I grasp my backpack and let him push me forward. His body is hot on my back and his russet eyes look intent and direct. We’re standing at the edge in a moment and I look over at him. His eyes are distant glancing out and then briefly they turn to me. His child-like face is calm and only slight uncertain. He reassures me quietly with an eye flicker and his hand wiggles into mine. The worry is overtaking my face and the wind makes my hair a hurricane.
He counts slowly mouthing each number and
Eins,
Zwei,
Drei.
We free fall into the landscape.
___
I told you this was weird. More coming soon.
Hope you like.
unearth
Verb
1. to discover by searching
Chapter 1
Don't think too hard, if you think it hurts that bad.
Don't talk about it, don't let it get you down.
It's only one part, of the story.
Just let it go, don't let it bring you down now.
Sing the last thing on your mind.
The last word on your breath.
I'll be the one to keep you, keep you at your best.
The last thing on your mind.
'Cause I don't need your mess.
I'll be the one to keep you one disaster less
Between you and me I don’t really have direction in my life. I have no idea what is to become of me. I don’t know where I’ll be in 10 years; I don’t know where I’ll be tomorrow. And I kind of hope life isn’t about that, I hope life isn’t about where we’re going, I hope life is about where we are. Currently I am traveling by train from London to Berlin. It’s about a ten hour trip, but I don’t mind. Nothing waits for me in Berlin.
I feel the impending silence fill me. Loneliness sits next to me on this train; it’s got the window seat. I glance around catching sight of myself in a window. My hair is unhealthily long and a dull brassy blonde. My face is plain and American. My eyes are vaguely yellow and my nose a bit too immense for my face. I haven’t eaten in days saving up for this ticket and my body is beginning to show the consequences. My clothes are simple; I haven’t bought anything since I came to Europe so my generic “I heart NY” shirt stands out. My jeans have holes in them and the hem is dirty. My sandals are strapped to my heels and falling apart. I might not make it to Berlin, I might fall apart right here on the train.
In my possession I have two sets of clothes, an old Polaroid camera, a little bit of money, letters from my mother saying “come home”, but I won’t, and then there is my old sketchbook nearly filled up. The only thing I have of any value is the necklace around my neck with its heart-shaped diamonds, the only thing my grandmother ever gave me. The only thing I could never sell.
Beyond me sitting across the aisle is a bizarre looking boy. He’s wearing a baseball hat over long honey dread-locks, oversized clothes on a thin frame, and thick headphones covering his ears. His eyes are closed and his tongue is lightly toying with his shiny lip ring. His face is angular and nose seamless. His skin is a rough olive; it was hard to see much else because of the obscurity of his hat.
I glance from him to out the window, the pale sunlight, the coy organic hills, the French villas, the peppermint clouds, and supple spring countryside in between the bursting emerald trees, this country is beautiful. My eyes flicker closed letting the train noise filter into my body.
“Oh nein!” a person in front of me calls and the rest of the people are screaming loudly. My eyes fly open hearing the loud cursing in a multitude of different languages and the train is speeding. The countryside is flying passed the window and there are words like “derail”, “collision” floating in the air. Everyone is jumping up from their seats and standing in the aisles. The boy across from me has removed his headphones and is now standing in front of his seat about an arm’s length away.
He speaks something in German almost falling forward when the train jerks to the left. I’m standing now too. Some passengers are beating on the train door but the conductor isn’t answering. One of them grabs a something and hits it against the door. The door falls flat, but the conductor isn’t inside. The train is running on the tracks by itself. Panic sweeps through the train and people are crying. Fear strikes right into my heart like needle.
And I think, “We’re going to die.”
For a second time stands still.
Then in one breath the train door is thrown open. The landscape is blurry with greens and blues. People stare slowly and then one jumps. Up a head there’s a split in the tracks and with no conductor the train will derail. It’s jump or die. It’s a test of how much you want to live.
“Come on,” the boy urges grabbing me by the arm. I grasp my backpack and let him push me forward. His body is hot on my back and his russet eyes look intent and direct. We’re standing at the edge in a moment and I look over at him. His eyes are distant glancing out and then briefly they turn to me. His child-like face is calm and only slight uncertain. He reassures me quietly with an eye flicker and his hand wiggles into mine. The worry is overtaking my face and the wind makes my hair a hurricane.
He counts slowly mouthing each number and
Eins,
Zwei,
Drei.
We free fall into the landscape.
___
I told you this was weird. More coming soon.