"The Girl in the Sky" Teaser
May. 27th, 2009 07:21 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mnpHey all! Posting the first couple pages of a story I'm working on.
The Girl in the Sky
She drew pictures in the sand.
She didn't think as she drew, she simply did. Line after line, curve after curve... running and crossing and becoming whole. The water beating against her feet was a small annoyance, but she was used to it by now - she ignored it, much like she ignored the person next to her.
"Kaaatie... Kaaaatie..."
The pictures were more important.
"What are you drawing this time?" he asked her.
"Shut up," she snapped. She drew a circle, empty in the middle, then curved another line around it.
"You're always like this," he complained. "'Teeway, shut up. Teeway, go away.' I'm only wonderin’."
She stopped drawing for a moment to look up at him. Teeway perked up from his slouch, hopeful.
"Teeway," the girl child said with a glare, "go away."
He slumped back down. She went back to drawing.
"You always do this!" He wailed. She ignored that, too.
Finally, he stopped, and glared at Katie’s back. "You’re mean. Why you gotta be so mean?" He blew a raspberry at her.
"I gotta do this before the water gets here! Just wait, okay?" she said, scrapping furiously at the ground.
He stuck his tongue out at her once more before turning his face to the sky. "I guess so," Teeway said. "But I don't know why you keep drawin’. The water’s just gonna get rid of it…"
She glared at the ground, fiercely. "So what? Then I haf'ta keep doing it!"
She did not see the look Teeway gave her.
She kept drawing.
The sun drifted down in the sky, and the lower it went the more the little girl's arm seemed to move. Lines became hair, curves became faces and hands. She drew many people, in different ways, as if she were laying out a story in the sand. Finally, at sunset, she stood, sand caked in her hair, her clothes, her hands and feet... looking more sand demon than girl.
"I'm done!" she crowed, moving a lock of her black hair behind an ear. But when she looked back down the shore, the water had already washed most of it away.
"There's always tomorrow," Teeway piped up from where he sat further up the beach.
But she didn't hear him - her brown eyes were on the water, then on the setting sun. She shivered.
"Katie! Katie! We need to go home! Dad's gonna be mad...” he called to her, standing up.
But she shook her head, fiercely, eyes burning. Reaching back down, she snatched the stick from where it was sinking and walked towards Teeway.
"Not done!" she cried, and kneeled back down in the dry sand.
“But Katie, I’m cold,” Teeway whined, walking up to her. “You said you were done. I’m hungry.”
Katie’s stomach rumbled in sympathy, as it had been for a while. But she ignored it, as she had spent most of the afternoon ignoring Teeway. He sighed, and she heard him sit down again. Then nothing.
But even Katie couldn’t ignore the water that began to run up her feet, biting the edges of her pants. And soon it became worse, and she felt her jeans soak, and watched the picture she was trying to draw wash half away. She looked up.
And there was the moon. She slumped down, just looking at it for a moment.
“…Katie?”
She looked back at her friend. “I don’t wanna go home,” she whispered.
“Aren’t you hungry?” he asked, looking worried.
Katie nodded.
Teeway reached out and grabbed her hand. “C’mon,” he said, “let’s go home.”
She looked back up. “I just wish…”
“Wish what?” a new voice suddenly said.
Katie’s head snapped up and towards the stairs.
An older boy was standing there, looking at the two of them curiously. He was standing on the steps that led to their small cove, the secret place that only Katie and her mom had known, the secret place Katie had shown to Teeway. Katie could only stare at him – he looked so strange! He had blue hair.
“Why do you have blue hair?” Katie asked. “That’s stupid, isn’t it?”
The boy frowned. “It’s stupid to get your pants wet, but you have wet pants.”
“She was drawin’!” Teeway snapped at the older boy, stepping in front of Katie.
“And what were you drawing?” the boy said, looking now at the sand.
“A story,” Katie said, turning red. “For the lady.” She pointed to the moon.
“Ah,” the young boy said. “People don’t do that, you know.”
She shrugged.
It was so cold now that Katie was hugging herself to keep warm. She had stood, Teeway blocking her partially, and was now staring at the newcomer. The blue hair wasn’t the only thing odd about him. Pale skin, so pale that it was as if it reflected the moonlight at back at the sky. And his feet didn’t even seem to touch the ground! She shivered, and remembered the other stories her mother told her, about spirits who had died at sea, who came back to claim the souls of bad girls and boys who were caught out after dark.
But she wouldn’t be here if not for her mother.
“Why you trying to draw a story for the Lady?” the newcomer said.
“’Cause,” Katie said. She bit her lip and looked at him suspiciously. “Why are you here?”
“’Cause I saw you, and wanted to know why you were here,” the older boy said promptly.
“Well, now you know, so go away!” Teeway said. The older boy ignored him.
But his reply caused Katie’s eyes to narrow. “Only me and my mom and Teeway know how to get here. And it’s secret!”
“But there are no secrets here,” the older boy said, sitting down on one of the steps. “If there were, I would know it.”
“You’re a liar!” Katie shouted, pushing Teeway out of the way to step forward. “No one knows everything. My mom said so!”
“Hey!” Teeway exclaimed, rubbing his arm where she had shoved him.
The boy laughed. “If know one knows everything, how’d your mom know?”
Katie opened her mouth to retort, but then closed it, stumped.
“Why you drawing a story for the Lady?” the boy asked again.
“Why you wanna know so much?” Teeway asked.
The boy continued to look at Katie, not responding.
“Who are you?” Katie asked.
The boy sat straighter. “Umm, Leith. I guess.”
“You guess?” Katie exclaimed, astounded. “Don’t you know your own name?”
Leith shrugged, grinning at her. “I like it. Besides, I bet your name is real stupid!”
“Katie’s a good name!” Katie shouted at him. She gasped as soon as she said her name – that’s what the spirits used to take people away!
“Hello there Katie!” Leith chirped. “Nice to meet you!”
“I’m not going!” she told him, she reached out and grabbed Teeway’s arm, dragging her confused friend over to her.
“He keeps ignoring me,” Teeway complained.
The Girl in the Sky
She drew pictures in the sand.
She didn't think as she drew, she simply did. Line after line, curve after curve... running and crossing and becoming whole. The water beating against her feet was a small annoyance, but she was used to it by now - she ignored it, much like she ignored the person next to her.
"Kaaatie... Kaaaatie..."
The pictures were more important.
"What are you drawing this time?" he asked her.
"Shut up," she snapped. She drew a circle, empty in the middle, then curved another line around it.
"You're always like this," he complained. "'Teeway, shut up. Teeway, go away.' I'm only wonderin’."
She stopped drawing for a moment to look up at him. Teeway perked up from his slouch, hopeful.
"Teeway," the girl child said with a glare, "go away."
He slumped back down. She went back to drawing.
"You always do this!" He wailed. She ignored that, too.
Finally, he stopped, and glared at Katie’s back. "You’re mean. Why you gotta be so mean?" He blew a raspberry at her.
"I gotta do this before the water gets here! Just wait, okay?" she said, scrapping furiously at the ground.
He stuck his tongue out at her once more before turning his face to the sky. "I guess so," Teeway said. "But I don't know why you keep drawin’. The water’s just gonna get rid of it…"
She glared at the ground, fiercely. "So what? Then I haf'ta keep doing it!"
She did not see the look Teeway gave her.
She kept drawing.
The sun drifted down in the sky, and the lower it went the more the little girl's arm seemed to move. Lines became hair, curves became faces and hands. She drew many people, in different ways, as if she were laying out a story in the sand. Finally, at sunset, she stood, sand caked in her hair, her clothes, her hands and feet... looking more sand demon than girl.
"I'm done!" she crowed, moving a lock of her black hair behind an ear. But when she looked back down the shore, the water had already washed most of it away.
"There's always tomorrow," Teeway piped up from where he sat further up the beach.
But she didn't hear him - her brown eyes were on the water, then on the setting sun. She shivered.
"Katie! Katie! We need to go home! Dad's gonna be mad...” he called to her, standing up.
But she shook her head, fiercely, eyes burning. Reaching back down, she snatched the stick from where it was sinking and walked towards Teeway.
"Not done!" she cried, and kneeled back down in the dry sand.
“But Katie, I’m cold,” Teeway whined, walking up to her. “You said you were done. I’m hungry.”
Katie’s stomach rumbled in sympathy, as it had been for a while. But she ignored it, as she had spent most of the afternoon ignoring Teeway. He sighed, and she heard him sit down again. Then nothing.
But even Katie couldn’t ignore the water that began to run up her feet, biting the edges of her pants. And soon it became worse, and she felt her jeans soak, and watched the picture she was trying to draw wash half away. She looked up.
And there was the moon. She slumped down, just looking at it for a moment.
“…Katie?”
She looked back at her friend. “I don’t wanna go home,” she whispered.
“Aren’t you hungry?” he asked, looking worried.
Katie nodded.
Teeway reached out and grabbed her hand. “C’mon,” he said, “let’s go home.”
She looked back up. “I just wish…”
“Wish what?” a new voice suddenly said.
Katie’s head snapped up and towards the stairs.
An older boy was standing there, looking at the two of them curiously. He was standing on the steps that led to their small cove, the secret place that only Katie and her mom had known, the secret place Katie had shown to Teeway. Katie could only stare at him – he looked so strange! He had blue hair.
“Why do you have blue hair?” Katie asked. “That’s stupid, isn’t it?”
The boy frowned. “It’s stupid to get your pants wet, but you have wet pants.”
“She was drawin’!” Teeway snapped at the older boy, stepping in front of Katie.
“And what were you drawing?” the boy said, looking now at the sand.
“A story,” Katie said, turning red. “For the lady.” She pointed to the moon.
“Ah,” the young boy said. “People don’t do that, you know.”
She shrugged.
It was so cold now that Katie was hugging herself to keep warm. She had stood, Teeway blocking her partially, and was now staring at the newcomer. The blue hair wasn’t the only thing odd about him. Pale skin, so pale that it was as if it reflected the moonlight at back at the sky. And his feet didn’t even seem to touch the ground! She shivered, and remembered the other stories her mother told her, about spirits who had died at sea, who came back to claim the souls of bad girls and boys who were caught out after dark.
But she wouldn’t be here if not for her mother.
“Why you trying to draw a story for the Lady?” the newcomer said.
“’Cause,” Katie said. She bit her lip and looked at him suspiciously. “Why are you here?”
“’Cause I saw you, and wanted to know why you were here,” the older boy said promptly.
“Well, now you know, so go away!” Teeway said. The older boy ignored him.
But his reply caused Katie’s eyes to narrow. “Only me and my mom and Teeway know how to get here. And it’s secret!”
“But there are no secrets here,” the older boy said, sitting down on one of the steps. “If there were, I would know it.”
“You’re a liar!” Katie shouted, pushing Teeway out of the way to step forward. “No one knows everything. My mom said so!”
“Hey!” Teeway exclaimed, rubbing his arm where she had shoved him.
The boy laughed. “If know one knows everything, how’d your mom know?”
Katie opened her mouth to retort, but then closed it, stumped.
“Why you drawing a story for the Lady?” the boy asked again.
“Why you wanna know so much?” Teeway asked.
The boy continued to look at Katie, not responding.
“Who are you?” Katie asked.
The boy sat straighter. “Umm, Leith. I guess.”
“You guess?” Katie exclaimed, astounded. “Don’t you know your own name?”
Leith shrugged, grinning at her. “I like it. Besides, I bet your name is real stupid!”
“Katie’s a good name!” Katie shouted at him. She gasped as soon as she said her name – that’s what the spirits used to take people away!
“Hello there Katie!” Leith chirped. “Nice to meet you!”
“I’m not going!” she told him, she reached out and grabbed Teeway’s arm, dragging her confused friend over to her.
“He keeps ignoring me,” Teeway complained.
