Paperback Day Dream
A Short Story
Shurri wasn't sure what time it was exactly when she
woke up from her fantasy world. The wind had changed directions and the long
grass she laid in tickled her nose distracting her from finishing the novel that
had engulfed her senses. Her finger between the pages paused the fantasy world,
and she stared up at the blue sky watching the soft white clouds drift on the
lazy breeze. Shurri had decided to skip school to avoid the lectures on things
that could be read in books, thinking of her friend Ming, who could read
historical fiction without getting bored. Even at the young age of sixteen, to
her and her friends books were the vital spark they needed to get through life.
Shurri had lost many suitors because of her fondness to her paperback pals. Her
mother often scolded her for skipping school to read of princesses and princes
who fought valiantly for the one they loved. Oh how Shurri wished to have an
adventure similar to the ones in fairy tales.
Now she lay in her favorite reading spot, clutching
a copy of The People Could Fly. It contained a collection of American
Black Folktales told by Virginia Hamilton. Shurri loved to explore the fairy
tales and folktales of other cultures. With each tale brought another adventure
into her imagination, bringing the whole story alive letting Shurri join its
characters.
Shurri was of some African decent, but only one
fourth, which was enough to give her complexion a golden brown tone, and her
chocolate hair a slight curl.
The wind danced in her hair and played with her
light green printed dress and stirring the leaves in the trees a few yards
behind her. Today was a perfect day for an adventure.
Shurri sighed, rolled onto her stomach and propped
herself up on her elbows, gazing across the sea of grass that led to a beaten
dirt road. A ways down the road she could see the small one room school house
that held grades first and up. She knew that in a few hours, kids of all ages
would burst through the doors and race home to play games of stick ball and
football.
Shurri felt detached from the world of frivolity,
because of all the knowledge reading had lent her, many thought she was too smug
to join in their games. Even her teacher and some adults held disdain for her
and the arsenal of information she carried. She took no offense. The words on
the pages seemed to dance before her eyes and create worlds in which battles
were waged, lives were lost, and the end held the beautiful lessons of life. She
was addicted to the excitement of discovering the mastermind behind the evil
plot or the saving of a damsel in distress. This addiction lead her to new,
harder novels to read, subsequently expanding her knowledge, vocabulary, and
grammar.
Besides her daily chores, she worked a few hours at the
bakery downtown, but only to earn enough money to buy more books. She couldn't
help it if older folk suddenly felt jealous because she dared to read while
they worked, that was their choice not hers. She chose reading over working and
liked it that way. Any other chore seemed to waste her time.
It was then that she heard it, the small chime of
the metallic bell being struck repeatedly, jarring her from her thoughts. The
doors to the red school burst open, and a flood of bodies surged out and then
divided into different directions. Each heading for a place Shurri could only
imagine.
It was time, she sighed, time to blend back in with
the crowd and ask her friends what the lessons for today had been. Shurri stood
and brushed the dirt from her dress. She tenderly plucked a strand of grass and
placed it between the pages of her book, and began her trek towards the dirt
road.
At the edge of the field stood three people, each
with a different expression on their face. The shortest held two bundles of
schoolbooks and a sorrowful expression that would melt your heart. The owner of
this puppy dog face was Emma, about seventeen years old, her straight
strawberry blonde hair was cut level to her chin, with bit tied off to the side
in a ponytail.
The person on the right was Jade, she stood a head
taller than Emma and was of Asian descent. Her jet-black hair was tied up in an
intricate bun and decorated with a bead-studded hairpiece. Shurri noticed her
nose was buried in a book, and that the pages were quickly being turned. She must be at a good part, Shurri
thought.
The tallest was male. He had a standoffish attitude
and wasn't even facing Shurri as she approached, he was staring down the road
as if interested in something in the distance. His dark hair was disheveled,
and his shirt was untucked. Ever since he hit puberty and had a growth spurt he
liked to act all high and mighty, but really he was a sweetheart. Together they
made an odd group. Emma was the worry wart, Jade was the levelheaded one, and Jack
was the know-it-all big brother figure.
Shurri had known these three for her whole life.
They were her friends; they were her second family. It seemed, at times, they
were the only ones who understood each other. Shurri felt it was a bond that no
one could break.
“Yo, yo yo!” Shurri sang out in greeting. “So how
was class today?”
The Asian girl shrugged, and continued reading indicating
she had hardly paid attention.
“Shri,” Emma
called her by her nickname, “please don’t skip again,” her voice squeaked, “I
hate having to make up excuses for your disappearance. Plus, I hate carrying
your text books.” She lofted the stack into Shurri’s arms.
“I know, sorry. I
just can’t help it ya know? The fields called my name! It was too beautiful
outside to be inside!” Shurri gestured dramatically and laughed. She patted the
girl on the head, “I felt the pull of my book whispering, ‘Come! Read me!’ I
couldn’t resist. I hope it wasn’t to much trouble-”
“Damn straight it
caused trouble!” Jack turned on her suddenly, “Do you know poor little Emma
here stammered to find an excuse for your damn absence? She was scared sh-spitless!
It ain’t fair to her that you can up and leave whenever the hell you want!
You’ve been in and out all fu- frickin’ week! You can’t keep this up, or Ole
Miss Berry gonna ‘spect somthin’!” As the boy vented his southern accent came
through and he was barely able to keep his swearing to a minimum.
There’s only one way to remedy a flustered
Jack, Shurri thought, and that’s to
bat your eyes and sweet-talk him. Typical.
“I’m sorry Jack,”
Shurri scuffed a foot on the ground and played ‘the cute scolded child’s’
attitude, “I should take more responsibility for my actions,” Shurri chanced a
look up and found Jack scratching his head and looking a bit embarrassed.
Shurri grinned on the inside, but kept her solemn face.
“Well, just don’t
do it again…without a warning,” He added.
Shurri grinned a
cat’s grin, “Ok! So…can I borrow your notes?” she asked without missing a beat.
Jack was taken
aback and then caught on she had played him, “I ain’t never gonna let you
borrow ‘em!” He yelled, his face flushed over the fact she had tricked him,
“You can just find another person to leech onto, I’m done letting you suck me
dry!” He stomped off down the road muttering curses under his breath.
Shurri pouted, “How
am I supposed to pass the test now?”
Jade glanced up
from her book and watched the retreating Jack. She smirked, then turned back to
her book saying “Don’t ask me for anything. You did this to yourself,” She turned
a page and started walking, “Besides I didn’t take notes, its all up here.” She
taped her head and continued walking and reading.
Shurri sighed and
turned to Emma, her last hope, “I don’t suppose you took notes for me?”
Emma stuck her tongue
out at Shurri and ran to catch up with Jade.
“What? Hey wait guysssss
come on! I thought we were friends.” She stood there waiting for a response.
Jack held up his middle finger.
“Well, so much for
our special ‘bond’,” Shurri muttered to the wind, then followed her friends
down the dirt road. She smiled knowing that they would later get together to
study anyways.
--. --. --. --.
--. --. –
Just a
quickie I wrote at midnight, because the rain kept me up. Hope you liked it.
I wrote it to get out some creative energy. I understand that it doesn't have a plot or any deep substance. Thank you for your lovely comments ;)
Basically, strangers only end up staying strangers because one doesn't take the time to strike up a conversation. At AQ all strangers become more like acquaintances. This is because AQ has such a small campus that it is common for everyone to always runs into each other on more than one occasion. Polite small talk becomes a daily practice, and outgoing individuals become well-known on campus. The atmosphere is intimate and allows for a deeper level of growth. Consequently, the students have affectionately nicknamed the college AQ HIGH because everyone knows everyone else in some form or fashion, just like in high school. Of course that also means that occasionally there is high school like drama, which can be expected from freshly graduated high school seniors turned freshmen again. However, this too is part of the learning process that AQ students go through.