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Comment: Careful, it's a story with a message. Back before the
dinosaurs, it seemed half of Tibia was broadcasting their
achievements, and the other half was responding with death threats.
Of course, there was a huge forum argument. See if you can figure
out what side I was supporting.
I remember Beelzebub countering this story pretty effectively with some image of a hoard of little girls all hollering at the top of their lungs. Still had a good time writing it, though. :D |
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| Subway Ride | ||
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Not that you would, but if you did ask where I was at 7:30 this morning, I would have to say, "riding the subway to school." It was a fairly chilly Boston morning, and after a few minutes on the T, I found myself seated between a burly construction worker and a somewhat overweight professional woman. Normally, I would pass such a trip with my nose in a book, but today my focus was elsewhere. Across from me were seated two charming young women with curly hair and vibrant faces despite the early hour. The elder of the two must have been 11 or so, and was dressed in jeans and a comfy sweater. She carried herself with the "I'm in charge" sort of look so common amongst children escorting younger siblings to school. Her younger counterpart, maybe 5, was wearing a simple patterned dress with long-wooly socks and gleaming new shoes. The subway car, as usual, was drearily quiet, and filled with humdrum folks unwilling to meet one another's eyes. Fortunately, the silence was broken by the occasional crackle of their little voices. "Oh Marie, your shoes have come undone again. If you're not careful, you'll fall straight on your nose," said the elder. "Sit still while I tie them for you." "Mmmm wait! No, Sam. I want to tie them," chirped the younger. "Okay," replied Sam, "grasp one lace in each hand, cross them over..." She continued to explain gently, while the youngun's fingers fumbled with the laces. I could hear her breathing both with concentration and the effort of being bent double. "Now grab each loop, and pull tight. That's it! You've done it!" The younger sat up with such a flash of pride on her little face that I couldn't help but smile. I spared a glance around me and saw that others had also been captivated by this performance, and the air in the car seemed a touch friendlier. Unable to contain her satisfaction, the little girl stood up, and said, "I tied my shoes! Just right! First time!" At this I was surprised to hear a grunt from the professional to my right. "You did beautifully," said Sam. "A perfect bow!" At this praise from her sister, Marie clapped her hands together with that slapping sound made by littleuns who do not yet know to cup their hands slightly to produce a satisfingly thunderous clap. I felt the worker on my left shift uncomfortably in his chair. Still awash with pride, the little lady released her grip on the handhold and skipped to the end of the car, turned, and hooted, "That's it! Just right! FIRST TIME!" This, of course, was too much even for me. As I jumped from my chair I found that others had done the same. Before I could open my mouth, the professional bellowed, "Will you please SHUT UP?!?" Marie's face went white with anxious surprise and then the construction worker advanced. "Skipping and clapping and HOOTING?!? What the hell is that?!" He grabbed her arm just under the shoulder and gave her a thorough shake. Sam stood up in shock only to come face to face with another angry subway rider. "KEEP IT DOWN, or you'll get the same!" Angry shouts and chaos reigned for the next few stops. Then, silence setlled on the car, as the teary-eyed Marie stood up at the end of the car, unable to lift her eyes to her once friendly audience. With the professional's rough claw wrapped around her forearm, she stammered, "I am very sorry for <sniff> saying I tied... I tied..." then she broke down in tears, and Sam ran to her. "Good enough, I suppose," grunted the constrcution worker. "We all know how to tie our goddamn shoes, kid," offered someone from the crowd, "it's not a big deal." The professional then spoke up, "Let me give you some advice. When you finish sixth grade, keep it quiet. When you learn to drive a car, shut up. And if and when you finish school, keep it to your damn self." "THIS IS THE SUBWAY, GODDAMMIT, and NOBODY wants to hear your CRAP." Personally, I was embarassed. Here were all these good citizens ensuring a quiet ride to work for all, and all I had the courage to do was stamp the little girl's lunchbox flat. God bless those brave souls who keep my ears safe from glad tidings. |
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