Middle of the Road
A few months ago, I 'hooked up' with a really decent group of writers. We meet monthly. Oddly, for a writers' group, it doesn't feel like 'group therapy'... yet? Anyway, here, 'trying something new', I share a brief missive that was penned for that group. The keyword prompt was 'punish'. Be strong, read on.
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Middle of the Road
The long journey from Truro - A30, M5, M6, and the unending minor roads through people-free counties never felt any shorter. Cruising along the centre lane, passing coach parties, long-distance insomniacs and an out-of-place classic car the man pressed the CD player off – ‘far too jingo-pop for a tired mind’ he thought. Really, he ought not to have been driving, though to him, to have experienced his passenger’s driving over such a long distance would have been… ‘unwise’. Glancing across, he noticed that she was about to fall asleep.
“A-aah, no sleeping” he intoned
“Och, you are such a-, I was feeling so relaxed just then”
“Tough. You know the rule – you’ve got to keep me awake when the radio’s off”
She sighed, “You know, you sounded really impressive just then”
“What?”
“Y’ know, when y’ do that ‘dominance’ thing”
“Hmm. For ‘dominance’ you can read ‘not-wanting-to-fall-asleep-at-the-wheel’”
Despite this flat tone, she continued to prod.
“So, Mr Not-Wanting-To-Fall-Asleep-At-The-Wheel, how would you like me to… keep… you… awake?”
He thought for a long moment - suppressing a smile, then he spoke “Ask me a question”
Disappointed, she hid a sigh with an exaggerated yawn.
“Say something profound”
“That’s not a question“
”Would you please say something profound?”
“No need for sarcasm”
“Well there’s no need for being a completely finicky shit”
“Heh heh heh-, take it easy Mrs Cadbury’s Caramel”
“Well don’t be so picky”
“Sorry” he murmured.
There followed a pause for several minutes as more anonymous greenery flashed by. He sighed, she registered this.
“Say something profound” she invited – all hostility gone.
He was glad to hear the recovered tone of voice, he thought for a short while, cleared his throat, then pronounced carefully “Mistrust those in whom the urge to punish is strong”
She gaped, “Where the hell did that come from?”
He smiled, “My English teacher - Mr Peters - good bloke - he said it once, asked us what it meant”
“And?”
“Well, it’s just a saying, y’ know, be… suspicious I suppose – of anyone who’s a bit handy with punishment”
She nodded, yet her expression was one of puzzlement “Why?”
“I don’t know. They could be dangerous - or stupid - would hardly be very ‘peace and understanding’ would it”
“S’pose not” she frowned.
“Ask me another question”
She thought longer this time, and just as he began to wonder whether she’d forgotten their peculiar driving game, she spoke again.
“Earlier, when I asked you how you would like me to keep you awake, what was your first thought?”
He smiled.
“You’re bad” she cooed.
“You’re hardly an angel yourself.”
(435 words)
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That, to me, was the equivalent of streak-blogging.
********************
Middle of the Road
The long journey from Truro - A30, M5, M6, and the unending minor roads through people-free counties never felt any shorter. Cruising along the centre lane, passing coach parties, long-distance insomniacs and an out-of-place classic car the man pressed the CD player off – ‘far too jingo-pop for a tired mind’ he thought. Really, he ought not to have been driving, though to him, to have experienced his passenger’s driving over such a long distance would have been… ‘unwise’. Glancing across, he noticed that she was about to fall asleep.
“A-aah, no sleeping” he intoned
“Och, you are such a-, I was feeling so relaxed just then”
“Tough. You know the rule – you’ve got to keep me awake when the radio’s off”
She sighed, “You know, you sounded really impressive just then”
“What?”
“Y’ know, when y’ do that ‘dominance’ thing”
“Hmm. For ‘dominance’ you can read ‘not-wanting-to-fall-asleep-at-the-wheel’”
Despite this flat tone, she continued to prod.
“So, Mr Not-Wanting-To-Fall-Asleep-At-The-Wheel, how would you like me to… keep… you… awake?”
He thought for a long moment - suppressing a smile, then he spoke “Ask me a question”
Disappointed, she hid a sigh with an exaggerated yawn.
“Say something profound”
“That’s not a question“
”Would you please say something profound?”
“No need for sarcasm”
“Well there’s no need for being a completely finicky shit”
“Heh heh heh-, take it easy Mrs Cadbury’s Caramel”
“Well don’t be so picky”
“Sorry” he murmured.
There followed a pause for several minutes as more anonymous greenery flashed by. He sighed, she registered this.
“Say something profound” she invited – all hostility gone.
He was glad to hear the recovered tone of voice, he thought for a short while, cleared his throat, then pronounced carefully “Mistrust those in whom the urge to punish is strong”
She gaped, “Where the hell did that come from?”
He smiled, “My English teacher - Mr Peters - good bloke - he said it once, asked us what it meant”
“And?”
“Well, it’s just a saying, y’ know, be… suspicious I suppose – of anyone who’s a bit handy with punishment”
She nodded, yet her expression was one of puzzlement “Why?”
“I don’t know. They could be dangerous - or stupid - would hardly be very ‘peace and understanding’ would it”
“S’pose not” she frowned.
“Ask me another question”
She thought longer this time, and just as he began to wonder whether she’d forgotten their peculiar driving game, she spoke again.
“Earlier, when I asked you how you would like me to keep you awake, what was your first thought?”
He smiled.
“You’re bad” she cooed.
“You’re hardly an angel yourself.”
(435 words)
********************
That, to me, was the equivalent of streak-blogging.
posted by Shane @ 12:12 pm
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