Monday, May 24, 2004
Just For You
For those of you who have missed my updates this past week, I apologize. I have dedicated myself fully to school for 2 weeks of the year. With so many papers due this final stretch, I felt it would behoove us all if I focused on my school work 100% instead of doing a half assed job of school and updating the site. I apologize for not being around and, because of that, I present an original, non video game related short story. I hope you enjoy and know that I will be returning to full time writerly duties come Friday. Until then...
There was just something in the air that fine June morning. Aldo was strutting along the street with such a bounce he had to duck his head under oncoming branches for fear of being knocked out. Everything just felt right. The sun was burning bright. It smelled like burning leaves, even though he was knee deep in the suffocating concrete and monstrous buildings of a downtown city. He felt like doing something new and different, that he had never tried to do before.
Aldo walked merrily down the street, smiling from ear to ear. As he came to the intersection of Congress and State, always a pain to cross, he was delighted to see the little white man was shining brightly on the other side, beckoning him. He crossed the road happily, peering into every windshield as he walked by. When he crossed the path of the last car, a taxi, he stopped.
Inside the taxi was the meanest, most gruff looking man Aldo had ever seen. He seemed like he could crush baby skulls with his bare hands, and not even wash them before he ate a Big Mac. This man wouldn't do at all for Aldo. Certainly not on a day as great and beautiful as today. The sun was shining for Christ's sake, what did this man have to be upset about anyway?
Without even thinking, Aldo pointed his finger. For fear of redundancy, the word happy will not be applied to his finger, but, if it was at all possible, his finger was certainly happy. He extended his arm and pointed right at the taxi driver. He stood right in front of the cab so the driver could not help but notice this young man. His first reaction was anger, who was this kid to point at him? But the shock of the moment took hold, causing him to just continue sitting and staring at the boy.
With the gracefulness of a Russian gymnast, Aldo kicked his shoes out to the sidewalk and slowly pulled off his socks. He was staring right at the driver, burning a hole clear to the back of the cab. And the driver, right back at him.
He stood straight up a moment, barefoot on the dirty asphalt. Then, using the music in his head for inspiration, he started dancing. A rhythmic, almost tribal dance. He swayed from side to side, seemingly oblivious to all of his surroundings. While he danced, he started to slowly roll up his shirt. First his belly button become visible. Then it was the bottom of his rib cage, in clear view for the whole city to see. His nipples, slowly and surely, made their way out of the confining cotton shirt and into the warm sun the face had been enjoying the whole day.
With his shirt rolled all the way up to his neck, he swiftly pulled it off the rest of the way. He held the shirt in his arms now, his torso fully exposed for the gasping taxi driver's pleasure. Aldo continued to stare straight ahead, unperturbed by the disgust on the imprisoned man's face. The driver, mesmerized, stared back. Aldo, at this point, was in a different world, on a different plane from ours. His mind was a blank as he twirled his shirt around. It sailed past his ears. Through his legs. Up over the hood of the car. He tossed it on the roof, the sleeve hanging over ever so slightly, yet clearly visible to the driver, if he ever dared to take his eyes off the boy.
Aldo was sweating pretty hard now. The sun, shining as bright as ever, took no credit in his sudden liquid release. The exhilaration of the moment was the culprit. Aldo was still in his semi-conscious state when he calmly glanced to his left. The light had turned yellow. His dance would be over shortly. As if in slow motion he looked back at his audience. The driver's head was also turned slightly to the side, noticing for himself that the light was going to change. The light that had frozen him in this spot. The light that had forced him to watch this young man undress in front of his very eyes.
He smiled and hit the gas.
There was just something in the air that fine June morning. Aldo was strutting along the street with such a bounce he had to duck his head under oncoming branches for fear of being knocked out. Everything just felt right. The sun was burning bright. It smelled like burning leaves, even though he was knee deep in the suffocating concrete and monstrous buildings of a downtown city. He felt like doing something new and different, that he had never tried to do before.
Aldo walked merrily down the street, smiling from ear to ear. As he came to the intersection of Congress and State, always a pain to cross, he was delighted to see the little white man was shining brightly on the other side, beckoning him. He crossed the road happily, peering into every windshield as he walked by. When he crossed the path of the last car, a taxi, he stopped.
Inside the taxi was the meanest, most gruff looking man Aldo had ever seen. He seemed like he could crush baby skulls with his bare hands, and not even wash them before he ate a Big Mac. This man wouldn't do at all for Aldo. Certainly not on a day as great and beautiful as today. The sun was shining for Christ's sake, what did this man have to be upset about anyway?
Without even thinking, Aldo pointed his finger. For fear of redundancy, the word happy will not be applied to his finger, but, if it was at all possible, his finger was certainly happy. He extended his arm and pointed right at the taxi driver. He stood right in front of the cab so the driver could not help but notice this young man. His first reaction was anger, who was this kid to point at him? But the shock of the moment took hold, causing him to just continue sitting and staring at the boy.
With the gracefulness of a Russian gymnast, Aldo kicked his shoes out to the sidewalk and slowly pulled off his socks. He was staring right at the driver, burning a hole clear to the back of the cab. And the driver, right back at him.
He stood straight up a moment, barefoot on the dirty asphalt. Then, using the music in his head for inspiration, he started dancing. A rhythmic, almost tribal dance. He swayed from side to side, seemingly oblivious to all of his surroundings. While he danced, he started to slowly roll up his shirt. First his belly button become visible. Then it was the bottom of his rib cage, in clear view for the whole city to see. His nipples, slowly and surely, made their way out of the confining cotton shirt and into the warm sun the face had been enjoying the whole day.
With his shirt rolled all the way up to his neck, he swiftly pulled it off the rest of the way. He held the shirt in his arms now, his torso fully exposed for the gasping taxi driver's pleasure. Aldo continued to stare straight ahead, unperturbed by the disgust on the imprisoned man's face. The driver, mesmerized, stared back. Aldo, at this point, was in a different world, on a different plane from ours. His mind was a blank as he twirled his shirt around. It sailed past his ears. Through his legs. Up over the hood of the car. He tossed it on the roof, the sleeve hanging over ever so slightly, yet clearly visible to the driver, if he ever dared to take his eyes off the boy.
Aldo was sweating pretty hard now. The sun, shining as bright as ever, took no credit in his sudden liquid release. The exhilaration of the moment was the culprit. Aldo was still in his semi-conscious state when he calmly glanced to his left. The light had turned yellow. His dance would be over shortly. As if in slow motion he looked back at his audience. The driver's head was also turned slightly to the side, noticing for himself that the light was going to change. The light that had frozen him in this spot. The light that had forced him to watch this young man undress in front of his very eyes.
He smiled and hit the gas.
// posted by Tom @ 10:13 PM 
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