Post by stardust on Mar 10, 2012 19:45:26 GMT -5
Username: stardust
Character: Jaybird - Jason Carwhile
Entry Type: Prose!
Location: A beach close by his old home in western France
Reason: This was the day when he decided that his life could be more than everyone wanted it to be - even better, it could even make him happy one day.
Others: No one.
When: When he was fourteen years old.
Entry: Jason's Nostalgia
He was fourteen. Maybe fourteen and a half. August had come, and the excruciating heat with it - and one morning, he felt like if he took another math quiz for fourth graders, then he'd shoot someone (he'd graduated college already - his parents had wanted to keep his social life in-tact, so they sent him back to middle school). So, he'd left the house out his window in jean shorts and sneakers, and left the sneakers at the wooden stairs leading over the delicate dunes, and onto the beach of Western France. Shirtless and alone, he sits, waiting for the meaning to come back to his competitive, oppressive life.
The sky overhead was dull blue - the sun was shining and hot, but the luster had been lost, as if the sun was angry instead of cheerful. It kept him from being chilled by the whipping winds, but it was depressing, humbling even. As if it was trying to blare at him about being too out-going, about losing too much until you were as washed-up and hot as it was. Useless. Unhappy.
He was starting to feel sleepy. Most likely, mother would yell at him for being out in direct sunlight when he got back, but he was slathered in lotion. He wouldn't burn too much. Anyway, he'd welcome the pain, as long as it distracted him from how empty it was today. There was no one even here - it was too windy for tourists, and the locals were all in school, where he probably should be right now - and now even the waves were welcoming.
Pathetic though it was today, lapping, rolling in tiny curls across the soft sand, the ocean called out with its rushing sound. It was lazily pushing the tide in, then out, and curling the same smooth pebbles in its shallow waters. He was getting hot, anyway. Some water might be a nice break from wind and stinging sand.
The wind died down. There was a breeze rolling in now, hardly ruffling his bangs as he uncurled from his crouch and stretched high, towards the dull cadet-blue sky, long fingers twining in the space over his head. His chest puffed out and his back curved and his toned shape made a dark silhouette against the bright horizon. It took him a lot of crunches to keep himself in this shape - he hated feeling lethargic. As he let his arms drop, he shook sand from his legs as he strode towards the waves.
The sound cooled. Gulls cried out overhead, and pelicans flew in their V formation, drifting over the distant pier, relieved that the strong currents were gone at last. Silvery minnows darted in the small waves as Jason slid down the steep, damp dune to get to the water's edge. Casting his hazel eyes to the sky, they glinted gold, his pupils shrinking to dots as he tried to catch a glimpse of the plane soaring overhead. But it was too bright. Shielding his eyes instead, he pushed his raven locks up with the back of his hand, frowning over the water.
It rose eagerly to lap his toes. Swallowing him up to his ankles, he stood in it, sighing in contentment. The sun's luster returned as the layer of clouds overhead parted, leaving a long, vibrant blue streak with the ball of light shining down on him. The streaks of glowing light set his hair alight with blue as well as golden flickers in the rising and falling waves.
A feeling welled up in his chest. He wanted to be free of his family dearly. Maybe someday, he would be. Until then what was he going to do? Sit around and wait? No, if anything happened, he needed an escape plan. He could use his fake passport, and go somewhere no one would find him - like Russia. No, too cold... Vietnam? Not enough hamburgers. He got American hamburgers here - if he had to live without them, he'd never really be happy.
America! That's it! He'd go to America, and live in a house of couches and burgers forever. That would be a perfect place to make a new future - one that didn't include gangs and fighting hand-to-hand combat with your cousins for family position. He could be American!
He grinned, the expression breaking across his face like a blaze of light, and making him wince. "OW! He yelped, as pain stretched across his cheeks. Maybe he'd been in the sun too long! He was burned, all right; burned stiff! Crouching down in the water quickly he splashed his face with salt water, shaking his head and flinging his bangs to get it out of his eyes.
Rubbing water from his eyes, he blinked, looking down at his reflection. This time he smiled more carefully. His parents would miss him, and him them, but this life was not for him. He wanted to help people - to be a hero, like Batman and the Flash! Touching the surface of the water with his fingertips to make a mask around his eyes just like Robin's, he tilted his head as he imagined the beautiful city he'd live in some day. Pigeons, rushing people, hot dog stands, McDonald's around every corner...
Yes, there was a happy ending in it for him, after all.
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