The Golden Retriever

The snow fell from the clouds in clumps as thick as popcorn.  It littered the ground so that only the tire tracks on the cobblestone road were visible.  Even the footprints leading into the house from the night before had all but faded from the walkway.  As he sat on his porch, shivering, he held his coffee close to his chest and took a drag from his cigarette.  He exhaled slowly and breath rose like a smoke signal to the clouds, his only response to the vast blanketed sky.  As the ash crept closer to his fingers, he gazed across the street. Perhaps it was just the wind on the back of his neck, but somehow the house across the street reminded him of an old childhood movie; The Brave Little Toaster.  The windows like eyes, the chimney a nose, and the blue van that hadn’t moved in weeks, the mustache, of that old air conditioner.   He paused and smiled for a moment.  Childhood.  At twenty two it already felt like an eternity ago; a term from some amnesiac past he could only call to mind flashes of.  Yet he wasn’t an adult, at least he wouldn’t say he was.  What did it even mean to be an adult?  To own a car with over 100,000 miles on it? To work a minimum wage job that just barely paid for your rent, groceries, beer and cigarettes? As he took another pull and ashed the burning cancer double agent into the glass tray, he watched his neighbor shovel her driveway.  Her trusty golden retriever frolicking through the yard, stopping only to shit in the snow as pure as the white of a virgin’s wedding dress.

Day 9 Draft 9

Day 8 Draft 8

Day 7 Draft 7

Day 6 Draft 6

Untitled

To me you are a sparkling bride in white,
That in her folly rolls in mire and murk,
Betraying He who called you forth to light,
And gladly choosing tasks for which to shirk,
You sit atop a tower looking down,
And insults fling at simple passers by,
You barricade your doors to shine your crown,
And leave convictions where they fall and lie,
And I ashamed to be compared with you,
Abandon all the vestiges of old,
And though I try to stand among the few,
You push me out and leave me in the cold,
The course you claim to take off often veer,
You are the empty shadow in a mirr’r,

Day 5 Draft 5

Title of my work

My life told in ten Haiku

And this does not count

Bright lights shining down

Naked crying and icky

I came from the womb

Time for switching schools

They call me fat and new kid

I’m not a big fan

Big man in the sky

Invisible creator

Sounds interesting

Women are bitches

So long as they are like Britt

Epitome of whore

Mother is crying

My father gives me a hug

I’m off to college

It is the abyss

It is the Fear and Trembling

It’s the real, it’s doubt

I always lov’d you

Lauren you are my only muse

But I can’t tell you

Beer books basketball

I find that I am changing

Let’s open a bar

Isle across the sea

A four leaf clover dream world

Mine for the taking

Mother Father Friends

Brother Sister and Baby

All waiting back home

Day 4 Draft 4

Untitled

Scene: A boy and a girl working on a college film project.  The boy is dressed sharply, slacks a button up shirt and tie with his sleeves rolled up.  The girl is in sweats and a t-shirt.  They’re working on some filler footage for a music video that they are shooting.  

Boy:

So what do you think of a time lapse of this.  

The girl looks through the camera, view of a tree in an open field swaying slightly in the breeze

Girl:

Yea that could work.  We’d only need like thirty or so more seconds of footage if this turns out right.

Boy seems happy with the idea, nods his head and half grins, obviously thinking about something else.

Girl:

One of us will need to stay and keep tabs on the equipment.

Boy snaps out of it.

Boy:

Oooh yea.  You don’t have anything going tonight do you?

Girl over animatedly looks down at her attire, looks back up tilts her head “really?”

Girl:

Let me guess, you have a date with some pretty young thing?

Boy:

You know I’d love you forever if you took the bullet for me on this one.

Boy gives girl the eyes, and the big cheesy smile.

Girl sighs and shakes her head.

Girl:

You’re lucky I put up with your chauvinistic shit. You know that right? You’re gonna take that girl out, take her home, bed her and never call her again.  While I sit out here and make sure the camera doesn’t fall over.

Cut to:

Aronofsky style flash scene  Woman in revealing dress, dinner plates full, close up on boys mouth laughing, close up on womans mouth laughing, dinner plates empty.  door closes.  close up on womans face moaning, hand gripping sheets, woman doing walk of shame in the morning

Cut Back:

Boy shrugs and smiles, Girl rolls her eyes, shakes her head and motions for him to go

Boy:

You’re a doll.  I’ll see you at the editing lab tomorrow morning?

Time lapse of girl watching the camera that is supposedly taking a time lapse, pacing, talking on her cell phone, etc.

Cut to:

Boy wakes up in alone in bed, moaning he rubs his head squinting at the clock through his obvious hangover he sees the time, “Awww shit”. He jumps out of bed.  the comforter flying up to cover the whole shot.

Fade to:

Girl in sweats, flip flops, a t-shirt, bra accidentally left at home, hair pulled back.  Diligently working in the edit lab. Boy walks in the door in khakis and a sweater.  Girl starts to talk without looking up

Girl:

So I take it last night went well?

Cut to:

Aronofsky style flash scene  Woman in revealing dress, dinner plates full, close up on boys mouth laughing, close up on womans mouth laughing, dinner plates empty.  door closes.  close up on womans face moaning, hand gripping sheets, woman doing walk of shame in the morning

Cut Back:

Boy answers obviously with a headache.

Boy:

It went alright. Sorry I’m late.

Girl:

Don’t worry about it.  I’ve come to expect.

Boy:

So how far are we.

Girl gives him a pair of head phones and clicks a few times with the mouse. The video starts to play, and its horrible, so many Dutch tilts it looks like Battlefield Earth. Boy looks a little disappointed and even rolls his eyes once. when it’s done hands her the head phones and turns to her

Boy:

You and your Dutch tits.

Girl looks up with a smirk, Boy realizes what he said and blushes.

Boy:

Uhh, I need coffee this hangovers killing me.  Be back in thirty?

Girl (smirking):

Don’t sweat it, I’ll just tone down my tilts and get out of here.  Tomorrow five o'clock for the highway shot?

Boy (obviously uncomfortable):

Yea, yea.  See you then.

Boy exits, girl watches him leave. She smiles and looks down at her chest and presses her breasts together. She tilts her head to the side thinking for a second, laughs, and returns to work, still smiling.  

Fade out:

Fade in to:

Boy standing on a bridge, setting up the camera. Boy is wearing slacks, a button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up, a tie, and a vest.  Girl enters shot, hair down, wearing black flats, dark blue jeans, and a black blouse.  

Girl:

Hey

Boy turns to say hey and is shocked.

Boy:

Wow.  (pause) How’s it going?

Girl walks past him with a new found swagger, to the camera. Boy literally turns in a circle to watch her. She bends over to look into the view finder.  Close up on the way she fills out her jeans.

Cut to:

Boys hand sliding down his face, obviously smitten.  

Cut to:

Girls looking in the view finder. She stands up.

Cut to:

Wider shot of the scene.  

Girl(smiling):

So what are we waiting for?

Boy(smiling back):

Nothing.

Close up on Boy smiling, close up on girl smiling.  Time lapse of them setting up the shot, chatting, getting a little close.  Sun setting.

Cut to:

Music video ends on screen lights come on, people exiting classroom, professor hands them a paper with notes and a grade scribbled on it.  Boy and Girl stand looking at the paper, by they look at each other and shrug.  They start to pack, boy finishes first and walks over to girl, girl is wearing a sundress and flats, boy is dressed as usual. Boy looks girl up and down. Girl looks up shakes her head and slings her tote over her shoulder.

Boy:

So you wanna grab some dinner?

Girl(grinning):

Alright.

Boy holds door open for girl,  girl then boy each walk out, door closes, blackout.