A young girl at the ripe age of eleven sat on her bed with her back resting on the oak headrest, and her hands braiding her doll's hair. Her dark eyes were focused so intensely on the doll's ebony hair, ensuring that no stand went astray. "Chloe?" Her grandmother called to her from the kitchen. "Yeah?" She replied, not taking her eyes off the doll. Her grandmother entered the room. Her hair was frizzed, and her hands had red splotches that danced around her exaggerated veins. "I'm going to make a soup. Do you have any requests on what to put in it?" She asked as she desperately tried to smooth down her hair. "Nope." Chloe replied, still focusing on the doll. Her grandmother placed her aged hands on her hips, and pursed her lips while studying the girl. "Chloe." She said, rather sternly. Chloe reluctantly looked up from her work. "What?" she demanded. "How many times have you braided that hair today?" Grandma asked as she seated herself on the chair next to her granddaughter's bed. "Five or six." Chloe replied. Grandma shook her head. "You ought to be doing something else now, dear." Chloe took that opportunity, "Can I go outside?" she asked. Grandma shook her head. "No! It's a blizzard out there! Not to mention that we're in the middle of New York! There's crimes going on out there right now." Chloe's shoulder's sagged. "Well then what am I supposed to do?" she asked. Grandma looked around her room. Her eyes fell on a small stack of books in the corner. "You wanna hear a story?" she asked. "No." Chloe replied. Grandma smiled. "Oh, sure you do! Lemme see here..." she walked over to the books and studied each one. She finally returned with Alice in Wonderland in hand. "how about this one? We started it didn't we?" She said. Chloe rolled her eyes. "Yes. Yesterday.." she sighed. Her grandmother nodded approvingly. "Okay then. Where was I?" Grandma scanned the page until she found her spot. "Ah! Okay.. 'Alice felt like she was growing smaller, and there seemed to be little chance of her ever getting out of the room again..'" "Tell me about it." Chloe thought to herself. She sighed and closed her eyes. It's gotta be the worst day...
"No wonder she felt unhappy..."
It's gotta be the worst day of my life.
"It was much more pleasant in her home..."
Home is more the empty halls, seven flights or these four walls. You could make believe. Helps if you're hoping something's true.
"Where one wasn't always growing larger or smaller..."
Larger, smaller? Keep it real. Change just happens, learn to deal. With words like it's for your own good, we'd stay together if we could, you'll learn to love this neighbor hood.
"I almost wish I hadn't gone down that rabbet hole..." Her grandmother looked up from the book to see her granddaughter almost asleep. "Chloe, you're not even listening!" she said as she closed the book. Chloe opened her eyes. "I am, too Gram!" she said. "Oh, really? Then what did I just say?" Grandma said squinting her eyes. Chloe put on her grandmother's voice in mock highness. "Chloe, you're not even listening!" Grandma sighed and stood up. "Chloe I know you're upset. When ever I moved to a new neighborhood I felt like it was the end of the world. But in a few months, this apartment, your school, everything, will feel like you've lived with it your whole life." Grandma smiled and began putting Chloe's few belongings into a dresser. Chloe smiled to herself, but the smile quickly faded as a thought crossed her mind. "Gram, why did mom and me have to move so far away from dad? They're not getting divorced... are they?" she added toughs last two words with grate difficulty. Grandma stopped what she was doing and closed her eyes. She walked back to Chloe's bed and sat next to her granddaughter. "I don't know, dear. They're having issues. That's for sure." she sighed and stood up. "I'm going to go start that soup." and with that she left the room. Chloe lay flat on her stomach and closed her eyes in hope for sleep.
Life was so much better back when dad was working every day. Lot's of talk about "winning". Downsized was the word, I think. Mom would tell him thing will be alright, that she'd get secant job at night. Next thing that you know, they're in a fight. And now it's mom and dad are relocating, leaving me and grandma waiting, as she reads to me, and offers me advice. And all I want is a way to turn the clock back, our own apartment and our own lot back. The tension here, you could cut with a knife... this is the worst day of my life.
Chloe let out a lone tear as she faced the bluntly obvious: they were never going to be a family again. Sleep had found her, and nestled her in it's warm embrace.
"I'm home!" Chloe sat up abruptly at the sound of her mother's voice, but then lay back down, facing away from that voice. "Hey, mom." she said. Her mother came in holding her head, looking as though she was fighting back tears. She did not notice the sadness that lay across her daughter's face, she just kept on talking. "Chloe, I want you to stay away from that damn serves elevator. It over shot our floor, and when it snapped back I hit my damn head." As her mother talked, she gingerly massaged the tender spot on her head. "Well, don't act so damn mad, mom." Chloe said. "Missy, don't say damn. It's a bad word." Her mother suddenly realized the bed that her daughter was sitting on. "How did your bed get here?" she asked. Chloe's eyes lit up. "Dad brought it. Hauled it all the way from out old place." she said, grinning rather widely as she did so. "Said he didn't want me spending my first night here in a sleeping bag. Gram said he was here all afternoon trying to get it up those stairs." Her mother smiled, but it wasn't a happy one. It was one the ones you used in mock appreciation, and Chloe knew that. She closed her mouth and grabbed her doll. "You know, I'd like to be here all after noon too. But that's hard when you're the parent that actually has a job." Her mother spoke rather harshly as she took off her thick, green jacket and scarf. "You don't have to bite my head off." Chloe whispered. Her mother stared at her for a moment, and Chloe thought she might hit her. But instead she sighed and let her arms fall down to her side. "You're right. I'm sorry. It's just a bad day for New York." She sat down next to Chloe. "I was running late because it snowed, and forgot the rookie teacher coed: Never turn your back on Gunther Road."
Chloe smiled. "Grandma disapproves of the girl scout troupe, says I have to join the science group. And she's, like, obsessed about her soup."
Her mother put an arm around her. "No matter what we'll always have each other."
"Perfect mother,"
"Perfect daughter... God, this headache has me holding on for life."
"Oh, please will grandma stop this disobliging?"
"Can someone make the room stop spinning? God, the tension here, you could cut it with a knife. This is the worst day of my life."
Chloe's smile widened. "This is the worst day of my life."
"Alice?" Chloe's grandmother's voice came from the kitchen. Alice pinched the bridge of her nose. "Edwina? Do you have two Advil? I have a really bad headache." "Sure, dear." She scurried into the room with two blue pills, a glass of water, and a manilla envelope. Alice took the pills. "What's this?" she asked. "It came for you today. My son brought it over with the bed." Edwina said. Alice studied it. "It's from Penguin... I just sent it in, you think this could be my book?" she said the words out loud, but it seemed as though she she was just speaking to herself. She tore the top off and dumped it's continence on the bed. A manuscript and a note fell out. Alice's eyes widened. "It is my book!" She opened the letter and read aloud. "We regret to say that your finished draft was not what we had anticipated in your proposal. Dark nightmarish therms seams unsuitable for young children..." Alice's voice trailed off. "Oh..." Chloe read the letter over Alice's shoulder. "But.. I thought they liked it..." Chloe said in careful words. Alice sighed as she tried to figure out how to explain it to her daughter. "They like my idea, but I tried to write it while your dad and I were having our... you know... disagreements. Cancel yet another crazy dream." Chloe thought about what her mother had said. Yeah. "Disagreements". Is that what they it when you scream so loud the neighbors call the police? "Well... can't you just re-wright it?" she asked. Alice through the book across the room. "I don't have enough goddamned time! Or, apparently, the temperament. I'll just teach English instead of writing it. Someone has to pay the rent." Chloe threw her weight back onto the bed. "I hate this place!" She yelled. Alice spoke, and as she did, her tone turned very light. "You've only been here a few hours. And it's nice! We have five Starbucks, right across the street." Chloe rolled onto her stomach. "Mom, you're costing me my best years!" Alice smiled a bit at her daughter. "Chloe, don't say that. You know, I had to be mother to my three brothers when I was as old as you. You get a childhood, and living here will help you. Now, go do your homework. I'm gonna try to rest my head for a while. Can I use your bed?" Alice lay down, not waiting for an answer. Chloe sighed heavily. "Adults. You're just super-sized kids who do whatever you want!" Chloe crossed her arms and frowned. "Yeah, right. Just pretend to like your grandma's soup. We'll go get some pizza once she leaves. I'm just gonna rest my head for a while..." Alice closed her eyes and lay her head on her arms. Sleep, however, could not find it's way to her, so she turned on her side and stared blankly at the wall. She heard the ding of the elevator, and the front door opening. "Oh, fantastic. Jack is here." She thought. When she heard footsteps enter the room. She shut her eyes and pretended to sleep. The foot steps stopped in-font of the bed, but continued on. Alice opened her eyes and who she wasn't her husband, but a very pail man with white hair and a white suit that covered his large hips sprang past her, carrying her manuscript. She shot upright. "Hey! What are you doing in my apartment?" she yelled at the stranger. He turned toward her, and a look of fright crossed his face, then he ran. Alice immediately fallowed him. "That's right Alice, come on!" he yelled. She ran faster as he sped out of the front door. She chased him down the hall into the service elevator. "Wait!" she called, but he just smiled and disappeared through a panel in the elevator wall. Alice ran in and felt all over the wall. The doors slid shut, and the elevator moved down, rather quickly. "Down we go," the man's disembodied voice sang. "Oh my god, who are you?" Alice called in a panic. "Just look out beloooow!" He sang, rather then spoke. Alice clutched her head and closed her eyes shut. "Fear and doubt, freaking out! Moving way to fast!"
"Just relax enjoy the view!"
"You've got to be kidding me!"
"Relax!"
"How long will this last? Down and down I go to god knows where."
"Oh, it's a special place, with a lot of space and special people."
"Down I go although when I get there... can you tell me when I'll get home again?"
Well that's really up to you!"
a piano flew by the elevator and Alice shook her head. "What a fall, could it be what I see isn't real at all?" with that, the elevator jerked a bit, and the doors opened. Alice looked around. "Oh, crap..." she said. She wasn't in New York anymore.