Glow Dimmed
Though the stars shine with their own light, even the brightest star is hidden by daylight. Your Assignment: Write about a character who is overshadowed by someone else.
Characters: Dean Thomas, OC
... ... ...
Closing a drawing and poster cluttered door, a woman pointed the boy with her to the bottom of a bunk bed. Eyes downcast, he went and plopped down. Taking the roll desk chair across from him, the woman crossed her plump arms and sat silently.
After a time, the boy looked up, his brown eyes doleful. "I'm sorry mum," he whispered.
Sagging a little, the boy's mother turned her gaze to the window; outside a man and his dog walked by, the distant sound of an ambulance reaching her ears. Briefly, she wondered if it was going toward town or toward them. Looking back to her son then, she sighed, "I thought the school was supposed to stop these 'accidents'."
"It is!" He cried, "it is..."
Rubbing her hand across her face, the woman grumbled "It's not cheap Dean - even with the scholarship they were kind enough to give us."
"I know," the boy replied glumly.
Glaring at her son, Dean's mother remarked "I don't know what the point of sending you is if you can't control it after a year of day-in and day-out practice."
"Mum, please," The boy begged in a hoarse voice. "I was just-just upset, you know? You're paying them all so much more attention! I get that their younger...but mum, you haven't even asked about school until now! And half the time during the school year you didn't answer my letters!"
Standing up, Dean's mother hissed "Are you saying I'm a bad mother? Me? I raised you all up on my own for six years and it wasn't like your daddy ever left us with anything! So sue me if your little brothers and sister keep me so busy that I can't read every single letter you send me. I try Dean, I try, but Darren works evenings and I work days, we're lucky if we get to see each other for more than a couple hours! I write back as often as I can, but I just don't have the same amount of time on my hands as you do!"
Dean shrank back. What could he say? His mum's explanation was...fair. He really couldn't expect her to write back every time he wrote her a letter during the school year; but what about when he was home? Couldn't she at least smile at him when he came into the room (like she did for Michael, Trevor and Tania)?
"Okay mum," he whispered.
Nodding as if satisfied, his mother went to the door. "I want you to stay in here until dinner," she told him. "Turning you're little brother's toy horn into a snake was awful and dangerous."
"But I didn't mean-!"
It was too late. She opened the door, stepped out and slammed it shut before he could even finish his argument. Now alone, he flopped back and buried his face in a pillow that had to be Trevor's (he was the one who liked Pokemon, not Michael). For a time, Dean just lay there trying to settle the overwhelming flow of emotions that came at him from every direction. His mum didn't love his brothers and sister more than him...she couldn't. That was evil, right? And mum was always telling him to be good or he'd pay for his sins by going to hell.
If she wanted him to be good, that must mean she was trying to be good too. Mum was scared of hell, just like him. So she wouldn't let the little kids intentionally takeover her time; it just happened. Of course, none of this mattered too much in the moment. All that mattered was Dean felt he was lesser to his siblings and was contemplating running away to London.
He'd probably wimp out before he even tried.
(probably)
I felt it would be fun to write about a lesser character, such as Dean Thomas who's life isn't as well known as say, Ron Weasley or Neville Longbottom. How do you like my use of the prompt? Does Dean feel thoroughly over-shadowed by his siblings? Or could it be made more poignant?
Now I get these prompts from the "Astronomy Classroom" of the "Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry (Challenges & Assignments)" forum.
To reviewers, The Dark One Rising, KodeV, Madlenita and Nymphxdora; thanks you guys because you totally didn't have to review and I really appreciate it!
Thank you all for reading and please review!
