Lunch was a treat for Maleta; they went to The Green Dragon, a lovely pub on the outskirts of town. Maleta got sausages and chips, and lemonade mixed with orange juice while her mother enjoyed cottage pie and a good pint of Guinness.
She wasn't sure why exactly Kimi was taking them out to eat when they rarely did, but Maleta had the feeling it had to do with all this storytelling. Maybe Mum was getting tired and didn't want to make lunch; Maleta remembered faintly of times long ago when Kimi had been plagued with problems, remembered when her mother wasn't strong enough to get out of bed and take her to primary school; or perhaps Mum just wanted to make the day more special. Maleta hoped the latter was more accurate.
"So, what else do we need to talk about this afternoon?" Kimi had gone into fashion-designer-in-a-hurry mode, holding a ball-point pen at the ready above her notebook.
"When Dad was older," Maleta replied. "We stopped when he was seventeen and it was just getting good."
Her mother was smiling slightly, but her eyes looked wetter than usual. "All right," Kimi replied. "Why don't I tell you a little bit while we're here?"
At Maleta's nod, Kimi began.
"Well, there was this fabulous idea he had for a film..."
...
Tommy seemed rabid on that day. He acted like a toy poodle looking for attention all during school, and it wasn't any better when they all went over to his house to hang out. Tommy had absolutely dashed home, leaving Dil, Kimi, Phil, and Lil to walk over to the Pickles residence without him, talking curiously about what was up with the guy.
He met them at the door in his Inspiration Costume; it consisted of a pair of bright magenta trousers he'd picked up on clearance, an old radiation-yellow t-shirt with rolled-up sleeves, a dark green waistcoat, and a pink silk scarf tied delicately 'round his neck. A motheaten red beret topped off his look, which Tommy liked to call "Bohemian".
"Oh, no," said Phil. "Not the Outfit again."
"What's the movie idea of the day?" asked Lil.
Tommy replied dramatically, "It is not a movie idea for a day, but for all time."
"Don't quote Ben Jonson, dude," Dil said. "It sounds stupid when you mess up."
"who's Ben Jonson?"
Dil sighed. "Never mind."
"Anyway," Kimi said, "This is all very interesting, but it isn't your film idea."
Tommy smiled, almost gratefully. "Yes," he said. "My film. Not movie. I had this idea of a man who lived in a mansion at the top of a mountain--"
"Done," the other four chorused.
He looked a bit miffed. "When?"
"Dracula," said Kimi.
"Edward Scissorhands," added Phil.
"Citizen Kane," chimed in Dil.
"Okay, okay," Tommy answered. "That wasn't the real idea anyway."
"Sure it wasn't."
"It wasn't! It's only part of the real story. So the man lives in the mansion and no one knows him, or likes him, and he's lonely. One day he decides that he can't handle being alone, so he goes down to the biggest road within walking distance with some rope, finds a tree, and gets ready to hang himself."
"Why does he need to be by the road?"
"So that someone finds his remains and he doesn't just rot alone in his house. So he's all ready to off himself when a family of Gypsies comes by--"
"You should say Romany; it's more polite."
"Shut up, Dil. So, a family of Gypsies comes by, and they manage to stop him at the very last moment. He was afraid of breaking his neck, so he hung himself so that he'd suffocate instead, and they came before he died and they cut him down. When he was conscious, he explains to them about how lonely he is. They take him back to the mansion and tell him to get his most prized possession."
"What is it?"
"It's a necklace made of gold with pearls and stuff. So he brings it out to them, and the Gypsy father smiles and says that if the man brings out some clothing to wear, he can come live with them and not be lonely."
"And THAT'S your big story?"
"What's wrong with it?" Tommy asked defensively.
"Well, it's kind of short," Phil said. "And the happy ending is too easy."
"It's only the beginning," said Tommy. "See, the necklace is beautiful, but it's cursed by another Gypsy who gets mad at the man. The real story is the necklace passing from person to person, ruining and eventually killing all of them, until someone breaks the curse."
"That's stupid," Phil said.
"I like it. I think it's romantic."
"Thanks, Kimi."
"Umm...Kimi?" Lil asked. "Maybe I wasn't paying attention, but Tommy didn't mention romance. There wasn't even a main female character."
Dil felt this a good time to butt in. "I think Kimi means romantic in the Medieval sense of the word. Back in the really old days, a romantic story was a story with adventure and supernatural things. It didn't always have kissing."
"But the story would have kissing, too," added Tommy. "Eventually. So will you help me with this one?"
"I will," said Kimi. Dil, Lil, and Phil quickly echoed her.
"Great, guys!" Tommy exclaimed. "Thanks!"
He said it to all of them, but Kimi felt like he was speaking just to her.
They worked on the story together, getting the basic storyline down, and then the details. It was really a complicated idea, but it sounded really cool in theory. When Tommy had convinced them all that the idea was brilliant, he delegated jobs to everyone.
"Kimi, you can find the costumes. You'll have to do research and stuff, because I want this movie to be really accurate. And you have to find a necklace for it, too. Okay?"
"Cool!" There was something really attractive about making clothes, in Kimi's opinion. All she had to start out with was some fabric and a sewing machine, but when it was complete, she had made something useful. Kimi loved being useful.
"Lil, you scope out places we could film it. We can probably get to another state if necessary, but no overseas stuff, all right?"
"Got it."
"Phil, you get to look for actors. We'll all be in it, of course, but there's a lot more people than we have."
"Fun."
"And Dil? You can help me write out all the script."
"Awesome, bro."
The five teens got to work. Phil managed to find all sorts of volunteer actors--it was kind of surprising that so many were willing to work for free. Lil, after much working, found this great, wooded spot right out of the border; it was only an hour away, and there was a nice meadow and a beach nearby.
Dil and Tommy were making headway in the script. They had the majority of the movie written out, and it was looking better than anything they'd done before. Everything was going great...except in Kimi's department. There was just so many costumes! She was getting really bogged down. It was getting to the breaking point.
Tommy came over to her house one day to see how the costumes were going. Kira let him in and told him that Kimi was in her room, sewing. Tommy went up to see poor KImi crying amid quite a lot of fabric.
"Kimi? What's wrong?"
Rather than answering, she curled herself more tightly against her bed, and tried to silence her cries. Kimi didn't hear him, but within a few seconds, Tommy had stepped carefully over the corderoys and calicos to reach her.
Looking into her eyes, he asked again. "Kimi? Please tell me what's wrong. Is there too much to sew?"
She moved her head, something between a nod and a shake.
"Can I help you, Kimi?"
Kimi shrugged, and buried her face in her knees. "Miss..."
"Oh." Tommy knew what was wrong. "You miss your brother, don't you?"
Finally, he got a real response. Kimi nodded tearfully and flung herself into Tommy's arms. He was a little surprised, especially since she was holding him so tightly, but it wasn't bad at all, really. He tentatively put his arms around her and tried to rub her back soothingly.
"I know, Kimi. We all miss him terribly."
"He--" Kimi's voice broke. "He used to read to me while I sewed."
"Well, he'll be back this summer, right?" Tommy asked. "He can help us with our film, then. And--and, well, if it helps..."
Kimi looked up at him, her face streaked with tears.
"I--I could read to you while you sewed, if you like. I mean, if you want--it's okay if you don't."
She smiled and laid her head on his shoulder. "I'd like that. You're a good friend, Tommy."
"Do you want to start now?" Tommy asked. "It's only 1:30. We could work for a long time yet."
"Yes," she said, "Let's. I'll work on your first outfit, and you can read to me from..."
Kimi stood and went over to her volumnous bookshelf, looking over all her books. Finally, she grabbed a slim paperback and handed it to Tommy.
"Poe?" he asked, looking at the cover.
"That's what we were in the middle of when--well, before. They're short stories, and easy to read. You can start at 'The Mystery of Marie Roget'."
"All right."
As Kimi got the sewing machine back on track, Tommy opened to the right page and began to read. "There are few persons, even among the calmest thinkers, who have not occasionally been startled into a vague yet thrilling half-credence in the supernatural, by coincidences of so seemingly marvellous a character that, as mere coincidences, the intellect has been unable to receive them..."
...
"Wait, Mum," Maleta interrupted. "Who were you crying about?"
"My brother, Chuckie. He went to a boarding school that year, and he hadn't been writing."
"Why didn't you tell me about him yet?"
Kimi appeared flustered. "Well...well, because you wanted to hear about your father, and while Chuckie was a good friend of his, I thought he was more part of my stories about myself."
"Oh. Will you tell me about him when you've finished this one?"
"Yes, Maleta."
Inside herself, Kimi sighed. 'So much from staying away from the painful bits...'
~*~
It's nice to see y'all again! Sorry, but I've been really busy lately. This chapter is a bit longer than I usually make 'em, though, so I hope that's a little comfort. I'll try to keep on a good schedule this time, all right?
All the usual stuff applies. Rugrats borrowed from Klasky-Csupo (sp?). Movie plot borrowed and reworked slightly from The Red Violin. Watch The Red Violin if you haven't; the movie is AWESOME. Maleta borrowed from the workings of my mind. The Green Dragon borrowed from England. (You might know it as a place Merry and Pippin sing about in Return of the King, but there is a real Green Dragon out there.)
Hope you're all having a happy new year. Please review, and I'll be back with more sooner!
Love always!
She wasn't sure why exactly Kimi was taking them out to eat when they rarely did, but Maleta had the feeling it had to do with all this storytelling. Maybe Mum was getting tired and didn't want to make lunch; Maleta remembered faintly of times long ago when Kimi had been plagued with problems, remembered when her mother wasn't strong enough to get out of bed and take her to primary school; or perhaps Mum just wanted to make the day more special. Maleta hoped the latter was more accurate.
"So, what else do we need to talk about this afternoon?" Kimi had gone into fashion-designer-in-a-hurry mode, holding a ball-point pen at the ready above her notebook.
"When Dad was older," Maleta replied. "We stopped when he was seventeen and it was just getting good."
Her mother was smiling slightly, but her eyes looked wetter than usual. "All right," Kimi replied. "Why don't I tell you a little bit while we're here?"
At Maleta's nod, Kimi began.
"Well, there was this fabulous idea he had for a film..."
...
Tommy seemed rabid on that day. He acted like a toy poodle looking for attention all during school, and it wasn't any better when they all went over to his house to hang out. Tommy had absolutely dashed home, leaving Dil, Kimi, Phil, and Lil to walk over to the Pickles residence without him, talking curiously about what was up with the guy.
He met them at the door in his Inspiration Costume; it consisted of a pair of bright magenta trousers he'd picked up on clearance, an old radiation-yellow t-shirt with rolled-up sleeves, a dark green waistcoat, and a pink silk scarf tied delicately 'round his neck. A motheaten red beret topped off his look, which Tommy liked to call "Bohemian".
"Oh, no," said Phil. "Not the Outfit again."
"What's the movie idea of the day?" asked Lil.
Tommy replied dramatically, "It is not a movie idea for a day, but for all time."
"Don't quote Ben Jonson, dude," Dil said. "It sounds stupid when you mess up."
"who's Ben Jonson?"
Dil sighed. "Never mind."
"Anyway," Kimi said, "This is all very interesting, but it isn't your film idea."
Tommy smiled, almost gratefully. "Yes," he said. "My film. Not movie. I had this idea of a man who lived in a mansion at the top of a mountain--"
"Done," the other four chorused.
He looked a bit miffed. "When?"
"Dracula," said Kimi.
"Edward Scissorhands," added Phil.
"Citizen Kane," chimed in Dil.
"Okay, okay," Tommy answered. "That wasn't the real idea anyway."
"Sure it wasn't."
"It wasn't! It's only part of the real story. So the man lives in the mansion and no one knows him, or likes him, and he's lonely. One day he decides that he can't handle being alone, so he goes down to the biggest road within walking distance with some rope, finds a tree, and gets ready to hang himself."
"Why does he need to be by the road?"
"So that someone finds his remains and he doesn't just rot alone in his house. So he's all ready to off himself when a family of Gypsies comes by--"
"You should say Romany; it's more polite."
"Shut up, Dil. So, a family of Gypsies comes by, and they manage to stop him at the very last moment. He was afraid of breaking his neck, so he hung himself so that he'd suffocate instead, and they came before he died and they cut him down. When he was conscious, he explains to them about how lonely he is. They take him back to the mansion and tell him to get his most prized possession."
"What is it?"
"It's a necklace made of gold with pearls and stuff. So he brings it out to them, and the Gypsy father smiles and says that if the man brings out some clothing to wear, he can come live with them and not be lonely."
"And THAT'S your big story?"
"What's wrong with it?" Tommy asked defensively.
"Well, it's kind of short," Phil said. "And the happy ending is too easy."
"It's only the beginning," said Tommy. "See, the necklace is beautiful, but it's cursed by another Gypsy who gets mad at the man. The real story is the necklace passing from person to person, ruining and eventually killing all of them, until someone breaks the curse."
"That's stupid," Phil said.
"I like it. I think it's romantic."
"Thanks, Kimi."
"Umm...Kimi?" Lil asked. "Maybe I wasn't paying attention, but Tommy didn't mention romance. There wasn't even a main female character."
Dil felt this a good time to butt in. "I think Kimi means romantic in the Medieval sense of the word. Back in the really old days, a romantic story was a story with adventure and supernatural things. It didn't always have kissing."
"But the story would have kissing, too," added Tommy. "Eventually. So will you help me with this one?"
"I will," said Kimi. Dil, Lil, and Phil quickly echoed her.
"Great, guys!" Tommy exclaimed. "Thanks!"
He said it to all of them, but Kimi felt like he was speaking just to her.
They worked on the story together, getting the basic storyline down, and then the details. It was really a complicated idea, but it sounded really cool in theory. When Tommy had convinced them all that the idea was brilliant, he delegated jobs to everyone.
"Kimi, you can find the costumes. You'll have to do research and stuff, because I want this movie to be really accurate. And you have to find a necklace for it, too. Okay?"
"Cool!" There was something really attractive about making clothes, in Kimi's opinion. All she had to start out with was some fabric and a sewing machine, but when it was complete, she had made something useful. Kimi loved being useful.
"Lil, you scope out places we could film it. We can probably get to another state if necessary, but no overseas stuff, all right?"
"Got it."
"Phil, you get to look for actors. We'll all be in it, of course, but there's a lot more people than we have."
"Fun."
"And Dil? You can help me write out all the script."
"Awesome, bro."
The five teens got to work. Phil managed to find all sorts of volunteer actors--it was kind of surprising that so many were willing to work for free. Lil, after much working, found this great, wooded spot right out of the border; it was only an hour away, and there was a nice meadow and a beach nearby.
Dil and Tommy were making headway in the script. They had the majority of the movie written out, and it was looking better than anything they'd done before. Everything was going great...except in Kimi's department. There was just so many costumes! She was getting really bogged down. It was getting to the breaking point.
Tommy came over to her house one day to see how the costumes were going. Kira let him in and told him that Kimi was in her room, sewing. Tommy went up to see poor KImi crying amid quite a lot of fabric.
"Kimi? What's wrong?"
Rather than answering, she curled herself more tightly against her bed, and tried to silence her cries. Kimi didn't hear him, but within a few seconds, Tommy had stepped carefully over the corderoys and calicos to reach her.
Looking into her eyes, he asked again. "Kimi? Please tell me what's wrong. Is there too much to sew?"
She moved her head, something between a nod and a shake.
"Can I help you, Kimi?"
Kimi shrugged, and buried her face in her knees. "Miss..."
"Oh." Tommy knew what was wrong. "You miss your brother, don't you?"
Finally, he got a real response. Kimi nodded tearfully and flung herself into Tommy's arms. He was a little surprised, especially since she was holding him so tightly, but it wasn't bad at all, really. He tentatively put his arms around her and tried to rub her back soothingly.
"I know, Kimi. We all miss him terribly."
"He--" Kimi's voice broke. "He used to read to me while I sewed."
"Well, he'll be back this summer, right?" Tommy asked. "He can help us with our film, then. And--and, well, if it helps..."
Kimi looked up at him, her face streaked with tears.
"I--I could read to you while you sewed, if you like. I mean, if you want--it's okay if you don't."
She smiled and laid her head on his shoulder. "I'd like that. You're a good friend, Tommy."
"Do you want to start now?" Tommy asked. "It's only 1:30. We could work for a long time yet."
"Yes," she said, "Let's. I'll work on your first outfit, and you can read to me from..."
Kimi stood and went over to her volumnous bookshelf, looking over all her books. Finally, she grabbed a slim paperback and handed it to Tommy.
"Poe?" he asked, looking at the cover.
"That's what we were in the middle of when--well, before. They're short stories, and easy to read. You can start at 'The Mystery of Marie Roget'."
"All right."
As Kimi got the sewing machine back on track, Tommy opened to the right page and began to read. "There are few persons, even among the calmest thinkers, who have not occasionally been startled into a vague yet thrilling half-credence in the supernatural, by coincidences of so seemingly marvellous a character that, as mere coincidences, the intellect has been unable to receive them..."
...
"Wait, Mum," Maleta interrupted. "Who were you crying about?"
"My brother, Chuckie. He went to a boarding school that year, and he hadn't been writing."
"Why didn't you tell me about him yet?"
Kimi appeared flustered. "Well...well, because you wanted to hear about your father, and while Chuckie was a good friend of his, I thought he was more part of my stories about myself."
"Oh. Will you tell me about him when you've finished this one?"
"Yes, Maleta."
Inside herself, Kimi sighed. 'So much from staying away from the painful bits...'
~*~
It's nice to see y'all again! Sorry, but I've been really busy lately. This chapter is a bit longer than I usually make 'em, though, so I hope that's a little comfort. I'll try to keep on a good schedule this time, all right?
All the usual stuff applies. Rugrats borrowed from Klasky-Csupo (sp?). Movie plot borrowed and reworked slightly from The Red Violin. Watch The Red Violin if you haven't; the movie is AWESOME. Maleta borrowed from the workings of my mind. The Green Dragon borrowed from England. (You might know it as a place Merry and Pippin sing about in Return of the King, but there is a real Green Dragon out there.)
Hope you're all having a happy new year. Please review, and I'll be back with more sooner!
Love always!