John woke, covered in sweat, eyes morning fuzzy. Ariel stood beside his bed, her long white gown giving her the appearance of a small angel; her hands held together, forming a tiny vase. Two fresh flowers, petals white and bowed like floppy rabbit ears, stood still, observers.
The camera pulls back and both John and Ariel come into view. Pulling away toward the ceiling, the camera rotates three-sixty, music plays, neither character speaks. John sits upright, his face unreadable. Ariel stands statue still, her hair as primrose as her mother's, straight as a waterfall, flowing over the tops of her shoulders. Her eyes don't leave his, nor do they blink.
Soundtrack: Five for Fighting's Superman
8 comments:
This very short chapter is a play on the famous Buddha Flower sermon:
The Buddha stood beside a lake on Mount Grdhakuta and prepared to give a sermon to his disciples who were gathering there to hear him speak.
As the Holy One waited for his students to settle down, he noticed a golden lotus blooming in the muddy water nearby. He pulled the plant out of the water- flower, long stem, and root. Then he held it up high for all his students to see. For a long time he stood there, saying nothing, just holding up the lotus and looking into the blank faces of his audience.
Suddenly his disciple, Mahakashyapa, smiled. He understood!
Keep in mind, in this chapter, we do not see John smiling.
Love it.
Thanks Ryan.
The title reminds me of a lady I once met, who when speaking of the troubles of someone else referred to them as 'Not easy'. It was a way of saying that the person in question was not seeing clearly, was not able to look objectively, was too involved and too close and too set, too inward, too closed. The song I had not heard before, I very much liked the line that spoke of heroes bleeding. Parts within brought about images of John before life changed so drastically in several ways, Red Leader (was that it?), in charge, leading, celebrated and admired, of how the life he led was to all extents and purposes separate and of the chapter where he drives home to Cait, the first or second chapter I believe it was in which he appears, though the trees, with his thoughts. And his father's words. Not easy being him, he has had to contend with much, too much, and he was never easy, though I didn't define that as well as I might have above, but I just remembered your shades of grey comment some time ago, that would mould to it. TNH writes so beautifully of this event as you know, the smile shared, with that in mind the scene is even more poignant watching her as she stands, offering, still, waiting, watching, hoping, reaching. Lovely as touching is the description of her hair. Her vase-formed hands also. Hoping there is a continuance to this scene, reaching in return, fearing there will not be and hearing Ariel once more in the future. Poignant.
What The Fugled. LOL hi, love you bg!
Thanks Just, I think. :-D
They don't seem to have found healing yet. Glad to see the very name of Ariel. But something about her stillness, her watchfulness with John. Just standing by his bed watching him sleep. Holding a treasure.
And I would like to shake John and tell him to REALLY wake up! So few years are parents given. Too few. We have to overcome our humanity at times, shake off the things that are snaking us, and lovingly parent. Because the kids can't understand why we don't do this. Not really. This post was just FULL to be so short.
Jen
Jen, I think it would do John a world of good to hear what you've got to say. Although John is still tormented with nightmares, Ariel, as we have seen before, seems to understand and seems in her own way to be meeting her father half way across the bridge, waiting patiently for him to join her in moving forward. Of course, Ariel did get a chance to say goodbye to her mother and make that peace thanks to Kyra, something John wanted and denied (or maybe I just thought that chapter and never wrote it--John asking Kyra to take him to see Cait and she says no).
As always Jen, a pleasure to see you stopping by. Your comments are always very much appreciated. :-)
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