"Dad," cried Ariel. "Taren beat me again."
"Not now," said John plowing past his daughter like a cutter, a spray of tears in his wake, her arms falling to her side with the impertinent anger of unsated anchors.
"Hey," she shouted. "I'll tell you something." John marched on. And with a young girl's voice as whip cracking wet stone, she cried out, "I wanna hold your hand."
John stopped, his back (stinging) to Ariel, his chastened head bowed. Then he turned and . . .
Soundtrack: I Want to Hold Your Hand (TV Carpio version)
9 comments:
ed note:
Taren has defeated Ariel at a board game, as represented by the image, not physically "beat" her.
John marched on, this also serves to remind us of the immediate aftermath of loss, of time passing and life for those left behind carrying on regardless of how in a word ridiculous it seems that it could do that. We've seen John just recently alone in his bathroom, we've seen him have to leave for that meeting with Taboodja, we've seen Ariel with Em and with Kyra, but we have as yet seen only scenes such as this one of the two of them, by 'such as' I mean circumstance, Cait's death of course but mostly that there has been so much else for John to take care of not to mention his own grief which is really the issue here, (circumstances)have meant there has been no real opportunity to re-connect, to come together alone without Cait there. Different environment also, John was always able to give himself fully over to whatever needed to be done when he was away from Kulmyk. I've lost the point I was wanting to make, but in any case, seeing John here evokes yet more empathy for him, and at the same time one just wants to shake him, not that he is unknowing and tell him to hold his daughters hand. Ariel, a wonder, brave and knowing and grounded, she has seen her mother, understands John more than John could imagine I think, I'm prepared for the reply to this :-), and still she is a child, not finding it very fun that she has been beat once again in a game. :-D
Image, words, music, love it all. Bam.
Failed to mention the wonderful, wonderful "Not now," said John plowing past his daughter like a cutter, a spray of tears in his wake, this partial sentence alone is another that would do well held up as example.
Beautiful image!!
"as whip cracking wet stone" like it!
Miladysa, if Ariel can do that now, I pity her poor husband. :-D
Sweetest, :-)
I love that Beatles song. It has always been one of my favourites...
I like the father daughter scene...
Impertinent anger of unsated anchors...LMAO! I *know* that :)
& that command in the end... quite a fiery wench eh? :D
Mona, most of my chapters are inspired by images, but this one by the song. I was listening to Carpio's version, and just the sound of her voice, especially as she sings those opening lines, made me think of Ariel and how John is so preoccupied with all that is happening that he is neglecting her. I think if I had been listening to the original version, this chapter doesn't happen. It is the female voice, that urgency, that seeded the idea.
One side note, for the sake of documenting the story, I specially had Taren beating Ariel (original idea was that it would be Von) to illustrate or highlight John's preoccupation as he marches past her, since Taren is Arc'teryxian--sworn enemies of Kulmyk. So for John to show no interest in a Arc'teryxian beating his daughter, well . . . :-D
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