"Are you Trevor?" the voice called though the slicing rain. Bravo neighing at moor.
"Trev." His letters as leaves on the wind.
"What?"
"Trev. My name is Trev."
"Well, Trev," said the voice, poking him in the side, "if you aim to mount this ride . . ."
Em stood as stone, head back, eyes red, pooling, supplicating like a forsaken angel. Crimson tears rolled like little beads of mercury, escaping over the curve of her trembling rims. Her arms hung down, elbows locked like ostrich knees, palms turned outward, buffered from her waist in disbelief.
Pinky fluttered about, eyes soundlessly clicking.
"Hey Trev, where you going?" called Rog. "Trev?" Gone. The door to Em's quarters open. Rog peeked in. "Em?" Words swallowed in the silence as light into a black hole.
Turning the corner Trev ran into Goldie, her arm poking him in the side. "Ouch."
"Hey you, sleepyhead. That didn't hurt." Em poked Trev again. "You gonna sleep all morning?"
"What?"
"You were having some sort of strange dream."
Trev rubbed his eyes, sheets like curtains on his waist. "Really?"
"Yeah, really," said Em, kissing his cheek, her hands massaging his shoulders.
"Wow." Trev shook his head as if to avoid contact.
"Who is Stacie?"
8 comments:
Of all the characters, Trev's thoughts have been the most elusive. We've always had to guess, as far as I recall, at them by his action, on occasion his words. Memories of being on the dock yesterday, searching the crowds for a face that would not appear, whatever the reason, and a dream today of him leaving once more. You sure do know how to make things interesting around here. :-D
I like the flashback that allows us to see the introduction of one character to another, those first moments between people that would soon become family if not always friends. Rog's appearance both in the memory within the dream and within the dream itself lend the clue that one is very much tied to the other, that Trev may fear a repeat performance on his own part of having to leave unseen. What a picture is painted of Em as she stands, those beads of crimson falling from the rim of her eyes as she feels rather than sees or hears him leaving. No response to Rog's question, rushing so much that he collides with Goldie, there is no wavering at the door here, Trev, I think, for someone so young knows himself only too well. The query of 'really', I wonder whether is through non-remembrance of the dream or a stalling method, in any case his shaking of his head to avoid contact seems less to do with any remnants of the dream directly that it does with him wanting to be reminded of it in his state of alertness. I wonder how much his experience at the hands of Sal has to do with what he is feeling now, somehow I think it is a lot less than one would imagine. There is a sense, through not having known much about him, that the real story of Trev began with Sal, other than that we only knew that he was a doctor, his past was a closed book more or less and so whatever interest was there before to learn more of him, it now has become a great mystery and source of intrigue. What are his thoughts. Who exactly is Trev. What is it that made him run in his dream.
And will he answer Em's question. Somehow I doubt it, that he will become any more open than he has been, and like the person who smiles seldom, any glimpses that we gain into Trev, any titbits of information that will give us a better insight into who he is, will be all the more welcome.
I like very much how this chapter worked, through memory combined with dream, through a dream that could just be the most informative of the three, to the here and now as he wakes with Em. Writing is superb as always, the image of Em especially. The ostrich knee simile is wonderfully original. Another beautifully descriptive line is Words swallowed in the silence as light into a black hole..
Sweet dreams, Poppet, you deserve them.
I was going to select a few lines that I particular like and then I realised there were too many to do so :)
For me, this post like the previous one has a magical quality to it.
I love the image too, reminded me of a piece of jewellery.
Worth the wait.
Miladysa, you are very kind. Thank you. :-)
The imagery in the first passage is wonderfully strong, not just the part that you pointed out, but in what we know, most recently in the chapter below, are dire weather conditions, winds raging across the planet, the wonderfully resounding slicing rain in the first sentence and the phrase His letters as leaves on the wind. give this short passage life. We've visited the dock several times, perhaps it is therefore n part the dock as a location is outstanding in clarity. I became so embroiled in what could be going on in Trev's head that I ended up posting my comment without really saying very much about the writing as an entity. The three parts, four if one counts the chapter below, as mentioned is comparable though very different from the chapter in which Yul receives her diagnosis, where the writing is split into different parts only to give the full picture, or as full as is meant to be given, when complete. Whether the first part is memory or memory within dream, it does more than set a scene, it provides a basis on which to interpret the dream and scene ahead. Subtle, and ingenious, and what is most wonderful about these scenes with Trevor is that there is not sufficient information to make any doubtless interpretations, one can theorize, but there a sense of approach, like a skittish horse - blame Bravo for that one - the impression one receives is that if one is to approach Trev, one must do so on his terms, no rushing forth, it would only send him scurrying. Whether he was always this way, I'm not sure, given what I mentioned above of us knowing very little concrete detail about his life prior to leaving Hyneria, it would appear to be the case. Though it may very well be simple shyness pre-Sal that accounts for it. Just as you have always managed, through your incredible skills as a story teller, to kindle yet more curiosity for every piece of information that you have provided, so too in the case of your characters, this time Trev to as great a degree as any (hmm...yes, I think so) do you evoke with every appearance that they make more desire to know them.
I really don't know very much about how dreams work, but that does not deter any of us from making a good or valid interpretation of them, in this case however I just not sure that I could decide on any one other than that they have the common thread of having some meaning in regards to his relationship with Em. The fact that he leaves her as she spills tears of blood speaks both of his fear at the procedure she is about to undergo as well as his ability to be there with her. What exactly his reasons are, and I must apologise for again I am getting caught up in event, is just so very intriguing. Is it simple, is it complex, is it a combination of several things or one thing that at least in his dream drives him out of the door. And I love the not knowing.
Em stood as stone, head back, eyes red, pooling, supplicating like a forsaken angel. Crimson tears rolled like little beads of mercury, escaping over the curve of her trembling rims. Her arms hung down, elbows locked like ostrich knees, palms turned outward, buffered from her waist in disbelief. Still, you amaze with just how fluently you paint with words, Between the commas a flourish.
Trev has never spoken of his life on Hyneria, he has not spoken of Sal in any real context, his revelation of the name 'Stacie' occurs as he is sleeping, dreaming that he is escaping and he is awoken from sleep with a prod, gentle though it may be, and a question, casual or substantial as the case may be, with the shake of his head, at least in my mind, he seems to be scurrying from both the rest of the chapter.
Crimson tears rolled like little beads of mercury, escaping over the curve of her trembling rims.
Reading that sentence did something to me.
And I'm still feeling it.
Strumpet, thank you for those very kind words. I hope you are feeling better. :-)
Ouch. Betrayal? Still trying to make my way. Being told it's time for bed and I leave on "who's Stacie?" Bad mojo that.
Jennifer
Jennifer, the story hasn't told us who Stacie is yet, but it seems she had a rather meaningful emotional impact on Trev back on Hyneria. This chapter, outside of the dream sequence, takes us back two years in time (both in the story and in real time since the story is two years old now) when Trev came to "the dock" to board Bravo to evacuate the planet. Eight Hynerians boarded Bravo, and of the eight, I think we have seen four or five of their dock stories--all rather moving as they had to leave loved ones behind on a dying planet.
So nice to see you working your way back in the story. Thank you for making the effort. :-)
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