Adventures to Follow // Willow&Jo
May 21, 2015 0:42:53 GMT -5
Post by cosetty on May 21, 2015 0:42:53 GMT -5
I need some space to run around.
I’ll always have the underground.
I’ll build my road despite the cost.
I’m not looking to be found.
Finally! With a dull ring, a rush of chatter and a swing of backpacks signaled the end of the school day. Jo greeted the sidewalks outside of the school house like something hungry. Which she was, actually. It had been a dreadfully long time since lunch. It had been a dreadfully long day, period.
It began when her mother rushed her out the door without her snack packed in the proper place, forcing her to go the day without. “Oh, Josephine, dear. I’ll pick up some more at the grocery today.” She supposed her mother was trying to be reassuring. “Your father will give you a few pennies. Buy a fruit after class.” Didn’t Ma know anything? She simply couldn’t just buy a fruit! That messed up everything! And yet, Jo still found herself out of the door and on the way to school before she could fully protest. She tried not to get too worked up about the disturbance. It was easier when she was walking between her parents, like always; Ma on the right and Pa on the left.
Morning classes passed without incident, which lulled her into a sense that the day would go by smoothly after all, even if it did start out all wrong. However, by the time afternoon rolled around, she could no longer ignore the empty place in her lunchbox where her afternoon snack always was. Her head started to hurt, and there was a funny feeling at the back of her throat, but Jo didn’t know what that meant. She pushed it down, especially when the corners of her eyes started to itch. Oh, could anything be so wrong?
The afternoon dragged on, uncomfortable, with an acute sense of something missing.
But now, finally, finally, she was free. Jo walked in the straightest line she could manage to the center of town, the three coins from Pa burning a hole in her pocket. She took them out, and clenched them tight in her fist, just to make extra sure that when she reached the market, they wouldn’t have disappeared.
Ruinous day aside, the weather was beautiful. It was almost a crime, Jo thought, to be inside. It was just the right side of sunny, which made the sidewalk under her feet warm from hours of laying in the sun. She pressed her empty palm against stone buildings and windows, just to feel the built up heat warm her hand. The beautiful day did make Jo feel better, especially since it was the perfect day for finding.
There: the fruit stand. Jo arrived at the market, easily lost among the hustle and bustle of other customers. Jo opened her palm, and carefully counted the money her father had handed to her that morning. “Now, don’t spend it all in one place.” He had said, with a wink. Silly, Pa. It was just the right amount for one of the apples, which significantly lifted her spirits. Plucking one of the fruits from the stall, she practically floated over to the old man sitting beside the stand. The joy at having an apple (finally) made the bad things about the day seem a little less dreary. Paying the man, she set course for her favorite spot in town.
It seemed like only a few minutes, although logically Jo knew it took longer to get to the wooded areas from the market than a few minutes. The time it took to walk there simply didn’t register in the blonde’s mind, too overcome with the simple joys of an apple and a beautiful day. She didn’t get far down the path before her hunger reappeared, rattling her stomach. Finding a seat along a fallen log by the edge of the path, Jo slung her backpack off her shoulder and started the business of (finally) eating her afternoon snack.
And that’s when all the things that could possibly go wrong, went wrong. With a growing sense of heaviness, Jo realized she couldn’t eat the apple after all, for she didn’t have a knife with which to slice it. A sharp inhale escaped her mouth before her throat tightened. I messed up the whole day by getting it wrong this morning. It wasn’t right, and it will never get better!
At eleven, Jo was old enough to know when she was being a little dramatic. She knew that one bad day didn’t spell doom for the rest, except one special sort of bad day, which she couldn’t think about right now. She was old enough to know, and yet, the taste in the back of her mouth was still sour with disappointment. Her eyes still burned with unshed tears.
At the moment, it very much felt like the end of the world. And Jo had absolutely no idea what to do.
It began when her mother rushed her out the door without her snack packed in the proper place, forcing her to go the day without. “Oh, Josephine, dear. I’ll pick up some more at the grocery today.” She supposed her mother was trying to be reassuring. “Your father will give you a few pennies. Buy a fruit after class.” Didn’t Ma know anything? She simply couldn’t just buy a fruit! That messed up everything! And yet, Jo still found herself out of the door and on the way to school before she could fully protest. She tried not to get too worked up about the disturbance. It was easier when she was walking between her parents, like always; Ma on the right and Pa on the left.
Morning classes passed without incident, which lulled her into a sense that the day would go by smoothly after all, even if it did start out all wrong. However, by the time afternoon rolled around, she could no longer ignore the empty place in her lunchbox where her afternoon snack always was. Her head started to hurt, and there was a funny feeling at the back of her throat, but Jo didn’t know what that meant. She pushed it down, especially when the corners of her eyes started to itch. Oh, could anything be so wrong?
The afternoon dragged on, uncomfortable, with an acute sense of something missing.
But now, finally, finally, she was free. Jo walked in the straightest line she could manage to the center of town, the three coins from Pa burning a hole in her pocket. She took them out, and clenched them tight in her fist, just to make extra sure that when she reached the market, they wouldn’t have disappeared.
Ruinous day aside, the weather was beautiful. It was almost a crime, Jo thought, to be inside. It was just the right side of sunny, which made the sidewalk under her feet warm from hours of laying in the sun. She pressed her empty palm against stone buildings and windows, just to feel the built up heat warm her hand. The beautiful day did make Jo feel better, especially since it was the perfect day for finding.
There: the fruit stand. Jo arrived at the market, easily lost among the hustle and bustle of other customers. Jo opened her palm, and carefully counted the money her father had handed to her that morning. “Now, don’t spend it all in one place.” He had said, with a wink. Silly, Pa. It was just the right amount for one of the apples, which significantly lifted her spirits. Plucking one of the fruits from the stall, she practically floated over to the old man sitting beside the stand. The joy at having an apple (finally) made the bad things about the day seem a little less dreary. Paying the man, she set course for her favorite spot in town.
It seemed like only a few minutes, although logically Jo knew it took longer to get to the wooded areas from the market than a few minutes. The time it took to walk there simply didn’t register in the blonde’s mind, too overcome with the simple joys of an apple and a beautiful day. She didn’t get far down the path before her hunger reappeared, rattling her stomach. Finding a seat along a fallen log by the edge of the path, Jo slung her backpack off her shoulder and started the business of (finally) eating her afternoon snack.
And that’s when all the things that could possibly go wrong, went wrong. With a growing sense of heaviness, Jo realized she couldn’t eat the apple after all, for she didn’t have a knife with which to slice it. A sharp inhale escaped her mouth before her throat tightened. I messed up the whole day by getting it wrong this morning. It wasn’t right, and it will never get better!
At eleven, Jo was old enough to know when she was being a little dramatic. She knew that one bad day didn’t spell doom for the rest, except one special sort of bad day, which she couldn’t think about right now. She was old enough to know, and yet, the taste in the back of her mouth was still sour with disappointment. Her eyes still burned with unshed tears.
At the moment, it very much felt like the end of the world. And Jo had absolutely no idea what to do.
Words: 807
Notes: I know it's a little different than what we vaguely talked about, but I hope it still works!! Also, I'm so sorry it took so long ~~ xoxo
Notes: I know it's a little different than what we vaguely talked about, but I hope it still works!! Also, I'm so sorry it took so long ~~ xoxo
