Sunday, August 21, 2011

Dermot and Sally, The End (or the Beginning) of a Fairy Tale



Photo courtesy of www.kltworks.com
Albert rubbed the stubble on his chin. He liked to contemplate with the prickle poking his fingers. And especially much when all his customers were happy. This new batch though, they looked more complicated than the last. You see, being a Ferris wheel operator wasn’t as easy as it seemed. And Albert was even good at it.  

Every person likes to sit next to someone nice. Nice to talk to, nice to smell, nice to look at, nice to listen to, and hopefully even nice enough to want to share your food with. So when Albert looked out at the ticket holders and saw that most of them weren’t family or lovers but singles, he knew he had a lot of magic to weave. And that wouldn’t normally be a problem for Albert because, as everyone at the fairgrounds knew, Albert was good at what he did. What was a problem though, were the two odd balls.

The first one was a man. The second one was a woman. And they were a bit weird. No one wanted to sit next to a weirdo. It just wasn’t nice.

The man’s arms were filled with food. Albert couldn’t see everything but he did see a big bag of popcorn, a bunch of carrots with their greens still on, a box of wheat thins, a roll of Ritz, two canisters of Pringles, cotton candy, at least two fairground baked elephant ears, a Polish sausage with mustard dripping on the grass, a wedge of cheese, a six pack of root beer, and a couple of chocolate bars that looked as if they might fall out of his pocket at any second. And the guy even had the nerve to blow bubbles with his chewing gum, the only food NOT allowed on the Ferris wheel. Albert sighed.

“I can’t wait to taste all these delicious treats way up high, riding the Ferris wheel like a bird atop  the wind. With all these foods just waiting to be tasted, how can anyone not feel joy? Life is delicious!” said Dermot to himself, taking a bite of a carrot and crunching it right loud.

The woman, who stood a few paces behind the man, was odd too, but in a different sort of way. She was half naked. With only a bikini top and a skirt the size of a wash rag, Albert didn’t know what to make of her. She didn’t even have any shoes on, for Pete’s sake. And she was smiling bigger than-- well, maybe as big as-- now there’s an idea, thought Albert to himself, as he fiddled a little more with the stubble on his chin.


“I can’t wait to feel the sky as it licks my skin, rushing by in a windy frenzy to touch as many people as it can. I’m just so lucky! So lucky I am! I can feel! I am alive! Life is meant to be felt!” said Sally to herself, her arms raised high up in the air.


"Ahhh....would you two mind sharing a chair?” said Albert, overhearing their happy, life-love thoughts.

And just like that, the two odd balls, one enjoying life through flavor, the other through her skin, found themselves each, an open-sensed friend.


*          *          *

“Hey, I’m Dermot.”
“Ya? Well, my name’s Sally. Do you got any red vines in there?”
“Red vines?”
“You know, only the tastiest candy ever made.”
“Seriously?
“Seriously.”
“Woa. I gotta go get us some. Do you think he’d hold the ride?”

13 comments:

Chronicles of Illusions said...

I can't get enough of this - more please...

Brynne said...

You are soO adorable, Jo! I wrote this as the end but if Dermot and Sally visit me again I'll be sure to send you news of their adventures, ok?:) Or...who knows, maybe they will visit *you* as you dream!! They seem to appeal most to those with wide open senses...yes, especially YOU, dear, sensory Jo!

db said...

Great story, Brynne! Loved it as usual.

Brynne said...

thanks, db. I'm soOo glad you liked it!:)

Chronicles of Illusions said...

Sensory Jo - like that a LOT !!!!!!

Anonymous said...

Brynne, you ARE magic. Someday I hope to have the kind of time so I can read your entire blog straight through. Such joyful imagination.

wind on the skin has got to be the most pleasant feeling Ive yet experienced. and red vines are fun to play with. yes indeedy. One can form them into shapes, or turn them into flutes. :)

Brynne said...

Thank you, Sara for all the magic you send my way every time you play here and every time you post there!!!:) I always love what you have to say...warms me from the inside out!!! Weeeeee!!!

Debra said...

Written from Albert’s perspective, the writing is perfect.
How is Dermot carrying all that food around?
The conclusion (or the beginning of the story) ties up the opening paragraph brilliantly.
Delightful fairy tale with great characterization.
You’re got the touch Brynne. This, the first of your fiction I’ve read.
What a pleasant surprise!

Brynne said...

How very kind and open-hearted of you, Debra! But of course...you're Debra! It was actually a dream and even though I dont usually share these sorts of things here, I couldn't resist it this time! Happy you had fun with it! I think we all have a bit of Dermot or Sally in us. The problem is, we dont know it until we uncover what we were missing....:)

Anonymous said...

Hello,

I'm making my rounds through my Campaigner groups. Nice to meet you :)

Beautiful voice. I'm looking forward to catching more of your writing.

Brynne said...

Nice to have you by for a visit, Raelyn! Had fun at your blog, too!:) Yay, Campaigners!

Bella said...

Dermot, and Sally, sun, and red vines. Your imagination brings these characters to life, makes them tangible and allows us to identify with them. How do you do that? How do you spin this sort of magic, lady? I loved it!

Brynne said...

Thanks, dear Bella. Ever supportive, ever kind, ever filled with smiling salutations.:)