Get Away
As I walk along the shoreline,
I realize just how small I,
And each of us,
Really is.
The tide washes my footprints away,
With no regard for where I’m going,
And no understanding of where I’ve been.
I feel a strange peace,
Out here,
Where no one can find me.
There is no difference if I keep walking,
Or if I get swept out to sea.
The ocean has no regard for where I’m going,
And no understanding of where I’ve been.
It just washes
my footprints
a w a y . . .
Right now, I have a few short stories in the works. None of them are done or finalized yet in any way, but I wanted to share what I’ve been working on with you guys. I don’t know what to title it yet because every single title I come up with for it makes me barf in my mouth because it’s so cliche. For now, I’m calling it an untitled project. If anyone has any suggestions for the title of the story, leave them in the comments below. So, without further ado, I present an excerpt from a short story in progress:
Everyone at Lakeview Grove Community College Summer Theater Camp was required to go to the college and audition the week before camp started. Each person had to recite a poem and sing a song of their choosing. The poem I chose to recite was “Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening,” and I sang “Revolting Children” from Matilda the Musical. I feel like I did pretty well, and I’m excited to see what role I got.
I, along with all of the other campers, filed into the Lakeview Grove Community College auditorium to hear who would play which part in “The Lion King.”
Once everyone was seated, a tall man standing on the stage bellowed, “Alright, campers! I’m Jaden, the director of this year’s wonderful production, which, as you all know, is ‘The Lion King’!”
Everyone applauded.
“When I call your name,” Jaden continued, “You will walk onto the stage using the stairs on either side, and you will stand next to me on the stage. Once you are standing next to me, I will announce your role in the show. Once your role is announced, you will exit the stage using the stairs on either side and you will go back to your seat. I will start with Jacqueline Anderson.”
A girl, who I assumed was Jacqueline Anderson, walked up the stairs onto the stage and stood next to Jaden.
“Jacqueline, you will be playing the role of a wildebeest in the scene of Mufasa’s death and a hyena in ‘Be Prepared.’ Congratulations.” Jaden announced. We all applauded for Jacqueline. I then allowed myself to space out a bit until my name was called, continuing to applaud for each person as they walked offstage.
“Brooklynne Findlay,” Jaden called.
Every muscle in my body trembled as I took my spot on the stage next to the director, feeling every pair of eyes in the audience boring holes into my back.
“Brooklynne, you will be playing the role of Young Simba,” Jaden said.
I clapped my hand in front of my gaping mouth.
“But…but I wasn’t that good, was I?” I stammered.
“I have full confidence that you will be excellent.” Jaden said. “Congratulations, Brooklynne.” Everyone applauded. I walked offstage in tears. When I got to my seat, I was still sobbing. After about a minute, I felt a tap on my shoulder.
“Hey, you’re gonna do fine.” A soft voice whispered from behind me. I turned around and saw a girl who looked around my age. “Why are you crying?”
“I…I won’t be able to do it. This is my first play,” I choked.
“At this camp? Or, like, ever?” The girl asked.
“Ever.”
“You’ll do fine. Jaden has directed shows on Broadway, so the fact that he chose you to play Young Simba means that he thinks you’re talented. I bet you’re talented. Sing something for me.”
“Now?” I wondered.
“Now, but super quietly,” the girl whispered. I sang a song called “Star in Your Own Life” for this mysterious girl. I never sing for anyone, but I trusted this girl for some reason. I felt like she wanted to be my friend.
“Omigod, you’re amazing!” The girl whisper-squealed.
“Lainey Meadows!” Jaden bellowed out.
“That’s me. Wish me luck!” Lainey squeezed my hand and skipped onstage. Once Lainey was standing next to Jaden, he announced: “Lainey, you will play the part of Young Nala. Congratulations!”
Everyone applauded, but I cheered extra loud for my new friend. When she got back to her seat, she crushed me in a hug that was more like a death grip.
“We’re gonna be costars!” Lainey squealed.
Maybe this summer wasn’t going to be so bad after all.
As you can probably tell from the title of this post, I am getting braces soon! I am starting a series here on my blog where I will chronicle my experiences with having braces over the next 12 to 18 months. I’m not actually getting my braces yet (the big day is August 5), but today, I got the molds for my braces made, and let me tell you, it was far from boring.
*Note: to protect everyone’s privacy, I will refer to the dental hygienist as The Dental Hygienist and the orthodontist as Dr. Orthodontist.*
The first thing I did at my orthodontist’s appointment this morning was getting a side view X-ray of my teeth. I already had all of the other X-rays done but the side panel, so that is what I did first.
“Bite down hard,” The Dental Hygienist commanded. She then went to the computer to take the X-ray. My jaw was in immense pain from being clenched for so long, so I decided to relax it.
After The Dental Hygienist came back from the computer, she scolded me: “Maisie, you didn’t bite down hard enough. Try again.”
For five minutes, I had to hold my jaw stiff. By the time The Dental Hygienist said that the X-ray was done, I could barely open my mouth without yelping in pain. It was the most successful attempt at getting me to stop talking that I had ever experienced.
After we meandered down the snaky corridors to Dr. Orthodontist’s work station (Dr. Orthodontist’s office is at an enormous university-affiliated dental clinic), The Dental Hygienist told me it was time to get my molds done.
“The key here is to breathe through your nose. Do not, I repeat, DO NOT breathe through your mouth.” The Dental Hygienist explained. She then mixed up a purple substance that looked like Silly Putty and put it in the mold tray. I would be doing my bottom teeth first.
The Dental Hygienist pressed the Silly Putty-like stuff onto my bottom teeth. “Lift up your tongue,” she instructed. I did as I was told, and breathed through my nose, and the bottom mold was done a minute later.
The Dental Hygienist then filled a tray for my top mold with the purple Silly Putty stuff, and pressed it against my top teeth. I could feel the mold against the back of my throat. It felt like a big muscular guy was clenching my neck in the crook of his elbow.
“Breathe through your nose!” The Dental Hygienist pushed.
I tried to, but the big muscular guy would not loosen his grip on my neck. My gag reflex kicked in, and I puked.
I puked all over The Dental Hygienist.
And the dentist’s chair that I was sitting in.
And my favorite pair of DESIGNER WHITE JEAN SHORTS.
For some reason, whenever I throw up, I start crying, and this time was no different. I frantically apologized to The Dental Hygienist, who assured me that I wasn’t the first patient who had puked on her when getting their molds done, and mopped up my shorts with wet paper towels. I drank some water, and The Dental Hygienist tried making the top mold again. However, she let the mold harden a little bit before putting it in my mouth, so it would only have to stay in my mouth for 10 to 15 seconds rather than a whole minute, and she used a smaller mold tray. Miraculously, I didn’t produce a tsunami of yesterday’s dinner after that second attempt. My dad and The Dental Hygienist applauded the successful making of my top mold.
Dr. Orthodontist came in a few minutes later to discuss logistical stuff about getting my braces on and about the procedure that she would follow when I actually got my braces. I’m getting my top braces only first because I have such a huge overbite that they have to move my top teeth up a significant amount before they can work on the bottom teeth.
Needless to say, I had the story of the day at camp.
Next time on Adventures in Orthodontics…Newly Minted Metal Mouth Maisie!
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