Prompt: 'I'm Nobody! Who are you?' poem by Emily Dickinson
(Word Count: 2,988)
I tensed as I saw a shadowy figure. Quietly, I crept nearer and the fog, which was thick but not nearly as suffocating as the great smog of 1952, flowed around me,
“Who are you?”
The girl jumped, but I remained still,
“Well?”
“Oh, me?” she gave a nervous giggle, “why, I’m Nobody! Who are you?”
I narrowed my gaze, suspicious,
“Nobody, huh?”
“Yup!” she squeaked, “Are you also Nobody?”
I gave a measured nod,
“How dreary – to be – Somebody.”
She slowly blinked, looking at me for a second before answering,
“How public – like a Frog.”
She was too smiley, too outgoing. Her clothes didn’t blend in but stood out with a shirt covered with bright pink and purple butterflies. I didn’t trust her. But still… she knew the required response known only to Nobodies. So I guess she must be safe.
“I haven’t seen you around before,” I said.
“Yea, well, I only joined last evening. Still getting used to it really.”
“Hmm.” The gang was rapidly growing, though I would have thought Intro and Vert would’ve told me about a newcomer, especially one so outstanding (in a bad way). “Well, you might want to start by covering up those bright butterflies, they make you stand out as though you want to be noticed!”
Rummaging through my rucksack, I tossed a suitable neutral-coloured hoodie at her with a curt “here” and she pulled it on, though she seemed to struggle a bit. Unusual – for hoodies were a common-wear of the Nobodies but, then again, she was new.
"We better head back, it’s getting late.”
“Late?”
“Yes. It’s already six o’clock!” as though confirming my concerns, the city’s great clock tower began to ring in the distance, a fragment of the familiar tune ‘Westminster Quarters’ reverberating throughout the city.
“Oh-” she shook her head with a laugh, “yes, of course. Sorry, I keep forgetting!”
I shook my head with a frown but began walking. Honestly, how Intro and Vert had ever thought she would be a good recruit for the Nobodies was beyond me, but I trusted their judgement.
I rolled my eyes as I noticed that the girl followed me closely, as though nervous of being left behind.
‘Give her time.’ the kindness in me reasoned, ‘After all, she’s not used to the alleyways of avoidance yet.’
“So, what are some of your hobbies?”
“What?” I only asked someone those sort of questions after our second or third interaction.
“I said,” she giggled, “what are some of your hobbies?”
I eyeballed her, “I heard you the first time.”
“Oh…” she murmured, looking so crestfallen that I relented.
“Well… I love reading. I actually just finished reading a really good book that was recently published which I quite enjoyed. ‘Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring’ – have you heard of it?”
She shook her head with another laugh (her over-enthusiastic joy was really beginning to annoy me).
“No, I haven’t heard of it.”
“Really? It was in almost every bookstore display a month or so ago.”
“Oh… that’s probably why. Bookstores don’t interest me very much, I’m more of a television girl myself.”
I stopped and stared at her in surprise. What Nobody worth their salt didn’t look in at the bookstore every time they passed it? After all, if not for bookstores – or buying food I suppose – what point was there in ever leaving the house?
“What is it? Do I have dirt on my face or something?” she asked, reaching up and patting her poofy hair.
“No.” I turned and kept walking, and she hastened to follow me – reminding me of a lost, pathetic puppy.
“Well, what is it?” When I did not immediately respond, she wailed, “I’m failing as a Nobody already, aren’t I?”
I gave her a look, this wouldn’t do at all,
“You want my advice?” she nodded. “be quieter-”
“Oh.”
“-and for heaven’s sake stop with the small talk and that stupid wailing. You’re almost as bad as a Somebody!”
“Sorry,” she sheepishly ducked her head, “I’ll try my best. I’m not normally this bad, promise, I just get very chatty when I’m nervous, you know?”
“No, I don’t, but I suppose that’s alright then,” I conceded.
She smiled at me, an infectious smile that spread to my face before I could stop it – though I quickly flattened it into a frown as we continued to walk through the quiet streets. I didn’t like her. Oh, I’m sure she was good enough once you got to know her, but I honestly knew her too much and much sooner that I would’ve liked to. A complete earbasher if ever I saw one.
At last we reached home - she had thankfully taken my advice and remained quiet for the rest of the walk - and I politely knocked on the door.
No answer, as usual.
I pulled the key out of my pocket and let myself in, as was the custom, and let the girl enter.
I casually walked to the living room, where a few of the Nobodies were reading in silence. Recognising my familiar footsteps, they stopped reading at varying times (presumably finishing whatever sentence or paragraph they were reading) and looked up with small smiles. But then, something interrupted the normal status quo as Intro’s eyes wandered to the new girl and she demanded with a frown,
“Who’s that?”
I stared at her in surprise, “I- the new Nobody. She joined last night?”
Vert, now looking up, shook his head, “We haven’t had any new members since Anx joined.”
I could only gape in shock, both astonished and ashamed, “But… she knew the passcode...”
The new girl stepped forward, glancing at me with a smirk, “Hey y’all! How are you going? My name’s Lind-!”
A member of the gang interrupted her, crying out with horror,
“That’s not a Nobody. That’s a Somebody!”
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04Lonewolf's Short Stories
Short Story[WARNING: Please do not copy any of these without permission! If you see someone else using these ideas, please let me know, because these are all my own work.] This book is basically just a compilation of all my short stories that I've written over...
