THE EYE (on hold due to editing)

FLORENCE ANNE

     I was coming home from College. My bus dropped me a few miles away from home. It was raining and I had to walk for a few minutes under the rain. I knew each corner, each street, each time the bus would pass and the rain did not bother me at all - I even liked it. The only thing that bothered me was those raindrops all over my glasses. 

     I put my hood on and began to walk.

      Down the corner of the street, a woman captivated my attention. It was her! Florence Anne! She was very famous and even had her own TV-show with a big audience. 

     Her show was a game about riddles, you solve one, you win money. Her originality laid on the way she was attracting her players. Florence Anne was not organising any casting, she would just walk in the streets, randomly pick someone up, ask them to solve one single riddle and if they do, they can play, if they don't, she'd try to find someone else. 

      She was talking to a man, but he politely smiled, shook his head and walked away. I was a broke student, a fan of her show, and she was right there in front of me - it could not be a simple coincidence. It was my only chance.

     I walked faster towards her, trying not to panic and stay natural.

"You must be Nolah." She smiled as she noticed me.

     My legs refused to take any other step forward and my smile disappeared. 

"How do you know?" I asked. 

"You're a faithful viewer." She answered with her French accent. 

     At the beginning of her career, Florence Anne was a French actress and comedian, but then she moved to England to start her own show. 

     She was in her mid-forties, smaller and tinnier than I expected her to be. She had short brown hair, brown eyes and small lips.

      She looked so tired with those bags underneath her eyes. Even her smile seemed to be a tired one.

"So? Do you want to have a go?" She asked gesturing towards the door next to us.

"Of course I do!" I replied, being maybe a little too excited. 

"All right, so, I guess you already know the rules. Find the answer to the first riddle within twenty seconds and the door is open. Are you ready?"

     I took a deep breath. Twenty seconds? It was a little too short, but it was far from being impossible. 

     I nodded, readjusting my hood onto my wild hair. 

"A father knocks at the door of his son's room to tell him that breakfast is ready. It's early in the morning, but the son quickly thinks of what food he has. He has bread, jam and a box of eggs. What does he open first?"

     She started the timer on her phone that her umbrella was protecting. 

     I was not a narcissist or anything, but it was quite difficult not to laugh or roll my eyes - the answer was quite obvious. 

     I kept looking at the timer on her phone, my white Converse were soaking wet, and somehow, my black jeans got even darker and my nose was threatening me to run. 

     Twelve seconds had passed and I still did not give Florence my answer - I was waiting on purpose. 

     Fifteen seconds, I was still holding her gaze. 

     Sixteen seconds. Come on, Nolah! I shouted to myself. What the heck are you waiting for?

     Florence did not even flinch. I oddly felt like she knew that I knew. 

     Nineteen seconds.

"The door." I kept staring at her. She was slightly smaller than me. 

      She stopped the timer and put the phone back in the pocket of her pants and smiled at me.

"Explain your answer."

"The son can't open any of the food if he doesn't open the door of his room to get to the kitchen first. Plus, you said that the father knocked at his door, which means that it was closed."

"Good." She half-smiled. "Does it make you happy to make me wait in the rain? Why did you wait so long?" She joked.  

"Why don't you ask yourself?" I smirked. 

     Florence was always ending each episode of her show with that sentence. 

     Why don't you ask yourself?

     According to her, all the answers to our questions were already within us. According to her, the answers were always all around those who wanted to see them. 

"Oh, boy-" She laughed and shook her head. "Get in!" She led me towards the door. "I have a feeling that you are going to be an amazing adventuress!"

     My innocent mind thanked her. I was happy, I had stars in my eyes. I was about to appear on her show, on TV, I was about to win a lot of money. I thanked her for the compliment because I thought that by "adventure", she meant "the TV show". 

     Silly me.

________

'Sup everyone! 

Well, here is my first chapter. I have decided to write small chapters this time. 

I hope you liked it and you'll like the rest!

Don't hesitate to share, comment, like. Please, your opinion is terribly important to me!

Thank you.

Sincerely yours,

creatingdoubt.

PS: Let me remind you that English IS NOT my first language, so do not hesitate to correct me! I need it to progress :)

Thank you ♥

By the way, the picture is how I imagine Florence Anne to look like, and not Nolah ;)