Perviously: 'The Good, the Bad, and the Unfinished'
Scriptum --> "Written"
A collection of (very) short stories, poems, and unfinished works. Enjoy!
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The smell of chlorine, salt, and food engulfs me as I step out of the elevator and onto the pool deck of the cruise. Kids' joyful shrieking, parents' exhausted yelling, and splashes from the pool fill my ears. I make a wide circle around the people and head toward the railing of the deck, where a much calmer experience awaits.
Below the ship waves roll, chasing each other all the way to the shore, where they will surely come flying back. The smell of salt is stronger here, as is the sound of the air, but the shouts of unruly children have disappeared almost completely.
As I look out towards the never-ending sea, a heavy gust of wind blows through and tosses my hair into my face. Strands immediately blind me, choke me, strangle me. I peel them off of my face and tie them back with an old rubber band before beginning my stroll around the deck.
I've only just taken a few steps before a woman approaches me. She's tall, towering high above me, a tote bag dangling from her arm. She's wearing so many colors that her clothes look like a kindergartner's quilt. The woman barely glances my way, but I don't like how her expression changes upon seeing me.
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The noise from the streets attacked me the second I stepped out of the hotel lobby and into the chilly night air of Times Square, NYC. Okay, that's a lie. The noise was so loud that I'd been able to hear it even from the thirtieth floor of the hotel. Nothing in the photos of New York I'd seen could've prepared me for New York itself. Photos capture a lot, but they can't convey the ear splitting noise of the city that never sleeps.
The Times Square in front of me managed to be both the most beautiful and the most chaotic place I'd seen. Billboards on nearly every building flashed advertisements for new Broadway shows and sales, music blasted from stores, and people chattered loudly to each other about those dressed up as Lady Liberty and American flags.
After snapping myself out of my trance, I cautiously made my way through the swarm of people strolling down the street, side-stepping a piece of trash or a person's foot every five seconds. It amazed me how many people were still out and about at eleven o'clock in the middle of the night. Tourists from the west coast, yes, but New York natives? It was nearly midnight and there were more people wandering around than at eleven o'clock am back home!
Five minutes later, I found myself standing at the bottom of the famous Red Steps. I stared up at the glowing red stairs in awe, not able to believe that I was actually there. In New York! In Times Square! In the middle of the night! At the Red Steps! The hesitant smile on my face grew into a full one as I stepped over a couple taking selfies with a Coca-Cola ad as their background. My dream had finally come true.
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