- May 26, 2005
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This is a story I wrote for a competition. Please let me know what you think of it. Constructive criticism welcome.
Ticket
Charles Kirby
I watched the placid stream rush around my fingers. As I began to lean down to take a drink, I realized that I was not thirsty even though I could not remember the last time I had a drink. In fact, I could not remember how I came to be there. All around me there was vermilion grass reaching out trying to touch the sky. Looking over the azul filled stream, I saw nothing but more blue-green grass rolling over well placed hills and valleys.
Turning again, I saw a door of well aged wood. It was a little taller than myself, maybe six feet tall and three feet wide. No more than three yards away from me stood that lonely rectangle so out of place and full of riddles. I began to walk towards the door, my feet leaving behind only the perfect vermilion velvet like grass. The tarnished door knob stared up at me, inviting my hand to do what hands are meant to do with door knobs.
I found myself in a grey suit and tie. I couldn't remember if I was wearing it before, but I certainly noticed it now. A familiar place stood around me. The concrete ground, the building to the left with a sort of porch and two windows with tiny circles cut in it, and the canal which was twenty feet in front of me.
"A train station," I said. I walked up to a bench which sat in front of the railroad track where a young woman in a grey dress was sitting. This was the first person I could remember seeing and I thought that she might explain this place to me. As I came in front of the bench, I could see her face. Her features were humble by worldly standards, but her face seemed to glow with a joy that was beyond any understanding of mine. Her white gloved hands were clasped tightly as if anticipating something. I sat down beside her and coughed a bit in an attempt to gain her attention. She just kept staring forward.
"Uh, Mam? Could I ask what you are waiting for so joyfully?" I questioned.
"Oh?" She turned to look at me, her smile beaming brightly, "I am waiting for the train. I've finally decided to accept the Ticket Master's offer."
"Who is the Ticket Master?"
"He's the one who runs everything. He is the Ticket Master, the Conductor, and the Engineer. I mostly know him as the Ticket Master, though."
"Where does this train the go?"
She looked at me, smiled, then looked back towards the track. I looked down the track and saw a train coming. It rushed forward with all the power and grace of an animal. The best running train I had ever seen or could remember seeing if I had seen one before. It pulled into the station and I turned back to the woman. She was gone. I turned to my left and there a stood a man in a white suit.
"Will you come with me?" He asked me with a ticket extended towards my hand. His eyes pierced through me, and the kindness in voice almost made me tremble. Swallowing a deep gulp, I opened my mouth to speak, but could not. I coughed and tried to find a bit of courage.
"I think not, Sir," I replied with a bit of a quiver.
"Very well, my offer is always extended to you and all." Then I watched him walk away and onto the train to disappear into the distance.
I stood up and walked over to the building trying to regain my composure. Both of the ticket windows were vacant, so I walked around to the front door and went inside. It was similar to an old coffee shop with a large woman behind the counter in a bright yellow apron. The whole room seemed yellow, even the tables had a yellow tint to them.
"Ya want sum coffee, Hun?" The woman called out to me in a most outrageous country accent.
No, thank you, I called back. She shrugged and began to clean a mug. There were two old men sitting in a corner of the room playing chess. One was dressed in a bright red suit and the other man's suit a deep plum. I walked over to the table and pulled chair up next to them.
What's in your suit case? The man in the red suit asked. I looked down and saw a black briefcase in my hand. I wasnt sure if it was there whole time or not, but I certainly noticed it now, and the weight of it seemed to almost drag my arm to the ground.
I'm not sure.
You know, the Ticket Master can take care of that for you.
Did he take care of yours?
Yup, a long time ago. But, my time has passed and now I have a new goal.
What's that? I asked as if I knew what his first goal was.
Never mind that. You seem to have some trouble accepting the Ticket Masters invitation.
"Is that who He was?"
"Who else would walk around in a white suit handing out tickets?"
I suppose. I'm just not sure of his intentions. I have never met him before and I just...
You have never met me before, and youre talking to me just fine. I know what you felt when you spoke to him. As if he could see things that you never even knew about yourself, things that you were afraid to know and it scared you.
I just...
"Listen, sometimes in life we think that we are just pawns. That our soul purpose in the game is to be taken by bigger pieces to make room for even bigger pieces. We think this because we do not trust the invisible hand. If we could just trust the hand to guide us," he picked up his pawn and moved it forward and waited for the man in plum. "We could see what is meant for us," he moved the pawn again to watch his knight be taken, "We see the powerful fall and wonder how we can do anything. Trust the invisible hand." He moved the pawn forward again and watched his queen be taken also; "We move on and on towards the enemy lines and it seems so dangerous, that we could never survive what's about to happen. Then, we make it to the other side and become those things which we could never imagine being and," he switched his pawn out for his queen piece and leaned back. "Checkmate. We've only one life, one chance, and one choice to make. Trust the invisible hand."
I left the building turning down coffee again looked at the bench where the girl was sitting before. Sitting down, I leaned down and placed my face into my hands. A slight breeze brushed through my hair and the train pulled up to the station once more. The Ticket Master stepped out of the train and walked up to the bench.
"One life, one chance, one choice. What is yours?"
Ticket
Charles Kirby
I watched the placid stream rush around my fingers. As I began to lean down to take a drink, I realized that I was not thirsty even though I could not remember the last time I had a drink. In fact, I could not remember how I came to be there. All around me there was vermilion grass reaching out trying to touch the sky. Looking over the azul filled stream, I saw nothing but more blue-green grass rolling over well placed hills and valleys.
Turning again, I saw a door of well aged wood. It was a little taller than myself, maybe six feet tall and three feet wide. No more than three yards away from me stood that lonely rectangle so out of place and full of riddles. I began to walk towards the door, my feet leaving behind only the perfect vermilion velvet like grass. The tarnished door knob stared up at me, inviting my hand to do what hands are meant to do with door knobs.
I found myself in a grey suit and tie. I couldn't remember if I was wearing it before, but I certainly noticed it now. A familiar place stood around me. The concrete ground, the building to the left with a sort of porch and two windows with tiny circles cut in it, and the canal which was twenty feet in front of me.
"A train station," I said. I walked up to a bench which sat in front of the railroad track where a young woman in a grey dress was sitting. This was the first person I could remember seeing and I thought that she might explain this place to me. As I came in front of the bench, I could see her face. Her features were humble by worldly standards, but her face seemed to glow with a joy that was beyond any understanding of mine. Her white gloved hands were clasped tightly as if anticipating something. I sat down beside her and coughed a bit in an attempt to gain her attention. She just kept staring forward.
"Uh, Mam? Could I ask what you are waiting for so joyfully?" I questioned.
"Oh?" She turned to look at me, her smile beaming brightly, "I am waiting for the train. I've finally decided to accept the Ticket Master's offer."
"Who is the Ticket Master?"
"He's the one who runs everything. He is the Ticket Master, the Conductor, and the Engineer. I mostly know him as the Ticket Master, though."
"Where does this train the go?"
She looked at me, smiled, then looked back towards the track. I looked down the track and saw a train coming. It rushed forward with all the power and grace of an animal. The best running train I had ever seen or could remember seeing if I had seen one before. It pulled into the station and I turned back to the woman. She was gone. I turned to my left and there a stood a man in a white suit.
"Will you come with me?" He asked me with a ticket extended towards my hand. His eyes pierced through me, and the kindness in voice almost made me tremble. Swallowing a deep gulp, I opened my mouth to speak, but could not. I coughed and tried to find a bit of courage.
"I think not, Sir," I replied with a bit of a quiver.
"Very well, my offer is always extended to you and all." Then I watched him walk away and onto the train to disappear into the distance.
I stood up and walked over to the building trying to regain my composure. Both of the ticket windows were vacant, so I walked around to the front door and went inside. It was similar to an old coffee shop with a large woman behind the counter in a bright yellow apron. The whole room seemed yellow, even the tables had a yellow tint to them.
"Ya want sum coffee, Hun?" The woman called out to me in a most outrageous country accent.
No, thank you, I called back. She shrugged and began to clean a mug. There were two old men sitting in a corner of the room playing chess. One was dressed in a bright red suit and the other man's suit a deep plum. I walked over to the table and pulled chair up next to them.
What's in your suit case? The man in the red suit asked. I looked down and saw a black briefcase in my hand. I wasnt sure if it was there whole time or not, but I certainly noticed it now, and the weight of it seemed to almost drag my arm to the ground.
I'm not sure.
You know, the Ticket Master can take care of that for you.
Did he take care of yours?
Yup, a long time ago. But, my time has passed and now I have a new goal.
What's that? I asked as if I knew what his first goal was.
Never mind that. You seem to have some trouble accepting the Ticket Masters invitation.
"Is that who He was?"
"Who else would walk around in a white suit handing out tickets?"
I suppose. I'm just not sure of his intentions. I have never met him before and I just...
You have never met me before, and youre talking to me just fine. I know what you felt when you spoke to him. As if he could see things that you never even knew about yourself, things that you were afraid to know and it scared you.
I just...
"Listen, sometimes in life we think that we are just pawns. That our soul purpose in the game is to be taken by bigger pieces to make room for even bigger pieces. We think this because we do not trust the invisible hand. If we could just trust the hand to guide us," he picked up his pawn and moved it forward and waited for the man in plum. "We could see what is meant for us," he moved the pawn again to watch his knight be taken, "We see the powerful fall and wonder how we can do anything. Trust the invisible hand." He moved the pawn forward again and watched his queen be taken also; "We move on and on towards the enemy lines and it seems so dangerous, that we could never survive what's about to happen. Then, we make it to the other side and become those things which we could never imagine being and," he switched his pawn out for his queen piece and leaned back. "Checkmate. We've only one life, one chance, and one choice to make. Trust the invisible hand."
I left the building turning down coffee again looked at the bench where the girl was sitting before. Sitting down, I leaned down and placed my face into my hands. A slight breeze brushed through my hair and the train pulled up to the station once more. The Ticket Master stepped out of the train and walked up to the bench.
"One life, one chance, one choice. What is yours?"
