Penelope was on a space station; she wasn't sure where it was, exactly, but she thought it was somewhere near the moon. She was part of a large group of space travelers. She was in a souvenir shop there with some friends when the manager got a phone call. "Low fuel?" he said, a terrified look spreading across his face.
Suddenly he announced "Everything is fine, but you all need to get out of the shop immediately." Everyone got out and the manager turned the lights off and shut the door behind them.
Penelope and the other travelers gathered in a large room together. The windows were getting covered with a thick frost, almost like they were covered with snow. Penelope noticed two mechanics in a far corner, working on something. Penelope crawled over to see what was going on. One of them picked up his cell phone and called someone. "Hey baby," he said, "I love you. Goodbye." Penelope didn't understand why he was saying that. Hadn't everyone been telling them this was common? Nothing to worry about?
Another traveler near Penelope asked the other mechanic "oh no...is he going to stab himself?" Penelope was apalled. "How in the world is that a logical conclusion?" she wondered to herself. But the mechanic just nodded, slowly and sadly, as the one with the cell phone pulled something out of his pocket and stabbed himself with it. Penelope would never forget the way the dead mechanic was taken away on a makeshift stretcher and then launched out into space. But there wasn't really another form of burial here in space. It had to be done.
The space station began to rock back and forth, throwing the passengers around violently. Penelope was scared. Were they all going to die here after all? Why else would that mechanic have killed himself?
But soon, things went back to normal and everyone returned safely to Earth.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Settling
Penelope was sitting in a room--she didn't know exactly where she was--waiting to have dinner with the man she was going to marry tonight. Weddings should be a happy occasion, but Penelope wasn't happy. On the contrary, she felt quite depressed. This marriage was arranged, and the man she was supposed to marry was way too old for her.
And for some reason which Penelope could not figure out, there were glowsticks of every color scattered around the room. It kind of creeped her out.
Penelope suddenly had a desire to speak with her mother. She called for her, and when she arrived at the room Penelope said "Mom, I don't think I should marry him. I feel like I'm settling," to which her mother replied "Well yeah, you sure are!" and then walked away. Penelope wished her mother had told her this a long time ago. It would have been nice to know this before her wedding day.
Just then, he walked into the room. He sat down near the food and began eating and talking happily. This went on for a long time, Penelope wasn't sure exactly how long, before she worked up the courage to say something. She just couldn't go on watching him act so happy about the marriage while she was sitting there dreading it.
"Stop!" Penelope cried, "I can't be married to you..." Tears streamed down her face. His face instantly wore a look of shock, confusion, and hurt. Penelope began frantically explaining herself. "It's just that...my life is just beginning. I'm young, I need someone my own age! I have big dreams, I'll never accomplish them if I marry you now..." He got up and left the room silently.
The next day (or perhaps it was the next week, next month, or next year-- Penelope couldn't be sure) Penelope stood in the large warehouse where she worked. All day, all she could think of was how he hadn't said a word to her since she called off the wedding. She felt very relieved, but wished she knew what he'd been thinking.
She looked up from her work, and right there in the middle of the warehouse stood a horse and buggy. Next to it stood an attractive cowboy who bore an uncanny resemblance to Jim from The Office.
Next thing Penelope knew, she and the Jim cowboy were riding off into a dusty Western sunset. Somehow, Penelope knew things would be okay after all.
And for some reason which Penelope could not figure out, there were glowsticks of every color scattered around the room. It kind of creeped her out.
Penelope suddenly had a desire to speak with her mother. She called for her, and when she arrived at the room Penelope said "Mom, I don't think I should marry him. I feel like I'm settling," to which her mother replied "Well yeah, you sure are!" and then walked away. Penelope wished her mother had told her this a long time ago. It would have been nice to know this before her wedding day.
Just then, he walked into the room. He sat down near the food and began eating and talking happily. This went on for a long time, Penelope wasn't sure exactly how long, before she worked up the courage to say something. She just couldn't go on watching him act so happy about the marriage while she was sitting there dreading it.
"Stop!" Penelope cried, "I can't be married to you..." Tears streamed down her face. His face instantly wore a look of shock, confusion, and hurt. Penelope began frantically explaining herself. "It's just that...my life is just beginning. I'm young, I need someone my own age! I have big dreams, I'll never accomplish them if I marry you now..." He got up and left the room silently.
The next day (or perhaps it was the next week, next month, or next year-- Penelope couldn't be sure) Penelope stood in the large warehouse where she worked. All day, all she could think of was how he hadn't said a word to her since she called off the wedding. She felt very relieved, but wished she knew what he'd been thinking.
She looked up from her work, and right there in the middle of the warehouse stood a horse and buggy. Next to it stood an attractive cowboy who bore an uncanny resemblance to Jim from The Office.
Next thing Penelope knew, she and the Jim cowboy were riding off into a dusty Western sunset. Somehow, Penelope knew things would be okay after all.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Sleeping in a Pile
Penelope sat in a crowded dorm room. Someone near her, who upon closer inspection she realized was her friend Zee, looked at her and said "We're going on a field trip to the park. Come with!"
"I guess that could be fun..." was Penelope's hesitant reply. She became intensely aware now that she did not know anyone in the room apart from Zee. She regretted saying she'd go to the park because groups of strangers made her nervous, but she didn't want to look like a boring stick-in-the-mud so she decided to go along anyways.
Suddenly, everyone got up and started walking out of the room. Penelope stood up and began walking out too, but soon realized that gravity was failing her. She couldn't seem to keep her feet on the ground for more than a couple of seconds. Every step she took launched her into the air so that she was more floating than walking. How embarassing, thought Penelope, I've just met these people and the first thing they find out about me is that I can't even walk properly.
Penelope struggled to keep up with the group. She exited the building a considerable distance behind everyone else to find that they were all boarding a large school bus. She tried to run, but the lack of gravity kept her from going any faster. Then, by accidentally tripping and hurtling into a flip high in the air, she discovered that she could travel much faster by flipping than by walking.
Penelope flipped her way down the sidewalk, caught up to the group, and boarded the bus.
Later, Penelope found herself in some sort of enclosed space which was too small for the number of people crammed inside. She didn't really recognize anyone in this box-like space, either, and Zee was nowhere to be found. She felt like her own body was far too close to the others' bodies, and her face was right next to some guy's face that she didn't recognize. She was beginning to feel very uncomfortable with how close and how stuck she was with all these strangers. Wow, this must be what it was like for the Wild Things when they slept in a pile, thought Penelope.
All of a sudden, the guy whose face was far too close to her own moved his head a few centimeters toward Penelope's and kissed her on the cheek. She looked at him, about to lecture him that it's just not okay to go around kissing girls you've never met before, and realized that he did look a little bit familiar. And for some reason, though she still couldn't quite tell who he was, she felt a little bit more okay that he'd just kissed her.
But Penelope never figured out who he was.
"I guess that could be fun..." was Penelope's hesitant reply. She became intensely aware now that she did not know anyone in the room apart from Zee. She regretted saying she'd go to the park because groups of strangers made her nervous, but she didn't want to look like a boring stick-in-the-mud so she decided to go along anyways.
Suddenly, everyone got up and started walking out of the room. Penelope stood up and began walking out too, but soon realized that gravity was failing her. She couldn't seem to keep her feet on the ground for more than a couple of seconds. Every step she took launched her into the air so that she was more floating than walking. How embarassing, thought Penelope, I've just met these people and the first thing they find out about me is that I can't even walk properly.
Penelope struggled to keep up with the group. She exited the building a considerable distance behind everyone else to find that they were all boarding a large school bus. She tried to run, but the lack of gravity kept her from going any faster. Then, by accidentally tripping and hurtling into a flip high in the air, she discovered that she could travel much faster by flipping than by walking.
Penelope flipped her way down the sidewalk, caught up to the group, and boarded the bus.
Later, Penelope found herself in some sort of enclosed space which was too small for the number of people crammed inside. She didn't really recognize anyone in this box-like space, either, and Zee was nowhere to be found. She felt like her own body was far too close to the others' bodies, and her face was right next to some guy's face that she didn't recognize. She was beginning to feel very uncomfortable with how close and how stuck she was with all these strangers. Wow, this must be what it was like for the Wild Things when they slept in a pile, thought Penelope.
All of a sudden, the guy whose face was far too close to her own moved his head a few centimeters toward Penelope's and kissed her on the cheek. She looked at him, about to lecture him that it's just not okay to go around kissing girls you've never met before, and realized that he did look a little bit familiar. And for some reason, though she still couldn't quite tell who he was, she felt a little bit more okay that he'd just kissed her.
But Penelope never figured out who he was.
Monday, August 16, 2010
To Solve the Unsolvable Mystery
Penelope and The Doctor sat in a small rowboat, floating aimlessly in a swampy little pond. The sky was gray, the water was completely still, and the pond was surrounded on all sides by thick brush and weeping willows that hung over, making the atmosphere dim and eerie. The Doctor shot a small, missile-like object into the water, and suddenly the entire pond was visible all the way to the bottom. Beneath them were hundreds of boat-like objects, going down hundreds of feet. Penelope couldn't believe how deep this tiny pond was.
The Doctor looked down in horror and said "They're breeding! But why here?" Penelope, as usual, didn't know who "they" were or even where "here" was, but sometimes she didn't care. Sometimes she was too distracted by The Doctor's adorable accent and frantic, quirky personality. And she knew she could trust him. She thought to herself that she probably should care, because they could be absolutely anywhere and anytime in the universe right now. But she just didn't.
Suddenly, The Doctor stood up, pulling Penelope up with him. "Come on!" he said, with that adventurous, excited, righteously angry look on his face. Penelope knew that look. They were about to do something dangerous. Just as she thought this, The Doctor pulled her out of the boat and toward the water. In the split second before she hit the water, Penelope's trust in The Doctor wavered a little and she wanted to scream at him "I can't breathe under water! I know you're an alien and maybe you can, but I can't!" But before she had a chance, they were swimming beneath the boat--and to Penelope's surprise, she could breathe. Somehow, things usually worked out well when she was with The Doctor. But that didn't stop her from having moments of gripping fear, because while The Doctor sometimes knew what he was doing he never let Penelope in on his plans--and sometimes Penelope wondered if The Doctor ever really knew what he was doing, or if it was just a combination of his quick thinking and a lot of luck that got them out of sticky situations.
The water was surprisingly clear underneath all the pond scum. They were swimming along and Penelope was just starting to enjoy it when suddenly they found themselves in a small room where a large stainless steel freezer stood. There was a huge door on the front side of the freezer, which The Doctor was reaching for. When he opened it, Penelope was horrified to see a dead body begin to slump out the door. The Doctor quickly pushed it back in and closed the door and asked, more to himself than to Penelope, "But why would they do this?"
Penelope wondered why she kept subjecting herself to this kind of thing. But The Doctor was mysterious, and Penelope was determined to solve this unsolvable mystery.
The Doctor looked down in horror and said "They're breeding! But why here?" Penelope, as usual, didn't know who "they" were or even where "here" was, but sometimes she didn't care. Sometimes she was too distracted by The Doctor's adorable accent and frantic, quirky personality. And she knew she could trust him. She thought to herself that she probably should care, because they could be absolutely anywhere and anytime in the universe right now. But she just didn't.
Suddenly, The Doctor stood up, pulling Penelope up with him. "Come on!" he said, with that adventurous, excited, righteously angry look on his face. Penelope knew that look. They were about to do something dangerous. Just as she thought this, The Doctor pulled her out of the boat and toward the water. In the split second before she hit the water, Penelope's trust in The Doctor wavered a little and she wanted to scream at him "I can't breathe under water! I know you're an alien and maybe you can, but I can't!" But before she had a chance, they were swimming beneath the boat--and to Penelope's surprise, she could breathe. Somehow, things usually worked out well when she was with The Doctor. But that didn't stop her from having moments of gripping fear, because while The Doctor sometimes knew what he was doing he never let Penelope in on his plans--and sometimes Penelope wondered if The Doctor ever really knew what he was doing, or if it was just a combination of his quick thinking and a lot of luck that got them out of sticky situations.
The water was surprisingly clear underneath all the pond scum. They were swimming along and Penelope was just starting to enjoy it when suddenly they found themselves in a small room where a large stainless steel freezer stood. There was a huge door on the front side of the freezer, which The Doctor was reaching for. When he opened it, Penelope was horrified to see a dead body begin to slump out the door. The Doctor quickly pushed it back in and closed the door and asked, more to himself than to Penelope, "But why would they do this?"
Penelope wondered why she kept subjecting herself to this kind of thing. But The Doctor was mysterious, and Penelope was determined to solve this unsolvable mystery.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
As Visions of Tooth Decay Danced in her Head
Penelope was sitting in the passenger's seat of her dad's red pickup. They had just pulled in the driveway. Penelope had been visiting a couple of good friends, Kel and Lola, for the weekend and had just arrived home. She was happily replaying in her mind the fun things they'd done that weekend and getting progressively more excited to return to campus, where she'd get to see the girls all the time and--suddenly, she realized that she'd made a horrible mistake. She'd forgotten all of her luggage at Kel's house, an hour-and-a-half away. She could picture where she'd left her things--her pink duffel bag sitting next to her pink pillow on a bench near the door, her brown flip-flops on a rug just beside that. But worst of all, Penelope realized in horror, she'd left her prescription-strength fluoride toothpaste in the bottom of her duffel bag, buried beneath dirty clothes and half-eaten packages of Pop Rocks. Visions of a cavity-ridden future filled her with dread. She could almost hear the dentist's drill screeching in her ears.
"Dad," Penelope said, panicked, "Turn around. We're going back."
"Dad," Penelope said, panicked, "Turn around. We're going back."
Monday, June 28, 2010
Be Fire Smart
Penelope looked out the window of her dad's truck as they sped down the highway on the way home.
...or at least that's where Penelope thought they were headed. Until they pulled into the parking lot of a funeral home. "Why are we here?" she asked her dad. "Oh, I just have a funeral to go to quick" was her father's reply as he slid out of the truck. "Who died?" Penelope asked. Her dad answered, but she didn't know the guy and the name slipped from her mind almost as soon as he said it. "Want to come with to the funeral?" her dad asked. "No...I don't even know the person who died..." Penelope replied. "Ok. Bye then" her dad said as he slammed the door.
Penelope pulled out her blue Gameboy and started playing a game as her dad walked up to the doors of the funeral home. Just as he entered the building, Penelope heard a knock on the truck window and looked up to see her grandparents and one of her aunts standing outside. Penelope rolled down the window and said "what are you guys doing here?" They looked at her confusedly and asked "Aren't you coming to the funeral?!?" Penelope said "Uhhh...I don't know they guy...I think I'll stay here until it's over..." Her family shrugged and walked away without saying anything.
When Penelope's dad got back to the truck, they headed home. As they pulled into the parking lot of the apartment building where they were living, Penelope thought to herself You know, all this talk about funerals and death has got me worried. I'd hate for my family and neighbors to die because of a preventable cause...I wonder if everyone in the building has a good fire escape plan...I'll have to test how prepared they'd be to exit the building in the event of a fire.
As soon as Penelope had a chance, she went into the hallway and pulled the red fire alarm switch that stuck out of the wall a few feet from her apartment door. She then ran into her apartment and hid in the bathroom so no one would know it was she who had pulled the alarm, locking the bathroom door behind her. She thought to herself Well...this could be a long wait. I know there's not really a fire, but no one else does. They'll probably call the fire department and everything. What should I do while I wait?
Just then, she heard screaming and a stampede of residents rushing toward the stairwells. She DEFINITELY had to stay in the bathroom now that she knew how much the alarm had, well, ALARMED people in the building. They'd hate her for sure if they found out it was her fault. Well, I guess now would be a good time to take a shower since I have some time to waste. She turned on the bathtub faucet, ignoring the chaos which had ensued due to a mass rush for the exits.
She heard a piercing scream just outside the apartment door, and that's when she realized....
There were no clean towels in her bathroom.
...or at least that's where Penelope thought they were headed. Until they pulled into the parking lot of a funeral home. "Why are we here?" she asked her dad. "Oh, I just have a funeral to go to quick" was her father's reply as he slid out of the truck. "Who died?" Penelope asked. Her dad answered, but she didn't know the guy and the name slipped from her mind almost as soon as he said it. "Want to come with to the funeral?" her dad asked. "No...I don't even know the person who died..." Penelope replied. "Ok. Bye then" her dad said as he slammed the door.
Penelope pulled out her blue Gameboy and started playing a game as her dad walked up to the doors of the funeral home. Just as he entered the building, Penelope heard a knock on the truck window and looked up to see her grandparents and one of her aunts standing outside. Penelope rolled down the window and said "what are you guys doing here?" They looked at her confusedly and asked "Aren't you coming to the funeral?!?" Penelope said "Uhhh...I don't know they guy...I think I'll stay here until it's over..." Her family shrugged and walked away without saying anything.
When Penelope's dad got back to the truck, they headed home. As they pulled into the parking lot of the apartment building where they were living, Penelope thought to herself You know, all this talk about funerals and death has got me worried. I'd hate for my family and neighbors to die because of a preventable cause...I wonder if everyone in the building has a good fire escape plan...I'll have to test how prepared they'd be to exit the building in the event of a fire.
As soon as Penelope had a chance, she went into the hallway and pulled the red fire alarm switch that stuck out of the wall a few feet from her apartment door. She then ran into her apartment and hid in the bathroom so no one would know it was she who had pulled the alarm, locking the bathroom door behind her. She thought to herself Well...this could be a long wait. I know there's not really a fire, but no one else does. They'll probably call the fire department and everything. What should I do while I wait?
Just then, she heard screaming and a stampede of residents rushing toward the stairwells. She DEFINITELY had to stay in the bathroom now that she knew how much the alarm had, well, ALARMED people in the building. They'd hate her for sure if they found out it was her fault. Well, I guess now would be a good time to take a shower since I have some time to waste. She turned on the bathtub faucet, ignoring the chaos which had ensued due to a mass rush for the exits.
She heard a piercing scream just outside the apartment door, and that's when she realized....
There were no clean towels in her bathroom.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Mystery Meeting
Penelope yawned as she sat at the large square table in the meeting room. She blinked under the brightness of the fluorescent lights. Why am I here?she wondered. She looked around. Gill was there. So were Ann and Jo. For some reason, Jo was crouching down on the floor, looking at something. Penelope had a distinct feeling of being unprepared, and tried to imagine what she would do if she were called on. I hope Gill doesn't ask me to say anything. I'm SO not ready for this...
Just then Ann got up and said "I really need to use the bathroom, but I don't know where it is..." Gill looked at her and said in an exasperated manner "You can just use the RA bathroom on second floor." Ann walked hurriedly out of the room. Why doesn't Ann know where the bathroom is? She's been here many times. And why is there a special RA bathroom? What is this, Hogwarts?
Gill, who was apparently running the meeting, passed out a piece of paper and said "This is something I think you should all be aware of." When Penelope's copy was in her hands, she looked down at it. There was a picture of a girl...she looked familiar, but who was she? Penelope was sure this girl went to her school. On the paper was a description of a learning disorder that this girl apparently had. What was the name of it again? Penelope couldn't remember. Secondary Somethingrather, I think. But why do WE need to be aware of this disorder? What IS this meeting? Why in the world are we spending so much time learning about this girl and her disorder? Penelope wondered. This meeting felt familiar, like she'd been to these meetings before. She just couldn't quite put her finger on why, exactly, she was there.
Saturday, June 26, 2010
A Dream within a Dream
Penelope awoke to hazy light streaming through her blinds. She rolled over slowly, remembering that she was sleeping on her futon because Petunia had spent the night. Petunia was next to Penelope on the futon, already awake and looking at her, smiling brightly. Penelope wondered why Petunia was awake already...the sun was still dim and had probably barely risen above the horizon, so it must still be early. Penelope opened her mouth to speak, but just as she did...
She woke up. "What an odd dream..." mused Penelope as she opened her eyes. She turned her head and saw that Petunia was, in fact, awake and grinning at her. Penelope thought to herself "Huh. Well, we might as well eat some breakfast..." But just as she thought this, and before she had a chance to suggest this to Petunia...
...she woke up again.
She woke up. "What an odd dream..." mused Penelope as she opened her eyes. She turned her head and saw that Petunia was, in fact, awake and grinning at her. Penelope thought to herself "Huh. Well, we might as well eat some breakfast..." But just as she thought this, and before she had a chance to suggest this to Petunia...
...she woke up again.
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