Parallels

• Jessica Blake, Grade 12
• Short Story
• 2011

1.
The woman sat at her desk, surrounded by a sea of paper, covered in blemishes of red; bold words striking out at her like, “Urgent” written in capitals. So much requiring her attention, so many wanting a piece of her. The ocean was spilling off her desk and onto the floor around her. She was a business woman, born into the working world, designer suit and briefcase in hand. She sighed and kicked off her pumps, drawing her stocking clad legs beneath her. She plunged her hands into the pile and tugged out a photo frame stuck at the bottom, a precious treasure. She traced the image softly with the pads of her fingertips, reclining into the luxurious leather of her desk chair.

2.
The man cocked his gun and fired in the direction of the building opposite the rusty, beige car he was hiding behind. He was dressed in army fatigues that hung on his frame. He was stuck in an inhospitable environment under fire from an enemy hostile, a fire fight he couldn’t win. He reached for his pack, ripped open the zipper and pulled out a radio. Flipping the switch and pressing in a button he called his unit for backup. Holding his breath, he waited, but the only answer was a harsh crackle. Head swinging side to side, he looked for a way out.

3.
The girl skipped into the classroom and settled in her seat. This was her table, her seat, where all her friends surrounded her. Today though, her best friend did not take her usual seat but went to another table with another girl. The girl called out,
“Millie! What are you doing?” Millie sighed and threw an obligatory glance over her shoulder before saying the worst thing a second grader could hear:
“I don’t want to be friends anymore.” The girl looked away and tried to stop the tears that began to track slowly down her face.

4.
On the other side of the world sat a girl of similar age holding a doll made of scrap cloth and sticks. She pretended the doll was wearing beautiful purple veils, sparkling in the morning sun. Now she was wearing the elegant clothing, clean and free. She was dancing around the yard, face tilted up towards the sun, a smile gracing her features. Gunfire registered and life intruded into her fantasy world, back in the sombre black rags. The dancing ceased, replaced instead with running and tripping through the dust, out of the way, away from the loud noises.

5.
She ran behind a rusty, beige car and was astonished to find a pale skinned man behind it. He was taking refuge from the shots whistling over the car’s roof. She opened her mouth wide to scream, but the big man in brown grabbed her and held her around the mouth. She struggled and kicked trying desperately to free herself from his grasp. He was saying something, trying to explain he was a friend, but his words were strange, they didn’t make sense. He let go of her with one hand and reached into his pocket, drawing out a shiny piece of paper. He offered it to her and she looked at it. She saw the big man in brown, a woman in a designer suit with briefcase in hand and a second grader. The second grader wore a sparkly purple dress, just as she wanted her doll to be. The girl stopped struggling and grasped the paper, staring at the three people in the image.

6.
The man let go of the girl at the abrupt cease of movement. She was still and appeared almost ignorant of his presence anymore. Looking around, he saw a couple of sticks wrapped in cloth, lying in the shade of the car. He picked it up turning it in his hands, feeling the rough surface of the material between his fingers. It occurred to him that this was her dolly. He brushed off the dirt and handed it to the girl. Her gaze was still transfixed on the photo of his family he had given her. With a jump, she broke from her reverie and clasped the doll to her chest. She looked into the big man’s eyes her tiny lips curving into a smile. The man smiled back before realising that the whistle of bullets over the car had ceased. The soldier looked carefully over the hood of the car. A man walked slowly towards them.

7.
The other man approached the car, sweat pouring down his face. He was wearing a white tunic and had a heavy beard. Tears were falling from his eyes and mixing with the salty expiration. He looked up to the sky and the clouds overhead and tried to concentrate on the rewards that awaited him in heaven. He prayed to God as he slowly raised his arm in the heat towards the sky.

8.
The soldier took in the man reaching up with tears running down his face and through his beard. In an instant he realised, but before he could react the man released the switch he held aloft. Under a rising sun the soldier clasped his daughter to him before thought ceased.

9.
The woman leant back into the soft chair and smiled slightly into the dregs of her coffee cup. He would be home soon.