Green

• Courtney Fox, Grade 10, Mccarthy Catholic College
• Short Story
• 2001

5th in the 'Zapped! 2001' competition

Grey clouds hovered in dreamy tendrils, stroking the distant church spire with giant’s fingers. The air hung with lavender and anticipation of a storm.
Elliot waited at a bus stop beside the road. The bus stop (if it could be called that, was a single seat next to a sign proclaiming yes, it was a bus stop) was just to the right of a lane-way bordered by tall trees leading to an unremarkable cottage. From where Elliot sat on the back of the bench with his feet resting on the seat, he could see a well-kept garden blooming with flowers. As he watched, a girl of around five appeared in the doorway carrying a fluffy, white dog. She wore what could only be K-Mart overalls and a backwards red cap that was too big for her.
“…in if it starts to rain.” The little girl nodded obediently. “Kay, mummy.”
A bus droned past without even slowing down, but there would be another bus; there was always another bus.
Elliot sighed and closed his startling eyes that were the green of the rolling hills shouldering the horizon. Everything was always green after it rained; hills, fields, trees. Elliot hated green. For him it was the colour of sorrow, for him it was never rain and always tears. Endless tears that were his fault and he hated that more than he hated the green. Elliot felt tired beyond belief, but he had to wait for the next bus; it would be coming soon.
Somehow, being tired gave everything a green hue as it started to rain. He turned his face up and let the rain pool trickle over his face in soothing runnels.
“Toby!” Suddenly, the girl appeared at the gate. Elliot saw the little dog circling the centre line of the road, yipping excitedly. The little girl frowned as she looked for her mother, then she saw Elliot.
An uncertain smile touched her lips and a small, pink hand raised in a wave. Elliot felt very heavy, very green, but nevertheless, he left a smile on his own lips and his traitor hand raised in return.
“Not long now,” he thought gravely.
As a more certain smile played on her face, the little girl darted onto the road to get her Toby. Then out of no-where loomed Elliot’s other bus. Again, the bus didn’t slow for Elliot, only when, the little girl was lying on the road in the steadily increasing rain.
A middle-aged man stumbled from the bus wearing a horror-mask. When he saw the little girl he stopped, muttered “Ohgoodnesstochrist,” and fell to his knees.
What neither he nor his passengers saw was that there were really two little girls; one lying in the street, her red cap lying near her curled hand, and another walking towards Elliot, still smiling. Elliot stood up and held out his hand which she took promptly.
“What’s your name?” she asked. “Elliot. What’s yours?” “Sarah.” He knelt before his new friend Sarah and smiled. “Do you know where we’re going?” Sarah nodded. “Is there anything special you want when we get there?” Sarah’s smooth forehead furrowed with concentration. “Jelly,” she sighed. Elliot’s smile grew. “What flavour?” “Green.” He laughed in spite of himself. “Green. Of course.”