Forgive

As they walked along under the moonlight, they were both quiet.  They were inches apart as they traversed the pavement, but they did not come in contact with each other ever.  Around them the night’s insects made their noise.  A few restless birds chirped here and there, but the only sound was that of their footsteps.

The silence between them though, spoke volumes.  It had since day one.  They were capable of some incredibly powerful silences.

He spoke first, it was barely a whisper.  That’s all they needed.  All they ever needed.

“I need you to do something.” he said.

She was quiet for a very long time.  Several yards past underneath their feet before she even turned to her left to look at thim.  They kept walking.

“What?” came her reply.

Again, the silence mounted as they continued down the path.

“I need you never to forgive me.” he said finally.  “Ever.”

She studied him after these words left his lips.  He continued looking down.  She then looked forward as they continued to walk.  She knew more would come.  She knew he felt her question.

After a few minutes, he took a breath and then, “I need you never to forgive me so I will always know exactly how very lucky I am.”

After these words the silence crashed around them.  Their footsteps now, on the ground, the only sound.  They continued the walk.  She said nothing for two minutes.  Five minutes.  Ten minutes.

He looked over at her.  Her eyes were on the path but she felt his gaze.

Her lips tight.  Without looking up, she nodded.

They continued walking into the night.

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Drive.

Drive
By Grant Baciocco

It’s 8:50PM.

It’s currently 91 degrees.

All I want to do is drive.

I want to get in the car, stop for gas to make sure the tank is full and then pull out of this town and drive.  Get on the freeway going any direction, it doesn’t matter.  Every window in the car is down and the music is turned up.  Not loud enough to go deaf, but loud.  I want to drive tonight and I want you next to me.  In the passenger seat, next to me, so that once we hit fifth gear  and cruise control is set can rest my hand on your leg.

The tires spin and the miles disappear behind us.  I don’t know how many, but as we pass over a hundred of them.  As the miles pass so do any of our troubles.  Soon it is all so far behind us both.  I look over and you have fallen asleep.  Your legs are up, out the window, feet near the passenger side mirror.  The warm air caressing your toes as we continue to drive.  My hand still on your leg.

I have no destination.  I don’t know where we are headed or how long it’s going to take to get there.  I just want to drive tonight.  Maybe to the desert.  Out towards Zzyzx.  To the big open country where there’s just miles and miles of flat land.  Where the warmth would continue to wrap around us, making us not need for heavier clothes.  Or maybe we drive towards the mountains.  Where, as we ascend, the air gets a little cooler.  Raising small bumps on your skin under my hand.

Wherever we go, we get there in the early hours of the morning.  Two.  Three.  I’m not sure.  I finally come to stop in a clearing.  A safe spot to pull over in the mountains or the desert.  I get out of the car, you’re still sleeping and I sit on the trunk.  I just look up.  The sky is filled with stars.  The one or two that we can see when in the city are replaces by thousands.  Millions.There’s no moon on this night, just countless stars.  Filling ever possible patch of sky that there is.  It’s one of those skies where it’s so clear and there’s no artificial light that can bee seen anywhere around us.  There before us is the entire Milky Way.  The entire universe.  Just us and it.

I hear the door open and I turn.  You are groggy, but you shuffle towards me and climb up on the trunk.  I wrap and arm around you and pull you close.  No word is said.  No word needs to be said.  It’s just you, me and the Milk Way.  What could you say?

We lean back against the back window and look up, transfixed.  Listening to each other breathing and we pick out new groupings of stars and planets and who knows what else before us.  Hours pass without us knowing and soon, to the east, the sky begins to lighten.  We lie there and watch as the sun ushers the Milky Way away for another night.  I look over and kiss you gently on the forehead.

I’m glad you went for a drive with me.

100 Word Wednesdays – Bowl

Bowl
By Grant Baciocco

Chester came upon the glass.  Its curved surface distorting the items on the other side, but he was able to make out letters written on a large white object.  He went slowly, sounding it out.

“Ne….new….news.” He said.  He squinted, “News.  News?  What could that mean?”  He was still and studied the word a little longer, hoping to put it into context.  Nothing was coming to him.  “News.” He thought again, “What could that mean?”

He decided a swim around the bowl might clear his mind.

The trip was short and then Chester came upon the glass again.

Creative Goals for week of 8/26

Time to look back at last week and see what I got done and what I didn’t as I tackle my creative goals.  Overall I got a lot done.  In fact, I got everything on my list done except two small items for Cartoon Doghouse which don’t have a hard deadline.  This week is more of the same but with less outside events, I can hopefully get a jump on plowing through the editing needed for Deputy Guppy.

DEPUTY GUPPY

  • Complete edit of #102
  • Layout Building #2 to go out with episode.
  • Do my VO for Initial edit of Episode #103
  • Finish recording all outside VO for Guppy.
  • Promote episode after it launches on Saturday

SATURDAY MORNING THEATRE

  • Once EPISODE 102 of Deputy Guppy is final, create Saturday Morning Theatre episode around it.
  • Prep episode for posting

UNCLE INTERLOPER

  • Prep CD #102 for posting
  • Prep SE#102 for posting
  • Reach out to other animators.
  • More jokes?

WRITING

  • Continue to write 500 words daily.
  • Post for Wednesday Words?

MISC.

  • Sprout Host Search Audition

CREATIVE APPOINTMENTS THIS WEEK

  • Monday- 7PM – Nuts & Bolts Improv Class
  • Wednesday – 7PM – Character Class
  • Thursday 12:30 – Disney Park Audition