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Types of People the New Kid Meets

I was sitting at lunch the other day and I realized that every time I was the new kid at school, I always encounter the same four types of people. Perhaps I should call them personalities rather than people as these qualities can describe anyone and everyone.

First, there is the ‘Forget Me Nots’. The Forget Me Not is that person who you met on the first week of school who reminds of someone. You can’t tell exactly who the Forget Me Not is like but you recognize something about them. Maybe it’s their pretentious eyebrows that seem to have been carefully crafted or their permanently plastered smile- these tend to be the more identifiable traits of the Forget Me Not- all you know for a fact is that this person’s face has made an appearance in your life once before. After a few weeks of observation, you have concluded that the Forget Me Not is simply another version of the person you knew initially, perhaps even a carbon copy. 

Speaking of carbon copied other versions, I like to call this next type of person the iPhone. The iPhone can do every basic thing that their peers can do, but they claim to be doing it better. They believe that their word on this matter is all it takes to convince their peers. Just like an iPhone, their demeanor that implies their superiority but once you peel back their pretty mask there are just about as basic as the rest of us. Even though you don’t like her, you just can’t avoid her- just like an iPhone. 

Then there is the Recliner. The Recliner is the most laid back person you have ever encountered.This is that person who decides that they only need to participate in life when they feel they are needed. These people can normally be roaming the hallways with their bathroom pass casually peeking out of their oversized sweatpants. They are typically on a first name basis with school security guards. They have been charged with cheating on their assignments several times, but never have they actually been convicted of an honor code violation. They probably even know the principal’s grandmother from bingo night or something. 

Finally, you meet – but never get to know- the Disappearing Act. It’s only the second month of the school year, and they have already decided that it’s time for a getaway. They stopped showing up to school for days at a time, then weeks at a time, then finally for a solid two months. Since their sudden disappearance, you have heard of their whereabouts precisely four times, three of these four times being from the rumors that they have sent flying about them. They drop hints about their location via various forms of social media, but that’s about it. 

Once you have met these four people, you have met everyone. You basically know everyone in town. You might as well have grown up here. 

All rights reserved © 2019 Josephine Joyil

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The Movie that Changed my Life

I have to be honest, I haven’t watched movies in a while. To give you an idea, I had to think long and hard just to find a movie to accuse of changing my life. It’s not because I don’t have the time – I don’t have time, but that’s just not the reason- I just don’t find them very appealing anymore. I feel that I have entered a period in my life in which I do not want to waste my time doing meaningless tasks. I categorize watching movies as meaningless as they don’t impact your life in any profound way and no one’s forcing you to do it anyway. This isn’t true about all movies- just those that present themselves to me. I find it quite ironic that it was a movie that helped me realize this.

It was a summer day. I don’t remember which day or which summer – perhaps it was five years ago or a nine years ago- but I remember that the day started off promising. It was one of those summer days in which you wake up when the day is already half over, but you have hope for the day to be promising nonetheless. My family and I had the grand idea of spending the prime of the day at the movies. At the time, we were on vacation in India. My brother and I had not been accustomed to the unforgiving Indian humidity so naturally our solution to this problem was to to camp out at the movies where the air conditioning will cool the air around us to our liking.

I believe the movie playing was Turbo. As I remember it, it was either a movie about a really fast snail that wanted to race or a slow snail that wanted to be fast so that it can race. Either way, we were watching snails race and I can tell you it was about as exciting as it sounds. The movie was about an hour and a half long, and after watching it I felt robbed of an hour and a half. My cousins, who were also on vacation in India, braved the humidity and went fishing while I watched snails race. At dinner, we talked about our day and I remember my cousin Richie, who was about four or five years old at the time, boasting about seeing a jellyfish wrestling a salmon. Now I don’t believe this tale, but I wasn’t there to see it, so I couldn’t say anything about it.

Now I know this may see quite exaggerated, but these events really did happen- besides Richie seeing a salmon wrestling a jellyfish, I just put that in there to make an essay about snails racing more interesting- and that day, I realized that I had been wasting too much time in front of the screen. It made me wonder why I started watching movies in the first place and I realized that it was supposed to be used as a distraction. When I was a kid, my parents gave me a screen to distract me with Scooby Doo or Tom and Jerry while they went about finishing the tasks that life demands of them to do. They never took the screen back, so whenever I got bored, I tuned to the screens as a means of a distraction. Growing up, I would finish my homework and then run straight to my TV to get a dose of some of that good distraction. When I realized this, I had realized that I had lived the better part of my life distracted. There was a day that children went outside to play and made up stories about seeing jellyfish wrestling salmon, but now children are too distracted by their screens to bother to go outside.

I decided that I did not want to live half distracted, but then I realized that I could not live in any other way. Without a distraction I get bored easily, I realized, I need the distraction. We depend on this distraction. We crave for a distraction. We need something to take out minds off the causes of our anxiety. We have an irrational fear of what the future holds for us. While we anxiously await the future, we are restlessly waiting for the tedious present to pass. We sold out time for a distraction, and in doing so we have allowed ourselves to be enslaved by the distraction.

All rights reserved © 2019 Josephine Joyil

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To: The child I once was

Dearest,

Do you remember that letter you wrote on your second day at Kinnelon? It was the letter you wrote in health class with all the other freshmen, addressing the version of yourself that lives in the future. You will never have the chance to read that letter again, so don’t bother writing it. I remember you were quite anxious about finishing it. You did not know what to say to your ‘future self’. I remember you made references to a period of your life that was unimportant to you even then. I have always wondered whom you were trying to fool. You were informed that no one else would ever read it, so why did you bother writing it?

I remember you thinking that the past is just a distant memory that is separated from you by the membrane that is time. It made you feel that all you had was the present. The present for you was not a pleasant time to live in, I remember. I am glad to tell you, you are wrong to some extent. The past will be locked away from you forever- that much is true, you will never experience it again- but you won’t be stuck in this present. You have a future that will eventually became the present. You will cherish this future. You will only learn how to when you realize that the future has already become the past.

Hold close to you the things that are important. You may not know what it is yet, but it knows you. Trust me when I say that it will find you in your near future and give you a purpose that you did not know you had. It will show you a whole world that exists in front of your face, but you did not have the courage to open your eyes and witness it. I do not blame you for this lack of courage though. What you will soon see is quite terrifying, but you will survive.

Just make sure that you don’t forget who you are. People are easily manipulated when they forget their identity. They would be like a blank canvas longing for colour. This longing is dangerous, it can persuade one to settle for what is beneath them.

In a few years it would be another’s turn to write these same words to me in a letter that I will never read. Time will stand in the way. It would be the same sequence of letters that hold a completely different meaning. That is what time does to words- it fills them with wisdom and deplete them of innocence. It is true that ignorance is bliss, but trust me bliss is of no use to you. It is better to be wise and alert than blissful. Just because you are unaware of a threat does not mean it is any less threatening.

You will learn these things soon; I just thought I should give you a forewarning. I would have appreciated a forewarning. Perhaps a forewarning would defeat the purpose of life. If you are prepared for everything, you would never fail and if you never fail, you will never learn. That is why I continue to neglect my upcoming math tests: preparation will inhibit my ability to learn.

Don’t take me too seriously dear, I’m only joking (to some extent). To some extent, however, I am right. Don’t worry too much about life. It will happen, one way or another. You can’t stop it, all you can do is pray.

This will be the last time I write to you. You won’t hear from me again, because I won’t exist again. The person who is writing this letter to you at this moment will cease to exist before she finishes this sentence. That is just what time does to you. When your past dies, your future is born. Just remember that I am with you, resting in your mind, waiting to be born.

Forever yours,
Josephine

All rights reserved © 2019 Josephine Joyi

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My Mom’s Crepes

When I was in middle school, I lived in Sweden. I remember that I took the tunnelbana- which is what they called the subway- to school every day. I used to eat my breakfast on the train ride to school everyday as it was the norm for me to wake up late everyday. I would always arrive at school a solid five minutes late, but that didn’t matter because the teacher was always ten minutes late. So I would be at ease, enjoying my breakfast crepes, as I admired the beautiful sceneries of Stockholm, Sweden flash by outside the window. Now that I’m thinking about it, I’m not sure that what I was eating could technically be defined as a crepe- they weren’t technically made with the same recipe-  but it walked like a crepe and it talked like a crepe, so for now its a crepe. 

As I passed through the handful of stations that existed between my school in Hötorget and my house in Gullmarsplan, I crossed over two major water bodies. The realization that there was an entire island between my house and my school only hit me after I left Sweden. I remember that I was actually in a train in India- passing over a similar water body- when the thought crossed my mind. I do enjoy the irony.  

My mom’s crepes are not a pleasure food. It is quite the opposite actually. It’s what you make when you have two cups of flour and no time on your hands. It’s the kind of junk food with a ‘healthy twist’ that leaves you wondering why you decided to pick it of all things to be your sugary snack for the day. Now, I don’t intend to publicly criticize my mother for her odd crepes.  My mom is a good cook, who can make great food. The problem is that most great foods are bad for you and my mom is a health nut. I enjoyed my mother’s crepes, nonetheless,  despite their odd twist. 

I remember that my mom only made these crepes for breakfast on school days. She always packed about three or four for me to enjoy on the train ride to school. By the ninth grade, I no longer took the train to school, so I could no longer enjoy crepes for breakfast. We only get to enjoy them now on Friday nights for a mid night snack. Even those occasions are not very frequent. In a way, I like to think of my weaning off of these crepes as an ending sign. 

Its Hötorget, my stop has arrived. Except this time, I won’t be walking out of the train station and heading to my school. This time, I’ll be catching a connection train that will be taking me to a further destination. I’m not sure where the train is headed, but I’m sure that it will pass over a bridge. And, I’ll think about how I used to travel over islands going 300 miles per hour, while peacefully enjoying my crepes on my way to school. And perhaps one day I’ll be the one making those crepes for a kid whose is  rushing out the door everyday, late for first period.

All rights reserved © 2019 Josephine Joyil 

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A Junction in Time

The present won’t move forward,
So you reminisce the past.
There’s nothing to work toward,
You wonder if things would last.

As nostalgia clouds the mind,
The good dreams taste bitter sweet.
You wonder if you left behind,
The better days, in hurried fleet.

When childhood faces come to mind,
You wonder if you’ll ever see,
The people who were once so kind,
At the times you were in need.

These faces you saw yesterday,
Who you’ll see tomorrow, but never again…
The faces who have led your way,
Who were by your side without a gain.

This is life, my child listen!
You’ll only see when time had run,
When the evening sun comes down in glisten,
You’ll see at last, that life was fun.

Fun- had you been there to hear the laughter,
Of your peers with whom you grew,
But you had wanted to grow faster,
Now food for worms, you have to go!

All rights reserved © 2018 Josephine Joyil
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He Who Guides

The voice of God guides me
To start this life afresh,
To forget the unforgettable–
A voice not to second guess,

The voice that I have trusted
At dawn of day that’s life,
A day that I shall walk through
Till God’s word calms the strife.

The trifles of this world
Shall strain not my soul,
For I know of God’s word,
The word of life that’s whole

For all those that are broken,
Contentment God shall grant,
For the cross of Jesus opened
The gates of Heaven’s land.

The Voice that welcomes back
A banished child of Eve.
The water that will cleanse
A sinning soul that grieves.

A helper God shall send,
Who shall guide me through.
A light at tunnel’s end,
That shines in radiant hues.

The sadness may persist,
And through it all I stand,
For I know of God’s gift,
He knows and understands.

The fruit of Eden seeks
The hopeless and alone.
Temptation hunts the weak,
But God will guide them home.

Our worldly needs may ask
To leave the just and right.
My soul shan’t leave its task,
To praise God from hill’s height.

When Heaven’s gate is opened,
The choir of angels sing.
A hymn of praise and worship,
Songs of eternity ring.

All rights reserved © 2018 Josephine Joyil

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Immanuel

The leaves turn to tell the age,
From a tender bud,
To a parchment page.

The green blue waters turn frozen grey,
It cries out
To you in pain.

The winds were blowing, it howled your name.
Its prayers were surely,
Not in vain.

The night devours the light of day,
But from the heavens,
Shine forth your rays.

All rights reserved © 2017 Josephine Joyil
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The North

The northeast and the old northwest,
Together formed the northern nest.
United by the railroad routes,
The northern states would start to sprout.

Inexpensive transportation,
Caused a surge in population.
High birth rates and immigration,
Also helped to build the nation.

Towns would grow past 1820,
From tiny town to cities plenty.
A faster pace in railroad tracks,
Made people settle down in packs.

So slums would flood in urban North,
When workers came in rushing forth.
Hence it can be no surprise,
That living conditions did not rise.

All rights reserved © 2017 Josephine Joyil
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Dictionary

Character description

Sayge: Sayge is the main protagonist of the play. She is a nine year old girl with a stubborn personality. She values the opinion of her peers and believes that these opinions are meant to be the foundation of her social status and a reflection of her personality. Her character develops and grows throughout the play as she learns new things about life through experiences. 

Skeemz: Skeemz is Sayge’s imaginary friend. He is aware that his sole purpose is to get Sayge though the ups and downs of her childhood. He believes that it is important to let children figure out solutions to their own problems. He is normally the ‘listener’ who sits and listens to Sayge when she talks about the problems she faces in life. He often says things in a sarcastic tone. For the purpose of the play, he is the comedic relief.         

Freddie: Freddie is the main antagonist of the play. She is the popular girl who everyone obeys for no apparent reason. She is meant to symbolise social norms that, like her, are followed by society for no apparent reason. 

Mrs.Pesonen: A teacher. 

Mr.Baker: The principal 

Act 1

Scene 1

Skeemz is sitting on the couch with his feet on the coffee table. He is reading a book intently. 

Sayge: We have a problem. 

Skeemz: (Still looking in the book. Line is delivered in a playful tone, but character remains with a straight face.) It’s about time someone spoke up! This household is going through a cookie famine!

(Sayge looks at Skeemz mildly irritated)

Sayge: That’s not what I meant. 

Skeemz: Ah… you’re referring to our lemonade drought?

(Sayge grows increasingly irritated.)  

Sayge: What?… You can’t just make up words!

Skeemz: (Looks up momentarily to deliver the line. Makes a mocking “thinking face” with his fingers rubbing his chin as if in deep thought) Both lemonade and drought are real words.

Sayge: Forget the stupid lemonade drought! That’s not the problem. 

Skeemz: (Returning his attention to his book. Mainly to himself. ) Isn’t it though? 

Sayge: (Continues as if uninterrupted): Freddie did something mean today…

Skeemz:(Still focuses attention on the book. Interrupts Sayge): Did she accuse you of causing the cookie famine? I mean, that’s what I’m going with. 

Sayge: No, she told me that I have to give her my lunch money because she’s older than me.   

Skeemz:  Did you do it? 

Sayge: (Indignantly) No! I told her to buy her own lunch. Then she told me that she’ll get me into trouble. 

Skeemz: What did you say to that.

Sayge: I told her that I’m not afraid of her. (Pause momentarily) Then she said she is going to tell everyone to not talk to me. 

Skeemz: (Sarcastic) We don’t want that now do we?

Sayge: (With innocent sincerity) Exactly, but if I just give her my lunch money, I’d just be doing what she wants me to do.

Skeemz: Yeah, that’s what you’ll be doing. 

Sayge: Maybe if I just give her my lunch money, I wouldn’t get into trouble. I mean all of her friends do that. Maybe she’ll be my friend if I give her my money. I mean being nice to everyone is how everyone gets friends right? 

Skeemz: (Looks up for the first time.) What have I to do with the sacredness of traditions, if I live wholly from within? 

Sayge: (Confused)What?

Skeemz: (Places a bookmark between the pages of the book he was reading and neatly puts it down on the coffee table.) It is a quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson. I believe I read it in A Nonconformist. One of Emerson’s well known pieces.   

Sayge: How is my problem related to what Emerson has to say?

Skeemz: (To himself) Everything is related to what Emerson has to say. (Back to Sayge) My point is, it is important for you listen to yourself and ‘live wholly from within’. You need to ask yourself if it’s worth it to be friends with Freddie. 

Sayge: But if I don’t do what everyone else does, then I won’t be like everyone else. I’ll be considered…different…like a freak…or a…

Skeemz:( Still looking into the book.) A dictionary.

Sayge: Exactly. ( Realizes she did not understand the analogy) What?

Skeemz: (Skeemz picks up the book and holds it in his hand with the cover facing Sayge. The book is a dictionary.) It is a book that can’t be classified into a genre. It lacks a plot and setting, but it makes up for that with its rich vocabulary. (Briefly looks at the dictionary in approval as he delivers the previous line. Then looks up at Sayge to deliver the next line) Nobody wants to read it, but everybody needs it at some point. The dictionary knows what it is. It would lose its purposes if it had a plot or setting. It listened to itself and lived wholly from within.    

Sayge: But I don’t want to be the book that no one wants to read. 

Skeemz: (Disappointed.) Really? That’s all you got from all of that? (To himself.)Kids these days. (Back to Sayge) Well then, it’s a good thing you are not a book my friend. 

Sayge: But you just said I’m a dictionary. 

Skeemz: Are you a dictionary?

Sayge: (Confused, does not understand what Skeemz is trying to say) No?

Skeemz: (Teasing. Starts to open the dictionary to the marked page.) Are you sure about that?

Sayge: (Still confused.) Yes? (Momentary pause. Then with more certainty) Yes.

Skeemz: What if I told you that you are a dictionary? 

Sayge: (Stubborn) Well… you’re wrong. 

Skeemz: (Insistent) No, I think you are a dictionary. There’s no doubt about that. 

Sayge: (Frustrated) I’m not a dictionary, because I said I’m not a dictionary. 

Skeemz: (Still primarily focused on reading the dictionary.) What if Freddie said you are a dictionary?   

Sayge: She doesn’t decide what I am. I do. 

(Sayge is annoyed. Skeemz looks at Sayge and raises his eyebrows. Sayge realizes what Skeemz was trying to say.)

Sayge: So I’m not a dictionary?

Skeemz: I don’t know kid, you tell me. 

(Skeemz flips to the next page in the dictionary.)

Scene 2

It is lunchtime and Sayge is waiting in line to get a cookie. Freddie is standing in front of Sayge. She turns around. 

Freddie: (Exaggerated friendliness) Hey Sayge. 

Sayge:(Briefly glances up) Hello Freddie.

(Freddie pauses for a moment. There is a brief look of distaste on her face.) 

Freddie: Listen, I forgot my lunch money, so do you mind stealing me a cookie?

Sayge: I’m not going to steal anything Freddie.

Freddie: Come on Sayge, how about you quit being a good girl for once. 

Sayge: (Looks up at Freddie. There is a look of mocked hospitality on her face.) How about you go ahead and get your own cookie?

Freddie: (Starts an argument) Sayge…

Sayge:(Cuts off Freddie) Freddie

(Sayge continues to look Freddie in the eyes to prove she is not scared of Freddie. Freddie turns around.)

The line progressively moves forward. When Freddie and Sayge got to the cookie station, Freddie takes a cookie and slips it in her coat. Sayge sees her doing this but does not say anything. Freddie got caught by Mrs. Pesonen. 

Mrs. Pesonen: Freddie, I sure hope you are planning on paying for that cookie. 

Freddie: (Smiles artificially) Don’t worry Mrs. Pesonen, Sayge said she’ll pay the lunch lady back. 

(Sayge was standing behind Freddie. She overheard the conversation.)

Sayge: (Slight panic) Sayge said no such thing.

Freddie: Yeah you did, you said I can go ahead and get a cookie.

Sayge:(Emphasis on the words that are italicized) I said you can go ahead and get yourself a cookie…as in purchase one…with money.

Freddie:(Still artificially smiling) I did, with your money. 

Sayge:(Stubborn) I’m not paying for that. 

(Sayge looks at Mrs. Pesonen for help.)

Mrs. Pesonen: (Looks at telltale signs of lying on Sayge’s and Freddie’s faces.) How about I escort you two to the principal’s office?

 Scene 3

Sayge and Freddie are sitting on opposite sides of the bench outside the principal’s office. Skeemz casually walks by whistling a cheerful tune.  

Sayge: (Surprised to see Skeemz at school)What are you doing here? 

Skeemz: It’s never too late to get an education…

Sayge: No really, Skeemz, what are you doing here?

Skeemz: Sayge the real question is: What are you doing here?  

Sayge: I got into trouble.

Skeemz: Did they blame you for causing the cookie famine? 

Sayge: (Disappointed)Yeah. 

Skeemz: (Baffled because he remembers the aforementioned ‘cookie famine’) Seriously, because I was just joking about that…

Skeemz gets interrupted when Sayge gets a text message from Freddie.

Sayge: (Reads the message out loud.) You haven’t met me if you think the truth will set you free. (Looks at Freddie) What’s that supposed to mean?

Freddie: You’re talking to yourself, ya little freak. You don’t think that I’ll spill the beans about Skeemz? What, are you making up friends now because no one in the real world wants to talk to you?  

Sayge: What are you saying?

Freddie: If you say one word about the cookies, I will make sure that everyone knows you’re a freak. 

Skeemz: (Raises his eyebrows. Put emphasis on the lines that are italicized)  Wow. That is one angry little girl.

Sayge: (Filled with rage, says the first thing that comes to mind. To Freddie) Wow, you are one angry little girl. 

Skeemz looks at Sayge incredulously. 

(Freddie starts to hiss at Sayge)

Skeemz: (To Sayge) Act like you’re not listening. It will drive her insane. 

Sayge looks straight ahead, with a slight smirk on her face

Skeemz starts to laugh at Freddie’s tantrum. 

Mrs. Pesonen walks out of the Principal’ office.

Mrs. Pesonen: (To Sayge and Freddie) Mr. Baker would like to see you two. 

Scene 4

Freddie, Sayge and Skeemz  walk out of the principal’s office. The three of them walk towards the same class. A few feet away from the door, Freddie stops Sayge and Skeemz stops beside Sayge.

Freddie: (Hisses) Lunch time detention for the next three days. You’ll pay for that.  

Sayge: (Smirk) I’m not scared of you. You’re just one angry little girl. 

Freddie: You have no idea what I’m capable of. When I’m done with you, you’re going to wish no one knew your name.  

Sayge: (Trying to get a good comeback.)Joke’s on you, I don’t even have a name. 

Sayge realizes that what she said was silly. She pauses for a moment, trying to fix what she just said, then decides against it and walks away.  Skeemz follows.

Skeemz: (To Sayge): (Disappointed)‘Jokes on you, I don’t even have a name?’ Come on kid, you could do better than that. 

Sayge:(Embarrassed) I know, just keep walking. 

Scene 5

Sayge and Skeemz are at home. 

Sayge:(Frantic) Skeemz, we have a problem.

Skeemz: What happened?

Sayge: Freddie just posted a video of me talking to you.  

Skeemz: (Confused)But no one else can see me.

Sayge: Exactly! It looks like I’m talking to a wall. Everyone will think I’m a wierd. No one wants to talk to the ‘weird one’ What am I going to do?

Skeemz: Calm down, it’s not a big deal. 

Sayge: This is serious. People will think I’m a freak. No one will talk to me.

Skeemz: So what? You’re in the fourth grade. Do you really think you’ll spend the rest of your life surrounded by the kids from your elementary school? In a few years, none of these people will matter. They will all go away. You need to learn how to be friends with the most important person in your life. 

Sayge: (Snapped)And who’s that? You?

Skeemz: (Line is delivered in a mocked offended voice.)I am offended by your tone young lady. (Returns back to serious tone) No it’s you. One of these days, I’ll have to go away, Then it will only be you kid. If you keep basing your life on what other people want, you’ll never find happiness in your life.

Sayge: Why will you go away?

Skeemz: That’s just how life works. (Pauses for a moment) Life is like a bus. Everyone is just a passenger on this bus. You’re just one of the many passengers.  All the passengers in this bus have to get off at a different stop. If you get off at someone else’s stop, you’ll never get to your destination.

Sayge: What does that mean?

Skeemz: I’m just saying, maybe this is where you get off the bus. Maybe this is your stop. You’re not always going to see eye to eye with everyone in your life. 

Sayge: (Getting worried) What about you? Are you ever going to get off the bus without me? 

Skeemz: If it’s what I need to do, yes. One day, I’ll have to get off of this bus and onto another bus. Then you’ll have to figure out what stop to get off of on your own. 

Sayge: What will I do if I get lost?

Skeemz: You’ll never get lost if you know where you’re going. You’ll only know where you’re going if you live wholly from within.  I think that’s why Freddie is so mean.

Sayge: Wait what? 

Skeemz: Yeah, she’s just a sad little girl who seeks validation.

Sayge looks confused.

Skeemz: She wants to control people to have a role in society. 

Sayge:What’s my role in society?

Skeemz: You don’t need one Sayge. Don’t go looking for one. You’re different in the most beautiful way possible. You know who you are. You can’t be classified. 

Sayge: Like a dictionary?

(Skeemz smiles)

Skeemz: I don’t know kid, you tell me. 

Scene 6

Sayge and Skeemz are at school. Sayge walks into her class to see a sea of faces staring at her. She walks slowly to her desk. Skeemz follows. Voices and murmurers can be heard. 

Freddie:(To a random classmate) That’s that girl who was talking to a wall. 

Classmate: She’s so weird.

Freddie: I know right. 

Freddie walks over to Sayge

Freddie: Sayge, what happened to your little friend. I bet it got sick of you and left, just like everyone else. 

Skeemz: I’m standing right here. 

Freddie: That’s why you don’t have any friends right Sayge?

Skeemz: Don’t listen to her Sayge. She’s just trying to assert her dominance over you. 

Sayge: (Stands up) You know Freddie, I’ve always wondered what your problem is. 

Skeemz: (Warning)  Don’t let her get to you Sayge.

Sayge: (To Freddie) You’re always stealing people’s lunch money. At first I thought it was to assert your dominance over everyone else. 

Skeemz: (Warning)That’s what she’ll do if you let her get to you.

Sayge: Then I realized you’re just a sad little girl who is seeking validation from society.

Freddie: What are you talking about?

Sayge: I find it sad that your small mind can’t accept what you are. It’s a pity that society gives a silly little kid like you so much power. (Pause for a moment.) Or maybe it doesn’t. Maybe that’s just the mask that you want to keep up to fool everyone. 

Freddie: You don’t know what you’re talking about. 

Skeemz: (To Freddie, knowing she can’t hear him.) Most people don’t know what she’s talking about. I mean, about like 90% of the time, I don’t even think she knows what she’s talking about. 

Sayge: (Eyes fixed on Freddie) I think I do.(Pause for a moment) One of these days, we will leave elementary school. We will be in the real world, where no one cares about what one angry little girl has to say. 

Skeemz:  (To Freddie, knowing she can’t hear him.) It’s true, most people either find angry little children too cute to listen to or annoying. My opinion about you is the latter Freddie. 

Classmate: (At Sayge) Looks like someone is cranky because they missed their nap time. 

Skeemz: (Turns to Classmate, with a fake smile) Child, at least she ain’t the one in desperate need for some beauty sleep. (Snaps his fingers)

Sayge: (Turns to Classmate, with a fake smile) Child, at least I ain’t the one in desperate need for some beauty sleep. (Snaps her fingers)

Freddie: Look who’s talking. 

Sayge: I am talking, and you will listen. You can keep up your little popularity game for as long as you want Freddie, but you can’t make me play it.  

Classmate: You’re so full of yourself. Why can’t you just be like everyone else. Then maybe you can get some friends.

Freddie: She’s just some little freak. 

Sayge: (Boldly) No, I’m pretty sure that I’m a dictionary. 

Sayge looks at the audience. Skeemz looks at Sayge in approval.

Curtain falls  

All rights reserved © 2016 Josephine Joyil

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A sister’s shadow

Juniper laid on her bed, with her back pressed against the duvet and her eyes fixed on the ceiling fan. The smell of dust, the periodic creaking of loose floorboards and the antique ceiling fan that whined as it spun. This was home. There was, indeed, no place like it. It is the place that you return to when your presence is no longer required in the outside world. It is the place where you feel whole, surrounded by those whom you love. Everything here feels unforgettable. Yet, when Juniper laid on her bed that evening, something felt forgotten. It was like a word that you had at the tip of your tongue, or a dream you had at the break of dawn, it is forgotten. Its absence can be felt, and you can almost hear it laughing at the back of your head at your foolish forgetfulness. But that is the only remaining evidence that it ever existed.

Juniper got up, and examined the perimeter of what was once her childhood bedroom that she shared with her sister. On the wall was an oil painting that her sister had painted when she was about thirteen. Their mother was so proud of her. “This one has a true talent,” she remembers someone saying. She doesn’t remember who it was that said this.“This one has a future.”

Juniper and her sister seldom fought. Her sister being the civil lady that she was and Juniper knowing that she wouldn’t be the one winning. She was envious of her sister, but her love overshadowed her envy and allowed her to disguise her envy as pride for her sister. She would often comment on the many gifts that her sister possessed. She still speaks highly of her sister. It’s easier to hide the envy now that her sister is but a memory. Her body- which one radiated the dazzling rays of youth- is now one with the dirt and worms.

“Who has a future now” Juniper would often smirk, but the morbid thought saddened her more than it pleased her. She often feels that the wrong sister had been effaced from the face of the earth.

When her sister was alive, Juniper was a memory- a forgotten memory, even- one that was so faint that it almost didn’t exist. She knew that she could have been remembered and that knowledge gave her hope when she was a child. It was the kind of hope that fueled her will to live until her entire existence depended on it.

All rights reserved © 2015 Josephine Joyil