Chattering Monkeys

Mechanical Bunny · Site Admin Joined: 19 Apr 2007 Posts: 223

[I made a random character I want to test writing for. You guys can post, I don't mind if I do it by myself. I have to develop the character before I use her on TS.]

A beam of light hit her face, snapping her eyes open. She gasped and sat up, looking around wildly, like she had been physically hit. Amazed, she stared up at the sun. Then got lost in it. Seconds passed. The ache escalated until she looked away. A big dot accompanied by a few others scurried in her vision. She swiped at the air, trying to get them. Her ferocity made her fall back into the grass. She screamed angrily when they evaded her as she hit the air with her weak, wasted arms. Giving up, she closed her eyes and rolled over.

Eyes still closed, she laid there a moment, robe tangled around her skinny frame. The grass smelled different and felt different. Her hands reached out into the clumps of weeds and grabbed at it, then stroked it. She moaned happily, mewling an approval. Letting it go she began rolling over onto her side and around, spinning, robe twisting further until it was around her hips. The rock in her pocket dug into her side each time, but she was already dreaming and didn't notice.

Flowers were gathered around her, leaning over her, whispering to her. Flowers with claws, flowers with cold breath, flowers with teeth that grinned. And they whispered. She listened intently. She stopped rolling in case she rolled onto them. They had spines, so it wouldn't be good. She opened her eyes to gaze on their beauty and, amazed, pushed herself up until she could sit on her knees, listening. She talked back to them.

"A brick runs on a river and a little baby too does the gravy."

She sat a moment, listening more. The flowers than began fading out of sight, and were replaced by dogs. They howled at her and she scrambled to her feet. They closed in, bearing their fangs, growling. Afraid, she screamed at the top of her weak lungs and ran. The rock in her pocket made the front of her robe bounce as it hit her leg, rose, then hit it again. Her yellowed robe was still tangled up near her thighs rather than hanging by her knees but that didn't attract her notice whatsoever. The brown leather straps and shiny metal buckles adorning it all over swung as she moved.

The world was suddenly barren and sandy, dirt flying as her feet pounded the ground. She ran feebly, weakly, unused to physical movement of any sort. Being confined in one room does that to you. The thought flitted through her mind that she wouldn't be able to outrun the dogs. Rocks, as big as mountains, rose to both sides. Cracks down them made little pathways that looked like they dead-ended. One she passed, however, went through to the desert beyond. She dashed down it and hid in a dark crack. The dogs kept to the main road and ran on.

Safe, she sank down the wall and began to cry. The dirty trash scattered around the alley stunk, as did a pile of rags not too far away. An especially big pile of junk, made of broken crates and food and all sorts of unimaginable things, hid her from view of the road.

Still frightened, she began to sob loudly, holding her grass-stained hands to her face. She rocked back and forth. This went on for some long minutes. Slowly she calmed. She reached a hand from her face down into her pocket and clutched the rock. She took it out and looked at it with one eye, the other covered by her remaining hand. Then she slowly moved to hold it with both hands and stared. The bags under her honey brown eyes made her look wild as she gazed at it in reverence. Her black hair was tangled and held lint and dirt in the gnarls. She looked tired and worn, like a shrinking, bleached skeleton with hunched shoulders.

This world outside the walls was bright and scary, not anything like the place before. She had been there a long time. She didn't know what time was, but she could feel it sometimes. It was strange. Like poison, swirling in your brain. It had sucked Dr. Googer's face until he was shriveled like a raisin her mother gave her once.

The ordinary rock she held like the greatest treasure closely to her face had little shimmers in it she had never noticed before. There wasn't a lot of light where she was from. Voice filled with wonder, she said to it, "Great beady fingers took my face, whale dumpling. Teeny tiny little bits of flash. Yes, do-do-do~!" With that she smugly put her rock back in her pocket and patted it.

Colors then invaded her vision and she began staring at the wall. Symbols scrolled by in blue, red, purple, pink on a green background. Her mouth gaped as she stared, transfixed. They swirled around her when they were done with their show, pushing against her back, making it itch. They danced over her legs as she floated in a green, blank space, irritating and wet. She moaned and tried to rub her legs, but they blocked her from doing so. She hit them until her knuckles bled. They fled, and she was left staring at her bleeding hand resting in damp, old parchment on the cobblestone floor of the alleyway.