fic

[percival]

Rachel could not stand the bright lights anymore. She was standing on Times Square, New York, and her head was spinning.

"Coca Cola"

"George Bush declares war on terror"

"The Vagina Monologues - New Season"

Rachel was breathing in short gasps.
A tall, edgy woman with a smile like Lauren Hutton brushed past her.

"Hey sweetie, wanna see a play? Here, check this out, it's really great! Only 22 dollars a ticket!"

Somebody had punched Rachel in the shoulder; now she stood there with a leaflet in her hands. Rachel screamed.

People streamed past her, oblivious to the screaming woman with the plaits, the white frilly blouse and the unfashionably long black A-line skirt. She must be one of those country bumpkin nutters, straight off the Greyhound from Nowhere, Alabama. Well, if the city was too much for her, then she should have stayed at home, right? Nobody forces you to come to New York, Rachel. Nobody forces you to plant yourself in the middle of Times Square. You scared? Your fault. Now f*** off.

After a while, the screaming melted into sobbing; the sobbing ended with a sigh.
Rachel decided to ask for help.

- "Excuse me sir, could you tell me where a Youth Hostel is?"
- "No comprendo, senora."

After four more tries with similar results in three more languages, she finally mustered the courage to ask a coloured woman.

- "Ma'am, could you help me, please? I am looking for the Youth Hostel."
- "Oh, poor sweetheart, are you lost?"
- "I was supposed to meet some friends here, who had agreed to shelter me for the night, but they have not come to the pre-appointed spot. I have been waiting for them for seven hours now."
- "You must be real hungry."
- "I briefly stepped into a McDonald's restaurant to purchase some food two hours ago."

Comments

[aome.livejournal.com]

I would be interested to see where this goes. :)

BTW, did you use 'coloured woman' to set the tone for an era? It's not at all considered proper now, but it was used, of course, quite a lot some time ago, so I thought perhaps you had a specific time period in mind?

[perceval.livejournal.com]

No, more to set the tone for Rachel. I saw her as - or rather, she turned out to be - a girl with a 50's upbringing in a Noughties world. How on earth she got there, I don't know.

percival

[sff-corgi.livejournal.com]

It's certainly intriguing, but it reads more like the beginning of a scene or somesuch than a finished drabble, if that was your intention.

I'd like to see where it goes from here. :)

[jennlee2.livejournal.com]

I think you really did capture how out of place she is. Nice work, especially for only 15 minutes!