Sunday, May 21, 2006

Rinda's Story from a Picture


I really love when Rinda posts a picture for us to respond to. So, here's one of my own. It's a painting called "The Lovers" by Rene Magritte. So, my wonderfully imaginative friends: what's the story of the picture?

20 comments:

Betty S said...

Okay. The pic says to me that none of use truely see or know the "other" except through the image we conjure in our own minds. It was interesting when my father died and my brother and I were sitting around talking about him. (Bill & I are 5 years apart) We never knew the same man. Both of use were constantly asking, "What are you talking about? He wasn't like that."

Story? Let me sleep on it.

Betty S said...

none of "us" (in both instances)

Rinda Elliott said...

Jo Lynn loved Fish Man enough to give them a try, but she was a bit suspicious of the new condoms...

Kelli McBride said...

FISH Man??!! New Condoms!! Hah!! How hilarious!!

Betty: I'm still waiting....

Kelli McBride said...

Kelli wasn't taking any chances this time. Sure, the pillowcases were hot, and they got damp from the saliva, but never again would a sultry, hot evening be spoiled by the design on her sweater. She simply couldn't take another let down (if you know what I mean).

Michele said...

Oh, I just thought the caption should read:

Halitosis Lovin'
For those spontaneous late night sessions after over-indulging at a Garlic festival.
or
Love is a many sheltered thing.
Two virgins practicing safe courting ... *ahem*

Kelli McBride said...

Hah..HAH! Michele - great captions.

Betty S said...

The couple embraced, hoping, praying that they could learn to love the stranger that would soon stand before each of them. After the scandelous trial that kept them in headlines around the world for months, there was no place on earth they could be sent for safety. No spot where they could not be found. Where the deadly tentacles of the mob could not find them. Plastic surgery was the only answer and became step one in their participation in the witness protection program. New faces. New names. New lives. The bandages would come off in an hour. That was the easy part.

Ellen held the memory of her husband tightly in her mind, afraid to let go, afraid of losing him. Theoretically, he was the same man he always was. The man who'd promised to love her forever. But, in her heart she knew that moments from now when they stood, each staring into the eyes of a stranger, reality was going to shift, and the man she held in her mind and loved with all the passion in her heart would be gone forever.

She clung tightly to Mark, his image sharp and clear within her memory. The mob hadn't gotten to them. Hadn't murdered them in their beds. But every thing she had ever known was now gone, including her lover's face. In that moment, Ellen knew the bad guys had won, and there was more than one way to die.

Michele said...

Oh Wow! Betty, that was so powerful!!!
So, when are we going to find out the rest?
You CAN'T leave us hanging! That's a great synopsis!

Kelli McBride said...

Betty, I second Michele's response. This is a great story! You could easily spin this into a powerful short story.

Betty S said...

Uhh. So you think it was worth waiting a couple of days for me to post?

I felt bad that it took so long but you wouldn't believe the computer troubles I've been having. (hopefully almost over)

I think it makes a decent scene, I'm not real good with police procedural stuff and would really have to flesh out what the rest of the plot would be about if I made it bigger.

Kelli McBride said...

Just the trying to adjust to her husband's new face. And what if it wasn't really her husband? What if he was a plant to get info from her, and the same was happening with her husband. You could make this an interesting sci-fi story about memory harvesting: they copied the memories of this couple and implanted them in two agents. However, what they couldn't copy was the soul...

Betty S said...

I thought of that, but it's been done before. I think it is the right general direction. I'd just need to add a fresh twist to it.

Michele said...

Argh! I had a great response and the phone cut the signal as I was sending this and the whole thing was lost!!!!!!!

Basically, I was saying to both of you
Write! Write these stories and don't let them go. They sound like stories I'd enjoy reading.

However, I tried to add a sci-fi twist -
That perhaps she was going to see her husband's TRUE form. That in fact, he was an alien who is humanoid enough to procreate with her but has facial and body elements of his different specie. Perhaps he has attributes that can only be unlocked by true love by which their relationship would experience a higher level of closeness and pleasure. But her love is the key.

With this add, these comments have touched on elements of suspense/mystery/romance/fantasy and romantica.

So, Betty and Kelli - what are you going to do? Round robin? Individually write or collaborate?

I'm really curious.

Kelli McBride said...

All I'm writing currently are new syllabi and assignment handouts for summer school. Then I'll be working on the IETV class for fall.

Betty S said...

Well this sort of falls somewhere behind doing revisions on HIH, finishing my rough draft of POC, completing my outline on a nonfiction book I'm considering, and working on my lectures and lesson plans for a class I'm adjuncting this summer. And somewhere in there I need to clean and paint mom's cellar, empty & paint the back room, move my bedroom to the backroom, move Jenn's room to my room, move backroom and breakfast room storage to Jenn's room, set up the gameroom stuff in the breakfast room. (but it's a long weekend, right?)
I actually had a 4day 3 night writing weekend scheduled at the lake but ended up having to cancel. *long face here.

Kelli McBride said...

What class are you teaching this summer?

Betty S said...

2 credit hours of Student Success Strategies. A study skills class for students who tested low on ACT or Compass and have to take remedial classes.

Kelli McBride said...

Ah! We call that PASS class at SSC.

Michele said...

So what they say is true then,
A teacher's work is never done.
Teaching, it's not a job, it's a life.

Kudos to both of you.