Second Annual Wild Violet Writing Contest Winners (2004)
Fiction
— First Place
Subventionary
Footnotes
By Nora Fores
(continued)
The doorbell rang as Beth walked out of the shop into the rain. She slid the book under her jacket and clutched it to her chest. She didn't mind the walk. The sounds of droplets hitting the street reminded her of home and how warm the living room got in the wintertime. The cool breeze smelled like the ocean she played at as a child. The puddles splashed up with each step, and then joyously the water fell back to the ground. No, she didn't mind the walk.
The characters are always walking, mostly through the park. But, in the end, it never seems to get them anywhere because they are locked in their heads. Life's like that, too. A change of location is not a change of heart. My mother said it well once, "Wherever you go, you take yourself with you."
Beth heard footsteps behind her and turned around just as the young man from the book store grabbed her arm.
"Sorry... you forgot this," he said, handing her a book bag.
"Oh, can't believe I left it. Thanks."
"I leave stuff behind all the time. I never mean to, really. Have you ever read this? I thought maybe you had and could tell me about it."
The boy handed Beth a copy of The Bluest Eye. The edges were also worn; the dog-ears wouldn't unfold, and the inside was painted with the same handwriting for the footnotes in Mrs. Dalloway.
"I've read it. Do you mind if I look at this for second?" she replied.
"Not at all. Go ahead."
There's such simple repetition at the beginning. Here is my life, and it goes like this over and over. Maybe that's why life's scary. It's always the same.
"I don't see you there often. Do you go there... ?" the boy began.
"No, first time."
"So, you're a student?"
"Yes, studying English. What about you?"
"English,
too. I don't know what I'm going to do with it yet, though. I keep thinking
I should maybe study something else, but I'm miserable with anything else.
The road ends in a stop sign here. You make either a left or right turn.
Straight ahead a field leads to a lake, which leads to the sunset. It's
really beautiful if you've never seen it."
"That's nice of you, but I have to get back."
"I'll walk with you then. It'll be late soon."
They walked on in silence for a few minutes. Beth pulled her book closer to her, looked straight ahead.
"I'm making you nervous. I'll go. It was just... I really want to know what you think about the footnotes," said the boy, wiping the rain from his glasses.
"How did you know I was looking at them?"
"It's just that they fascinate me. You looked like you were fascinated by them, too."
"I am."
"A lot of the books in the store have them. You should read the ones for East of Eden. They're full of tears and laughter and all this truth. There's one footnote for Dharma Bums that I keep posted to my wall."
"What
is it?"
