Once upon a time there was a girl called Gabby who had a remarkable talent. Whenever she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep, she was able to fly.
‘What’s so special about that?’ her younger brother Michael said. ‘I can blow juice out my nose in real life.’
Gabby was sitting at the kitchen table, having a breakfast of toast and jam, and she had just explained her talent to her family.
‘Gabby,’ her mother said, ‘I’m not sure if I like the idea of you flying around in your dreams. And Michael, stop blowing juice out of your nose.’
‘But Mum, it’s wonderful.’ Gabby put her arms out in front of her, to show what she looked like when she was soaring through the air. ‘I fly over forests, oceans and deserts, through cities and towns, and to places you wouldn’t believe. I’m free.’
‘Young lady, you should be thinking more about your schoolwork.’ This was her father who had spoken and his was the last word on the subject.
After that, the only sound that could be heard at the table was the crunching of toast and the pouring of tea.
The day at school passed slowly for Gabby, but she worked hard in order to make her parents proud. In the evening, she did all her homework and practiced her scales on the piano. Then, at bedtime, she closed her eyes and was all at once in a different universe.
Gabby was shooting through the night sky, high above a landscape of rocks and sand dunes. She flew on, over plains, plateaus and valleys. A river crossed below her and soon she was over the sea. In the pre-dawn dark she could make out schools of fish beneath the waves, their scales shimmering in the moonlight. As the sun began to splinter over the horizon, she turned back, certain that she would return again.
At breakfast in the morning, Gabby mentioned none of this to her family. There are some talents, she decided, that are best kept to yourself.
The End
I like this story, and the way you evoked the sense of sound here:
ReplyDelete"After that, the only sound that could be heard at the table was the crunching of toast and the pouring of tea."
This inspires me. I have to remember to do this more in my writing. It draws you in and makes the story more real. I could picture the breakfast scene as if I were sitting at the table hearing the sounds. Nice.