Piece Two
1362 Words
“Atlas, I am so glad you're here. She's locked herself in since and would not eat, she wouldn't even eat a pie which is her favorite.”
Clara's Mother said to Atlas. She was in her uniform. As far as he could remember, he hardly saw her wearing normal clothes.
“What's going on with Clara?”
Clara's Father emerged. He was also dressed. He wore a suit and held a brownish briefcase. He thought it matched his hair.
“Good day Mr Giles”
“Atlas, do you care to explain?”
“I have no idea, but there's absolutely nothing to worry about. I'm here now”
“I have classes, Atlas, please fix this.”
“And I have work. Thanks, Atlas, you're a lifesaver.”
“Clara” he whispered, leaning on her door.
“Are they gone?” he heard her say in a soft voice.
“Yes”
“Come in”
“What?”
“The door isn't locked.”
‘Smart ass,’ he thought.
He entered her room to see her face down on her pillow, there were used tissues scattered around the bed and all over the floor.
“Well, this is not what one of the best authors in the world would look like or be covered in”. He picked up a tissue that was stuck in her hair, and twisted his lips in disgust before throwing it away
“Get up Clara, it's not the end of the world.”
“But that is the end of me. How do I face the whole school?”
Her face was still buried in her pillow
He was distracted by a notification that popped up on her laptop. It was a mail, it also popped up on his phone, but he went to her laptop instead to see it.
“Oh wow look what I just found.”
“I'm not interested” she said almost immediately.
“There's this literary competition about to happen at school, and it consists of spoken poetry also…”
“Arghhhhh stop talking, Atlas”
“Come on just listen” he was pissed at the way she kept interrupting him. He wanted them to talk about what Rowan had done but none of them were ready to bring up the topic.
“I don't want to hear about it”
“Come on, this is your chance, your dream, your passion, your aspiration, your goal, your….”
“I get it, you're making this harder.”
“No, I am making it simpler.”
“Okay I'm up, what now?” She got up, her hair was rough, and she looked like someone that had just been attacked by a angry raccoon.
“You have to write.”
“I don't want to.”
“You have to win this.”
“Nope. I don't have to”
“There's prize money, you can save for college or even get a car.”
“Really how much?” She leaned forward.
“Ten thousand dollars”
“No wayyyy”
“Yes way!”
“You're going to be rich baby”
“Take a chill pill, Atlas. I have not concluded on participating yet, let alone win and here you are already jubilating. I guess you took three pills of ‘delulu’ this morning.”
“The only pill I took was, ‘Clara is participating in this competition’”
“No she is not.”
“Yes she is”
“What is Clara participating in?” Mr Giles opened the door slowly.
“Dad?”
“I left my keys, sorry for the intrusion. Now start talking, I'm interested in what Clara is participating in”. He sat down on her bed, ignoring the tissues.
Clara shared a glance at Atlas which meant he should keep quiet. He understood this, they did it when they were younger, it was like telepathy only both of them understood.
“Nothing dad”
“I wasn't asking you, Atlas?”
“There's a literal competition at school and Clara will not participate” he blurted out and heaved like a heavyweight had been lifted off of his chest. He avoided Clara's death stare. He had betrayed her, but this was for a good cause. At least someone would talk sense into her
“Can you give us a minute Atlas?”
“Sure”
“Take your time, Atlas, you can give us a decade also.”
“Haha funny”
“What is wrong, Clara? You have to participate in this and win this, not for me, not for your mom, not for anyone, but for you, for your goal. Such competitions do not only come with prize money, it comes with opportunities, recognition, you'll finally be out of your shadows.”
He said immediately, Atlas left the room.
“I don't think I'm ready for this…I'm scared papa” she sniffled. He figured she'd cried alot
Mr Giles took her hands, she called him Papa occasionally. He understood she was scared and nervous, but there wasn't much he could do. This had to be her decision. It wasn't for him to make
“You don't even have to be ready. It is normal to be scared, very okay to be scared , but do you know what fear does to you?”
“If I knew I would not be scared”, she hoped it would not turn out to be a deadly disease of some sort.
“It only brings you down…” he paused and made sure she paid rapt attention.
“… Because the one thing you're scared of isn't even worth it, fear is just an illusion created in your head as a form of distraction.
You write, and you are the best writer i know.”
“The best? Come on dad, what about the likes of Ralph Elison- ‘invisible man, uhhm Maya Angelou -‘i know why the Caged Bird Sings, does that ring a bell? i don't even stand a chance.”
“You're right, these are great people, they have great work, but this isn't about them.”
She put her face down, Giles perceived she'd stop listening, she didn't even want to pay attention.
“Okay, look Clara, I will give you books to read. I will tell you all I know concerning books. Have I ever mentioned to you that I have a favorite author?”
“No dad”
“You are my favorite, you are my best, most importantly, you are Clara. That is what makes you the best.”
“Thanks dad, I love you”
She knew her dad hadn't chosen the wrong profession to be an English school teacher. She had always imagined him as being a writer himself, but he was much better off as a mentor and teacher.
“I'm running late, I have to leave now, but do think about what I said.”
“Bye dad”
.
.
.
“Don't tell me you eavesdropped?” He asked Atlas.
“No sir” he stamped his feet on the ground and stood at attention.
“Whatever Atlas, you can go in now”
.
.
.
“So? How'd it go?”
He noticed her mood was brightened.
“I'm the best?”
“Confusion is all I see, Clara,” really all he could read in her facial expression was confusion. She said ‘I'm the best’ like someone that had been programmed to say those exact words.
“I said, I'm the best, you're literally looking at the best writer out there.”
She stood up to look in the mirror.
“You drank something?” He'd never heard Clara refer to herself as being the best in any, but she always looked for an exc
Used to be inferior.
She chuckled at his remark.
“Since you're the best, I guess you aren't scared of participating, are you?”
He finally said
“I am, but fear is only an illusion, right?”.
- Writer
