Without Lifting A Finger

"My love, my sweetness, my apple pie..."

It was beginning to rain outside, little droplets splashing against the windshield, silent observers to the couple within. Eliza tugged on her seatbelt, gave herself a little more room, leaned closer and placed her head gently against his shoulder.

"Darling, you do remember, don't you, how we first met? Why, at first I hardly noticed you, we had been working in the same office for so long, but one day you popped into my life with your endearingly bashful request for lunch. You remember?"

His eyes were closed, and for a while Eliza thought he hadn't looked this calm in ages. Ever since he started getting busier at work a year or so ago, she had to get used to the short-tempered irritable him, and rare was the chance for a quiet moment like this.

"You really swept me away! Why, I can't remember ever feeling so... right... about someone before! I miss those days, I do... those long weekends where we would run away from work, from the world, on driving trips like this, and we would just lose ourselves in conversation, in each other's company..."

"Eliza..."

"Shush! Just enjoy the moment!"

She wondered if he was as comfortable as she was, but a quick glance reassured her that there really was nothing about the present moment she would like to change. Eliza daintily wrapped her arms around his, ignoring his soft grunt when she gripped a little too hard. Who knew it could get so cosy in the front seat, she thought.

The rain began to fall harder, and Eliza casually reached out and dimmed the headlights. He moved to protest, but Eliza was too quick for him. "Oh darling, how often do we get a chance to be together like this? Let's be young again, and let the world pass us by!"

She stoked his brow, wiped the sweat away, and nestled close enough for her to hear his breathing. Eliza hardly noticed how cramped the front seat was, lost as she was in her perfect moment.

Outside, a lone car sped by them, a darting blur in the increasingly heavy rain. There wasn't much other traffic here at this hour, at this place.

"Darling, remember how you always said you wanted a new car, a car big enough for us to bring a family around with? Well, I remembered, and I really wanted to surprise you for your 30th... I'm going to let you in on a big secret now! So, from two years ago I've been saving money whenever I could, just as much as I could afford each time, and I even opened a separate account at the bank so that you wouldn't suspect a thing!"

"Oh, Eliza..."

"Don't be silly darling! Why wouldn't I do that for you?"

She heard his breathing get heavier in that darkness, and she had to stifle a giggle. Oh, the effect she must be having on him! She wondered if now would be a good time to ask him whether he had any surprises for her too, but that could wait. It was her time now.

"So I kept saving, and I skipped all the little luxuries I usually indulge in. Two months ago I felt like I might have had enough for a downpayment, so I gleefully consulted my bank book in our drawer, and at first I had a shock, I tell you! I stared at the numbers within, and I couldn't believe I had saved so much!"

"That was when, darling dearest, I discovered it wasn't my bank book I was looking at. It was yours. Your secret, separate account, like mine. But different."

Eliza reached out and patted his cheek, and through bleary eyes he looked back, as fiercely as he could. Good, she thought, he's still conscious.

"You remember those sweaters I knitted for you? This was something like that, my munchkins, something like that. One stray thread, that's all, but tug hard enough and poof! Everything just unravels. And you're amazed just where one little thread can bring you."

Eliza smiled, and leaned against him more heavily. Too much, it seemed, for he started resisting, pushing back, but there was not much he could do, not with the way the steering wheel was crushing him into his seat. Eliza doubted he even had the strength to push her away, not with his arms at that funny angle.

"Oh darling... I never cried quite so much. Intoxicating, really, that mix of love and... whatever else you feel, two very opposite feelings swirling inside every day, tearing you in two directions. Some days I wanted to believe it was all a terrible hoax, a lie, a trick you hid up your sleeve. But the evidence... the pictures, the calls... the meetings with her... those were all real, weren't they?"

"Eliza... just call... the freaking... police now..."

"And I prayed. I prayed so hard. For someone to rescue me from it all. What can a damsel do, when her knight no longer serves her? I thought I couldn't wait any longer, that I would finally lose it... and then, somehow, against all odds, I'm here, sitting next to you, completely unhurt and well, even after that nasty flip off the road, and there you are, broken, trapped..."

"It's a sign, a miracle! I don't even have to lift a finger, darling, and I'll get exactly what I wanted. We can have the whole of tonight, to talk about anything, anything at all..."

"Oooh, my snugglepups!"

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The above was inspired by a short film entitled "The Casting: Heavy Rain", a short technical demo for a computer simulation which featured enchanting writing. You can view it by clicking here.

And yes, I need to improve. Shall write more.

Sorry Mum I Won't Do It Again

I'm not really a morning person. Ask any one of the dozen or so friends who have ever been on my Wake Up Call Squad.

I have this lovely addiction to staying up late. There's just something about the peacefulness you get at night, during which you can really delve into whatever fixation has currently gripped you. Of course, there's a downside, and it's that late nights mean I sleep extra deep in the mornings.

And sometimes it can be dangerous. Like when you sleep through a fire alarm.

Yeap. On my way home today my flatmates were talking about the 'horrendous', 'ear-piercing' fire-alarm which woke up the whole block. I said, oh, when was that. They said, my god, Hanting, it was this morning at 7am.

So therefore I am now living on borrowed time. True, there wasn't any fire, but if there were I might just have died and woke up in Hell (I've not been a good boy, I think) where there are tons of exams, no motivation to study, friends abandoning you because you are fat, and your well-honed charms somehow failing to work on overseas chicks.

Wait a minute.

Appreciation

The other day on my way to school, I spotted this elderly couple from a distance, walking in my direction.

She was on a wheelchair, and he was behind her, pushing her along determinedly. Snow had already begun to fall these past few days, and as the flakes danced their descent down, I noticed that the gentleman didn't have gloves on.

Wow, I thought. Aren't his fingers freezing off from having to grip those wheelchair handles? My own hands were tightly bundled in the pockets of my overcoat, and still I could feel the chill.

Then, as I passed them, the lady wordlessly reached behind over her shoulder and laid her hand over his. I stopped just to watch them, until they turned the corner a few minutes later.

I think he didn't really mind the cold.