Creative Writing 2012: Week 1

     As tradition dictates, the first week of Creative Writing at Discover Summer Winchester begins with exploring the theme of love and marriage as inspired by our muse, Jane Austen. Our class worked hard to produce a variety of short stories dealing with this theme. Nataliya's work was chosen to be presented by herself as well as Galina and Ekaterina on stage during Sunday's presentations. Please enjoy the scripted excerpt of The Power of Irrationality.

The Power of Irrationality

Alina: “Where is Katya anyway?”

Alina (conscience): Finally I was free from that chatterbox and her silly jokes about me.

Tom: “She is a model and has a lot of work to do.”

Alina (conscience): replied Tom taking photo of me. 

Alina: “I’m NOT a model.”

Alina (conscience): I huffed - getting slightly mad about the situation but I tried to calm down and enjoy the walk in silence. Then the greatest thing that has ever happened to me occurred. We got lost. In Rome! Finally, exhausted, I sat on the road thinking about all the cruel ways to kill this charming man.

Tom: “You were against your sister's wedding, weren’t you?”

Alina: (coldly) “What? It doesn’t matter now.”

Tom: “It seems that you are very jealous of your younger sister.”

Alina (conscious): Ha-ha, man, you will definitely regret having said that.

Alina: “Are you my psychologist?”

Tom: “No, I am not. But you’re so reserved. What’s the problem with you?”

Alina: (shouting) “With me? Are you joking?”

Alina (conscience): I hoped I wasn’t shouting at that time. Hm....No, actually, I was.

Tom: (smiling) “Yes, you’re 27 with a well-paid interesting job, beautiful, good-humoured, quite emotional... but you don’t trust people and dating a guy who wasn’t even interested in your own feelings... What I’m trying to say is that you’re gorgeous and it’s absolutely impossible not to fall in love with you when you're being yourself. It’s been impossible for me. So I want you to trust me and...

Alina (conscience):  Am I still conscious?

Tom: “...and to be my wife.”

Alina (conscience): Wow! Jackpot! Where are all my relatives with the congratulations then?

Alina: “You have a very strange sense of humour, even offending. (trying to control feelings) That’s not a problem for me, but you have known me for only 3 weeks and you want to marry me! That’s absolute nonsense. You... That’s so like you, you who are always kind to everyone even to your ex-girlfriends. No woman would agree to be with you when you are always being so charming to other women! – No, please, dear, do not say a word any more!”

Tom: “I said I love you, I said I want to marry you and you’re suspicious that I’ll betray you?

Alina: (yelling) “You are so kind to everyone that I’m ready to vomit!

Tom: “Really? You think being so angry with the world makes you stronger? It makes you unhappy and...”

Alina (conscience): - Again! Again he was smiling...

Tom: “...without a good man in your life.”

Alina: “Good man. That’s undoubtedly not YOU!”

Alina (conscience): Now I had become a furiously irrational woman who would die alone and be eaten by her cats.

Tom: “Do you love me?

Alina (conscience): Oh my God. He suddenly became so serious that I stared at him motionless.  

Tom: Do you feel anything for me?

Alina (conscience): Come on! Say something! Say that you want to be his wife and have his five children.

Alina: “I...I...”

Tom: “You aren’t even brave enough to admit your own feelings let alone do something because  your heart wants it. Taxi!

Alina (conscience): The yellow car stopped. And then I was silent when he put me into the car, gave money to the driver and left me. It seemed that there was only me who actually got lost both in Rome and in my life.

Alina (conscience): England. My flat. I didn’t really know if I had any mental problems, though, I was seriously worried if people could die eating nutella considering the copious amounts of the rich hazelnut paste I was consuming daily? Well, no, probably, just get fat. I returned to England one week ago leaving a note to Tom. Unfortunately, I didn’t meet him at the hotel and asked my mum to give him a note explaining it concerned work. I hope she believed me and didn’t try and read it. In the note I explained why I was against my sister's wedding, it went something like this:

“I was against the wedding because I actually don’t know if I believe in love. My parents have been living together for 30 years and mum still doubts whether she really loves dad. So I don’t want my little sister being in love with a 40-year-old guy and end up at 23 divorced and with 2 children. Sorry, I’m returning back to England today. Yours, Alina. P.S. I have a problem – I love you.”

It didn’t make any difference however. He didn't phone me.

I closed the door and started searching for keys in my handbag. My best friend, a divorced feminist named Naomi, told me I must wind down so we decided to meet at the pub and basically...get drunk. I was standing in a black short dress and favourite high heels when I noticed that the whole floor was covered in flowers.

Tom: “That dress is much grander than the barbi pink one I first saw you in.”

Alina: “Tom? What are you doing here?”

Alina (conscience): I was shocked. He was rejected by my stupidity, pride and fears but he was still there smiling at me, looking smart in his black suit.

Tom: “Your mum gave me your note this morning. She almost forgot about it. And then I thought how mad I was asking you to marry me.

Alina (conscience): Stop. What does that mean?

Tom: “So...” (He approaches her suggesting a kiss).

Alina (conscience): I took one step back feeling a door closing behind me, I thought that it was hard indeed to accept the proposal of a man you had never kissed. But oh la la! I was in my own movie kissing the man of my dreams feeling astonished, not confident but extremely happy. It seemed then that Naomi would have to drink alone that evening.