Wednesday, October 9, 2019

Three Scenes from Henry's Life


1.      The lights are on the field and it isn't nearly as cold as I expected. I shouldn't have worn a long sleeve shirt underneath. There are small crowds supporting the teams with unenthusiastic cheers. My cleats are too small and I don't even know anyone on my team. We only have 10 minutes to get warmed up and we have one ball to share. I'm already sweating. There is a distinct smell of sweat in cold weather that is like nothing else I can think of. 
2.      I walk in with headphones on so I’m not forced to interact if I don’t have to. The smell is pungent and the air is thick. My roommate’s girlfriend is cooking middle eastern food again, which are smells I am just not used to. I walk back to my room as the smell shifts to Honeycrisp Apple thanks to Trader Joe’s. My room is neat and tidy, just the way I like it. I set down my backpack and just lay there in peace and quiet.
3.      It’s raining so hard my windshield wipers can’t keep up. My backpack is riding shotgun and the music is turned up to 35. Everyone is driving like it’s a parade so they will avoid spinning out of control. I am calm. There is that familiar smell of sunk as I hit the point of the mountain. At least it smells like skunk. I’m not sure what it really is. I’m about half way home but with this traffic, I wont be there anytime soon.

3 comments:

  1. I myself really enjoy watching baseball having grown up playing and watching my brothers and cousin playing it. I also am an action sports photographer and i have worked for the orem owlz for a while now. I guess with that experience I know that you are most likely talking about an experience on the baseball field in your first scene setting. You did a great job at bringing the reader into your moment.

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  2. I too was drawn to the first story, because that is exactly what every intramural soccer game in the IPF sounds like to me. So while I could narrow it down as a sport, there is still dissent as to which exact sport it is. This ambiguity mixed with the concrete, definite details urge the reader to go on, hoping there intriguing mystery will resolve.

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  3. I love your scenes described because there is a clear sense of imagery conveyed. The feeling of going back to your bedroom and the smells shifting is a relatable moment that as a reader, I felt like I was there.

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