Don?€™t Laugh
The big black Ford creaks as I pull up to an intersection in the gravel roads I know like the back of my hand. ?€?Daddy!! Look!?€¯ my little girl cries and points down the road. I turn to where her finger is directed to see a beautiful white-tailed deer stepping gingerly into the road. I put the truck and park.
?€?Shhh! Lets watch her and see what happens!?€¯ My eyes focus on the doe?€™s tan and muscular body. She tenses up and looks behind her. Suddenly startled, she flies across the road, followed by a huge buck. Together they dash into the dark tree line. I put the truck back into drive and we start back towards home. The orange gravel crunches as my tires swallow it, only to spit it back out as I travel through the country. Each tree stands out, carefully outlined, sharp and clear. So real.
We finally coast to another intersection, this time with a highway. The tires hum on the black pavement. My truck seems to know the way as my beautiful baby girl sings with the radio. I look over at my happy seven-year old and marvel at how wonderful she is. She?€™s so smart and level headed, but she?€™s so cheerful. I love how even when she plays pretend, she?€™s so down to earth and in touch with reality. Her adorable green eyes laugh at me when she notices me looking. ?€?Daddy?€¦ the road!?€¯ She cautions me in a sing-song voice, shaking her head.
So I follow her advice and turn my eyes to the highway stretching out before me. The bright yellow lines stand out drastically from the black pavement. Each line appears to be carefully drawn and placed. The houses that line the road smile back at me through the windshield as I carefully glance at each one as we drive by. The bricks in the Peterson?€™s house all seem to stand out, despite their uniform color. The chimney of the Markway?€™s house stands profiled against the clear blue sky dotted with bright white clouds. And my breath almost catches in my throat when I realize how they all look so sharp and clear, so real.
I slow down to turn into our driveway, covered in cement. I remember when I smoothed it over so my little girl could have a safe place to ride her first bike. It stands out carefully against the fresh-trimmed grass I mowed just this morning. I slow the truck to a stop and my girl claps. ?€?Yay!! We?€™re home!?€¯ She bounces out of the truck and runs towards the house. ?€?Mommy! Guess what we saw!!?€¯ Then without pausing she relays every event of our afternoon riding together.
I laugh and step out of the truck. Taking a deep breath the scents mingle in my nose. The easy scent of the fresh cut grass hits me first. In a simple wave, its refreshing. I move towards the house and I smell what must be the dinner my wonderful wife has cooked. It?€™s spicy tease tickles my nose and leaves my stomach groaning. I finally reach my wife and hug her close. She smells so warm and sweet. I could hold her like this forever. And I reach down to pat her tummy and say hello to the little boy that?€™ll soon be joining us. I can?€™t help but to smile at the way everything smells so sharp and clear, so real.
My wife only laughs at me. ?€?You two adventurers better get inside and wash up. The table gets cleared at eight thirty. I want to watch my show!?€¯ We happily follow her instructions and then move to the dining room. The table?€™s spread with our usual kind of meal. I sit down and enjoy the creamy and warm mashed potato. The pork chop is juicy and perfectly seasoned. The bread is light, airy and buttery. As I grin and compliment my smiling wife on her perfect meal I can only think of how it all tastes so sharp and clear, so real.
The T.V. is off and the house is quiet. I?€™m at peace and the world at rest. Lying here next to the woman I love who?€™s carrying our second perfect child I feel as happy as I could ever want to be. I have a home and a family. Living contently, I start to slip into a deep sleep.
Then I hear the door creak. My eyes fly open. I stare at my white walls that surround me. I start to reach for the glaring light only to remember I can?€™t move. My eyes dart from corner to corner. I look around and suddenly throw my head back and laugh. I jingle the snaps on my oh so lovely jacket and laugh even more. I kick the padded floor beneath me and shake my head as my laughter echoes. It bounces off the carefully padded walls, getting louder and stronger. My laughter grows to that nearly maniacal laugh I know so well. The door flies open and the grim faced attendants run in.
Brandishing their needles and sedatives and frowns, they run to save the day. They hold me down and I laugh at them. They think I laugh because I?€™m out of touch with the world. The drugs do their job and my mind becomes foggy. But I still laugh. They think I laugh because I don?€™t know what?€™s going around me. I start to lose control of my body, but I continue to laugh. They think I laugh because I?€™m crazy. If only they knew, the poor fools. I laugh because they?€™re crazy. I laugh because as I look at the walls around me. I laugh because I breathe in the air that keeps me alive. I laugh because I eat the food these pitiful people bring me. I laugh because I see these people around me that can never laugh. I laugh because I look at the world around me and I know! I know what they can never know. I know!! I do! I know it?€™s not sharp and clear. I know it?€™s not real. I laugh because it doesn?€™t look real?€¦..
*I thought about when I got glasses, my first comment was "WOW! Everything still looks real..." uh oh!*<img src=smilies/biggthumpup.gif>
<P ID="signature"><img src=http://www.angelfire.com/games3/shawn10000/hex.txt height=200>
*Thanks Shawn!*</P>
The big black Ford creaks as I pull up to an intersection in the gravel roads I know like the back of my hand. ?€?Daddy!! Look!?€¯ my little girl cries and points down the road. I turn to where her finger is directed to see a beautiful white-tailed deer stepping gingerly into the road. I put the truck and park.
?€?Shhh! Lets watch her and see what happens!?€¯ My eyes focus on the doe?€™s tan and muscular body. She tenses up and looks behind her. Suddenly startled, she flies across the road, followed by a huge buck. Together they dash into the dark tree line. I put the truck back into drive and we start back towards home. The orange gravel crunches as my tires swallow it, only to spit it back out as I travel through the country. Each tree stands out, carefully outlined, sharp and clear. So real.
We finally coast to another intersection, this time with a highway. The tires hum on the black pavement. My truck seems to know the way as my beautiful baby girl sings with the radio. I look over at my happy seven-year old and marvel at how wonderful she is. She?€™s so smart and level headed, but she?€™s so cheerful. I love how even when she plays pretend, she?€™s so down to earth and in touch with reality. Her adorable green eyes laugh at me when she notices me looking. ?€?Daddy?€¦ the road!?€¯ She cautions me in a sing-song voice, shaking her head.
So I follow her advice and turn my eyes to the highway stretching out before me. The bright yellow lines stand out drastically from the black pavement. Each line appears to be carefully drawn and placed. The houses that line the road smile back at me through the windshield as I carefully glance at each one as we drive by. The bricks in the Peterson?€™s house all seem to stand out, despite their uniform color. The chimney of the Markway?€™s house stands profiled against the clear blue sky dotted with bright white clouds. And my breath almost catches in my throat when I realize how they all look so sharp and clear, so real.
I slow down to turn into our driveway, covered in cement. I remember when I smoothed it over so my little girl could have a safe place to ride her first bike. It stands out carefully against the fresh-trimmed grass I mowed just this morning. I slow the truck to a stop and my girl claps. ?€?Yay!! We?€™re home!?€¯ She bounces out of the truck and runs towards the house. ?€?Mommy! Guess what we saw!!?€¯ Then without pausing she relays every event of our afternoon riding together.
I laugh and step out of the truck. Taking a deep breath the scents mingle in my nose. The easy scent of the fresh cut grass hits me first. In a simple wave, its refreshing. I move towards the house and I smell what must be the dinner my wonderful wife has cooked. It?€™s spicy tease tickles my nose and leaves my stomach groaning. I finally reach my wife and hug her close. She smells so warm and sweet. I could hold her like this forever. And I reach down to pat her tummy and say hello to the little boy that?€™ll soon be joining us. I can?€™t help but to smile at the way everything smells so sharp and clear, so real.
My wife only laughs at me. ?€?You two adventurers better get inside and wash up. The table gets cleared at eight thirty. I want to watch my show!?€¯ We happily follow her instructions and then move to the dining room. The table?€™s spread with our usual kind of meal. I sit down and enjoy the creamy and warm mashed potato. The pork chop is juicy and perfectly seasoned. The bread is light, airy and buttery. As I grin and compliment my smiling wife on her perfect meal I can only think of how it all tastes so sharp and clear, so real.
The T.V. is off and the house is quiet. I?€™m at peace and the world at rest. Lying here next to the woman I love who?€™s carrying our second perfect child I feel as happy as I could ever want to be. I have a home and a family. Living contently, I start to slip into a deep sleep.
Then I hear the door creak. My eyes fly open. I stare at my white walls that surround me. I start to reach for the glaring light only to remember I can?€™t move. My eyes dart from corner to corner. I look around and suddenly throw my head back and laugh. I jingle the snaps on my oh so lovely jacket and laugh even more. I kick the padded floor beneath me and shake my head as my laughter echoes. It bounces off the carefully padded walls, getting louder and stronger. My laughter grows to that nearly maniacal laugh I know so well. The door flies open and the grim faced attendants run in.
Brandishing their needles and sedatives and frowns, they run to save the day. They hold me down and I laugh at them. They think I laugh because I?€™m out of touch with the world. The drugs do their job and my mind becomes foggy. But I still laugh. They think I laugh because I don?€™t know what?€™s going around me. I start to lose control of my body, but I continue to laugh. They think I laugh because I?€™m crazy. If only they knew, the poor fools. I laugh because they?€™re crazy. I laugh because as I look at the walls around me. I laugh because I breathe in the air that keeps me alive. I laugh because I eat the food these pitiful people bring me. I laugh because I see these people around me that can never laugh. I laugh because I look at the world around me and I know! I know what they can never know. I know!! I do! I know it?€™s not sharp and clear. I know it?€™s not real. I laugh because it doesn?€™t look real?€¦..
*I thought about when I got glasses, my first comment was "WOW! Everything still looks real..." uh oh!*<img src=smilies/biggthumpup.gif>
<P ID="signature"><img src=http://www.angelfire.com/games3/shawn10000/hex.txt height=200>
*Thanks Shawn!*</P>
