Endless Inspiration 15
Write a scene that depends on the failure of a reasonable expectation
Jeremiah has a recurring dream in which he steps out of a steaming hot shower and reaches for his towel, and while he is standing there drying off he notices his reflection in the mirror and there is – nothing except the towel.
Jeremiah is both amused and disconcerted by this dream. It is kind of silly, after all, seeing the towel pinned to the air, or wrapped around his invisible waist.
It is disconcerting, however, because when Jeremy steps onto the cold tile of his bathroom this morning, he looks in the mirror and sees – nothing, just like in the dream. Except he hasn’t made it to the shower yet, so there is no towel. In the mirror he notices instead the offset pattern of smiling yellow rubber ducks on the shower curtain.
He stares into the mirror for a frozen moment, his mouth hanging open. Then he whips around and stares at the shower curtain. The ducks swim in a stylized azure sea.
To still the dizziness, Jeremiah looks down at his feet. O blessed relief! They are still there, bare, with tan lines from his sandals. His legs are there also and with a heavy sigh Jeremiah touches shaking hands to his face, to the top of his head; he hugs his arms around his torso. Once again the world spins at a manageable gallop.
But still icy waves lap against the shores of his heart. Jeremiah turns around, much slower this time, directing his eyes away from the tall silver surface. His eyes move over the inset floodlights above, the plastic pieces securing the borders of the mirror. He looks at the porcelain sink that stands confidently on it’s only leg. The hot and cold water pipes run out of the wall, turn up at right angles, and attach beneath the gleaming white sink.
With a great effort, Jeremiah marshals the last squadron of his courage and looks in the mirror, looks for all intents and purposes straight into his own eyes. He looks at the mirror and sees – more yellow ducks.
The ducks begin to swim again in earnest. The world hurls itself of its axis. Jeremiah faints.
(My failed reasonable expectation was: a man that does not see his own reflection in the mirror. This wasn’t one the book offered, but I wanted to make up my own. If you’d like to have a go, the book gives the following suggestions: an anchorman who refuses to speak; a car door that lacks a handle; a radio that receives a single station; a museum guard who touches the paintings; a faucet that delivers something other than water.)
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