Writing Club- March 4th, 2009

March 4, 2009 Writing Prompt

What I would miss most if I went back into the 1800s…
The setting is… the 1800’s. Jordan, Shean, Amanda, Morgan, Cassie, and Charissa have gone on an adventure with Audrey after she fixed her time machine and attempted to return home.

“Wait, what do you mean I can’t talk to anybody?” Charissa asked, as she was standing out in the middle of the street. The rest of her friends had already crossed, and were waiting for her, but there she remained, frozen to the dirt road that she stood uncomfortably on (uncomfortably because of the women’s shoes that were popular of the time).
Jordan turned back to escort her friend safely to the other side. In other words, she pushed her out of the street. “You’re going to get killed!”
“They don’t have cars here.”
“But they have horses, and very heavy wagons, Charissa—those can be dangerous, too!”
Charissa started to protest out of habit, but then realized that she agreed. “That’s true. My great-great aunt actually was killed in a buggy accident. But still—how do you die in a buggy accident?! I don’t understand that at all!”
Audrey at this time was losing patience. “Charissa, time traveling can be a dangerous place. And I am NOT going to try to scoop up whatever gets flattened if you stand in the middle of the road like that again.”
“But I don’t understand!”
“Big things can flatten you, WHAT’S SO HARD TO UNDERSTAND!!!”
“No, not that—this!” Charissa’s friends just stood there on the side walk, waiting for her to finish explaining.
“Ice Age, Paul?” asked Amanda.
“For real, what is she talking about?” others asked.
“I’m talking about THIS!!!” Charissa showed them the object she was holding in her hand.
“Your… phone.”
“Yes!”
“… What about your phone?”
“It doesn’t work here!”
“Well of course it doesn’t work here, Charissa, there are no phone lines.” Amanda was using her teacher voice.
“But it’s a cell phone!”
“That means nothing, Charissa!” Audrey chimed in. “Haven’t you ever been through a tunnel?”
“But we’re not in a tunnel!”
“I know- I’m just saying—you know how when you go through a tunnel, and your phone doesn’t work? And why doesn’t it work… because…”
“Because… it hates me?”
“Yes, but also because…”
“No, that’s it. I think it’s just that it hates her.” Shean joined the conversation. “It hates her because she once thought it was made of chocolate and she tried to eat it, but then she realized it was made of metal, and it couldn’t be eaten, and ever since then, her phone has been scared that she would try to eat it again. And that’s also why her phone never works, because it’s scared that she’ll start talking and then see her phone and think, “Mmm, CHOCOLATE!” And then eat it.
The rest of Charissa’s friends muttered in agreement.
“Well, at least that made up FAKE story admits that the reason why no one can understand me is because my phone is bad.”
“No, I said your phone was SCARED, Charissa, and it’s actually because you mumble.”
“I DON’T MUMBLE! You can’t mumble and yell!”
“I used to think that, too, Charissa, and then I met you…”
“You know, whatever the reason is, I don’t have my phone, and now I can’t talk to anybody, and I’m sad.”
Audrey looked confused. “Who else do you ever talk to, Charissa? Because we’re all here.”
Charissa thought about that for a second. “Very true.”
Just then, she heard the ring tone to “Why”
“Hello? Yeah. Well, I’m still in the 1800’s. Yeah, we’re just sightseeing. I’ll be home soon. AND WHEN I DO, I GET DIBS ON MY GAME! Yes I do!!! No, you see—I have been stuck in the 21st century for all of these years, and I get AT LEAST the next 4 on the PS 201. Okay. See you soon. Goodbye.”
Audrey hung up her phone, and the rest of her friends just stared at her. Suddenly, she felt very self conscious. “What?”
“Why does your phone work and not mine?”
“Because it likes me better.”
“Or, because she’s from the future,” Jordan said.
“How else was I supposed to keep in contact with my family, Charissa, since I couldn’t see them for all of these years?”
“But… my phone…”
“That’s why I win.” Audrey said, and she turned and walked away. The rest of Charissa’s friends followed.
“But… but… no! I win. I do! I… won,” she said, in her Charissa English. And she ran to catch up with her friends.