Picture Storie - Miss. Peregrine's home for peculiar children

I leaned lazily over the edge of the boat letting my hand make little wakes behind each finger. The small wooden canoe I was sunbathing in leaned lazily to the side making the boat tilt towards shore.

            “Elizabeth!” the voice echoed around the lake. Sighing I adjusted my parasol back over my head for shade and grabbed the ores. I paddled slowly to the dock at the north edge of the lake where my mother waited for me. I took my time wobbling out of the boat, not quite ready to face my mother. “How many times have I told you, going out on the lake alone is dangerous. You make my fret ever so much.” She waved a white lace handkerchief as if to fan herself. I sighed again pulling the black umbrella lover over my face so she couldn’t see I hadn’t regretted it at all.

            “Yes mother” I curtsied as I said it. I tried to edge around her towards the main house but she stopped me wish a quick pinch on the edge of my parasol.  

            “Liza, I know today will be hard for you, but you must be strong okay? For me?” She pulled my parasol up to see my face. I looked up at her, annoyed but not daring to show it. What she was asking wasn’t a question, it was a warning. Be good or else you’ll regret it. She smiled at me but didn’t let go of the parasol

            “Yes mother” I replied dutifully. She let out a triumphant sigh and relinquished her grip on my parasol. I turned to look longingly back at my little wooden boat. Someday I would get away; someday I would take one of those new steam ships and get away from this place. I wouldn’t have to suffer through any more family reunions like the one I was about to face today. I trudged after her towards the house making sure to trail behind as long as I dared.

            The Gelson Manner was obscenely large in my opinion; four stories of gaudy upholstery and crisp linens. The house was kept spotless thanks to our four housewives that I swear were more to entertain my mother than anything else. We had a book room, sitting room, drawing room, and all manner of rooms that you could think of any number of useless activities to do in them.  The grounds around the manner were just as lavish. We lived on a small lake with a little island in the middle that I could see from my third floor bedroom. There was a large, wild forest encompassing the house on three sides with a large entranceway road looping around the house. We had stables, and a barn with a number of animals as well as an archery range. My mother was quite fond of archery of all things and would spend countless hours in the yard practicing. Another fine activity my mother loves to indulge in is photography. My mother and her giggling maids would dress her horrible little Pomeranian dog Freckles in human clothes and hold it in ridiculous poses then take pictures.  Who names a dog Freckles anyway.

            I marched up the bank towards the large house grinding my heels into the sundried grass. Today was going to be horrible and I could feel it. The gooseflesh rose on my arms as I followed my mother toward the back entryway. I closed my parasol and tossed it against the far wall making a loud thump. The sound was much louder than I had anticipated and I cringed as I caught sight of three women standing in a perfect row facing the fireplace. Each figure was slender and wore a pale blue gown. They were the same height, same build, and they all had wavy black hair that brushed the floor as the turned in unison to peer at what had made the sound.

            “Hello Elizabeth” they droned in harmony, their monotone voices making my heart race.

            “Hello Aunt Bailey, Aunt Kailey, Aunt Hailey” I half nodded half curtsied to each one. They turned their attention back to the fire place, which I thought very strange as there was the middle of summer, and no fire roaring in the hearth. Then again, the rest of my family was rather unusual.

STILL A WORK IN PROGRESS

The Great Gatsby - Scene

The Great Gatsby

By:  F. Scott Fitzgerald

Screenplay by Shannon Berke

FADE IN:

Int. Room – Sunset (Apocalyptic West Egg -New York where books are a very rare and dangerous commodity)

Small room lined with bookshelves and cardboard boxes along the floor. Looks like it could have been used as a decent sized office at one point if not for all of the books.

Two people enter in dusty, unkempt clothes. The man holds a rifle low but is clearly wary and shifts from side to side, always keeping an eye on the windows. The female closes the door quickly behind herself and they enter the room. She stays by the door a moment as if to check if they were followed.

A man kneeling on the floor already in the room stands. He has the same weathered demeanor as the other two with very large owl eyed spectacles.  He has an “off” look about him. He looks startled but calms himself when he realizes who has entered. He gestures around himself to the room crammed with books.

Glasses Man –

“So what do you think?”

Man  -

“About what?”

Glasses Man –

Gives a slight chuckle at the clearly dimwitted man

“About that”

He kicks over a cardboard box close to him spilling the contents of many books. They tumble out onto the floor falling at the woman’s feet.

 Woman bends to pick one up.

Glasses Man –

“As a matter of fact you needn’t bother to ascertain. I ascertained. They’re real.”

Man –

“The books?”

Woman –

Cracks open the old, dusty book she just picked up

Glasses Man –

“Absolutely real! Have pages and everything. I thought they’d be a nice durable cardboard. Matter of fact, they’re absolutely real! Pages and – here lemme show you”

He steps towards the woman and grabs the book from her.

“See! It’s a bona-fide piece of printed matter. It fooled me. This fella’s a regular Belasco. It’s a triumph. That thoroughness! What realism! Knew when to stop, too – Didn’t cut the pages. But what do you want? What do you expect?”

He closes the book with a snap. She jumps and looks annoyed

“Who brought you? Or did you just come? Most people were brought.”

Woman

“I was brought by a woman name Roosevelt. She said you had goods to sell but, --I see you might be busy”

Glasses Man -

A little bit, I think. I can’t tell yet. I’ve only been here an hour. Did I tell you about the books? They’re real. They’re”

Man –

“You told us”

The Man and Woman leave the office clearly disgruntled with the Glasses man. The woman makes sure to slam the door when she leaves.