Becca’s paprika colored hair blocked her vision as she turned the library aisle. Her mother always advised she get a haircut, but she had dreams of playing Ariel on Broadway. Suddenly feeling the part, her feet betrayed her, and she fell without any padding because her hands were empty. She rolled over from feeling a pain in her abdomen and discovered a chalky colored hardcover book on the floor with crimson-rimmed pages. The title read “Underwater Acting: The Full Dark History;” She looked up but found no one. Behind her, a pair of watchful hazel eyes faded back into the abyss as a voice whispered, “Reading is fundamental.”
Percy walked along the highway and danced his usual balancing act. No sign in hand, just good vibes and a smile. He knew cars had to slow down to pay the toll, and maybe they’d have a little extra for him. You’d figure standing right behind the booths would be more profitable, but he learned his lesson when someone threatened to “return that tarbaby from whence it came.” So he performed his balancing act on the fading white lines until noon: his self prescribed lunch break. When he hopped back to the side of the highway, he didn’t have to forage through discarded Frito-Lay products. Instead a trail of wine-stained glass shards led Percy to an ID-less wallet with cash inside. “I hate to see my brothers struggle.” He looked up and held a fist up to her.
Jenny trembled behind her podium. She was heading into Final Jeopardy within betting range of the three-week champion. “The riddum was used by many artists, but this 2003 song’s troubled call helped it stand out.” As the thinking theme played, Jenny scratched her pixie cut hair. She was an undergrad freshman that year, the song had to be tied to a memory. She searched her thoughts until a tall black woman in a trench coat and curly hair appeared before her. She wrote her message in red with her finger. “Girl, you know this. Scott used to make you sing this for him all the time. Bet it all.” Jenny scribbled down her answer and bid. Her competitors had no idea the answer was Lumidee’s Never Leave You (Uh Oh). Amongst the production team, a woman removed her fingers from the temple of her head, smiled, and walked away. She tripped on a cord just before making it out the room, but no one noticed.
Kristi Yamacoochie clicked and clacked down the street. Her next gig was only two more blocks away as she reveled in finally making good time for a drag queen. Feeling cocky, she stopped by a hot dog cart to avoid letting her fellow performers know she actually consumed food. As she reached in her artificial cleavage to pay the vendor, a young hoodlum snatched her wig. Kristi shrieked as her wig glue failed her. She hollered and cursed as she thought about chasing them but was too hungry to do so. As she stuffed her face and plotted to get away with a bald routine that night, she felt a warm sensation as something was pulled over her scalp. “An afro is gonna look weird on an Asian queen, but I think it’ll work.” Kristi looked up and thanked the woman in the trench coat who was now removing her wig cap to reveal the frayed braids underneath. As she walked away, Kristi snapped at the impressive bloody footprints her Louboutins left.
A stray dog wandered into oncoming traffic. Most cars were able to quickly swerve out of its way as they yelled out of their windows. Confused, the dog gave up and made its home in the middle of the crosswalk. Its dingy black and white coat blended in with the street. A bus driver, already behind schedule, began to speed up to catch the yellow light before it turned red. When the bus hit the middle of the intersection, it came to a halt. Soon, passengers began to tumble to the front of the bus as the woman in the trench coat and frayed braids lifted the bus over the dog. Once she released the bus, the passengers and drivers began to form a mob to terrorize her. Her only response was, “Anybody want a puppy?” As she held up an adorable, still-blind to the dangers of the world newborn mutt. She was quickly forgiven as everyone assumed the blood on the ground came from the new mother.
Ruby exited the grocery story with three bags in her arms. Before she could step off the curb, her load got lighter as a dark skinned woman with frayed braids smiled at her through the two remaining bags. Ruby laughed and thanked her. The two walked together in silence to Ruby’s sedan. The woman in the trench coat grabbed the rest of the bags to let Ruby unlock the trunk and placed them neatly inside once she had. She continued to smile at the lady in the outdated FUBU sweatshirt. “Oh, like you’re so stylish on your way to the salon,” Ruby teased. They laughed until Ruby looked down and saw a trail of blood leading from the grocery store to her new friend. “Sis, your leg!”
Amanda woke up in a white room, in a white bed, in a white gown. She panicked and sat up, pulling on multiple cords and IVs attached to her. She noticed strangers at the foot of her bed but none of them were dressed as a doctor. Slowly she started to recognize them as the grocery store lady, the drag queen, and the Jeopardy winner. Ruby reintroduced herself and informed Amanda that she had been bleeding since she left her house that morning. Amanda admitted she didn’t want to think about herself and got lost in her deeds. Kristi followed the trail and tried to gather everyone she helped that day, but this was the best she could do. Jenny mentioned that it was the psychic link Amanda left in her head that brought her there. Ruby and Kristi exchanged a glance and agreed to leave the room to check for a doctor, closing the door behind them. Jenny sat in the chair next to Amanda with her coat draped over it. “It’s a pretty stylish coat,” she commented as she grabbed Amanda’s hand. They smiled at each other.
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