I am currently taking part in the 5 Photos – 5 days challenge after being nominated by Annika Perry. Check out her blog at: https://annikaperry.wordpress.com/
Here is my photo and writing for Day 2.
I took this photograph one day while I was out in Cambridge, this sundial clock tower caught my eye. It’s part of King’s College, Cambridge.
Sundial Clock Tower
“What time is it Mimi?” asked Elouise, taking off her cardigan, and stuffing it into her over flowing shopping bag. An abundance of art materials peeked out the top of the bag as if paints, brushes, soft pastel sets, sponges, and graphite pencils were about to escape. Elouise put on her sunglasses, and tucked her long blonde hair behind her ears.
Elouise glanced over at her friend Mimi who was looking up at the heavens as if she expected a response. The sundial clock tower of Kings College Cambridge was just within her line of sight. Elouise knew that Mimi had forgotten all about her question.
Mimi was transfixed, she often did this, just stopped, a paused film track.
Elouise didn’t bother to ask her again. Instead, she poked around in her handbag and pulled out her mobile.
“It’s lunchtime,” she announced.
Mimi still didn’t answer. It was obvious that she was in some private reverie and disturbing her would serve no purpose.
A man started chatting Mimi up, this wasn’t unusual, Elouise managed to hear his first words, not a very original opener. “Hi. It’s a beautiful sundial isn’t it? …..”
Elouise knew that was no way to get Mimi’s attention. A fog horn would be a better approach! Mimi’s good looks, her perfect figure, long dark hair, and tanned skin meant that she was often stopped in the street. Random strangers came up to ask her for her phone number. She could have been a model, except for one small detail, her height, she was a little on the short side. Mimi was petite in every sense of the word. If Elouise was to describe her she would say that her friend was a living artist’s portrait, a watercolour of exquisiteness, highlighted with brushstrokes of kindness.
Elouise knew that Mimi wouldn’t acknowledge the stranger. She was still stuck in pause zone, and there was no getting through to her while she was in that state.
The man continued in desperation, his words falling at her delicate ankles like tiny forgotten offerings.
Elouise turned her attention to a nice looking bunch of boys nearby, some foreign students, out for the day in Cambridge.
“What is that?” one of them asked, pointing at the clock tower.
“It’s a sundial clock tower,” replied Elouise.
‘Oh, it’s very fine.”
“Yes, it is. My friend certainly thinks so.”
‘Which college is it belong to?”
“King’s I think.”
“She’s like this often?” he asked gesturing towards Mimi with a grin. “She doesn’t seem to notice anything.”
Elouise sighed. “Yes often. She’ll come out of it soon. She’s in a private little time tunnel, eventually she’ll see the light at the end.”
The boy’s friends moved closer to him. They huddled behind him creating a shadow of shyness.
The boy laughed, his laughter chasing each of his friends’ individual shadows away.
“When she come out of it would you like to join us for a picnic. It’s a sunny day?” he asked.
The other boys stepped forward, “Yes please come.”
“Join us. We okay.”
Elouise was amused to see that the first boy pulled a face, and punched his friend on the shoulder. A friendly warning.
“We have baguettes and cheese, and drinks,” said one of the boys boldly breaking away from the scrum of uncertainty.
“Sorry, but no champagne,” said the first boy, with a wink.
Elouise smiled.
“What’s your names?”
“Bjorn,” the first boy answered.
“Erik.”
“Fredrik.”
“Maarten.”
“Hi Bjorn, Erik, Fredrik, and Maarten. I’m Elouise and my dreamy friend is Mimi. Where are you from?”
“Norway,” replied Bjorn.
At last Mimi turned away from the sundial and faced them. She appeared dazzled, as if she had been staring at the Northern Lights.
Elouise had to do something! Fast, anything to get Mimi back to the present, so she ditched her shopping bag on the ground. Some art supplies managed to escape the confines of the bag. The clatter of the paints woke Mimi up. Elouise hastily picked them up, before they tipped out onto the pavement, and painted an artist’s impression of Mimi’s expression. Mimi’s face registered the boys first, and then her friend. This was so Mimi! Elouise gave Mimi their special signal for fit boys with fair hair and blue eyes, a quick almost imperceptible, double wink.
Mimi smiled. Mimi’s warm smile melted Elouise’s worries away. She was back! Mimi the watercolour painting was living in the moment again!
“A picnic that sounds fun. It‘s lunchtime. Of course we’d love too! I’m starving. And thirsty! Let’s stop at a shop and get lots of sparkling wine. Nice to meet you Bjorn, Fredrik, Erik, Maarten.”
The brushstrokes of her words tumbled out of her like warming rays of sunshine, lighting up each and every face with a smile.
Elouise shook her head, this was so Mimi. Always caught up in the moment, but secretly listening, and planning a sparkling picnic comeback!
© Marjorie Mallon 2015 – aka, Kyrosmagica.
Words good or bad, are my very own!
A link to the Gates of Cambridge Colleges: http://gwydir.demon.co.uk/jo/walks/gates.htm#trinityb
If you’d like to join in the challenge, and I hope you do, the rules are as follows:
‘Post a photo each day for five consecutive days, and tell a story about each photo. The story can be truth or fiction, poetry or prose. Each day one must also nominate a fellow blogger to participate in the challenge.’
Today I would like to nominate my keen photographer friend Olivia at Wording on a Whim https://wordingonawhim.wordpress.com/ to take on this challenge.
I look forward to seeing her post.
Please do leave a comment. I love to hear from you.
Kyrosmagica x
Thanks for dropping by.
M J Mallon YA Author and Poet 