Participants:
| Scene Title | Surreal, Disconnected |
|---|---|
| Synopsis | A meeting in the park triggers an old experience, in more ways than one. |
| Date | July 26, 2009 |
Central Park has been, and remains, a key attraction in New York City, both for tourists and local residents. Though slightly smaller, approximately 100 acres at its southern end scarred by and still recovering from the explosion, the vast northern regions of the park remain intact.
An array of paths and tracks wind their way through stands of trees and swathes of grass, frequented by joggers, bikers, dog-walkers, and horsemen alike. Flowerbeds, tended gardens, and sheltered conservatories provide a wide array of colorful plants; the sheer size of the park, along with a designated wildlife sanctuary add a wide variety of fauna to the park's visitor list. Several ponds and lakes, as well as the massive Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir, break up the expanses of green and growing things. There are roads, for those who prefer to drive through; numerous playgrounds for children dot the landscape.
Many are the people who come to the Park - painters, birdwatchers, musicians, and rock climbers. Others come for the shows; the New York Shakespeare Festival at the Delacorte Theater, the annual outdoor concert of the New York Philharmonic on the Great Lawn, the summer performances of the Metropolitan Opera, and many other smaller performing groups besides. They come to ice-skate on the rink, to ride on the Central Park Carousel, to view the many, many statues scattered about the park.
Some of the southern end of the park remains buried beneath rubble. Some of it still looks worn and torn, struggling to come back from the edge of destruction despite everything the crews of landscapers can do. The Wollman Rink has not been rebuilt; the Central Park Wildlife Center remains very much a work in progress, but is not wholly a loss. Someday, this portion of Central Park just might be restored fully to its prior state.
The park, Adelaide wandered, though she wore her gituar over her back in its case, she didn't play not today, though in across her shoulders she wore a messanger bag the young woman seemed lost in her thoughts..
Nothings quite as sad as someone playing chess alone in a park. Gillian sits at one of the immovable table and chair set ups, with a chess set laid out on a board, and a book in her lap. The book had been read front to back, and while she recalls it, it's not nearly as clear as she did just days ago. Standing up, she reaches across the board to move for black, but her sleeve catches a few pieces and knocks them over. Some roll right off the table. "God— damnit."
Adelaide pauses. She moves to pick up the chess peices. "Playing alone?" she asks before settling down. "Want some company?" she asks handing the young woman the chess peice.
Moving to pick up a few pieces herself, Gillian looks up at the young woman and raises eyebrows. The guitar reminds her of Cat, a little. "Yeah, I'm stuck playing by myself now," she says. Sounds like it wasn't the case a while ago. "I'm not very good, honestly, but if you want to join, sure." The knot in the back of her head that keeps her ability controlled is tied, but somewhat loosely.
Adelaide nods. "Well neither am I." she admits quietly She sits down. "Besides, This could be fun." She says smiling beginning to setup the chess peices. "More complicated than checkers but not as complicated as say chinese checkers.. or Shogi."
"That's what my book kept saying," Gillian admits, recalling that much. Setting up the white pieces on her side, she hesitates a moment before remembering where the Knights go. The pawns are easiest to set back up. "You play guitar or you just like lugging it around?"
Adelaide chuckles. "I play." She says setting up the black peices carefully. "Certain ones can only move in certain directions right?"
"Yeah," Gillian says, reaching forward to point at the pawns, "These can only move forward, one or two spaces to start, then one space after. They can only capture pieces diagnolly," she demonstrates. "These can only move straight along the spaces… these diagnolly… the King can only move one space, the Queen can move all spaces as far as it wants… And the Knight moves in an L shape, like this… but he can jump over pieces. None of the others can do that." Simple explainations, really. "I don't play, but I have a friend who does. You're not planning to be a musician lawyer, are you?"
Adelaide laughs. "No. A musical doctor of some sort,OBGYN,Psychology, psychiatrist, something like that and then I'll probably write on the side- novels and stuff."
"I'd think being a doctor wouldn't leave much time for hobbies," Gillian says, eyebrows raised in mild surprise. "Especially if you have to pay off your student loans for the rest of your adult life." Small talk, really, and she's letting her guard down. The knot unravels a bit more, energy spilling out. The normalacy of the conversation started it— the few days of having her power back helped. A flash of purple shines in hazel eyes, as the power seeks out a place to go. Someplace close.
Adelaide nods. "Well the money isn't the 'issue'. Its what do I want to do with my life. Health care currently only allows doctor and patient time for about 15 minutes when Idealy a doctor and patient should be spending an hour…. talking and such building bonds."
The energy continues, catching onto the other woman, and then pouring into her. Gillian doesn't even have time to stop it before things start happening.
The park disappears. At least for one of them. A beach, that isn't quite a beach, seen from an outsider's point of view. A woman, the same one sitting across, stands with a child, washing him in the pooling water that shifts with a tide. Something is off. There's missing background sounds, no wind, but the sight is vivid. The little boy stands out, especially, brighter. The young woman smiles, touching the boy gently, affectionally. "Is this what you came to show me?" she asks, glancing toward the observer.
The memory fades, the knot tied back up, the flow cut off.
The middle of a Chess move. Her hand raised to move the pawn foreward before her world her vision goes black. And like a rising curtain she watches another scene unfold. She watches and its confusing- the memory itself was a fragment. That much she could tell. A fragement of a fragment? She was poised in the middle of it and set the peice down as her vision returned to normal. "AHh."
Nothing exploding. Nothing blowing up. Gillian looks around to double check that nothing horrible has happened in that second. But the worst things she's done with her ability weren't obvious. "Are you okay?" she asks, looking across concerned. "Did— did something happen?"
Adelaide nods. Is a slow nod and clearly its perhaps to both questions as she blinks her eyes. "Ah-hah." she she says blinking a few more times.
There's a long pause, Gillian glances around. There's people in the park, there usally are, but no one really close enough. "Do you— want to talk about it?"
Adelaide nods. "Sure. Just a kid and some lady, bathing. It was a little on the surreal side." she breaths. "Not like some of them before. I mean those usually come across as 'surreal' but this one was more… surreeal, it was disconnected. The kid was well filled with light?" she shrugs.
Lady and a kid bathing. There's a pause and Gillian settles down into her seat. The chess game forgotten, before it even really started. "Was it on a beach?"
Adelaide nods slowly. "THat's the closest I can liken it too."
"What are they usually like? What— whatever happened before?" Gillian asks, looking down and away, toward the pieces. There's a frown on her face.
Adelaide thinks. "It's different from person to person. Sometimes they're — its just.. people.." she struggles. "Its hard to explain. I think its just random at times."
"It was a dream," Gillian offers softly, pulling the notebook from her lap, flipping a few pages until she comes upon the right one. Folding it over, she turns it so she can see. A sketch of sorts, a picture, detailed enough it looks similar to what had been seen. A young boy in detail, a beach loosely sketched behind him.
Adelaide pauses. "It was? Then you're very good at bringing Dreams to life- sort of. I could use you in my writing." she smiles moving another chess peice.
The chess game seems to be continuing, but Gillian's not paying much attention to the game when she moves, pushing a knight forward and to the sight. "I'm just am amateur," she says quietly, putting the notebook back down. She won't admit she usually can't draw that well. Having a good memory helped. It's one thing she can hold onto. "I wasn't thinking about it, so you didn't read my mind, exactly," she adds on. "Do you not know much about what it is you do?"
Adelaide shakes her head. "Not really. It's sort of random. I mean its not too 'clear' how I do it.. or what I do.. I think I have a few handles sort of… Lately it's been kind of random… but other times I've tried to notice what I do but its not 'clear at all.'"
"If you give me a number to contact you, I could… maybe I could help you figure it out." Gillian says softly, glancing around again. "Are you thinking of registering?"
Adelaide shakes her head. "No." she says blintly. She slips the other woman her cellphone number.
There's a nod, the number put away into the notebook and left there. "Can't blame you," Gillian says, looking back at the board. Many moves left— she reaches down and plays. "They don't give much insentive to register, especially these days, when people with the card can be gunned down in their own libraries. Name's Gillian, by the way."
Adelaide grins. "Adelaide."
"Nice to meet you, 'Del," Gillian says, shortening the already long name and moving a chess piece again. This time she takes one of hers.
Adelaide laughs. "Perhaps we should call it…" she points to chess board before checking her watch. "Over for the moment?"
"Yeah, I need to pack up and get back home too," Gillian says, not glancing at a watch, but instead looking at where the sun is in the sky. There's no watch on her wrist. "I'll try to give you a call sometime, but be careful. The news doesn't look too good these days." And it hasn't for a while, really.
Adelaide nods. "Of course. Not hard… I am just a student."
"Hope you can stay that way," Gillian says, beginning to grab the pieces and push them into a small bag. They belong to her, after all. The book and notebook get dropped in the carrier bag resting next to her feet, then the bag of pieces follow.
Adelaide watches. She stands adjusting her stuff as well cleaning a bit before looking. "Gilly?" she asks before stopping. "It is ok to call you that isn't it?"
"You wouldn't be the first one," Gillian says with a grin, folding the board up and putting it away last. "Hope you didn't mind me calling you 'Del?"
Adelaide shakes her head, "Not at all."
"Good. Thanks for the short game," Gillian adds on, before she pulls the carrier bag over her shoulder and starts the log walk back to the Village. Or to the cab that leads to the Village. Flight and super speed, how she misses you.