Saturday, January 26, 2008

The Room – part 2


She sat quietly for a while feeling some comfort in the familiarity of her uncomfortable perch.

Somehow the room seemed smaller than before, as if the walls were pressing inwards. Would their pressure crush her, she wondered, or expel her rudely into the unknown world beyond the door.

A small icy thrill chilled her and was followed by an inexplicable stab of excitement mixed with fear. Fear for the little ones, she pushed it away irritably. What about ME she screamed silently, wordlessly and her question echoed painfully inside her skull.

“I think, therefore I am.”
“He who hesitates is lost.”
“Being is doing.”


Pondering, waiting, existing in a limbo of indecision she is lost to herself.
Beyond the now open door voices, forbidding, encouraging, warning, enticing, ridiculing.
Was it bravery or cowardice that held her there, she did not know, maybe it was both.




23 comments:

Travis Cody said...

I like this because the reader can bring his/her own perceptions to it. We can choose to read from a perspective of fear or caution. The meaning can change slightly depending on how we perceive the person in the chair.

Very nice.

Anonymous said...

decisions, decisions

She is neither brave nor a coward... I think she sits there because her gut tells her to

wonderful writing Cathy

hope you are okay and you're having a good weekend

lotsa luv ann xxxx

Akelamalu said...

Excellent writing. :)

Vinny "Bond" Marini said...

Travis kind of stole my comment - hehehe..

I enjoy writing that allows the reader to make their own decisions on the words on the page...

Throughly enjoyed this

Unknown said...

If the room crushes her, what of the little ones then? Who will teach them to soar? Will they end up crushed too?

The Phosgene Kid said...

Very nice!! My Mondays are like that...

BBC said...

I'm not sure if it has anything to do with this post, but the thought that came to me is, "Some people spend so much time looking at the closed door that they are afraid to go try another door".

val said...

"Being is doing"

What's that little saying?

To do is to be - J-J. Rousseau.

To be is to do - J-P. Sartre.

Do-be-do-be-do - Frank Sinatra.

Little Wing said...

Hi Cathy.
I am here from snowelfs blog.
Very good writing.

puerileuwaite said...

You are NOT going to believe this. Between "The Chairs" Parts I and II, I just so happen to be reading about the Ottoman Empire.

Unknown said...

“The Edge... there is no honest way to explain it because the only people who really know where it is are the ones who have gone over.” ~ Hunter S Thompson

I’m in a Hunter-Thompson-kind-of-mood tonight.

Anonymous said...

Plan your work. Work your plan.

cathy said...

travis, thankyou - I know you will be kind in your perceptions.

ann, more like indecisions and stomache-ache.

akelmalu, ta muchly.

bond, Travis has a way with words, glad you liked it.

pauline, stop wobbling my head girl!

tpkid, Every day is Monday.

bbc, sometimes it's just a case of deciding which side of the door you ought to be on.


val, I think Frank had the best idea...strangers in the night it is then.

little wing, Hi nice to see you, thanks for visiting.

pug, bloody turks! no wonder you haven't posted.

ssnick, I know what you mean.

mischief, you remind me of someone I know:)

Schmoop said...

Not only is this a well written piece of prose. Your ringing endorsement of "Why the Hell Not" is very touching. Cheers!!

RW said...

Cathy that is some very beautiful writing! Thanks for visiting today, I see the code worked alright! Dont be a stanger :D

Elaine Denning said...

Sometimes it's posible to walk through the door and if it isn't how you imagined on the outside, you can turn around and walk back in again. If you find the door is then closed, then perhaps being on the outside was meant to be?

cathy said...

matt-man, I thought it summed things up quite nicely:)

roger, The miricle is that I managed to get it right.

miss understood, I imagine it contains a different brand of misery.

Queenie said...

Now I thought of it as a dog that had been mistreated, shows how my mind works. One thing for sure you always get me thinking lady.

Jocelyn said...

And in part two, she steps out?

Hoping.

Jocelyn said...

Ah, amend that last. I just figured it out.

So maybe a Part Three?

The Phosgene Kid said...

Almost through another week!!

BBC said...

New post soon?

cathy said...

I'm having problems with my computer so I haven't been able to get online for a while. I don't think that my problems are solved yet so if I disappear for a while it is just because my PC is capput.