chapter 3
Chapter 3 – Life Under the Elderly
By: Susanne
It was mid afternoon. Had it been a better one, any given person would have taken this time to wander aimlessly around the town, maybe grab a coffee and a whole wheat bagel, but with no real intention of doing anything. Things had changed since the old ones had settled in.
Who knows how long their envious eyes had regarded us with quiet ridicule? Hidden behind the foggy glaze of cataracts was a remarkable intelligence amused by our awkward visits, and well fitting clothes. And so they bided their time. Day by day, we lived our lives without the merest notion that we would be taken so easily. With out warning, a haze of fear and lilac perfume settled on the town of Campbellford.
Imagine movie theaters choked by public programming, candy shops replaced with orthopedic shoe stores, and rock music hushed by the straw hats and striped jackets of barbershop quartets. Life had become a never-ending nightmare of pastel colours as every haven in the small town was suddenly taken by the elderly as a place to gather daily, and discuss the possibility of meeting tomorrow to discuss the possibilities of meeting the day after that to discuss the gathering they had that very day.
But below the constant creek of front porch rocking chairs, there remained the echo of an unplanned, reckless guitar solo. A plan tumbled through the minds of our youth like balls in a bingo machine, but life under the elderly had already taken its toll.
“I’m telling you it’s time we fought back! This is our town! Our bakeries! Our LIVES!!” shouted Emily from the platform in the hollow mountain. It was the last safe place in town because no one knew about it, and the generous Teen Girl Squad had now opened its doors to the kids of Campbellford in hopes of starting a rebellion.
“They’re a spiritless bunch I tell ya. Look at this,” Alison walked through the crowds of kids, slapping people here and there and speaking out of the side of her mouth. No one was really sure whom she was trying to imitate but decided it was all good. “They’ve got no fight left in ‘em!”
Emily sighed and raised her voice again, but it was no use. Susanne and Heather were crowd surfing off the platform again, and it wasn’t helping.
“Listen, guys, if we’re going to take down the elderly we need a way to get these kid’s attention. It’s 42 to 1 here, and you’re not contributing anything!”
Susanne asked to be passed back to the platform and then stopped to think.
“Seems to me we have to get their attention some how. I mean, it’s 42 to 1, and I’m not exactly contributing anything.”
“Are you even paying attention?”
“No. Wait- YES!”
Heather dropped onto the stage and decided the microphone just needed to be louder, but while fiddling with the controls accidentally sent N’SYNC blasting through the mountain. That certainly got everyone’s attention.
“Right…” started Emily, hoping to get past that horribly disturbing moment. “Yes, well, as I was saying before, we need to organize ourselves if we want to make a difference.”
The cave fell silent as the Teen Girl Squad explained to the kids the seriousness of the situation.
Today was a day unlike any other; the beginning of the end it seemed. Who knows how long the Teen Girls had to succeed in returning the elderly to their routine of pills and reading magazines with birds on them before they completely upset the precious balance of old and not that old but lying about it anyway versus young, at a probability of 42 to 1? NO ONE! That’s who! They needed to take fast action! But what was the plan?
This was the plan.
They didn’t have one. So leaving the kids in the safety of the mountain, they jumped on their scooters and started to patrol the town. Things were oddly quiet. If not for the wind through the trees it would be completely quiet, and suddenly someone leaned from an upstairs window and went “SSSHHH!!!” to the wind who became quiet and embarrassed. The girls stopped, and their eyes opened wide with fear. It was one o’clock. Nap time had begun.
By: Susanne
It was mid afternoon. Had it been a better one, any given person would have taken this time to wander aimlessly around the town, maybe grab a coffee and a whole wheat bagel, but with no real intention of doing anything. Things had changed since the old ones had settled in.
Who knows how long their envious eyes had regarded us with quiet ridicule? Hidden behind the foggy glaze of cataracts was a remarkable intelligence amused by our awkward visits, and well fitting clothes. And so they bided their time. Day by day, we lived our lives without the merest notion that we would be taken so easily. With out warning, a haze of fear and lilac perfume settled on the town of Campbellford.
Imagine movie theaters choked by public programming, candy shops replaced with orthopedic shoe stores, and rock music hushed by the straw hats and striped jackets of barbershop quartets. Life had become a never-ending nightmare of pastel colours as every haven in the small town was suddenly taken by the elderly as a place to gather daily, and discuss the possibility of meeting tomorrow to discuss the possibilities of meeting the day after that to discuss the gathering they had that very day.
But below the constant creek of front porch rocking chairs, there remained the echo of an unplanned, reckless guitar solo. A plan tumbled through the minds of our youth like balls in a bingo machine, but life under the elderly had already taken its toll.
“I’m telling you it’s time we fought back! This is our town! Our bakeries! Our LIVES!!” shouted Emily from the platform in the hollow mountain. It was the last safe place in town because no one knew about it, and the generous Teen Girl Squad had now opened its doors to the kids of Campbellford in hopes of starting a rebellion.
“They’re a spiritless bunch I tell ya. Look at this,” Alison walked through the crowds of kids, slapping people here and there and speaking out of the side of her mouth. No one was really sure whom she was trying to imitate but decided it was all good. “They’ve got no fight left in ‘em!”
Emily sighed and raised her voice again, but it was no use. Susanne and Heather were crowd surfing off the platform again, and it wasn’t helping.
“Listen, guys, if we’re going to take down the elderly we need a way to get these kid’s attention. It’s 42 to 1 here, and you’re not contributing anything!”
Susanne asked to be passed back to the platform and then stopped to think.
“Seems to me we have to get their attention some how. I mean, it’s 42 to 1, and I’m not exactly contributing anything.”
“Are you even paying attention?”
“No. Wait- YES!”
Heather dropped onto the stage and decided the microphone just needed to be louder, but while fiddling with the controls accidentally sent N’SYNC blasting through the mountain. That certainly got everyone’s attention.
“Right…” started Emily, hoping to get past that horribly disturbing moment. “Yes, well, as I was saying before, we need to organize ourselves if we want to make a difference.”
The cave fell silent as the Teen Girl Squad explained to the kids the seriousness of the situation.
Today was a day unlike any other; the beginning of the end it seemed. Who knows how long the Teen Girls had to succeed in returning the elderly to their routine of pills and reading magazines with birds on them before they completely upset the precious balance of old and not that old but lying about it anyway versus young, at a probability of 42 to 1? NO ONE! That’s who! They needed to take fast action! But what was the plan?
This was the plan.
They didn’t have one. So leaving the kids in the safety of the mountain, they jumped on their scooters and started to patrol the town. Things were oddly quiet. If not for the wind through the trees it would be completely quiet, and suddenly someone leaned from an upstairs window and went “SSSHHH!!!” to the wind who became quiet and embarrassed. The girls stopped, and their eyes opened wide with fear. It was one o’clock. Nap time had begun.
posted by Susanne at 1:50 PM
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