by The Cowl Editor on January 18, 2018
Portfolio
by Marisa Gonzalez ’18
Maisy Brockwell sits at her computer, staring blankly at the screen. No words come to mind. No feelings or thoughts. Her mind is simply empty. How is she supposed to write a 20-page short story if she had nothing? To make matters worse, she is sitting in the common room of her apartment and her roommate has just come in and turned on Supernatural, the “Bloody Mary” episode. So now she has no story and was probably going to have nightmares. Just great!
“Hey Maisy, you look dead. You okay? Hello? Hey Maisy, are you alive? You’re not blinking. Hello?” Maisy’s roommate, Carla, waves her hand in her face causing Maisy to blink and slowly turn to Carla. “Oh! Man, you look like a zombie. How about you take a break and watch Supernatural with me? It’s a good episode. I promise.”
Carla attempts to smile but the blank face of her roommate freaks her out. She tries to start a conversation. “Um, Maisy, how are you feeling?”
Maisy slowly blinks and states, “Nothing.” She then turns back to her computer.
A shiver runs down Carla’s spine. She shakes her head and turns back to the TV in time to see Bloody Mary coming out of the mirror. A gasp escapes her and she quickly turns off the TV. Maybe Supernatural wasn’t such a good idea. Plus, her roommate might be possessed. She should probably handle that.
“Soooo, Maisy, whatcha doin’? Why are you staring at a blank screen? Hello?”
Carla tries another wave, but Maisy just continues to stare at the computer. Carla sighs and folds her arms across her chest. She tries a different approach.
“If you have become possessed then I am going to email the dean and get a new roommate. I may even get an A for the semester because my distress has caused me to lose focus on school work.”
She casts a side glance at her roommate. Maisy continues to be unresponsive. So, Carla continues to talk, “If you are possessed I must save you. Sam and Dean would most likely go for holy water, but we don’t have any, so I’ll probably go to the church and get some. Since its from the church it’ll be extra holy, so once it touches your skin you’re probably going to melt and I am going to have to pay the fine for the clean-up and I really don’t want to. You know I’m poor.”
No response. Carla huffs. “Fine, I’ll take your money. You won’t need it because you’ll be a pile of goo.” Nothing.
“Ahhhhhh!” Carla screams. “Okay! I have had it!” She grabs the computer and pulls it away.
Suddenly, Maisy comes to life. Her eyes fill with fire, her nose flares and her mouth curls. “How dare you!” she spits. “I was working on that! I need 20 pages. 20! And I have nothing. Nothing! And I will continue to have nothing if you don’t give me that back!”
Maisy lunges for the computer and Carla happily allows her to take it. She smiles stupidly and hugs Maisy. “You’re back!” Maisy tries to squirm out of the hug, but she suddenly stops as she feels a sense of release. Her mind fills. She feels emotions again. Now it is Maisy’s turn to smile stupidly.
When Carla releases her, Maisy takes a breath and says, “Thank you.” Carla grins and bows. “See, all you needed was to lose focus. You’re welcome. Now don’t stress. That story will not come to you if you think too hard. Breathe a little. I missed you. Possessed Maisy sucked.”
Maisy laughs and lets her mind go. She turns back to the computer, cracks her fingers and types, “The attractive baby carved a turkey in the dilapidated zoo almost a year ago to create a diversion.” She smiles, satisfied at her accomplishment, and shows Carla. Carla sighs and shakes her head. This is going to be a long night, but at least her roommate is not possessed.