Acoustic Cinema

1191 words – July 31, 2010

Cecilia Harrison hurried from her car to her front door. She felt the strange sensation of someone watching her. There were blinding lights from the headlights of her car, but she was sure she turned them off. She fumbled with her keys, panicking. She heard no noise. The keys were jangling, but no jangle entered her ears. She felt like she was in a silent movie. The headlights flashed. Was there someone in her car? She was definitely not alone. Cecilia unlocked her door, wondering why her house was painted blue. She didn’t remember it being blue. She hopped inside and locked the door behind her. Cecilia stood in the house and tapped her ears. Still no sound. She looked out the window that she never remembered seeing before. She screamed as she saw a strange man with beady eyes staring back at her from outside. At least, she thought she screamed.

Cecilia’s heart jumped as she sat up suddenly in her bed. She snapped her fingers to check her hearing. She was no longer deaf. What a strange dream, she thought to herself as she fluffed up her pillow behind her. She looked at the clock. 4:07am, she had more time to sleep. She plopped back down onto the pillow and closed her eyes again.

Everything was dark, only a blue flashing light from an unknown origin. This was not her room. Cecilia patted the bed around her, it was still there but she was somewhere else. Her mother walked in the room and started talking to Cecilia. Cecilia heard nothing. There was a strange object floating above her mother, it flashed blue like the light in the corner. Cecilia blinked and rubbed her eyes. Her mother was now a strange man with beady eyes. He looked familiar. Cecilia asked what he had for dinner. She doesn’t know why she asked that, but she did. She couldn’t hear her voice, she couldn’t hear his answer. The blue floating object came closer and closer to Cecilia. She struggled in her bed, tangled up in the sheets. She was trapped and panicking.

Cecilia broke free of the sheets and sat up. The man and the object were gone. She was back in her room. Cecilia was sweating and her heart was racing. She looked at the clock. 4:20am. She pulled her knees towards her and sat up in the bed, wondering what to do. She was afraid to go back to sleep.

Cecilia grabbed her pillow and brought it with her as she shuffled into the living room. She plopped down on the couch and turned on the television. She turned up the volume but didn’t hear any sound. This must be a silent movie? Cecilia shrugged and started to watch the black and white film. The woman on the screen screamed and Cecilia heard nothing. There was a man in the movie with beady eyes. Cecilia cocked her head, he looks familiar. She turned her head and the man with beady eyes was sitting on the couch next to her. She screamed and heard nothing. The man grabbed Cecilia and she struggled to break from his grasp. She kicked and screamed and clawed her away from him and jumped off the couch. Cecilia ran for the phone and tried to dial. She started yelling into the phone, she thinks she dialed 911 but she was so frantic she had no idea what buttons she pressed. The man threw the pillow at her.

Cecilia woke up on the floor. Her sheets were wrapped around her leg and the pillow was over her head.

“What’s going on?” she said to herself, desperate to hear her voice, “Did I eat something strange tonight? What’s with all the nightmares?”

Cecilia gathered her blankets and pillow and tossed them back on the bed. She was trying to remember her dreams. All she could figure is that she was deaf and afraid. She pulled herself up from the floor and sat on the edge of the bed.

“Maybe I need a snack…” she decided that sleeping was not working out. She looked at the clock. 4:55am. Cecilia groggily pushed herself from the bed and shuffled to her kitchen. She opened the door to her fridge and stared inside, waiting for a snack to jump out at her.

“I wonder if I have any crackers…” Cecilia mumbled to herself as she grabbed some cream cheese from the fridge. She opened the cabinets and found some crackers.

She fixed herself the snack and a glass of water. The young woman put down the plate and walked back to her bedroom. On her way in, a man with beady eyes caught her attention. His picture was on the front page of her newspaper.

“He looks familiar,” she mumbled, not remembering him from her dreams. Cecilia opened the paper and glanced at the article. The man’s name was Bryce Sullivan and he was a deaf politician running for mayor of Cecilia’s city.

“Hmm, I think I saw this on the news…” she trailed off and shrugged.

Daniel Meady sat across from his friend Delia as the television screen faded to black. Daniel was eagerly awaiting a reaction from Delia.

“So?” he was like an impatient kid on Christmas morning, “What’d ya think of my movie?!”

“Um, so wait-“ Delia was trying to understand, “Why was she dreaming of the politician?”

“Her dreams were exposing her fear of deaf people, and being deaf…and you know, deafness in general,” Daniel jumped up from his chair, to giddy to sit.

“Oh, well that’s kinda neat…” Delia nodded understandingly, “It was good. It looked good, and the lady, she was good.”

Daniel clasped his hands and laughed.

“Yes! I can’t wait to show this at the film festival!” he proclaimed loudly to Delia.

“You don’t have to shout, I’m not deaf,” she pointed out.

Daniel crouched down to where Delia sat.

“Do you think it was good enough to show? Was my symbolism strong enough?” he began to worry, “You had questions. What if other people have questions? I mean, did you catch the part with Cecilia’s mother? You know, mothers usually say stuff like ‘you’re going to go deaf if you listen to that music too loud’ and all that…”

Daniel rambled on and Delia smiled hesitantly. She didn’t really catch everything that he put into the film but she didn’t want to hurt his feelings.

“…and the blue was a recurring theme in there as well,” he continued, “symbolizing that she was sad that she was deaf…I was going to go with dark purple because that could represent frustration…”

Daniel’s voice reflected his passion in his work. He exhaled loudly as he ran out of energy to speak any more words about his film.

“It was really good,” Delia assured him, “I think it’s great that you have so many layers of imagery, that’s awesome!”

“Yeah?” Daniel took a deep breath and lifted his head to look at his friend.

“Yeah. Can I watch it again?” she smiled.

Daniel clapped his hands with elation, jumped up from the floor and grabbed the remote.


			Main Menu > Everyday Projects > 2010 > July > July 31, 2010
			Acoustic Cinema 1191 words – July 31, 2010 Cecilia Harrison hurried from her car to her front door. She felt the strange sensation of someone watching her. There were blinding lights from the headlights of her car, but she was sure she turned them off. She fumbled with her keys, panicking. She heard no noise. The keys were jangling, but no jangle entered her ears. She felt like she was in a silent movie. The headlights flashed. Was there someone in her car? She was definitely not alone. Cecilia unlocked her door, wondering why her house was painted blue. She didn’t remember it being blue. She hopped inside and locked the door behind her. Cecilia stood in the house and tapped her ears. Still no sound. She looked out the window that she never remembered seeing before. She screamed as she saw a strange man with beady eyes staring back at her from outside. At least, she thought she screamed. Cecilia’s heart jumped as she sat up suddenly in her bed. She snapped her fingers to check her hearing. She was no longer deaf. What a strange dream, she thought to herself as she fluffed up her pillow behind her. She looked at the clock. 4:07am, she had more time to sleep. She plopped back down onto the pillow and closed her eyes again. Everything was dark, only a blue flashing light from an unknown origin. This was not her room. Cecilia patted the bed around her, it was still there but she was somewhere else. Her mother walked in the room and started talking to Cecilia. Cecilia heard nothing. There was a strange object floating above her mother, it flashed blue like the light in the corner. Cecilia blinked and rubbed her eyes. Her mother was now a strange man with beady eyes. He looked familiar. Cecilia asked what he had for dinner. She doesn’t know why she asked that, but she did. She couldn’t hear her voice, she couldn’t hear his answer. The blue floating object came closer and closer to Cecilia. She struggled in her bed, tangled up in the sheets. She was trapped and panicking. Cecilia broke free of the sheets and sat up. The man and the object were gone. She was back in her room. Cecilia was sweating and her heart was racing. She looked at the clock. 4:20am. She pulled her knees towards her and sat up in the bed, wondering what to do. She was afraid to go back to sleep. Cecilia grabbed her pillow and brought it with her as she shuffled into the living room. She plopped down on the couch and turned on the television. She turned up the volume but didn’t hear any sound. This must be a silent movie? Cecilia shrugged and started to watch the black and white film. The woman on the screen screamed and Cecilia heard nothing. There was a man in the movie with beady eyes. Cecilia cocked her head, he looks familiar. She turned her head and the man with beady eyes was sitting on the couch next to her. She screamed and heard nothing. The man grabbed Cecilia and she struggled to break from his grasp. She kicked and screamed and clawed her away from him and jumped off the couch. Cecilia ran for the phone and tried to dial. She started yelling into the phone, she thinks she dialed 911 but she was so frantic she had no idea what buttons she pressed. The man threw the pillow at her. Cecilia woke up on the floor. Her sheets were wrapped around her leg and the pillow was over her head. “What’s going on?” she said to herself, desperate to hear her voice, “Did I eat something strange tonight? What’s with all the nightmares?” Cecilia gathered her blankets and pillow and tossed them back on the bed. She was trying to remember her dreams. All she could figure is that she was deaf and afraid. She pulled herself up from the floor and sat on the edge of the bed. “Maybe I need a snack…” she decided that sleeping was not working out. She looked at the clock. 4:55am. Cecilia groggily pushed herself from the bed and shuffled to her kitchen. She opened the door to her fridge and stared inside, waiting for a snack to jump out at her. “I wonder if I have any crackers…” Cecilia mumbled to herself as she grabbed some cream cheese from the fridge. She opened the cabinets and found some crackers. She fixed herself the snack and a glass of water. The young woman put down the plate and walked back to her bedroom. On her way in, a man with beady eyes caught her attention. His picture was on the front page of her newspaper. “He looks familiar,” she mumbled, not remembering him from her dreams. Cecilia opened the paper and glanced at the article. The man’s name was Bryce Sullivan and he was a deaf politician running for mayor of Cecilia’s city. “Hmm, I think I saw this on the news…” she trailed off and shrugged. Daniel Meady sat across from his friend Delia as the television screen faded to black. Daniel was eagerly awaiting a reaction from Delia. “So?” he was like an impatient kid on Christmas morning, “What’d ya think of my movie?!” “Um, so wait-“ Delia was trying to understand, “Why was she dreaming of the politician?” “Her dreams were exposing her fear of deaf people, and being deaf…and you know, deafness in general,” Daniel jumped up from his chair, to giddy to sit. “Oh, well that’s kinda neat…” Delia nodded understandingly, “It was good. It looked good, and the lady, she was good.” Daniel clasped his hands and laughed. “Yes! I can’t wait to show this at the film festival!” he proclaimed loudly to Delia. “You don’t have to shout, I’m not deaf,” she pointed out. Daniel crouched down to where Delia sat. “Do you think it was good enough to show? Was my symbolism strong enough?” he began to worry, “You had questions. What if other people have questions? I mean, did you catch the part with Cecilia’s mother? You know, mothers usually say stuff like ‘you’re going to go deaf if you listen to that music too loud’ and all that…” Daniel rambled on and Delia smiled hesitantly. She didn’t really catch everything that he put into the film but she didn’t want to hurt his feelings. “…and the blue was a recurring theme in there as well,” he continued, “symbolizing that she was sad that she was deaf…I was going to go with dark purple because that could represent frustration…” Daniel’s voice reflected his passion in his work. He exhaled loudly as he ran out of energy to speak any more words about his film. “It was really good,” Delia assured him, “I think it’s great that you have so many layers of imagery, that’s awesome!” “Yeah?” Daniel took a deep breath and lifted his head to look at his friend. “Yeah. Can I watch it again?” she smiled. Daniel clapped his hands with elation, jumped up from the floor and grabbed the remote.