Eugene loved Katy so much he locked her in a closet. "I love you, Katy," he would tell her upon leaving for his confrontations with the world outside.
"If you love me, let me out," her muffled voice invariably called to him as he moved out of the room, out of earshot.
He would come back from time to time to feed her, and give her clothes. In a generous moment he even gave her a flashlight and a mirror so she could see what she looked like when she tried on the clothes. But he never let her out of the closet.
"I love you, Katy," he always called to her as he left.
Weeks, months and precious years watched over a ritual become reflex. It came to pass that Eugene could no longer speak with the vigor he once knew. As he tried to utter his declaration of love he could only cough helplessly. Before leaving the room to lay on his deathbed he etched his epitaph in the accumulated dust of their time together: "I love Katy."
Story #191
10 comments:
Eugene had always underestimated Katy. Many years prior she had used the flashlight and a few clothes hangers to tunnel her way out of the closet. After running into a man claiming to be an author at a small New England coffeehouse, she finally was able to tell her story to someone who believed it. Eugene died always wondering what it meant at the end of Shawshank Redemption when the phrase, "I love Katy. Love, Stephen" appeared ever so briefly on the screen.
Thanks Abby! I'm glad you added a happy end to this.
I'm glad she found a way out. If he died with her in the closet, well, she'd be next.
Apparently Eugene wasn't familiar with the 1970's poster saying, "if you love something, set it free -- if it comes back to you, it's yours." Or maybe he already knew the answer to that, and spent a lot of time plucking the petals off odd-numbered-petaled daisies.
As I was reading your story I didnt know whether I felt very sad, amused or scared!! The influence was intense in any way, so it was definetely an effective short story.
Allmagica
Aaaaaaakkkkkkk! (running from SI screaming and yelling)
Now I really feel horrible. Not only did I leave Katy in the closet I scared Cori. I still feel gulty about story #26.
http://indeterminacy.blogspot.com/2004/09/perhaps-you-have-seen-her.html
Allmagica: I feel somewhat better when I read your comment, but I have to be nicer to my characters.
I found the story cutely romantic. Eugene is the average guy who goes too far in showing his love.
Do you write any stories of length?
I'd be curious to see what you'd come up with in a longer format.
I like this one.
Thanks Aurora and thanks Livinia for encouraging me. I thought this one might have ended too harshly. Livinia: I have written a few longer pieces, but I am not really good at long stories. They generally break down in some way.
eugene had been stuck in the closet for so long that outside was inside and inside was outside. finally, after katy felt that their life was going nowhere, she placed her denial on a hanger (in the closet) and demanded that eugene face the truth and come out of the closet... when he did... he was wearing a red dress.
:-)
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