Notes on Writing, Research and Editing

Julie and Cameron sat, side by side, and waited for the bus.  Their heads bopped almost in synchronization to the individual beats on their iPods.  Cameron tapped his fingers to the beat on his knee.  Julie held her backpack in her arms, the ear buds for her music machine extended from a special pocket.  The ground was slick from the recent rain, and thunderclouds hung low overhead.  The sunset, an eruption of flame, caused all of the autumn trees to glow golden in its light.  The two didn’t acknowledge one another.  They sat, rocking, in unison, as the first roars of thunder sounded over the Midwestern university.

Moments later, a crowd had gathered around the bus stop.  A couple leaned against one another, her head nuzzled against his chest.  A man stood, leaning on his bike with one arm, laptop bag slung over his shoulder, full beard, and balanced a stack of books with his other arm.  Two girls chattered like birds on their cell phones.  A woman with shaggy hair stood, off to the side, her backpack hoisted on one shoulder, bus pass ready, tapping her foot.

Thunder sounded again and the clouds came overhead, casting shadows over the mish-mashed group.  Julie and Cameron continued to move their heads.  The number 20 bus pulled up.  Students got off, and everyone but Julie and Cameron got onto the bus.  By the time the bus whirred off, the first drops of rain began to fall. Cameron pulled his blue sweatshirt hood up over his head and continued to move without missing a single beat.  Julie paused for a moment, looked up, and saw the sunset flames had almost been completely extinguished by a black thick blanket-wall of clouds.  The ground appeared to be injected with Technicolor while the trees, the buildings, and the landscape in the distance had been put on high-contrast.  She looked, for the first time at Cameron, lost in his world, hood pulled almost over his eyes, shaggy hair peaking out.  She touched his shoulder.  He stopped moving.  She couldn’t speak.  She pointed upwards just as a chunk of hail landed in front of them. 

Cameron yanked on the wires connected to his head and stood up.  “We’ve got to get out of here.”  Hail began playing the drums around them.   Thunders sounded yet another time, and lightening lit up the world around them with a purple-red glow.  Cameron grabbed her hand and yanked her after him as he made towards the nearest brick building.  Julie barely had time to hold onto her backpack.  Before they hit the door, the siren began to roar.  Rain and hail were falling in synchronized bursts.  Wind gusted.  Cameron pulled hard on the door and shoved Julie in.  He followed and the door slammed behind him.  Students swarmed the hallways. 

Cameron navigated their way through the crowd.  A large roar, sounding like a cross between a railroad and a rock concert filled their ears.  He brought her to the men’s bathroom, shoved her in.  There was no reason to talk.  The room shook.  A loud crash sounded.  The two ducked into a stall and he put his arms around her.  The sound only lasted a few minutes.  When it stopped, Julie sighed.  They both stood up.  Julie gasped when she noticed that it was Cameron, a guy in her epistemology class, that had saved her.  Before she could say anything, Cameron smiled at her, and in his best imitation of their philosophy professor said, “Hello Jones!”

"Hello Jones" Artwork @2009 by Stan Levine