Dreams With Sharp Teeth

Week of 1/20
**Prove what the author is trying to tell you about life (the moral)
Pages read: 769-833   (Short Story: "All The Lies That Are My Life")

Most of the short stories in the Harlan Ellison omnibus that I've been reading have some sort of sci-fi factor or twist to it, but "All The Lies That Are My Life" was one of the few that didn't.  From the top of my head, I can only remember two other stories that didn't include some sort of scifi in it. One, I remember, was really clever and entertaining. The other, not so much. In the introduction before this story, Ellison mentions that he had been working on the story for just about 12 years, so naturally I was expecting this to be a great story. He also said that "All The Lies That Are My Life" was the longest story in the Shatterday book, so I was hoping that the story that was the longest, was one of the best. I didn't want to read a very long story if it wasn't very good, then it doesn't seem like it was worth the time. To my delight, his story was wonderful. It was interesting and funny, never making me drag myself through the story.

"All The Lies That Are My Life" was a story of friendship, a specific friendship, though. The strange friendship between two authors; Laurence (Larry) Bedloe and Kercher (Jimmy) Crowstairs. The story starts off with "They buried Jimmy Crowstairs today." Automatically, I thought the story was interesting. The writing sounded good, and the lines after the first sentence just draw you in. Larry goes on to tell us about the people present at the burial and a bit about Jimmy's past. He then tells a story about a time he went on an adventure with Jimmy. Then, the story comes to the really interesting part. Larry tells about the death of Jimmy, and the video of Jimmy reading his will is shown at the funeral. This is where the morals come in (as I think there are two things the author is trying to tell us about life in this story). The first thing about life the author was trying to portray is the idea that your closest friends will be the people you can trust the most sometimes. That by itself may not seem like something to know about life, but it is. It's not that one message by itself that really makes it a moral, it's the secrets about yourself or something that you may tell your best friends that really make it a life lesson.

The second moral appeared when Jimmy was shown reading his will/telling the people what they would each receive. The second to last person he had rewarded was his sister, Sylvia. She had been a terrible person to him when he was a child, and from there onwards, so he simply cut her out of his life for 12 years before he died. He gave his sister a nickname that Larry uses instead of saying 'Sylvia'.  The nickname was rude (but rather funny), so he didn't call her that, but the story is from Larry's perspective, so you hear it quite a bit in the story. Her nickname was one of the great and fabulous things in this story. The moral in that part of the story was that you should be kind to people, as being mean to them gets you nothing and often sets you in a bad place with that person/those people. An example of this from the story is,

"And the bottom line is that you get zip. Not a cent. Not a penny. Not a farthing. Not a grubnik. (Which is worth 13¢ American.) Not even a Blue Chip Stamp. Nothing is what you get. Nada, nyet, nihil, nil, nihilium! Nothing, because if I have any dislike of women as a species it comes from you. Nothing because if I haven't been able, my whole life, entirely to trust a woman, it's because of what you ran on me when I was a kid."

Dreams With Sharp Teeth: Week of 1/13/14

**Draw a picture of what you just read.
Pages read: 693-769   (Short Stories: "Would You Do It For A Penny?" "Shoppe Keeper" & "The Man Who Was Heavily Into Revenge")

For this prompt, I wasn't exactly sure on what to draw for the last story I had read, which was "The Man Who Was Heavily Into Revenge". It wasn't that long of a story, but it had a good flow and it was really interesting. The fact that it was a really interesting story is what made it hard for me to decide on what I wanted to turn into a picture. The scene that I decided on that was just about a page long and was chosen because it is fairly important in the development in the story and I also thought the dialogue from one of the characters was kind of creative. Also, although the other stories this week were also fantastic, I have to say that I was glad that this was my last story, as I don't think the two other stories were as creative.

The picture above shows part of the phone conversation between Mr. Tolliver, a main character, and the wife of another main character. The wife, Mrs. Wiesel, was the creative aspect of the conversation that added just a dash of creativity from the authors for this particular conversation. Mrs. Wiesel had a bit of an accent, so the authors showed that in her dialogue. "Lissen, Mistuh Tollivuh, I don't haveta lissen to this!" is an example of how they showed it. I thought it was pretty cool and creative of them to give her an accent and show it throughout her parts in the story. This was an important part in the story because the whole story after this point is created by this one phone call. Mr. Wiesel screws Mr. Tolliver over in a landscaping job, so Mr. Tolliver naturally wants his money back and maybe a second try from Mr. Wiesel. Unable to get what he wants and deserves from the Wiesels, he calls the secretary of Mr. Wiesel's business (and the secretary happens to be Mr. W's wife) and says the lines quoted in the picture. Mrs. Wiesel of course doesn't take him seriously and hangs up on him. From just reading the title of the story, it's easy to tell that Mr. Tolliver was in fact serious. Very serious. One of the things that made the story interesting was all the ideas put into the story, like karma...

Effie Trinket and The Star Crossed Lovers

 Effie Trinket     

She is an escort for the district 12 tributes and possible victors. She spends most of her time in the Capitol except for the times she goes to another district for the Reaping or the Victory Tour. Effie gets along well with Peeta and soon Katniss once a bit more trust has been gained. 

"And may the odds be ever in your favor." -Effie Trinket

The mayor of district 12 looked at the drunken Haymitch in utter disbelief that the lone victor had come to such  special occasion so drunk. In an attempt to bring people back to the important task at hand, he introduced me with a smile, but a nervous voice. Realizing that now since I had been introduced, I would have to give a speech about how “grateful” I was to be an escort for this district, I quickly stepped up to the podium and smiled the perfect Effie smile. I could barely stand the thought of district 12, so there was no way I could express my “honor in this district” without a grimace on my face. So, I focused on just how much I liked my outfit today. The bright green with the pink...I adored it. So it was just my luck that my absolutely ravishing sense of fashion could plaster the biggest smile on my face! Once I had finished my speech, it was time to officially begin the Reaping. I walked over to the bowl containing the names of the ladies of the district, as it was always ladies first. I gave one more cheeky smile to the audience that was making me increasingly nervous. No matter what I did or how much I smiled, these people always had a depressing look on their face during the Reaping. Much different from the smiles people gave in other districts or the cheering that occurred. This was so much different.  I felt my smile bend a bit at the end, so I quickly looked down into the bowl with my hand stuck in it. The square was ever so silent as my hand exited out of the bowl with one slip of paper in hand. I slowly unfolded it and then looked to the audience with a smile. As soon as I announced her name the crowd went silent for a minute but soon a wave of grumbling swept over the crowd as Primrose Everdeen, the female tribute, walked forward with dead and empty steps and with a face full of silent fear. The girl looked like she was only 12, maybe 13. She had barely taken a foot to the first step of the stage when her name was called out from within the crowd. Another girl ran up to the stage and pushed the younger girl behind her defensively. The next words the girl said shocked me and probably everyone else there. The little girl screamed and wrapped her arms around the older girl who yelled at her to let go. Yet another citizen had come up to the stage! This time, an older boy, more around the older girl’s age had come up to the pair. He picked up the little girl and urged his friend to go up and stand my me. Even the boy seemed like he was going to cry, which was made a bit obvious by his shaky voice and sad eyes that questioned her and her decision, but also respected her for it. Even I had to give the brave girl respect. The words she had just yelled were only ever said in districts that took pride in sending a child off to the Games, and this was most definitely not one of those districts. When the girl made it up to the stage and took her spot next to me, I smile an Effie smile, but this time, it’s a real smile. The action this girl took to save another’s life was respectable and heartwarming. Unlike the people in other districts, she did not do it for pride or honor, she did it because she cared. She volunteered as tribute because she loved her. 

Katniss walks out of the dressing room with the most beautiful dress I think my eyes have ever laid sights on. Of course I had taken advantage of the special occasion to have my stylists go to work hard on my makeup and clothes, but it seemed like nothing compared to the work Cinna and his crew had done. Her red dress decorated with jewels appeared to light on fire with every step she took, making its impact even greater. I gasp and praise Katniss on her new look while she just gives a small smile and some thanks as we walk towards the back of the stage. There, the other tributes sit in an arc going in the order of first to last. Haymitch and I wish the two the best of luck and head to our spots in the audience just in time for Caesar Flickerman, the host, trots onto the stage and cracks a few jokes to get us into the mood for the interviews. In no time at all, I'm excited and can't wait for each tribute to tell us their story! I genuinely enjoy each interview, as all the tributes have different personalities, which gives Caesar more to joke with. Before I know it, Katniss is on stage and looking magnificent in her dress and outfit in general. I clap my hands very quietly with joy at her posture-- my work paid off and I was proud. As fast as it started, it's over just as quickly and Peeta is up. Not only was he handsome in his black suit, but he was funny and cheerful with Caesar. Giving the fans what they wanted, Caesar pushed for a little more info on Peeta's life back in his district. With a slight raise of his eyebrow, Caesar asked a question that was very important to the ladies of the Capitol. "Is there a girlfriend waiting for you back home?" Even I can't help but to "Ooh" a little along with the rest of the audience. I notice that Haymitch smirks a little as though he knows something the rest of us don't but will soon enough. When I bring my attention back to the stage, Peeta is as red as Katniss' dress and looking down. "Because...because...she came here with me." At the sound of his words my jaw drops and I think, "Oh no..."

The camera then focuses on Katniss’ little companion. I believe her name was Rue. She’s walking under a few trees, looking around cautiously when I net suddenly falls on her from above. She lets out a high-pitched and childlike scream, making me sit on the edge of my seat with my hands over my mouth. Unexpectedly, I had become rather fond of the young girl because she had gained the trust of Katniss. That by itself made her likeable. Scared of what may happen next, I turn the volume of the live show lower. Rue looks so terribly frightened as another tribute rushes out of the nearby bushes holding a spear. She gasps and screams out Katniss’ name as she tries to untangle herself in the net. The boy aims his spear at the body of beloved Rue. The camera turns toward the right of the net into the trees. Katniss comes bursting through the trees calling out to Rue, who sticks her hand out the net when she sees Katniss and yells out her name with hope. But that same second, the boy wastes no more time and throws the spear right at Rue. Katniss quickly shoots the spear thrower in the throat and hastily questions the dying girl if there are anymore people around. With pain in her voice, she has to say ‘no’ multiple times before Katniss calms and rushes to her side. She takes out her knife and cuts through the net to free Rue from her death trap. From that, the cameras show all the people of Panem the wound of the little girl. The spear was buried deep into her stomach, making it obvious to anyone that there was no possibility of her living through it. The two girls whisper to each other, leaving us out on their conversation because the cameras can’t pick up the sound since it’s so quiet. Part of me thought that maybe that was for the best, that we couldn’t hear. If this was their last moment together, they should have their last words be private. Katniss moves Rue’s head onto her lap and moves some hair behind Rue’s ear to provide some last comfort. Rue smiles slightly and whispers again. Loud enough for the camera to pick up, Katniss replies with “Sing?”  and looks at the sky for a moment. When she looks back at Rue’s last moments on her lap, she clears her throat and shows the people watching her set of singing skills. It was so beautiful. Rue’s eyes soon begin to close and her breathing becomes barely noticeable as Katniss begins to cry. She soldiers on and finishes the song, although the last lines are barely picked up by the camera as her tears take over. My heart just stops when Rue’s cannon goes off. In that moment I realize how much I’m crying. My makeup is running down my face so I quickly get up and run to the bathroom, crying even more over the death of Rue.

The hovercraft flies into the arena and hovers over Peeta and Katniss. Oh, how much I’ve missed them! The doctors quickly advise Haymitch and I to stay out of sight until the pair is cleaned up and they can make sure they’re not a danger to anyone. Haymitch heads out and away right away without a second thought, while I slowly begin to walk towards an exit but look back hesitantly until a nurse or a doctor, whatever he was, pushes me a bit. I let out a hmph! And walk out with my head held high. With no place in the hovercraft I’d really like to be, I just make my way to the cockpit. From there, I’d still be able to see Katniss and Peeta, but they wouldn’t see me. A one way glass wall separated the cockpit from the medical room the two were going to be kept in for a while so they could be fixed up. Soon enough, the ladder pulls up Katniss and Peeta, but Peeta passes out as soon as he enters the hovercraft. I gasp and I have to resist the great urge to go in there and comfort Katniss as Peeta is pulled to the operating table and she is thrown into a separate room. I get an idea and exit back into the hallway that leads to the room Katniss is being held in. In the hallway, I run into yet another doctor, but thankfully I had been wanting to find one. I tell him my request and he grants it without much hesitation. He hands me a syringe filled with a light liquid and I take it to the door of Katniss’ room. I stand outside for a minute and take a deep breath. “I’m sorry, Katniss,” I quietly say when I enter the room. I make my way over her as fast as my heels will let me and stick the inch long needle into her neck and let the sedative take effect. A few nurses enter and thank me while picking up Katniss. They carry her out of the room and into yet another place to hold her prisoner. I want to follow and make sure the nurses have no ill intentions, as they work for the Capitol. Surely the Capitol’s leaders aren’t happy with the berry incident. At any time, someone might decide to make Katniss or Peeta—or both mysteriously die. I can’t let that happen. 

Websites that I found very appealing!:        Video
Shoes!
Dresses, of course!
Who could forget makeup?