Writing Prompt 28: Through a Window
Take This and Run
North by Northwest is one of my favourite films. Twenty years ago, I took a series of photos off the telly, a series of film stills. I was looking for those moments of transition from one scene to another where nothing much happens yet there is an air of anticipation. This one always makes me think of my granny’s car with its vinyl seats which accumulated heat like an oven burning the backs of your legs if you were wearing shorts. Where might this scene take you? Write it down, write it down.
The sun warmed Anna's arms as she lay in the grass. She tucked her hands behind her head feeling the sharp points of the fresh-cut grass prickling her skin.
She breathed in but the sweet aroma had disappeared in the heat of the day. A tiny fly landed on the pale underside of her right arm. She flicked it away with her fingers. A large tree cast its shadow providing her with some welcome shade. She opened her eyes and squinted up at the large house. Fifty years ago, the house had been converted into a boys' school.
Andrew will hate it here, she thought.
Her parent's car was parked up ahead of her, the rear passenger door hanging open to let the breeze in. Her father liked old cars, the ones with wind-down windows and a mechanical fan instead of air-conditioning. When she was younger, the swell and sway of a vintage suspension left her with a rising tide of nausea. Once they reached whichever destination, she'd be desperate to get out where she could then vomit over the kerb.
A waft of salt and vinegar crisps swept over her. Andrew ran past, heading towards the car. In one swift movement he dived in through the open door landing with a thump across the back seats. The car bobbed up and down.
"Andrew!" said their mother approaching swiftly from behind. "Andrew! For god's sake. This will not do. What on earth is wrong with you?"
Anna watched as their mother grabbed her brother's legs and tried to pull him out of the car.
Story first posted May 2020 // Film still from North by Northwest, Dir. Alfred Hitchcock, 1959. Photo: Tanya Clarke 2002
