LeeWords

Good Narrative Principles

September 14, 2023
by Lee Eiferman
0 comments

Character Flash: Always Thinking

Ida accompanied her good friend Thea to the train station to say their last goodbyes. The platform was packed with people, burdened by heavy suitcases. There was no time for tearful last words. Soon as the train pulled into the station, a mad scramble ensued. People climbed on top of neighbors to claim a square foot of space, better yet, a seat. Ida peered through the window of each passing car, in search of Thea. Thinking: what if this is the last time I see her when a new thought pops into her head. Ida pictures herself in America. Nice clothes. Good shoes. A life of luxury.

September 14, 2023
by Lee Eiferman
0 comments

Character Flash: Cracking the Code

During the school year, Dr. Frank lives on a wind farm moored twelve miles off the shore of Nantucket. His partner, Jeremy insists that Dr. Frank could earn more while living closer to home had he just made some adjustments in his life plan. Problem is Dr. Frank is unwilling to walk away from the off-shore wind farm project. It’s too important. The earth is too hot for him to justify abandoning his post simply because it’s inconvenient. And uncomfortable. In truth, the harsh winter winds are nothing to sneeze at. Jeremy has threatened to take the kids, the pets and new sofa and hightail it to Virginia where his people live. Dr. Frank begs him to hang in there. “It’s just another year or so” he shouts above the howling winds. “A year goes back like THAT”. Punctuates his remark with two snaps, not unlike Mr. Rogers. Jeremy can neither hear the snaps nor Dr. Frank’s final remarks. The wind is too strong. Feeling like their lives will never lock together, Jeremy peruses the first of many real estate sites.

July 24, 2023
by Lee Eiferman
0 comments

Character Flash: Record-a-Life

RECORD: Swimming in the lake. Arms cut through water. Feels like silk. Velvet. A gentle tug on the deltoids which grows more insistent as we pick up speed. Then…float. RECORD: Banana bread hot from the oven. First bite conveys the feeling all is well. We’re gonna be okay. RECORD: Gliding down the mountain. The snow grips the edges of the skis as we dig in for a turn. Feeling the pull of gravity. The rush of mastering wind and sky. RECORD: His undeniable smile as he locks in on us across the crowded plaza. Flow through a wall of foreign tongues which fade as we draw closer. The thick smell of dung and sweat. His body inside ours.

NOTE: In the interest of verisimilitude, temper the above with memories which are less candy colored.

July 24, 2023
by Lee Eiferman
0 comments

Character Flash: Gone Surfin’

One of Peter Lawford’s lesser-known works was Kangaroo, notable because it was the first Technicolor film shot in Australia. Though the script was a bit of a stinker, Peter was enthusiastic. Each morning he’d closely scrutinize the call sheet. When there was a break in the action, he’d grab his Malibu board and hot dog it to the closest beach. Soon, his antics drew a crowd. Peter Lawford was having the time of his life until one morning, at daybreak, he stumbled out of bed and felt both feet cramping. What he saw was matching tumors blossoming across the bony ridges of his feet. A doctor on set diagnosed the malady as board bumps. She demonstrated a few stretches to alleviate the pain, asked for his autograph and on her way out, gently suggested that Peter Lawford work on his pop-up technique.

July 24, 2023
by Lee Eiferman
0 comments

Character Flash: The Cool Girls Club

It came together last year around this time. Hot summer day. You know how it is. You’re hanging out. People let down their guard and you can’t help yourself. You notice things. Like the safe squatting prominently in the life guards’ station. You fixate on it. First up, is figuring out the code, the combination, the what have you. If anyone would know it, it would be Maud, my Boss. I make nice. A tricky thing cuz you don’t want to come off as too “suck-uppy”. I notice she likes coffee. Super sweet, but that’s none of my business. One morning, we’re now in early August, I come in with an extra “oops” cup, as in “Oops, Betsy called in sick. And now, I’ve got an extra coffee…want it?” Like that. We hang. I pump her in the sweetest way imaginable. I want to know her birthday. The address of her childhood home. Etc. Etc. I work it. Now, if say I’m in the mood to go out drinking or buy that pretty scarf in the earring shop which compliments my eyes, I wait until after hours. Then, I swivel the dial this way and that, pop open the safe, and give myself a modest pay raise, somewhere in the neighborhood of an extra ten or twenty. I’m not about to empty the kitty. Why kill the gift which keeps on giving throughout the year?

July 24, 2023
by Lee Eiferman
0 comments

Character Flash: Dwelling

I’m lying still. So still. The nurse tucks in the sheets, not because I’ve been tossing, but rather, I imagine, to give himself something to do. It takes all my effort to ride the train of shifting memories. Friends, family, loved ones pop in. When I reach for their hand, they’re gone, doubtless driven away by my inability to hold up my end of the conversation, let alone form sentences or even words. I’m here, chewing over the social slights as well as the beauty of the perfect peach. The task for today is to practice equanimity. Not favoring the good over the bad but rather to see it all as part of the dance of life. As if to say, you’ve signed up for it, tell me, what have you figured out?

July 24, 2023
by Lee Eiferman
0 comments

Character Flash: Overcooked/Overwhelmed

I was sitting on a park bench in the middle of the day, at a time when I am never in the park. I’m thinking about…honestly? I should have been thinking about where I might find work now that I’ve been…what’s the word? Fired. Instead, I’m clocking a woman in shorts walking past. I notice she has tattooed the back of both thighs. If my phone hadn’t rung just then, I probably would have lost track of this image I had of her lying on her stomach realizing that she’d only be able to view her new tattoos backwards in the mirror. Was she okay with that? But my phone did ring. It was my wife. I admit I was in a bit of a panic. How do I tell her that I’ve been “let go”? How do I frame my firing so that she doesn’t lose faith in me? On the third ring, I answer. Before I can say anything, my wife shouts “It’s coming! The baby is coming!” I must have put her on speaker cuz the lady with the backwards tattoos smiles as if welcoming me into the wide world of humanity.

July 24, 2023
by Lee Eiferman
0 comments

Character Flash: Strung Tight

A year after I left the Planning Commission, I took up the guitar. As I learned to play, I also played with a variety of tunings. A plaintive blues number brought to mind the white-hot kerfuffle which seized the town when a well-heeled developer eyed the water front. Both sides fervently believed they represented the truth. As I bent one note, then the next, I leaned into that fractious memory and was able to let it go. I crept up a few octaves while teaching myself Flamenco guitar. The music, so dramatic and extreme, summoned to mind the memory of the railroad diner incident. We lost five citizens when the ceiling suddenly collapsed. Neighbors said I should have been more rigorous during the application process. As I dwelled on the particulars of that night, losing our son’s first grade teacher…the trusted Pharmacist…the Fish Monger who had an exquisite eye for oysters, the bridge on my guitar snapped. Maybe I should have purchased more expensive strings? Or, maybe I should pick up the phone and call my estranged wife.

July 24, 2023
by Lee Eiferman
0 comments

Character Flash: Never Repeat Never Surrender

When our daughter was born, I became lost in a sea of love. Tracing her dimples, the fine arc of her eyebrows, the slight asymmetry between her two eyes, marked her as uniquely herself. While holding her for the first time, I decided that to honor her, I will contribute my own unique trick to the proud pantheon of magic. As magic shows were losing their hold on the culture, I had many, many hours and free days to devote to this singular pursuit. I tried my hand at levitation, pulling rabbits out of hats and finally settled on cards as it was budget friendly. My plan is to perform my card trick which I’m calling “Uniquely You” for the first time at the party celebrating her college graduation. Sure, it took longer than I thought it would. But…hey, someday, if I play my cards right, “Uniquely You” will be right up there with “Amazing Aces.”

July 24, 2023
by Lee Eiferman
0 comments

Character Flash: The Garlic Will Overripen

What dish showcases garlic best? Can you describe its perfect expression? Do you prefer it raw or cooked?

It’s been raining lately, making it been hard, challenging, to harvest the garlic without inviting mold. Mildew. Right now, this moment, I picture its crisp white cloves turning a subtle shade of tan. Taupe. The leaves have withered. Anyone with half an eye can see that. Oh well.

Do I dodge the raindrops, harvest the garlic and hope for the best?