Sunday, May 30, 2004

Not that this will mean anything to you now...

...but here are some further notes from my journal regarding the stories in Welcome to the Dawning of a New Century.

These are scenes that didn't make it into the book (first draft, as sent to Michael for consideration). If he asks for changes, they may be incorporated. Or, if I revisit the subject for further short stories, then I might tell these in their entirety.

Here you have them:

Gil before the principal and Humiston sits in; all from Humiston's POV, but told third person. Gil explains himself, his visions of the future that he calls "stories" -- Humiston pushes him, principal demands a "story." Tell me what's to be. What's my future?
(You'll hold her hand all thru the days and nights. You'll read Bible passages aloud and pray. You'll cry and sleep and stare at her face and you'll wonder why you couldn't just respect her wishes and let her go.)
Principal tells him to go hom. Take the week off. Don't speak of this again.

Humiston, leaving school -- Gil tells him to stop fixating on Wanda, to let Willodeen be, to stay clear of the Sawmill Day battle for it will be a battle and people will die.
Humiston tells him to get some help.

...At the parade--
The Red Hats are lined up to go in front of the Sweet Potato Queens, but the Sweet Potatoes won't budge. "Age before beauty," a float driver says. Peggy turns up the edge of her skirt to expose her underwear: "You can kiss my lily-white ass." And Pamela (Margaret?) cinches up her white gloves and punches Peggy in the nose. She spits. "Let's take'em ladies." And the battle is joined...
(The Apocalypse came to Century Florida on the occasion of its 100th birthday. Wars and rumors of wars, gunsmoke and horseflesh and blood, more blood than one might expect of a town festival.)

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