Lifted Part One
Darwin sat under the arch in Washington Square Park. He enjoyed the peace and quiet, usually accompanied by a slight breeze. Today was different; there was a strange feeling throughout all of Greenwich Village. Of course, Darwin knew the reason. The entire city was being forced to watch the same message spread across every television channel and radio station: The world was going to end. Whether or not he really believed it, Darwin was not sure. Crazy scholars had been saying the same thing for decades, with no result. But this speculation caused a different reaction; it seemed to invoke more of a fear in people. All of the news stations were saying that the human race could become extinct within the year, something about an excess of carbon dioxide. As much as Darwin hoped a random scientist would come on the air and disprove the theory, he felt more anxious this time. Everyone around him felt anxious, like this time was real. As he observed other New York University students walking through the park, he noticed the same feeling in all of them. They were afraid, almost scared to breathe for the fear of only helping the carbon dioxide massacre. At the sight of this, a small feeling of resentment crossed Darwin's mind and, as either an act of defiance or for his own comfort, he took a breath.
With all of the speculation, rumour and mute terror milling around the general populous Diana was getting a lot more custom. Who better than a fortune teller to go to when the world was going to end? She'd perched her table and her wares close to the University, students were always more likely to believe in fate than anyone else, though she did have some patrons who were a little too old to still be studying. Diana couldn't rightly say that she was scared, there was dread and lots of it but she knew that one day she would have to die. And now, there was a new and interesting way to do it.
As Darwin inhaled, he closed his eyes. He began to feel a growing sense of accomplishment for directly facing the fear.
Like proving the whole world wrong, he thought. As he exhaled, he happened to glance across the square at the growing crowd. He assumed the attraction to be another lunatic boasting on how he could save your soul before the Apocalypse. In the past few days, he had seen a number of those floating around the campus. He had always thought it was a wonder how those frauds could pull such a hoax on an innocent passerby and feel no regret. He glanced down at his notes and sighed.
I've been studying for three hours already. I guess it couldn't hurt to see what this nut job has to say, he thought as he closed the notebook and walked cross the square.
Diana looked at the couple sat across from her and shook her head, they were too young to have to worry, yet worrying was what they were doing and she couldn't tell them it was uncalled for. Nor did she have the heart to tell them the truth of things. She thought it both a blessing and a curse, people in her trade were sparse and death was common amoung them due to their age. She was on the younger side of the spectrum and she paid hell for it from her peers, which was why she chose to set up in Universities and the like, rather than the back alleys and carnivals that the rest of them frequented.
Aimee approached Diana, her camera in hand. She could already hear the story in her head,
Fortune teller spills fortunes for the futures... But do we have one? It needed some work, of course, but in truth Aimee just wanted to photograph this interesting person, one of the people who spiced up the daily life around the campus.
Darwin noticed the same girl he'd seen around campus. He'd noticed on other occasions that she'd carried the same camera everywhere she went. He had always envied journalists, especially the free-lance ones. They actually got to see more scenery than just the average courtroom. He vaguely nodded in her direction, with no response.
Ellizabeth, visiting from another college in Britain, took notice of all of the commotion going on around her. All around she heard whispers and chatters of all the people, talking about in unpreventable death of human kind. She found it ridiculous, but at the same time, her gut wrenched with the thought of the end. She shook her head and took out her camera out of it's special bag. If the world was going to end, she wanted to get some good shots out of it before it did.
Darwin peeked through the people and caught of glimpse of the table. He rolled his eyes at the discovery of the psychic. He never understood how people could be gullible enough to believe them. As he backed away from the group, he ran into someone behind him. "Oh sorry." He muttered as he noticed the girl's camera.
This really is getting a lot of press, He thought.
Ellizabeth yelped and fumbled with the camera before catching it carefully. She let out a breath and smiled. "Its alright." she said, quite chipperly.
"Oh I'm sorry," Darwin had to stifle a laugh as he noticed the rainbow-haired girl. He noticed the strong English accent.
Well...foreign, multi-colored. She'll fit in just fine. "I hope your camera's all right." He finished sincerely while maintaining composure.
Ellizabith grinned widely. "It's alright. I've dropped the blasted thing about five times already, and it still works." she laughed lightly. "And you can laugh about my hair... everyone else does."
Darwin froze momentarily to see she noticed his laughter. "Oh, no...I didn't...," he stammered, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean..."
Ellizabeth patted his shoulder. "Relax. I'm seriously used to it. It was an art project gone wrong, but I like it so much that I kept it like this. But really, it's quite alright." she smiled and held out her hand. "I'm Ellizabeth, but everyone calls me Elli for short. I am a new transfer student from England."
"Ah, where are my manners?" Darwin stammered. "I'm Darwin. Darwin Hayes." He briefly paused, staring at the ground during the following awkward silence. "So," he began again, "you're new to the area?"
Ellizabeth nodded. "Yeah. I must say, New York is much bigger than on the tellie." she laughed lightly. "I can sure say I am impressed." she said. She put the camera around her neck then her hands in her pockets.
"Much bigger, and much more chaotic, I'd imagine." Darwin nodded toward the crowded table. "These crackers are all over the place, more so after this whole Apocalypse story."
Aimee pulled a hand through her long, loose-curled white blonde hair, a twinkle in her eye. "Excuse me, miss, I was wondering if I could take some pictures?" She asked softly of the fortune teller, her full, pale pink lips drawn into a smile.
Darwin rolled his eyes as he overheard the conversation behind him. He held up a finger to Ellizabeth as he turned to face the second photographer behind him. "I wouldn't waste your energy. She's probably a fake anyway."
Ellizabeth nodded. "Not to sound rude, but I have to agree with Darwin... I have yet to meet a fortune teller that spoke truthful words." she said with some speculation in her words. Speculation and cautiousness.
Aimee laughed, shaking her head. "Who cares if it's truthful or not? The story lies in the people who come to see her, who come to place all their trust in her seemingly hollow words.
That is where the story lies."
Darwin smiled, "Well I guess that makes you the average journalist. What does it matter what we tell the people, so long as it's juicy?" He glanced at Ellizabeth for approval.
Ellizabeth nodded. "Why do you think we're all in the position we are in now? End of the world crap. It was originally a lie, but now it has come and is biting us in the arse. So let us lie, so long as it is 'juicy', using your terms of course."
"I never said I'd paint the portrait that her fortunes are real- it was you who jumped to that conclusion," Aimee responded with a wink and she began to push in closer to get a better angle.
Darwin gulped. "I'm sorry, that was out of line." He cowered. "I'm usually not this big of a tool." He shrugged, "It's just...do you honestly think this stuff is real. I mean look around, just look at this table. People are believing this!"
Aimee stopped and turned so she could answer him. "People are.. Easily fooled when they become scared, and desperate. Remember Hitler? People will believe anything if it offers them a chance to keep moving forward, even if it seems silly to those of us who aren't quite so desperate yet." She sighed, once again pulling a hand through her hair. "These are hard times we've been born to. I'm not quite sure what I believe anymore..."
Darwin glanced toward the table. "Well whatever we believe now, we're gonna have to get used to seeing this a lot."
The psychic in question was not unaware of their conversation. Her most recent patrons had since left, she sighed and shook her head,
faith is a rare thing it seems... Diana looked at each of them in turn then back to her table, splaying her tarot in an orderly fashion.
Darwin shook his head at the cards. "Whatcha see, ma'am?"
"Time, and fear. And disbelief." She stared him in the eye when she said the last two words as if to suggest that she knew he was not here because he believed but rather, well, she wasn't sure.
"Well you got the disbelief part right." Darwin muttered. For as long as he could remember, logic was his only train of thought. If something didn't fit into the formula in his mind, it didn't exist to him. It wasn't possible. But this coming Apocalypse could kill him, he knew that. It was possible, and he couldn't control it; and to think that something besides himself could defeat him, without his consent, made Darwin afraid. But, of course, it wasn't logical to show it. What logic is there in joining the rest of the paranoid? He glanced back at the psychic. He shrugged. He knew he was out of line to be angry with her, she was probably just another bum looking to make some last minute cash, he was almost sure of that. He sighed. "At least that makes you a better psychic than most of these other frauds on the street."
"It is unfortunate that someone so young can be so bitter towards those he does not know." Diana looked back at her table, unlike the 'frauds' that he spoke of, she didn't deal with timewasters. She didn't care for them and she wouldn't care for them - of this, she was sure.
Ellizabeth rolled her eyes and sighed. "This end of the world stuff is sooo over popular! Everytime we get one of these things, we end up passing the date, with what? Nothing. Nothing ever happens. When we get no response, we make up another theory. It's a cycle."
Darwin nodded. "It's true." He turned to Diana. "How many of these 'cycles' have you made money from?"
"I make money every day, sir, these 'cycles' as you call them make no difference," She paused looking him in the eye before saying a final word, "Darwin." She looked back at her table and began to collect her belongings, shoving them into the various bags she had with her.
Darwin was surprised. He raised an eyebrow and shuffled through his notebooks to see if his name was on anything in sight. There was nothing. "Well then," he started, "Cool trick." He glanced questioningly at Ellizabeth and Aimee and back to Diana. "I was going to introduce myself, but it seems you beat me to it."
"Indeed, and your companions are one Ellizabeth and one Aimee. Please, excuse me while move myself elsewhere." With that Diana flung her bags over her shoulders and folded up the table and three portable stools and strapped them together with three tattered belts. Her expression was one of displeasure and her mouth was set in a hard line.
Ellizabeth raised a brow slightly. "Uhh... wow... I don't think I've had that happen before..." she muttered. She decided there was no point and put her camera back in it's bag, then the bag into her backpack. She slung it over her shoulder and sighed softly.
When the bus squealed to a halt Lora picked up her leather suitcase and gathered a small potted miniture tree with dainty violet flowers under her arm. Her silver braclet decorated with a turquoise coyote clanked lightly against the pot as she made her way down the bus's steps. Lora took in a slight breath reluctant to have the filthy air in her body. Seeing before her what she hoped were students she decided to ask for direction so as to waste as little time as possible. "Ya'ah'tee", she said to the man, girl, and gypsy looking woman. "Would any of you know where I might find the campus's green house
Darwin glanced from the new girl to Aimee and Ellizabeth. He noticed the plant in her hand and immediately felt reluctant to help.
I can't take much more of this nature chaos, he sighed. "I was actually on my way out. Maybe these two can help you." He said, motioning his head in the two girls' direction. He turned to face them. "Maybe we can meet up later? Same place tomorrow?" He gave a brief nod and smile before he turned to leave the Square.
Back to
Lifted Story Thus Far
Stumble!