Friday 13 July 2012

Friday Flash Fiction - Sunnybank

"You are NOT leaving the house dressed like that!"

Nobody quite knew by what magic the suburb of Sunnybank existed in perpetual darkness, but that's the way its resident vampires liked it. Once it became clear that the situation was permanent, vampires felt free to come out of hiding and take up (relatively) normal lives above ground and during "daylight" hours. But as much as they adapted to the world around them, they were still vampires at heart. That's what bugged Christine about her parents. They were so stuffy and old-fashioned, with their facial piercings, gloomy decorations and wearing nothing but leather. To their dismay, Christine refused to get even a single neck tattoo.

"Dad! I'm nearly sixteen! You can't tell me what to do all the time!" She hated the whine in her own voice, but it always came out that way when she fought with her parents about this.

"Well, just look at that skirt! It's so long! And what's that stuff it's made from?"

Christine rolled her eyes as she replied "Wool, Dad."

He made a face and turned back to his newspaper. "You could at least put on some eyeliner."

"Oh, come on, Dad! All the kids are dressing like this now!"

"Well, you're my kid, and no kid of mine is wearing her hair in that ... horse-tail thing, or ... what do you call those shoes?"

"Ballet flats."

Another wrinkled nose face. "What happened to your nice platform boots, Raven?"

"They're too tall, besides I grew out of those last year. And I told you to call me Christine."

Her Dad pinched the bridge of his nose like he was getting a headache.

"No. Look, this is all too much. I can almost deal with the woollen skirts and the lack of tattoos and makeup, but Raven is the name I gave you! You've had it since you were newborn. What's wrong with it all of a sudden?"

Just as Christine was about to spit her retort back at him, her mother stepped in to make peace.

"Oh, Memnox, leave her alone. You've seen her friends wearing outfits just like that all the time. Let her go."

Her Dad snapped his newspaper up and buried his nose in it. "No. Not without any makeup."

"But Dad...!"

"I said no!"

Her mother made a little "Shh" gesture and led Christine upstairs to the bathroom. There she pulled from her own makeup bag a soft, understated pink lipstick.

"Mum! Where did you get this?"

"Oh, it's just something I wear now and then ... for fun."
Christine gave her mother an uneasy, but thankful, look, applied the lipstick and was ushered out the front door before her father got another look at her.

"Now, just be good, Christine, okay?"

"Of course, Mum," she replied, and gave her a full-fanged smile in the perpetual moonlight.

Mokalus of Borg

PS - Second in my series on Brisbane suburbs.
PPS - This one was originally titled for a train station called "Sunshine".

4 comments:

Robin Gravel said...

That happens when you stay at your parents' home even if you are old enough to take your own decision.

Robin Gravel said...

I forget to say when you live with your parents, you have to follow their rules.

John said...

True. I wonder how old a vampire would need to be before they are considered responsible enough to go out on their own.

Robin Gravel said...

When the old vampire decide to leave his parents and find his own mansion to live.