Read Online The Christmas Light by Donna VanLiere - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Donna VanLiere
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“Miriam, there are no terrible ideas when people are brainstorming.”
“There are terrible ideas and terrible people. You brought both to the table.” Gloria’s pen is set afire as she writes. “Would you stop writing down everything I say?” Gloria raises her arms in surrender and looks at Tom, winking. “What can we have here? Could we have something that looks like a rock?”
Gloria purses her lips and looks up at the ceiling, as if the rocks can be seen there. “That’s probably doable.”
Miriam rolls her eyes and turns back to Tom. “So, you will help Mary lean against a rock because she needs a break and then you say your line.” She runs off the platform to the seat next to Gloria.
Tom takes a big breath. “Are you hungry?”
Miriam springs to her feet. “That’s good! That’s good! But make it sound a little less like you’re asking the guys watching Sunday afternoon football and more like you’re asking a pregnant woman, who’s been on the back of a donkey for three long days.”
Tom shakes his head, confused. “I’m pretty sure I’d say it the same way.”
Miriam’s mouth thins into a straight line and she sits down, looking at Audrey. “Okay! You lean against the rock and Joseph asks if you’re hungry and you say?”
“Yeah. It won’t be long before he comes.”
Miriam leaps to her feet again and Gloria covers her mouth to keep from laughing. “The line is actually yes. Not yeah. It’s the first century and ‘yeah’ wasn’t invented yet.”
“Yeah,” Audrey says. “I get that but these lines don’t sound anything like I’d say. I’d say, ‘Yeah, I’m starved.’”
Tom steps forward, holding his script. “And I wouldn’t say, ‘We need to continue on.’ I’ve never said anything like that. When I’m trying to get my wife and kids in the car I just yell, ‘Come on! Move it!’”
Miriam flinches as he yells and bounds up the steps once again. “You would say ‘Yeah, I’m starved’ or ‘Move it’ because we live in the twenty-first century. They talked the way they did because they lived in the first century.”
Audrey and Tom are baffled.
Miriam presses her hands together and touches her fingertips to her chin. Her mouth has petrified into a confused scowl. “Every period movie that has ever been made has been written in the dialogue of that time period. That’s what makes them believable.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen one. Aren’t those always boring?” Audrey asks.
“Those are girl movies, right?” Tom says.
For once in her life, Miriam is speechless. Her face is blank.
Gloria stands and moves toward the stairs, looking at Audrey. “It’s like trying to use a scroll in an iPad world or an iPad in a scroll world.” She looks at Tom. “Or trying to use a spear in a Ruger world.”
Audrey’s face lights up and Tom nods. “Right!” Audrey says. “Scrolls would be lame.”
“No hunter worth his salt would head out with a spear.”
Gloria smiles, nodding. “Right! It doesn’t work because it’s out of place.” Her salt-and-pepper curls bounce around her face and she turns, grinning at Miriam and hands her the legal pad. “Could you write that down for me?”
* * *
“It’s not that I don’t like my job,” Gabrielle says. “I do! I just think I’m in the market for something more stimulating. Does that make sense?”
Jennifer reaches for the mass of chicken wire and tries to form it into the shape of a rock. She wants to be kind and understanding but is annoyed by this conversation. In the last three years she has discovered that most people have a great fondness for talking about themselves. She and Gabrielle have worked together for three days and she knows where Gabrielle went to college, where her brothers live, and her favorite movie. Gabrielle, on the other hand, knows everything there is to know about Ryan and nothing about Jennifer. The more she talks, the more Jennifer finds her voice like
“There are terrible ideas and terrible people. You brought both to the table.” Gloria’s pen is set afire as she writes. “Would you stop writing down everything I say?” Gloria raises her arms in surrender and looks at Tom, winking. “What can we have here? Could we have something that looks like a rock?”
Gloria purses her lips and looks up at the ceiling, as if the rocks can be seen there. “That’s probably doable.”
Miriam rolls her eyes and turns back to Tom. “So, you will help Mary lean against a rock because she needs a break and then you say your line.” She runs off the platform to the seat next to Gloria.
Tom takes a big breath. “Are you hungry?”
Miriam springs to her feet. “That’s good! That’s good! But make it sound a little less like you’re asking the guys watching Sunday afternoon football and more like you’re asking a pregnant woman, who’s been on the back of a donkey for three long days.”
Tom shakes his head, confused. “I’m pretty sure I’d say it the same way.”
Miriam’s mouth thins into a straight line and she sits down, looking at Audrey. “Okay! You lean against the rock and Joseph asks if you’re hungry and you say?”
“Yeah. It won’t be long before he comes.”
Miriam leaps to her feet again and Gloria covers her mouth to keep from laughing. “The line is actually yes. Not yeah. It’s the first century and ‘yeah’ wasn’t invented yet.”
“Yeah,” Audrey says. “I get that but these lines don’t sound anything like I’d say. I’d say, ‘Yeah, I’m starved.’”
Tom steps forward, holding his script. “And I wouldn’t say, ‘We need to continue on.’ I’ve never said anything like that. When I’m trying to get my wife and kids in the car I just yell, ‘Come on! Move it!’”
Miriam flinches as he yells and bounds up the steps once again. “You would say ‘Yeah, I’m starved’ or ‘Move it’ because we live in the twenty-first century. They talked the way they did because they lived in the first century.”
Audrey and Tom are baffled.
Miriam presses her hands together and touches her fingertips to her chin. Her mouth has petrified into a confused scowl. “Every period movie that has ever been made has been written in the dialogue of that time period. That’s what makes them believable.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen one. Aren’t those always boring?” Audrey asks.
“Those are girl movies, right?” Tom says.
For once in her life, Miriam is speechless. Her face is blank.
Gloria stands and moves toward the stairs, looking at Audrey. “It’s like trying to use a scroll in an iPad world or an iPad in a scroll world.” She looks at Tom. “Or trying to use a spear in a Ruger world.”
Audrey’s face lights up and Tom nods. “Right!” Audrey says. “Scrolls would be lame.”
“No hunter worth his salt would head out with a spear.”
Gloria smiles, nodding. “Right! It doesn’t work because it’s out of place.” Her salt-and-pepper curls bounce around her face and she turns, grinning at Miriam and hands her the legal pad. “Could you write that down for me?”
* * *
“It’s not that I don’t like my job,” Gabrielle says. “I do! I just think I’m in the market for something more stimulating. Does that make sense?”
Jennifer reaches for the mass of chicken wire and tries to form it into the shape of a rock. She wants to be kind and understanding but is annoyed by this conversation. In the last three years she has discovered that most people have a great fondness for talking about themselves. She and Gabrielle have worked together for three days and she knows where Gabrielle went to college, where her brothers live, and her favorite movie. Gabrielle, on the other hand, knows everything there is to know about Ryan and nothing about Jennifer. The more she talks, the more Jennifer finds her voice like
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