Deviation Actions
Literature Text
The volume on the television was near mute. Buzzing static muffed the dialogue as it changed rapidly.
“There’s never anything on,” she said.
He kicked the coffee table at her.
“Have you seen anything yet?” she asked.
“Nope.”
“Are you even paying attention?”
“Nope.”
“As per usual.”
She momentarily settled on the news.
“Would you like to talk?”
“Yeah, I just need suitable background noise, is all.” She changed the channel again.
“Why?”
“Silence in this house is painful.”
“Why not relaxing?”
“Because the house creaks.”
“All old houses do.”
“Yep.”
“We’re in the middle of the forest.”
“Not technically.”
“You know what I mean.”
“And it’s not relevant.”
“How?”
“The forest isn’t relevant. To what I was saying, I mean.”
“I don’t see how you—well, can’t see that.”
“See what?”
“That it’s entirely relevant.”
She’d circled back around to the news. “Hardly,” she said. “There’s nothing on…”
“The news is on.”
“You know what I mean.”
“And it’s not relevant.”
“Very funny.”
“Hardly. There’s nothing funny about this.”
“Exactly.”
“Exactly what?”
“Exactly that.”
He sighed. The volume on the television jumped up. “What did you do yesterday?” The volume went back down.
“When, yesterday?”
“The afternoon. You said you—were busy.”
“I went out.” The volume went back up.
“I figured as much.”
“The forest.”
“Bring your camera?”
“Batteries were dead.”
“Unfortunate.”
“Took my pens, though.”
“Turn out anything good?”
“I left them all out there.”
“It rained last night.”
“Call it an artist’s intuition.”
“Pretentious.”
“That’s what they say about all the greats.” The television went to grey static for a moment. “I’m experimenting. Taking watercolours to a whole new level.
“Levels of topsoil.”
“It’s a metaphor.”
“I’m sure it is.”
The television shut itself off. The house creaked in a gust of wind. Their reflections warped in the blank screen before them.
“I’m hungry,” he said.
“What are you making?”
“Nothing.”
“Thanks for the offer, but I’ll have popcorn, if you don’t mind.”
“The butter always makes me ill.”
“I’m not asking you to eat it.”
“It’s the smell.”
“Then no butter. I’m getting my laptop and DVDs.”
“Bring some blankets, too.”
She nodded and went up the stairs.
