Lawn Green 15, Faded Blue 18: Stardust

[bookblather]

Author: Kat
Title: Stardust
Story: In the Heart
Colors: Lawn green 15 (flip-flops), faded blue 18 (The laugh that floats on a summer night)
Supplies and Materials: Acrylic ("Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it." - Ferris Bueller's Day Off), modeling clay (sky), yarn (this picture), glitter (Flesh and Blood), novelty beads (this picture).
Word Count: 309
Rating: G.
Summary: Joanna on the back porch after dark.
Warnings: none
Notes: Atmospheric piece #2.


The sky looked like black construction paper with silver glitter spilled over it in great uneven handfuls, the occasional gold fleck a rogue firefly still awake. Joanna leaned back in the wide bench on her back porch and stared up at it, dangling one of her flip-flops precariously off her toes. It was beautiful, incredibly, unspeakably beautiful, and so impossibly far away.

Beneath it, she knew, lay rolling hills, green in daylight but dusky grey at night, trees thick and heavy-leafed clinging to the hillsides as they rolled down to the sea. The air smelled like car exhaust usually, but tonight the faint cool breeze had carried all that away, brought to her nose only the scent of plants and growing things. She closed her eyes, dangled the flip-flop even more precariously. Summer nights in the Bay Area-- there was nothing quite like them.

And yet...

Joanna frowned, without opening her eyes. Something was missing.

There was a soft sigh, and a weight settled beside her, a warmth all along her right side. "Beautiful," Hugh said quietly, and she opened her eyes and smiled at him.

"It is, isn't it?"

"I meant you," he said, leaned over and kissed her, his lips soft and slightly chapped and so familiar she couldn't help but smile against his mouth. He pulled back just a little and asked, "What's so funny?" his breath skating warm over her cheek.

"You can't even see me," she told him, leaned the slightest bit forward and pressed a kiss to the corner of his mouth. "It's too dark out here."

He chuckled, tucked an arm around her shoulders. "I don't need to see you to know you're beautiful."

Joanna laid her head on her husband's shoulder and swung her legs up on the bench, pressing herself into his side, into his embrace.

Ah. That was it.

Comments

[isana]

Oh my goodness, that last bit, with Hugh telling Joanna that he doesn't need to see her to know she's pretty is so adorable. But the atmospheric feel of the piece is lovely too--it reminds me of when I'm visiting my folks up there, and it's a lot like that.

[bookblather]

It is! This is based on that one time I went to visit my dad's girlfriend in Redwood City. Joanna and Hugh live in a very similar house.

Thanks!

[ce_jour_la]

Oh, the imagery. I want to bottle it up and carry it around with me.

Actually, I kind of want to snuggle this entire piece, and I swear it has nothing to do with you writing my hometown. ;) Wonderfully done.

[bookblather]

Awww, thanks! From San Francisco, or further south? Joanna and Hugh live in Redwood City.

Thanks!

[ce_jour_la]

Hour south of SF. Now I'm getting all homesick. In a good way. :)

[dark_kana]

That is cute!!! :-)
Really cute! I love it! ^^

And yet... Joanna frowned, without opening her eyes. Something was missing.
The ending was ♥
Joanna laid her head on her husband's shoulder and swung her legs up on the bench, pressing herself into his side, into his embrace.
Ah. That was it.

[bookblather]

Thank you very much.

[kay_brooke]

Oh wow, this is so beautiful. Just one of those perfect summer nights, made even better when Hugh comes to sit with her. Nice job!

[bookblather]

Thank you!

[shipwreck_light]

This love.

It is like all of the great metaphors came together and were like: you're just going to have to go with awesome here. We're not good enough for this.

And again, despite the darkness, AWESOME VISUAL IS AWESOME.

[bookblather]

*RIDICULOUS BLUSH*

Thank yooooou

[novel_machinist]

The first paragraph if this is really, utterly wonderful. I saw the image very clearly in my own mind.

[bookblather]

Thank you! The whole story stemmed from the mental image of the stars like a handful of glitter, so I'm glad that first paragraph worked well.