Jam Sandwiches

Not your perfect picnic...

I awoke on the park bench raising my head slowly from the warm wood as the sun’s rays broke through the healthy green tree above. Not to my surprise, Jenny was sat opposite me again with her dreamy and thoughtless smile.

            “Oh hey,” she said blissfully while she played with her long brown hair, “You’re awake.”

            Though her mind was often vacant, Jenny’s words were always joyful and positive. Her upbeat nature was often what I thought gave Jenny her beautiful heart-shaped face. Despite all this, I found her presence here all the time irritating.

            “Hey Jenny,” I replied with a false smile on my face and she giggled in reply.

            “I’m so glad you still visit,” she said as she leant forward across the park bench, taking my hand. Her spirit was fragile, which is why she was deeply hurt when I pulled my hand away. She kept smiling, though it was significantly drained of happiness.

            “Why are you always here?” I asked, maybe a little too bluntly in hindsight because she recoiled a little more.

            “I’m sorry,” she said shyly and brushing her well placed fringe back in to place, “I thought you liked spending time with me.”

            Jenny looked down at her hands which had shrunk in to her lap. A green leaf floated gently in front of her crestfallen face, turning golden brown quickly as it did.

            “I do like talking to you,” I said which made her perk up a little bit, “But it’s like jam sandwiches.”

            “Jam sandwiches?” she asked lifting a wicker picnic basket from her seat to the table and pulling out an air-lock bag with two jam sandwiches in them. “Did you want one?”

            I took one, brushing my hand against the bag’s side which made it wet from the water vapour inside. I took a small nibble from a corner and placed my sandwich on the bench while Jenny took a monstrously sized mouthful, getting jam around her soft lips.

            “Anyway, Jenny, you coming here all the time is like jam sandwiches,” I explained again. With food in her mouth, she was unable to interrupt. Instead she spluttered, laughing while trying to keep bread and jam from spewing out. “You adore jam sandwiches, but if you have them too many times you become bored with them.”

            Jenny took a massive gulp which must have made her throat sore. However, it was her tightened lips that worried and upset me most, dropping her half-eaten sandwich to the leaf covered ground. Unable to take her stare my eyes flickered to the tree above which had lost most of its leaves, and any remaining were brown and crumpled.

            “So you’re bored with me,” she finally spoke, leaning her head on her hand and lowering her eyes down to the table.

            “No,” I said, “I just...I just need some time to myself.”

            She snorted in response and a crisp coldness caused the hairs on my arms to erect.

            “That’s what you said last time remember?” she whispered.

            “That’s unfair!” I yelled back as I got up from my seat. She laughed in my face; her chin seemed pointier than before so her face was no longer a heart but a rigid triangle.

            “All I wanted was to love you,” she screamed in a deranged and hollow tone.

            “And you did! And I loved you!”
            “Then why did you push me?!”

            “No!” I yelled, slamming my fist on the park bench table and cracking a panel in two. Jenny had jumped back scared. I was breathing heavily but her chest remained motionless as we stood across the bench from each other in the pouring rain. The acidic water couldn’t wash away the bird s**t on the broken wood between us, but instead made Jenny look less like herself by extending her well groomed fringe over her eyes.

            “How many times do I have to say I’m sorry Jenny,” I said trembling. She scowled back at me behind her soaked brown hair.

            “It’s not me that keeps bringing us back here,” she scorned.

            Thunder cracked.

            “I didn’t mean to hurt you!” I shouted over the pounding downpour, “I needed some space and I couldn’t get it.”

            “So you killed me to get your space?” she questioned and stated.

            I shivered. Jenny moved around the bench and stood next to me, brushing her fringe back so I could see the red glint in her eye. It didn’t scare me however because the shine wasn’t demonic or evil. No, she just wanted me to see the very little blood still stirring in her system. She leaned in close so her chin rested on my shoulder.

            “You killed me,” she whispered tenderly, “You give me life. Stop calling me here if you don’t want me.”

            Her kiss was soft on my cheek because that was the only way Jenny knew how to kiss. We gazed upon each other as the rain subsided a little. Her weary and sorrowful expression didn’t change and soon she began to walk away from the park bench, the tree and me.

            “Jenny!” I yelled before she disappeared off the borders of this reality. She looked back over her shoulder. “I’ll see you tomorrow night,” I called. Her heart-shaped face smiled, basking in the sunlight that broke through the healthy green leaf tree.

            “I’ll bring the jam sandwiches!” she cried excitedly and extravagantly waved goodbye before walking away.

           

I panted heavily as I shuddered awake. Sweat dripped down my chest, under my orange jumpsuit. Manly snoring and grunts snapped me back to reality. It was still dark in the jail cell.

Author's Note

I think this piece has potential and I'm pleased with the final result. However, there seems to be something missing. I'm not sure also whether the ending is a bit too abrupt. I look forward to some feedback :)

Reviews

[freelancejouster]

i really like the descriptiveness, but i think sometimes you go too far in or your descriptions are wordy. for instance: "Her upbeat nature was often what I thought gave Jenny her beautiful heart-shaped face." when you could say "Her upbeat nature complimented her heart-shaped face beautifully." or something similar. i think if you went over this with a fine-toothed editing eye, it would be wonderful.

perhaps if you wrote the story of what actually happened to Jenny, you could figure out the missing parts to this one.

[Darkest Rose]

This is amazing! I love the way you wrote this, saying about how he gets bored of her just like you get bored of jam sandwiches but even still he wants to see her again in his dreams! Amazing write :)

[dreaming dame]

Wow, I love this. And Really, anything said of how great this is is an understatement. :) I really was there, Seeing what was written. And the ending didn't seem too abrupt to me.:) NIce.

[Princess♥]

this story is very interesting and i love it because i love jam sanwiches too

[Siena - Silent Awakenin..]

I love how quickly you can change scenes, this is absolutely wonderful... I've never written short stories before, I've always stuck to the poems. But you've inspired me, I think I might try writing some.

[Talia Renee]

Wow. I loved it!!! :)

[Steph K]

The abrupt ending sums up the piece. A great write from someone who never dissapoints =)

[Joshua]

Interesting, and I loved the plot twist in the last few paragraphs... up until then I never expected it.

[FocusedAmnesia]

I liked the abrupt ending. It was totally something unsuspected.

[Marie Harrison]

cool story
little twist at the end
enjoyed your story a lot!