WRITING OBSTACLE
Write a fast-paced scene that takes place during a rush hour.
There doesn't need to be a dramatic plot, but think about how you can create and maintain a busy and rushed feeling in a short story.
An Anticipated Moment
We are running. RUNNING. Past the car park, right into the entrance, we move together as a chaotic flock. Running up the stairs leaves us winded but we keep moving, huffing and puffing. When Sophia and Jocelyn reach the top they look back at us in despair. Laila takes it upon herself to encourage us by checking the time every two seconds.
"It started seven minutes ago", she bemoans.
We're now passing through the food court playing dodge the tables and people and especially the tables with people. We're at the centre of the mall but I'm ready to give in. I stopped taking sport seriously a long time ago. Im paranoid someone will inform security on us. I don't even want to know what we look like to other people shopping around us, probably hooligans.
It's kind of ironic, the girls and I had planned for this the entire week.
Monday, we resolved to go to the cinema together. Tuesday, we voted on the movie. Wednesday, someone decided we needed to consider all cinema's and thats what we did. Thursday, we went back on our original plan to go to our local Hoyts. Friday, we settled pick and drops. Saturday, we booked the tickets after meticulously fussing over our seating arrangement on video call.
No detail was spared, more time was spent devising this get together than the hours will spend today. More time scheduling, you'd think we decided to hang out in exam week. And lastly, I spent so much energy-trying to knock some sense into these people-
a) Stop suggesting horror, we want to but we can't, Hannah's gonna have a heart attack
b) No, we are not watching a RomCom!
c) Live action remakes are out of the question
d) Romance are you kidding me? I'm pretty sure there are age restrictions, they're gonna take one look at us and kick us out
e) Who even put romance in our genre selection? It's simply out of the question...ohhhhh. Jocelyn. She messed with my pie charts.
"The escalator!" Sophia points.
We break into a sprint again once we reach the rooftop. Sophia and Jocelyn taking the lead straight into a car reversing out. Thankfully, the driver breaked as soon as they were in view. Hannah, Laila and I stop with them, all of us standing dumbstruck. Then slowly the image of Hoyts' online checkout comes to mind, one ticket costed $30- we dart right into Hoyts foyer.
"We... made it" I rush out weakly.
"Still have to...find room" Sophia says as she pulls out her phone for that exact detail.
"Or we could just ask the guy" I say as we walk up to the boy in front of the belt.
With the blood rushing back to our brains, we locate the room. The air is still in anticipation and my eyes struggle to adjust to the pitch black darkness. The theatre lacks all the noise and blurry buzz of the past few minutes. We navigate our seats in the theatre and collectively sink into them. The movie had begun not too long ago, the silver lining of cinema commercials. We trade smiles with each other and Hannah begins to squeal but for the first time this week; I agree. Im excited too.