![]() | No ratings.
This is for the "Thrice Prompted Contest." #1 - Subvert a Romance Cliche. |
1,362 Words I want the character of my story to be a twist apart from the actual norm of things. I got inspired by the name "Swirley Girl" for the title of this story. Women found themselves in a position where they had to rescue a man, Jiminey Calhootee, from the trials and tribulations of romance/love. He falls so hard for a woman that he finds himself dizzy, like a tornado that keeps twisting around and around. He went on a dating website in search of a woman who wanted an instant relationship. He did this to get over his pain. Much to his surprise, he found that his dating partner ended the relationship after having a few dates. I decided that Jiminey Calhootee was the perfect name for the character of my story. Scene One ,, Jiminey Calhootie gets caught up in a relationship with the first woman he meets. After being in a relationship for several months, she went south on him. It didn't matter much, because, after that, he was eager to go out with the first woman that could get that would notice him. Since he couldn't stop talking about how women have hurt him in the past, he expected a woman to be sympathetic toward him. She needed to be understanding and full of compassion. To keep his relationship intact, he made an effort to come up with a plan of action. He decided to cry on their shoulders. After many failed attempts, one would think that he would wake up and learn from his experiences. I would've thought that he'd wake up and be aware of what he was doing. Why didn't he learn anything from his experiences? It was plain and simple that he was in misery. As a result of all this, Jiminey Calhootee began having one too many drinks at the tender age of twenty-one. When he was drunk, it caused him to shout out in public about how the women in his life had broken his heart. It caused a big science that nobody liked. No one cared to listen to Jiminey Calhootee babble on and on sad stories about women. When he was feeling low, tears came streaming down from his eyes. It was compelling at first, but seeing this happen time and time again was tiresome. People would rather see him keep calm and carry on; which would be far better than seeing him wallowing in self-pity. Perhaps, then, just maybe, he would learn what not to do. Breaking free from the turmoil he was in was impossible. Scene Two Jiminey met a young lady whose name was Althea Hornburger. Nearly touching the floor, her shiny black hair was a beautiful sight to behold. She was pleasing to the eyes of men. He went to her with the same sob story about women who had hurt him. She did not buy his story for a second. She looked him straight in the eyes and said, "Look, mister, you don't have to play this game with me. I am on to you." "This is nothing but a ploy to get me to go to bed with you." "I've heard that line one too many times." Once again, his heart was shattered; he was only trying to make a good impression on her. This was troubling for him; he didn't understand what happened. He thought that she would be easy prey. Because Althea was taken advantage of by men, she was not impressed by them. Being beautiful, she often got swayed by men who were hoping for a one-night stand. Scene Three This time Jiminey met up with a woman who had red hair whose name was Claudette Freedmyer. She had the perfect figure, it appeared to everyone. This made her pleasing to everyone's eyes. Jiminey was confident that he would make her his wife. When he asked her to go out with him, she said yes. Sure enough, after a few dates, he began to give her the same sob story about women. It wasn't long before she ended that relationship. By this time, he should have gotten the clue that women don't want to hear about past lovers. He was still trying to figure out what happened. Scene Four Jiminey was deserted by two women, two women who grew tired of hearing him cry over their shoulders. He was twenty-five when he met up with a woman by the name of Swirley Girl. She said, "Hello, my name is Swirley Girl. I am here to help you overcome the desires of your past. I understand why you can't help talking about these women; they have hurt you deeply. Your thoughts have been swirling around and around, leaving you dizzy from all the rejection. Any compassion from others is destroyed by this rejection. To get the woman you want, you will need to fight for her. For the new woman in your life, don't talk about your past lovers, and how they have hurt you. Convince her that she's the woman you want. Do something to make her feel special. Don't expect sympathy when you cry on their shoulders. Call on me, Swirley Girl, whenever you're in trouble, to keep you from experiencing any pain. I will give you the guidance you need. Trust me to help you forget all the agony you felt. From the one's you've lost, you have been broken and forlorn from grief. Treat her like you want to be treated. Show the passionate side of yourself. Ask for her hand in marriage; she would love to hear those words. You don't have to be afraid, Swirley Girl will stand by your side. Wipe the tears from your eyes. Your joy and happiness will be fulfilled. Share your dreams." Scene Five Althea Hornburger and Claudette Freedmyer would not be taken in by a man who wouldn't quit talking about how women from his past had hurt him. The relationship ended fast when, after a few dates, Claudette got tired of all that. Althea told him straight to his face that she was being taken advantage of because she was pretty. Swirley Girl wanted to help him get over his problem with women and the bad relationships he had with them. It was obvious that Jiminey had a problem. Would he listen to Swirley Girl? or would he do a repeat of the same thing that he had been doing all along? He's clueless about what he's been doing isn't working. Experience certainly shows this to be the case. Scene Six Swirley Girl set out to do her work. By playing the part of a sobbing woman, who only talked about the boyfriends of her past, his problem reverberated back to him. After all that, he didn't care for her much. Did he wake up after that? Did he even have a clue? The answer to the question was no. It was okay for him to act like that, but for a woman to act like that was not acceptable; he wanted no part of it. It was now time for her to put plan B into action. She complained about how all the men in her life hurt her when he started to complain about how all the women in his life had hurt him. This was a catch-22, butting heads battle. Jiminey didn't like that much either; he was set in his ways, stubborn, and very controlling. What could Swirley Girl do now? She decided to pray for him. All Jiminey had to do is believe in a Savior who could help him have faith in himself. Miracles can happen in his life to make things more beautiful. This could take some time. When he sobbed on the shoulders of women, he needed to hear for himself how it sounded. Conclusion When this kind of stuff kept happening, it meant that Jiminey couldn't find a woman who would put up with it in this story. He didn't get any pity from these women. Perhaps later down the road, he would get his miracle, but, for now, he was clueless as to why they didn't fall for him. Written by Anna Marie Carlson Preferred Author Friday, December 15, 2023 |