Monthly Archives: March 2020

Furious Fiction: The Funhouse Illusion

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I’ve been entering this competition by the Australian Writers’ Centre faithfully every month, and even got to be part of the Fan Club of writers who are regular participants. It’s a fun challenge. 55 hours, 500 words, and the criteria for March 2020:

  • Each story had to include a PERSON IN DISGUISE.
  • Each story had to take place in a PARK.
  • Each story had to include a MIRROR.

In a month of madness, where reality sometimes feels like fantasy, I’m happy that this story made it to the shortlist:

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The Funhouse Illusion

Step right up!
The Clown is on stilts. He wears colourful polka dots and a bright, green wig. The painted smile and lone, fake tear are incongruous, and oddly, make him appear devoid of emotion. He looks both silly and grotesque at once. Maya is hesitant. She has seen the darkness behind these disguises. There are no polka dots on the other side. Everything in her body tells her to turn and run. Yet, she knows that if she doesn’t face her fear, she will never truly be free. So, Maya walks through the arches of the amusement park and braces herself for the assault on her senses. The vibrant colours are laser beams to her eyeballs, the loud music roars through her eardrums into her skull, and the scent of danger makes her stomach lurch.

Take a look at this!
The Clown ushers Maya to the funhouse mirrors and takes his payment. She can see herself reflected in many ways, and not all are pleasant. Despite knowing the mirrors are rigged to distort, Maya does not like what she sees. The clown nods encouragingly. “This is how the world sees you,” he declares, towering over her. “This is who you are.” His oversized smile spreads to reveal gleaming teeth. Maya closes her eyes. This is not how she sees herself, but she does not know how to argue her reality here in the world of Clowns.

Candy floss, only three dollars!
Clowns present tricks disguised as treats. Maya pays to taste the fleeting sweetness on her tongue. It is familiar. She recognises this transient pleasure. A moment of bliss, just a moment, and then disintegration into nothingness, and she is left wanting. A recurring pattern. There are many Clowns, all with different tricks. All eager to show her who she is. All taking pieces of her as payment for the privilege.

Last call for the Ferris Wheel!
The Clown grabs Maya’s hand and leads her to the wheel. Maya knows the ride is exhilarating but she is not prepared to keep giving up pieces of herself. “No,” she says, and tries to pull her hand away. The Clown is still smiling, but his grip tightens. “How will you know who you are if I don’t show you?” he sneers. Maya shakes her head. It is time to leave the park for good. The Clowns will just have to amuse themselves from now on.

“I’ll take my chances,” she tells him, turning on her heel and running out of the park with the lightness of freedom in her step. The Clown gazes at her. He tries to force a tear out, but it doesn’t come.

©2020 Seetha Nambiar Dodd

The judges said….
What we liked:
Cleverly written and engrossing, this dreamlike sequence presents a metaphoric assault on the senses – a wonderland of colour and description. Maya has had enough of forced fun, empty promises and instant gratification in her life. Perhaps of social media and consumerism that looks bright and shiny but leaves her unfulfilled and misunderstood. Perhaps failed relationships or friendships? Like a funhouse mirror, the more you explore this story, the more angles and interpretations present themselves – not an easy thing to do in such a small word count. Dizzying, disturbing and deftly described – as stories go, it’s a step right up…

Notes on a pandemic

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1. When something becomes scarce, or when it is taken away, it suddenly becomes more precious and desirable. Toilet paper. Hugging. The freedom to travel. The freedom to go anywhere without masks, suspicion or anxiety.

2. Epi- or Pan-?
Demic from the Greek word demos meaning people.
Epi means upon or among, therefore an epidemic is among the people.
Pan means all so a pandemic affects all the people. 

3. I know there are facts and statistics and science and reports. But when faced with scenes from what looks like an apocalyptic world, where the worst of humanity surfaces, it also feels like a message from the universe.

4. Maybe this is supposed to be an awakening. A harsh lesson on the fragility of everything we take for granted. A reminder to value what is sacred. A reminder of the privilege of having loved ones to hold close. A reminder to stay calm in the face of chaos and to look out for one another. Australian poet Mark Tredinnick, in an Instagram post yesterday said, “Perhaps the natural world is trying, through this virus, to tell us we’ve been ill, we human animals, for quite some time. Here’s a chance to wake – to grow more truly well.”

5. Fifty years ago, in 1970, Joni Mitchell sang, “Don’t it always seem to go/ That you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone.” Seems so relevant today. How many paradises have we paved over? And are the “pink hotels, boutiques and swinging hotspots” worth the price we paid?

6. When we have the luxury of soap and clean water, do we really need sky-writing to remind us to wash our hands? Apparently so.

washhands

It’s written in the Sydney sky

7. Then there is also this realisation: when we suddenly find ourselves without some of our usual comforts and privileges, maybe we should spare a thought, actually more than just a thought, for those for whom such comforts are not the norm.

8. The Australian government today advised against mass gatherings of more than 500 people. We may soon be in lockdown. The ‘Flatten the Curve’ image below has been called the ‘defining graphic of the coronavirus’, and highlights the need for collective common sense so we can give our healthcare systems the best chance for success. If you want to read more about the figures, in-depth analysis and reasons why we should be ‘social distancing’ today, read Tomas Pueyo’s article on Medium.

flatten-the-curve

Flatten The Curve

 

9. If this pandemic affects all the people, then all the people need to be responsible. That means staying home if you’re unwell, buying only what you need, and leaving enough ‘desirable’ products on the shelves for other people. We cannot clap with one hand, whether or not it is sanitised. 

©2020 Seetha Nambiar Dodd