Miss Regina's Finishing School/Subjugating Drones

Thursday and Welfare Sewing most of the day at the Women's Club - it's a once a month thing where we make layettes for newborns, alter clothes for disfigured veterans and make breast inserts and chemo pillows for cancer patients. It's a peaceful and gratifying way to spend the day among interesting busy bee women who are industrious but who make time to chat and share.

Last night the writing group and I led the prompts. I wasn't thrilled with either my prompts or what I wrote but it is what it is. The first prompt was a collage of pictures that included an image of honeycomb, two lovers making out, and a book on strategy. Thinking I didn't pace myself well because the piece rambles along until the two minute warning (we got 20 minutes to write) and then I had to wrap everything up in just a few sentences:

"Where are the boys?" asked Fern. She directed her question to her new friend Ajax whom she had met just minutes earlier while they waited with about 500 other students - waiting for the honeycombed gates to open.  Miss Regina's Finishing School was located at the end of nowhere. A train, two buses and a long cab ride brought Fern to the edge of a meadow of wildflowers. 

"This can't be right!" she said alarmed. 

"Is this your first year/" the cabdriver asked in a barely audible voice that sounded like rustling grass. 

"Yes, I'm looking for Miss Regina's Finishing School. I thought I said that back at the station!" 

"It's there - look harder," he offered 

Fern squinted against the noon-time sun. Amidst the flowers and tall grasses an amber dome melted into the landscape - a strange structure that looked to Fern like it had heaved out of the earth, tentatively deciding whether or not it really wanted to be there or whether it just might decide to lower itself back into the prairie. 

And it was then that Fern noticed the others, girls like herself being dropped off in cabs by drivers who looked almost identical to her own cabbie. Some of the girls ventured ahead, pulling, with difficulty, their wheeled suitcases through the high unyielding grasses. 

"This is fucking whack," a voice ahead of her said to no one in particular. The voice had come from a girl so strange Fern almost lost her balance staring at her. Skunk striped hair that fell straight to the back of her knees and skin as white as milk captivated Fern. And her eyes glowed red with anger as she tugged her bag over hillocks. When she stopped to dislodge the luggage from a mole hole, she spied curious Fern. 

"Hey there - can you help me?" Fern dropped the handle of her own bag and helped the strange creature. 

"My name is Ajax," the girl offered. 

"Fern," said Fern. 

As they approached the dome, the question, "Where are the boys?"  On all sides of them teemed girls their age - all out of breath from dragging their belongings. 

"Honey there ain't any boys - what did they tell you?"  Ajax look amused. 

"Not much," Fern admitted. 

"Well then, you're in for a surprise," said Ajax. "This ain't no ordinary finishing school! You have arrived at Miss Regina's hive. You, my dahlin', are in training to be a queen bee - strategies of seduction, drone subjugation, mind blowing techniques to get any man to do your bidding. Miss Regina guarantees it - she says we will rule the world someday. Whatcha think of that!!!???

And that's all for today, cuz I've got lemon squares in the oven that I'm bringing to the club and I have to lug my sewing machine to the car, get gas and stop at Vogue Fabrics for ballpoint sewing machine needles.  Challenge today could be making some great plans for the weekend.  It's almost here!

Peace,
Sarah