Page 12 - Contrast1997

"Leave?" The word caught, dark earth bly turned from me. I thought perhaps he had
brown, in my throat. "This is my place _ gone mad.
the only place that I know. I understand the
Island; it understands me." When his name stuck in my throat, he
laughed harshly. "Not so nimble with thy
Theseus' voice was dark with anger. "Don't words, Ophelia?" I shook my head miserably.
contradict me, Hermia. You must leave; you "Youhave not allowed me the practice, m'lord.
are a hazard to all the people that live here." 1-"

"Why?" I felt the But he cut me off
wind blowing up again. "Nay, no more
from the sea; it was words, Ophelia, not
a sad salty tang on for me. Save your
my face, like the breath for the ocean."
tears I had not yet
shed. Bitterness swelled in
my heart like poison.
"Because no one "Lear followed me;
knows w ha t you Lear was my friend.
are talking about!" Isn't that--"
The voice was
Orlando's. "You "Lear was a senile
have become ri- old man, Portia, you
diculous, Rosalind, know that!" Shylock
completely ridicu- was presiding over
lous." my triaL. I lost the
strength to say any
It always hurt, more, only nodding
just a little, when dumbly as they piled
Orlando called my up the charges against
name... Something me. I felt as if my
about the name body were drifting
Rosalind - the un- in another existence;
certainty inherent I felt as if the whole
in the name twisted world was no longer
inside of me, an un- real. My heart
named unname- within my chest was
able ache. It re- heavy. All I knew
minded' me of was that I did not
some of Ariel's want to leave my is-

more frightening Outer Banks Ben Johnson land ...

thoughts ... And that Ariel was
not there. We had argued ... I smiled a little
"Get thee to a nunnery!" The very sharp- when I realized that the weight on my heart
ness of Hamlet's words shocked me out of was my accusation of ArieL. how little he de-
my sadness. "But Ham-" I began. He had served it. I was the one who deserved it. The
been a friend to me, towards the beginning. irony of everything made me want to go up
He had always been a friendly fellow, even in flames and phoenix my way through eter-
if somewhat studious. I loved to sit with him nity. I wanted to sing to Ariel, to tell him he
by the ocean sometimes, and play word- was right after all. But Ariel was not there,
games. But he was not playing with words and I was not allowed the chance to leave the
any more; like the others, he had inexplica-

10