Fog and Friends

Piece of the Day:
It had been foggy all day, but it fell even thicker at night. The drive through town was nothing to fear, but when the city street became a country road, it was like driving into a void.
Mykol didn’t dare drive the usual speed limit of 55 mph, and not even the vehicle following directly behind—-only visible by its frosted moon-yellow headlights—-could persuade her to go faster. The dark road diminished not fifty feet in front of her into a nondescript cloud of grey. She wasn’t worried about other drivers coming toward her—-she could see them, and they could see her well enough. But wandering animals would have no escape, and Mykol would have little chance to prepare for a sudden turn in the road.
And yet, it was thrilling--and almost amusing. As she drove through what seemed like a long tunnel, the fog billowed and swept over the car like soft, crashing sea waves. With the beautiful spectacle and the almost-blind uncertainty, it could have been a portal to another time and place.
In spite of the uneasiness she felt driving in such fog, she laughed. “This is insane! I’ve never seen it this foggy since…”
She could almost see the memory, like a projection on the canvas of fog. It was the first week of summer vacation, and she was calling her best friend to make plans for the months ahead.
“Hello! How’re you?” She was taking a walk during her work break, the dense fog hiding the willows by the pond.
“Good, good. You?”
“Good, good. What’re you up to?”
“Packing.”
“…For what?”
Wait… Mykol stopped her recollection. It wasn’t foggy that day. I was thinking of something else.
“Hey! How’s it going?” Mykol was sitting at home, staring out the window with the phone to her ear. The birdhouses of the backyard were barely visible in the fog.
“Hey! I’m fine. You?”
“Good. My grad party is next month.”
“Oh, I can’t come. I’ll be gone for a few months.”
“…Oh. Where to?”
No…It wasn’t foggy then, either. Just nighttime. Mykol took a deep breath, exhaling as the lights of the upcoming city permeated the deep fog. “Just shut up,” she told herself as she turned in to the city streets, the light posts nullifying the need for her floodlights.
For a moment, as she sat waiting at a stoplight, her mind turned back to its previous thoughts. She jammed a CD into the player and turned up the volume, singing along with the tune. As the light turned green, she took off, determined to leave the fog behind her.

Prompt:
Fog and friends. I made the mistake of looking up old friends on Facebook, reminding me of two of my best friends who moved across the country without telling me (until I happened to call them the day of). I’ve never really gotten to vent about it, but I didn’t want to just write a rant, so I tied in my experience driving through the nasty fog on my way out from work last night.

Work in Progress:
I’ve been working more on Zealandia lately, which is my story inspired by Alice in Wonderland. No, I haven’t seen the movie yet, and yes I want to. Anyway, here’s a clip from the work I did on Chapter Seven today:

The Mad Clothier selected an outfit and slung it over the top of the screen, which Adelaide forced herself into. With prolonged hesitation, she looked at herself in the full-length mirror. First of all, it was a dress, which she did not like, and which only went down to her knees in front, but down to her ankles in back. The dress had mid-length flared sleeves, and was a paisley pattern in varying hues of blue. Over the dress was a full white apron with silver embroidery and lace on the shoulder straps. He also supplied her with blue paisley slippers with silver soles. “I look a cartoon from the seventies,” she muttered. But at the very least, she felt dry and clean.

As she stepped out from behind the changing screen, the Mad Clothier squealed with joy. “You look absolutely fabulous! It brings out the red in your cheeks and the glare of murder in your eyes!”

Adelaide clenched her fists as she walked to the door. “Yes, well, thanks. Bye.”

Distractions Used:
How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, and Clueless. I got them both from the library last night.

Currently Reading:
Ranma 1/2 by Rumiko Takahashi. I do have actual novels in queue, but I found a whole bunch of these at the library, and couldn’t resist. They’re quick reads, anyway. I just finished volume seven.