Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Tollboooth Assignment

Jake, a healthy sized blue jay was awaken by an incessant pecking in his round left side. He rolled over in his bed and saw the source of the pecking through half opened eyes. Flip, a scrawny titmouse was glaring down at him.

"Get UP, you great lazy lump!" Flip squawked, "The day is half gone already! We were supposed to leave long ago!"

Jake brushed Flip off with a stroke of his big wings and slowly rose to his feet.

"Ah, chill lil' buddy. Don't get your feathers all molting," Jake yawned. He grabbed his car keys and the two hopped inside his Volkswagon Bug. After several cranks of the key, the car coughed to life and the two started off down the road. Jake turned on the radio to an 80's rock station and started singing along loudly, and more than a little off key.

Flip huffed a sigh and snapped, "If you can't drive at least the speed limit while singing, then turn off that racquet and step on it! I'm going to miss my appointment!"

Jake rolled his eyes and turned the tunes up another notch, but did speed up as asked. "If you don't like it, you can drive yourself!" He sang to Flip.

"You KNOW I can't drive," Flip grumbled.

"All I"m saying bro, is a little gratitude would do you good. You just gotta sit back and enjoy the ride every now and then, ya know? Just take it easy and--"

"--STOP THE CAR!" Flip interjected. The car brakes squealed as Jake slammed them, and the car skidded to a halt just inches before hitting a mechanical arm barrier that blocked the rode.

Jake gasped a breath of air and let out a relieved laugh. "That was close! See why slow and smooth is the best way to go?"

Flip didn't seem to hear. He had pushed himself over the driver's seat and poked his head out the window. "What! A tollbooth? And of course there's no attendant...Well, hurry up, Jake! Give us the change; there's already a line of cars behind us!"

Jake shuffled around in the car cupholders and pulled out a nickel, a penny and a button. "Uh, we may have a slight problem..." he admitted sheepishly. Cars began to honk in the queue behind them.

Flip ducked back to his side of the car and rustled his feathers, clearly flustered. "What are we going to do now? I can't believe you don't have $1.50!"

"Hey now!" Jake chided, "you don't have the money either! We'll figure it out." He slid out of the car and hopped over to the car in line behind them, where a lovely robin was idling in her little red sports car.

"Hey there, pretty bird, but I'm just short of the toll, and you would totally save my life if you wouldn't mind lending me the fee? Even if you say no, I'm grateful that this gave me the chance to say hello--seeing you is already the highlight of my day," Jake smiled. The robin blushed and dropped the change in his outstretched wing. Jake leaned in to give her a quick peck on the cheek as thanks. "You're one in a million, doll!" He leapt back over to the tollbooth, dropped in the change, and did an exaggerated bow to the line of cars behind him as the mechanical arm lifted. They applauded as he passed through the booth. "See Flip? It pays to be cool." Flip rolled his eyes but this time did not argue as he knew Jake was right.


2 comments:

  1. I really enjoyed your approach to this exercise. You're characters are so different in the way they think, or approach situations for that matter. The grumpy old bird paired up with the young, relaxed Blue Jay is very comical to me.
    Although, I would expect Flip to give Jake one last judgmental comment on mooching money off of a pretty young thing. The eye rolling shows his disapproval, but would Flip ultimately agree with Jake's tactics? It's a means to an end, but it feels like Flip is just rolling over and giving up at the end.

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  2. Backstory: Very good!

    Attribute List: Could be longer.

    Toll Booth: Nice expression of the characters

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