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Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Foreclosure

   You thought you would be exhausted by now, thought the past weeks, months, years even, would leave you without the energy to be afraid. You imagined you would be drained to such an extent that when the papers finally came, when the notice was finally served, you would be able to handle it. You would be prepared. You would be ready. How wrong you were. The nerve-wracking interviews with the bank, the startled awakening to a sleep-knotted stomach, the jangling hours of insomnia were only anticipation. The underlying, ever-present dread has built up, gathered like storm clouds until you feel fear the size of a tornado grip you by the throat and shake you. And still this is only the beginning. Still to come is the day when the knock on your door will not be a bailiff delivering notice, but a sheriff to evict you onto the street.
You think: powerful beings always find a new way to dupe you, to fool you into doing something that will be the end of you. You understand how the non-entity that is you has called upon itself the wrath of this financial entity, the new century’s god, and you are powerless to do anything but bow before it, render unto it. With no patron, no backer, no governing ear, you are at a distinct disadvantage. The bank is casually balancing its books while you play monopoly.
Forget about Park Place and Marvin Gardens. The only thing giving this property substance is your name on the deed, the same name that now appears on the defaulter list at the bank, on debtor records in the courts. When you open the door of your ground-floor apartment, there is a small area enclosing the stairs in front of you, mailboxes to the right. You slam the door shut then spin the keys to lock it. You stop before the mailboxes and look at your name. You remember: Do not pass GO.
 
ANTICIPATION (noun) 3a : visualization of a future event or state b: an object or form that anticipates a later type
Your response must be between 33 and 333 words
 
Dedicada a la invencible Cristina Fallarás
 

20 comments:

  1. Oh my God. Where do I start with this? Love the use of 3rd person. Distancing, but not, in a funny way. And the Monopoly reference. I will return to this piece again and again. Terrific write.

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    1. Thanks so much, Kelly. Monopoly was one of those lightbulb moments.

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  2. You do a great job of capturing the crushing anticipation that foreclosure must bring; I can only imagine how exhausting it is in real life.

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    1. Thank you Annabelle. Yeah, I figured that kind of worry must be mostly exhausting.

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  3. You describe the whole situation so well. Great writing.

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  4. Oh the dread... well expressed, kymm. The opening that leads to the idea of anticipation is just great. That the worst is yet to come - yikes. And the use of the 2nd person gives it an extra heft. Nice work!

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    1. Thank you so much, Steph. The little I learned of horror is that the most scary stuff is what the reader can dream up.

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  5. You convey the dread well. Love the comparison's to Monopoly. (Where is the 'Get out of jail free' card when you really need it???)

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    1. Thank you, Janna. (The ones holding the GOOJF cards here are the ones who got us in the mess in the first place!)

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  6. I specially liked the line about fear gripping your throat like a tornado....great take on the prompt!

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  7. wonderfully well-written. as usual, kymm :)

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  8. The Monopoly reference was perfect. Sometimes you have to think that it is all a game to the banks and mortgage companies.

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    1. Yup, with us as the pawns (to mix gaming metaphors).

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  9. This really punches in the gut. Brilliant piece (:

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  10. Didn't mean to cause you any pain : ) Thanks, Draug.

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  11. This is very well done and portrays the harsh reality. I hope you didn't have to go through this.

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    1. Thanks, lumdog. No, not me. It's dedicated to someone who is going through it, though.

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