Week 1 Prompt: Jayus, Title: The Cosmic Unfunny Joke

[swirlsofpurple]

“So, what’s the biggest un-funniest joke then?”

“Death.”


Shell startled herself, she hadn’t meant to say it out loud; she had merely been imagining what Anna would have said. The hilarity of death had become a running theme for her best friend. Anna’s absence wasn’t unusual, over the last few years she had grown more reluctant to leave the house. After all the young woman had exceeded the socially acceptable grieving period (Anna liked to make jokes about that too) and was constantly plagued with too many looks of pity, frustration and awkwardness. In the end she had withdrawn, given up. Shell had still seen her closest friend regularly though, spending several mornings drinking coffee on Anna’s pale yellow couch and many evenings at Anna’s tiny dining table drinking beers.

Breaking out of her reverie she realised silence had fallen and everyone was looking at her. Shell put on a hopefully-not-too-bright smile and continued in a light-hearted manner.

“Well, it’s the great cosmic joke. People live, build, think, create, love, laugh and then,” she paused, affecting a magician’s persona, “Poof. Nothing. Gone.”

She received a couple of nods and grunts of agreement before Trevor opened his mouth to tell an offensive joke.

“Your jokes are never funny,” Oscar said curtly, cutting Trevor off.

“He’s just joking, that’s what we’re talking about here isn’t it; unfunny jokes,” Kayla said, defending her new ass-hat boyfriend.

The conversation turned into a meaningless buzz in her periphery as Shell was engulfed in memories.

People filled up the funeral hall and spilled over into the adjoining hallways and rooms. Shell merely watched Anna, she didn’t know what else to do, stung by helplessness so strong and raw it seemed to gut her insides. Anna didn’t want a shoulder right now, Shell knew she was trying to be silent and strong and accommodating for everyone else. Helping, organising, sorting. But as they stood in the hall, the service minutes away, Shell slipped her hand into Anna’s and met a responding desperate grip in return. But too soon Shell was ushered away; she wasn’t ‘close family’, she felt Anna stiffen and reluctantly let go of her hand. To keep her eyes on her friend she walked backwards through the doorway and when she saw shoulders slump even further had to fight the instinct to run back to her. But Shell knew Anna wouldn’t want a scene.

Two hours later, people stood around eating food and vomiting up condolences. Shell winced when she heard someone say,

“He’s gone to a better place.”

The whole day she had seen the cracks in Anna’s face every time those words were uttered. This time Anna smiled gently like every time before but didn’t follow up with ‘yes, of course’ instead she said calmly,

“Excuse me.”

Shell followed as Anna left. They ended up in a small unfurnished room on the other side of the building.   

Anna started laughing, big, mighty guffaws, “Isn’t that the most ridiculous thing you’ve ever heard?”

Shell didn’t know what to do, sensing the impending melt-down, she didn’t want to make it worse, knew nothing could make it better, she watched. That seemed to be all she ever did: watch. 

“The only thing funnier is how we’re expected to go along with it,” Anna had yelled, voice rising in pitch as she continued, “Because we have to let people take their comfort where they can. No one has to care about the atheist at the funeral.”

Anna’s voice dropped and her body along with it. Hysterical laughter turning to sobs in the way Shell had known they would. She wrapped her arms around Anna and was surprised when more words were said.

“Even if it hurts. Every time it hurts. Because they get their heavenly reunion to look forward too, but we get nothing- we never get to see them again. And it hurts.”

Shell had watched. Every day after that day. She had watched as Anna was unable to put herself back together and watched as peoples understanding changed to weariness; watched as Anna made everyone uncomfortable; watched as Anna put on a smile and pretended to be fine; watched as Anna tried and tried and got worse and worse. Listened as Anna talked about all the idiots who wanted her old self and Shell sat there feeling guilty for wanting her old friend back too.

She tried to help the best she could but was resigned; watching was all she could do.

But Anna had given up: had embraced the great punch-line of death. And now Shell would never be able to watch her again. 

Comments

[baxaphobia.livejournal.com]

Very moving piece of writing. So often realizations come at funerals.

[swirlsofblue.livejournal.com]

Thank you, so glad you found it moving :)

[bleodswean.livejournal.com]

*applauds* Yes, this is a great interp for the prompt and I really enjoyed every word you wrote!

[swirlsofblue.livejournal.com]

Yay, thank you, so glad you enjoyed it, I was nervous about this one :)

[basric.livejournal.com]

A very touching tragic story. Well written.

[swirlsofblue.livejournal.com]

Thank you, I'm pleased you found it touching :)

[smiittenz.livejournal.com]

That was a beautifully written and incredibly moving piece. It's an unusual interpretation, I'll give you that, but I loved it.
Thank you for that. :)

[swirlsofblue.livejournal.com]

Thank you, glad you found it moving :)

[kittenboo.livejournal.com]

Like others have said, very moving indeed.

[swirlsofblue.livejournal.com]

Thank you, I'm pleased you found it moving :)

[tatdatcm.livejournal.com]

The emotion and despair in this piece is palpable. Well done. I really like your take on the prompt.

[swirlsofblue.livejournal.com]

Thank you, I was hoping the sense of despair would come across well, so I'm very happy to hear that :)

[alycewilson.livejournal.com]

I was dreading the ending I felt was coming, but and even though I'd expected it, that last line was devastating. Well-written.

[swirlsofblue.livejournal.com]

Thank you, would it be rude to say I'm glad you found it devastating? I'll just say I'm glad it had an impact then ;).

[penpusher.livejournal.com]

These are the big questions! And a great and tender examination of religious beliefs and atheism.

[swirlsofblue.livejournal.com]

Thank you, I was worried some people would think I was attacking beliefs which wasn't what I was intending at all, so I'm very glad you found it well done :)

[dreamsofspike.livejournal.com]

Oh that was simply heartbreaking. :( Very well done, love

[swirlsofblue.livejournal.com]

Thank you, glad you liked it :)

(Ah, my evil plan of breaking hearts has come to fruition *rubs hands gleefully* ;) )

[kecharasmoon.livejournal.com]

This just about broke my heart.

[swirlsofblue.livejournal.com]

Thank you, glad it had an impact ;)

*hugs*

[shay-writes.livejournal.com]

*hugs*

The last line, wow. This is a great piece.

[swirlsofblue.livejournal.com]

Thank you, glad you liked it :)

[jenandbronze.livejournal.com]

I felt very similarly towards a special relative at her funeral back in 2004, it seems the funeral is so surreal and the realizatino and the gut punch hurts like the dickens, but over time the grief lessens over time. This was a moving and well-written piece!

[swirlsofblue.livejournal.com]

Thank you :).

Yeah, funerals can be so weird, especially when everyone is dealing with their grief in different ways, and those ways sometimes clash.

[sweeny-todd.livejournal.com]

That packed a real emotional punch. nicely done.

[swirlsofblue.livejournal.com]

Thank you, glad it had an impact :)

[waltzmatildah.livejournal.com]

Bb, this is LOVELY!!! Seriously!!

[swirlsofblue.livejournal.com]

Thank you! So glad you liked it :D

[n3m3sis43.livejournal.com]

Even though I suspected how it would end, that ending still hurt.

[swirlsofblue.livejournal.com]

Thank you, glad it had an impact ;)

[roina-arwen.livejournal.com]

This was oh so true. Excellently written - I especially liked this line, it just rang with truthfulness: people stood around eating food and vomiting up condolences.

[swirlsofblue.livejournal.com]

Thank you, glad you found it truthful, and I was hoping that line would stand out, glad it did :)

[surpanakhalives.livejournal.com]

That is so sad and heartbreaking, and so true about the atheists... Very moving piece...

[swirlsofblue.livejournal.com]

Thank you, I'm happy you found it moving :)

[kajel.livejournal.com]

This was really well done. It was painful and heartbreaking to read, but wonderful.

[swirlsofblue.livejournal.com]

Thank you, glad you found it wonderful :)

[halfshellvenus.livejournal.com]

So sad, but such a good and unexpected use of the prompt.

And if you don't believe in an afterlife, the departed person is not in a better place. They're just gone, and there is no comfort to be found.

Sometimes, that becomes too much to bear.

I wasn't sure who Anna had lost here-- husband? Lover? Brother? But it was clear she was devastated, as was Shell in watching Anna drift into an emotional state she would never leave.

[swirlsofblue.livejournal.com]

Thank you, glad you liked my response to the prompt :)

Yeah, the idea of a person just being gone is such a massive thing to struggle with.

Yeah, I purposefully didn't mention who it was, I wanted the idea of loss, that the loss of anyone can bring a person to their knees.

[raven-annabelle.livejournal.com]

Beautiful. :)

[swirlsofblue.livejournal.com]

Thank you :)

[cheshire23.livejournal.com]

I absolutely love the way you ended this.

[swirlsofblue.livejournal.com]

Thank you, glad you liked it :)

[rswndrlst.livejournal.com]

This is beautiful and rings so true.

I can say I agree with death being this ultimate unfunny joke. Because in the end all you can do id laugh.

[swirlsofblue.livejournal.com]

Thank you, glad you found it beautiful :)

[whipchick.livejournal.com]

"eating food and vomiting up condolences." - what a great phrase. And I like "No one has to care about the atheist at the funeral" too.

[swirlsofblue.livejournal.com]

Thank you, so glad you liked those lines :)

[thenodrin.livejournal.com]

Beautiful and well written.

[swirlsofblue.livejournal.com]

Thank you, glad you found it beautiful :)

[elledanger.livejournal.com]

This is really nice, very poignant.

[swirlsofblue.livejournal.com]

Thank you, so glad you found it poignant :)