HOW TO TELL A STORY (part 1)

Well…well…well… look what we have here. Ah there you are my bored, lonely and aging pupils of mine. I went home last night tired I just finished three storyboards for a mobile phone company and one for a perfume. Though tired and hungry I still manage to cook for my dinner. God it’s lonely when you’re beautiful and alone… I missed him.

I prepared for myself “pork menudo”. I showered and change on my house outfit, I put the used clothes in the laundry bin and was so surprised to see that’s its already full and then I remember that Bong Srey (the cleaning lady) was absent last Saturday. I went back to the kitchen to check my cooking then proceeded to the washing machine bringing with me a sackful of dirty clothes, clothes and clothes. I stuffed the white colored shirt first and let the machine do its job.

I make coffee and sat by the kitchen table, the house felt so empty. Even the neighborhood is quite except for some meows of horny cats. I can hear the pot mumbling with steam and the humming of the washing machine. Sipping the hot coffee I stared at the washing machine in complete emptiness. I thank God for the machine as I don’t like doing laundry, I wonder and thought how and why washing machine is created. Out of waiting for my cooking and the laundry a story formed in my mind… and I called it “The legend of the washing machine”.

Okay homosexuals at the back who don’t listen to me, I will spare all of you with my guidelines today, for a change. Today I will just tell you a story… We’re going to have quiz after this.

THE LEGEND OF THE WASHING MACHINE

A long, long time ago in the farthest corner of the world, in a small town that’s difficult to pronounce… there lived a girl. Her name is Lenlen. She bore the mark of a 3G (God’s Given Gift) in short she is very beautiful. She lives with her mother who makes money out of washing other people’s dirty laundry. Her beauty is the envy of all the girls in that town, though poor her mother somehow manages to get her to high school. But after she graduated high school she continued to wash other people’s laundry because her mother is getting old. She as always goes to her favorite spot of the riverbank every time she washes the laundry.

The river is as old as anyone can say, however it was been dammed by a corporation that is owned by the father of one of her suitors - Carlos. Lenlen has a lot of suitors, but she doesn’t have the heart for them as she knows that her heart is of her own… she is a lesbian. But Carlos is very enamored to her that he would do everything to win Lenlen’s heart. Carlos always goes to the river to see Lenlen washing clothes. Sometimes he helped her hang clothes in a mile long clothes line.

Everyday the scene on the river side looks like a long TV commercial for a detergent soap. And the days passed as Carlos continues to woe for her. And finally he gets tired of the same answers he got. Though firm with her words Lenlen has always been honest to Carlos that she doesn’t love him but she like him as a brother she never had. So Carlos one day decided to take Lenlen by force, But Lenlen is good in karate… of course Carlos failed.

So Carlos decided to stop seeing Lenlen who became more beautiful everyday. Then the day came when Lenlen’s poor mother died. Burying her near the river she ran to her favorite spot of the riverbank and cried her heart out in solitude. She then raised her lonely head to the heavens with eyes full of salty water… the sound of her mind says… I’m going to leave this town and find my luck somewhere… I’m missing you mother… it echoed through the empty wind.

Maybe Carlos has mental telepathy, He knows that Lenlen will going to leave the town. So he went home to his acre-big mansion immediately and ordered his maids to take off all the big curtains, bed sheets, pillow cases, rugs, carpets, even the table cloths and all the dirty clothes. The dirty linens and clothes accumulate to a truckful. Carlos then ordered the maids to deliver everything to Lenlen’s house. The plan is to keep Lenlen from not leaving the lonely town.

Strangely Lenlen accepted the offer maybe she doesn’t have the money to pay for the bus when she leaves or money to rent for a house when she moves to the city. Carlos was glad to hear from the maids that Lenlen has taken the offer. So he called his friends and party till he was drunk with misery and pleasure. Lenlen on the other corner of the town went to the river bringing with her the curtains as it is a lot to wash.

The morning is quite fine when Lenlen went to the river. The birds were chirping gleefully as small rabbits passes Lenlen’s dainty feet. She then proceeds to wash the curtains and sang “I’ve got one hand in my pocket” by Alanis Morrisette. She was on her twentieth curtain when she heard a big explosion from a distant. The earth shook and in a split of second Lenlen saw the water coming…The dam exploded.

The peaceful existence of the town folks was disturbed by the pandemonium of the aftermath. Cries and scream echoes through the chaotic town. The broken dam looks serene despite the fact that it destroys a lot of lives. Carlos still groggy from alcohol went to Lenlen’s favorite spot and there he wails in anguish… what’s left of Lenlen is her “Spartan” slippers… Clutching his chest he shouted… LENLEN!!! Forgive me!!! his mournful scream was drowned by the gushing water.

From then on, seasons changed and the people started to forget everything but not Carlos. Since the incident Carlos moved to the city to study. For ten long years he was still in anguish for what happened to Lenlen; Finally he returned to the lonely town and hide in seclusion in his lonely room. Not the maids nor his father could make Carlos come out of his room and these keeps on going on for two years. Then one morning as the maid bring Carlos his breakfast she found him dead embracing what they thought is a machine.

Yes, you guess it right, it’s a washing machine…

Okay that’s it my pupils. Of course it’s not true… you stupid. Now who can tell me the moral lessons of the story. That’ll be your assignment for next week…

Mwahhh…