Read the Opening of Gel Pen Flowers | Patricia Petrakis
If youâve ever wondered what Gel Pen Flowers really feels likeâŚ
I wanted to give you a place to step into it.
Not a summary. Not a pitch. Just the beginning.
Introduction: The Drop Off
I love the rain. There is something about just standing in it for a few minutes that refreshes my soul. Plus, have you ever run in the rain while listening to Trans-Siberian Orchestra? Itâs blissful, the whole experience leaves me with a feeling of tranquility that is hard to describe. I highly recommend starting with âWizards in Winter â Instrumentalâ followed by âFaith Noelâ. Talk about the perfect intro to get you in the zone! Anyway, this isnât a story about my running playlist.
The first time I truly felt the rain was in 1995 after walking for miles in the middle of the night barefoot. My feet felt raw and the reflection of the streetlights hurt my eyes against the pure black rainy sky. I had no idea what was going on and why we were walking, all I wanted to do was sleep. But the rain; the rain made me shiver, it kept me calm. In my state of exhausted confusion, I found some sort of comfort in feeling the drizzle against my skin.
Weâd been walking for what felt like hours and every time I tried to stop, I kept being pulled forward by my mom, Lynn. When we finally came to a standstill, it was at a strangerâs house in the middle of nowhere and Lynn knocked on the door and then walked away.
The next day I woke up hiding in the closet with my older brother Robert, covering my ears against the screams we heard from outside. Then everything went quiet and a young woman cracked the door open and told us not to make a sound and to sit still. Shortly after that, she brought us out of our hiding spot and a man from the Department of Children and Families was there to pick us up.
Just like that, we entered the Foster Care System.
If this opening found you at the right time, you can continue the story here.