SUCH A STRANGE GIRL...

dialogue prompts from florida by lauren groff.

i have somehow become a woman who yells.

it's too much. it's too much.

i don't think you've walked it off yet. you may want to take one more loop.

even the things you love most can kill you.

an island is never really quiet.

stay here. be good.

you know where you are with men. with women, you always have to guess.

come on out. i know you're here.

i learned the language of men and used it against them.

if anyone is going to die, it's going to be us.

just let me rest here a minute.

head trauma is an old friend.

keep me awake. tell me a story.

time has always been blind to the human, and the things we do to stave it off.

you never listen to anyone.

for god's sake, shut it.

my ignorance must have been so maddening.

you were always the happiest person i knew.

you opened your mouth and suddenly became another person.

i never thought i could be so alone.

we're all alone.

you had me.

there will always be another storm, you know.

everything's alright for the dead.

isn't this the fucking kicker?

houses contain us. who can say what we contain?

are you a kid or a mom?

i don't believe in lying to children.

you practice radical bluntness, i see.

only americans jog. they have no sense of dignity.

some people just don't mellow with age.

you have your own beauty.

you don't bother to listen when you speak.

i'm sorry this isn't nicer.

don't cry for me. i'll be okay.

i'm crying for me.

i don't even know who to envy anymore.

everyone leaves.

i would eat you, if i could.

you never used to cry.

the world must be hard for ____. all substance, no nuance.

you're young. you're beautiful. you can do whatever you want to.

everything is beautiful. anything is possible.

you're the best person i know.

what is it about me that people need breaks from?

the dead need nothing from us. the living take and take.

you love humanity almost too much, but people always disappoint you.

i miss believing in god.

i always wanted to be the type of person who could play the moonlight sonata.

erotic isn't the same thing as sexual.

i'd take a break from myself, too, but i don't have that option.

don't do anything i wouldn't do.

what are you smiling at?

i'm on vacation from my life.

you kiss like someone prone to anxiety attacks.

i like you. you keep your words in tight.

the devil can't match the light in ____.

not smart, coming here alone.

do you normally just follow people without knowing where you're going?

you don't look so good, sweetie.

no fucking cops.

no ambulance.

please. let me help you.

that's a lot of blood.

you can't help people who don't want your help.

_____ was a nice guy. everyone said.

we never talked about it. i never told anyone.

tell me. you think there are still good people in the world?

you're a different person in [language].

i couldn't disturb you. there was such peace in your face.

the word 'penis' is inherently ridiculous.

i won't let anyone hurt you.

i love you. i'm always happy to talk to you.

is there anything i can do to make you more comfortable?

he's not a sociopath. just an older brother.

oh, little bear, it's okay.

the language i'm most fluent in is story.

your breath stinks. it's like something died in your mouth.

i've never seen such an ugly city as ______.

solitude is danger for a working mind.

when we are lonely for a long time, we people the void with phantoms.

all things nauseating and deadly are american, apparently.

i feel untethered.

most people get meaner when they get older.

the truth might be moral, but it isn't always right.

dialogue prompts from kaikeyi: a novel by vaishnavi patel.

a girl needs her mother.

if the gods are good, how could they lie?

the gods do what they must.

i doubt that my mother even likes me.

would you like to hear a story? i have a new one for you.

____ didn't even say goodbye.

so long as nobody learns the truth, it does not matter.

anything in this room is yours to know.

what are you doing up?

you can come and find me, if you would like. if you are ever lonely.

the stories were not frightening enough.

i am so glad you were with me.

i want to be able to protect myself.

does it always feel this way?

it is laudable that you want to help.

i want to have power over myself.

you do not need to prove yourself to anyone.

there are other ways to be strong.

can i not be strong in many ways?

shall we race?

you're too serious all the time.

you don't have to notice everything on your own. that's why you have me.

what will you give me if i win?

you always try to shrink into the shadows.

false vows are worse than worrisome truths.

i don't want anyone else to know.

i always assumed i would have more time to prepare.

you cannot stay here forever.

you have a fine head on your shoulders.

none of us have a real choice.

if you want power, you have to take it.

you are no ____ of mine.

my choices were my own.

your happiness is one of the most important matters i can think of.

everything i say comes out completely wrong.

there's something alive about this place.

where did you learn to _____ like that?

you are very kind, and not at all what i expected.

if you can't fight, run.

between you and me, there should be no secrets.

are you afraid of me? is that why you lied?

i hope you learn to answer my questions directly one day.

it would be in your best interest to trust me.

i didn't realize i had company.

it seems i cannot escape you.

you should have helped me.

why are you laughing?

anybody would have done the same.

this is my burden to bear.

you need not worry any longer.

you did not deserve to suffer.

why would such a great god care about such a small thing?

are you a witch?

you don't have a wicked bone in your body.

i won't always be here to protect you.

i hope you are taking care of yourself.

i think i understand a bit, now. how you must have felt.

i just want to make sure my family is safe.

looking out for one's family is a virtue.

who can you trust, if not your mother?

whatever you tell me will stay between us alone.

i always knew the gods disliked me particularly.

my piety is in short supply, these days.

you must learn to listen and decide for yourself.

what would i do without you?

war is not something to wish for. it destroys people.

rulers have to be wise, as well as strong.

it would be very boring for you to know every detail of my life.

we were not as stealthy as we hoped.

have you nowhere more important to be?

nobody will be angry for anything you say here.

the future cannot be taught by the past.

no one person can know everything. not even you.

i've heard all the names that people call me.

we all must learn to accept what we do not like.

i need to hear you say it.

have we grown dull with age?

i'm not angry with you. i'm angry with myself for letting you think that.

you can be someone beyond your loyalty, and you should be.

if you want more, you should not be afraid to ask.

i see you looking at me. i am not blind.

if you leave me here, i will follow, so you might as well just bring me now.

what happened? i had the strangest dream.

you have exceeded my wildest dreams for you.

what other choice do i have?

if it makes you sad, we don't have to go.

i suppose this is all very new for you.

are you still in pain?

i would like to tell you my side of it, if you wish to hear it.

i thought about you every day.

why would you be sorry? none of this was your fault.

have you the strength to stand?

you should not worry about old stories.

you are so young. you have so much time ahead of you.

if possible, you look lovelier than ever.

i tried my hardest to be like you.

i know much less about ____ than i thought.

i only wanted to show you the truth of this world.

you are not infallible. nobody is.

i have hope, not certainty.

why do you mistrust me so?

you cannot frighten me anymore.

you have grown used to getting your way, but that does not make your way right.

____ has a lot of interesting stories about you.

it is time, and i am ready. do not be alarmed.

i will always love you more and seek to protect you first.

hear me when i say you are not protecting me.

it is not weak to avoid war. it is the strongest thing you could do, to avoid unnecessary bloodshed.

i think i will never be enough for you.

how has so much changed in the span of one night?

you can say anything you want to me.

would you love me if i did something terrible?

you threaten people because you feel a lack of control.

you see only what you wish to see, in order to keep your life comfortable.

no matter what is said about you, remember that you did the right thing.

those who are good question themselves. those who are good always wonder if there was a better way, that would have helped more and hurt less.

this will be terrible, but you are strong. you can make it through.

i do not need them to like me any longer.

you are no ____ of mine.

i do not deserve friends like you.

you truly are the best of us.

my mind is my own. that is all i have left.

everyone else was right about you, and i was a fool.

there is no need to be a martyr.

not everything is about you.

you did your best. i know you did.

everyone i care for, i hurt. every time i try to help, i make things worse.

i have a strange sense that this has happened before.

i thought i would never hear your voice again.

i should have listened to you.