#task 10

task 10. the interview

task o1o. the interview

Savanna and Timothy were playing out in the barn when the power went out. At first, they didn’t think much of it. Fuses blew in there all the time, but it caught them both my surprise. “I can’t see.” Savvy said in an anxious voice. She was up in the hayloft coloring. “Hang on. I’ll flip the breaker. DC showed me how.” Timmy replied. He located the box and flipped the main breaker a couple of times… Nothing. “It’s not workin’!” He yelled out so Savanna could hear him. “I’m gonna come get ya, Savvy. Don’t be scared. I won’t let anythin’ bad happen.” The eight year old promised. He knew that Savanna had developed a recent fear of the dark and as her big brother, it was his job to take care of her.

“Where did all the light go?” Savvy asked when Timothy finally reached her. The barn had an emergency tote that contained blankets, flashlights, batteries, water, canned food, candles, and a ton of waterproof matches. Victoria never knew when she was going to need it, so she wanted to be prepared for anything. Timmy found the flashlights with ease and handed Savanna one as he helped her climb down from the loft. “I think the power went out. I don’t see any lights on inside neither. Help me bring this box inside ta mom.” The tote was too big for him to carry alone, but with Savanna’s help they were able to push it up to the back of the house. It wasn’t completely dark just yet, but dark clouds were rolling in and the winds were picking up. There was definitely a storm coming.

“Mommy! There is no more light in the barn.” Savanna said when she spotted Victoria in the kitchen. She was already lighting candles to put around the house. She knew she would need to be careful about their placement so Savvy and Timmy (or even one of the dogs) didn’t accidentally knock one over and burn the house down. “I don’t like this.” Savvy admitted. “Is it gonna be out forever?” She wrapped her arms around Victoria’s leg. It wasn’t typical of Savanna to be scared like this, but something changed in her the last time she went to David’s. Victoria still hadn’t gotten down to the root of it. “It’s just a storm, baby.” Vic smoothed her youngest’s hair down. “You’re safe in here, I promise.” Vic knew she would need to come up with a distraction for the little girl, so she gave her a job. “Why don’t you take your flashlight and collect all the batteries in the house? We’re going to need them.” Victoria didn’t know how long the power was going to be out, but she knew this storm was going to be a doozy. The lightning strike that took out the power for the entire town also took out cell phone towers. She couldn’t get through to anyone and Declan still wasn’t home which made her nervous.

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Savanna took Timmy with her to collect batteries. They took them out of toys, remotes, drawers… Anything they could find that contained batteries. “Look what I found.” Timmy pulled out some string lights that were battery powered. They had a box of AA batteries which is exactly what they needed to give the lights some juice. “We can use these. They should make everythin’ kinda bright.” Timmy wrapped them up as best he could and followed Savanna back to the living room. “We got all the batteries, mommy.” The six year old placed them on the coffee table. “Is this enough?” She arched a brow. Victoria didn’t have time to reply before a large clap of thunder shook the house. Savanna covered her ears with her hands as she flinched. She loved the rain, but she didn’t care for thunderstorms. She never had. “Mommy!” She screamed before Vic pulled her in close. She reached for Timothy too, although he seemed more okay with the storm than his sister.

“If we don’t have power, does that mean Dottie and Ransom don’t either? An Aunt Clara?” Timmy asked. He wished they were all together but Vic had no way of contacting them. She could only assume they were in the same boat. “I think so.” She looked out the window. For 6pm in July, it was awfully dark. Usually the sun didn’t begin to set until 9 or 9:30. “Where’s DC? I want DC ta be here…” Savvy pouted. Victoria checked her phone out of habit. She tried reaching out to him, Clara, Ransom, and Dottie just in case cell service came back, but it didn’t appear that her messages reached them. Not yet anyway. “He should be home soon, butterfly.” Vic replied in what she hoped was a convincing tone. She wasn’t sure who she was trying to convince more... Her six year old daughter or herself, but if he didn’t show up soon she would have no choice but to put the kids in the car and go looking for him.

“Does the mind flayer have him?” Savvy trembled. Victoria had no idea what her daughter was talking about. “Who, baby?” She questioned. Timmy looked up from a toy he had to explain. “The mind flayer. It’s from a show. Savvy thinks he’s real.” The eight year old spoke. “Dad let us watch Stranger Things…” He added. It clearly wasn’t a show for young kids. David thought it would be too scary for them, but they insisted it wasn’t. Timmy wasn’t afraid. He knew it was just a television show, but Savvy had nightmares about it almost every night for the last two weeks. “Savvy wanted ta watch it even though I knew it was gonna be too scary...” Savanna scowled. “It’s not too scary!” She interrupted her brother. “The mind flayer is out there.” She looked out the window. “An he has DC…” The little brunette whispered.

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The sky was a dark shade of grey and without any lights from the town bouncing off the clouds, they gave off this eerie feeling. The thunder continued to boom overhead while lightning streaked across the sky. The rain was coming down in sheets. Anyone who stood outside for more than a second would be completely drenched. Victoria was doing the best she could to distract the kids, but with low lighting and no power at all, it proved harder than she expected. Even arts and crafts were a challenge because they couldn’t see very well. “Are you hungry?” She finally asked. There were plenty of options to choose from that didn’t require an oven or a microwave. Everything in the fridge was fair game. They needed to eat it before it went bad. “Can we have ice cream?”Timmy asked. “Cause it’ll melt if we don’t eat it.” He was too smart for his own good sometimes and Vic chuckled as she thought about it. Ice cream for dinner wasn’t her first choice, but it wasn’t like this happened often. In fact… It never happened. “Just this once.” The brunette agreed before she disappeared into the kitchen for the carton and some spoons. There was no need for bowls tonight. Whatever they couldn’t eat would be thrown out.

“Do ya think the power is gonna come back soon?” Savanna asked as she held Teddy close to her chest. She covered herself and the plush bear with the butterfly throw she and Victoria made over the winter. It had been her go-to blanket ever since. She wouldn’t sleep without it. “I duno if it’s gonna come back t’nite, but me an’ mommy will keep ya safe, Sav. Ya have nothin’ ta’ worry ‘bout.” No sooner did the words leave his mouth before the front door burst open and a shadowy figure stood before them. Savanna and Timothy both screamed bloody murder. “It’s the demogorgon!” The six year old shouted as she grabbed the first thing she could get her hands on to throw at the intruder. The television remote bounced off his head and shattered on the floor. “What in the Hell?” Declan said before a string of curse words were mumbled under his breath. Victoria came running in with a kitchen knife in her hand. “You stay away from them!” She yelled. Her heart was racing so fast she thought she was going to throw up. It wasn’t until he spoke again that she realized they weren’t in any actual danger. “Jesus Christ, Vic… Put the knife down. It’s me.” DC held his hands up in surrender. “It’s just me.”He winced as his fingers touched his head. Savvy hit him pretty good with the remote. Enough to break the skin and make him bleed. He turned to the little girl as he stepped into the light so she could see him. “Good aim, kid.” He laughed softly. He couldn’t be mad at her even though it hurt like Hell. She was scared and he couldn’t blame her.

“I was gonna ask if everyone was okay here, but from the looks’a it… Ya seem ta have things under control.” He chuckled again. Victoria brought a wet paper towel and a bandaid over to clean up his wound. “It’s wild out there, Vic. Trees are down everywhere. Transformers are blown. The whole town is without power.” Timmy raised a brow at the comment. “Transformer? Like Bumblebee? Or Optimus Prime?” He asked which made Victoria laugh and shake her head. “Not that kind of transformer, baby.” She told him before directing her attention back to Declan. “I tried to call you but I couldn’t get through. We were worried about you.” Their conversation was cut short by a tugging at the hem of her shirt. “Mom, I thought ya said we can have ice cream.” Timmy looked up at her with big doe eyes. She knew he wouldn’t let her forget. He never did when it came to food, especially one of his favorites. “Declan? Would you like some ice cream for dinner?” Vic asked to which he nodded. He wouldn’t turn down sweets. His sweet tooth was almost as bad as the kids. “Be right back.” The brunette said as she went back to the kitchen for the ice cream she took out of the freezer and four spoons.

“DC…” Savvy’s voice was soft. The sky was getting darker by the second and the trees in the distance looked like shadow monsters when they were backlit by lightning. “Are ya suuuuure you’re not’a demogorgon?” She asked cautiously. He rubbed his beard in confusion. “A demo-what?” He questioned. “This storm has ya pretty shaken up, huh?” He could see it on her face. He knew she was scared. He had been living there long enough to know how she reacted to thunderstorms. More often than not he’d wake up to her tucked in at Victoria’s side because that was the only way she’d go back to sleep. “I’ve got’an idea. Let me change in’ta somethin’ dry and I’ll show ya.” DC told the kids. He ruffled Timmy’s hair as he headed for the stairs. “Yer in charge ‘til I get back. It’s a man’s job ‘ta keep the ladies safe. I’m countin’ on ya.” Timmy took that very seriously and he promised to keep them safe as another clap of thunder sent Savvy diving under the blankets.

Timmy, Savanna, and Victoria were having ice cream for dinner when Declan returned in some dry clothes. He brought pillows and blankets with him… As many as he could find. He’d need Vic to distract the kids so he could get them set up. “DC!” Savvy held out a spoon for him to take. “We saved some ice cream for ya. You can sit right here next ta me an’ mommy.” The items in his hand didn’t go unnoticed. “What’s all that for?” The little brunette asked. Declan cracked a smile. “It’s a surprise.” He explained.

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When everyone had their fill of ice cream, Declan tossed the rest. He suggested to Vic that she take the kids into her studio to color for a little while. He wouldn’t tell her what he had up his sleeve either. “No peakin’ now.” He warned.

It took roughly a half an hour for Declan to construct a blanket fort that would fit all of them comfortably. He used the battery powered lights Timmy found with the Christmas decorations to line the ceiling of their storm shelter. He also had a couple of camping lanterns (so everything wasn’t so dark) and Sterno (that wasn’t lit yet) to cook hot dogs and marshmallows over like they were actually camping.

Once he was finished he went to get Vic and the kids. He watched them for a moment, smiling at how happy Victoria was when she spent time with her babies. It was like looking at a whole new person. Quitting nursing had been the best thing for her. He was glad she was finally doing something that made her happy. “Who’s ready to see their surprise?” Declan asked. Timmy was the first to jump up, but Savvy was a close second. “Well, come on then.” He ushered them to the living room.

“Mommy, look at this ginormous fort!” Savanna said excitedly. The smile on her children’s faces made Victoria’s heart swell. This was a new side of Declan… A side that she enjoyed very much. He was so good to Timmy and Savanna and it was obvious they adored him. “How’d I do?” DC asked the kids. “This is sooooo cool.” Timmy replied. “Mommy, there’s room for you an DC...an’ look!He got’a movie for us ‘ta watch.” Thankfully the kids had iPads that were fully charged and there were downloaded movies to keep them entertained until bedtime.

TASK 010 - CLAN COLORS

TASK 010 - CLAN COLORS

Wat is je droombaan? Is dat altijd dezelfde baan geweest, of wilde je vroeger iets anders doen? Denk je dat je ooit echt deze baan zal hebben?

1) shut = closed; e.g. by the time I finished my phone call all the shops were shut;

2) set to = ready to do something; e.g. I was all set to do my homework, but then I fall asleep;

3)  break down = of a machine, to malfunction or break altogether; e.g. my car broke down and this set me back 500$;

4) chunk = a piece; e.g. Father gets to eat the biggest chunk of meat in the stew;

5) blender =  an  electrical  appliance  with  whirling  blades  for  chopping,  mixing,  or  liquefying  foods;

6) run of the mill = mediocre; common or standard; average;

7) stamina =  physical  or  moral  strength  to  resist  or  withstand  illness,  fatigue,  or  hardship;  endurance;

8) feed into = encourage the growth of; e.g. too much praise really feeds into his need for constant approval from others;

9) to saunter = walk slowly; e.g the man sauntered down the hall;

10) brisk = quick and energetic (the opposite of sauntering); e.g. Marcia walks with a brisk pace;

11)  to cut off = to cease; stop; discontinue; e.g. Francesca cut me off while I was in the middle of speaking;

12) to cut down = to  reduce  the  amount  taken  or  used; e.g. I cut down on smoking, now I only smoke 1 cigarette per day;

13) enhance = to increase the value, attractiveness, or quality of; improve;

14) to acquire = to  gain  possession  of; e.g. the corporation acquired two smaller firms in the deal last month;