My mother used to take me to a beach called Emerald Isles. What could have been an emerald simply amounted to fool’s gold. Most of this beach was covered in condos, and when we went, the sky was a dull white. There was a thick anticipation of when the clouds would break and the rain would come. I hated it.
We rented an apartment for a weekend. The place itself was nice enough- I remember it being a stereotypical beach house- the kind with cheap decorations on the walls and cheesy sayings plastered onto pillows. I had my own room, and my sisters had to share.
This trip was very mundane- which is strange to me because it’s one of my oldest memories, from when I was around five. No one remembers a lot when they’re five. But I did. And I remembered a full story of a mundane beach trip where it rained.
My mother took us to the beach just before the rain came down. We were forced to take pictures on the plywood (which, to my surprise, was covered in flies), and stood there as I took in the scent of death. Then we left.
I wasn’t really sure why I remembered this. I wasn’t thinking, “Oh, I have to remember the sucky beach trip from when I was five.” No, I’m no hypocrite. It’s simply human instinct; you remember more things that are bad than good to protect you.
But if this were true, why isn’t the world filled with pessimists? Why hasn’t that natural human instinct buckled down and said, “Alright, kid. It’s time to crawl in a hole and die.”?
I don’t have the answer. But I do know one thing.
Quokkas live in paradise. A quokka, to be exact, is a marsupial that looks like the large version of a hamster. You’ve probably seen some pictures of them smiling and taking selfies with people. Most animals would be afraid, but a quokka has no natural predators, no instinct, and thus, not a single bad memory.
If quokkas were ugly, they would have died. They live on the coast of southwestern Australia, where things are meant to be pretty. And quokkas are pretty, so they stay.
Maybe they could’ve ended up like a dodo; not exactly ugly, but a nuisance, and so they were taken from paradise while they had no instincts and no natural predators.
I would like to be a quokka. A cute little creature that gets fat from tourists and is too ignorant to understand realities other than what’s within their tight inner circle. I don’t really know what I am; I’ve been blessed with options.
I am nothing like a quokka. I am forced to remember the mundane while being expected to seek out the extraordinary.
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125,021 Literary Works • 672,739 Reviews
This is a great read and thought provoking in a natural unforced way. I almost don't want to review this because dissecting something often makes it loose its magic but if I could stop myself from doing that I wouldn't be here.
I really like how well the wandering of thoughts is captured here. Reading the text feels natural. There is actually a thing here in the comments by sMulki I disagree with, I don't think you need or should describe the beach or the beach house more. I personally think the briefness of the description is one of the aspects that elevates this text by making it more flowing, more ethereal, more thoughtlike.
The main thing that makes this story very good in my eyes is how effortlessly you tie that aforementioned loose and thought like writing style into the big philosophical question that for me make this text worth reading.
The question that underlines this text is the stereotypical but all important "Why are we here and what should we do?" The search for an answer to those questions has plagued us since we started thinking and eludes us still. This leads us to another thing I like about this text, this text does not answer those questions. You quite cleverly leave the question floating in the air, to be considered by the reader but yet you subtly guide him with your Quokka analogy.
Generally I think the Quokka analogy is great way to present, what I think to be your thoughts on the topic, without outright saying them. You first tell is that "Quokkas live in paradise" but then you contradict that positive image by stating that they were a small ways away from ending like the Dodo if they were just a bit more ugly and calling them "too ignorant to understand". Still you "would like to be a Quokka". But then again you say you are "blessed with options" by being a human.
Ultimately I think this text is a great way of getting the reader to think. Would they rather be the ignorant but happy Quokka or the weird sometimes sad human who strives for the extraordinary. It has been very good reading this text and I did recognize you from "Dates with A Banshee" which I hope to read a continuation off soon. If you read this far and haven't given up on me due to my rambling have a great day and keep writing your stories are the best I read on this website so far! Come to think of it keep writing even if you haven't read this far.
wow! You have really done a good job writing this. I think if you add a bit more description of the the place it will be better. i like the way you have expressed emotions deeply through words. Good job! Looking forward to read your other works.
~SMulki
Hello again gruzinkerbell,
It seems to be that creative nonfiction is your forte. Your use of scenery and creative language really resonates with me and my own style. I like how you compare the quokka with the themes of your piece. You understand what character and description mean to a piece of creative work. That is hard to pull off. Good job. I would also recommend expanding on this piece as well as you are really good at nonfiction. Give more scenes, descriptions, reactions. That should improve your work. Best of luck.