I
sat idly at my desk, annotating Watchmen while scrambling for something to
say in discussion. Whenever I began to speak someone else jumped in talking
about exactly what I planned to say. Eventually, I found a lull in the
conversation and opened my mouth in anticipation. Suddenly, a bright light
filled the room, temporarily blinding everyone in it.
A
man appeared in the center of the room, immediately causing all discussion to
end and my moment to talk to once again disappear. Ms. Serensky stared him down
with her glare reserved for anyone who dares to interrupt AP English class. Her
eye twitched angrily. His face, already with a shocked look on it, froze for a
second in fright before he managed to regain his composure. Whispers filled the
classroom.
“Looks
just like Rorschach!”
“No, it couldn’t. He-”
“Senior
prank?”
“Surely
a joke.”
“But
look at the inkblots!”
My
peers and I stared at him in wonder, like children visiting the zoo for the
first time with their faces pressed up to the glass. Some of my fellow
classmates, like Anna, stared up at him lovingly, mesmerized by his every
movement. Others, myself included, watched him in shock and slight disdain wondering
what horror he would unleash here. Of course others, mainly males, thought of different
Watchmen characters.
“Do
you think Laurie will show up?” A boy eagerly whispered to his writing partner,
the inflection in his voice betraying his uncontrollable happiness at the mere thought
of her.
“Pathetic
girl,” Rorschach stated dismissively upon hearing the question.
“Last
in Antarctica. Where did Jon send me?” he murmured quietly to himself. “Must
investigate further.”
“So
y-you’re really Rorschach? The
Rorschach?”
“Know
my name. Veidt’s minions?”
“N-no,
we read Watchmen.”
Rorschach
grabbed a copy of the book off someone’s desk, quickly flipping through it
interestedly.
“Another
comic book about Minutemen? My journal published after all perhaps. Truth
revealed.”
Upon
seeing the date on the board, he froze.
“Over
twenty years later. Time travel –suspected Jon had such capability. Why here?
Why now?”
A
voice came on the loudspeaker, “Seniors, logs for community service hours were
due two weeks ago. Please turn them in as soon as possible. Also, please stop
pulling fire alarms. ”
“No
rules? No enforcement of the law? Vermin running wild. Evil must be stopped.”
The
inkblots on his face rearranged themselves into a grin.
First of all, I have to praise you for your fantastic editing skills on the photo of Ms. Serensky and Rorschach—have you ever considered dropping the whole Harvard dream and going to art school (totally kidding)? The interpretation of Rorschach’s tone, diction, and reactions to the students could not have matched his persona in the book more wholly. I love the suspense and foreshadowing at the end; the cruelty of leaving readers hanging does not come near outweighing the excitement of creating our own interpretations of the masked man’s next moves.
ReplyDeleteAna,your picture has successfully made me laugh out loud legitimately. Well done. I also wish your story continued on as I wondered while reading Watchmen what the characters would do in a more contemporary setting out of the Cold War. Also, I feel like you created very realistic reactions of our class and loved your mocking PA announcement.
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