saw that Lisa sent an e-mail, but I deleted it before I opened it. I don’t think she’ll listen to us. She’s a woman on a kamikaze mission.
Danielle
*DANIEL E-MAIL* 12/20
E-mail #2: Daniel writes back to me
Thanks for writing me back. You were the only one who did. I like your idea of deleting all her e-mails rather than my tactic of reacting to them. I’ll have to get revenge some other way. Hey, have a good holiday.
*CLASS ASSIGNMENT* 1/9
Essay #11: A Picture Is Worth a 1000 Words
(I did not enjoy this essay topic, and yet, B+.)
Danielle Levine
English 12
Ms. Harrison
Period 4
Welcome back from the winter holiday, Ms.Harrison. I hope it was nice for you. I enjoyed hibernating during this break, lots of sleeping and reading.
Yes, a picture is worth a thousand words, I guess. There are a few that come to my mind and when I see them, epic stories are evident in an instant. Sometimes pictures even evoke sounds like a haunting oboe or something.
I like words more than pictures.
I don’t have a camera. My parents bought me one for my birthday, but when I took pictures and thought about looking at them, I instead tossed the camera in the L.A. river. Then I had to work to pay my parents back for the money I wasted. It was a whole big thing. But if I want to look at some kind of captured image, I have snow globes for that.
I don’t care if pictures are worth a million metaphorical words. I like real words. I should have been born in another era where people wrote letters and socialized over lemonade and a game of cards or a few cigars and talked about life’s pertinent experiences while being shrouded in mystery under elaborate hats and layers of clothing. All their talk floats away along the path of smoke. Maybe remembered but really gone. Each person can keep what they want.
I see most photographs today and all I can think about is newspaper articles, grieving, and a frozen moment in time. Photographs are cruel that way. A photograph captures a moment of truth that can’t be undone and makes it live on and on and on and on. They are reprinted, reloaded, posted, downloaded over and over and over again. They resurface and wound.
Teacher comments: Some beautiful ideas here. I really think Marv is helping you.
*MARV MISSIVE*
Letter #3 from Marv to me
Probing too deeply for my taste
Danielle,
I read your essay about photographs. It was interesting. Do you want to write more about that?
Just wondering,
Marv
*MARV MISSIVE*
Letter #3 from me to Marv
What he deserved in return
Dear Marv,
No.
Danielle
*MARV MISSIVE*
Pathetic letter #4 from me to Marv
What I felt forced to write to Marv because Stella is a crazy therapist.
Dear Marv,
Well, sorry about the curt previous letter. Apparently you called my mom because she just called me and said I have to go back to my crazy ex-therapist Stella if I don’t “open up” to you. So annoying. Look, I really don’t want to write about stuff that you already know about from my file. I feel like your asking me is just some kind of game to get into my head, which is my business. Things are neatly organized in there. If I write to you about these things, it may disorganize my filing system.
Danielle
*MARV MISSIVE*
Letter #4 from Marv to me
Marv is smarter than I thought.
Danielle,
I can understand that you’ve compartmentalized things in order to cope. However, I would ask you to really think about how that is working for you. Is it working for you? Do you feel content?
With understanding,
Marv
*MARV MISSIVE*
Letter #5 from me to Marv
After a few days of thought and knowing I don’t want to go back to Stella
Marv,
I would not say the “method to my madness” is a complete success. However, I cannot undo it at this time. I keep things stored away that must be stored away. When I write about them it loosens the spigots that have kept a hold on them. Please respect this. Turning a knob to full-throttle “on” could mean I can’t get out of bed. How would that work for you?
Danielle
*MARV MISSIVE*
Letter #5 from Marv to me
Marv finally gets it.
Danielle,
Understood. I have a feeling those spigots will loosen over time when you are ready for them to.
Marv
*AUNT JOYCE E-MAIL* 1/13
E-mail #2 to Aunt Joyce, who can manage this excavating of my brain better than anyone
Dear Aunt Joyce,
I hope that the fashion show in New York was a smashing success and that you also had some