The Party of Possibilities

The Party of Possibilities
by Rebecca Lee
Extemporaneous doesn’t fit the word. If he were truly Extemporaneous, he wouldn’t have so many syllables stopping up the sentence. Something short and boring and easy to think of like ‘cut’ or ‘pretty’ might be in style, but over four syllables is not something off the cuff. Extemporaneous peers quizzically over his spectacles to observe small bits of party food. Awkward and flamboyant all at the same time, he bumbles through life in a loud and un-becoming way.
This caviar is inedible. The party-goer closest to the food hunches – shoulders forward while tiny teeth are slightly exposed; they make a hideous grinding noise. He warns off all other Possibilities of trying to snack pleasantly. It is not inedible because of the disagreeableness of fish eggs, but merely because of Verboten Love. While Verboten’s teeth are small, he makes up for them with the rest of his size. With swimmable sweaters still tight around his middle, Verboten sits square in front of the food, blocking any hope of Extemporaneous eating.
Extemporaneous runs his fingers across his stomach and sadly weighs the heavy consequences of knowing forbidden friends. What was once an impossibly interesting character, is now someone whose passions stand enormously in the way. He continues to grumble quietly under his breath. Although he hadn’t noticed before, there is a new presence in the room. As beautiful as a tree in winter, he suddenly spots a lanky red head in the center of the room. Swirling with color and curiosity, she is both mysterious and whimsical all in the same breath. As if she might disappear all at once, he frantically wonders who this fine and enchanted life belongs to. Her name means everything in the world, all of his existence and all of his bumbling could only be understood by a few syllables left waiting.
Verboten grins and with a sweeping gesture gazes across the cocktail party. “This is Chimerical.”