Dills Like White Elephants

The trees visible through the limited windows of Athens High School in the student parking lot expressed the hues of autumn. The boy and the girl sat at the lunch table. With the seasonal change, the weather slowly began to cool. "What homework should we start on?" the girl asked. She then lifted her backpack and placed it on the table.
"I've got a lot of homework too," the boy said.
"Let's do the worksheet on Postmodernism for Beginnners"
"The big packet?" the girl asked.
"Yes. The big packet."
They both began to pull out their homework and the girl began looking at the trees across the student parking lot. The warm tones contrasted from the white clouds above them.
"The clouds look like white elephants," she said.
"They look like regular cloud to me," the boy continued with the packet.
"The introductions (pages 1-6) paints a picture of the cultural zeitgeist that fostered postmodernism..."
"What does that even mean?"
The girl looked across the student parking lot.
"They're lovely clouds," she said. "They don't really look like white elephants. I just thought their shape resembled them a little."
"Should we try to decipher another question?"
"All right."
The cool wind chilled the girl's naked hands.
"It really just any ordinary aliment. It's really not anything. It's just a crunch."
The girl did not say anything.
"I'll get some with you and I'll eat it with you at the same time."
"We'll be fine afterward. Just like before."
"What makes you think so?"
"That's the only thing that bothers us. It's the only thing that's made us unhappy."
"And you think then we'll be all right and happy."
"I know we will. You don't have to be afraid. I've known lots of people who eat it."
"So have I," said the girl. "And they said it was life changing."
"Well," the boy said, "if you don't want to you don't have to. I wouldn't have you do it if you didn't want to. But it's not a big dill
."
"Then I'll do it. Because I don't care about my taste buds."
"Well I care about your taste buds."
"Would you please please please please please please please stop talking?"
He continued to look at the daunting packet.
"But I don't want you to," he said, "I don't care anything about it."
"I'll puke," the girl said.
They looked at the clock and lunch time was almost over. He picked up his backpack and she did the same. She stood and was smiling at him.
"Do you feel better he asked?" he asked.

"I feel fine," she said.