Bones Drabble: Wake Me Up When September Ends

[only_more_love]

Written for bertie456 for this drabble meme.  Click the link if you'd like to leave a prompt.

Title: Wake Me Up When September Ends
Fandom: Bones
Character: Cam Saroyan
Rating: PG or K
Word Count: 100
Spoilers: None.
Timeline: Set this coming September.
Feedback is treasured. Thank you.
Prompt: A Bones drabble involving Cam in some way. 
Notes:  I suspect this drabble might seem confusing.  Please don't hesitate to ask for clarification if you need it.   Oh, and I've used my imagination for some backstory. 

Click to read the other drabbles written for this meme.
Click here for fic index.

The seventh anniversary falls on a Thursday.

She takes a vacation day and rides the Acela up, getting off at Penn Station. 

The hours melt as her feet skim the avenues and cross streets that pump blood out from the heart of the city.

Treasure accumulates – almond-scented bubble tea from Chinatown and a Magnolia Bakery cupcake with buttercream frosting that dissolves on her tongue.

Despite the sweetness in her mouth, she remembers: 

Lampposts wearing missing persons flyers.  

Sidewalk memorials.

Votives mourning by twilight.  

The acrid scents of death and destruction that hovered long past September. 

Cam remembers her best friend. 

Comments

[bertie456.livejournal.com]

Gorgeously perfectly wonderful.
(Am falling asleep at keyboard. Will leave better/more coherent comment in morning. But until then... *applauds*)

[bertie456.livejournal.com]

*is awake*
Again, that was beautiful. I love/am astounded by the amount of personalising detail that you can fit into 100 words and still have a great overall picture:

Treasure accumulates – almond-scented bubble tea from Chinatown and a Magnolia Bakery cupcake with buttercream frosting that dissolves on her tongue.
and then:
The acrid scents of death and destruction that hovered long past September.

Amazing work and thank you for adding some of the backstory to Cam - there seems to be so much about her that the show hasn't explored or even touched upon yet. :)

[lerdo.livejournal.com]

Thanks, Bertie. :D I'm just relieved you liked this.

Cam's wide open in terms of backstory -- and current story! As much as I adore Booth and Brennan, I think if the show took even an iota of the focus off them, they'd have more airtime for some of the other characters.

[plazmah.livejournal.com]

Absolutely amazing; those last two lines gave me chills. I almost want to write my own fic expanding on this, because I love Cam and she deserves the complex depth you've hinted at in this drabble.

[lerdo.livejournal.com]

Thanks so much for sharing your reactions to this. :) I'm glad you found this kind of inspiring; that's really flattering. I'm hopeful we'll get more on Cam in the show, but I'm not holding my breath...

[mdemvizi.livejournal.com]

Very nice.

[lerdo.livejournal.com]

Thank you.

[ggjunkie33.livejournal.com]

So sad, but I love all the use of senses in this one! Really like your idea for the backstory, it makes sense considering where Cam worked before.
I second bertie's 'goregeously perfectly wonderful'! :)

[lerdo.livejournal.com]

Thank you, Leah. ♥ I'm glad this one worked for you. I don't really expect it, but I hope that we'll get a chance to learn more about who Cam is once the show returns.

[pipergirl07.livejournal.com]

I like the feeling that Cam's moved on, that she's comfortable with her memories. Despite being a very short fic, I still felt that if I closed my eyes, I could share what Cam is sensing.

Also, I like the fact that this is just Cam. It's sort of fitting that there's a part of her life that doesn't involve the other squints, since she came into the picture later on. I think it would be a bit odd having anyone else in this fic.

[last-archangel.livejournal.com]

It took me a minute to realize what you were writing about...and then my eyes welled up. Gorgeous writing.

[makd.livejournal.com]

Wow!

Excellent. I like Cam, and I hope they'll find a way to fill us in on her backstory some day.

[lerdo.livejournal.com]

Thank you, M. :)

I like Cam, and I hope they'll find a way to fill us in on her backstory some day.

We're in total agreement on this.

[buffyangellvr23.livejournal.com]

nice work *applauds*

[lerdo.livejournal.com]

Hey, thank you! :)

[tempertemper77.livejournal.com]

Absolutely no need for clarification.

This is absolutely beautiful, heart breaking, gorgeous. I absolutely love every line, the imagery is beautiful...

The hours melt as her feet skim the avenues and cross streets that pump blood out from the heart of the city.

Treasure accumulates – almond-scented bubble tea from Chinatown and a Magnolia Bakery cupcake with buttercream frosting that dissolves on her tongue.

Could quote the whole thing...

The thought that Cam could/would easily have had friends caught up in this is just... my heart breaks for her. The atmosphere in this one is perfect. You've really captured the aftermath beautifully, and with respect.

Fab x

[dabhug.livejournal.com]

I love it. It is perfect.

And I can taste that cupcake.

[lerdo.livejournal.com]

Many thanks, D.

And I can taste that cupcake.

Oh, that's wonderful. The cupcakes at Magnolia are unbelievable. *sighs*

[shipperatheart.livejournal.com]

Perfectly clear, not to worry, and *haunting*. Dang!
Love the implication of an annual ritual. And the descriptions of her memories are just so perfect in how much they capture in so few words. Lovely!

Also: high time we saw more depth to Cam. I just started a thread on the anti-boneyard about what everyone *thinks* we will see in season 4 and what folks *wants* to happen (and why); more backstory and a plot for Cam is on my list of things I want for season 4, so this came along at a perfect time.

I think I'd like to friend you if that's okay, because these beautiful drabbles you make just scratch places in my brain that few writers reach.

[heather-berry78.livejournal.com]

achingly lovely. Consistently brilliant


(p.s. where do you get the prompts from - is there a listing somewhere....I work much better with prompts!!!)

[lerdo.livejournal.com]

Thank you. I'm pleased you thought so. :)

(p.s. where do you get the prompts from - is there a listing somewhere....I work much better with prompts!!!)

I'm writing this particular set of drabbles in response to this (http://lerdo.livejournal.com/88855.html), where people have left me prompts, fandoms, etc. But if you're looking for prompts in general, I have three suggestions for you:

1. Google "writing prompts."
2. Click here (http://www.livejournal.com/interests.bml?int=prompts) and sift through the results.
3. Click here (http://www.livejournal.com/interests.bml?int=writing+prompts) and sift through the results.

[heather-berry78.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much!

[elena1701.livejournal.com]

This didn't really confuse me as such, but I did have to think about it - at first I thought she was remembering a friend who'd been murdered, then the mention of the anniversary falling on Thursday and the scents made me realise what she was referring to.

Beautifully written - you say so much in these few words!

[mistletoe54.livejournal.com]

Your drabble has more depth about Cam than anything they produced on the show. Most of what we have are snapshots in reaction to things: hypnotised in Vegas; not reading Brennan's books; poor family relationships; affair with Booth. I feel I know more of her inner life from your take than the 2 seasons she's been on. And that was just 100 words. Amazing.

Incidentally, isn't the shallowness endemic in Bones? There's not much meat on their bones. Tee hee. Or alternatively: grrrr what a typical waste of potential.

[limone1.livejournal.com]

Not confusing at all, crystal clear.

You've captured Cam, NY and September perfectly and beautifully.

[lerdo.livejournal.com]

Thank you; I'm happy it didn't tax your brain too much. :P

I lived in NY from 1999-2004; I will never forget 9/11/01 -- or its aftermath.

[lostakasha.livejournal.com]

Goddess, how I love the fluidity of your writing, so tidal and lyrical.

Thank you for this very personal glimpse of Camille; we do need more of her because there's just so much to be had.

Chance is a fine, fine thing. On 9/11 I was on my way to Logan that morning to fly to Atlanta; a colleague of mine going to the same meeting flew out of Dulles directly behind Flight #77. Our scars are different but we're scarred, just the same. ♥

[gah-warrior.livejournal.com]

I love, love, love when you write Cam. There's a quality about her that I think you've captured perfectly here - and I just spent 10 minutes typing and deleting what I think that quality is, so I'll just give up and say that this is lovely. Thanks for sharing.

[dolphin-88.livejournal.com]

So nice! You really did a great job in trying to convey Cam's feelings: the show still didn't do so (at least up to mid season 2, that's all that has been aired in Italy up to now). I really liked it! :)

[a2zmom.livejournal.com]

What a beautiful, painful, evocative piece.

I was right across the river and because of the industry I'm in (brokerage services), I knew someone who died. I think every single person in my office knew at least one person who did.

[michellemtsu.livejournal.com]

You put more focus on Cam in 100 words than the show has in 2 seasons. Wonderful job!

[sb158.livejournal.com]

Never even thought of that, but if she was working in NY all that time, she would have been involved in 911. Has to have some long-lasting bad effects.
And ditto on all the mice comments!

[greenovalfruit.livejournal.com]

Wow, that's mean. Kill Cam's best friend in 9/11.

Mean but well, it was GOOD.

Aw. Poor Cam.

But Magnolia Bakery - good start on curing all ills.