the pearl

Norman Rockwell Life

Chloe's convinced she's fallen in a Norman Rockwell calendar.

It's the only way to explain the way Lana and Clark are looking at each other — tender eyes and wide smiles, hands clasped together as they walk, autumn leaves falling around them.

And next Clark will save a small cat from a tree and Pete will shine shoes and the Thanksgiving turkey will be laid out by Clark's mom with all the fixings and all the rosy-cheeked children all around will smile and thank the Lord Jesus Christ and the good old USA.

She's sure she's trapped — the all-plastic wipe-off Norman Rockwell calendar, perfect for the kitchen, order now — she's stuck in November, and no one's gonna flip the page and move them onto the next month.

They smile at each other again, and she's sure that they'll start jumping through pile of leaves or spinning around or something equally cinematic. She's walking ten steps behind them, and she's stuck in this Norman Rockwell calendar moment, because there's no other way to describe how perfect the entire scene looks.

Perfectly artificial.

She licks her lips and she thinks she can still taste Lana's lip gloss.

She knows it ended, but maybe...

Maybe someone will turn the page.

This Smallville story was written by Kate Bolin. If you liked it, there's plenty more at http://www.dymphna.net/fanfic/. And you can feedback her at dymphna@dymphna.net.