I wrote a story based on SE Hinton's (or is it Hilton? Eh.) 'The Outsiders', which is a relatively short book about a pair of friends who make a mistake that changes their lives and the lives of those around them.
In the story, there is a moment where one of the characters tells his friend to 'Stay Gold' in remembrance of Robert Frost's poem "Nothing Gold Can Stay". The poem emphasizes the fact that the better things in this world will not last forever, including goodness. 'Stay Gold' is Johnny Cade's way of telling his friend, Ponyboy Curtis, to hold onto that goodness in life, even if it seems as if it will wither away.
The story is written from the point of view of Sodapop Curtis, Ponyboy's older brother. Darry is also a brother, him being the oldest, and then Soda and then Pony. ))
Stay Gold
Sometimes, Ponyboy fell asleep in the strangest places.
It wasn’t too surprising when Darry sometimes found him curled up on a kitchen chair, or dozing on the porch. Often, Darry would find him outside in the freezing night air, asleep under a tree or something. Pony hated waking up, too, especially when someone shook him or purposely called his name loud enough for him to hear. I guess it’s because he’s skittish. He’s always been a bit edgy since that time when he was out in hiding with Johnny. Makes me wonder if they managed to sleep at all out there in that church. I know one thing, though. I’ll bet you he’ll never fall asleep in a church ever again.
“Snap outta it, Soda,” Darry said, turning my attention from the car window to his face. He glanced at me from the drivers’ seat, almost turning completely around before remembering that he was driving – he looked at me in the rearview mirror. “I asked you and Pony if you were hungry. Are you?”
“I am,” I said lightly, then cast a glance down at the mop of auburn hair nestled between my arm and the car door. Ponyboy was asleep again, his lips pressed firmly together and his brow ever-so-slightly wrinkled, as if his head were in the clouds even as he slept. Darry was still giving him a hard time about that, Pony’s daydreaming and such. Since the Socs beat Pony and Johnny, Darry has been on his case about being alone and talking back to people. And Lordy has Pony got a tongue on him. While the majority of his ‘Yes Darry’s had been real precise back in the day, a lot of them have been replaced with ‘I don’t feel like it’ or ‘Why?’. If I know anything, it’s that the word ‘why’ is dangerous when Darry is stressed or downright tired of Ponyboy’s smart-aleck answers.
Pony, for once, didn’t even bother to wake up to listen to Darry. Like I said, the kid sleeps in the strangest places. I couldn’t ever fall asleep in the car, everything’s too bumpy.
“Are you just gonna get him something while we’re out?” I asked my older brother, leaning forward on the seat to rest my arms on the back of Darry’s. “He likes burgers.”
“Yeah, sure,” Darry sighed, turning into the Dairy Queen. I leaned back and watched Pony’s hair glint in the sunlight through the car window.
Huh. I guess that was unexpected – the shine in his hair, I mean. For a second or so, that reddish color of his locks seemed golden, which was surprising since his hair was so dark in the first place. Gold’s a pretty nice color, tuff even, if you wanted to be daring about it. If you think about, kings wear gold. Rich people have gold stuff. Pony was golden, so did that make me and Darry rich?
“Here,” Darry called, reaching back over the seat to hand me a warm, grease-spotted bag. He watched me stuff a few fries into my mouth before turning the car towards home. The fries were hot and burned the roof of my tongue, but they were good. “You been staring at Pony for a while. Is there something on him?”
“Gold, I guess,” I said, sliding the bag onto my lap and leaning back against the seat. Darry rolled his eyes and muttered something about me and some lost marbles.
Pony stirred once, the relaxed with a slow sigh, the corners of his mouth turning up in a small smile. I reached over and pushed his hair off his forehead, watching it fall back into place as I did so. Good-looking kid. I ruffled his hair gently and turned back to the window.
Lord, gold sure was a nice color.
(( Comments and such, please. :3 ))
