Read Texts from Jane Eyre Online
Authors: Mallory Ortberg
I told you they hated me
I told you I could hear their voices dying with a dying fall
I don’t think they hate you
I just think they were surprised to see you dressed like that
They’ve always hated me
I just don’t think they were expecting you to come in shouting
“I am Lazarus, come from the dead, come back to tell you all”
well I’m sorry
I’m sorry I’m not Prince Hamlet or whatever
Sorry to be an easy tool
No one thinks you’re a tool
It’s just a weird thing to do at a dinner party
what are you doing
like right now
working
good good
that’s good
do you think I should eat a peach
what
right now?
yeah
do you want to eat a peach?
idk
yeah
then you should eat a peach
yeah
could you give me a ride?
right now?
yeah
i’m at work
i know
where do you need a ride to?
the store
what store
i need a peach
can it wait?
not really
there’s like
a bunch of mermaids here
and they definitely hate me
I don’t know where that is
can we go back to that oyster restaurant
maybe they have peaches
I can’t leave work to go buy you a peach right now
that’s okay
that’s fine
the mermaids keep singing about drowning me
but I’ll probably be fine
okay
okay
tell me where you are and I’ll come get you
awesome
and then we can go get peaches?
yes
we can go get peaches
okay
I’ll be there in fifteen minutes
do you think I would look good with rolled trousers
like if I rolled up the cuffs
I think they would make my legs look less skinny
I don’t know
Probably
actually
I don’t know if I want a peach anymore
oh my god
buuutttt
you should still come get me
let’s go out somewhere
Virginia Woolf
OH MY GOD MOM
WHAT DID I SAY I NEED TO WRITE FICTION
I NEEDED MONEY AND I NEED A ROOM OF MY OWN
NOT A ROOM YOU COME INTO WHEN I’M GONE AND CLEAN UP
AND REARRANGE EVERYTHING AND GO THROUGH MY STUFF
THIS IS MY ROOM
STAY OUT
I KNOW YOU’VE BEEN READING MY JOURNALS
UNDER THE GUISE OF “TIDYING UP”
SO GUESS WHAT
MY FICTION IS THAT YOU’RE AN UTTER BITCH
TIDY THAT UP
William Faulkner
you know what would be nice
what
if you could just ravel out into time
that would be nice
it would be nice if you could just
ravel out into time
i guess that could be nice
but first you have to get ready to stay dead a long time
well
that’s all that living is really
i guess technically
lets start now
ill go first
im a seed in the earth
you go next
(get ready to be dead)
(be a wet seed wild in the hot blind earth)
I
okay
youre not very good at this game
i guess not
sorry
its ok
my mother is a fish
and im a lot older than a lot of people who have died
and any live man is better than any dead man
but no live or dead man is much better than any other live
or dead man
so i understand
oh that’s
that’s good
hey i got you something
oh
you did?
Oh
i give you the mausoleum of all hope and desire
wow
not that you will remember time but that you might forget it
now and then
sure
sure
I can see how that would be a good thing
i knew youd like it :)
do you know what i hate
no
what do you hate
clocks
oh
how come
father said clocks slay time
time is dead as long as its being clicked off
by those little wheels
thats how they killed Christ you know
little wheels?
yep
yep yep yep
i lost a cow once
did you?
it was terrible
i loved that cow
im sorry to hear that
it owed me forty years of back taxes too
if i ever find her i’ll kill her
Daisy Miller
Part VI
look have you seen Daisy
I need to talk to her
oh my god
you haven’t heard
heard what
that Daisy diiiied
what
yes
nooo
yesssss
oh my god
what happened
she went for a walk outside
with an Italian
at night
under the MOON
oh god of course
so
you know
obviously
that killed her
that’d kill anybody
i know
it especially killed her
Peter Pan
Hey
hey!
me and the guys are renting a yacht and heading to
Croatia for this open-air festival
want to come??
oh are you guys still doing that?
well its not like a rental but we know a guy who says we can
use his boat and he’s super cool
when are you leaving?
mmm idk lemme check
okay
oh also
we don’t have any sleeping space left on the yacht
but we’re just gonna take peyote the whole way there so you won’t even need a bed
just art
you know?
how long does it take to sail to Croatia
haha omg
holy shit
so i just talked to Dan and we’re like
halfway there already i guess
you guys already left?
haha i know right
that’s so fucked up
i don’t even remember leaving
we’re like
somewhere in the fucking ocean right now
wow
u should come over
come over to the ocean?
hell yes
hell yes come to the ocean
it’s gonna be amazing
oh and when you come can you bring food and also money for food
and also some money for tickets?
i didnt bring any of my stuff with me
where are you in the ocean?
ahh i gotta go they’re opening the keg
see u sooooooon
ahh, Peter
Peter, my old friend Peter
you’ve come back to see me at last
I fear I have grown a great deal since the last time we met
oh ahhh sorry did i wake u up
I am a woman now, and an old woman at that
im literally not even here ok
i just like
you said to come by if i ever needed anything
and i just needed to borrow some money for a thing
Well, of course, Peter
anything you need
I’ll get my pocketbook
oh no dont worry i already
its fine ive got what i need
come into the drawing room and talk with me a while, Peter
um
is your skin still doing that folding thing
I am old
I have wrinkles now
yeah haha
ew
to be super honest hospitals freak me out
so i don’t think i can stay real long