tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65908034095401551532024-02-02T05:35:57.871-08:00readJEYwriteShort stories, poems, manuscripts, and the annoying ideas in my headJeremyyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14999211749128091435noreply@blogger.comBlogger43125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6590803409540155153.post-33832256967598432852016-03-28T22:09:00.002-07:002016-03-28T22:10:56.113-07:00Take 'Em Out Back Behind the ShedGoodbye sweet blog... spot<br />
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This blog is moving here: <a href="http://jeremyeyong.com/">jeremyeyong.com</a></div>
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See you there :)</div>
Jeremyyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14999211749128091435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6590803409540155153.post-4091638992217050112015-12-05T13:25:00.000-08:002015-12-05T13:25:17.660-08:00December DoldrumsNot really doldrums though. I just like that word.<br />
<br />
Here's the update:<br />
<br />
I've got an oft-revised draft of a novelette (15k words) prepped for eyes other than my own. I want to get this self-pubbed soon, just to get it out there. It's something I'm finally comfortable with, and now I just need to know if readers like it too. Otherwise, I'll write the rest and keep it to myself :)<br />
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The blurb: Kai is a police officer native to Caraq, but he's working for the Strahanis who occupied and absorbed his nation into their own. When he has to confront a Caraqtha criminal, he has to decide which side he's really fighting to save.<br />
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Does this blurb suck? I need advice on it!<br />
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Anyway, I'm moving on to other storylines related to this Caraqtha/Strahani struggle. Super excited to get this on the roll.<br />
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I spent November on NaNoWriMo and wrote a huge backstory novel for one of the minor characters in the aforementioned struggle. I knew the draft would be super suck, so it was a nice exercise in simply learning more about the character and her struggles. It helps inform much of my current work. And writing 1700 words every day also has me primed to continue that trend into December.<br />
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Y'know, that month of the doldrums.Jeremyyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14999211749128091435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6590803409540155153.post-29275622812649438472015-09-02T22:14:00.000-07:002015-09-02T22:14:00.665-07:00Stuck<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Another short for <a href="https://plus.google.com/+AmyKnepper/posts/fZ2wdwgLQ71" target="_blank">WDG</a></div>
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Roughly 500 words</div>
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<br /></div>
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--</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“We should have taken the train,” Dad said for the fifth
time. He looked out the passenger window, a worn map crushed in a hand
clutching his armrest. Mom, hands perched on the driver’s wheel, did not deign
to look at him. I think if she had, she would’ve socked him good. Her shoulders
slowly rose and fell. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“You’ve said that already, Larry.” <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“Well it seemed like last time I was talking to an empty
car.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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“Look at the birds!” I said from my plastic car seat. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Neither of them responded. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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“Great,” Mom said, not to me.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Motorcycles streamed past the idling cars. One bike had
four people on it. Daughter and son as small as me sandwiched between their dad
driving and mom smiling in the back. It looked like the mom was going to fall
off—her only purchase the underside of the seat’s lip—leaning back like that.
But her black hair was flowing and her smile was the brightest thing I’d seen
all day.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“We’ve been sitting in this traffic for two hours. How
far have we even gone?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“Are you expecting my answer to make the cars move,
Larry?” She had a way of saying his name like she would say mine when I was in
trouble, one of Mom’s many powers. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
I giggled.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Dad turned on me. “What’s so funny, Jordan?”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“Don’t yell at her.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“I wasn’t yelling!”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
A seemingly empty car answered him.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
The cars ahead moved slightly forward. As they’d been for
hours, everyone fuming. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
It was really very quiet, and the crummy felt on the
plastic seat was sticky, somehow the gum I’d saved for later not returning to
me. I plucked at it sucking and wetting my fingers, the gooey strings coming
up, spiraling and breaking. I sniffed. I couldn’t save any.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“Do you guys smell smoke?” Dad asked. “Seriously, though,
what’s that smell?” He twisted in his seat to look through our back window.
“You smell that, Suze?”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“I don’t smell anything, Larry.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“Is that a fire?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
I pulled at my straps, the thin gray bands around my
shoulders. I kicked my legs. My head cramped by the car seat’s walls. “Let me
out, I want to see the fire.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“Honey, there’s a fire,” Dad said in his
goofy-trying-to-be-charismatic voice, “and I think we ought to show Jordan what
the fire looks like.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Mom turned to him, and she was smiling. “Ok.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
They burst out of their doors, yelling, “Fire drill, fire
drill!” <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Mom came to my door and yanked me from my seat and
hoisted me on her strong shoulders, my favorite perch, and we ran around the
car, looking for the fire, Dad running in the opposite direction, screaming,
“You guys see the fire?” Maybe to us, maybe to the other cars. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
We were all hollering at the top of our lungs and it felt
so good. We ran in more circles around the car. People yelled at us, honked and
held their horns.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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We got back in the car.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Mom and Dad were out of breath and laughing.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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“Where was the fire?” I asked. “I want to see the fire!”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“It’s ok, sweetie,” Mom said, “the fire’s out.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“Aw,” I said.</div>
Jeremyyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14999211749128091435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6590803409540155153.post-19051919726071834412015-08-31T12:28:00.000-07:002015-08-31T12:28:08.415-07:00The Cipher<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Written for <a href="https://plus.google.com/+AmyKnepper/posts/JXMaaDxufyv" target="_blank">WDG</a>.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
~500 words</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Saint entered the dusty room cautiously, as a man does
who has seen horrible things revealed through swung doors. A mattress with
rumpled sheets was crammed into the far corner, and a simple wood chair and
desk filled the opposite end of the room. Altogether an unremarkable
architecture and furnishing. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
The floor boards groaned with Saint’s every step. Perhaps
they’d not been stepped on in decades. It’d been that long since he’d been
here. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
He glanced at the yellowed papers he’d pinned to the
walls, the dictates, the stately inversions, the inner workings of a burgeoning
nation. The notions held in the words were old, idealistic. And dead. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i>She should be here
any minute</i>, he thought. Ten days into the riots, when the viciousness
proved insatiable, they had agreed to meet here—the beginning of all things for
them. So long ago, this was where they had written their brilliance and led the
people. Apparently, any revolutionary can lead the people. He laughed at the
circuitousness of it all. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
He sat on the bed, a plume of motes geysering around him.
They exposed themselves in the thinning sunlight through the single window
above him. Between his fingers, he rubbed the moth-eaten sheets, felt the age
and memories. He leaned back against the wall. His eyelids drooped. So much
running, when would it end?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
A floor board creaked. He jerked from his reverie. It was
pitch black, the sun gone. He had slept. It was silent again, but his mind was
roaring. He willed his eyes to pierce the darkness. He wanted so badly to call
out and for her to call back, the singsong of her voice flying to him, but he
had done that before and it had cost lives. The agony! <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Five minutes felt an hour. Another five a year. His eyes
adjusted and he could discern no other persons or new shadows in the room. He
quickly went to the desk, his hands scrambling over the surface for the candle
and then his pockets for a match. Rare an emotion more powerful than light banishing
darkness. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
With the candle he revealed the room, identical as his
entrance, yet he knew it had been exposed to another presence. It was the odor.
The intruder had smelled of earth, ripped grass, the sweat of a horse. But this
virus had been a shadow, leaving no marks on the floor, the only breaks in the
dusty patterns his own. He sighed, turned and sat in the chair.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
There on the desk was a new paper, outstanding in its
garish white. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
It was written in the old cipher she and he had used in
their childhood romance. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
It was signed in blood.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
It read: <i>We have
Rose. Come to the Fifth Parallel.</i> <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Saint’s hands trembled as he pulled the paper before his
eyes. Backlit by the candle, a ghostly outline of cramped yet graceful text was
pulled into existence in the lower left corner.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<i>Fooled them</i>,
she said.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Saint laughed. Laughed so hard he cried.<o:p></o:p></div>
Jeremyyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14999211749128091435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6590803409540155153.post-41434756362453647402015-07-28T12:22:00.000-07:002015-07-28T12:22:02.960-07:00Upon Their WingsShort story for <a href="https://plus.google.com/communities/106134988944938026164" target="_blank">WDG</a>, inspired by this picture: <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-z7cdvYhieTo/VbZjsfZz9EI/AAAAAAAAPD0/3exc0w2UQ3E/w346-h260/inkblot.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-z7cdvYhieTo/VbZjsfZz9EI/AAAAAAAAPD0/3exc0w2UQ3E/w346-h260/inkblot.png" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
~400 words<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
---</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Kaleo ran beside the beautiful butterflies flying in the
dusk light, tittering before him like fairies, zipping this way and that. They
came in the fall, when the rest of the valley became a barren landscape of
skeleton trees and scraggly bushes. Yellowed grass crumpled beneath his
sneakers. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
With the sun behind the largest
mountain—though it was really more a tall hill—the sky blossomed into a deep
vermilion, and the half moon grew more powerful. Yet between that and Kaleo
were the butterflies. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Underneath
their fluttering, he laughed and danced as they did. With dusk nearly complete,
light fading in each passing moment, the butterflies and their iridescent wings
brightened. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Kaleo
followed one in particular. It seemed to coast more than the others, flapping
its brilliant emerald to violet to cerulean hues only to settle on incandescent
gold. The butterfly arched high in the air, completing a twist and coasted
toward its vibrant brethren. They swirled together in a rainbow vortex before
breaking apart like a meteor shattering across the atmosphere. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Kaleo fell
to the ground and lay there, quietly, with his hands rested on his stomach,
watching the angels pass in the air.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
He dozed for a time. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
When he woke, he smiled; they
remained above, as always. He held his hand up, inspecting it in the ghostly
moonlight. So plain, the skin. Affording no shimmers in the night. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
A brilliant idea occurred to him. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
With zest, he leapt to his feet.
Then crouched. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Overhead, the butterflies continued
their striations. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
His mother called to him from the
porch.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Just a few more minutes.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Make it one minute, Kaleo, dinner
is ready.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Nearly there.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
A butterfly broke off from the
glittering haze, a lost star. It spun alone in the air, keeping time to its own
rhythm. Slowly, in downward spirals, it came. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Clap.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Kaleo cupped it between his hands.
He smiled to himself. It splashed around within his hermetic finger cage.
Slowly, he separated his thumbs, peering in. Only darkness. He frowned and
opened his hands. Nothing remained but black splatters across his palms.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
A tear fell from his eyes, smudging
the bloody stains. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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Above him, the other butterflies
flickered and went dark. But he knew they were there. He thought they would
never light up again. Their vigil lasted seconds. They left him in the quiet
night, upon their iridescent wings.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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----</div>
Jeremyyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14999211749128091435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6590803409540155153.post-25156741093918448452015-07-22T11:38:00.003-07:002015-07-22T11:38:53.437-07:00Upon MeShort poem for <a href="https://plus.google.com/communities/106134988944938026164" target="_blank">WDG</a>.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
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just a seventh of a second<o:p></o:p></div>
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all it takes, revealing my penchant<o:p></o:p></div>
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to stand against what may come<o:p></o:p></div>
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maybe better yet worse than some<o:p></o:p></div>
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this moment fast to the grave<o:p></o:p></div>
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keeps me alone in this cave<o:p></o:p></div>
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of my mind where solace finds<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
a lean somber clock that chimes<o:p></o:p></div>
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it is time for hell or heaven<o:p></o:p></div>
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can I believe and reckon in<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
just a seventh of a second<o:p></o:p></div>
Jeremyyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14999211749128091435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6590803409540155153.post-37301511749245910352015-07-16T17:07:00.000-07:002015-07-16T17:07:32.330-07:00This Monster of MineAnother short I wrote for <a href="https://plus.google.com/communities/106134988944938026164" target="_blank">WDG</a>.<br />
About 550 words.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
---</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
You wouldn’t know it by looking at me, but I have a monster.
We all have one—personal demons lurking in the dark, stale corners of our souls.
In the deepest of my being, I can visit my monster. I shudder to think of her.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I have neglected my monster. For so long, in the pit of my
humanity, she has lashed against her fraying tether, never biding her time. I
admire her relentless fury, and I fear it. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
She howls at me as I approach a pretty girl; she snickers
when I speak before a group; she laughs at me always. I never confront her
about these things—horrible as she is. I’m not brave enough. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
You don’t know my monster like I do. She’s different than
yours. You’d realize this the moment you met her. <i>This is one crazy sonuvagun</i>. And she’d stare at you through her
red, gleaming eyes, quivering maw waiting to spit condescension.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Under the dawn’s light, I plopped into the tractor seat and
disked the rows between my fruitless apple trees, riling up the dirt. The green
leaves dimmed under the churned dust. I had just completed the last row when
Miss Jasper showed up on her horse, Nilly. I turned off the tractor, the loud
engine cutting with a cough. I wiped my brow and nodded as they neared.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Hey Nilly.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Very funny, Travis,” Miss Jasper said. She leaned in the
saddle and stroked Nilly’s smooth hair. Miss Jasper had fine auburn hair
herself. What I wouldn’t give to—<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Very funny indeed</i>,
my monster says. <i>Why don’t you tell her
about all those feelings?</i><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Sorry, Miss Jasper, how can I help you?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Travis, would you please call me Heather? Makes me feel
like my aunt when you call me Miss Jasper. Yes, I know you respect tradition.
Thank you.” <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I nodded, smiling at the wondrous way she always stared into
my canopies, as if discovering them for the first time.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Anywho, I was wondering…” Miss Jasper’s voice continued on,
a pageant of beautiful tones and inflections. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
From her darkness, my monster thought, <i>How many times are you going to nod like an imbecile? She knows you’re
a dumb ape: your jaw too slack, barely sitting straight.</i><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I gritted my teeth behind tightened lips, yet my soul ached
under Miss Jasper’s meandering smile. My heartstrings were at their limits.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>I won’t fear you, </i>I
thought.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Oh, come down to chat
for a change? </i>My monster’s voice was cool and confident. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>I won’t fear you.</i><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Easier said than done,
little man. You’ve not been down here in some ten years. We all know how that
shook out. What makes you think this is any different?</i><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I paused, a fleeting moment, collecting myself. <i>Because I can admit that you’re right, yet
I’m also right, and if not for you, I couldn’t prove to myself that I can be
different. I’ve always been convinced that you are not me. But that’s not true.
I am my monster. And I can be greater than myself.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Travis, are you listening?” Miss Jasper sounded annoyed,
despite her radiant smile.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Yeah, Heather, I am.” <o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
---end---</div>
</div>
Jeremyyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14999211749128091435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6590803409540155153.post-51739584125764039182015-07-14T15:19:00.004-07:002015-07-14T15:20:08.172-07:00The Lunar Girl<div class="MsoNormal">
Small short I wrote for a Weekly Write-Up at <a href="https://plus.google.com/communities/106134988944938026164" target="_blank">WDG</a>.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Roughly 600 words.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
---</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Her name was Flora, the lunar girl. She tended the Crescent
Glaive flowers, those towering silver blades that grew and swayed with the
moods of the moon. She glided among them in their patchy groves. Some townsfolk
respected her—most fearing her mastery of the Glaives, her instinctive
expertise demonized as witchery. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
Flora smiled at these accusations. But she never did protest.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A curious old man appeared at her groves one night. He
leaned against a wood staff, polished from years of use. He peered between the
blades, calling softly, “Flora, I wish to speak with you.” The Glaives rustled
beside him. He glanced at them nervously. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Singing to herself, her fingers dancing along the Glaive
blades, Flora appeared from the silver spires. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Hello, my old sir, is there something the matter?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He waved at the Glaives as they moved with her rhythms and
melodies. “I wish you to cease this madness.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“What madness, old sir?” She tilted her head at him. Her
eyes shone like quicksilver in the moonlight. The Glaives seemed to crowd
closer, closer yet. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The man took a step back from Flora and reset his staff in
the ground. The words came slowly to him.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“You have no idea how your Crescent Glaives are used, do
you, Flora?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
She shook her head and smiled, bright white teeth. “What
idea do I need to have but that my Glaives are beautiful? That they are grown
with love and care and are unrivaled in this world? They are the children of the
moon.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“And they are murder in the sun,” the old man whispered. He
ran a cautious finger along a Glaive but pulled abruptly as a thin line of
blood bloomed from his skin. “They go to market but are bought for wars and
used for death. You know this?” <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Flora looked at him suspiciously. “You lie.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I do not. My son was killed by one of your Glaives.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“You lie!” Flora screamed. “They are beautiful. They bring
me peace; they grow as only the moon allows. There is no death in them. It is
the world that spoils them.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He raised his thumb to her, the blood congealing. Except it
was silver blood. “I will die from this wound,” he said. “As we speak, the
blood morphs to liquid silver, poisoning my body. I have a few minutes perhaps.
Yet that seems more than I should need.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Flora stared in horror at his finger. She held it between
her hands, mourning it in the moonlight, silver tears falling down her cheeks.
“I know nothing beyond these groves.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“And none know so delicately the power within them. The money from your
Crescent Glaives has kept this town alive, yet brought death to many others. Is
such beauty worth the destruction it sows?” He staggered, snapping his hand
from Flora and clutching his heart. “There is a man, the Silver King, who has
made his name in the silvered blood of your creations. They say you are not one
of us, just a lunar girl. They are so very wrong.” He collapsed before her.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The townsfolk came from their homes, horrified and awestruck
by the fires consuming Flora’s groves. The flames licked the night, burning the
stars. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Flora watched, a single shorn Glaive in her hand. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“The Silver King,” she said.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Jeremyyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14999211749128091435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6590803409540155153.post-2381386533217705802015-03-16T00:46:00.000-07:002015-03-16T00:46:15.067-07:00Ponies by Kij Johnson<span style="font-size: large;">Read this short: </span><a href="http://www.tor.com/stories/2010/11/ponies"><span style="font-size: large;">http://www.tor.com/stories/2010/11/ponies</span></a><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">It's amazing.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">That is all.</span>Jeremyyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14999211749128091435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6590803409540155153.post-15983105987920738152015-03-02T22:37:00.001-08:002015-03-02T22:37:14.192-08:00Hark! The clatters of a keyboard!<h2 style="text-align: center;">
Gilda My Dear</h2>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;">~1100 words</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;"><br />
They found the child atop a pile of gold and they adopted
her without a second thought. Barely a year old, her raven hair flowed, in its
waves and frills, around her manger. Dark was her countenance and complexion
yet the townsfolk called her the Gilded Child, eventually settling to Gilda, and eventually she looked when the name was yelled at her though it often took several
attempts. No one in the town tried to discover her lineage. Asking after her
true name earned little more than befuddled glances.<o:p></o:p><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Call her Gilda and she will respond to you. Take more from an empty
pantry, will you?” <o:p></o:p></i></b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
</span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;">Gilda walked through town one day, a young girl of ten. The
streets, littered with the extravagancies that her arrival had purchased, were
nearly empty of people, the sun arching high overhead and casting its
soporific spell upon the town. Everyone slept and sounds were rare. Gilda
padded on alone. Seeing her among the barren corridors, one might think to
have found a ghost, so lost her gaze and meaningless her path. Yet she wound
her way among the buildings, scrawling as she went with a slug of feces stabbed
on a stick. In the bleary twilight, the townsfolk found their white walls
smeared, picket fences striped. They tore them down and built them anew.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Jeffery, your damned big dog is running around town with shit on his
tail!”<o:p></o:p></i></b></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
Young suitors from other lands and municipalities came to
court Gilda, the Gilded Child. From lands miles and horizons away, they came in
rolling caravans, atop hirsute dromedaries, affected by and drawn to the tales
of a woman of fortune. But when they arrived in the town, all they found were
empty streets. The townsfolk were gone having spent all that remained of the
gold twenty years discovered. In the town square, where marble statues hid
beneath every gargoyle cornice of the surrounding buildings, Gilda sat among a
ruin of crates, fumbling through new clothes and shoes, though they were years
out of fashion. The suitors quickly fled.<o:p></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“As forlorn a land and woman I have never seen and hope to never
encounter again.”<o:p></o:p></i></b></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
Gilda took her time in disassembling the town to reform it
in her vision. It did not take long. She was fiercely determined and
possessed incredible strength. Neighboring towns could see the billowing dust
and smoke from her handiwork. With the broken blocks and splintered timbers,
she dragged them together in a heap and day upon night upon day she built her
dream. It was beautiful. At heights unimaginable without pulleys, workhorses,
and teamwork, Gilda crafted a dark tower, rising over the hills and decrepitude
of the town. This too could be seen and feared from afar.<o:p></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Darkness does not always come at night.” <o:p></o:p></i></b></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
“I am not so crazy,” Gilda said.<o:p></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span>“No, you are not so crazy.”<o:p></o:p><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span>“Thank you.”<o:p></o:p><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span>“But perhaps talking to your reflection may be construed
as crazy so you should abstain from doing so in the presence of others.”<o:p></o:p><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span>A thoughtful pause; “Are you considered an other?”<o:p></o:p><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<o:p> </o:p><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Many times have I walked past that formidable collusion of wood and
stone and through the murder</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">holes
and machicolations have heard a number of people speaking to one another in
pitiless tones.” <o:p></o:p></i></b></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
Concealed in her tower, Gilda walked easily through her
years. She stayed mostly in the upper levels, between the eightieth and the
ninety-second, because she detested the pressures of Earth’s surface and
believed that gravity made her reflection wrinkle faster. Every other year, she
conducted tests to see if there were more wrinkles on her reflection’s face
than on her physical face. The results were invariably off by several counts,
and Gilda took this as a good sign for the relationship with her reflection,
otherwise tensions would rise and give way to bickering, which harried household
chores and small talk. In the eighth year of Gilda’s Reformed Calendar—a chart
filled with the positions of the stars and the distance between the northern
star and the moon—a man appeared at her gates (she used her telescope from the
top floor to see him), and he sat there, not speaking, for several months.
Initially, she thought him a salesman—a clever one, for she felt tempted to
discover his product. Then she thought him a squatter—one that never ate or
defecated or swore at himself. It occurred to her after a year’s time that he
was dead, had died the moment he sat, and was mistaken by passersby as a
grotesque deterrent. She descended to the first floor. This took her ten days.<o:p></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Are you alive?”</i></b><o:p></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
She approached the carcass cautiously, as if the sun-dried
skin, crinkled up like a bad newspaper, would leap from the yellow monkish
clothing and surprise and coax her into buying a box of tampons or allowing him
within the tower. He was odorless. Gilda bent to inspect his face. Freckles
dotted his fleshy cheeks, and a slender white mustache drooped at the sides to
a thin white beard. His eyes were shut in calm repose, thin wrinkles extending
from the sides like lightning bolts. Slowly, his lips curled into a vast grin,
lifting the preposterous mustache. She slapped him. <o:p></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
“Damn you,” she said.<o:p></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
“Have I offended you?” he asked, rubbing the slapped cheek.<o:p></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
“Obviously!”<o:p></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
“I’m not familiar with this custom.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
“It’s everyone’s custom!”<o:p></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
“To be offended?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
“In the way that you’ve done, yes.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
He thought on this for a moment. He opened his mouth to
speak, his teeth horridly aligned and white, but he decided against speaking and
stared at her. After a day, Gilda gave up and said, “It’s no good playing dead
now.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
“I think you are correct,” he said, “but that was never my
intent.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
“So rude. One should always have the correct intent behind their
actions. I once covered an entire town in dog shit so that the dogs would feel
useful.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
“Did it work?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
“I can’t speak to dogs, but they kept shitting and sometimes
even more, so only a fool would think it didn’t work,” and she smiled. She felt
her face for fear that it was the spontaneous growth of a new wrinkle. <o:p></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He nodded. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“You are not so crazy.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
“I have found my other,” Gilda laughed.<o:p></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The neighbors celebrated when the dark colossus haunting their horizons
crumbled, but when they approached, hopeful for ruins, they found two towers jutting
from the ground in obscene defiance, as if the predecessor had simply shrunk
and duplicated, and at the very top, a skybridge connected the pinnacles and
dead in the center sat two figures, holding hands that would never lose touch.</i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"></i></b> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;">----end----</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;">I wrote this after reading <em>One Hundred Years of Solitude</em> by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. My main concern with this brief short is that it represents my writing after reading a masterpiece. I don't have much hope for the rest of my writing. Therefore, I would like to apologize to Mr. Marquez's descendants for the transgression(s) that this story imposes on his reputation and achievements. Also, that book was crazy. I'm also aware that skybridge is not a word. It's staying. SKYBRIDGE. Sleep on it.</span></div>
</span><br />Jeremyyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14999211749128091435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6590803409540155153.post-2363806182961249652015-02-05T01:09:00.001-08:002015-03-02T22:05:30.163-08:00Random spin<div abp="1059">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;">It was a small and desiccated couch. Soft white cotton intestines
billowed out of jagged wounds in the cloth, spilt across the sidewalk and
tumbled down the street. They had come in the night, anonymous and frisky, and
deprived it of any sanctity. Those looters gone back to their dank hovels,
cozied into their couches, satisfied that no wayfarer would find their respite
tonight. I shook my head.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div abp="1059">
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;">There were no lights overhead, the cotton like tumbleweed
ghosts, shriveled into themselves and if I glanced away, they might have
disappeared just as soon. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div abp="1059">
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;">One end of the couch had its recliner extended, a hand
reaching out for help, instead abused and left hanging and hanging. I wonder if
anyone will set it back. It’s just a small gesture. I couldn’t stop. I left it
there. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div abp="1059">
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;">I could use a good nap on a good couch, I think. I
miss having a reliable couch around. Like a dog always there to pick you up,
smile at you, warm and welcoming. Never with a frosty glare or an icy touch. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div abp="1059">
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;">They call it a cliché: to miss something only once it’s been
taken from you.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div abp="1059">
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;">What if it’s killed in front of you? What if you discover it
by chance? Openly slain and displayed for all to see?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div abp="1059">
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;">It’s dark. No one will see it.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div abp="1059">
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;">But it’s there.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-size: large;">--end--</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p>I've been outlining the third draft for my WIP. So tragic that I've had three outlines. I think it means I'm bad at them. But, in my frequent daydreaming spells, I have found subtlety and theme to the previous two outlines that never manifested in the arcs or writing of their drafts. Perhaps it will find its way this time. </o:p></span></div>
<div abp="1059">
</div>
Jeremyyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14999211749128091435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6590803409540155153.post-81790896197785751362015-02-01T02:24:00.001-08:002015-02-01T02:24:24.014-08:00New year!Naaaah, way too late for the new year...<br />
<br />
and I didn't even get at least one short story in for January.<br />
<br />
But I'm working on my manuscript and big things are coming. I recently completed a revised outline for the story. I'm not on my third draft and lots of changes are coming. They're exciting too. Can't wait to show it. <br />
<br />
I'll post each new section here... <br />
<br />
Stay tuned!Jeremyyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14999211749128091435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6590803409540155153.post-17075642643955131442014-12-17T01:38:00.002-08:002014-12-17T17:18:18.167-08:00December Story #1: Dario's Broken Mirror<div abp="638">
<div abp="924">
Hah! I posted that little thing on inspiration then went stone-cold quiet. Nothing like cold stones...</div>
</div>
<div abp="638">
<div abp="926">
</div>
</div>
<div abp="638">
<div abp="928">
I actually have a story, just haven't gotten around to editing it and then dragging that damn text to the blog. Also, I no longer have MS Word, so I use this farce of a program called WordPad which is basically the Kirkland of Charmin toilet paper. Totally serviceable. But it's thin where you need it.</div>
</div>
<div abp="638">
<div abp="930">
</div>
</div>
<div abp="638">
<div abp="932">
Without further ado:</div>
</div>
<div abp="638">
<div abp="934">
</div>
</div>
<div abp="638" align="center">
<div abp="936">
Dario's Broken Mirror</div>
</div>
<div abp="638" align="center">
<div abp="938">
~alas, WordPad has no word count... perhaps 2000+</div>
<div abp="939">
<br /></div>
<div abp="940">
</div>
</div>
<div abp="941">
<span abp="942" lang="" style="font-size: large;">Dario stumbled as he ducked beneath the threshold of the café, recovering only just in time to greet the concerned smile of the hostess. She winced for him<span abp="943" style="font-family: Times New Roman;">—</span>and he was grateful, as he had been terribly slow to react<span abp="944" style="font-family: Times New Roman;">—</span>before taking a menu from her stand and beckoning him to follow after her. He did so willingly and without comment, glancing back and forth down aisles of tables, chairs, and potted plants. There were many other diners. Most of them sat alone but were talking with animation. Dario found this odd.<br abp="945" />
<br abp="946" />
Dario was not a normal person of the times. He had spent some time cryogenically frozen, at the behest of his famous uncle, who provided the necessary funds for the experimental procedure. The first person successfully frozen, though the twenty-seventh to attempt it, it was a charming achievement that Dario never celebrated. He remembered stunningly little of the resuscitation process. Cold hands prodded him, plucked his skin, and waved lights in his eyes. Then he was warm, clothed, and signing forms. <br abp="947" />
<br abp="948" />
They gave him a rectangular piece of glass with images on its surface, a blurry, static kaleidoscope of nonsense. He thought a corner of the glass resembled a jellyfish. He stared at it, dumbly, as if he were looking into a mirror that refused his reflection. Dario sat. He considered leaving. Someone came along and tut-tutted and took the broken mirror from him; they fiddled with it, many clicks and beeps<span abp="949" style="font-family: Times New Roman;">—</span>and perhaps one more tut; they handed it back to him; and now, the broken mirror spoke to him and the images moved with grace and clarity, and it explained some of the world to Dario. He forgot most of what it said but remembered this of it: Everything was different than his old life. Everything from his old life was dead. <br abp="950" />
<br abp="951" />
At some point, Dario put down the glass that contained flat, moving people, and further from that point, he decided he ought to get on with his life. The glass continued to spout the café’s menu well after he was gone.<br abp="952" />
<br abp="953" />
And Dario found himself in this café, looking with concern at each of the diners. At one table, a man was furiously stuffing a breaded confection into his mouth, some red gelatinous cream oozing over the top and busting through the sides, falling in dollops to a table that gathered all these together, moving like drops of oil until they sat in a neat pile at the center. The man, having dispensed with the greater mass of his meal, turned upon this little midden, scooped it with the back of his thumb and sucked it down with a victorious sigh. Then, as if he had been thoroughly engaged all along, the man resumed a conversation, speaking with great swings of his arms, yet no one sat with him. Dario stared and raised an eyebrow. <i abp="954">How monstrously curious</i>, he thought.<br abp="955" />
<br abp="956" />
The hostess called to him, "Sir?"<br abp="957" />
<br abp="958" />
Dario hurried after her. <br abp="959" />
<br abp="960" />
But he passed another table, where a young lady sat in corner booth, hunched over and staring into a silver book that cast a ghoulish light upon her face. She was squinting as if in the middle of a desert and its glaring sun. Thick-rimmed glasses were pressed tightly to her face. Her fingers and nails clacked against the table<span abp="961" style="font-family: Times New Roman;">—</span>or was it the book?<span abp="962" style="font-family: Times New Roman;">—</span>and, in the briefest of respites, she would straighten, arch her back, crack her knuckles together, roll her neck and lean forward to resume the whole process anew. During this, she spoke to herself, almost incessantly and certainly gibberish. Dario believed only every other word held any literal meaning. Her maddening giggle could only have resulted from inhaling too much funny gas, as it was too superficial and constant to be authentic humor.<br abp="963" />
<br abp="964" />
He slapped his forehead, <i abp="965">I must have left my mind behind or so everyone else has. </i><br abp="966" />
<i abp="967">
</i>
<br abp="968" />
"Miss?" Dario said to the hostess. "I’m afraid that some of your patrons may be a bit loose in the head. You see that girl yonder, just a shade past that plant? Yes, that one. Yes, I’m worried for this girl. She appears to be unconscious of the fact that she is talking to herself. It is worrisome behavior where<span abp="969" style="font-family: Times New Roman;">—</span>or I suppose, rather when<span abp="970" style="font-family: Times New Roman;">—</span>I am from.<span abp="971" style="font-family: Times New Roman;">"</span><br abp="972" />
<span abp="973" style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span>
<br abp="974" />
The hostess fixed a skeptical gaze on Dario, shrugged, handed him the menu, and said, "I’ll just give you a few moments then."<br abp="975" />
<br abp="976" />
"I very much appreciate that," Dario said, smiling to her back. He slid into his seat, an uncomfortable and spine-shifting mold of plastic. He twisted in its depth. Finding that every position constantly harassed his tailbone with the hard demands of the chair, Dario frantically scanned for a new seat. He called to the hostess and waved that he would be moving to a new location. Far away, she nodded.<br abp="977" />
<br abp="978" />
With an air of gratitude, Dario dropped into a booth of tired maroon leather and weathered mahogany veneer. A middle-aged woman already seated in the booth<span abp="979" style="font-family: Times New Roman;">—</span>but obscured from the sight of anyone looking at the booth<span abp="980" style="font-family: Times New Roman;">—</span>held a finger to her lips. She was dressed in a sharp business suit and engaging in a vicious dialogue with a spare half-eaten salad that deserved little of the showering insults. Dario yelped.<br abp="981" />
<br abp="982" />
He waved in humiliation and whispered, "I’m very sorry, ma’am. I’ll be going."<br abp="983" />
<br abp="984" />
Dario was defeated, tired and quite bitter. <i abp="985">I just want something nice to eat! Is that so much to ask for? I haven’t had something to eat in a hundred years; I think I deserve to have an eggs Benedict. </i>He found that he was glaring at everyone around him, absorbed in his or her meal and conversation. <br abp="986" />
<br abp="987" />
</span></div>
<div abp="988" align="CENTER">
<div abp="989">
<span abp="990" lang="" style="font-size: large;">]|-|[</span></div>
</div>
<div abp="991">
<span abp="992" lang="" style="font-size: large;">
<br abp="993" />
Some days later, Dario found himself in a doctor’s office, atop a cushioned stool. The doctor was a kindly old man, wearing the honored white coat of a scientific person. He thumbed through something in the air, stabbing at motes of dust revealed in the veins of light streaming through the vertical blinds. With a single beep and from a point in space between the doctor and Dario, a small green circle appeared, steadily growing in gentle ripples until it formed a large rectangle. It looked as real and heavy as a chalkboard from Dario’s childhood education, until the doctor stepped through the panel as easily as if he were walking through sunlight.<br abp="994" />
<br abp="995" />
He turned to look at the green screen from Dario’s perspective.<br abp="996" />
<br abp="997" />
"Unfortunately, Mr. Crates, despite your wish to see otherwise, your physical health seems to be in perfect balance. Your brain patterns reflect little alteration from the resuscitation process. In fact, we find that you have achieved a heightened sense of awareness." The doctor waved at several graphs, sliding and minimizing them to the side, and bringing a vibrant picture of Dario’s brain to the front. It fluttered in the colors of the rainbow. <br abp="998" />
<br abp="999" />
"Excuse me, doctor? What does that indicate? It is clearly my brain yet it appears to be confused as to what color it ought to be. Should it not be some placid blue? A tame violet?"<br abp="1000" />
<br abp="1001" />
"This is an active scan of your brain, Mr. Crates, (meaning that it is happening this very moment!) and according to this, well, it would appear that your hearing and sight are operating above the peak standards of the standard citizen. You also exhibit a mental acuity that not only remembers but also vividly relives its past experiences<span abp="1002" style="font-family: Times New Roman;">—</span>hence this region here looking a bit like a burping toad. More than any of my previous and current patients, you meditate on your past and how to immediately improve upon it. Your mind is in constant motion, yet not due to stimulants or any visual accessories. This is quite a rare trait, as I hope my explanation has revealed. If you wouldn’t mind, we would very much like to have you come in for further examination."<br abp="1003" />
<br abp="1004" />
"I think I very much mind. To what end are these examinations?"<br abp="1005" />
<br abp="1006" />
The doctor scratched behind his ear, a fleshy orifice sprouting with white hair. Perhaps he didn’t expect Dario to refuse. "Well, this is quite embarrassing, and I hope you will take this as merely this professional’s personal opinion, but your attention to detail and understanding of your surroundings is intriguing. The desire to find your place in the community and your effect on it is admirable. People have certainly taken notice of the ‘frozen man’ who went into a café, asked for food, harassed seven separate patrons, wept, then expressed satisfaction with the establishment’s food by vomiting its contents on their doorstep as he left. Odd indeed.<br abp="1007" />
<br abp="1008" />
"The extent to which you suffer introspection is, in itself, amazing. Allow me to explain, Mr. Crates, as you appear somewhat lost. Humans are a social lot. We enjoy the company of others. Perhaps not in your time, but certainly now, we have established that connection without pause. You may be familiar with the antiquated system called the Internet, is that correct? Oh, no? Well, ah… the Internet… ah allowed people to contact each other instantly, much like early telephones did, which you surely remember. But, people could send more than audio. Imagine! You see something fascinating on the street, say: a beautiful mural or a four-leaf clover. You could take a picture of that with a camera and send it to someone, in the blink of an eye, using the Internet. Of course, there are humanizing portraits, adorable puppies…"<br abp="1009" />
<br abp="1010" />
Dario thought about this some while the doctor continued talking. He scratched his chin, roughing up the thin stubble. The desire to leave for peace and quiet struck him, yet something kept him in place. He sighed as the doctor finally paused. "Why would I send them a picture through this Internet?" Dario said. <br abp="1011" />
<br abp="1012" />
"What?" The doctor had been talking about something else. "Oh, the Internet? To share, Mr. Crates! Because that is human nature. It is essential to our mental state, our health and sense of fulfillment, that we give our experiences to others."<br abp="1013" />
<br abp="1014" />
"And so everyone shares every moment of their lives… with everyone else?"<br abp="1015" />
<br abp="1016" />
"Well, not quite, but for the most part, yes."<br abp="1017" />
<br abp="1018" />
"That doesn’t sound like something I’d want to be a part of."<br abp="1019" />
<br abp="1020" />
"By no means am I a developed psycho-therapist<span abp="1021" style="font-family: Times New Roman;">—</span>though I only need four more years to acquire my certification!<span abp="1022" style="font-family: Times New Roman;">—</span>but I would say that your refusal of joining the Meld is a curious behavior attributed mostly to your era. You believe in antiquated notions like emotional ‘closets’ and ‘privacy,’ and you may believe that those provide you some kind of dignity and honor, but those simply don’t exist anymore. The closets and privacy, I mean. <br abp="1023" />
<br abp="1024" />
"Which in fact brings up my larger point behind further testing for you. The advent of the Meld has galvanized a technological boom much like that of the Industrial Revolution, but more than that, it has created an immediate evolution in the growth and manner of humans, and it begs the question: have human brains evolved drastically since the Meld came into existence and given your<span abp="1025" style="font-family: Times New Roman;">—</span>forgive me<span abp="1026" style="font-family: Times New Roman;">—</span>archaic brain, would you be able to handle existence with the Meld? I’m sure that this will begin to interest you as much as me once you understand the enormity of this question. We at the Malcom Richardson Medical Facility would be honored to handle your case. It will certainly make a splash, a historic paper for all the journals, to be sure."<br abp="1027" />
<br abp="1028" />
The doctor stared mistily into the green panel, at the shimmering ripples of rainbow in Dario’s brain. He seemed to forget that Dario was in the room. <br abp="1029" />
<br abp="1030" />
Dario said, "Well, I don’t quite think that I’m really in the mood for more testing. I’ve had enough of that the past few days to last the rest of my life. I’d really like just to be left alone."<br abp="1031" />
<br abp="1032" />
The doctor whirled on Dario, his face uncomfortably intimate, and placed a hand on Dario’s shoulder. "But don’t you see? That’s the whole reason why it’s fascinating. No one wants to be left alone! It’s a precedent unseen even in the colonies. Socialization is an incredibly strong characteristic in humans. The fact that you desire such individuality harkens to your bygone era. We don’t have access to that information anymore (scrubbed in the wars), but you, you represent a whole era, its entire mentality! We simply must understand it. There could never be another chance." He breathed heavily. <br abp="1033" />
<br abp="1034" />
Dario rose slowly from his stool. "I think I’ll be going now, doctor. Thank you very much for your time."<br abp="1035" />
<br abp="1036" />
The doctor, his voice almost a whine, said, "You don’t understand, Mr. Crates, this, your brain with our research, it could change the world. We could understand what it was, why we shifted, everything! Don’t you see how important this is? How society might change?"<br abp="1037" />
<br abp="1038" />
"Doctor," Dario said, "I think that society would rather look at adorable puppies."</span></div>
Jeremyyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14999211749128091435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6590803409540155153.post-16405004631134123352014-11-22T23:30:00.001-08:002014-11-22T23:31:22.559-08:00You Probably Want Inspiration Too<span style="font-size: large;">Let's face it: you have a hard time finding inspiration. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Allow me to define that. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Inspiration comes in a flash yet instills lasting courage and drive. It makes you want to get back to it, every morning, without fail. It gets you past the distractions, the imgurs, the forums, the quick memes and videos... the Internet. It makes you thirsty to get back into the trenches, fight in the scrum and the dirt, through the blood, sweat, and tears. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Inspiration makes that shit exhilarating. I believe that inspiration lets you look beyond your frontiers, and lets you know, "Hey, that over there, those greener grasses? It's in reach. Yeah, go get it."</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjffZM-xWPQK9ODaW9kko_eKWRsPizYoZuUIgBW2O0FyR4WdQTQBDXjq_i2syGWbeioB9sc0oKwkN81PKjA_OdtfdmtTk4FETwMdOuN_8iDkz7O0ueo96IpQ_K85hYXSt3-2YHYSP7d0cGX/s1600/life-changing-memes-23.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjffZM-xWPQK9ODaW9kko_eKWRsPizYoZuUIgBW2O0FyR4WdQTQBDXjq_i2syGWbeioB9sc0oKwkN81PKjA_OdtfdmtTk4FETwMdOuN_8iDkz7O0ueo96IpQ_K85hYXSt3-2YHYSP7d0cGX/s1600/life-changing-memes-23.png" height="400" width="317" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">If you think that you're struggling in your writing, finding it hard to place the pants to the seat, then you gotta look for some inspiration. These are hard to find. It will take time, and do not let the false inspirations get you. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">There is little worse than believing that you are inspired, only to burn out. You only have so many burn-outs in your tank. The discouragement from these is brutal. Really think, really believe that when you have found your inspiration, that it will take you far, push you to grow. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">After you've done that, the necessary stuff—the stuff that you kinda hate and avoid doing—makes sense, and you understand the purpose behind the brutal, daily work. You are officially inspired to chase your dreams, one step at a time.</span>Jeremyyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14999211749128091435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6590803409540155153.post-68491555835044030732014-11-13T02:12:00.001-08:002014-11-13T02:12:39.299-08:00November Story #1<span style="font-size: large;">Hello!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">A short little clip I want to provide for you, my dear reader. Hopefully, you enjoy it (and even if you don't, expect to see much more from this new character). As always, please leave me any comments/feedback wherever you can!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
The Mage Without Magic<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
~500</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He was not sure whether the darkness was in his mind or
reality. Several times, he blinked and rubbed his eyes until his vision was
sprayed with stars. And yet, when the stars faded, nothing remained of his
sight but complete darkness. He knew that this unsettling darkness was real.
“What is my name?” he said to the darkness, and when not even an echo dared to
reply, he became unsure whether he had ever spoken at all. He opened his mouth
to speak again, by habit mostly, for he realized that his voice held no value,
that speaking meant a conversation, and a normal one with two people. He would
be insane to hold a conversation with himself, or so he thought. So he did not
speak.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">What is my name?</i>
he thought. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Where am I, in darkness so absolute,
that I dare not take one step? If I take one step, and I reach nothing, have I
truly gone anywhere? If I cannot see that my step has taken my somewhere, is it
still a step?</i> <o:p></o:p></div>
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He hugged himself and found that he was naked, yet
comfortably so. Hesitantly, he reaffirmed the existence of his limbs, the long
scrawny arms with barely a hair to the soft skin and the legs, thin, yet still
retaining some of the once-muscular form. He tugged at each ear lobe. With his
left hand, he snapped his fingers continuously, tracing from his left ear to
his right, and back again, then snapped away from his ear and repeated the
snaps nuzzled close. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">So I exist</i>, he
thought to himself, and suddenly, he knew that he had made this assertion
before, that this whole act had happened to him already. And fear became real
once again.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">This is not right! I
should be free, with my family, my dear wife, Rona, and my sweet children, Daisy
and Dylan, but instead, I am here, in this god-forsaken darkness, trapped not
only with my thoughts but also my body. Damn!</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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Something like a groan escaped his body as the memories
flooded back to him. <o:p></o:p></div>
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His name was Kyborn Tjelvjekr, student of Doshta Firn,
descendent of the Mountain Circle. He had once been a mage, and that had meant
something. People had respected him, sought him for advice, aid, and ability.
What did it mean to be a mage? Kyborn searched his mind for the answer to this
question, and when none appeared, his hopelessness—much darker than his
environment—bore down on him. He crumpled, only vaguely wondering whether his
fall would be infinite. It hurt him that he should not know the answer to this
question; it hurt him more than knowing he would never see his wife and
children ever again; it hurt him, beyond all his memories, and struck deep in
every muscle and fiber of his body. He knew he used to be a mage, and yet, with
the certainty of his breath and bones, he did not know <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">how</i> he had been a mage.<o:p></o:p></div>
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In his fetal position, Kyborn Tjelvejkr cried himself to
sleep, hoping full well that when he awoke, he would forget all he had
remembered. <o:p></o:p></div>
Jeremyyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14999211749128091435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6590803409540155153.post-88880298711523956332014-11-01T01:11:00.000-07:002014-11-01T01:11:02.494-07:00Dear reader:<span style="font-size: large;">Tonight, I am packing my bags and boxes (hopefully all within one trip of my little Corolla) and heading to a new apartment. I've been staying with my grandma, looking after her in the eleven months since my grandpa's passing. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">In spite of the reason for me being here, these last few months have been really really awesome. </span><span style="font-size: large;">Growing up, I never had the chance to spend this much time with her—just 24/7: sharing bathroom, kitchen, laundry, chores, cat frustration, cat love and all the rotting food. Language barriers be damned, there are just lots of little moments that we've had, no words needed. I won't forget whenever she grinned sheepishly at buying too much food, laughed hysterically when the cat did something stupid, or got mad at me for refusing to eat six whole meals a day (we settled somewhere around 4.5). </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">I'm always gonna remember those moments.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">But, it's not a long-term solution for me to stay with her. I think she realizes that just as much as I do. <b>Family is everything</b>, and we're always trying to do right by one another. I think, for both of us, we need to show we can live on our own. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">That knowledge didn't make it any easier when she stood in my doorway—having just heard that I'm moving out—and was just speechless. Behind the glint of her glasses were some parts understanding and more parts sadness. But she didn't say a word. We were past that. She just sighed, the short hiccupy kind from too much crying, and shuffled off. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Ahhhhhhhhh.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">That was a long night for me. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">I thought that maybe I was really wrong. Really wrong. Maybe I didn't know anything about her, had projected my own goals onto her. Maybe she wasn't ready. Maybe I was destroying all the confidence she had been rebuilding. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">But that night did end, and when I woke up, I knew she was going to be alright. And I think she knew, too. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">The thing is, you never know what's going to happen, but that doesn't mean you should be afraid of change or growth. Accept that good and bad outcomes may arise. You'll be there to meet them. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
Sorry, no October Story #2 from me. Just real life stuff. Stay tuned for a busy November though!<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
-----jeremy</div>
Jeremyyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14999211749128091435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6590803409540155153.post-27827581798186634742014-10-15T22:01:00.002-07:002014-10-15T22:03:31.713-07:00finished a book!Not my book though.<br />
<br />
I just finished reading Robert Heinlein's <i>Starship Troopers</i>.<br />
<br />
Disclaimer* I love science-fiction and especially have a great deal of respect for the Big 3 of SF: Asimov, Clarke, and Heinlein.<br />
<br />
Anyway, I loved the movie as a kid and never really figured to read any of the real creator's work. Now that I have, I am a little upset at the movie. It doesn't come near the depth of the book.<br />
<br />
The book has themes, y'know those important elements of a book that give it meaning, something that you can chew on once you're done.<br />
<br />
The book hits on lots of things: the meaning of citizenship, civic duty, morals, cultural identity, the value of human life. It goes through a lot of steps, and I think it hits on many of them.<br />
<br />
That alone makes it worth the read.<br />
<br />
Yes, it's about war. Yes, it's about military.<br />
<br />
It's gotten a lot of flak for glorifying war, but I think that's too broad. Read it, think about it, then come back and we can talk about it. I don't want to spoil it.<br />
<br />
So I won't go further into it because I'd love to do some more of my own writing tonight, but seriously, if you've got some downtime, check it out. It's a quick read at about 250 short pages.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
-----jy</div>
Jeremyyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14999211749128091435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6590803409540155153.post-77837814241063465592014-10-07T23:27:00.000-07:002014-10-10T00:18:35.068-07:00October Story #1<div style="text-align: left;">
I've been working on this one for a few days. I hope you enjoy it. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
-jeremy</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Thanksgiving</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
~2025</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Young Doug McMurtle wanted to pretend that buying the
Thanksgiving turkey with his father was a boring affair. Fifteen-years old, he believed
the world was something of a joke; he yawned through classes, receiving the
highest marks and teacher’s disdain; the local papers—for lack of better news—frequently
reported on Doug’s newest athletic achievement and the promise of his future; but
when his father, Damon McMurtle, asked Doug help him get the annual bird, Doug struggled
to conceal his excitement.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Doug walked—but was nearly skipping—beside his father, working
to keep pace, and wishing he would hit his growth spurt sooner. The thin soles
of his sneakers revealed every crack, panel, and vent along the sidewalk. It
was a dirty, uneven sidewalk, with cigarette butts, bottle caps, and glass
shards. The random street tree—planted for no sensible person or civic reason—only
provided bumps and ridges where the roots paid no heed. An oblivious pedestrian
was likely to fall, but there were no such oblivious pedestrians in the city’s
“Gangplank” corridor. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It was nearing dusk. Any such night would merit a
door-blocked-with-crossed-arms from Mrs. McMurtle and a scolding that they
ought to know better. This was not one of those nights. The Gangplank corridor
was no home of quaintness. When the sun fled and the streetlights assumed
flickering facsimiles, the McMurtle’s neighborhood did not become an endearing
corner of the city. Nobody left their homes, and when gunshots boomed, beds
were checked and prayers were made. Mrs. McMurtle gave a tight smile as they
left the house.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There was an edge to Doug’s breathing as they left the front
door, the sun just fading behind the tallest tenement buildings. It was not yet
dark out, but late enough, late enough. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Doug thought of the other Thanksgivings his father snuck out
of the house and in the morning, there being a great big bird in the oven. The
roasting turkey guaranteed a meal that the whole family would gather around.
Past arguments would come to a halt. The savory smell of the McMurtle secret sauce
calmed every sense. Neighbors would knock, hinting for an invitation. The
McMurtle’s never said no.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As they walked quickly down the city streets, Doug realized
they weren’t heading towards his father’s car. They would surely need it to
reach a grocery store, as only liquor stores and chain fast food joints dared
this part of the city. Doug glanced at his father.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Damon McMurtle was a big man. Old football days lingered on his hobbled ankles. On hot days, he grabbed at his knees and asked
if someone wouldn’t kindly get an ice bag for their dad. He never spoke about
his semi-professional days and rarely helped Doug with his various sports. Tonight
was different: Damon’s stride could have carried him halfway to the moon. Damon
McMurtle was a man drilled in the art of determination and the precision of strategy,
and he still possessed the raw instincts of the big game. Doug didn’t know it
then, but his father lived for this night. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Damon glanced at his sports watch, its brilliant turquoise
light illuminating his coat sleeve. “C’mon, Doug, we gotta go down Woods.
You’re doing good.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Doug wiped at his sweaty brow. He was nearly jogging to stay
abreast. “Thanks Dad.” He thought of asking why they weren’t in a car and why
on earth they would go down Woods, but Doug knew that his father knew what they
were doing. At least, Doug hoped he knew. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Damon scanned the streets. He kept a wide hand on Doug’s
shoulder. A few people quickly walked the streets. From 81<sup>st</sup> and
Woods, Damon and Doug looked ahead at 82<sup>nd</sup>, where five men sat on a
couch and lawn chairs. They were smoking cigarettes, talking amongst
themselves, and waiting for junkies. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
They stood at 81<sup>st</sup> for thirty seconds, Damon
counting off under his breath. A dented black sedan approached and stopped even
with the men at the intersection of 82<sup>nd</sup>. One of the men had already
risen, went to the open window, and came away with several bags, which he
passed to the others. The car idled. Damon blinked the light on his watch. “Too
long,” he said.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“What?” Doug said. He thought that perhaps his heartbeat had
been louder than his father’s words.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Nothing, hang on for me while Dad thinks, Doug.” But then
he let out a breath as a man rose from his lawn chair, went to the car, and
stuck a hand through the window. Moments later, the car pulled from the curb,
stopped at the intersection, swept a slow U-turn, and drove steadily down the
street.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The men resumed their lounging and ate hamburgers and fries.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Damon gripped Doug’s shoulders, and they walked carefully
towards 82<sup>nd</sup> Avenue. Doug glanced at the men. They looked normal. He
sometimes wondered if these men were as bad as his father and mother told him.
Doug never challenged his parents because he knew this: Damon and Sophia
McMurtle were good people, and when good people tell you something, you listen
to them.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
They made it past 82<sup>nd</sup> Avenue and continued down
Woods. They paused at James Hill’s Park. The sun’s ambient light was fading as
it reached the horizon. A city planner designed James Hill Park as the first in
her “city revival” series. When she died in a car accident, so did her plans;
the mayor lost his reelection; the city forgot the revival; and James Hill’s
Park became the last in its series.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Geese were rampant in James Hill’s Park, lying on the grass
when not drifting atop the roughly Olympic-pool sized pond. Shoe treads quickly
accumulated handfuls of stringy feces. Day or night, no one entered the park. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Dad, what are we doing here?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Doug, we’re here for Thanksgiving.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
For a moment, Doug thought his father meant to eat
Thanksgiving at James Hill’s Park. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Is he
out of his mind?</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">There’s no place to
eat that doesn’t smell like shit!</i> As Doug began to protest, Damon raised a
hand for silence. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“You hear anyone?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Doug strained his ears for any sound other than their
breathing. “No, but Dad—”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Ok, Doug, here we go. We’re going to move real fast here. I
want you to pay attention in case you gotta do this for your old man in the
future. We’re talking about the McMurtle Thanksgiving. You want a big old bird
for everyone to eat? This is where we get it. Now, we don’t have…”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Doug understood nothing of his father’s next words. They
were here for Thanksgiving. His mother had let them leave, despite the time. They
weren’t in a store. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“…so you just stand behind and make sure you see everything
I do.” Damon looked at Doug in the twilight. He squeezed Doug’s shoulder. “You
ready, Doug?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Dad, we’re here to get the Thanksgiving bird? The one that
you always bring back from the store? Is this just a joke? Why are we really
here?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Damon sighed. “Doug, we don’t have a whole lot of good light
left to have a conversation. Can we do this later? You don’t gotta do a lot; we
went over the plan. Just stand by in case I need you. Can you bear through it,
son?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Doug nodded heavily, but he knew he couldn’t. Emotions
roiled in his heart, and no amount of thinking would quiet them. When his
father turned away and headed toward a settling flock of geese, Doug ran away. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Doug ran like it was the race of his life. Lines in the
pavement zipped past. Instinct took over. He kept his knees high, stayed on his
toes, loosened his shoulders. His track coach always marveled at how effortless
Doug’s form looked. Tears coursed down his face. Homes, light poles, fire
hydrants, and park cars blurred. He didn’t know which way he was headed and didn’t
care. Once breathing became a struggle and his muscles ached for oxygen, he
slowed to a trot, then a walk, and finally stopped and leaned over a fence.
Vaguely, he hoped there were no dogs in the adjoining yard. Doug took stock of
his location. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He had only run three blocks toward home. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
He wanted to keep going. He wanted to go all the way home,
to cry in his mother’s lap, to tell her that they didn’t eat turkey for
Thanksgiving, to tell her that it was all a lie. Instead, he only felt drained.
The chain-links rattled and bent as Doug slumped against the fence. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I can’t run anymore,” he said. “I’m the fastest boy in my
school, and I can’t run anymore.” He wiped at his wet eyes with the back of his
hand then glared at his palms, examining the lines in them. A palmist had once
traced each line and told him the meanings. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“You’ll be a strong runner because you have a big heart,”
she said. “Pumps lots of oxygen, makes you faster. These crossing lines mean
that you’ll never be confused for very long. And you see this long curving
line, untouched by anything else? That signifies…” The woman had paused.
Gathering her thoughts and peeking at old maps hanging in her rafters, she
cooed with realization. “Ah, yes, the long line refers to the lasting health of
your family.” The palmist may have gotten that one correct if Damon McMurtle
(then on crutches) had brought Doug to see her rather than Sophia. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sneakers scuffed against the pavement as a pair of
shadows—silhouettes in the diminishing twilight— stepped up to Doug. One of
them threw a crumpled paper bag into the yard behind Doug.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“What’re you doing here, little man?” The voice was quiet
and gruff. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Doug was afraid. He could feel his hands trembling on his
knees, and he was unsure whether to stand or remain seated. His breathing
quickened. The chain-links behind him rattled. “I’m just about to go home.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“You’re about to go home, huh? You look like you’re sitting.
Do we know you?” <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“He’s with me.” Silent as a tiger, Damon McMurtle stood
hulking behind the two men. “I owe you all a great amount of thanks for
watching over my son so diligently, but we’ll be getting home now.” Damon’s
voice was gravelly and forbidding. It brooked no room for discussion. Doug felt
that—at that moment—no man in the world would have had the courage to defy his
father. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The two men split and melted into the night.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Come on, Doug, let’s go home.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Doug looked with bleary eyes at his father. The sun’s light
completely gone, Doug could only just make out the hulking form of his father
and a dark object hanging limply by his side. “That’s a goose, isn’t it, Dad?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Yeah, son, it’s a goose.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“We’ve been eating goose for Thanksgiving. We don’t even get
it from the store like regular people. We kill them while they sleep—in a park,
in James Hill’s Park.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Yeah, son.” Damon sighed deeply, and it seemed as though
his hulking form lost several inches. He sat next to Doug. A few streetlights
came to life. Under the soft amber lights, long streams of sweat glistened on
Damon’s face. He was breathing heavily, his nostrils flaring and somewhere
between breaths came a thin whistle. “I’m sorry you thought otherwise.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Me, too,” Doug said. He meant his words to be harsh.
Impossibly, his father deflated more.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“You gotta realize that it’s not really the bird that
matters, Doug. It’s bringing everyone together. Getting our neighbors together.
Making us feel like a community, even if it’s just for one day. It’s the best
day of the year, isn’t it?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Doug couldn’t help but nod.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“That’s right, son. The best day of the year, and it’s all
because of the McMurtle’s and their damn good secret sauce. I didn’t bring you
out tonight just to be cold and sit against a fence. I wanted you to see that
the world is only what you make it, not just the things that come easy or that
everyone else is doing or expecting.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
They stood up. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“And Doug?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Yeah?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
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“Next time you decide to run away, don’t go down Woods.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
-----the end-----</div>
Jeremyyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14999211749128091435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6590803409540155153.post-53738257218002250952014-10-06T17:17:00.002-07:002014-10-06T17:18:32.985-07:00get after itRead this great article by CJ Lyons:<br />
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/goog_1462051594"><br /></a>
<a href="http://www.norulesjustwrite.com/three-game-changers-to-launch-your-career/">http://www.norulesjustwrite.com/three-game-changers-to-launch-your-career/</a><br />
<br />
I've never read her stuff, but that hardly tarnishes the advice. It's good stuff.<br />
<br />
Highlights of the article:<br />
<br />
1. Write 2k, read 2k, every day.<br />
<br />
2. Lyons <u style="font-weight: bold;">cut back</u> to 40-hours a week at her job (community pediatrician) to focus on writing. Crazy. Crazy and awesome.Jeremyyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14999211749128091435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6590803409540155153.post-40182663410620678832014-09-30T23:57:00.002-07:002014-09-30T23:57:53.002-07:00September Short #2Here's a clip from my new manuscript. Much love.<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
–jy</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
-----</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
~500 words</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
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Samuel leaned back in his lawn chair, wiggled his feet free
from his sandals, and tugged at the loose grass with his toes. Children crawled
all over the park. Most were prepared for soccer: shinguards, high socks,
bright jerseys with numbers, and wails that warranted higher percent alcohol in
his mojito. He took a sip and sighed and looked out over the field.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Carmin kicked him, “You’re glaring at the kids again,
Samuel. You’ve got to stop doing that.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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He shrugged, “They’re not my kids.” Another sip.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Some of them are your grandkids, Dad,” a voice behind them
said.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Michael, the eldest son of Carmin and Samuel, dropped some
bags beside them. Dark shadows splayed under his eyes and his hairline was
receding; not by much, but if you knew him, you saw it dropping back like the
ocean’s tide. Other than that, his physique was admirable. An erect posture
he’d gained from the military made him look taller than he was and his presence
commanded attention. He kept his muscles lean and veins rose out of his arms. The
things he could control by himself were kept under control. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Of all his kids, Samuel loved Michael the most, and though
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much to Samuel’s chagrin. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Glad you could drag your grumpy ass out here, Mom and Dad.
Stella will love that you came out for her soccer game. Speak of the devil…”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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Stella came shrieking, pushing through Michael and leaving
her mother, Tamara, behind. She was a scrawny girl, much in the likeness of her
father and grandfather. Samuel couldn’t help but love her, even as she wailed
into his ear.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“You’re here! You’re here! I’m so happy you made it,
Grandpa.” <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Michael cleared his throat. “And, missy?”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Stella looked sheepishly at her father. She went to Carmin:
“I love you, too, Grandma!” The moment suddenly awkward, Stella dropped all the
soccer equipment she’d been carrying. “I’m going to go find Ashley, Dad!” She
sprinted off.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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“Wait Stella—” Michael said. His shoulders sagged
momentarily. He brightened at the touch of Tamara’s hand on his shoulder. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Just let her go,” she said. “She’ll be back in time to play
the game. And she’s only ten. They’re supposed to run from stuff towards other
stuff.” She smiled at Carmin and Samuel. “Nice to see you, Mom and Dad, glad
you could make it.” <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Samuel lifted his mojito towards them and grinned, “I’m just
waiting for my favorite grandchild to kick some ass. I’ve been waiting a long
time for her to start beating other kids at athletic sports. Even if you didn’t
let her play when she was younger, I’m sure she’s going to beat the shit out of
these kids.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Samuel,” Carmin said.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Dad,” Michael said.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“What? A granddad deserves to be proud.” He took another
sip. “When does it start?” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">-----to be continued-----</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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Jeremyyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14999211749128091435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6590803409540155153.post-72384542365495213862014-09-26T00:36:00.000-07:002014-09-26T00:36:20.513-07:00great ideas upcoming—wait I lost it...How many ideas do you have in a day? If your heart is pumping, I'm betting on hundreds. If you've had a decent breakfast, maybe even thousands.<br />
<br />
How many of those ideas are any good? Well... probably one or two. For a day, try to classify every idea you have. Is this a good idea?<br />
<br />
Should I cross the street when a car is about to hit me? BAD<br />
<br />
Does this yellow shirt look good with my saffron blazer? DON'T ANSWER THAT<br />
<br />
Should I eat a burrito for lunch? GOOD<br />
<br />
But what of the serious stuff, the kind that merits a call to someone:<br />
"You will not believe the wonderful fart my brain just had and there will not be one dry eye at the end of this Wonka ride."<br />
<br />
That's right, folks. Every once in a while, <b><span style="font-size: large;">you have a great freaking idea</span>.</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
And, where, pray tell, does that great freaking idea go? Probably down the great freaking idea gutter, which, unsurprisingly, is the same gutter used for shitty ideas.<br />
<br />
<u>Save your great freaking ideas.</u> Buy them a nice home somewhere on a slip of paper, better a journal, even better ten journals, and crazier (<i>Memento-</i>style) yet, a tattoo. But get it down. Make some other piece of universe remember for you, so when you have the time, you can make it a real freaking great thing.<br />
<br />
That's all folks. Now, excuse me while I bash my head trying to remember that great freaking short story idea I had earlier today.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
-----the end-----</div>
Jeremyyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14999211749128091435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6590803409540155153.post-16206133653199144972014-09-24T00:54:00.001-07:002014-10-23T12:27:58.899-07:00September Story #1Ahh yes. And alas, I have at least one story under my belt for this month. I've got two manuscripts to work on now and I'm actually working on them! Diligently even! Of course there's no immediate reason for excitement. I revamped my design document for NaNo's 2013 story, and it looks like I'll need to rewrite about 70-85% of it. Then I'll need to add about 100% more. Sound good? Well, at least one of us is looking forward to it (-.-)<br />
<br />
And for my newest manuscript, I'm definitely going to hold off on starting anything too crazy. I'll get a very nice outline going. Maybe write some clips of it (and post them here if I don't write any shorts...). Probably come up with one or five terrible endings! I can't wait.<br />
<br />
Anyway, I'm sure you've been waiting for the short.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
----------</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Subway</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
by Yours Truly</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
~800 words</div>
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<br /></div>
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Emily tugged at her earbuds and thumbed the volume on her
phone higher. She could tell that the music was loud, that the sound waves were
jostling for purchase in her ears, but the subway’s rails roared and
overwhelmed her music. She sighed and yanked the earbuds out. Emily glanced at
the rest of the riders. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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They looked despondent and weary. It was the end of the
workday after all. The last thing any of them wanted to admit was that they
couldn’t relax to their personal music. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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A businesswoman leaned with one hand gripping the overhead
straps, the other holding a folded newspaper. Whenever the train screeched to a
halt, she quickly shuffled to a new page. If she succeeded, a devilish grin
multiplied the creases on her forehead. If she failed, she scowled all the way
until the next stop, glaring at the pages as if they resisted change. Her
frustration visibly agitated some riders around her. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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A bicyclist glanced nervously at his road bike. Commuters
crowded into the subway car and pushed up against his bike. He grimaced but
said nothing. Slowly, he resigned to staring at the floor or his hands. Emily
wanted him to look up, to look around, and find her staring at him. From deep
in her gut, she just wanted eye contact. But it never happened. When the train
came to a stop, he politely navigated his way to the exit.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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A pack of teenagers giggled through the doors and stood,
huddled, beside two fat men slouched in the handicap seats. The boys hooked
their arms through the arm straps and flexed as well as they could without
falling. The girls rolled their eyes and laughed at things on their phones.
Eventually the boys did too. The fat men—hands perched atop their bellies like
hopping sparrows—chuckled from time to time. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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A woman sat next to Emily. She looked middle-aged but
dressed younger. Her ring finger was bare. Emily turned and smiled as the woman
faced her. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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“Hi,” Emily said.<br />
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“Hello,” the woman said. She smiled as if it hurt her face
and pride: a flash-cooked upturn of the lips and squeeze of the eyes. Hastily,
she drew a pair of earbuds from her pocket and clicked through her phone. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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“My father just died,” Emily blurted.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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The woman’s hands froze but her face jerked up in surprise.
Emotion filled her face. “I’m so, so sorry to hear that. That’s terrible. Uhm…”
<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Emily had no idea why she had lied. It had come to her like
a fit of déjà vu. Suddenly, she had just known that she had to say those words.
She knew her father was quite well, breathing as of their phone call not ten
minutes before she boarded the subway. The lie—for there was no other way to
feel about it—settled into her mind. It became a reality.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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“Oh god it was so sudden.” Emily felt her shoulders shake.
What was that? It was a nice touch. The woman touched Emily’s elbow, but
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that people were watching, eavesdropping, and taking videos.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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“It was just ten minutes ago. I was just listening to music
when my phone started ringing. I just answered my phone through my headphones. I
didn’t even know who was calling me. It was my mom on the other line.” Emily’s
eyes started watering, and she was amazed. She might audition for her school’s
theater group.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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“My mom’s voice was all cracked up like a joke, and she says
to me, ‘Sweetie? Sweetie is that you? It’s mom. I… ah… I have terrible news,
honey. It’s about your dad.’” Emily stopped to wipe at her eyes. She quickly
rubbed them against her jeans. She had no time to deal with tears. They were
distracting from the real show. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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The woman was crying. Big gushing waves of tears surged down
her high cheeks, and her makeup was smeared around her eyes. There were smudges
on the back of her hands. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I’m a wreck, but I have no
business feeling sorry for myself while you’re dealing with your father’s
passing.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Tranquility had seduced the subway car as every ear had
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She raised an eyebrow at Emily.<o:p></o:p></div>
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“Oh, did I interrupt your little drama? Ma’am, I’ve been on
this train for fifteen minutes with this young liar. She was never on the phone with anyone
about any dead one. She’s a twisted little—” The train screeched. The
businesswoman rolled up her paper, pinned it under an arm, and gave one last
devilish grin. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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-----the end-----</div>
Jeremyyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14999211749128091435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6590803409540155153.post-26649287588306963252014-09-02T22:43:00.002-07:002014-09-02T22:43:38.841-07:00August Story #2Hah! So I've now squared my debts with August. Two stories in the bag. Rest assured, my dear reader, a great two many more short stories are in store for you. Whenever these past two stories become somewhat reasonable. I will give them their own pages in my great <a href="http://jeyyong.blogspot.com/p/read-my-shorts.html" target="_blank">short story vault</a>.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
----------</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
A Future</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
by Yours Truly</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
~855 words</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Who can tell me about the downfall of the nation model?”
Mrs. Traveras’s boot heels clicked against the classroom linoleum. No one
spoke. Someone–probably Daniel Ozaga–rolled a pencil against a desk, the steady
drum pacing the silent students. Mrs. Traveras glared in the direction of the
pencil and it ceased. Definitely Daniel. She nodded perfunctorily. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>David
scratched right above his ear then toyed with his curly hair. He had no idea
what Traveras was talking about. He’d been daydreaming about something, about
what he couldn’t quite remember any more. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Traveras patrolled the aisles. “I
will wait until someone speaks.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
David sighed and looked at Lindsay.
Now he remembered his daydream. She glanced at him and shrugged, her face drawn
up in mock confusion. He slapped his palm to his mouth and stifled a giggle.
Traveras’s heels struck the floor. She stopped behind David. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
“You have the answer for the class,
David? I believe everyone else is ready to hear it.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
“I don’t know the answer, ma’am.” <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
“Give us your best guess.” <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
“I don’t know, ma’am.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Traveras stepped in front of
David’s desk and stared at him. “Mr. Ramirez, your father works for Gascon Interstellar.
I believe you have a healthy understanding of how we have arrived at our
current governance system. We’d all love to hear what you think.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
“Everyone knows the answer, ma’am.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
“Then enlighten us, David. I am interested
in what you have to say. Your classmates will listen attentively.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>David sucked in a breath. He scratched at his
ear again and peeked at Lindsay. She was smiling at him. He breathed out
calmly.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
“The nation model didn’t work kind
of like… kind of like the religion model before it, I think. Mostly, it created
divisions among people. Religion failed because these divisions existed even
when people lived close together. Nations failed because even on the same
planet people couldn’t be unified, much less once interstellar life became a
thing. A norm, right? The company model has been successful because all the
interstellar companies have an incentive to keep turmoil to a minimum. It also
helps that everyone is, in some way, paid by the companies.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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“And what created the opportunity
for the companies to take over?” Traveras’s voice was quiet but every student
was listening. The pencil rolled somewhere, but a vigilant student hushed it.
Traveras flashed a smile. <o:p></o:p></div>
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“Mostly, national governments
sucked,” David said. “Their ability to rule effectively was hampered by the
ideological divisions among each other. Competition with each other adversely
affected their constituents, whereas in the company era, each giga-manufacturer
has minimized those fallout events. At least, that’s what I think.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
“Very good, David, maybe you have
been paying attention in class.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
“But, Mrs. Traveras?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
“Yes, David?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
“There’s something I never really
understood.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
“About what?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
“About the company era. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
“And what is that?”<o:p></o:p></div>
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David paused. He enjoyed the moment
when everyone looked at him. <o:p></o:p></div>
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“If the company era is so much more
effective than the religion and nation eras, then, ma’am, why are people still
so fucking unhappy?”<o:p></o:p></div>
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The classroom erupted. The students
thumped their desks and jumped from their chairs. They hooted and hollered.
Someone–probably Ozaga–was whistling. David hadn’t been planning on swearing,
but it came out of him like an ocean swell. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
“David Ramirez! Language!” Mrs.
Traveras looked at her suddenly untamed class. <o:p></o:p></div>
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She went to the front of the class,
picked up her favorite stick, and tapped out a steady rhythm on the drawing
board. Slowly and one at a time, the students hushed. Ozaga–that boisterous,
inciting fool–was the last one to calm. Traveras approached him, and he saw
her. He knew the gravity of the situation, out of habit and the gravity of
Traveras’ face, and steeled himself. He laid his palms upright on his desktop.<o:p></o:p></div>
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“Thank you, Mr. Ozaga.” Traveras
whipped her stick down and it snapped against his palms. His knuckles made a
hideous rapping against his desk. He whimpered and was silent. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Traveras turned back to David. <o:p></o:p></div>
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“Don’t think that I’ve forgotten
about you, Mr. Ramirez. So you think you know everything now, do you? Well,
then let’s hear what you’ve got to say.” She hoisted her stick onto her
shoulder and leaned it there, building energy. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
“Well, ma’am–”<o:p></o:p></div>
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“Don’t ma’am me. Get to the point.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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“Er, okay. It just seems to me that
we’re learning that the company era is best because the companies are in charge
of the schools. Everything I said was just what we’re taught to say. But it’s
not the truth. I don’t know if people know it. I’m not sure if my folks know
it, or even you, Mrs. Traveras. We’re just being taught what we’re supposed to
know. I’m pretty sure that’s how it’s always gone, even way back to the other
eras.<o:p></o:p></div>
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“The company era isn’t a solution
to any of the old problems. You might think so. The people on newsscreens might
think so. I’m pretty sure every adult thinks so. But it’s all the same as
before, I think. I don’t know what else to say. That’s just how our galaxy has
turned out.”<o:p></o:p></div>
Jeremyyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14999211749128091435noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6590803409540155153.post-80014415885095191932014-08-31T23:58:00.001-07:002014-09-02T16:29:50.402-07:00Deadline Failure!So I know I said that I would write two shorts per month. That's still the goal... basically. I have two shorts, but they're not in a great condition. I'll post one of them here, but it's a ways off. And also, it's Labor Day Weekend, therefore I'm just going to wrap this Monday into the month of August. I'll post another short tomorrow. Maybe. Anyway, please enjoy despite the ruckus of grammatical issues and bad dialogue strings. This short story is 1,365 words long.<br />
<br />
If you can think of a title, please post a comment!<br />
<br />
EDIT: It's Monday... 9pm. I'm tired. I know there are some of you hanging on my every word. Hell, I'm doing the same, but I ain't turning one in tonight. I'll do three this month if that's what it takes. Much love.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
------------</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="MsoNormal">
Quinn pulled a thin twig from his pocket, jammed one end
between his lips and ignited a lighter against the other. He teased the flame back
and forth. When the tip finally reached an amber glow, he holstered the
lighter. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“What’re you doing?” Mike said.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Quinn pulled the twig, eyed the snaking trail of gray, and
smiled. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I’m smoking.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Mike pulled the cigarette from his mouth, blew out a smoke
ring, and nodded. “You look like an idiot.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
They sat on a wood bench at the Misty Glades Plaza in
downtown. A bus chugged past. Black exhaust guffawed from its tailpipe. A
homeless man pushed a cart full of blankets, garbage bags, and smells. Tins and
glass jingled with the metal frame. The black garbage bags shined like chunks
of obsidian. The homeless man paused in front of Quinn and Mike. His clothes
were smeared with brown, gray, and black. A jaundiced shirt collar stuck over his
frayed red sweater that hid beneath a torn leather jacket. On his shoulder,
there was an embroidered patch, reading: Not All Who Wander Are Lost. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Spare some change for a homeless man just looking for a
bite to eat and a place to sleep and some human kindness?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Quinn stared blankly, “Ah, sorry, man, I don’t have any
spare change on me.” It was certainly true–to an extent. While Quinn felt the
hard coins in his back pocket, and knew he had three extra dollar bills, he
didn’t enjoy the idea of giving away money. He would need it for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">something</i>. That meant it wasn’t spare,
right?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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“Yeah, I got some change for you, old timer,” Mike said. Still
sitting, he unzipped his coat, pulled aside the corner lip and reached into his
pocket. He came up with a few bills and held them between his fingers. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The homeless man stepped forward. A day’s worth of sweat
gleamed on his forehead. He looked between ages sixty-five and eighty with a
white beard twice as old. He smiled without showing his teeth, the splotchy,
cracked lips spreading dangerously against his jaw like worn rubber bands that
discolor as they are stretched to their limits. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
To Quinn, the three of them seemed in their own bubble of
existence. Nothing and no one could interfere. A twister spontaneously
breaching the overhead clouds would touch the ground beside them and leave only
a small opinion. The laws of physics denied any and all new forces. The
generation of free will, through the machinations of the universe, posed zero
validity. They were quite stuck. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A mother, pushing a stroller and leading a small girl by the
hand, rushed past. The girl stared until they were far away. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I have a few questions first,” Mike said. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Quinn’s jaw went slack and the smoking twig between his lips
rolled into a corner and nearly fell out. Extending a conversation with a
homeless person went one of two ways: bad and a bit worse. What was there to
gain? To what end could Mike’s questions possibly fulfill? <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“You got questions,” the homeless man said. His voice was
flat, unimpressed with its master’s rhetoric. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Sure do,” Mike said. “It could only take but a good minute
of your time. I hope that’s not too much to ask.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“If you’s asking, is that the first question?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“A fair point, but no, that is not one of my questions. You
must definitely answer my questions to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">earn</i>
the spare money I have in my hands for you. If you are fine with this
agreement, then you should have a seat with us.” <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A look of surprise flashed through the scraggly beard, bushy
eyebrows and wrinkled forehead. The homeless man crossed his arms, as if to
say, You think I’m going to walk away from free money? He left his cart in the
middle of the park’s road and sat between Mike and Quinn.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The smell of the man nearly knocked Quinn over. He turned to
his end of the bench and gasped for air. Vaguely, he heard: “First, it’s a
pleasure to meet you. My name is Mike.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The homeless man grunted. Maybe they were shaking hands. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“The first question is: What is your name?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“My name?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“None other.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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“What do <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">you</i> wanna
know my name for?”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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“How else would I address you?”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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“We’re just talking at each other. You don’t need my name.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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“If you want the money, you know the deal.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
With a sigh, “My name is Jacob.” After a moment,
“Grenstler.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Jacob Grenstler, it is nice to meet you. My distracted
friend behind you is Quinn. We work together. And this is a bench that we come
to often. It helps us relax, we think.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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How long had Mike been planning this? Always the diabolical
schemer, Mike may have been working on this prank for ages. Quinn felt queasy.
He yanked the twig from his lips, rubbed out the ashen tip against the bench
rail, and glared around for help. But despite his goosebump-inducing urge to
escape this homeless man’s reek, there remained an overwhelming curiosity to
hear the rest of Mike’s questions. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“So what’s your second question then?” <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Well, Jacob, I’d like to know how long you’ve been asking
for money from strangers.” <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There was a rustling of clothing. “I guess something like
ten years, give or take a year or so.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I see. Thank you for your estimation. Do you mind if I take
notes?”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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“You’re holding the money.” <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Splendid.” There was more shuffling, then the click of a
pen and subsequent scratching against paper.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Why have you struggled to earn money through working?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“You think asking for money ain’t work? Man, how do you
think a salesman makes money?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“True, true. I like your thinking Jacob, but a salesman
usually has a product. What are you selling?” <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">HIS STINK</i>, Quinn
thought.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I ain’t selling nothing. (At this, Mike laughed a little, a
short cough, but Jacob didn’t notice.)”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“So you could stop asking for money this instant, get a job,
and be well on your way?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A grunt.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Fair enough. Now, what was your first reason to start
asking for money?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I needed it.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“And you had none from a job.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“What’re you trying to say?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“You had no job.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Yeah, I had no job.” <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“So when you needed money, the first thing you thought to do
was to start asking for it, not get a job?” <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“That’s right.” <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Ever since you first started asking for money, has it
worked well for you?” <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I get by.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“You don’t ever wish to do better than get by? Don’t you
wish you could make money by not asking for it?” <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Hell, Mike, all anyone’s doing is getting by. You all are
just getting by, you just might be telling yourself otherwise. You got jobs,
but you don’t think you’re not asking for money?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I do not, Jacob. I produce things. I create things and
knowledge for other people to use. In exchange, I get paid. What is your
exchange? What do you give people?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Why do I gotta give things to people?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“You don’t.” <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There was a pause, and Mike scribbled away on a notepad. The
homeless man checked one of his pockets. Quinn’s body tensed. Was he going to
pull a knife? Quinn scanned their surroundings. The park was full of people.
But Quinn got the feeling that Mike was pushing up against the limits of normal
interaction that this guy could handle. Anything could happen. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“When you first started asking for money, I asked what your
reason was. You said you needed it. What did you need it for?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Why do you care?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Mike’s voice was low and secretive. “Answer the question,
Jacob. This is our exchange.” Quinn’s uneasiness doubled. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I dunno, drugs and stuff. I guess.” <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“And your reason now?” <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Only sometimes for drugs. Mostly it’s for food and normal
stuff.” The homeless man sniffed. Something big was stuck in his nostrils. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“My second to last question, Jacob. Do you enjoy asking for
money?” <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I don’t think I’ve ever met a happy salesman when he knew
his product sucked.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Scratching against
paper.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Thank you, Jacob for answering all my questions. Lastly, when
would you wish to stop asking for money?” <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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anything.”<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
Jeremyyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14999211749128091435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6590803409540155153.post-5319662467349835482014-08-04T23:59:00.000-07:002014-08-05T23:36:05.115-07:001 Month is 2 ShortsI couldn't think of a lamer title to capture my new commitment to write two short stories in every month.<br />
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But there it is. I keep looking at it, hoping it'll be better, that some little fairy will come along and poof it shiny and awesome. That's typically how I refer to my future-self editor anyway.</div>
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In order to keep things lively, I'll try my hand at different genres. I know it'll come out gross, but I'm hoping that forcing myself into these scenarios will forge greater connections with my beloved genres. And, just maybe, I'll find something I want to explore, but that's.. like.. the worst case scenario. </div>
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MANUSCRIPTS SIGHTED!</div>
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I've got a new manuscript idea in the works, but only the outline, not any solid text. I think I might just try and whack at it in NaNoWriMo. </div>
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And finally, I may just start working on my old manuscript from NaNo 2013. It so happens that I don't want to leave 60k+ of sweatbloodtears words by the wayside. I got some great advice from my trusted circle of readers and want to validate their trust in my shifty work ethic. </div>
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Welcome to this new era of me writing as much as I say I might do!</div>
Jeremyyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14999211749128091435noreply@blogger.com0