Last time I came on here it was to post about a spontaneous writing challenge I had gotten myself into and then I got completely sidetracked. That happens to me quite often. Well this time, the reason I got on here will be a lot easier to write if I continue with my previous plan and tell you first about this Short Story.
As I was coming to the end of my mourning period mentioned in my last post, I wrote a poem that inspired me to delve back into some creative writing. For some reason, lets be honest, because I was lonely. I decided to post on Facebook that I had decided to try some creative writing again. I should have known this would be a mistake. Almost immediately after posting I received a comment with a very specific writing challenge from, at the time, an acquaintance. The challenge was to write a short story that included these 5 elements.
2 mute hobos (the antagonist)
A shifty eyed dog (protagonist)
A bowling alley
A bowl of rotten tomatoes
A broken wrist watch
I was given exactly 3 days to complete it and after some shameless flirting(the first flirting I'd done since the break up) I was promised a trophy, the likes of which I couldn't imagine, if I finished it in time.
Well I did. I finished it and I sent it to my challenger. It was an interesting experience and although I'm not in love with the whole thing, The first page I am rather fond of. I will share that Excerpt now.
One of Those Days: An Excerpt from The Empty One by Kelli Hunter
As if being homeless,
jobless, and mute wasn’t enough. I had to be a freak as well. I mean what else
would you call a man, whose best way of communication was reading the thoughts
of every living thing around him? Major freak. You probably don’t even believe
me. Whether you do or don’t doesn’t matter. Truth is, I hear how the plants
feel as they soak in the sun and relish its warmth and energy. I hear the
animals as they beg for the love of their equally lonely owners, and the ever-depressing,
horrifying thoughts of every man, woman, and child in this city. Can you imagine?
Spending so much time on-having so much space taken by-the thoughts of beings
and people who don’t even see you? Who have no idea you even exist? I think
not. If you could, you would go crazy. Bat-shit crazy.
Most days I actually
thank God for the otherwise hardship of my muteness. Without it, I would have
alienated myself much earlier and more severely than I already have. Sure,
there are moments when I answer a question that hasn’t actually been asked. It happens more often than I would like. More
than I can take. The way those people look at you.
How can people feel so many
things in such a small amount of time? I see and hear as they go from pity, to
confusion, sliding quickly into fear, in the blink of an eye. At that point,
it’s best just to walk away. Let yourself be the topic of pillow talk, therapy
sessions, and social media statuses, never to be thought of again; That barista at the
coffee shop gets a brand new story to tell of the creepy homeless man who wrote
her a note trying to cheer her up, when she had spent the entire day showing
nothing but the most convincing smile, secretly crumbling to pieces on the
inside; as does the old man at the bus stop who kept asking “God, Why am I
still alive?” Because without Mary he just didn’t want to live. Wasn’t it his
time yet? The telling look on his face when the strange man with the over grown
beard, pulled his chin up with his grubby fingers and solemnly shook his head
no, mouthing “not yet”. Yes, it’s best just to be a story told.
It is not one of
those days; when I thank God. I sit here watching the people as they walk by,
talking on the phone, laughing with their friends, and flirting with the cute
checkout girl behind the counter at the corner market. It just makes me angry.
It begins as an ember burning deep in my soul, ignited by my jealousy, building
into a fiery hot rage. IT’S NOT FAIR!
I can hear every aspect of every interaction. I know more about
each conversation than the people having
them. I hear both sides; what they say and what they are too afraid to. And
still, I will never understand. Never
really know what it feels like to have my voice be music to someone’s ears, to
make that smile spread across their face at the sound of my laughter, to
experience the way a woman’s name feels as it rolls off my tongue…
The sun is too
bright, the voices too loud. It comes in waves, the pain. Eye-splitting, earth-shattering
pain. Sleep. Sleep is what I need. I lay down, arms over my head. Huddling in
the dark between two dumpsters in my favorite alley, thinking “maybe when I
wake, if I wake, it will be gone and
everything will finally be still.
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
Now comes the trophy. A few days after I turned in the story I finally was receiving my trophy. I opened the door to let Weston in and all I see is a giant deer head with giant antlers and a pair of human legs peaking out from underneath. It really was the likes of which I never would have imagined, it was hilarious and perfect. The best trophy ever. For the next few weeks or month I drove around with that deer strapped into the back of my car. Held in place with the seat belt, like he was just taking a ride. He went up to McCall on one of our many family trips and I serenaded him many a times with my favorite songs while driving. We made Rednecks day with a responding thumbs up or "Hell Yeah!", made some people very confused, and made a lot of kids laugh. Oh and his name is Buck Russell Attorney at Law. Here are some of our adventures:
Our first night together. How Precious!
I was getting pics taken to help sell the dress and Buck Russell just had to come along!
Buck Russell Attorney at Law's home for the first few weeks. I needed him handy for any photo ops.
When we went to McCall I thought he might like a trip to his natural habitat. My dad was such a sport in holding him up for these fun photo's!
In light of a road trip that just didn't have enough room for him to come a long, he needed to find a new home, at least for now. He got a little sassy in this shoot. Work it girl! ;)
I just hope I can get him out for some more pictures soon. I think he is getting a little bored up there on the wall all by himself.
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