Short Story Sunday #1

 

A Conversation of Two Old Men

    "I remember when these trees were young and just planted don't you." said Mr. Elleson. He was a local and a native to the area. He had lived there his whole life he never went anywhere. His whole world was his hometown. He did not travel the country like his companion, nor did he share the same experiences. Both men had, had their own experiences from their long lives. Some were similar like all men, and some were vastly different.

    "No, I'm afraid I was not here when the trees were planted. I do enjoy their beauty now. I see it well I believe when that had happened, I was in California" Mr. Krumpus replied. They continued on with their stroll passing over that gravel road along the stone wall. He looked at all of the stones as they continued walking.

    "You know, I'm like this stonewall. There's all these variety of stones and I see them and I see how different they are. It reminds me of how different we are to different people." Mr. Elleson added. Mr. Krumpus thought for a moment and looked up at the sky and saw the flocks of swallows as they flew from tree to tree.

    "I've often found that interesting. No one really knows anyone, you can know someone for a minute or your whole life and you have your own perspective on them" Mr. Krumpus said. "That is true, when I was just a young boy I often did not like people knowing my next move. I'd observe the way everyone acted. I mean everyone. I saw it clear who would do what how people would react to this that or the other." Mr. Elleson said in reply as he adjusted his hat. Mr. Krumpus paused for a moment and raised his hand and placed it on Mr. Elleson's shoulder. He raised his other hand in gesture and was about to speak then he thought again. Then he spoke.

    "I can't remember if I have told you but did, I ever tell you how I met the first love of my life" Mr. Krumpus said with a dry and raspy tone. "No, I don't believe you have, If you did it was a while ago" Mr. Elleson said.

    "I probably have I just don't remember it's one of those stories where you tell it over and over again that you forget if you've told it or not" he added. Mr. Elleson and Mr. Krumpus walked further, and he told him the story like one of those old tales. The tales that old men often tell that are often perceived as senile. 

    "Before I was a butcher you know, my dad was a cattle rancher, so I often had to feed the cows in the morning. Now I'll tell you out of all the animals cows smell the worst. Dead or Alive, although pork is a close second if not tied." Mr. Krumpus told as his eyes widened with joy. Although his face was all saggy and wrinkled his eyes lit up with joy like a child on Christmas day. 

    "Now you see, I would often go to school all smelly and wretched, I did take showers, I swear to God I did, I just did them before I did all the work and I often times would be late to school and I didn't want to waste water. It was dry in Idaho; very dry I tell you. So no girl at my high school would want to date me you see, it probably was not pleasant being around someone that smelled as bad as me. I know I wouldn't want to be around me" Mr. Krumpus said Mr. Elleson stood there and listened and then looked up almost half annoyed but at the same time amused. 

    "Sometimes, I don't even want to be around you" Mr. Elleson said in jest jabbing at him. 

    "I'm surprised I even got the girl to marry me" Mr. Krumpus added and then he continued on with his tale.

    "So no women would date me, I would ask many many women but they liked my personality, however, they could not stand the smell. Then came along Montana" Mr. Krumpus said before being interrupted by Mr. Elleson. 

    "So is this how you moved to Montana and became a butcher there" Mr. Elleson said in a rather arrogant way.

    "No, no, no this is how I met my first love, my wife, my sweet beloved, My darling dearest, the ball and chain, the other half, my partner in crime" Mr. Krumpus said in his gargling tone almost half annoyed at Mr. Elleson's interjection

    "So, Montana was in my history class and I never cared much for history it was often just dates and when this or that happened and who is this person, like American history I payed attention because I'm proud to be an American but all that other stuff who cares if columbus sailed for the ocean blue in 1592" Mr. Krumpus told.

    "I believe it's 1492 but what do I know I've lived in this place my whole life and have never left it" Mr. Elleson.

    "Not even for your honeymoon?" Mr. Krumpus asked. "Well, I guess there is that time and the time I went to my kids' weddings since they've all left the place. I don't get why the young leave their hometowns there's so much to love and to offer" Mr. Elleson said

    "Yeah, well they don't believe they have a future here that's why they leave. So basically, Montana was very smart at history she could memorize dates like second nature. It scared me especially when it was around our anniversary. She was the most beautiful woman, she had straight brown hair and she had brown eyes like the mud, and a tanned face like the barley in a field of wheat. She was a skinny petite woman but boy could she handle a bull" Mr. Krumpus said.

    "How could she handle a bull, she was such a small woman. Not even my wife who did rock climbing and hiking in her prime could do such a thing" Mr. Elleson asked curiously.

    "Well, you see Montana was also a daughter of a cattle rancher, now see, I sat with her at lunch and we talked and what not" Mr. Krumpus told.

    "What did you talk about?" Mr. Elleson asked. "I don't know it was so long ago probably school or how strict the History teacher was. She was this tall slender woman that stood like a fence post. Like god forbid you put your feet on the desk once. She was a woman that definitely did not like me. Now that I remember" Mr Krumpus said. Mr. Elleson did remember this story and then began to tell the rest in short

    "So if I'm not mistaken, you asked her for help with your homework and studied with her and the rest is history?" Mr. Elleson said. "YES! How did you know?" Mr. Krumpus said with a boisterous voice

     "It's an old man's tale my friend, it's one of those stories that you forget if you told it or not but you've already have" Mr. Elleson said. They continued on with their walk along the path beneath the canopy of trees passing by all the floral and fauna they found in the path that had overtaken it with time.

The End

An Update on my current work

Update on Current Work

The Premise:

    For those that don't know, I'm currently working on writing a manuscript for a historical fiction tragedy novel set in my hometown of Gig Harbor from the year 2000-2018. The main thesis for the Novel is How does goodness die? I believe that when writing you have to answer a question. That question shouldn't be elaborate it should be simple. However, the ideas that stem from that question should not be simple and that is exactly what I'm doing. I am writing about how does goodness die in a society that loses its culture, heritage and virtue set in my hometown. I witnessed it firsthand and I thought what better way to write about it than to tell a story. Instead of showing purity as I did with To Love Perfectly. I wanted to show debauchery and how it corrupts goodness, how the environment we lives in shapes us and how we act with it. I like stories where bad things happen but people still choose to do good. I have personally dealt with some instances with this. Now I am no saint by any means. There have been other times where when bad has happened to me I have retaliated on my own accord seeking justice. Justice is a nice thing when it happens in its own time and sometimes its best to let it unfold. That is definitely a part of the tragedy in the novel. I want treachery and I want to show how it falls by its own ignorance. I also just want to trash on developers. They ruin everything. They get rid of beauty and put in what is supposed to be cheap and affordable. 

    However, it is often unaffordable and made cheaply and lacks beauty. Also, the development companies often don't plant native floral and fauna in the neighborhoods which means one of two things. A) they plant invasive species with a lack of bio-diversity that takes over the place. B) They end up dieing since they aren't native to the environment. Anyways the point I'm trying to make is that developers are clueless and ruin society with it. They also, just don't make beautiful buildings (I've already written an article on this). So with a culmination of these ideas, I've been cooking up so I've put it to word on a document. 

The Process of writing it:

    I instantly knew how I wanted to end it so I have written out the epilogue already, and most of Chapter XXXIII and a complete epilogue. I knew that there were a few contemporary topics I wanted to cover which I've gotten to somewhat such as homosexual relations, affairs, drug addiction, pride, greed, lust etc. Basically, if it's negatively viewed in some aspect socially, I try touching on it. These things often occur in our society and can't be ignored. I'm not like most Catholics. I'm not a prude and I'm concerned with what's real. What is real is what we can observe in our society, and I so just wanted to write a book with a bunch of debauchery. Now obviously, I'm not writing it for the sake of debauchery, but I use it as a way to show the deterioration of society over the past 2 decades. I thought what better place than my hometown of Gig Harbor. I know the history of it pretty well from the past 2 decades since I lived through some of it and know the culture and society well. It's really sad to see its deterioration. Now initially, when I started writing it I was set on the title: The Last Gentleman, I might keep it I might not. There's just so much that goes own within and between families in the book that I'm not sure if the title fits. This is because, the character who could be observed as "the last gentleman" is not inherently present throughout the work always. I basically just use him as a symbol for goodness which is the purpose of the book. I do everything intentionally when I write. There is an intent for everything. 

    I started writing it after I had published To Love Perfectly and Poetry and Sayings. I use on of the poems which is titled "The Last Gentleman" as the prologue to the book and I expand upon it. From there I wrote the first 15 chapters over the past several months. I was also told by one of my friends who had purchased To Love Perfectly that he believes I'm "allergic or have a fear of commas" so I have been making sure to use commas this time, in The Last Gentleman. I believe that I should try pursuing a proper publisher rather than self publishing. I think the topics and the themes are just too great to be left unoticed as an indie book. To Love Perfectly can get away since it's honestly pretty niche and really a book meant for men. It's meant for men who struggle with obsession as I did in High School, I had noticed that many of my friends and peers my freshmen year of college struggled with this. So that's part of the purpose of To Love Perfectly. However, The Last Gentleman covers a variety of things and is intended for a mass audience. I want it to be big since it touches on so many vital things. That's why I write everything with my exposition and reflection at times. Which hopefully the readers will see this when it is finished and published. I also try reaching for the readers mind when I write it. I want to reader to really think is this really how this happens. I then want them to see and come to the conclusion that yes, this in fact how reality often times works. 

    Now, oftentimes there does seem to be a plastic aspect to some of the characters. Like there are characters that are 2 dimensional and don't have much depth. I do this because they're meant to represent a virtue or a vice. Like at times it should seem comical. However, I believe that comical aspect as fantastical as it can seem at times ads to the realism. Also, there are many dense and dark topics within the novel. So I do want to let the reader breath at moments. So there are definitely a couple chapters that do exactly that.

Setting, Plot and Theme

Gig Harbor

    I chose my hometown of Gig Harbor as the setting since some of the things I have discussed already have occurred in my beloved hometown. I lament for its loss. That is exactly why I chose Gig Harbor. I don't currently know of any books that take place in Gig Harbor or movies that explicitly take place in Gig Harbor so I thought I would pay homage and honor to my hometown. I also specifically chose the neighborhood I lived in from when I was born to a little after I turned 4. I remember it clearly and well how beautiful my hometown was before its gentrification. I'm not saying that all development is a bad thing. However, Gig Harbor is a great example of development done wrong and out of ignorance of culture and heritage. I really wanted to play on the ignorance part so often times the setting reflects the theme of whatever scene is going on. I also let the natural weather of Washington state play into this as well. 

How Does Goodness Die

    The Last Gentleman is a historical fiction tragedy. It's meant to be sad but at times it seems hopeful I want the reader to feel emotion. To see that Washington is not some dreary depressing place. Rather its turbulence can be felt in a multitude of emotions. It's culmination of tones can be epic at times. The environment can really reflect a profound attitude. I let the actions and words of characters come to shape their perception of reality, truth and how things ought to be. I want to show how by creating our own truth and seeking our own benefit without the benefit of others in our society we become convoluted with greed and seek power. I want to show power toppling like a mudslide and goodness die like a martyr when it shot by the ill deeds of others. 

    So, the plot follows many families who have their own flaws and how they come to their conclusions of reality. They create their own goodness at times which causes them to fail. They seek false joy in life and aren't concerned with the things that really matter. I also show the effects of the 2008 Great Recession and how it took a toll on families but through story telling. This is the purpose of The Last Gentleman an alternative thesis could be: The developments before and after the 2008 market crash changed the way society functions and these are its outcomes. The plot is like an essay it's very much so mapped out. Now I didn't create an outline nor am I going to spoil what happens. However, it is grand on scale and it involves Goodness and how outward forces change it.

Theme

    I'm not sure how to exactly categorize it. It could be seen as a regional epic but it could also be seen as a historical fiction drama which is what I've been primarily calling it. Another way to view it is a coming-of-age novel about the new age and its consequences. There is a lot of religious themes throughout the book. It's kind of hard to ignore them when Gig Harbor was a devoutly Catholic town and I was embraced in that parish life for quite a time. I also use environmentalism heavily throughout the work. Like if you do not see any environmentalist imagery when it is published in read you'll need to re-read it for sure or did not read it well enough. I also choose to let Cascadian Bioregionalism have an influence. I believe the term Cascadia is proper for the "pacific northwest" I believe the term Pacific Northwest is too broad and can include a variety of things that would not be essential. However, Cascadia sums everything up perfectly. I use a lot of Cascadian imagery too. Now the book is not a political work and it should not be viewed as such. It is a cultural work and a response to the changes in society that have been detrimental to it. It's not meant to look at the positives of development since the scale is often tipped towards the negative. 

Concluding Thoughts:

    I'm not settled on the idea of calling it The Last Gentleman however, that is the title that has been sticking with me. I have thought of other titles such as The Great Affairs of Gig Harbor or something along the lines of that. I have also been thinking about writing other books too. Like I'm thinking of writing a book about meritocracy verses nepotism and how meritocracy beats it. Anyways, that's beside the point. I believe this work will have a great impact on those that read it. I really hope that it can be viewed in the light it should have. I have spent a lot of time on it and I do everything intentionally. Like it is a historical fiction because I do make reference to events and things that occured at the time throughout the book. Some of these events in Washington state contemporary history have a profound impact on many of the characters apart from the 2008 great recession. Now it's not your standard historical fiction where important figures from history are in it. Nor, is it something that has completely fictional characters. Like some of the people in the book were real people that lived in Gig Harbor specifically people from Saint Nicholas Church. However, I include them since I believe that they would bring great insight to Gig Harbor's history and were very much essential to parish life in Gig Harbor. Like Saint Nicholas was not Saint Nicholas without them. Historically, Saint Nicholas played a key role for the Croation fishermen families since they were Catholic, they needed a place to attend mass and hence in 1913 the first Church was built in Gig Harbor. That church being Saint Nicholas. Gig Harbor is a Catholic town and should be viewed as such from a historical perspective and that is part of the argument I make with the book. 

      

 

Rejected Article for Newspaper That I Wrote

 

John and John Interviews

I was wondering to myself midway through this journey in life who to interview. It just so happened that I ran into my friend John Lee. Now John Lee had a lot to say about the book he wrote after finals.

“So John Lee, I heard you wrote a book what’s it called”

This question really pondered me by the toes. It’s as if Mr. Brown had used me as a bowling ball. Since I had heard he wrote a book. I Just didn’t know what it’s called.
“Well, John, I’ll tell you what it’s called”

I was befuttled by this statement. I had no clue how to respond since he didn’t tell me what the book was called, so I persisted and peered into his mind. So I asked him through interagation. I will not disclose my Machiavellian methods. So afterwards I got around and asked:

“Okay tell me”
“Okay John Lee it’s called To Love Perfectly”
“Why John Lee is it called To Love Perfectly”
“Well…it’s…about love John…”

This is the kind of answer I was hoping to get from him. I’m glad he finally came to his senses. I find it rather interesting that a signle jhit like John would be writing about love.

“How did you come to the idea of the topic of love”

            “Well you see John I was in the car with a certain Mr. Brown and the topic of perfect love came up. I just KNEW that I HAD TO write something about it. Now you see I’m not some ordinary joe Schmoe philosopher like Dr. Love. I wanted to tell a story—This story is completely fictional correct?”

I asked him because I was very concerned. I was so concerned in fact that I thought real people might think fictional characters are real.  “I don’t know what is real and isn’t real since I’m lost in the sauce that is the world of forms.” “I had a dream once, a dream of Plato’s divided line” “That’s really interesting John, so answer me are the characters real?” “They’re as real as the cartoons you see on TV” “So they aren’t real” I asked him for clarification. “No they aren’t real” I was pleased by this answer. It pleased me.

I was curious about the themes of the book besides love and I had heard he explores different types of love. This is what he had to say: “well you see I’ve been thinking what is love and what is the definitive act to love it seems there are many ways one can love. I could love the way the lights look on a summerlike night. Or the way a woman’s hand feels ever so soft when dancing with her. What does it mean to love… So I explored how one can become obsessed (imperfect or disordered love) and fall into depravity and how it is through the human condition that man can come to find perfect love which there go leads to happiness” I liked John’s response. I might have written it in a book and called it To Love Perfectly myself. I then asked him “So John Lee what are your personal favorite parts from the book” “Oh there’s so many…I love the part where Sebestien gets drunk. It’s really moving. I love seeing something perfect fall into utter despair to ultimately become more beautiful. It’s like a grapevine on poor soil. Yes the vine sufferes but the fruit it bears is of the highest quality.” “That’s a uh really interesting way to put it John. I think I just might have to buy the book how much does it cost?”

I was curious so I had to know how much John Lee would charge for a book. This is what he told me in a dream: “$15 paperback $25 hardcover. You can buy it from BARNES AND NOBLE (on their website) and the cover has the Shenandoah River on it” I then awoke from my acid trip and found myself by the dam. I don’t know how or why I got here. But I do know that I should probably get 8 hours instead of the 6 or 7 hours of sleep I normally get. As I walked back towards Regina Coeli I came upon a guy named Danto and he told me he was going to show me the way. I politely refused since I knew my way back to my dorm room. When I got back to my room I saw that everything was glued to the ceiling. I don’t know why or how this happened. Then everything turned green and this alien ah chud dude challenged me to a game and I again politely refused him. I don’t know who John Lee is but everyone tells me I look like him.