I had this thought once, that out of the 7 billion+ people of the world, you can find one person whose back story is something you’d only hear about in fiction. Stories that seem so implausible or outrageous that you can’t believe they actually exist, but they do!
This series of short stories/scenarios will deal with exactly that. I will be posting a couple of paragraphs every other post (I hope) about a random person of the world, I might or might not have met, heard of, seen, thought of… you name it. I promise that whatever I write will not be exaggeration no matter how unlikely it may seem to the reader. BUT the world is a bizarre place, and humans even more bizarre. Note that names will be, for one reason or the other, completely made up.
What I would like from the readers, however, is to share their opinions, analyses, thoughts or even their story or someone else’s (of course remaining anonymous, if they’d wish to be). There will not be any judgement, nor bashing, nor shaming, only sincere objective descriptions of the situation each person might face in the story. Just try to empathize with the person in the story no matter how different from you they might be. Don’t judge, don’t hate, just imagine and listen.
I hope you like this.
“Waking up” is a collaboration between M. and me. It was written by taking turns; whenever one stops, the other continues. We’ll be posting the rest of the story as we write it. Enjoy!
The alarm went off for the eighth time. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to wake up. Yesterday, he had wasted a day, and he wasn’t planning on doing so today.
The sound of his alarm rang loudly into his ears but not his mind nor his eyes. He finally opened his eyes to a ghostly clock on the wall and his sister’s face trying to wake him up.
“I’m supposed to wake up by myself, dweeb.”
“The alarm was starting to get annoying, you know. Get your butt up so it would stop.”
“Well excuse me for trying to put a proper schedule for myself for once. Go back to your precious bed!”
“I will, asshole. I was up all night and I’m seriously exhausted!”
“Well, boohoo. Cry me a river. I’m exhausted from sleeping, how about we switch places and you see what it feels like?”
“Whatever!” she says as she slams the door behind her.
Exhausted from sleep and tired from people “understanding him”, he pulls himself lazily into the shower. He steals a peak at the mirror in the hallway between the bedroom and the bathroom.
“A bit of concealer will fix those bags up,” he blurts into his reflection.
“You’re a guy, you can’t put concealer!” Joann shouts from the other bedroom.
“Shut up and go to sleep, dweeb.”
What else am I supposed to do? It’s a good thing I’m awake to begin with. I’ll have a quick shower and hopefully get some things done today.
The hot water massages his back and it feels so relaxing. Today he’ll reply to some emails regarding work, try to figure out what to do with his courses, talk to some of his teachers and explain the situation again, and put some guidelines on how he should proceed with studying.
He should also get done with the doctor’s visit he has been postponing for so long.
There might be a new medicine or a new drug that would destroy my all-time sleepiness.
He turns off the water and steps out of the tub reaching for the red towel. He owns a lot of red stuff; Clothes, shoes, car … etc. He does not like red though. He hates it in fact, because it keeps reminding him of his condition, yet keeps his senses awakened when in need.
He goes into the bedroom. Reaching for the closet, he grabs an ordinary t-shirt and shorts but then decides to change the t-shirt.
You can’t wear something old and torn. What if you end up sleeping in the hospital like last time?
Keys in hand, wallet in back pocket, phone in left front pocket, medical bracelet in right hand, and lucky necklace around his neck. He checks three times to make sure and heads out. He should always remember not to fall asleep.
It’s a silly useless thought, but let’s go with that for now.
A few blocks down the road, he notices that the check engine light is on. He swears under his breath.
How evil can fate be!
Even his engine light reminds him of an abnormality. He ignores.
Reaching for the keys, he opens his pharmacy door and flips the OPEN sign, even if his mind was shutting in. He makes sure everything is okay and calls his two assistants; two sweet girls who help him with his studies when he is in need.
M. & E.
Spreading The Word 