“Is this person based on someone close to you? The way you
portray him in your book just seems so realistic."
I laughed at how baffled my publisher was. What can I say? My imagination can run wild.
His name is Michael Tasker. He was born on the morning of July 20, 1992. His hair is jet black and his eyes as deep as the sea. With a height of 178 cm, he weighs 158 lbs of strength and muscle. He’s the perfect criminal. His evil mind hidden by his good looks. He's wanted for the attempted murder of a college student named Arleen. Arleen’s unplanned escape leads to the dark fate of an unsuspecting victim. It’s a very dark story and the ending is still a work in progress, but my publisher seems to like the first few chapters.
I left the office with pride. The streets became brighter as I let my happiness show with smiles and small jumps. My small parade failed to give me notice of a figure walking straight towards me.
“I’m sorry.” said the stranger. He looks familiar.
“This might be a little weird, but you look like a character in my book.” How embarrassing. Did I just say that out loud? He laughed as we stared at each other for what seemed like minutes.
"Michael," he said. My mind was blank, but I managed to give him my name. He led a small talk, and I tried to keep up even though my mind was filled with millions of questions. This isn't possible. Michael Tasker is not real.
I arrived at home just as the sun was setting. The sky was a hue of pink and orange. The sun nestled between two houses. “This view is going on my Instagram,” I thought to myself. I pulled my phone out, and just as I was about to press the button, a person went inside the frame. It was Michael. He waved at me and stood in front of the newly purchased house. What a coincidence. I waved half-heartedly, still left confused of our little encounter, and went inside my home.
I turned the radio on as I organize my manuscript. As I was looking over my writing, I heard a scream coming from outside.
“AAAHH.”
I dashed toward the window and twisted the shades. I saw someone running down the street with tears running down her smeared makeup. It was a young girl. She wore a necklace that held the letter A. I ran outside and tried to talk to her.
“Is everything okay?” I said. Her eyes, which were covered in fear, didn’t even glance at me. Where did she come from? I looked around and saw the door of Michael’s new house left ajar. Blinded by my curiosity, I walked towards him. When I reached his door, I hesitated.
“On three. One. Two. Three.” His door swung open even before I lifted my hands. The scent of bleach and metal greeted me. Michael stood there with his hair slicked back with sweat and his mouth curved into a smile. What was I going to say? No words came out of my mouth. The smell suffocated me. Why am I having deja vu?
"You just missed Arleen."
I laughed at how baffled my publisher was. What can I say? My imagination can run wild.
His name is Michael Tasker. He was born on the morning of July 20, 1992. His hair is jet black and his eyes as deep as the sea. With a height of 178 cm, he weighs 158 lbs of strength and muscle. He’s the perfect criminal. His evil mind hidden by his good looks. He's wanted for the attempted murder of a college student named Arleen. Arleen’s unplanned escape leads to the dark fate of an unsuspecting victim. It’s a very dark story and the ending is still a work in progress, but my publisher seems to like the first few chapters.
I left the office with pride. The streets became brighter as I let my happiness show with smiles and small jumps. My small parade failed to give me notice of a figure walking straight towards me.
“I’m sorry.” said the stranger. He looks familiar.
“This might be a little weird, but you look like a character in my book.” How embarrassing. Did I just say that out loud? He laughed as we stared at each other for what seemed like minutes.
"Michael," he said. My mind was blank, but I managed to give him my name. He led a small talk, and I tried to keep up even though my mind was filled with millions of questions. This isn't possible. Michael Tasker is not real.
I arrived at home just as the sun was setting. The sky was a hue of pink and orange. The sun nestled between two houses. “This view is going on my Instagram,” I thought to myself. I pulled my phone out, and just as I was about to press the button, a person went inside the frame. It was Michael. He waved at me and stood in front of the newly purchased house. What a coincidence. I waved half-heartedly, still left confused of our little encounter, and went inside my home.
I turned the radio on as I organize my manuscript. As I was looking over my writing, I heard a scream coming from outside.
“AAAHH.”
I dashed toward the window and twisted the shades. I saw someone running down the street with tears running down her smeared makeup. It was a young girl. She wore a necklace that held the letter A. I ran outside and tried to talk to her.
“Is everything okay?” I said. Her eyes, which were covered in fear, didn’t even glance at me. Where did she come from? I looked around and saw the door of Michael’s new house left ajar. Blinded by my curiosity, I walked towards him. When I reached his door, I hesitated.
“On three. One. Two. Three.” His door swung open even before I lifted my hands. The scent of bleach and metal greeted me. Michael stood there with his hair slicked back with sweat and his mouth curved into a smile. What was I going to say? No words came out of my mouth. The smell suffocated me. Why am I having deja vu?
"You just missed Arleen."
Wow...this story just went full circle. Very well written and very unexpected. Favorite part was the last line and just thinking on what's going on in the narrator's mind at that moment is crazy, great job!
ReplyDeleteDeAndre Siringoringo P.1
This was a stunning story! The simplicity was refreshing, you didn't overdo it with the details which really left me, as a reader, stunned by the turn of events. At first I got excited because I would love for some of my favorite book characters to be real but then realizing what the character did made me rethink my dream a bit.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely love this story. It had the suspense, but foreshadowing that keeps the reader intrigued. It was very easy to read. It didn't have complicated or confusing writing or words. I knew as soon as he said his name it was over! That last line, "'You just missed Arleen'" left an eerie, almost sickening feel that lets you know Micheal Tasker is going to be a big problem. Great job!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this piece. I really loved how descriptive you were when describing Michael Tasker. As well as, how you made a character literally come to life. It was so unexpected, I loved it. Great Job!!!
ReplyDeleteThe plot twist is incredible, I did not see that coming. Your imagery and descriptions really painted a picture of Michael. I'm wondering how she knew about him, is she psychic? The ending was great because I want more of the story and it answered the question that he is Michael Tasker.
ReplyDeleteI was honestly so confused reading your story, but not in a bad way. It was a good kind of confused that made me want to reread it over and over again (which I did)! I loved your story and all the little details you included of the characters and scenery. I was confused as to what was going on, but I was hooked to the very last word. I have one pet peeve though: in describing the protagonist (antagonist?) of the book, you used both metric and imperial units. It threw me off for a second, but it didn’t take away from your amazing story. Overall, the suspense in your story just left me on the edge of my seat! Such a great story! Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI liked reading your piece. It was something different and I always enjoy originality. I would like to say thank you for writing this piece because of the crazy turn of events that happened so suddenly it caught me off guard. Well Written!
ReplyDelete