A Pre-Holiday Surprise
Celebrating, and Sharing.
Happy Friday!
I’ve been thinking. Today’s email marks edition #25 of Fiction Notes. 25! How crazy is that? As someone who spent years procrastinating on the idea of starting a newsletter/blog about writing, this is almost surreal.
My favorites (most enjoyed writing) so far are:
Either way…
25 Fiction Notes editions also mean that I’ve spent the last 25 weeks pontificating about writing to you, without actually sharing any of my (fiction) writing. Not good. Not good at all.
There is a reason behind that decision: none of my projects are ready to be share. But, as I mentioned above—I’ve been thinking. And my thinking led me to, well, think: who cares if it isn’t ready? Strangers on the internet are always super nice, aren’t they? I know you guys are, at least.
So that’s what I am doing today. I am sharing a not-even-remotely-finished prologue to one of the novels I’m working on. By that I mean: the prologue itself is in decent shape (though I already see glaring flaws in the writing), but the book itself truly is no-where near being done.
So…. That caveat aside and without further ado (except for a pretty picture), I share with you:
Untitled Book Of Awesomeness And Harrowing Tragedy — Excerpt
Prologue.
The young man closed the window to quiet the world outside, but there was no stopping the celebrations, the endless cheering, the cries and songs of a people that hadn't sung for too long now.
It was the end of autumn. There were men and women crowding the light-soaked streets. They laughed and kissed. They fell into each other’s hard embrace, their minds numbed by the shock of peace. Strangers met strangers like long-lost family, couples smiled and met each other’s eyes and hurried away to find a place where they could do all the loving they hadn’t done in the last four years.
It was night and the lampposts had been set to shine not white or yellow, but green and gold and silver. There were string lights lining open doorways and open windows. Children both sun-beaten and pale-skinned ran gaily; they handed out flags and flowers and sang and joked, or just stood in silence, heads aimed upwards in awe as they watched the fantastic fireworks cover the sky. There would be no quiet come sunrise.
His friends were out there too, somewhere in the crowd, smoking and drinking till their hearts ached. What would come next? the young man thought to himself.
He had ink-black hair, pale skin and tired blue eyes. He smiled a sad smile and stepped away from the window.
Without him even realizing, he drove his hand to his jacket pocket searching for the gilded watch. He patted the inner lining hopefully for a second or two, but only found a broken button, a half-empty box of matches and three loose cigarettes. The watch, he very well knew, lay far away from the apartment in which he stood, buried inside a casket under the cold earth.
He limped to the other side of the room. He reached for the chair and held onto its top rail, using it as a crutch. Eyes set on the door, the young man waited for the footsteps he hoped would come eventually. He waited for a long moment, but no-one came. Disappointed, he took a cigarette from his pocket and lit it. He looked around the room; at the empty bed, the empty bookcases, the dry-blood-covered sheets and, finally, at the wooden desk and blank pieces of paper.
The cheering outside grew louder, and flashes of red and green light followed. Like rain the colors leaked into the small room, flooding the wood and stone-brick walls with notes of joy, drowning the crackling sound of logs burning bright in an otherwise dark apartment.
The young man searched for his watch once again. Not finding the small metal object, he settled for a sip from the glass of rye that lay atop his desk. Not finding the silence he sought, he sat down and grabbed the leather-bound ledger sitting quietly near the glass of rye.
He breathed deeply, studying its blank cover. After a moment, he opened the book and began to read. Not long passed before the young man began to cry.
***
That’s it for today! If you enjoyed this, or have any thoughts, don't hesitate to comment below! Also: have a wonderful Christmas/Hanuka/any-other-form-of-celebration next week.
Cheers,
Matias