Excavator

I created an avatar to help me explore this world I’ve created beyond the stories I’m already writing. From this meta-perspective, I hope to make those stories better. The avatar is an aspiring writer. When we first meet him (in an unfinished scene), he frequently visits a pub and drinks a bit more than is healthy for him. An older man takes pity on him and points out that there are stories literally sitting all around him. This gives him the courage to get out of his glass and make conversation.

I sat next to the man at the end of the bar Sharma had told me about, though he had warned me this wasn’t a good first conversation to have. He was deep in drink, with several empty glasses on the bar in front of him. He looked at me with clear, sharp eyes. “I drink alone,” he said. His voice was gravelly.

“That’s what Sharma told me.” I let the social connection sink in, hoping it would give me an entry point. He relaxed his shoulders a little.

“He would. Damn busybody. What interest am I to you?”

“I’m a writer without life experience. My imagination isn’t getting me as far as I’d hoped. I’m looking for inspiration from others.”

He stared me down with a hard expression, his cayenne eyes piercing my soul. “My story’s not inspiring. And it’s already written. Go read the inquest.” He turned back to his drink.

“Sharma already told me the outline of the story. What happened was horrible. I’m sorry for your loss.” I pressed on. “But he wasn’t clear on something. How did you survive?”

Read the rest of the scene at https://www.patreon.com/chrisgetchell.