Fiction logo

A Possible Foreword

For a Possible Story

By Patrick M. OhanaPublished 3 years ago 4 min read
Like
Photo by Reuben Juarez on Unsplash

Content

Abortion

Capitalism

Death

Literature

Nagasaki

Nature

Nutrition

Rats

Suspicious Package Wrapped in Brown Paper

Westworld

“Why alphabetically and not, for example, by order of importance?”

Very few potential readers would have accepted this tensome of parts had they been ordered by a semblance of importance, though death would surely have remained near the bottom.

“Can you still order them by importance?”

No, since their importance could fluctuate by generation and even age.

“Nagasaki, Rats, Suspicious Package Wrapped in Brown Paper, and Westworld seem to be peculiar within the rest of the subjects; the other six are more general in nature.”

I could have titled the Nagasaki one, Atomic or Nuclear Power, but decided on Nagasaki, since it was, optimistically, the last target of such magnitude, though the realist in me suspects that other such bombs will drop on specific cities, and nuclear power-related accidents à la Chernobyl and Fukushima Daiichi will befall areas in proximity of a nuclear reactor. The Rats segment is somewhat deceitful and I wonder why. Suspicious Package Wrapped in Brown Paper is a new addition, which promises to be explosive. As for Westworld, that part was originally titled, Homo Sapiens, but I was watching the HBO series, Westworld, thinking, especially following Kiksuya (Remember), Season 2 Episode 8, that it would be a better title for it.

“What can you impart on these topics that has not already been imparted by many writers?”

Many more capable writers, you could have added.

“Yes.”

Most writers owe their ideas to previous deliberations, and often, it is not what they express that may be the most important, but also, or instead, how they express it.

“Supposedly.”

You are not convinced. You can trace almost every idea to an originator, though the latter can also be alleged. There are exceptions, of course, including Douglas Adams, Anthony Burgess, Franz Kafka, Philip K. Dick, Friedrich Nietzsche, George Orwell, Philip Roth, Baruch Spinoza, Kurt Vonnegut, and surely, William Shakespeare, although the identity of the Bard remains surreptitious. It may also be simply unknown as to who first wrote or came up with any given idea.

“Yes.”

At any rate, at least one idea or the expression of it in this segmented story may prove to be original.

“Doubtful.”

That is the spirit.

“You are not convinced.”

You are the reader and the critic. You will also recognize, at one segment or another, that the title of the part may only be a brief beheading of other topics and not necessarily its essence. I tend to take my time. Let us take the Suspicious Package Wrapped in Brown Paper part as an example. A meaning for this segment may depend on when you live and where. In the 70s, such a box could contain a bomb almost anywhere in Israel, or porn magazines and gear in the US and other countries. Nowadays, wherever you are, a suspicious package wrapped in brown paper may contain a couple of Bibles, namely the Old Testament and the New Testament; a severed head, since I never forgot the movie, Se7en (1995); cannabis-infused soaps and edibles, both CBD and THC; a non-perishable lunch, with some breakfast items; shredded paper that could be used like a puzzle, though it would be almost impossible to put back together; or even expired medications, which tend to be fatal in the long run, though they can kill rather quickly as well.

...

Kisses of Brown: A Blue Alexandrine

I don’t like the colour black but I love the night.

Light is unnatural except for Moon and stars.

I prefer brown when blue isn’t roaming around.

If blue is the colour of my soul and skipped heart,

brown moves on every side through fluid thick and sound.

Trees are brown throughout the green beseeching love me

too. I love you all. We love you too, dear still life.

We look up to your long stride as a cue for love.

If trees are brown, so is every other creature;

skin, fur, smile, belt, shoes, hat, panties just before lust.

They call some people Brown on the outside, losing

sight, forgetting we’re all globally brown inside.

A brown kiss may spell all colours including black.

Blue, however, is always the colour of time.

...

The suspicious package was wrapped in brown paper, but it could have been blue.

Short Story
Like

About the Creator

Patrick M. Ohana

A medical writer who reads and writes fiction and some nonfiction, although the latter may appear at times like the former. All my stories (over 2,200 pieces) are/will be available on/via Shakespeare's Shoes.

Reader insights

Be the first to share your insights about this piece.

How does it work?

Add your insights

Comments

There are no comments for this story

Be the first to respond and start the conversation.

Sign in to comment

    Find us on social media

    Miscellaneous links

    • Explore
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use
    • Support

    © 2024 Creatd, Inc. All Rights Reserved.