It was summer when a nameless writer finally packed her tools away. At last, the character she’d been writing for was content. With countless years spent working on a useless story, the writer wanted to double-check what she’d just heard.
“So, this is it, right?”
“Great job,” said the character, looking at the writer’s calloused hands. “You deserve a break.”
A clear “yes” was what the writer wanted, and the break suggestion felt like an evasion. The writer inhaled deeply before turning to face the demanding protagonist.
“Look, as you insisted, I’ve written this story to the end.”
“Don’t get hung up on deadlines… But you’re almost there,” said the character.
“You asked for this story, so I wrote it. That’s it for me.”
“What’s the point of all this,” the character asked, “if no one’s ever going to read it? We need to think of ways to get the story in front of the readers.”
The writer scoffed, incredulous that such a young character could be so authoritative.
“We? No. That was not part of the deal,” said the writer. “Besides, who needs to read about the past? We now live in the post-apartheid era.”
The character stared pensively out of the window for a while, then turned to face the writer.
“Ever heard of wing moult?”
“What does that have to do with anything?”
“My dad used to say we need rest, just like swans take time to shed damaged feathers and grow new ones.”
“I don’t want to grow feathers—I just want to be done with this story.”
“Okay. And about your question,” the cheeky character said, “this story matters. I can give you all the reasons for its relevance. .”
“Yeah? Give me one!”
“Politics or money force people to move or live apart, even today. And who suffers the most?”
“Huh! Are we talking about migration and displacement within borders?”
“We’re talking about families and much more.”
“Ah, families… now that’s interesting!”
“See? I told you to take a break!” said the character, smiling. “You’ll come back with new wings.”
note: It’s summer in Europe; a time to live a little! 🙂 So, I’m off blogging for a bit. I’ll be back in autumn. Wishing you a joyful time, no matter the season!
Later, my friends! ♥
