Running From Creation

"You gotta help me, man. I'm desperate."

"Desperate? For what?"

"I need a story."

"A story? What kind of story?"

"Any kind of story. One that's really good. I'll pay you to write one for me."

"Pay me? Whatever for?"

"Because it's urgent. I've got to get it done by tomorrow morning, and I'm no writer."

"What do you need a story for, anyway?"

"I'm going to use it as my resume," the young man said in an even tone.

"What?! Your resume is supposed to be a list of your past accomplishments!" exclaimed the old man.

"I know that, but this job is so competitive I have to have something that'll catch the boss' attention!" he said with a hint of desperation in his voice.

"Oh, boy... This isn't gonna end well," the old man muttered under his breath. He took a long sip from his coffee and then proceeded to explain why writing such a thing was a terrible idea. When he was done berating the young man, he returned his coffee mug to its rightful place on the table and then looked at him with a disappointed expression on his face.

"Look, kid," the old man began, "you're still wet behind the ears! You haven't accomplished anything yet; how can you expect anyone to take you seriously if your resume consists of made up stories?!"

The young man fell silent while taking in the words of wisdom being thrown at him before replying: "Can't you just help me out here? It doesn't sound so hard; how bad can it be?"

The old man sighed and began stroking his long beard. He stared into space for a moment before speaking again. "Alright then, let's start with this: Where do you want your hero to be from?"

The young man thought about it for a few seconds and then answered: "I don't know... How about... from Earth?!"

The old man grumbled something unintelligible under his breath and then said: "Earth? You sure about that?"

The young man nodded enthusiastically: "Yes! That way, everyone will relate to him!"

The old man sighed loudly and leaned back in his chair: "Okay then," he said reluctantly, "let's give it a try..." He pulled up a fresh notepad and pen on his smart phone and began writing down notes: "Our hero lives on planet Earth and is called John Smith." He paused briefly while looking at the young man before adding another sentence: "John is 23 years old." He put away his smart phone and looked at the young man again: "Do you have any hobbies?"

The young guy thought about it for a bit before answering: "He likes cooking, playing sports, listening to music... all kinds of stuff!" he replied enthusiastically.

The old guy wrote it down and continued asking questions: Do we have any family members or friends? Does John hold down some sort of job? Why exactly would he want to leave Earth? Where would he go? Who would he meet? What would they say? What would they look like? What kind of clothes will they wear? What will they eat? How will they talk? What kind of problems might they be facing?" Overwhelmed by all of these questions the young guy decided to call it quits there. They both had two cups of coffee each during those couple hours in which the old guy tortured him with one question after another. At last, he extracted himself from the clutches of the evil-minded torturer and left with an empty wallet but with renewed confidence in himself that he could handle anything life throws at him now! And also with a new friend who agreed to watch over him since not even his mother believed that leaving Earth was possible! Well - maybe not quite yet... But who knows what lies ahead in store for us next time?!...