Ar’n Man – My Clarity of Night Contest Entry

I finished my entry for the writing contest at The Clarity of Night today and my entry is now on the site. I’m happy with what I’ve come up with, which is all I can ask of myself. I was definitely a challenge, but I was able to mold my initial idea into what I hope is an entertaining story. I won’t know that until I hear what you all think, of course 🙂 Anyhow, here’s my entry (number 39 in the contest). Your comments here and at the contest site are as always welcome and appreciated:

Photo by Jason Evans

Ar’n Man

“Will it always feel this odd?” said Douglas, opening his eyes.

“No,” answered Dr. Grim. “You’re body will adapt.”

“But it feels so cold,” said Douglas, touching his face.

“Steel,” said Dr. Grim.

“How about all the dials and numbers? “Will I always…”

“You’ll get used to it,” interrupted Dr. Grim. “Everything you need is in the packet the nurse gave you. My advice is to wait a few hours before looking in the mirror. We don’t need you back here with a heart attack.”

“Is it that bad?” asked Douglas, peeking at the shape his shadow cast on the floor.
“Not everyone can afford the best parts, son” said Dr. Grim, walking toward the door.

“Sometimes we have to improvise. “

Douglas’ shoulders dropped. “What happened, Doc?” he whispered.

“All in the packet,” said the doctor, closing the door behind him.

His mind spinning, Douglas sat alone with his uncertainty. How had he died? Who had paid for the procedure? And why couldn’t feel his lips move when he talked?

Douglas opened the envelope with a shaking index finger and removed a thin pamphlet, hoping for answers. Staring back at him was the title: “Your New Head: The First Twenty-Four Hours”.

Laughing, Douglas tossed the packet in the bin marked Biohazard. He would find his answers where all great thinkers do, not in some book, but at the bottom of an icy glass. He was thirsty and his problems could wait. Now, if he could just locate his mouth….

I Need Another Weekend

It’s Monday already? Really? Seriously. Really?

Yeah, it went quick. Friday, my daughter took a nap during the day. My wife and I planned on watching Doctor Who together that night, but the little girl had other plans (to stay up as late as possible, no matter how many lights Daddy turned off). Plus, my wife wasn’t feeling well (morning sickness? more like all day sickness) and went to bed early. Around 10:00 I finally got my daughter to bed, but it was too late for the 9:00 Doctor Who. Luckily I recorded it (on the VCR, I’m so lame).

Saturday night was more of the same. At least we got to go to the pool during the day. In fact, you’d be surprised how tan I’m getting. I’m actually beginning to look Greek again (the eyebrows are a giveaway to the trained eye). I was dragging butt when Sunday came around.

Lucky for me, my daughter fell asleep at 7:00 last night. Did I take advantage of the time to do some writing? Ummm, a little. What I also did, though, was play a game called Paper Mario for the Gamecube. I got this game for Christmas a few years ago, made it all the way to the end of the game, and have been unable to defeat the final boss. Then my daughter was born and I haven’t played it since. It felt good to play it again, even though I had my behind handed to me. It’s a really cute and fun game, so check it out if you have the Gamecube (I know, I’m probably the only person in the world still playing Gamecube).

Anyhow, I’m almost done with my entry for the writing contest at The Clarity of Night. I actually have too many words right now and need to whittle it down to 250. It’s taken me so long to write because I wasn’t sure how to turn my idea into a story. I’ve got that now. Exciting! I’ll post it here when it’s finished.

So yeah.  Does anyone have an extra weekend lying around somewhere that they could share with me?  I could really use it right now.  Thanks.