Nodded in my recliner and presently I found myself in the attic ambling along an oak-shaded street, a sandstone wall surrounding a magnificent mansion on my right. I had just passed the portal that guarded the drive to the house when I noted a pair of wing-tips dangling beside me. I looked up, and
“Hugh! Fancy meeting you here.”
“Hugh! Fancy meeting you here.”
“What on earth are you doing, sitting there alone on a stone wall?”
“What? Indeed. I have a bone to pick with someone, and I think you are that someone. Several years ago, some writer, to mention no names, created me, fleshed me out rather nicely then set me aside whilst he went merrily on his way.”
“Sorry about that. I did intend to pick you up and carry you along in some later adventures, but the situation never arose. Don’t feel slighted, though. You are not the only character I’ve abandoned here or there. For instance, there was Marcus a while back. I left him wheeling his Ford into a motel in some godforsaken Texas outpost.”
“I know that. We characters should form some sort of union, working conditions being what they are. Even better! We should have a Character Convention! Hire an arena and advertise Care Con far and wide. All out-of-work characters could present ourselves to the assembled authors, make ourselves available to someone who might appreciate us.”
“I suppose you could fill a hall, all right. Think of the characters that have been stranded somewhere along the line! Why, even the protagonist in America’s greatest novel "lit out for the territory.". There surely would be a market for Huckleberry Finn!”
“Now wait. You are getting carried away. That little. well, he had his day. Adventures galore, known by all. Let him coast into his old age.* It’s guys, gals, too, I suppose, like me who need an opportunity to have at least one interesting adventure. Say, maybe you could pick me up here and work me into a swell tale?” With that, Uggy hopped down from the wall and swatted the seat of his britches to remove the dust. “Let’s get going, Doc!”
“Who do you think you are anyway, Bugs Bunny?”
*In 1983, Greg Matthews published The Further Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
5 comments:
The concept of characters taking over a story/arguing with/goading the writer - sounds very familiar to me. Now I have to try and remember where I've come across this before...
You may have a different surname, but it seems to me that you are a Weaver. A weaver of tales that bring us joy, but may others annoy. Naw, forget that last part. Will be watching for rise of Hugh (aka Uggy)
Grace, I am certain the device has been used before but I am not familiar with the occasion. "There is no new thing under the sun."
Chuck, the weaver has yet to ascertain what the character is up to. Enigma.
I am the opposite of you. I have the endings for a couple of stories, just not the rest. Maybe the two of us together would make a great author!
Ilene, perhaps a collaboration is in order!
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