“I did not fall in love. That makes it sound like a sort of accident. No, I did not fall. I descended a spiraling staircase, following it downwards, deeper and deeper. Sure, it was slower, but I was aware of every single step. 

And the walk back up was so very, very slow.”

~ Excerpt from “Velvet Heart”, A story a began a year ago but never finished.

~*~

“I once met a fox who said, “lying is just another form of Story telling.” 

“Yes,” I said. “That is true. But the intentions are never the same. A story is not built to manipulate.” 

“Oh, but they are! Emotions and thoughts are twisted around the writer’s pen.” 

“That is true. But the intention is to find beauty in manipulation. A means to an end. It is not a story woven to conceal and shadow. Fiction is called just that. ” 

“Not all. Some are mislabeled and presented truthfully. Some are called history.” 

“History is a story?” 

“Indeed. Only ever told by the victors.” “

~Excerpt from “The Tales of Mr. Fox”, a short novel I started a year and a half ago. I hope to finish it eventually.

~*~

“Good can praise the Good, Evil can praise the Evil, but when Evil praises the good and Good understands the Evil is when it’s truly special.”

~Excerpt from a short story titled “Paper Girl”. Wrote it four years ago and never Finished it.

~*~

“I’ll tell you a secret: 

You spot a romantic simply whether or not and how long they look at the sky.”

~Another Excerpt from “Paper Girl”

~*~

“I think I’d rather be an optimist than a pessimist- I don’t think I could take being wrong that often.”

~Excerpt from an unnamed short story.

“Take it from me, darling. I’d rather be single and happy then committed to the wrong person and miserable. “

~Another “Paper Girl” Excerpt

~*~

“Do you know what all stories have in common? They end.  

Such is the human life.  

Since the beginning of time, no one has escaped the sad truth that our human lives will meet a conclusion someday. Many have tried to escape this, but none succeed. Nothing is new under the sun. We live and die-that is life.  

But how do we as humans cope with this unrelenting cold truth? That all we know will pass in the blink of an eye? The same way we deal with all hardships:  

Art.  

We tell stories. We sing songs. And create.  

Through art we find beauty and solace in the saddest of truths. Because sometimes the loveliest things in life are tragic, and there is beauty in caring- therefore there is beauty in hurt. This is why we can smile a little as we realize the bittersweet truth- we cannot take anything with us, but we always leave something behind.  

I am choosing to leave this behind. “

~Excerpt from “Space, Soul, & Death” which was intended to be a short story collection. I started it three years ago. Perhaps I’ll write enough pieces to finish it someday.

~*~

Thanks for sticking around to read this hodge podge of a post. Perhaps you might draw some inspiration from these dusty words and snippets of dialogue!