Knock,
knock.
“Hi. I’m Aging Well, and I just moved into
the place next door. May I come in?”
“Yeah... I’m Stumbling Into Happiness.”
Stepping inside, Aging Well asked, “Do you
go out a lot?
Eyes widening, Stumbling Into Happiness blurted,
“No. I stumbled into this town where
I’m a misfit, but I’m thinking of stepping
out. The people who live here are too problematic.”
“Have you ever talked to them? Why don’t I
throw a party at my house tomorrow night, and we might be able to find out why,
if there is a reason, they’re the way they appear to be.”
Stumbling Into Happiness reluctantly
consented, but nonetheless seemed skeptical.
To a relief, everyone showed up, but no one
seemed to know each other, not even acquainted. Aging Well broke the silence by
introducing himself first.
“Hi, I’m Aging Well, and I moved in
yesterday to help out the landlord with her Positive Psychology lecture. What
about you?”
“I’m Pride and Prejudice. I see you’re
single. People say ‘a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in
want of a wife’. Are you? My little one isn’t taken yet.”
“Nonsense. You’re obviously stuck in 1813.
Simplicity, simplicity! Stay simple, my friend, and you will encounter the true
values of the world. By the way, I’m Walden.”
“You do know you’re speaking from the 1830s
perspective, right? But I have to admit, simplicity is needed just as much in
the 1960s, too. The Orient, the exotic… They can fool you. I’m M. Butterfly.”
“But you must not let go of your dream
because of money matters. Embracing yourself from the fear of dying poor is not
worth losing your career and causing your wife to suffer from morphine
addiction.”
“Frankly, though Long Day’s Journey Into
Night has a point, but don’t forget that the era of the American Dream is gone.
I’m Gatsby, in case you haven’t already heard of me.”
“What’s your story?” Aging Well nudged the
exceptionally quiet man next to him.
“Heart Of Darkness.”
“Umm… Do you have anything you want to
share with us?”
“The world is a dark place. Imperialism
ruined the world.”
Closing the door after seeing that everyone
had left, Aging Well thought to himself, ‘Bookshelf literally equals diversity.
There are experts of various eras and areas, from happiness to marriage,
transcendentalism, addiction issues, dreams, and utter darkness…’ Whoa.
*Creative Writing based on Murakami's "On Seeing the 100% Perfect Girl On Beautiful April Morning"
*Creative Writing based on Murakami's "On Seeing the 100% Perfect Girl On Beautiful April Morning"
Weeeeeeird. But very clever! You have A LOT going on here, and the title and the characters and the jist are really thought provoking. Books attending a party? This would make for great metafiction if you were to house this as a dream (sort of Mad Tea Party style from Alice in Wonderland). Perhaps a student falls asleep amid a pile of books while studying, and this dream (perfect for the occasion) materializes. Anyways, VERY post modernist. While it wasn't clear that this was YOUR bookshelf until I asked you, a bit of intro would help, and the metafiction would achieve this.
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