Erik's Story

A character giving a short view on his life

There I sat then, in the dark, wondering when time would finally release its wretched grip on my body while sipping from the glass of red wine in front of me. It seemed time stood still then �" my mind still tangled �" as I read the letters she sent. She called me many things, yet never my name as it was determined by my parents. She probably resented the absolutely too short sound my non-exotic name had as she pronounced it. Erik, and no one ever thought further than that.

Erik the thinker, they often called me, mocking my gaze as it locked upon a small insignificant pebble on the street. Though I couldn’t be bothered by them for my mind was elsewhere, in a land untouched by corruption where the many scars on my chest and arms had never appeared. The scent of roses gently flying by as if it were teasing my sense of smell causing me to smile unwillingly, then returning to the harsh reality of the horrid stench of beer and vomit causing a slight gag in my throat. I left that bar feeling thirstier than I had when I walked in, all thanks to the many smells which made me sick in every single way. Arriving at my doorstep, I felt a relief which settled in my stomach calming the nausea which was still there.

I then proceeded through the front door, quick to close it behind me, almost flying to my sofa where I relaxed and had a nice chat with my good friend Jack Daniels. The only one who could always calm me down enough to put me to sleep. The bottle dropped out of my hand as the drunken haze took over my once fierce control over my arms and legs. Once a soldier and now a very poor excuse for a drunkard, this was my life, and I was more than eager to see it end. I had planned and executed many things to take my own life yet none succeeded. I had even failed in agitating the strongest and most irritable man in town who �" much to my surprise �" had learned to control his temper. Just my luck, the killers become florists just when I need them the most. Isn’t there any justice left in this by god forsaken world?

If the answer were mine to give, it would surely be a no though unfortunately it was nowhere near my authority to judge anyone seeing as I was no longer sound of mind. I was bothered as the first light of the new day burned my eyes by the fact that I was still there and still doing absolutely nothing except trying to die. So I got up and walked to the supermarket to get myself some food while thinking I couldn’t be this way any longer. I was more than glad that I could enter the store which was air-conditioned due to today’s heat wave. I continued to walk down the aisles then finally decided to buy my favourite cereal and a bottle of milk to go with it.

The day was pretty much over by the time my exhausted shell finally got to the comfort of it’s lair to feed on the mix of grain, milk and some toxins no one ever heard of. The smell was good but the taste reminded me of whiskey mixed with the most horrible berries found in the American forests but then again, what did I care? I was just relieved, my stomach finally full now, and set myself to watch the TV. I looked at the screen for a second and once the realisation of the commercials almost exploding my TV set in I studied its frame trying to figure out if it would really burst.

I fainted again and woke up somehow naked and in the gutter next to the forest near the interstate. Groaning, I woke and ran towards town - absolutely astonished by the fact that I arrived so quickly �" to find myself a set of clothes.
Walking into the store the woman at the counter asked with an exceptional tone of disgust: “you look like s**t, are you okay?”, I wasn’t sure what to think and answered, “yeah, I’m okay. And I always look like s**t”. Her expression changed to worry as she said “may-be but you look as pale as a corpse”, I turned and walked out without paying for the clothes I had on now but I felt no shame what so ever. I was clothed and I could go back to my….well….life.

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[Nathaniel Taylor]

this was typed out in about ten minutes. took me 4 to think of the name XD