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X Angel
Senior Member

since 1999-11-07

Posts 1521
Oregon

0 posted 2002-12-06 11:54 AM

A friend of mine gave me the word "Illusionary" and asked me to write him a short story about it. Here it is.

                    Illusionary

   His wasn’t a memorable face, in fact it was quite forgettable. His eyes were brown and full of sorrow, the kind of sadness that was only visible if you looked closely. His smile was faded, like his hopes and dreams. His skin wore the marks of years of outdoor living.

   Even so, he was pure magic. An optical illusionist of the most remarkable kind! He could take a wisp of scarf and turn it into a white rabbit, or pull a coin from a shy little boy’s ear. He could make anyone and everyone smile except himself.

   His life was a lonely path that he had chosen to take so many years before. He had walked away from his family, his dreams, his future, one sunny May morning.

   Before long he had realized that going back was impossible, so he chose the life of a circus clown to hide his sorrows in.

   One day in a May long after that one tumultuous May, he woke and realized that he was getting old. And he had three daughters and a son who had not seen him since they were small children.

   It was time to go home. Time to face the past. Time to confront the people who broke his heart. Time to make amends for the whispers and lies and heartbreak that his children had had to bear all their lives.

   “Poor darlings, their Mother was killed by their Father one night when he was drunk.” And on and on and on the prattle had gone.

   Unsmiling and grim, he packed his entire belongings into one small bag, took the case with his white rabbit, and started on foot down the long dusty road.

    He was going home. It was time to leave his illusionary life behind, and face reality.

A book must be the axe for the frozen sea within us.
—Franz Kafka

Jaime

Registered

Member
Posts 250

1 posted 2002-12-06 05:19 PM

I guess at some point or another we all have to "go home".

Your character felt very real, instead of being flat and unbelieveable. He unfolded gently line by line. I don't know very much about prose (how about nothing?), but I thought that this was good.

- Jaime

i was here

[This message has been edited by Jaime (12-06-2002 05:20 PM).]

X Angel
Senior Member

since 1999-11-07

Posts 1521
Oregon

2 posted 2002-12-06 05:35 PM

thanks

I think it needs polishing so critiques are very welcome here!
I enjoyed writing about this man, he reminded me of my friend who I wrote it for.

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