My Random Post-Modernness ness. Untitled. Possibly unfinished.

Once upon a time there was a boy. Once upon a time there was a girl. Once upon a time there was a boy and a girl, who didn't know it yet but they were to become the best of friends. That's the beauty of being a writer, you know all these things the characters don't know yet. I call myself a writer because I'm hesitant to call myself an 'author', it sounds so official and gives the impression that I'm actually good at writing. Don't worry. I'm not.

Let's begin with the boy. Once upon a time there was a boy named Jason. There's no real reason he was called Jason, I just like the name. It's much better than 'Jarred', and suits a boy better than 'Bethany'. Jason wasn't your typical, macho, teenage footy-head. Actually he was the complete opposite. Most of the boys I'm best friends with are pretty nerdy and sensitive type guys, so I guess I base a lot of the characters in my story around them. Jason was 17 going on 18 year old and lived in nice house in a nice suburb and went to a respectable school. He had a brother and a sister, both younger, but their names aren't important at the moment. He also had a mother and father, but their names aren't that important right now either, so maybe I'll tell you later on. He also had a very cute puppy named Jack. Jack was a black pomeranian puppy and he loved to go on long walks and bark at twigs that got on his footpath. Jack was exclusively Jason's puppy. His girlfriend had given it to him before she went away on her gap year. She'd thought he was the cutest thing ever, and warned Jason to take care of him cause she'd take him back when she came back home. Jason had laughed at her and and promised like a good boyfriend should.

This is how the story ends: Once upon a time there was no boy named Jason, and there was no girl named Miranda.

The best thing about Miranda's room is the fish bowl. It was round and made of glass, just like the ones that you usually read about in stories. Of course, what usually defines them as 'interesting' is the fish that is usually contained inside the bowl. Miranda didn't have a fish. She thought it was cruel to put a poor, helpless goldfish in a tiny little bowl, so she freed hers into the pond outside.

Her mother didn't have the heart to tell her she saw a bird snatch him up one day.
OR
She didn't have the heart to tell her mother that she had set him free.
OR
The fish now lives in the outside fish pond, happily feeding on insects and larvae, and is about 20cm long. His tail, he tells his friends, has become glossier since the move, and everyday he counts his lucky stars that he had a lovely friend like Miranda to set him free.

Miranda loves to read. I think it's the idea of escaping to a different world, a different reality. That's how this story begins. Miranda is reading a book called...well, that's not important yet either. She's reading a book and when she turns the page the words have disappeared.

Jason was reading a book and when he turned the page the words disappeared. The book was called “Cinderella”. Most of you probably aren't familiar with “Cinderella” being called a 'book' as opposed to a 'story' or 'fairy tale'. I can hear you tapping your feet indignantly and shaking your heads. But this is why I called it a book and not a story: In the same way that I am not an author, and this story is not a book, “Cinderella” is a magnificently crafted piece of literature that has withstood generations of telling and retelling, and I feel I owe it much more credit than to call it a 'story'. Jason only studies when he goes to school and so has no friends, and no understanding of the stereotyping that goes on there. He feels there are better things he can be doing with his time. Consequently, he has no qualms about me announcing to the world that he is reading “Cinderella” at the age of 17 going on 18.

What do you do when the word disappear from the page in front of you? And after you've flipped through the rest, only to see the rest of the book is empty? And after you've checked the front and seen that the words you have just read are completely invisible? I'd probably put it down and run from the room...quickly...but I'm a scaredy-cat and can't stomach that sort of thing. Jason had read other books like “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets” by J.K. Rowling, and seen movies like “The Lakehouse” starring Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock where blank papers had lead to marvellous relationships. He got out a pen (pencil was too risky and definitely not steadfast enough) and wrote:
Hello. My name is Jason Young. Is anybody out there?

Miranda was shocked for a second. A book had never done this to her. She felt betrayed and abandoned. She slammed the book shut and ran out of the room...quickly...

I lied before, this is how the story really ends: Once upon a time there was never a boy named Jason or a girl named Miranda.