"New York City. It was a bit like Hollywood but just with some more history and no snobby celebrities. New York was quite small but it had lots of buildings which was probably why there was always so much traffic no matter what time of day. If you watch the sunrise or sunset from one of the top stories of a tall building in New York, it was somewhat peaceful. Even with all this perfection, there were disadvantages to living in New York like the traffic, the annoying teens, and so forth.
The digital alarm clock that sat on top of the drawer next to the bed blared twice before falling silent. It had been the same routine every morning of him; he’d get out of bed, get ready for work while watching the sunrise through the windows of his apartment on the 47th floor of the Hilton Plaza, get the newspaper, get some coffee at Starbucks, and go to work and get stuck in the daily traffic. Sean woke up and felt like changing something else for once and he didn’t mean by changing the shoes he was going to wear or his clothes.
4:00AM was what the alarm clock read as he laid there staring at the blank white ceiling. He had set the time different so he would wake up earlier the pervious night, so like any normal adult he felt tired. Groaning, he got out of bed and put his feet onto the soft expensive carpet. He walked over to the bathroom and stared out the window expecting to see the sun rising, but instead he saw darkness. “The sun doesn’t rise until 6 stupid.” He muttered to himself while he brushed his teeth. Sean shaved and then continued with his usual routine.
He changed from his boxers that he spelt in to a pair of dark black ones. He pulled on a pair of black and blue pinstriped dress pants. He pulled a 100% cotton white undershirt over his head and buttoned up a thin white long sleeved shirt all the way. He got a black and a blue tie from his closest and looked in the mirror for a moment and wondered which one looked better. Since he was never much of a guy that cared for fashion, he just went with the black tie and put the blue one back into his closest. Fumbling to finish the last part of the knot, he lowered the collar of his white shirt. He grabbed the jacket that went with the pants and went to pack enough underwear and clothes for at least a month.
Finally finishing, he grabbed the suitcase which weighed at least a ton and headed out the door, locking it behind him. Sean headed towards the elevator and pressed G for the Ground floor. He didn’t care to even glance at the other people in the lobby since there were none. He headed out the door and took a breath. He could smell the usual mixture of morning dew, pollution in the air from big oil and gas companies, and other odd smells. He walked over to the garage where he had parked his black sports car.
He put his suitcase in his trunk and started driving to the airport. It had been such a long time since the last time he had been seen in NYC’s airport. Since the last time, he could have sworn that it had become even harder to find a parking space or the terminal. Finally boarding the plane, he peered out the window at the pitch black sky and sighed. He was finally going to take a long needed vacation to Seattle. He didn’t have family or friends in Seattle or anything, but he had memories there.
Memories of the first time he ever went boating. Memories of the first crush he had ever developed. He had once lived in Seattle when he was younger but not for a long while since his father was a general in the Marines, his family moved a lot. Even though it was probably around 14 years since he had ever seen the rippling waters of the beach near their old house, he still remembered it as if it was yesterday.
One of the few reasons he was going back, was because his heart still belonged with Amy Atwood even though he had denied many times in his life.
She’s probably 26 or something and she’s probably taken or engaged or something. That was what Sean thought to himself as he waited for the plane to take off. Finally hearing the engine start up, he buckled his seat belt and turned on his laptop. He completely ignored the American Airlines tutorial about safety and all the shit.
AFTER THE FLIGHT…Like always, the landing made his ears have that weird feeling that made noises quieter a bit. On any normal day, he would have felt blessed for having voices and stuff quieted but at the moment, he just felt annoyed. Sean rented a car and drove to the old house near the water. He had heard the house was for sale and he had thought about buying it.
Pulling into the same driveway he had dreamed about pulling into after he had moved from Seattle, he smiled at the house. It didn’t look like it had changed a bit. It still looked like a light house and it still had blue and white paint around it. Although he had no clue what the inside looked like, he felt like he had to buy the house no matter what. “25, single, and I still I have a dream.” He muttered as he run the doorbell of the house he had once lived in himself. He door was opened by a small boy probably around the age six or seven. “Can you get your parents?” Sean asked the boy who nodded and ran off to the kitchen.
He stood there waiting until two people appeared. They looked like they were in the middle of dinner but they also looked forgiving. “I heard this house was for sale.” He said unsure of what else to say. The man nodded and said “You heard right. You interested?” Sean replied with a simple nod. “Then, come on in, wouldn’t want you to get sick or something.” The man said. Walking inside and into the living room, he grinned which was something he hadn’t done in a long time.
After a long talk about the house, Sean bought the house and got to know the man and woman better. He had learned their names were Susan and Mark Bennett and that they had taken very good care of the house. They were so happy that somebody would buy the house so they could move to Texas.
A FEW WEEKS LATER…It had been a long time since he went outdoors and had fun, and an even longer time since he had gone boating. It took him a while to get the boat into the water since he wasn’t considered strong and he didn’t have any help. Putting the sail up, the wind caught him off guard and he fell onto the wooden deck of the sailboat. He stood up carefully and kept his balance. Looking back at the shore, he saw a familiar face…"
That was what Dan wrote into the book of story beginnings. He was never good with endings and never thought he would be but that wasn't way he was writing the book of story beginnings, he had a dream last night about it but when most dreams ended, his just turned black pitch black.
He flipped back to the first page of the book which held the warning which he never understood. The warning was:
Beware, you writers who write within;
Be minful of stories that you begin;
For everystory that has a beginning
May have a middle and an end.
Know this, too before you write:
Though day must always lead to night,
Not all beginnings make good tales;
Some succeed, while others fail.
Let this book its judgment lend
On whether and how your beginning ends.
[[Really random post. It has no end
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