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It's that time of year again - Writing Class Time! This session of classes is focusing on character development and we had to create a new character very unlike us and who has a phobia that we reveal over time.
My Character this time around is named Charlie Darden. I'll have more on his background & phobia as we advance in class. This week's assignment was to put our character in front of a mirror and describe what they see and how they see themselves....
Sitting down to his usual seat at his usual booth, Darden nodded to the waitress Jean, as the rest of the diner buzzed with its usual farmland chatter of football, politics, crops & cattle.
“Jean.â€
“Morning Charlie. Usual?â€
“Yeah.â€
“Ed! One ham steak with three eggs – over easy. And damn it, don’t make ‘em runny this time!â€
Waiting for his coffee as Jean poured, Darden noticed the old Coca-Cola mirror was now hanging on the wall across from him.
“Jean, did you move that from behind the cash register?â€
“Charlie, I swear, you are the only person I know who notices every little change. Ed didn’t even notice while I was moving the damn thing.â€
Not every change, Darden thought. His own image was almost lost by his probing eyes from a lack of recognition. Other than the occasional morning shave, he never paid any attention to what time had crafted. His still thick hair was now dull & gray. The kind of gray that reminded Darden of an old farmhouse with its paint worn thin and the wood exposed and near rotted through. His brown eyes darted about with attention, but no longer sparkled with interest. There wasn’t much they hadn’t seen and little of it had ever been entertaining. His face almost seemed to have a rosy glow, but it was just flakey, dry and even cracked in some places; chapped from the ever present Nebraska wind. Darden suddenly realized how tired he looked and couldn’t help but wonder if perhaps his body was finally catching up with his mind.
A platter full of ham steak and eggs ended the trance and Jean refilled Darden’s coffee.
“You OK Charlie? You look a little lost.â€
“Nah, I’m good. Just letting time catch up with me.â€
sounds good so far! 