One of my aspirations in life is to write a complete novel. It may take me years, but I have started one and maybe I will finish it one day. I suppose that depends on how it develops. They are quite organic things, I never really knew that until I began trying to write one. Some of you (brother and sister) saw a very early draft that was really pretty dumb, this one has some substance to it I think (well..more than before). Without further ado, here it is, and any feedback is certainly welcome.
Novel (untitled)
By Joshua James Farrow
Chapter UNO
Wood grain patterns shifted imperceptibly creating the fur of the mice who spoke to a small innocent child girl. A girl that had walked in minutes ago upon entering had felt at once the sudden primal urge to scream “Ahhh” and so she did. Yeah she yelled so high and long at those camouflaged floorboard rodents. She shrieked like a female cat under a fleecy blanket enjoying a nap and dreaming of an endless feast on plump mice that was suddenly awoken by the harshness of reality in the form of a large human foot to the tail.
Thenshe (the girl or the cat) abruptly left, quick like the almost unclockable time between phonetic pronunciation of then and she put together. The house with the tree-ring mice consciously uprooted itself and floated after her (the girl).
Terrible reeds and pines and weeds came with the house chasing her through dreams, which as everyone knows can be quite the haunt. For this she would be troubled in life and strangely, she would always hear it from strangers first. Strangers who would never see a floating house, mice sporting lignified fashion, or any of those things. She wanted to escape this dream, but it was not lucid. She would have to wait until morning to outrun her daemons.
Chapter DUES
Ma and Pa were waiting by the iceplace. They were naked, drinking iced tea on a hot winter’s night. The couple was waiting for their dues to come so they could die and live happily ever after after they paid them.
They were also waiting for their daughter, they had seen her scream and whispered quietly for her, “Please come, what is wrong?” It was a ghost’s whisper, like a feather rustling faintly through the wind in the middle of a city full of bustle, the sound was there but it was not. They knew she was asleep, but it was normal for her to be asleep and it was not abnormal to hear such screams. So though it was the norm they still felt a need to act like decent, caring parents and indulge their daughter, asking “What is wrong?” But they did so ever so silently so as not to wake there daughter from her life in her dreams. It was their kiss dressed as whisper. The essence of parenthood, to be there and to not be there, to provide the illusion of support but to allow for development. Things weren’t so different here.
Chapter ST. JAMES
Hallelujah. That’s what the group said in one pretty song of a word, a word with its own melody if said with the full spirit of the Lord. Pray God. Echoing beauty. Hallelujah.
James did not agree with them, but he didn’t mind them one bit and thought their innocence and apparent naivety made them quite cute.
The group helped the homeless, donated money, had endless faith, and was full of such pride that they would martyr if asked with just a cherry on top, no please necessary. They were also very strictly evangelical. Hallelujah.
James could see this in the way that they walked, and talked. He promptly decided that in order to avoid any awkwardness he would nonchalantly avert his eyes from them and walk another way, remaining indifferent to anything they spouted, both the preaching and cursing that came hidden in a single collective breath.
Walking, nay marching, and then running, chasing. Hallelujah.
Stones were thrown and then in the end much blood was spilt, this was the way of the crusader. James’ final thought during his final blood-gurgling troubled breath was “But sister, it’s the opposite of Hallelujah.” It came out as a whisper.
Chapter TREES
The dreamy girl, as of yet unnamed, is Annalina. Her mom had once been a nun at St. James’ church. The nunnery wasn’t for her mother however because she married her father, who had previously worked at the cannery. They built a quaint house out of trees in a forest canopy to escape the wild city. Here they had wild sex daily in any position they wanted until Annalina was born, this is the story her mother had told Annalina, and it was almost true. They still had sex.
Annalina met many strangers in her dreams, and she dreamed often preferring to sleep the day away in a world much more exciting than her home in the trees.
One such stranger was a very confused vehicle named Harold who has continuous access to an internet quote database while anywhere on the planet. Another was a very sane metaphysicist living with bozo inbreds. Harold and the sane metaphysicist named Jim met frequently in the rich landscape of their very different mindscapes.
They always told Annalina in a matter-of-factual manner that she would be troubled in life, and she always kindly replied that she would disregard their prophecy because she did not lead any life at all, she just slept.
16th Street 