30 Days of Fiction: 1

Jack sat facing Jill who was determined to convince Jack that he was wrong about the message of the play they had just watched. Jack was just wrong to think that the play should have ended differently. It had ended perfectly and tragically and Jill would not allow Jack his feeble understanding of the message. Jack was insisting that the end was needlessly shocking and left the viewer with a sense of pointless despair but obviously he just didn't get it.

"I'm just saying that I like stories with a little hope. I don't like when writers add some shock at the end of the story to end everything and prove that they are in control and teach the audience they can't predict things. It's like a 'look what I can do' to the audience. It seems like a cop out." Jack tried to explain.

"That's not it at all. You just don't get it." Jill continued as they drank their coffee, adding fiery energy to the conversation. "Real life is unpredictable and tragic and the author is trying to tell us that. Telling us to live without regret. I think it's beautiful and wonderful."

"I thought it was great until the end. The acting was good and they did a lot with that small stage. It had a fun, happy tone the whole time until the end when they just throw sadness into your face and say 'ha, ha, fuck you' for thinking this would end like most stories'."Jack said with a scowl of disgust at the emotional manipulation the playwright was attempting. "And," He tried but was interrupted by Jill.

"Your crazy, it wasn't about 'fuck you audience'", She said mockingly. "It was about love. Your just wrong. I don't understand where your getting this from." Jill was irritated to the point of anger.

"Whatever." Jack said tired of arguing. "Let's talk about something else."

"Fine. But you just don't understand that sometimes life is like that," Jill said, not talking about something else.

"I understand what life is like and how life is tragic but I don't want to watch a show that for 90% of it takes me on a path of normal happy and hope and then drops a random death and divorce bomb on me and then expects me to leave happy. I like stories with hope!" Jack was exasperated. What was the point of paying to watch something that tricks you into being sad at the last minute?

Jill responded angrily, "Your fucking stupid! No one is tricking you! Your just not open.."

Jack interrupted, "Why are you so passionate about forcing me to think like you do? Can't you just get that we have different takes on the play and that is fine? Jesus Christ."

"Whatever. Your wrong." Jill said slightly deflated at Jack's comment but still resolute. She looked down and they both sat in silence for a moment not looking at each other.

After a few tense but necessary moments they looked at each other and eventually produced labored smiles. Jack reached his hand out to Jill on the table and she took it quickly.

"Let's go home." He said.

When they got to their little apartment they immediately parted ways dispensing with belongings and ignoring each other. The ride home had been silent as neither one wanted to start another conflict and now that they were home they both hoped to find something to distract from the previous events. Jack was the first one to turn the TV on and Jill began to make soup for one.

"Are you hungry?" She asked expecting to make another bowl of soup.

"No. I'm fine. Thanks." Jack said with the excitement of a sloth.

Jill came an sat next to Jack and they watched comedies for about an hour with little to no laughter between them. Then someone spoke.

"Hey," Jill said looking at Jack. "What's wrong?"

"What do you mean?" Jack asked not looking over.

"You know what I'm talking about." Jill responded matter-of-factly.

"I don't know," Jack confessed in a sorrowful tone.

"Your not happy," Jill said finally broaching the subject she had dreaded for a while now.

"I don't know. I'm depressed and don't know what to do and I can't talk to my mom and I don't know why," Jack slumped over burying his face in the sofa armrest pillow. He began to cry.

"You need to do something." Jill tried to console him. "You should talk to your mom or something, or get a new job. You're not happy with your job either. You're stressed out and not doing anything."

Jack whimpered,"I know." Then he lifted his head slowly, turned to Jill and fell into her lap. She held him and rubbed his back as he laid there thinking about how useless and confused he was.


The next day he felt better and so did Jill. They slept in and had a nice lunch together and watched TV. This time laughing and making jokes and smiling. That night Jack made his plans and resolved to change things. He started researching exercise programs, diet books, books on self esteem and psychology. He would read more and stop eating such shitty food and start living as if he mattered.

"I'm going to start reading more and I'm going to stop eating fast food and work out all the time." Jack said to Jill with wide eyes full of excitement.

"Your going to read? OK, Sure." She said with incredulity. "Gluten, dairy. Those are the problem. You should start eating gluten and dairy free."

"What?" Jack said dismayed. "OK" he said undeterred and went back to the laptop making his plans. He would buy a kettle bell and go on walks. Maybe get a bike.

Later that month Jack and Jill broke up. They talked about having different expectations and desires. Jack felt like he had used Jill for companionship and sex and Jill felt that too. She had used him too and they both agreed to move on to something new. They cried and hugged and it was the end of their time together.

On the Instability of the Modern World

Long ago, when parents knew what the future held, they tought their children how to live. They understood the seasons, how to hunt and farm, where to find water and they knew how men came to have wives. The circle of life was hard yet predictable.

Then came the rise of cities and specialization. Everyone stopped doing everything and now people only did certain things and others did the rest. Parents knew less about what to teach their children and with time their children had less in common with their parents.

As time went on the changing tide grew more and more rapidly and no one knew what to expect or what to teach. People had less in common with each other at every level. Specialization dividing every unit of knowledge until information itself became unstable and with the future in flux the masses seek the old ways.

Anything to join a group with a cause. Teaching anything that seems to point to a future more stable than the present. Clinging to those that sell timeless truths knowing that time is plunging forward into the unknown. As humanity seizes forward the old have less to offer the young and the young split apart into islands of self indulgence and discovery.

With rapid change comes instability but the roots of morality ground our actions and guide our future even in the midst of the unknown. With ruthless self reflection and unwavering personal responsibility one can make a difference. This does not change the past or even those around you and may have no effect on the world, but it matters to the individual that looks at life and wonders what it all means.

It is no wonder that the youth feel like pioneers and the old feel angst as the young replace them. It is no wonder that the old have failed to prepare the young for a world they can't predict and never saw coming. Holding on to the past only helps if it acknowledges the truth of the changing of the world and accepts the limits of our knowledge. Those truths that ground morality must remain while the forces that stifle connection must wither or else the future is lost to the chaos that comes from technological advancement.