There is a boy who has far too many worries. Like most of us would, the boy focuses all his time and energy thinking on them. Over time it came to occupy most of his time, and he now sits outside on the swing of his porch and wonders. He wonders about his future, and he worries again. So he wonders about his past instead. Time passes and the worry returns. So he sits, wondering upon the present. There is that pesky worry rearing its ugly head again.
"It's useless!" cries the boy, "One worry just replaces the other."
The boy stands, thinking a walk in through the park might help cure him of his anxiety. With his hands shoved in his jeans, he strides down the pavement and enjoys the heat of the sun. He sees a little boy in a stained t-shirt and shorts giggling as he pulls a flower from the grass. The flower is then passed to the little boys mother, who accepts it graciously. The boys heart jumps at the sound of the voice he knows as his worries.
"One day you'll have to give a girl some flowers too, you know?" and another anxiety sits in his heart. He continues forward in hopes of ignoring anything else that might bother him. Everything is fine until he comes to another sight.
A young woman wearing a good pair of runners comes jogging by, she trips on a rock. The boy closes one eye and flinches. The voice returns.
"One day you might fall in front of everyone. That'll be embarrassing, you know?" and another anxiety sits in his heart.
He sits on a bench for quite a long time, playing various games on his phone. He is much more calm than when he saw those few instances, and he is very grateful for it. He thinks its time to get something to eat, it's about time for lunch any ways. So he gets up and walks towards the street where most of the restaurants are. Many delicious smells waft his way, and his stomach gives a loud grumble. How can he choose between so many things?
"This won't be the hardest choice you'll ever make. The others will be harder, you know?" comes the voice, adding another anxiety within. He's not that hungry anymore after thinking that, so he leaves feeling a bit under the weather. This might be the most unlucky day for the boy, because on the way home he sees things that upset him further.
A fender bender taking place- "That might be you if your not careful when you learn to drive, you know?" said the voice.
Someone patting down their pockets in search of their wallet, only to realize they can't pay for their food at the stall, because their money is long gone now! - "You could easily lose your money if you don't take care of your things, you know?"
A man begging for even a quarter, holding an empty coffee cup to be filled with spare change. He's dirty and smelly, and no one gives him the time of day. So the boy gives him the money he could have used to buy lunch. - "If you keep giving money away like that, you might end up like the beggar you just gave your cash to, you know?"
Finally when the boy is near home he sees something that just breaks his worried heart. A dead kitten on the side of the road. - "One day you'll die too, you know?"
The boy stops and smiles with that thought, "And that will be the day my worries disappear."
Comments must contain at least 3 words
Chapter: 1
I must say, what an interesting way to personify it. I love the ending, by the way. There are a few spots where I would use a period, instead of an exclamation point, but overall, I like this story, it encompasses what it is like to be someone with anxiety, in a form of personification that I have yet to encounter again. Love the timeline as well, slow and gradual at first, but then the events and things he see's are more rapid, and escalate in intensity.
Really liked this, adding to my list,
ML~
November 13, 2014 | Miheal Larson 3rd
Chapter: 1
Wow! I really enjoyed reading this, and it made me so sad. I like the way the character allows other peoples' misfortunes to give him anxiety and that makes it impossible to escape his worries. The ending is very good as well, because it ends in a bit of a cliffhanger when the boy contemplates his death and realizes that it would be the end of his worries. Very well done. I also like how you gave the anxieties a voice of their own, as if it's another character entirely speaking to him in his mind.
Just a few things I saw that were mistakes:
1) "The boys heart jumps" - boys should be "boy's"
2) "any ways" should be "anyway"
3) "That might be you if your not careful" - "your" should be "you're"
November 23, 2014 | The Tigress