Curse of the Writer

Chapter three: Once upon a time...

Strange as it may seem this all started with a note. A love letter to be precise.

It was Valentine’s day and all of South Africa was finally feeling the love. Except Alexicia she had a thesis to hand in.

“Come on Alexia you cannot, not come to my valentine’s day party.” her friend said.

“We have been through this. I am behind schedule. I need to finish this thesis for professor Walter.”

“it’s not due till august. What’s the real reason you won’t come?” her friend asked.

“it’s not a real holiday!”

“spare us all the lecture. That’s what the professor is for. If you aren’t coming over where will you be tonight?”

“I was thinking of getting or more like begging professor Walter to help me with my research?” she says hoping her friend will not turn this into a tella novella.

“you what!”

“no way no tonight it’s the perfect opportunity to have one last party before semester tests and from what I can see you need one.”

As Alexia walked up the steps to professor Walter’s home she caught a glimpse of a note in the mail box. Not just any note it was an unmissable love letter. P.A.P as she called them which means Pink and Perfumed. She wonders who this letter could possibly be for or who it was written to. She knows snooping is wrong, but a peek won’t hurt right?

Well she’s about to find out that curiosity really does kill the cat. Here goes nothing, she rips it open.

I never really understood why people don’t mind their own business. Instead they follow, observe, eaves drop just to get a glimpse of what someone else’s life may be like. Oh, how rude of me look who I’m talking to. You all are kind of stalkers in the making though right? So I’m sure none of you judge our; little Ally cat’s curiosity. If anything, I’m sure you’re glad she did it cause you want to know more too. No worries you will, soon.

To the characters:

"Let's play a game.

If you win, you get to escape and return to your families.

But...

If you loose then well, you can imagine...

All you have to do is follow instructions.

And remember we'll be reading."

The characters become frantic after the note has been read by Alexia.

“Narrator what just happened?” they ask.

“The readers have edited the story.”

“So, what does that mean for us?” Jesse asks.

“Well, they changed the genre of the story. We are now in a suspense thriller. Forget everyone you met and knew previously because now all the roles change”

I was afraid this would happen. The readers are always editing the story to meet their individual tastes. Only, this time they might have put their characters’ lives on the line. All I can do is to try and safely narrate them to the end of the book. But not before the readers make me tell the kind of story they want to hear.

“You are all going to enter the maze the readers have built. They have constructed different challenges for each of you in it according to your fears and pasts. You need to face them and get out. Remember, it’s only as real as you allow it to be.”

“what does that even mean?” silence stretches “narrator!” Deirdre calls, but it’s too late she’s on her own and must enter the maze.