“Objects may be closer than they appear.” Look in the rear view mirror on the passenger side of almost any vehicle and you will see this warning.
Many times in my writing I’ve used a reference to viewing life through a rear view mirror. It usually refers to characters (or real life people) looking back in a sometimes desperate search for the “good old days,” times wrapped in the comfort of knowing what happened. Looking toward the future is always a bit riskier because we don’t know what’s going to happen.
Here is the point: Romanticizing the past is not always a good thing, but ignoring it is not good either. Linda Phillips, a character in my work-in-progress novel, tries to build a mental, illusionary wall to shield herself from the past, but, as the title Cracks in the Wall indicates, the past can find a way to intrude on the future. The events of her past may seem distant in her rear view mirror, but those influences may be closer than they appear.
Stacey Burns tried to move forward in her life, to put the past behind her, but something slipped through her wall, an object that was closer than it appeared, and it killed her.
May, 2016-Going on seven years since she was murdered. Her killer must be convinced by now that he/she is not going to be caught. Her death is receding in the murderer’s rear view mirror. One can only hope that the police are closer than they appear for they surely don’t appear to be any closer than they were six and half years ago.
Duke
So the days float through my eyes but still the days seem the same and these children that you spit on as they try to change their world are immune to your consultations they’re quite aware what they’re going through. Where’s your shame, you’ve left us up to our necks in it. Strange fascinations fascinating me ah changes are taking the pace I’m going through, pretty soon now your going to get older. Time may change me but I can’t trace time. RIP BOWIE
I see first graders going into Mrs McCulloch’s office that were not alive when it was Mrs. Burn’s office and I wonder about all the children she influenced now adults studing and working all over the world. She has hero’s in the middle east and in Africa and all over Europe as well as at hundreds of schools all over America.I know of at least one going to law school and another soon to be FBI.I wonder what they think of those responsible for Stacey’s tiny piece of justice, us. What does that do to them. Will it make them better? It will.
Another good one, Duke. Our writing gives us much to relate to in real life. A scrivener’s therapy? Sometimes works for me
It took wonder boy 7 years to save the planet and he’s going to cure cancer in 11 & 1/2 months. If only little Barry big ears could just insert testicals into Jeff Strelzin’s scrote we could all live in a fantacy world.