A Moment In Time

By Adam Nerger

A fictional collection of short stories regarding the every day events in individual lives.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Jan 25, 2013
• ISBN: 9781624889905

Book preview

9781624889905

Midnight Walks

Midnight walks always seem to clear my head; the fresh, cool air, the absence of a glaring fireball beaming downward, and the solace one can find in the absence of strangers all come to blend into the creation of an ideally comfortable setting. The beautiful woman I have remained married to for the last twenty years has never been fully appreciative of this necessity for solitude, and the freedom perceived during this time of seclusion can be anticipated only once per day. I, therefore, must make proper use of it while these hours of darkness pledge themselves to me. As a writer, the majority of my time is spent locked away in my study, and while the four walls may provide comfort and an ultimate feeling of security, after too long, I begin to feel as trapped as a lab rat awaiting my use within the clutches of a mad scientist.

It is at this hour that I emerge from within my fortress and escape into yet another timeless reality. Though I have made a career out of my written work, which originally began with freelancing articles and film reviews, it is not the central tenant of my life. Besides spending time with my wife and indulging in not only our daily adventures into the flurry of our surrounding world but also into exploits of the more absurd and time-wasting variety, my true passion has always been film.

Film: an escape into an alternate reality in which you play no central part and, therefore, suffer none of the consequences which life may be successful at throwing your way. The universe on film is a place where the possibilities and dreams of possibilities are endless—a place with no cyclical structure and ultimately no end as long as the film is true to its creation and its memories persist with each viewer. Such flights from reality are ever necessary as the burden of life, despite its offered pleasures, truly will conquer any individual without such an escape route.

Tonight’s walk felt slightly different than the many others I had embarked upon; recent events had certainly changed. Prior to my last publication, I had been a successful writer, maintaining the accolades and praise that many would associate with a person of greater stature; yet, my last entrance into the world had been reduced to just a mirror of the others—an unexplained and over glorified attempt as many critics would later place it to be. All pride and self-satisfaction had been taken away from me. I was a boat without the aid of a gale wind, lost amongst a sea of uncertainty and obstruction.

This period of ridicule had continued. Public opinion stated that my earlier works had been flukes, that my time was up, and that I had become so over indulgent in my craft that all future works would progress in such a negative manner. I would spend hours upon hours reflecting in my study and trying to gain insight into a new and revolutionary concept that would silence the critics and bring me back into my realm of praise. Despite this desperate wish, I had yet to garner any form of idea that stood out, and as a result, the necessity of these midnight walks had become essential to my creative being.

I focused now upon the path I so carefully treaded upon, as the earth surrounding me was not the most delicate of trails. I could see less of the surrounding city framework and the greater vastness of the soon-to-be apparent forest growing upon me. While the forest may not be the most enticing of spectacles at night, given the understanding of what may occur in their darkened states, I found myself at home in its dank expanse. The solitude, the peace and quiet, and the large quantity of free space all seemed to find me and combine to create an ultimate sensation of freedom. This was a place where the mind could roam without charge, create without borders, and manifest without fees.

Moving further into its mysterious surroundings, the path now long lost, I noticed a slight outline of something resembling the human form. Shining my flashlight in order to reveal the true form of this silhouette, I took a step closer, and with the forest air, I inhaled the smell of what was certainly