Life's Journey

Writing a story doesn't take experience, or guts, and while those things do come into play much later in one's life, it isn't as important as just writing is. To make something, you have to take the steps to actually start it. Ashley Folder, is an upcoming writer in highschool. She writes novels as a hobby and often wins in small contests. Her ginger hair is long and wavy, and compliments her turquoise eyes. She usually wears a black hoodie and rouge colored sweatpants. As a writer, Ashley enjoys the comfort of a quiet and peaceful atmosphere, although she doesn't shy away from the background noises. Ashley enjoys writing, as it makes her feel she is in a space within her mind, secluded from the world around her, making her feel free to do whatever it is that has her mind focused on. Lately, in the recent months, Ashley's quality of work began to decrease, and before long, no one was reading her books anymore.

She didn't know why or what changed, but the readers just stopped reading. Ashley searched for the answer within by re-reading her works, but being a critic of her books failed as she couldn't find anything that stuck out to her. So she pondered who she could ask for advice.

Chestnut Graze, said to be a golden child, has golden short hair and pretty blue eyes. He dressed in a salmon sweater vest and tacky jeans. He was known in his school as idealistic, and would turn his ideas into fantasy stories. He competed in many contests, and though he only won a few it never lessened his ego. Chestnut is Ashley's rival in the field of writing, so she surprises him when she comes to him for advice on how to improve her work. He was hesitant to share any ideas, but thinking this was his chance to get ahead of her, he took advantage of the opportunity. In telling her how to improve her work, she needed to get closer to her characters and story. He advised her to try walking in their footsteps to see just how different her perspective would be. Taking this into account, Ashley felt grateful and got to work right away. The two didn't see each other anymore after that. Weeks turned to months, and months turned into years.

Ashley had taken Chestnut's advice to heart, but it had cost her. Following that advice, her health began to deteriorate as a result of adopting the bad habits of her characters in order to feel closer to them, their failures and successes. She would drink alcohol to try and capture the essence of what the characters felt and suffered. She would smoke to find out the reason why it drew people in, even after learning how dangerous it is for your health. She also would often cut to find out if it really could relieve mental pain. Her parents worried about her and had several doctors talk to her, but none of them could convince her that the route she was taking could lead to much heartache and even death.

While in college, Ashley felt very alone and had no one she felt she could consult with. She didn't have contacts with Chestnut so she couldn't get in touch even if she wanted to. She felt despair. As a writer, Ashley felt she had a job to give the readers something to read that was interesting, but if she couldn't do that.. if she couldn't write anything that the readers felt worth reading, she felt her life was over. She felt a void, and her purpose and enjoyment for writing was fleeting. One day, Ashley was told that if she couldn't give her editors anything to read, she should take a break from writing for a while. This broke her heart, as she had taken Chestnut's advice and put everything she felt she could into writing, but for it to still not change anything, she felt her dream was crushed. Ashley was preparing to say goodbye to her career, when she got an invitation to a party that was being held at the college she went to. Figuring this would be her last chance to live a normal life before the end, she accepted the invitation and went. At the party, there were plenty of drinks and a variety of food for everyone. She stood to the side as she watched everyone dance and chat among themselves. As she was going to get some fruit punch from the bowl a hand stops hers. Looking up she noticed an adult Chestnut standing beside her. His perfect golden hair stretched to his shoulders and was now a dirty blonde, his pretty blue eyes paler from time, and he wore a suit that was gray. Ashely felt surprised and filled with uncertainty because of the mixed feelings she had towards him.

"I wouldn't drink that, it's probably been tampered with," Chestnut warned.

"Why do you care?" Ashley said in a whisper. "It's probably what you want, right? For me to be ruined."

"I'm sorry, do I know you?" Chestnut looked at her with confusion.

That's when Ashley realizes he didn't remember her. He was tall and a hint muscular too. Nothing about Chestnut now said he was arrogant or egotistical. He was a humble man simply trying to help her from drinking anything with potential dangers to it. His eyes had a look of remorse, as if he had offended someone. Ashley's tears spill out in disbelief. He was a different man from when he was in highschool, while she felt she hadn't changed much in the way of growing up. She felt bitter and resentful for wasted years, and she took out a pack of sleeping pills from her purse. She had originally planned to use them when she returned to her dorm, but now she only wanted for the end to come as quickly as possible. It was then that she felt a warm embrace as Chestnut brought her into a hug. He kept her close despite her demands to be let go.

He kept holding her till the desire to sleep forever left her. Ashley cried in his arms until she relaxed. Chestnut took the sleeping pills from her and pocketed them as he took her outside to sit and to just rest. He didn't know what to say to her for her to feel better, and figured whatever she was going through she needed to get off her chest. Ashley rested against his shoulder feeling a tad relieved. She felt her heart had lightened and her mind was less confused and cloudy for the moment. She found a strange comfort in the one who set her on that path of misery. Ashley had no words to speak to him as well, but for them they needn't have any words to say. It was then that Ashley understood that words can only tell part of any story. She had to have actions to serve as a foundation. She needed structure for a world made of words. Taking into consideration all she had undergone, she knew just what she needed to do.

With Chestnut's help, Ashley started to get her life back in order. She took into account her health, she stopped trying to experience life through her characters, and she found that the characters should feel freer to flow more fluently, and not be forced. Ashley and Chestnut started seeing each other as well and began an unexpected relationship that blossomed into something more down the road. As bitter as things were in the beginning, that bitterness became something sweeter with time.

The End.