The Writer’s New Pen

Sammie has been writing for as long as she can remember but has yet to take the next step to get her work out to the masses. That all changes one day while she is wandering around a new bookstore she found in town. The day had begun cloudy and rainy as it sometimes does in the spring and Sammie likes nothing better than wandering around a bookstore when it’s raining and gloomy outside. There’s just something magical about a bookstore especially on gloomy days whether it’s raining or snowing. This store, simply called “Daydreams”, seems extra magical. There are rows and rows of books, reading nooks with soft leather couches and fluffy oversized chairs all donned with heavy knotted blankets and throw pillows. Of course there is also a coffee shop with every kind of coffee or tea drink you can think of as well as pastries if you're feeling peckish. The coffee shot even has a fun name. It’s called “Bean Juice”. The whole place is just so inviting. The moment Sammie stepped in she knew she would love it.

As Sammie walks the rows of books she can’t help but feel amazing. She finds herself imagining a character, maybe a small bunny, getting lost in the stack and rows of books. As she walks she feels so relaxed and happy just from walking in the quiet store. As she wanders she finds several books she had been dying to read and picks them up. As she walks she thinks about her wandering bunny and what he would be doing lost in such a bookstore.

Before she realizes it she has an arm load of books, each a must read, so she heads to the counter to check out. As she approaches the counter with her books a wonderfully exciting looking pen catches her eye. She’s always looking for the perfect pen. It’s become a bit of an obsession really. Mostly she writes with a black Bic pen. The Bic pens usually don’t blob or bleed plus they’re relatively inexpensive. So it’s a win-win situation. With that said though she's still on the lookout for a cool pen that is like a Bic and this pen seems to be calling her name. There is something about the design on the barrel that makes her desire to have it too great to pass up. So she adds the pen to her pile of books and checks out.

As soon as she gets home she puts her books in her to be read bookcase then goes into the kitchen to make herself a cup of her favorite Yogi tea, Honey Lavender, Stress Relief. Then tea in hand she heads to her writing desk in front of her big bay window that overlooks a field of lavender with beautiful dark green forested mountains in the background. The window is in her living room instead of an office or bedroom but she fell in love with the house because of that view from that particular window. It sparks her creativity just sitting at her desk looking out at the beauty of nature. It doesn’t matter the season or the weather, the view is absolutely stunning.

So with her tea, her new pen and some lined paper she sits at her desk to write. She has a few musts for when she writes. One it must be at this desk, two she has to have something to drink, preferably tea and her paper must be lined. She can’t draw a straight line let alone write in one and crooked lines are a pet peeve. The only other thing she makes sure to have is correction tape and if she can’t use that for some reason she uses pencil. She never just crosses through mistakes and moves on. It looks too messy and yes it’s another pet peeve. She can be a little particular about things when it comes to her writing.

Now though her words are flowing freely and quickly. So much so that she’s almost unable to write fast enough. As she sits writing, lost in her own story, the world moves on, her tea becomes ice cold and day moves into night. She only stops because she is extremely hungry, exhausted and really needs to pee. She stands up, stretches then reaches for her tea. She takes a big drink and flenches in surprise not because it is too hot but because it is ice cold. Confused, she looks out the window to the outside and really sees it for the first time and sees that it is very dark out. “How long have I been writing?” She wanders. Then looks down at her desk. To her amazement there are dozens upon dozens of written pages strewn across her desk. Hell it looks like she used up the whole stack of college ruled notebook paper she’d kept in her desk plus a couple more from her supply in the closet. She is amazed at just how much she wrote but a little concerned as well that she was so lost in the story that she didn’t move for close to four hours.

At a loss she can only begin her nighttime routine. She goes to the bathroom then hops in the tub before lying in bed to read before falling asleep. She knows she should be happy at having written so much, but it’s never happened before and she’s a little worried as well. With it on her mind so much she is unable to read so she eventually puts her book down and turns off the light to try and sleep. “I really hope I can sleep.” She thinks moments before sleep does indeed claim her.

Her sleep that night was dream free for the first time in a very long time. She sleeps so hard for so long that she manages to sleep clean through her alarms. She only wakes because her house phone is ringing and it never rings. The sound is so foreign to her that she jumps out of bed and runs to the kitchen to answer it.

”Hello?” She answers, still groggy as she puts the handset to her ear. She registers how strange the feeling is before a frantic voice breaks into her groggy state.

”Sammie? Are you okay?” Her boss, Ida Camp, asks worriedly.

Sammie is confused that her boss is calling her home phone and seems so worried about her. She replies, “I am fine. What is going on? Is something going on? Do you need me to come in earlier?”

At first her boss doesn’t reply but eventually she says, “Sammie it’s one o’clock in the afternoon. You are five hours late for work. Everyone has been trying for hours to reach you to no avail. This is the first time you’ve answered the phone. Bella knew where you lived so she went by and tried knocking on your door but you didn’t answer. We were so concerned that if you hadn’t answered this call I was going to call the police to check on you.”

Sammie is at a loss. “How is it possible I slept for so long?” she asks herself. She’s unsure just what to say to Ida. There is no excuse in the world that can make this, any of this, any better. After too long of an uncomfortable silence Sammie replies, a little unsure, “I’m so sorry Ida I have no clue what happened. I went to bed at a decent hour but I slept the day away. I slept through my alarm and didn’t hear the door or my cell phone as I slept. Truthfully I’m a little freak out.”

Ida, always a caring and kind woman, simply says, “I’m sure you just needed the extra sleep. Don’t worry about today I’ll put you down for some personal time off. I’m just glad you’re okay. I’m sure everyone will be happy to hear it too.”

After a little more talking they end the call and hang up. Sammie decides to try and read a little since she’s gotten an unexpected day off. She grabs one of the latest books she is reading from her bedside table and goes into the kitchen to start the kettle so she can have a cup of tea while she reads.

As she sits down with her tea in hand about ten minutes later she is so ready to relax with her book. As she sits on the sofa wrapped in a nice snuggly chunky blanket she reads but as she does so she has a huge urge to get up and go to her desk.

She tries to ignore it but after a while she is unable to read any longer, she can’t concentrate. So Sammie gets up off the couch and walks over to her desk. When she gets there and looks down, her new pen is looking back at her. Yes, looking up at her with big blue eyes. Its eyes make it look so sweet and innocent that it reminds her of a cherub. The pen blinks a couple of times then says sweetly, “Hello Sammie. How can I help you today? More writing like yesterday or something else?” Sammie is a little freaked out by the sight of a talking magical pen but when she thinks about what has been happening for the last twenty-four hours or so it all makes sense. That or she’s completely lost it.

She sits at her desk and looks at the pen. Not wanting to be rude she replies, “Well Pen I’m not sure I need anything at the moment. By the way do you have a name or do I just keep calling you Pen?”

The pen smiles brightly up at Sammie and replies, “Well I’m not sure. No one has ever asked me and my maker never thought to give me one. Usually the people I find only want me to do things for them and don’t really care about those kinds of things. Do you have a name you like? I could use that.”

Sammie smiles at the pen and replies after some thought, “Well if you agree to it I’ve always liked the name Alesi. It means “forest girl” but if you don’t like that I can think of something else with more time.”

The pen smiles excitedly and agrees saying, “I love it plus it seems kind of fitting with me being a wooden pen and all.”

With that decided the two talk about the story that Alesi had helped Sammie write. It was about a Corgi named Crickett that talked to and helped the fairies that lived in her neighborhood. Sammie loved the story so far and decided after a little editing it would be ready to send off to an editor to see if she could get it published.

Sammie and Alesi worked on the story for the rest of the day but this time when Sammie wrote she was conscious of what she was writing and what was happening around her. They also made sure to take breaks when needed.

By the time they stopped that night for dinner they had three short stories in a series they planned to write. The series was to be called The Crickett Chronicles and each short story in the series would have a name based on what Crickett, the tri-colored Corgi, was doing in them. The first three were “Crickett and the Fairy Princess, Crickett and the Missing Fairy Queen and Crickett’s Visit to New Orleans.”

When they send off the stories they do so under the name Sammie Alesi. Sammie had insisted that be the name to be put on the book as the author because Alesi had helped her get the story that was in her head onto paper and to an editor and hopefully out into the world.

They heard from the editor a month or so after they had sent the stories in and just as Sammie had always wanted he agreed to publish it and anymore they could write. She was finally getting her work out to the masses.

Sammie and Alesi would write many more books together.