By Shira Musicant
Sean drove the Honda—clutch shift release—to the Walmart and bought a gun.
Earlier, he’d called his mother at work and told her he loved her. She’d been baffled by the call but returned the sentiment. What can a mother say?
Before that, Sean had sneaked the Honda’s keys from his older brother’s pocket—release.
That morning, Sean’s girlfriend had broken up with him—shift release.
The beginning: A teenager’s brain is not fully developed. A teenager in love—clutch—has many plans and, often, the means to execute them.
Most endings have within them the beginning of another story.
Excellent.
This is one of my mantras and you serve it well. If you have never seen TEDtalk Danger of a Single Story, you might want to check it out.
Hello Nicki,
Thank you for directing attention to the Tedtalk. ( eloquent speaker) While Shira’s story was evocative and hinted at the destructive conclusion,I felt it reduced Sean’s action to a single story, a single motivational force.
Hi Cathryn, thanks for your thoughts. The speaker is eloquent and her points about the danger of a single story are so important to keep in mind. This was the story I wanted to tell: the easy availability of guns and the teen-age brain. I might tell another one about mental health or bullying or gun culture or all of the above–with a longer word count :-). Really appreciate you and Nicki having this conversation.
Thank you, Nicki, for telling me about the Tedtalk. It is well worth looking at. So interesting to consider how a story is shaped by where it begins (and ends in my story), and where it ends (suggesting a new beginning).
Thank you, John!
Interesting and thought-provoking.
Thank you, Pat.