Terence updates his LiveJournal, and a demon rises out of the holy land....
I wrote this thingy for my creative writing class,and it seemed to be well liked. And so, the goddess of the livejournal suggested i post this. Give a read fools. I plan on using this character for a future film idea.
The Legend of Running Man
By Terence Krey
See, living in the middle of suburban Long Island, there’s not much to entertain yourself with: going to the movies, the mall, or a random house of one of your acquaintances to just “hang out.” I think the last exciting thing to happen in my home town of Amityville was the introduction of a new Mountain Dew flavor at the local Taco Bell. And oh boy was I excited. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love living on the island (or “da island,” as my cohorts call it). The city scares the living crap out of me, probably just due to my own ignorance. All I’m saying is that there’s not a lot of interesting things going on where I come from. But occasionally there’s a funny story to tell. And that’s what this is: one of those funny, silly, and slightly pointless stories about the mundane world of suburbia. But this is not just a story. This is a legend. A legend of a man. A man I simply call “Running Man.”
Ok, I’ve lived in the town of Amityville for the entire 19 years of my existence. Please, don’t ask about the horror house. Alright, well, you can, but another time. So anyways, back to my home town. Since I didn’t drive before the age of 17, and I still don’t drive after the age of 17, I tend to do a lot of walking. This I’ve always enjoyed because I tend to do my best writing just walking around town. Now, don’t think this is some big feat; my town is about the size of the room you’re sitting in. Anyways, I’ve grown to recognize faces that I see walking around town along with me. But the face I’ve remembered the longest is the face of a long-haired, somewhat Neanderthal-looking jogger. This caveman, with his old New York Jets jersey, sweatbands, and shorts (even in the middle of winter, mind you) would always be running. Every time I would see him or pass him by, he would never be stopped, never walking, crawling, hopping, dancing, nothing. He would just be running. Hence the wonderfully simplified name: Running Man.
Now, I know what you’re thinking: “OK. So this guy runs a lot. Big deal. What’s the point?” Well I’ll tell you what the point is. It’s not just Amityville that Running Man haunts, oh no. I’ve seen him in Massapequa, Babylon, Dix Hills, and many other equally silly-named towns. That’s as far as twenty to thirty miles away from Amityville. Always doing the exact same thing: running! And he’s never stopped. In the 15 years I’ve been seeing this guy; I have never seen him stand still. Now, I know you could say he drove or took a bus to all of these far off Long Island towns to do his running, but I don’t think so. I don’t think he would be able to sit still in a bus or a car or anything like that. And if that’s not true, and he does drive to these places, well, then he wouldn’t be Running Man. He would be Running & Driving Man, or Running & Public Transportation Man, and those just aren’t cool names.
I must emphasize that the importance of the legend of Running Man is not solely about who Running Man is, but what he symbolizes. He symbolizes the good and purity in the human race. Actually, that was a joke. But seriously (get ready for a tangent, folks), I can safely say that I am a person who reminisces way too much. I was one of those people that actually enjoyed high school, and hated the fact that it was over. I hate change, and these past few years have been nothing but that. And so, months, even years would go by without me seeing Running Man. Then, just out of the blue, while I would be walking down the street, sitting on a bus, or just staring out my window, he would appear. He would run right by, completely unaware of his surroundings. And seeing him would give me reassurance that not everything changes. Some things stay the same, in a good way, of course. Witnessing this fella doing the same thing he’s been doing for almost two decades made me feel good about myself, and that somehow, everything in my life was going to be alright. Wow, that’s emotional!
As much story there is to the legend of Running Man, there is also a lot of mystery to the life of this suburban marvel. Was he once a normal man, with a job and a family? Was he ever a teenager with hopes and ambitions of the future? Maybe he’s a superhero, and he’s just running from crime to crime. Does he ever stop? Does he ever change his clothes? Does he even age? Is he even human? Or is he an immortal being, a god-like creature running from town to town in search of the home he has been ejected from? An infinitely wise and powerful divinity searching for a way back into his own dimension? Or maybe he’s just a homeless guy running around Long Island for the hell of it. Fuck if I should know.
END
Tell me what you think. I think there might be more to come.
The Legend of Running Man
By Terence Krey
See, living in the middle of suburban Long Island, there’s not much to entertain yourself with: going to the movies, the mall, or a random house of one of your acquaintances to just “hang out.” I think the last exciting thing to happen in my home town of Amityville was the introduction of a new Mountain Dew flavor at the local Taco Bell. And oh boy was I excited. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love living on the island (or “da island,” as my cohorts call it). The city scares the living crap out of me, probably just due to my own ignorance. All I’m saying is that there’s not a lot of interesting things going on where I come from. But occasionally there’s a funny story to tell. And that’s what this is: one of those funny, silly, and slightly pointless stories about the mundane world of suburbia. But this is not just a story. This is a legend. A legend of a man. A man I simply call “Running Man.”
Ok, I’ve lived in the town of Amityville for the entire 19 years of my existence. Please, don’t ask about the horror house. Alright, well, you can, but another time. So anyways, back to my home town. Since I didn’t drive before the age of 17, and I still don’t drive after the age of 17, I tend to do a lot of walking. This I’ve always enjoyed because I tend to do my best writing just walking around town. Now, don’t think this is some big feat; my town is about the size of the room you’re sitting in. Anyways, I’ve grown to recognize faces that I see walking around town along with me. But the face I’ve remembered the longest is the face of a long-haired, somewhat Neanderthal-looking jogger. This caveman, with his old New York Jets jersey, sweatbands, and shorts (even in the middle of winter, mind you) would always be running. Every time I would see him or pass him by, he would never be stopped, never walking, crawling, hopping, dancing, nothing. He would just be running. Hence the wonderfully simplified name: Running Man.
Now, I know what you’re thinking: “OK. So this guy runs a lot. Big deal. What’s the point?” Well I’ll tell you what the point is. It’s not just Amityville that Running Man haunts, oh no. I’ve seen him in Massapequa, Babylon, Dix Hills, and many other equally silly-named towns. That’s as far as twenty to thirty miles away from Amityville. Always doing the exact same thing: running! And he’s never stopped. In the 15 years I’ve been seeing this guy; I have never seen him stand still. Now, I know you could say he drove or took a bus to all of these far off Long Island towns to do his running, but I don’t think so. I don’t think he would be able to sit still in a bus or a car or anything like that. And if that’s not true, and he does drive to these places, well, then he wouldn’t be Running Man. He would be Running & Driving Man, or Running & Public Transportation Man, and those just aren’t cool names.
I must emphasize that the importance of the legend of Running Man is not solely about who Running Man is, but what he symbolizes. He symbolizes the good and purity in the human race. Actually, that was a joke. But seriously (get ready for a tangent, folks), I can safely say that I am a person who reminisces way too much. I was one of those people that actually enjoyed high school, and hated the fact that it was over. I hate change, and these past few years have been nothing but that. And so, months, even years would go by without me seeing Running Man. Then, just out of the blue, while I would be walking down the street, sitting on a bus, or just staring out my window, he would appear. He would run right by, completely unaware of his surroundings. And seeing him would give me reassurance that not everything changes. Some things stay the same, in a good way, of course. Witnessing this fella doing the same thing he’s been doing for almost two decades made me feel good about myself, and that somehow, everything in my life was going to be alright. Wow, that’s emotional!
As much story there is to the legend of Running Man, there is also a lot of mystery to the life of this suburban marvel. Was he once a normal man, with a job and a family? Was he ever a teenager with hopes and ambitions of the future? Maybe he’s a superhero, and he’s just running from crime to crime. Does he ever stop? Does he ever change his clothes? Does he even age? Is he even human? Or is he an immortal being, a god-like creature running from town to town in search of the home he has been ejected from? An infinitely wise and powerful divinity searching for a way back into his own dimension? Or maybe he’s just a homeless guy running around Long Island for the hell of it. Fuck if I should know.
END
Tell me what you think. I think there might be more to come.