The Director (Rough Draft)

The heat was unforgiving, yet, sitting there, a 10-year-old boy with his rusty but trusty PC, plays games. He doesn’t give in to any kind of temptation, not even hunger. Droplets of sweat drench across his face, but, to him, they are mere inconveniences.

The boy’s face is quickly covered in terror. Suddenly, his aunt approached behind his small back quietly, and she was hungry for blood. Pinching his left ear, and while he is still drooling over the lifeless glass screen, she snatches his hand and drags him downstairs.

The rough strumming of a guitar, mixed with horrible singing, plagued the atmosphere. There was no one but a boy sitting inside arrays of faint lights from the windows. The tone was off, but he does not notice it as his mind has wandered somewhere far.

Then, the door creaks, and all sounds stop. The complete silence turns awkward as his friends approach their seats while staring blankly at the budget instrument. The boy wants to show off his newly acquired skill; however, fear of judgment is in the driver’s seat now.

The boy is now a teenager and he has his heart set out to do MAN’s stuff. However, this world is alien to him. Standing at 5’3’’, he is surrounded by sweaty human towers. There, loud grunts scare him to death, and he drowns in the sea of options.

Approaching a treadmill, the teen thinks 20 minutes would suffice, yet he does not last 10. He collapses on the floor, breathing heavily. His hair irritatingly pokes his eyes, taunting him to stand. A partner who knows this kind of stuff would be well appreciated; however, in his entire life, there has been no such figure. But why should he care now? So be it. 

The teen’s hands are shaking. He has a nasty face pimple, yet, it only takes a few lines of chat for the scout to persuade him; in fact, the teen jumps headfirst at the chance. He gasps in disbelief, but just in case, he pretends to be professional.

The photoshoot ended faster and way smoother than he expected. Perhaps he actually enjoys this after all. He wants to wear nice clothes and take good care of himself.

His mouth mumbles the lyrics and melody. Slowly, he walks up the stage.

The crowd takes his breathing away and he can’t mutter a sound. The spotlight presses heavily on his shoulder, and it may crush his legs any moment now. His brain implodes, and he sees void. But then, a string of faint light appears, ushering him to climb it. This is his chance and he holds it. With the crowd cheering, he raises his voice.

**Director’s note: I’m wondering whether to let the main character succeed or not. Life is a long journey, and there should be no one moment that defines his manhood. That is what makes life interesting. Even if he fails, this time, I believe he won’t shy away no more.