It was nothing like what I had imagined.
I found him rocking forward and backwards on his famous cane chair, a cigarette dangling between his parched lips. The ashtray on the table overflowed with snubbed butts.
There were sheets of paper, scrunched into balls, discarded all over the place. I opened one, and read.
It was not good.
The cabin stank of whiskey, vomit, and failure.
I started the interview, he slurred incoherent words. Then he started coming on to me.
I shot a look of disgust and pity towards him and left.
I shouldn’t have peeped behind the curtain.
Word Count: 100
Written in response to the picture prompt provided by Yvette Prior for the weekly Friday Fictioneers challenge hosted by Rochelle Wisoff – Fields. Please find other entries here.
It’s interesting how much you say in so little. 🙂
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I suppose we have to resist the temptation to peer behind the curtain and instead keep our distance, to ensure the magic stays alive. Well done.
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That’s the ideal case scenario, right? But, we have this annoying tendency of doing something we are not supposed to do. Thanks for the comment, Jilly.
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It’s sad when our heroes don’t live up to the image we have of them. This is full of great descriptions and disappointment, provoking a need to wash off the smell of failure straight away,
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Thank you, Sarah Ann.
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I’m sure this has been said before, but never meet your heroes!
Well written piece
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True, but we just cant help ourselves can we?
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No we can’t, This time it’ll be different, and it never is and so we all end up bitter and reclusive, writing to vent our frustrations!
Ooops Is that me?!!
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Never meet your heroes, they say…
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And we never listen.
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It is disheartening to see the weaker or not so glamorous side of the people we admire so much. The story seemed very real to me.
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Thank you, Piyali. It’s not great when the glass shatters.
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Its often a different life hidden beneath the facade.
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Most often that is the case. Thanks for the comment, Akshata.
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Yes, failure makes you drink and smoke.
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True. Also true is that addiction can make you a failure. Guess the two are like two snakes biting each other’s tail. Thanks for the comment, Abhiray.
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True. Chicken or egg which came first?
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One of your best, Varad.
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Thank you, Linda. You are very kind.
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You’ve written that really well, Varad. I like the simple, punchy sentences. “The cabin stank of whiskey, vomit, and failure” is great.
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Thank you for the kind words, Penny 🙂
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Great take on the prompt, Varad. True the heroes fall hard from the pedestals we place them on.
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There have been a lot of cases in history. You are correct. Thanks for the comment, Meena.
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Sometimes it is best to let sleeping dogs lie…
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True that. Thanks for the comment, Dale.
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Great last line. I think for many famous people the “real me” is hidden behind a curtain.
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Unfortunately, yes. Thanks for the comment, Russell.
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So true, heroes are almost always made of cardboard.
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Ha, that’s a nice line Anurag. Thanks for the comment. 🙂
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A vivid description indeed! This reminds me somehow of Khushwant Singh. From whatever accounts (by others) about the mighty author I’ve read, he came across pretty insolent and intimidating.
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There are a lot of authors whose real personas were nothing like the one we’d have imagined after reading their books. I was quite shocked to learn about Enid Blyton’s real persona. It was a real shattering moment for me. Thanks for the comment, Jheelam.
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Now, I’m intrigued to Google more about Enid Blyton. 😀 Thanks for the tip-off.
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Loved the last line. We are too curious to not peep behind the curtains. Great take Varad!!
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Thank You, Meha. Glad you liked it.
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Learnt this lesson the hard way myself – never put anyone up on a pedestal. For they will fall.
Really wondering what she saw behind the curtain!!
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Yes, the only was is down from there. Thanks for the comment, Ashwini.
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Muses are not always benevolent. Great take.
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Thank you, YS.
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Never meet your heroes. Great depiction of a troubled writer.
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So true. They’ll never be what we expect them to be. Thanks for the comment, Iain
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This is true of many “heroes”. We tend to idolize mortals and so we want to be closer to see if the magic rubs off on us or just to learn an apprentice of sorts. The truth is like an old Bette Midler song “From a Distance” – the earth is blue and green and From a distance, we all have enough And no one is in need And there are no guns, no bombs, and no disease, No hungry mouths to feed, etc
You have some interesting stories. I’m actually here as part of the “road trip” from the A to Z Challenge. I want to visit as many participants as I can before April comes around again. Hope to see you in April. All the best.
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I’ve heard of famous male authors getting kinda rapey, too. I imagine that hanging out with Hemingway was a tiresome bore. I wrote him into one of my novels that way, based on Lillian Russell’s New Yorker piece about him. Well done.
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I’ve read accounts of how Enid Blyton was a snob and a racist. When I first read that I felt incredulous. Thanks for the comment, J Hardy.
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I love this. To be all enthusiastic about your idol and then see them struggle and being just simple humans like the rest of us–except for that curtain. What’s behind it? Great last line.
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Thank you, gahlearner. Glad you liked it.
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Brilliantly done, Varad. You’ve painted such a vivid picture here – really excellent!
Susan A Eames at
Travel, Fiction and Photos
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Thank you, Susan. Very kind of you.
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That was fantastic. You leave the readers wondering about the happenings behind the curtains.
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Thank you, Sonia. Often, it’s better not to peer behind the curtains.
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Great concept. A brilliant read.
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Thank you, Lisa.
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Dear Varad,
Yours is a story for all of the senses, I could just imagine this scenario. An unfortunate interview and I’m holding my breath at what might be behind that curtain. Well done.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Thank you for the kind words, Rochelle. It’s really sad to see the person you adore be nothing like what you expect them to be.
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Peeping behind the curtain is what we do. We’re human beings
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Curiosity runs amok not only in cats.
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And with that, the illusion was broken. Well written, as always, Varad! 🙂
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Thank you, S.M. Glad you liked it 🙂
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