Whispers of a Wandering Wordsmith: An Odyssey of Love, Loss, Fortitude (eBook)

An Anthology

Hunter Caplan (Autor)

eBook Download: EPUB

2024 | 1. Auflage
524 Seiten
Bookbaby (Verlag)
979-8-3509-7119-4 (ISBN)

Infos

Venture into the captivating world of The Whispers of a Wandering Wordsmith: An Odyssey of Love, Loss, Fortitude, and Hope, a spellbinding anthology marking the debut of Hunter Caplan, an emerging talent in literary fiction. This collection, encompassing eight years of Caplan's insightful and evocative storytelling, features twenty-five short stories that delve into the core of the human experience. Each tale in this anthology is a masterful blend of love, grief, self-discovery, and philosophical reflection. Caplan's skillful narration transforms the ordinary into the extraordinary, imbuing everyday moments with profound significance. His vivid characters and their journeys resonate with authenticity and emotional depth, drawing readers into their worlds of triumphs and trials. Set against a diverse array of settings-from serene rural landscapes to bustling urban environments-these stories explore the full spectrum of human emotion. Recurring themes of hope and resilience serve as guiding lights, illuminating the path through the narrative's darker moments. Drawing inspiration from his personal experiences and keen observations, Caplan infuses each story with a sense of realism and depth. His debut collection is a testament to his dedication to the craft of writing and his ability to engage and move readers. An early reviewer praises Caplan's debut as 'a triumph, with each story shining brightly with originality and emotional resonance.' More than a mere collection of stories, this anthology takes readers on a profound journey through the intricacies of the human soul. Caplan expertly balances philosophical inquiry with emotional intensity, showcasing his ability to navigate complex themes with finesse. Each narrative is a testament to the enduring power of storytelling, offering a profound reflection on what it means to be human.

Hunter Caplan is a young man whose lifelong interests and passions compelled a wide spectrum of developed skillsets, from the very creative to the seriously scientific. Innovative writing has been Caplan's constant savior. Since he was young, a plethora of stories, derived from his experiences and observations in the school of life, have spilled from his imagination, and he has found great solace and joy in the art of putting his thoughts to paper. During his years at Muhlenberg College, where he received his Bachelor of Science in Chemistry and distinguished himself through significant scholarly contributions, he also minored in English literature. As he neared graduation, he was putting the finishing touches on a compilation of stories he had amassed over the prior eight years. Today, while pursuing his PhD in Analytical Chemistry at The University of Texas at Austin, Caplan has published his first anthology, The Whispers of a Wandering Wordsmith. The twists and surprises in Caplan's writing allude to, and evoke, emotion. The eclectic nature of the stories is the result of a thought process that dances between the right and left hemispheres of the author's brain. Readers find the diversity of the stories fascinating.

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Venture into the captivating world of The Whispers of a Wandering Wordsmith: An Odyssey of Love, Loss, Fortitude, and Hope, a spellbinding anthology marking the debut of Hunter Caplan, an emerging talent in literary fiction. This collection, encompassing eight years of Caplan's insightful and evocative storytelling, features twenty-five short stories that delve into the core of the human experience. Each tale in this anthology is a masterful blend of love, grief, self-discovery, and philosophical reflection. Caplan's skillful narration transforms the ordinary into the extraordinary, imbuing everyday moments with profound significance. His vivid characters and their journeys resonate with authenticity and emotional depth, drawing readers into their worlds of triumphs and trials. Set against a diverse array of settings from serene rural landscapes to bustling urban environments these stories explore the full spectrum of human emotion. Recurring themes of hope and resilience serve as guiding lights, illuminating the path through the narrative's darker moments. Caplan's distinctive voice, characterized by lyrical prose and incisive dialogue, creates an immersive reading experience that lingers long after the last page. Drawing inspiration from his personal experiences and keen observations, Caplan infuses each story with a sense of realism and depth. His debut collection is a testament to his dedication to the craft of writing and his ability to engage and move readers. An early reviewer praises Caplan's debut as "e;a triumph, with each story shining brightly with originality and emotional resonance."e;More than a mere collection of stories, this anthology takes readers on a profound journey through the intricacies of the human soul. Caplan expertly balances philosophical inquiry with emotional intensity, showcasing his ability to navigate complex themes with finesse. Each narrative is a testament to the enduring power of storytelling, offering a profound reflection on what it means to be human. In this first foray into the literary realm, Caplan presents a diverse and cohesive collection that reflects his immense talent and potential. This anthology promises a literary odyssey filled with tales that challenge, inspire, and remain etched in memory. Explore the depths of human emotion through stories that are as thought-provoking as they are unforgettable.

Textauszug

THE GREAT PLAIN

Watching her body being lowered into the ground, haunted me for years. The thought of bugs, beetles, and worms crawling all over her casket disturbed me greatly. She was my everything, I loved her like I loved no one else. My wife, my friend, my whole world. I wanted her to be cremated and placed into a ceramic urn covered with violet flowers and green trees, but she wanted a traditional burial. While she was getting chemotherapy, I tried to ask her how she wanted to be remembered. I asked her what she wanted me to tell our two-year-old daughter when she was older. My wife exclaimed, “Tell her that the world is a nasty fucking place.” That wasn’t her. That was not the woman I married. An impostor lurked in her lifeless carcass as it descended into its final resting place. The disease ravaged not only her body but her mind. Watching her deteriorate right before my eyes was painful. My body ached with sadness, my loins tender, and my mind crippled. I did not know what I would do without her. My number one priority was to be a father to our child, but I would have no partner. Nobody to help me navigate the process of parenthood. A daughter without her mother is tragic, and I was not sure if I was ready to resume the role of being a sole parent to my child. I wanted to escape, find a way out of this sudden entrapment that I found myself in. There was no end in sight, and that alone scared the hell out of me.

Ding dong, ding dong; the red ice cream truck strolled down the street. My daughter was sleeping, and my stomach was growling like a rabid dog, so I decided to treat myself to Rocky Road ice cream. As I left my house, I realized I had forgotten my glasses inside, but I was confident that I could walk twelve feet to the ice cream truck. As I walked closer and closer, I began to hear moaning and screams in my head. I thought my daughter had awakened at first, but the screams I heard were nothing like a child’s scream. The ice cream truck began to shake and quiver and turn into an ugly brown color. Before my eyes, the van crumbled and disintegrated into the ground beneath me. I turned around to run into my house, but nothing was there. The only thing I could see was miles and miles of infertile forest, similar to a vast plain. The screaming turned into laughter, evil laughter. I could not take it anymore; I collapsed to the ground, screaming and shaking, begging for help and relief from this paralyzing nightmare. The next thing I remember was waking up and seeing an ambulance and police car. The lights and sirens hurt my head. The paramedic and officer asked me what had happened to me. I told them I went out for ice cream and had a terrifying vision. The officer then said in a judgmental tone, “Sir, are you aware that you left your two-year-old daughter alone in your house for six hours?” I told the officer that I stepped outside and walked not even twelve feet to an ice cream truck, and then the whole world collapsed before me. The officer then told me, “Your neighbors called us and said that you had been outside, crying on the ground for six hours. They were concerned you were hurt or that something had happened to your child. Child endangerment is a felony, sir, and if you cannot provide for your daughter, then I would have no choice but to call child protective services. Now, I will ask you this once: can you take care of your child, or do I need to commit you to the psych ward?” I explained to the officer that this was all a misunderstanding and I was perfectly fine. I went inside to find my daughter being cradled by a deputy officer. I expressed my gratitude and took her from him. Sitting in the rocking chair, I could not stop thinking about what I had just witnessed. At this point, I was scared beyond anything you could imagine.

Do you ever look at somebody and know that they are sad? I would look at myself in the mirror and only see a shell of a person. Every day I went to sleep hoping that life would be different the next morning. Maybe my wife would be back, my daughter would still be a baby, and I would be happy again. Occasionally, I wished that I would never wake up. How selfish of me. I could not leave my daughter alone. My sister, mother, and father all died way back. My wife was adopted, and her adopted father had passed a few years ago. It seemed logical that I would be the next one to go. Today was a special day for my daughter: it was her sixth birthday. Today was not the day for my usual pity party when I would sit on the ground crying, hoping that somebody would just kill me. Nobody in the world cared about me or loved me. My daughter was too young to love me. She didn’t even know what love was. I needed to be there for her and give her all I had. Without her, I would have no reason to live or push through this life. Maybe my wife was right; the world was a nasty fucking place.

I decided to hold my daughter’s birthday party at an indoor arcade. I invited all her friends from school. It had been four years since my wife’s passing, and I had yet to tell my daughter about her mother. She never even asked; she thought she did not have a mommy. I could not even console myself regarding my grief; how could I tell my child if I could not even tell myself? I felt empty inside, like a hollow tree. I would dream of my wife; she was so beautiful. As a child, I worried I would never find “the one,” but the moment I met her, I knew she was the one and only. I needed human contact with an adult. Besides walking my daughter to school, my isolation within my house was taking its toll on me. I had nothing to do, no one to see or meet. What was the point of leaving the house? Today, I had a reason to live; it was time to celebrate my daughter and her birthday. I had the cake delivered yesterday, so I got it out of the freezer, dressed my daughter, and packed up the car. I strapped her into her car seat and drove thirty minutes to the venue. When we arrived, a young teen valeted my car, and I walked in to find a room set up just for my baby girl. The only thing that gave me joy that day was seeing the huge smile on my daughter’s face. I knew then that my only job in life was to make her happy. My happiness didn’t matter; my life was no longer about me; it was about her.

Kids were running everywhere; I did not see my daughter in sight. This place was like an indoor carnival for kids: bouncy houses, laser tag, and a funhouse. My daughter was having so much fun! I could find the slightest joy within myself on this day while watching her. It was now 2:30 and time to cut the cake. Her friends returned when we called for them, but my daughter was missing. Nowhere to be found! I panicked and screamed for her, and one of her friends told me she had gone into the funhouse. I ran to the entrance and barged in but found myself lost and bumping into deceitful mirrors everywhere. I screamed her name over and over again but heard no response. Suddenly, a voice whispered to me, “Come closer, come closer. I am here for you; I am here for you.” I finally got through the mirrors and was in a rotating tunnel. At the end stood a person. Their mouth was closed, and their body slender, but I could hear this person calling for me. As I walked closer, the ground beneath me disappeared, and all I could see ahead of me was this person surrounded by what looked like empty farmland. A vast plain of sorts. Once I reached the person, I came to a spontaneous realization that it was my wife. She was crying and screaming, “Don’t leave me here, come find me, I’m in the plains. The great plains, I am in a tree. You will find it; please save me.” She shook me so vigorously that I could not comprehend what she said. Her eyes were rolled in the back of her head, and her mouth was filled with green and foul-smelling foam. She strangled me to the ground with such great force, screaming, “Save me, save me.” My mind and body quivered. I knew this could not be real; I was dreaming. I must have been dreaming. I awakened to a party staff member beside me, offering me some water. I immediately asked him where my daughter was, and she said, “Your friend took her back to her house, you got lost in the funhouse, and we found you lying on the ground screaming. Don’t worry, we will refund you for the party room since you only used it for three hours.” I got up, walked to my car, and cried. What was happening to me? What did I do to deserve this eternal agony?

Second-grade graduation, oh, how the time flew by. Right before my eyes, my daughter was growing up and becoming a strong young girl. As they called her name, she strolled across the stage, smiled cutely, and sat down with her friends. After graduation, all the kids had cupcakes with their faces on them. All the tiger moms handled the party planning minutia while I would give them cash for my part. For the first time in a long time, I felt happy watching my beautiful daughter blossom. On the way home, we hit unusual traffic, and my daughter was becoming fussy. She began to cry and complain that she had to go to the bathroom, so I tried to drive briskly. Finally, we were right by our house but ran into some stupid detour, so I turned the corner and went down the next street. What I saw was something that I will never forget.

The tremendous vast plain, that’s all I saw. Miles and miles of empty and lifeless farmland. The decrepit nature of the land was enough to scare somebody. I never knew that this area existed. I could have sworn that I had driven past this street previously, but I don’t recall seeing anything...

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 1.10.2024
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Literatur ► Romane / Erzählungen
• ISBN-13: 979-8-3509-7119-4 / 9798350971194