TheDoberman
Veteran Member
I did something. Something extraordinary. What I did, I can’t tell you. But everyone knew what I did. And what’s even stranger is that they knew before I did.
I found myself in a large room, bustling with people. The room was a typical multi-purpose commons area located in a large business hotel and conference center. The center was attached to a peculiar terminal. A man named Charles walked up to me.
“Are you, Mark?" He asked excitedly.
“I am. Do I know you?” I responded while extending my hand in response to his warm greeting.
“No, you don’t know me. But I know you. And I know what you did.” He said as he shook my hand. He still looked excited when he said, “So, I was wondering if you are interested in making a deal. Our company’s expertise can assist you in the endeavor that you seek. It will be beneficial for both parties.”
“That sounds great because I am looking at the possibility of working with an outside facility,” I responded.
“Excellent!” A wide smile crept across his face.
Should I be concerned with the eagerness this guy exuded? I pondered that thought when another gentleman also came by to introduce himself. After a few seconds of introductory chatter, this guy offered me a deal. Two deals came my way in the span of a few minutes. Could this be too good to be true? Questions I didn’t have the answers to were circling in my head.
The two guys stood there, sizing each other up when a third fellow walked up. He seemed to be more put-together than the others. Judging by their expressions, the third man carried some credibility.
“Hello, Mark!” He said confidently. “My name is Simon.” He looked at the other two guys, knowing he was a much bigger hitter, when he said, “There will be more coming.”
I was somewhat shocked by everything that was happening. It was happening faster than I accounted for. I immediately aligned with Simon. His professionalism sold me. We started talking about what the future would look like. Simon generally appeared happy about my situation. He wasn’t just going to facilitate the deal, but he would also guide me.
As I spoke with Simon in the commons area. I saw his eyes explode into a look of shock. I turned in the direction his eyes were facing and saw a man in a tailored gray suit approach. Simon nudged me and said,. “I can’t believe it! That’s the man.”
I whispered back to him, “What do you mean by that’s the man?”
“I mean, that’s the top dog. There’s nobody higher. He’s coming for you. We need to make a deal.”
Unbelievable. What could possibly go wrong, I wondered?
The sharp-dressed man smiled as he said, “Hello, Mark. I’m Luther."
Everyone in the room acknowledged Luther. Luther was tall with a handsome look to him. He had dark, wispy hair and a confident smile. The mood of the room changed as the men weren’t just clamoring for my attention but also Luther’s. Luther didn’t pay any attention to them. According to Simon, I was the sole reason he appeared.
Luther was friendly with Simon and appeared to let Simon negotiate on my behalf. Luther waved his hand forward, motioning for us to follow. We obliged and left the other men in that room, as it was filling up with even more interested individuals. We walked out of the hotel directly into a terminal.
The terminal felt different than any I had ever been to before. It had a vertical nature to it. There were busy escalators filled with people that went both up and down. The terminal was very busy with people who paid no attention to us. My wife suddenly approached the three of us.
“Mark, I need to talk to you about something.” She said.
“Babe, this is the wrong time. Can’t you see I’m about to make a deal?"
My wife didn’t care about the deal, even though I felt it would benefit her. She didn’t even give me a moment to debate the issue, but I turned toward her in the chaos, and Luther didn’t wait. I saw my wife walk onto the descending escalator. As I tried to reason with her, a group of people filed onto the escalator behind her.
“I’ll catch back up with you,” I screamed out as she went down.
Simon was still there, waiting for me.
“Did you get that straightened out?” He asked.
“Naa, man,” I responded, somewhat upset with myself and my wife.
Why would she take this opportunity away from me? My goals and hers have always been different. But I loved her heart more than anything. Her soul is the purest I’ve ever known.
Simon got right back to task. “We have to find Luther. I know where he is.”
I nodded as I followed Simon. We walked out of the terminal and into a modern city through a large corridor. Out of the corridor stood a park before the city. The park looked like Central Park but was smaller. The skyward formation of the buildings behind the park gave off an ominous feeling. The park was lushly green but virtually empty. It was strange. The entire city felt empty.
“This is Luther’s city,” Simon said.
“The whole city?” I asked in disbelief.
“Everything,” Simon answered.
We walked around that park for a while, looking for Luther. I saw a homeless guy meandering around that we didn’t pay much attention to. Our search for Luther was unfruitful. Finally, Simon pulled out his phone.
“I have Luther’s number. Why don’t we just call him?" He said as he dialed the number and passed the phone to me.
I heard the phone ring.
That homeless guy suddenly jumped on my back. He reached over my shoulder and tried pulling the phone away.
“I want that!” The homeless guy snarled
“Get off my back!” I yelled. I shuffled back and forth powerfully, attempting to fling this guy off me.
I could feel his aggression as he refused to relent. I warned him again, knowing that I was stronger than he was. He still refused to let go. I was left with no other choice but to jump to the ground with this guy plastered to my back. I landed squarely on top of him. He let go. When I rose off the ground, I saw him lying there. One of his arms was cleanly off his body. He could no longer come after anyone. Part of me felt terrible, but I knew I didn’t want to do that. He made me.
In the confusion of the moment, I lost the phone and Simon. I was now wandering around this park alone. I gazed toward the city and figured I’d venture in.
As I walked into the city, I was instantly lost. I didn’t see anyone I could ask for directions. I kept on aimlessly wandering. I looked up toward the tall buildings and noticed the sky was darkening. I was starting to feel uncomfortable. What happened next terrified me to my core.
As I walked between buildings, I entered an open area of the city. The sky was at its grayest point here. I saw an arena I wished I hadn't seen. The arena looked like the inside of a hockey rink but was much larger and completely gray. Devoid of any semblance of life. The walls around the arena were identical to the ones around a rink, except the walls stood higher. An impenetrable glass panel was cut into the wall for viewing inside. I looked at the ground I was standing on and noticed I stood on a charcoal ash walkway that went all the way around the arena.
I looked inside and couldn’t believe my eyes. There weren’t people, at least not living ones. But they seemed alive, even though they were all skeletons. They appeared under incredible duress. They were made to push something. They were all pushing toward each other in a scrunching stampede of skeletons. Everything and everyone inside was charcoal gray. There was not an ounce of color anywhere. I turned my gaze away, as I couldn’t look any longer.
Walking the ashy path along the wall, I noticed something approaching me in the distance. As it came closer, it was much taller than I was. I saw what looked like an enormous, completely charcoal skeleton. Except it wasn’t total bones. There was some form of body to this gauntly creature. It had these red eyes that I felt were looking through me. As it approached, I was scared but thought it didn’t have the authority to grab me. I was right, as it walked past me outside the ash path I was on.
I knew it was time to get out of there. It was time to get out of this city. I looked toward the light and made my way back to the park. I saw a diner along the way in one of the tall buildings directly next to the park. I decided to stop in for a second. To my surprise, there were many people in there.
I slumped down into a booth toward the back of the diner. I was reflecting on everything when I heard the bell on the diner door jingle and saw a sharp-dressed man walk in. It was Luther. He walked right to my booth and sat across from me. He paused for a second as he looked at me. I no longer trusted him.
“So I see you saw the Boneyard,” he said with annoyance.
He didn’t have to say what I knew he would say next. And the thing was, he had to have known what my answer would be, but he said it anyway—with a deviant smile on his face.
“Let’s make a deal…”
* * * *
The above was an actual dream I had nine months or so ago. It was right at a point where I was starting to get serious about a novel I had been writing. I embellished some of the story with names, but other than that, it is entirely what I experienced. I woke up knowing I had a meeting with the devil.
Now, I don’t believe I actually met the devil. But I believe God gave me that dream to get back on track. Which I absolutely have(but, of course, could do better). ‘NO, I did not make the deal!’ It was the exact moment I woke up. As I looked back, I realized my wife saved me. Had it not been for her, I wouldn’t have seen that city for what it was because I would have walked in with the sharp-dressed man.
A few weeks later, one of my best friends and his wife flew down and stayed at our house for a few days before continuing their vacay. She convinced me to print out my rough, halfway-done book. I agreed since she was an avid reader and regarded as a top-level professional in her career. She told me she’d read it on her plane ride back later in the week. Instead, she texted me the next day and told me she could not put it down. She said she loved my characters and their backstories. She was floored that I wrote the thing. I gained a shot of confidence and wondered if the novel I had been writing might be ‘the something’ that everyone was after. Not just the executives but the homeless guy too.
Now, fast forward to about a week ago. I finally finished the novel and put it through a few of my own editorial passes(yes, I realize it needs to be professionally edited). I printed a number of copies of my 85k-word manuscript and handed them out to a multitude of people I trust. The consensus is in… I wrote a banger—an absolute page-turner. The question is, What do I do now!?
So, as cliche as it sounds, the book is a Vampire Romance, except that it's not insanely out in fantasy land. It’s more real-world as if they live among us and we have no idea. The romantic pull between the two characters is excellent. It’s a fantastic story about hardship, love, fear, and defying everything one’s ever known to do what one's heart desires and what’s right in a world turning dark.
Anyway, I wouldn’t post my story here because I am hugely afraid of the “Homeless guy.” The imagery of him jumping on my back is profound. Sure, I’m a visionary, but I find it hard to believe I dreamt that myself, or any of it for that matter.
I know there is a huge writing community on tb2k. I know the people of tb2k are good and honorable. I also know there are many excellent writers on the forum. So my question for the forum is, before I head into the trenches of literary agents, is there an agent on this forum that would give my novel a gander? I’m talking about a professional, ambitious literary agent. One that is not going to lead me into a deal-making session with the devil. One that will help keep my eye’s on the prize, which isn’t just for financial gain, but to hopefully further the kingdom of God.
I won’t be posting my story here for fear that I’m sure I’ve incriminated myself in some form in my radical younger years on this forum. I’ve since made a significant change. But people don’t care about that. They only care about destroying you because everyone is a vampire and doesn’t know it. Anyway, thanks for making it this far and listening to me. I am thinking about writing a little sumpin’ for this forum, so I’m not a foreigner to you all. I have a few ideas.
.
I found myself in a large room, bustling with people. The room was a typical multi-purpose commons area located in a large business hotel and conference center. The center was attached to a peculiar terminal. A man named Charles walked up to me.
“Are you, Mark?" He asked excitedly.
“I am. Do I know you?” I responded while extending my hand in response to his warm greeting.
“No, you don’t know me. But I know you. And I know what you did.” He said as he shook my hand. He still looked excited when he said, “So, I was wondering if you are interested in making a deal. Our company’s expertise can assist you in the endeavor that you seek. It will be beneficial for both parties.”
“That sounds great because I am looking at the possibility of working with an outside facility,” I responded.
“Excellent!” A wide smile crept across his face.
Should I be concerned with the eagerness this guy exuded? I pondered that thought when another gentleman also came by to introduce himself. After a few seconds of introductory chatter, this guy offered me a deal. Two deals came my way in the span of a few minutes. Could this be too good to be true? Questions I didn’t have the answers to were circling in my head.
The two guys stood there, sizing each other up when a third fellow walked up. He seemed to be more put-together than the others. Judging by their expressions, the third man carried some credibility.
“Hello, Mark!” He said confidently. “My name is Simon.” He looked at the other two guys, knowing he was a much bigger hitter, when he said, “There will be more coming.”
I was somewhat shocked by everything that was happening. It was happening faster than I accounted for. I immediately aligned with Simon. His professionalism sold me. We started talking about what the future would look like. Simon generally appeared happy about my situation. He wasn’t just going to facilitate the deal, but he would also guide me.
As I spoke with Simon in the commons area. I saw his eyes explode into a look of shock. I turned in the direction his eyes were facing and saw a man in a tailored gray suit approach. Simon nudged me and said,. “I can’t believe it! That’s the man.”
I whispered back to him, “What do you mean by that’s the man?”
“I mean, that’s the top dog. There’s nobody higher. He’s coming for you. We need to make a deal.”
Unbelievable. What could possibly go wrong, I wondered?
The sharp-dressed man smiled as he said, “Hello, Mark. I’m Luther."
Everyone in the room acknowledged Luther. Luther was tall with a handsome look to him. He had dark, wispy hair and a confident smile. The mood of the room changed as the men weren’t just clamoring for my attention but also Luther’s. Luther didn’t pay any attention to them. According to Simon, I was the sole reason he appeared.
Luther was friendly with Simon and appeared to let Simon negotiate on my behalf. Luther waved his hand forward, motioning for us to follow. We obliged and left the other men in that room, as it was filling up with even more interested individuals. We walked out of the hotel directly into a terminal.
The terminal felt different than any I had ever been to before. It had a vertical nature to it. There were busy escalators filled with people that went both up and down. The terminal was very busy with people who paid no attention to us. My wife suddenly approached the three of us.
“Mark, I need to talk to you about something.” She said.
“Babe, this is the wrong time. Can’t you see I’m about to make a deal?"
My wife didn’t care about the deal, even though I felt it would benefit her. She didn’t even give me a moment to debate the issue, but I turned toward her in the chaos, and Luther didn’t wait. I saw my wife walk onto the descending escalator. As I tried to reason with her, a group of people filed onto the escalator behind her.
“I’ll catch back up with you,” I screamed out as she went down.
Simon was still there, waiting for me.
“Did you get that straightened out?” He asked.
“Naa, man,” I responded, somewhat upset with myself and my wife.
Why would she take this opportunity away from me? My goals and hers have always been different. But I loved her heart more than anything. Her soul is the purest I’ve ever known.
Simon got right back to task. “We have to find Luther. I know where he is.”
I nodded as I followed Simon. We walked out of the terminal and into a modern city through a large corridor. Out of the corridor stood a park before the city. The park looked like Central Park but was smaller. The skyward formation of the buildings behind the park gave off an ominous feeling. The park was lushly green but virtually empty. It was strange. The entire city felt empty.
“This is Luther’s city,” Simon said.
“The whole city?” I asked in disbelief.
“Everything,” Simon answered.
We walked around that park for a while, looking for Luther. I saw a homeless guy meandering around that we didn’t pay much attention to. Our search for Luther was unfruitful. Finally, Simon pulled out his phone.
“I have Luther’s number. Why don’t we just call him?" He said as he dialed the number and passed the phone to me.
I heard the phone ring.
That homeless guy suddenly jumped on my back. He reached over my shoulder and tried pulling the phone away.
“I want that!” The homeless guy snarled
“Get off my back!” I yelled. I shuffled back and forth powerfully, attempting to fling this guy off me.
I could feel his aggression as he refused to relent. I warned him again, knowing that I was stronger than he was. He still refused to let go. I was left with no other choice but to jump to the ground with this guy plastered to my back. I landed squarely on top of him. He let go. When I rose off the ground, I saw him lying there. One of his arms was cleanly off his body. He could no longer come after anyone. Part of me felt terrible, but I knew I didn’t want to do that. He made me.
In the confusion of the moment, I lost the phone and Simon. I was now wandering around this park alone. I gazed toward the city and figured I’d venture in.
As I walked into the city, I was instantly lost. I didn’t see anyone I could ask for directions. I kept on aimlessly wandering. I looked up toward the tall buildings and noticed the sky was darkening. I was starting to feel uncomfortable. What happened next terrified me to my core.
As I walked between buildings, I entered an open area of the city. The sky was at its grayest point here. I saw an arena I wished I hadn't seen. The arena looked like the inside of a hockey rink but was much larger and completely gray. Devoid of any semblance of life. The walls around the arena were identical to the ones around a rink, except the walls stood higher. An impenetrable glass panel was cut into the wall for viewing inside. I looked at the ground I was standing on and noticed I stood on a charcoal ash walkway that went all the way around the arena.
I looked inside and couldn’t believe my eyes. There weren’t people, at least not living ones. But they seemed alive, even though they were all skeletons. They appeared under incredible duress. They were made to push something. They were all pushing toward each other in a scrunching stampede of skeletons. Everything and everyone inside was charcoal gray. There was not an ounce of color anywhere. I turned my gaze away, as I couldn’t look any longer.
Walking the ashy path along the wall, I noticed something approaching me in the distance. As it came closer, it was much taller than I was. I saw what looked like an enormous, completely charcoal skeleton. Except it wasn’t total bones. There was some form of body to this gauntly creature. It had these red eyes that I felt were looking through me. As it approached, I was scared but thought it didn’t have the authority to grab me. I was right, as it walked past me outside the ash path I was on.
I knew it was time to get out of there. It was time to get out of this city. I looked toward the light and made my way back to the park. I saw a diner along the way in one of the tall buildings directly next to the park. I decided to stop in for a second. To my surprise, there were many people in there.
I slumped down into a booth toward the back of the diner. I was reflecting on everything when I heard the bell on the diner door jingle and saw a sharp-dressed man walk in. It was Luther. He walked right to my booth and sat across from me. He paused for a second as he looked at me. I no longer trusted him.
“So I see you saw the Boneyard,” he said with annoyance.
He didn’t have to say what I knew he would say next. And the thing was, he had to have known what my answer would be, but he said it anyway—with a deviant smile on his face.
“Let’s make a deal…”
* * * *
The above was an actual dream I had nine months or so ago. It was right at a point where I was starting to get serious about a novel I had been writing. I embellished some of the story with names, but other than that, it is entirely what I experienced. I woke up knowing I had a meeting with the devil.
Now, I don’t believe I actually met the devil. But I believe God gave me that dream to get back on track. Which I absolutely have(but, of course, could do better). ‘NO, I did not make the deal!’ It was the exact moment I woke up. As I looked back, I realized my wife saved me. Had it not been for her, I wouldn’t have seen that city for what it was because I would have walked in with the sharp-dressed man.
A few weeks later, one of my best friends and his wife flew down and stayed at our house for a few days before continuing their vacay. She convinced me to print out my rough, halfway-done book. I agreed since she was an avid reader and regarded as a top-level professional in her career. She told me she’d read it on her plane ride back later in the week. Instead, she texted me the next day and told me she could not put it down. She said she loved my characters and their backstories. She was floored that I wrote the thing. I gained a shot of confidence and wondered if the novel I had been writing might be ‘the something’ that everyone was after. Not just the executives but the homeless guy too.
Now, fast forward to about a week ago. I finally finished the novel and put it through a few of my own editorial passes(yes, I realize it needs to be professionally edited). I printed a number of copies of my 85k-word manuscript and handed them out to a multitude of people I trust. The consensus is in… I wrote a banger—an absolute page-turner. The question is, What do I do now!?
So, as cliche as it sounds, the book is a Vampire Romance, except that it's not insanely out in fantasy land. It’s more real-world as if they live among us and we have no idea. The romantic pull between the two characters is excellent. It’s a fantastic story about hardship, love, fear, and defying everything one’s ever known to do what one's heart desires and what’s right in a world turning dark.
Anyway, I wouldn’t post my story here because I am hugely afraid of the “Homeless guy.” The imagery of him jumping on my back is profound. Sure, I’m a visionary, but I find it hard to believe I dreamt that myself, or any of it for that matter.
I know there is a huge writing community on tb2k. I know the people of tb2k are good and honorable. I also know there are many excellent writers on the forum. So my question for the forum is, before I head into the trenches of literary agents, is there an agent on this forum that would give my novel a gander? I’m talking about a professional, ambitious literary agent. One that is not going to lead me into a deal-making session with the devil. One that will help keep my eye’s on the prize, which isn’t just for financial gain, but to hopefully further the kingdom of God.
I won’t be posting my story here for fear that I’m sure I’ve incriminated myself in some form in my radical younger years on this forum. I’ve since made a significant change. But people don’t care about that. They only care about destroying you because everyone is a vampire and doesn’t know it. Anyway, thanks for making it this far and listening to me. I am thinking about writing a little sumpin’ for this forum, so I’m not a foreigner to you all. I have a few ideas.
.
