Some months ago, I was litsening to my Ipod and got inspired to write a story where each chapter is inspired to a different Killers’ song. I’ve so far only completed three chapters (almost a fourth) because I lost interest a while back. Last night, listening to what I have of Flamingo inspired me to start up again. I got the idea that I could use the Flamingo songs to write a part 2, taking place months later.
(I’ve added them here before, but I don’t think anyone read them, and I’ve changed then enough anyways, so I’ll just delete those)
I would love to know what you guys think of the three chapters so far. Mind you, these are very VERY rough drafts. There’s still quite a bit of work to be done with them.
But plaese, let me know what you think, if you don’t mind.
Featuring the Characters:
Andy
Candy/Jackie
Jenny
Michael Valentine
Natalie
A bunch of other ladies I've yet to name
Ch. 1 Sam’s Town
Andy lives in a small, quaint town that nobody has ever heard of. A town where nothing ever goes wrong, but nothing ever goes great. Andy lives in a town where nothing ever happens. For so long, he went along with it, not knowing anything else. One day, Andy was on his daily, routine, dark morning hour jog just before sunrise. Oddly enough, on this particular run, he started thinking. His trail of thought took a sharp turn and wandered off it's usual, familiar path. He started wondering what it would be like to experience something different. Something he, nor anyone he had ever known, had never dared, or even desired to do. Andy wanted to learn. He thought about tasting new flavors; he wants to hear new sounds; he craves to smell new scents; he needs to experience new joys. As Andy continues to run, he feels a strange pull, slowly guiding his feet to the edge of his path. As he crosses the boundary into the unfamiliar, he runs as fast as he can with renewed gusto until he is forced to stop at Earths Edge. He creeps toward the ledge and peers down to see an ocean of tiny bright, twinkling lights. He smiles at the sight of Heaven then looks up at the sky and notice the sun is quickly rising. He looks back down to Heaven and takes a gasping step back as he sees not Heaven, but a continuation of his own Earth. He sees trees and grass just as he sees at home. He notices tiny houses and even larger buildings. He now believes that Earth is boundless. He then spots the movement of automobiles slowly treading along the concrete pathways. Both shocked and inspired, Andy runs back home to share his experience. When he told his story, very few believed him. Only his closest friends and family. Andy offers to show what he has seen, but they all refuse. He is so eager to return to his discovered wonder and explore, that he begins to contemplate going on his own. Everyone tells him to stay put because it's too dangerous, but Andy feels it has to be done. He's tired of doing the same exact things every single day, and now, he listens in on whispers claiming him to be insane and delusional. Finally, Andy makes his decision and decides to give up on everyone he knows and do as he chooses, for the first time ever. He is devastated that he will be leaving his only home, his only friends, and his only family, but remains true to his decisions. To cope, he silently promises himself that he will come home to visit every now and then. As he starts his journey, he pauses to look back at his disapproving audience and says "Oh, have you ever seen the lights?", then continues forward. Once Andy leaves his hometown, what he sees really opens his eyes. Everybody is rushing around, zipping this way and that way. He feels lost. Andy wanders helplessly around in the sea of strange, busy faces until he spots an old man in tattered old clothing sitting on the dusty ground. He approaches the man and asks him if they could help each other. The man only laughs and tells him "Kid, you need to go back where you came from. These people will eat you alive. Trust me, Kid. I've been there." Now confused, Andy somehow finds his way onto an underground train as a young man pulls out a weapon and points it to the crowded corridor as it explodes. A tiny missile races toward him, but Andy manages to jump to the side. Everybody screams and an elderly woman falls to her knees. After the initial shock wears off, Andy gets up and celebrates aloud until he notices the degrading looks on everyone's face. He sees again the woman who fell to the ground and ran away from the crowd. He steps out of the tunnel and looks around. He says to himself ...
“I see London, I see sam’s Town now!”
Ch. 2 For Reasons Unknown
As soon as Andy set foot in Sam's Town, he decided this is as good a place as any to begin his soul searching. His first few days were rough. He didn't know how to handle this new environment. Everything isn't as easy as it was at home. He spent many long days observing others and learning how to get by. He spent many cold nights looking for an appropriate spot on the ground to rest. Eventually, he managed to catch a free ride and acquire a motel vouture. Now that Andy had a place to live, he started looking for a job. He searched high and wide, but nobody would hire him. No place would look past his awkward social skills and lack of street smarts. Andy had no idea what to do when when the potential employers played the role of a disgruntled customer. And when asked what to do when he and fellow employee disagree, Andy replied, "A fellow is a friend. How could a friend and I possibly disagree?" He decided he needed to do something to make this better. Besides, this is the whole reason he started his adventure. To explore and learn. Yo get by on his own. He walked all about Sam's Town to see how people react and interact with one another. Soon enough, Andy gathered enough information and managed to get a job building fascinating machines in a huge factory. He also earned enough money and purchased a decent sized appartment. This morning, Andy starts his day as usual, getting ready for work, but, for some reason, he paused in front of the mirror and gasped when he spotted a stranger. The man he sees isn't the young, fun loving, simple man he had grown to know so well. What stands before him is a man who looks a little bit older. And just a little bit colder. Shock and curiosity takes over again as he steps a little bit closer to the man in the mirror. Andy doesn't know what could be wrong and why he's not happy. He's on the right track. The track he set out for. He's in the amazing Sam's Town, away from the boring ho-hum town he once knew. But for reasons unknown, Andy doesn't see the person he hoped to. His heartbeat feels odd, his lips move differently, and his eyes stare blankly at him. Andy stumbles out of the bathroom and sits down in an open chair and thinks some more. What could possibly be wrong? Why aren't I happy? What am I missing? Andy just didn't know what he could do. He didn't feel good on the inside anymore...
Ch. 3 On Top
As Andy makes his way to work, he glances at the passing faces and wonders. He wonders what their plans are; what's special about them; are they well liked or disliked; fun or boring. Once he arrives at work, he still struggled to figure out what's keeping him from being happy. What has he done and how can he fix it. On his break, Andy enters the lounge and sees the other guys laughing and joking around. It reminds him of himself and his own friends back home having fun. It then occurs to him that it wasn't something he did that makes him feel empty, but something he didn't do. Andy has encountered many people during his stay in Sam's Town, but he hasn't truly met anyone. He doesn't even know anyone's name. He needs to find a friend. A person to talk to and share experiences with. Once he got back to his apartment, Andy gets dressed for a night out. He noticed more people his own age seem come out into the world after everyone else has laid to rest. Walking about the glittering night streets of Sam's Town, Andy spots a large building lined with velvet ropes and groups of young, animated people shoveling themselves into the door. He joins them and once inside, what he sees excites him. Neon lights flashing in a smoky, dark room. Everybody jumping around, in tune with each other. A rhythmic thump pulses through his body. Andy pushes his way through the laughing crowd to the source of the pulsating beat. He looks up and sees a distinguished and interesting man standing high above everyone else. Two giggling girls rush past Andy right up to the man. They call him DJ Valentine and ask him to play something special for them. He tells them, very debonair like, that he'd be happy to. Andy races to DJ Valentine's side and asks them to be his new friends. The shorter of the giggling girls tells him to hold tight. "Not just anyone can be a pal of Valentine. You gotta be fun and wild!!" "Valentine likes to surround himself with the most interesting of people.", adds the second. "You know that I've been down a road or two", Andy begins his story of travel and determination, hoping it's interesting enough for the three. The giggling girls introduce themselves as Jackie and Jenny and DJ Valentine says he goes by Michael. The quartet spent all night running from club to club shimmying and shaking through the hours. As the sun rises, Andy looks at the sky, then to his new friends, and releases a resounding admission of joy. "Wow!", Michael Valentine says. "You're just now coming out of your cage, yet you've been doing just fine! It's fascinating how you seem so happy. From now on, I'm gonna call you Mr. Brightside." As the sun continues to rise, he looks at his friends one by one again. First, Michael Valentine, he knows he's gonna be there every night. Then Jenny, the intelligent beauty, And Jackie... He pauses...
He Looks at her and smiles because he’s fine now.
(I’ve added them here before, but I don’t think anyone read them, and I’ve changed then enough anyways, so I’ll just delete those)
I would love to know what you guys think of the three chapters so far. Mind you, these are very VERY rough drafts. There’s still quite a bit of work to be done with them.
But plaese, let me know what you think, if you don’t mind.
Featuring the Characters:
Andy
Candy/Jackie
Jenny
Michael Valentine
Natalie
A bunch of other ladies I've yet to name
Ch. 1 Sam’s Town
Andy lives in a small, quaint town that nobody has ever heard of. A town where nothing ever goes wrong, but nothing ever goes great. Andy lives in a town where nothing ever happens. For so long, he went along with it, not knowing anything else. One day, Andy was on his daily, routine, dark morning hour jog just before sunrise. Oddly enough, on this particular run, he started thinking. His trail of thought took a sharp turn and wandered off it's usual, familiar path. He started wondering what it would be like to experience something different. Something he, nor anyone he had ever known, had never dared, or even desired to do. Andy wanted to learn. He thought about tasting new flavors; he wants to hear new sounds; he craves to smell new scents; he needs to experience new joys. As Andy continues to run, he feels a strange pull, slowly guiding his feet to the edge of his path. As he crosses the boundary into the unfamiliar, he runs as fast as he can with renewed gusto until he is forced to stop at Earths Edge. He creeps toward the ledge and peers down to see an ocean of tiny bright, twinkling lights. He smiles at the sight of Heaven then looks up at the sky and notice the sun is quickly rising. He looks back down to Heaven and takes a gasping step back as he sees not Heaven, but a continuation of his own Earth. He sees trees and grass just as he sees at home. He notices tiny houses and even larger buildings. He now believes that Earth is boundless. He then spots the movement of automobiles slowly treading along the concrete pathways. Both shocked and inspired, Andy runs back home to share his experience. When he told his story, very few believed him. Only his closest friends and family. Andy offers to show what he has seen, but they all refuse. He is so eager to return to his discovered wonder and explore, that he begins to contemplate going on his own. Everyone tells him to stay put because it's too dangerous, but Andy feels it has to be done. He's tired of doing the same exact things every single day, and now, he listens in on whispers claiming him to be insane and delusional. Finally, Andy makes his decision and decides to give up on everyone he knows and do as he chooses, for the first time ever. He is devastated that he will be leaving his only home, his only friends, and his only family, but remains true to his decisions. To cope, he silently promises himself that he will come home to visit every now and then. As he starts his journey, he pauses to look back at his disapproving audience and says "Oh, have you ever seen the lights?", then continues forward. Once Andy leaves his hometown, what he sees really opens his eyes. Everybody is rushing around, zipping this way and that way. He feels lost. Andy wanders helplessly around in the sea of strange, busy faces until he spots an old man in tattered old clothing sitting on the dusty ground. He approaches the man and asks him if they could help each other. The man only laughs and tells him "Kid, you need to go back where you came from. These people will eat you alive. Trust me, Kid. I've been there." Now confused, Andy somehow finds his way onto an underground train as a young man pulls out a weapon and points it to the crowded corridor as it explodes. A tiny missile races toward him, but Andy manages to jump to the side. Everybody screams and an elderly woman falls to her knees. After the initial shock wears off, Andy gets up and celebrates aloud until he notices the degrading looks on everyone's face. He sees again the woman who fell to the ground and ran away from the crowd. He steps out of the tunnel and looks around. He says to himself ...
“I see London, I see sam’s Town now!”
Ch. 2 For Reasons Unknown
As soon as Andy set foot in Sam's Town, he decided this is as good a place as any to begin his soul searching. His first few days were rough. He didn't know how to handle this new environment. Everything isn't as easy as it was at home. He spent many long days observing others and learning how to get by. He spent many cold nights looking for an appropriate spot on the ground to rest. Eventually, he managed to catch a free ride and acquire a motel vouture. Now that Andy had a place to live, he started looking for a job. He searched high and wide, but nobody would hire him. No place would look past his awkward social skills and lack of street smarts. Andy had no idea what to do when when the potential employers played the role of a disgruntled customer. And when asked what to do when he and fellow employee disagree, Andy replied, "A fellow is a friend. How could a friend and I possibly disagree?" He decided he needed to do something to make this better. Besides, this is the whole reason he started his adventure. To explore and learn. Yo get by on his own. He walked all about Sam's Town to see how people react and interact with one another. Soon enough, Andy gathered enough information and managed to get a job building fascinating machines in a huge factory. He also earned enough money and purchased a decent sized appartment. This morning, Andy starts his day as usual, getting ready for work, but, for some reason, he paused in front of the mirror and gasped when he spotted a stranger. The man he sees isn't the young, fun loving, simple man he had grown to know so well. What stands before him is a man who looks a little bit older. And just a little bit colder. Shock and curiosity takes over again as he steps a little bit closer to the man in the mirror. Andy doesn't know what could be wrong and why he's not happy. He's on the right track. The track he set out for. He's in the amazing Sam's Town, away from the boring ho-hum town he once knew. But for reasons unknown, Andy doesn't see the person he hoped to. His heartbeat feels odd, his lips move differently, and his eyes stare blankly at him. Andy stumbles out of the bathroom and sits down in an open chair and thinks some more. What could possibly be wrong? Why aren't I happy? What am I missing? Andy just didn't know what he could do. He didn't feel good on the inside anymore...
Ch. 3 On Top
As Andy makes his way to work, he glances at the passing faces and wonders. He wonders what their plans are; what's special about them; are they well liked or disliked; fun or boring. Once he arrives at work, he still struggled to figure out what's keeping him from being happy. What has he done and how can he fix it. On his break, Andy enters the lounge and sees the other guys laughing and joking around. It reminds him of himself and his own friends back home having fun. It then occurs to him that it wasn't something he did that makes him feel empty, but something he didn't do. Andy has encountered many people during his stay in Sam's Town, but he hasn't truly met anyone. He doesn't even know anyone's name. He needs to find a friend. A person to talk to and share experiences with. Once he got back to his apartment, Andy gets dressed for a night out. He noticed more people his own age seem come out into the world after everyone else has laid to rest. Walking about the glittering night streets of Sam's Town, Andy spots a large building lined with velvet ropes and groups of young, animated people shoveling themselves into the door. He joins them and once inside, what he sees excites him. Neon lights flashing in a smoky, dark room. Everybody jumping around, in tune with each other. A rhythmic thump pulses through his body. Andy pushes his way through the laughing crowd to the source of the pulsating beat. He looks up and sees a distinguished and interesting man standing high above everyone else. Two giggling girls rush past Andy right up to the man. They call him DJ Valentine and ask him to play something special for them. He tells them, very debonair like, that he'd be happy to. Andy races to DJ Valentine's side and asks them to be his new friends. The shorter of the giggling girls tells him to hold tight. "Not just anyone can be a pal of Valentine. You gotta be fun and wild!!" "Valentine likes to surround himself with the most interesting of people.", adds the second. "You know that I've been down a road or two", Andy begins his story of travel and determination, hoping it's interesting enough for the three. The giggling girls introduce themselves as Jackie and Jenny and DJ Valentine says he goes by Michael. The quartet spent all night running from club to club shimmying and shaking through the hours. As the sun rises, Andy looks at the sky, then to his new friends, and releases a resounding admission of joy. "Wow!", Michael Valentine says. "You're just now coming out of your cage, yet you've been doing just fine! It's fascinating how you seem so happy. From now on, I'm gonna call you Mr. Brightside." As the sun continues to rise, he looks at his friends one by one again. First, Michael Valentine, he knows he's gonna be there every night. Then Jenny, the intelligent beauty, And Jackie... He pauses...
He Looks at her and smiles because he’s fine now.
