Blog #5 - Breaking Away from the Darkness

Feeling down and desperate for answers, Yorick gazed out his window. The night was surprisingly clear, especially after the abundance of clouds and precipitation the town had recently seen. He felt a sudden urge to feel the fresh air, perhaps it would lighten his mood.

Yorick struggled to open the dusty, broken window, becoming increasingly frustrated. Living in this broken apartment was taking its toll on him.

After finally managing to pry open the window, Yorick let out a sigh of relief and looked up to the sky. The copious number of stars reminded him of being a young boy, going to the beach with his family on vacation, and looking up to see the night sky fully lit by the little yellow lights. Back then, he felt so hopeful, about himself, his family, the future. Everything was perfect in those moments.

Now, Yorick felt quite the opposite. While he'd had some positive and captivating interactions recently, he still wasn't feeling his best/ Yorick felt rather in the dark about the identity of the mystery man as well as his own fate and purpose. He began to think about this.

What is his purpose?

Why is he here?

Surely not to stock grocery store aisles the rest of his life.

That's when he saw it. A bright flash dashed across the sky.

Could it really be? A shooting star? In awe, Yorick closed his eyes and made a wish. Feeling so in the dark about everything, Yorick wished for some light to be shed on his situation, just as the shooting star had shed some light on the night sky. Yorick sat, smiling to himself. He knew a shooting star was a sign of self-fulfillment and advancement. And what better way to achieve self fulfillment but to have insight into your own purpose?

The night sky had started out as a sign of sorrow, emphasizing the darkness that surrounded him. Now, it was a sign of hope. Yorick sat in his chair closest to the window and left it open all night, letting the cold, fresh air wash over him and revive his spirit.

Blog #4 - Chicken Noodle Soup and Who?!

Stories of the mystery man Yorick had encountered were swarming around town. He hadn't been the only one the man paid a visit to. In the wake of Mr. Evan's funeral, however, Yorick had replaced thoughts of the mystery man with new ones, and hadn't thought much of it since.

Three days after his strange encounter, Yorick ran into Vanyan Gason while restocking soups at Joe's grocery. There had been a slight snow storm in the town and people were buying warm soups and beverages at a faster rate than usual. While standing in the aisle, shelving chicken noodles, Yorick was approached by a flustered Vanyan.

"Hey man, the most unnerving thing happened to me the other night. I got a text. A text about Mr. Evans. I'm freaked out man, and I don't know who to tell... well, I mean, I guess I just told you." Vanyan uttered, speaking rapidly.

"Wait, a text about Mr. Evans? What do you mean?" replied Yorick, rather baffled at this bizarre interaction.

"The text, it said they know who murdered Mr. Evans."

"Who's they?" Yorick asked, his interest suddenly peaked.

"I don't know! That's why I'm so freaked out man! I have nearly everyone in this town's cell phone number on file. I couldn't match it to anyone. I mean, who could it be??!"

"Well now that I come to think of it, I had a rather strange encounter the other night as well, and I suppose there's a possibility the two could be related..." began Yorick, perhaps catching onto something. "There was a man, and he was tweaking about Mr. Evans, worrying about what Herman and them were talking about at Alice's the other night. The dude was weird, and I'd never seen him before. He was new to town as far as I could tell. Anyways, he was freaking out about Mr. Evans and kept everything real quiet. He rushed away real quick though, so I didn't get much out of him."

"Do you think it could've been the same guy? I mean I know we have no real basis for that, but I mean a mystery man bumps into you, freaks out that people know something about Mr. Evans.... then I get that alarming text?" Vanyan said suggestively.

"It's possible. He gave me an uneasy feeling. Maybe we'll run into him again. I sure would recognize him this time." Yorick assured him.

"Maybe" Vanyan replied, "if we're just lucky enough..."

Blog #3 - A Mysterious Man

Yorick headed out for a walk around 8:00 pm. He needed to clear his head, he'd had a long day at Joe's Grocery with many difficult customers and just wanted some fresh air. His happy disposition had worn off since Conrad's visit to town.

Walking down Magnolia Drive, Yorick rounded the corner by Learning Worm Bookstore. Suddenly, he bumped into something, and stumbled backwards. He regained his balance and refocused his vision, realizing that it wasn't something he had bumped into, it was someone. He tried to make out the man's face in the evening darkness, but had no recognition.

Odd, he thought. Almost everyone in this town is recognizable.

The man scurried off quickly, then tripped. Yorick called after him.

"Hey, are you ok?" Yorick asked, walking over to help the man up.

"Shhh. Don't be so loud," answered the man in a quiet, bitter voice. Yorick had a better view of the man's face now, about 55 years old, scruffy.

"Sorry sir, I was just checking to see if you were hurt." Replied Yorick apologetically. Why was everyone being so damn unpleasant to him today?

"No, it's not you. I saw them. I saw them at that Diner," whispered the mysterious man. 

"Saw who? What are you talking about?" Asked Yorick, growing skeptical of this man and the situation. 

"Them. That old policeman and those other people. You know, the ones who know," whispered the man.

"Know what?" asked Yorick.

"Know what happened. Do you think that's what they were talking about? How do they know?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, sir," replied Yorick, trying to be polite. Yorick was growing increasingly worried about this mysterious man's mental health.

"Mr. Evans. Isn't that who they're talking about? I know that's what they were talking about." Said the man in a paranoid, rushed manner.

"It's possible, sir," replied Yorick, "A lot of people talk about Mr. Evans. It's big news here in this town. 

The man hurried away. 

Yorick stood still for a minute. Confused. Then he returned to his walk, trying not to think much of it. But he couldn't help but wonder... what was this man so flustered about? And who was he? Did he know something about Mr. Evans? Was he just crazy? Yorick pondered on it as he turned around and walked back home to the Maitland. 

He rode the elevator up to his floor, entered his apartment, and climbed into bed. As he was falling asleep, something told him he was going to see this man again, that this man would be important. But then again maybe that was just the excitement talking. After all, the man had made quite a scene. Showing up out of nowhere in the dark, saying mysterious things, then running off into the night. Yorick pushed the thought out of his mind, rolled over, and went to sleep. 

Blog #2 - The Return of an Old Memory

Mr. Maitland's announcement of Conrad coming to town reminded Yorick of a distant memory. Back when Yorick's father was in high school, he was good friends with Conrad. They even had a band together. However, once Conrad gained his popularity as a solo artist, he left Yorick's dad behind. Over the years, Yorick has heard stories of Conrad's crazy high school days, and the memories his dad once had with him. He even met Conrad once, at age 7, when he visited for a high school reunion. He wondered what more he would remember once he saw him again.

The last time Yorick saw Conrad he was in his childhood backyard, swinging with his younger sister on the play set. The pink petunias were vibrant and it was a warm, sunny spring day. Everyone was happy. Everyone was happy. Happy.

Yorick snapped back into reality. Unhappy. Should he even go to the concert? Would the reminiscence it would trigger be happy or somewhat upsetting?

He went.

He walked into the concert with the rest of the town, everyone excited to have a fun distraction. Yorick knew none of Conrad's music, as he hadn't even heard his name more than twice since his childhood. As Conrad entered the stage, Yorick could feel the town's energy rising. The songs were good, the crowd was involved, and Yorick felt.... happy?

Then Conrad sang "You can go and blame it on a simple twist of fate." Yorick smiled slightly to himself. Fate had always had such a negative connotation with him, with his misfortunes regarding his wife and child. But now, in this new town, where everyone always seemed upset, unhappy, he finally felt content. He felt happy again. One might even say pink.

Post #1 - A Dreary Morning

The day started with a grunt as Yorick pulled himself out of bed, preparing himself for the already dreary morning. It was 8:07 am, and the sky was sunless. Next to him lay his cat, Misty, a name his deceased wife had chosen years ago before dying in childbirth. Yorick reached over to pet Misty before slowly pulling himself out of bed and dragging his heavy, sluggish feet towards the bathroom. He stepped into the shower, and turned the squeaky handle. Water trickled out of the shower head, barely sufficient for taking a satisfying shower.

He then headed to his kitchen to make a bowl of cereal. He turned on the faucet to fill his cat's water bowl, and yet again, the water trickled out slowly. "Why is everything in this damn apartment always broken?!" he mumbled to himself.

He took his time eating breakfast, as he didn't need to be at work at Joe's Grocery until 10:00. He looked out the window across from where he sat and noticed the lack of people outside. He recalled how just days before, there had been a slight revived livelihood of the town residents. The murder of Mr. Evans struck a nerve in the town, causing something to talk about, a shared grief. The town residents exchanged recalls of the event in an almost excited manner, yet with hushed, secretive voices, as if sharing a piece of high school gossip. Interesting now, how there was hardly anyone out. An overcast day can have that effect.

Yorick thought of ways he could give a little joy to anyone who visited the grocery that day. All he wants to do is please, even though his own life seems a bit bleak to outsiders. Since the death of his wife and child, Yorick had given up his former occupation as a successful magician, given away most of his money, and moved to this town to start a quiet life. The residents viewed him as strange and uneducated because of his quiet manner, but never bothered to ask him about his past. He hoped today he could impress someone with some of his old skills, maybe cause a child to laugh. But who knows? This town has little appreciation for someone as uniquely remarkable as Yorick.

Yorick headed off to work, unexpecting of the adventure that would ensue.