In The Blogosphere No One Can Hear You Scream

This is a cross submission for Fiction Friday and on Ghostwriters Haunt. For more Fiction Friday go to Jane the Sane for a list of participants. To learn more about Ghostwriters Haunt just keep reading.

Something began to happened to me recently, it was slow at first but gradually it began to take over my life. It caused stiffness in the back, cramping in my arms, tired watery eyes and sometimes it even kept me awake at night. What did this to me? I did this to me, I am a new blogger. I started blogging mostly out of boredom and the need to do something with my time while I was out on a doctor mandated medical leave.

My job as entry level stock broker had turned me into a coffee guzzling, Red Bull Drinking, heart palpitating stress ball. Finally when I went to the doctor complaining about the awful blinding headaches I kept having he took my blood pressure and was ready to prescribe me some prazosin for it. That freaked me out. My dad, who was like super old, was on that medication. I was only 26! I asked my doctor what else I could do and he gave me a look. You know the look, the one that says I already know the answer to that question. And yes I did know the answer and I had been happily ignoring it for some time. I’d been to him a few times before with this problem or that and each time I ended up crying about how stressed I was at work.

“Lilly,” he said gently, “If you want to survive your life you need to start taking these meds, but if you want to live your life you’ll need to find a new job.” sigh… he had to say it that way didn’t he? He was right, I knew it deep down but I didn’t want to admit I had been wrong. Wrong about my life, about my career about all the years I’d spent in school. I wasn’t quite ready to listen to him.

“Can you just order me to take a break or something? Just so I can think about what you said?” I asked hopefully. My company had awesome benefits and if I went on doctor ordered medical leave I’d get 50% of my pay for 4 weeks. That should be enough time for me to figure out what I needed to do.

Dr. Martin, who I knew didn’t wear Doc Martins because I had asked when I first started seeing him three years ago, gave me another look. He was about 10 years older than I and was graying at the temples. That gave him a very distinguished look. He had dark hazel eyes that made you feel like you were gazing at stones below the surface of a pool. They were beautiful. I think on some level every girl has a crush on her doctor if he’s even slightly attractive and since he’s not married I felt like it was ok for me to drool just a little bit.

“Pleeeeease” I begged girlishly. He smiled and shook his head at me in feigned exasperation.

“Ok Lilly, but only because I believe that your health depends on you quitting that job and I think having a few weeks off will prove that to you.” He said this while scribbling something on his RX pad.

“Thank you,” I’d said gushing at him and snatching my Get Out of Jail Free card…or note from his hand, “You always know how to make me feel better.”

I marched joyfully out of his office and had taken a cab right to the HR department at Rosencrantz, Morgans & Stern, filled out all the required paperwork while trying my best to seem dejected and sullen then went home for a very long much needed nap.

That had been two weeks ago.

To be continued....

You just finished the beginning of the first progressive story for Ghostwriters Haunt. Ghostwriters Haunt is a new collaboration between me and some bloggy friends to create a blog/website for aspiring, yet shy, writers so they can write and post their work under an alias. We also work together group writing a story that we "pass around" as well as post our own individual creative work. The Blogosphere is our first progressive story and you can read the other parts if you click the Jane Doe Writers Icon on the right sidebar of this blog.

With GWH you can become a contributing member very easily. We offer a group author named Jane Doe Writers that we'll give you access to or you can set up your own pen name. Which ever makes you happy :). And I know it says "Jane Doe" but if you are a "John Doe" I will create a special John Doe Writers icon for you to stick on your page.

So go take a gander at Ghostwriters Haunt and see what you think.

(And now a quick poem courtesy of JimmyEW)

Binary Dreams

Late at night, the world tucked away

And I find no solace in that

so I turn my only friend ON

Blinking

on

off

on

off

on

off

It's steady heart beat

asking, no, demanding a response

And I submit to its will

until the buzz in my veins fades into sleep.

.............................................................................................

(oh, and for Frumpy Friday scroll on up to the top)

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