OFF-GRID

“Are you going to do it or not?” The words kept bouncing off the walls of Ernie Kashogi's mind at an alarming rate. It would have been easier to pin the blame on someone else but when you have a history of rotten luck, it’s not that simple. He raised his head and noticed that the scenery had not changed; The room was still poorly lit. The faces were still everywhere and nowhere. There was still blood on the floor...   Kashogi was a good guy. No, that may not count for much but it was true. A character who rarely got into trouble and when he did, always found a peaceful way out. He was cautious by nature and never did anything without weighing the pros and cons. That’s why even he could not understand how barely winning the lottery and a free trip to Bangkok he had boarded a plane and headed to the east of the globe.  It wasn’t till he landed and got his bags from the airport that reality washed over him: he couldn’t speak the language. His rush to buy a book ironically titled ...

His office seemed a lot smaller as the weight of the words hit him. Sure, it was normal to get a letter at work but the contents of this particular note left Michael Donoghue with dread. At age 60 with a bad liver and so much debt, it didn’t take much to drive him off the edge into a fit of paranoia. Once again, Michael looked at the letter in his hand; A plain white sheet of thick paper with carefully hand carved words written on it.  It had no return address and no one else in the office seemed to remember seeing a postman deliver it to his plush corner office. He couldn’t sit still and began pacing across the office, trying to narrow down the list of people who would want him dead.  “Well, It’s not that hard to deduce” he thought aloud to himself “With the amount of debt I’m in, the list goes  from top ranking executives all the way  to the banks” It didn’t occur to him that maybe some poor lifestyle choices had got him here. Perhaps he shouldn’t have fired the do...

What if no one likes it?  What if no one cares?  Is it really worth my time?  Giving more than a moment to spare  I pondered upon all this  Then I became concerned with my flaws  I wasn't built to win Hell, I didn't write the universe's laws I took a stroll down memory lane Thinking how far I had come Knowing how far I could go I knew I wasn't done But then I wondered once more  What do I stand to gain? If I do this right and get no accolades  It will only end in pain  But man is a stubborn creature  A victim of going the other way  I forced myself forward Now look how far I came  But I'll still remember that scared boy  One who didn't know what to do In the face of uncertainty, he kept on moving  You feet may be shaking but you have to move too   - KIDD🍷