Written In the Snow

Silver Ridge is a small town in Connecticut. The kind of place where everyone knows your name and nothing much happens. It’s December and Main Street is decorated for Christmas. Wreaths with red ribbons on every lamp post. People greeting one another with pleasantries and warm smiles. Everyone’s happy, it would seem, except for one man; Joseph Carpenter. Joseph is a writer. Though if you asked him, today, he’d tell you he is not. You see, he has writer’s block. He usually has words flow effortlessly. Then, one day, it stopped. A day turned to two, two days turned to a week, and that week has been a month. Nothing. Not a word.

He’s come to Mr. Handy’s store to get supplies. Reams of paper, a pen or two, maybe a magazine so he can “hate read” other people’s writings. When he gets to the storefront, he notices a sign that reads, ‘Away on Vacation. Be back next week’. He thinks to himself. “Great! The one store in town and I have to wait a WEEK to get a dang pen!” Then, seemingly from out of nowhere, a man appeared. An older gentleman with a full white beard, in a three-piece suit. Dressed rather swank for mid-day Silver Ridge. Regardless of his appearance, he made Joseph jump back. “Jesus!”, he cried out. The stranger, without skipping a beat replied, “The name’s Nick, actually. My apologies for startling you. I believe you were looking for this…” and pulled out a beautiful fountain pen.

“Wait. How did you…?”, Joseph began to ask. Knowing full well, he didn’t say what he needed out loud. “A writer without a pen is like a lightbulb without its filament”, the man replied. Joseph looked in amazement. He needed a pen and sure enough, there one was. “How much…?”, Joseph asked with hesitation. “No charge, young man! Consider it an early Christmas gift.” Joseph took the pen but the old man held tight and said, “They say the pen is mightier than the sword. This pen is more powerful than it looks. You see, this pen, will grant you your heart’s desires. Anything you can dream of, this pen will make a reality. But beware, nothing lasts forever. When the last drop of ink leaves its silo, what you’ve written, cannot be undone”.

Finally relinquishing its grasp, Joseph held the gifted item in his hand. Looking around for witnesses to this odd exchange, he looked back to where the old codger stood to find he was gone. “Shut up!”, he said audibly. A passing woman, thinking he was speaking to her, indignantly scoffed, “Excuse me?!”
Joseph assured her it wasn’t intended toward her. Still trying to make sense of this eventful trip to the store, he headed home.

Rolling his newest writing implement between his fingers. Studying its construct. It looks like pen. Feels like one. Nothing out of the ordinary, he concluded. Laughing to himself, recalling the old man’s words; “This pen is a magic pen! Ooooooo!” he mocked. “Pft! Thanks for the gift Santa!” he shouted out with amusement. But then, something happened. Something he hadn’t felt in what seemed like forever. He felt…inspired!

His writing teacher in college always said, “Write what you know.” and that’s exactly what he did. He wrote about being from a small town but wanted to move to the Big City. He’d be a famous writer. Just like he always dreamed. Everyone would know him. He’d be rich too. And maybe throw in a beautiful woman to share it all with. Before he knew it, every inch of paper was filled with words that escaped him for so long. Kissing the pen and turning his light off for a much needed rest. He assured himself, he’d continue in the morning.

The sunrise barely crested the horizon when Joseph sprung to his feet. Rushing to his desk to see he wasn’t dreaming. Sheets of paper piled high with words covering every inch of their surface. It was real. It happened. Joseph felt a sense of accomplishment. All thanks to chance encounters.

Bzzzt Joseph’s phone snaps him out of his musings. It’s his agent/friend, Peter King. “Hey, Joey!” Joseph hates when he calls him that. “Are ya sitting down?! Get this, someone wants buy your book!” Joseph was confused because he didn’t HAVE a book. He had a collection of short stories published years ago but no one, besides Peter, knew about his intentions to expand to something bigger. “I got a guy from the Big City that is offering you a place to stay and a huge signing bonus worth millions, just as long as he can have your book!”, he exclaimed. “His secretary, Mary, will e-mail you the details. Buddy-boy, you made it!” Joseph couldn’t believe what he was hearing. In disbelief, he hung up on his friend mid-sentence. Pondering if this is indeed all thanks to this “magic” pen…?

There was a knock at the door. Joseph opened it to find Peter, with a big smile, holding a bottle of champagne. “Who’s your best friend, slash agent?!”, he asked. Joseph replied, shaking his head, “You’re the ONLY person to have that distinction”. “You bet your sweet writin’ ass!”, he retorted. Peter moved aside to present Joseph the limo that was going to drive them to the Big City. “What is this?” Joseph asked. “You can’t show up to this meeting in that ol’ clunker of yours!” Joseph, though stung by Peter’s comment, knew it was true. His confidence in even making it into town was shaky. “Let me grab my coat.”, Joseph conceded.

“So, you’ve been having a back and forth with the secretary, I hear.”, Peter stated while pouring the champagne. Joseph practically choked on the sip he took. “Mary. Her name is Mary. But how do you know that?!” He questioned. “Hey, as your agent and best friend, I know everything. Plus, she told me during our call to setup this meeting for today.” It was true. Joseph was enjoying the correspondence with Mary all week. They have so much in common. Both of them are from small towns. Both of them have creative outlets. Him being a writer. Her, a painter. An important commonality; they are both single.

The limo arrives at a huge building. The top, of which, disappears into the clouds. Joseph can’t believe all this is happening as quickly as it is. They both sign in at the building’s lobby. The man at the security desk walks them to the elevator and inserts a key. The digital screen goes from reading, ‘1FLR’ to ‘PH’, with a twist of the guard’s wrist. Joseph hadn’t seen anything like this, outside of the movies. With a tip of his cap, the guard returned to his desk and the doors closed.

As the elevator doors opened, directly in front of them, about 20 to 30 feet down a narrow hallway, Joseph could see a woman. Was this Mary? They had only been e-mailing one another. Casually flirting within the discussions of his book. She was beautiful. Not what Joseph pictured in his head. Her prose didn’t match her beauty. Though it was strictly business, her words were that of an artist. Hard to believe she is “just an assistant” to someone with that kind of soul. She has flawless skin. Dark, shoulder-length hair. She wore glasses that framed her face perfectly as to not hide her emerald eyes.

“Good morning, gentleman.”, she greeted the duo with a warm smile. Standing up from behind the desk with her extended hand. “My name is Mary. It’s nice to meet the faces behind the names”. Joseph stood in place, questioning how long he’d been silent, staring at Mary. Peter cut through the awkwardness by shaking Mary’s hand and introducing Joseph as “Marcel”, his silent partner. To which Mary found the humor. Joseph snapped out of his trance and assured Mary of his vocal nature.

“My boss will see you gentlemen, shortly. He’s just finishing up a phone call with another client. Please, have a seat.”, Mary announced. Peter took to the comfortable seating provided them. Joseph nodded but didn’t care. Any more time he could spend around Mary was a bonus to him. They could now see their expressions literally face-to-face. Not hidden behind screens or assumptions. Throwing caution to the wind, Joseph mustered up the courage to ask Mary on a date. She accepted. He then asked her, “Is there a place anywhere here in the city, you’d like to have dinner”? She thought about it for a while but hesitated on saying. He doubled-down stating, “Anywhere”. Reluctantly she replied, “The Clemens Inn”. His response was like a volcano erupting, “Perfect! I’ll make reservations for this evening. Say, 7:00?” She gleefully agreed.

Joseph looked up the number to the restaurant and called. “The Clemens Inn. Party name?” A voice answered. “Yes, I’d like to make a reservation for 7, this evening. Carpenter for two.”, Joseph said with a smirk. The voice on the other end then stated, “Sir, unless you are a prankster, you cannot MAKE a reservation on the day you request. This is THE Clemens Inn. There is no room, here, for you”. Joseph, in shock that he’d be treated this way by a faceless voice on the phone, hung up. Mary looked over at Joseph. Joseph quickly smiled back and said, “We’re all set. I’ll pick you up for dinner tonight”. Mary was over the moon with the news. Joseph then requested a piece of paper from Mary. She handed him an ‘Out of Office’ memo, which was just enough paper he needed. From his inside jacket pocket, Joseph pulled out his pen. On the paper, he wrote, ‘Dinner at 7 The Clemens Inn with Mary’.

Just as he put both the note and pen back into his pocket, the door of Mary’s boss opened. “Well, hello there gentlemen! I hope I haven’t kept you waiting”. Emerging from its corridor was a familiar face only to Joseph. “Jesus!”, Joseph exclaimed. “It’s YOU?” Mary and Peter stood confused. The old man laughed and replied, “Please Joseph, as I told you before, you may call me Nick”.

“I don’t understand. You know each other?”, Peter asked. Nick chuckled and told Peter how he and Joseph came to be acquainted. “I decided to visit your little town of Silver Ridge to do some Christmas shopping. It reminds me of home. Especially, when it’s decorated for the holiday. Plus, I love to people watch.” Both Peter and Joseph were invested in his tale. Perhaps Joseph was a little more, considering his own involvement within it. “As I was walking Main Street, I saw a man who seemed to be frustrated. I’m good at reading people and knowing what makes them tick.”, he claimed. Joseph nervously listened, worried about what would be revealed next. Nick continued, “I discovered the young man was a writer and we talked a bit about the written word.” Joseph was relieved the old man didn’t tell Peter about the ‘magic pen’. How crazy would it all sound?

“Well, gentlemen, shall we conduct business? It is, in fact, the reason you are here today.” They both agreed and walked into his office. Some time had passed and they emerged from the meeting beaming with grins. “I’ll have Mary prepare the necessary documents for you. I’ll finalize the list of demands and check them twice over. It’s been a pleasure.”, Nick concluded.

Peter and Joseph said their goodbyes to Mary. Peter headed to the elevator while Joseph stayed behind to confirm the date with Mary and get her address. “I’m looking forward to our date.” Mary cooed. Joseph felt like he was walking above the clouds. He chuckled like a schoolboy as he realized he quite literally IS walking above the clouds. So enamored, he almost walked into the wall before the open elevator door his friend was holding.

As they descended back to reality, Joseph had asked Peter for a favor. “Could you lend me the limo for this evening?” Peter balked at the idea, considering it was an expense out of his own pocket. Plus, how was he going to get back to Silver Ridge? Joseph suggested Peter get a hotel or walk around the city until his date was over. Joseph, quickly came to a conclusion. Taking the pen out of his pocket and writing on Peter’s hand the words, ‘Hilton suite. One night stay.’ “What am I going to do with this?”, Peter asked. Joseph told him to show it to the front desk and it’ll be taken care of. Peter thought it odd but saw how Mary made Joseph feel. He accepted the terms and by the time they got back to the lobby, it was decided they go on their separate adventures.

Joseph had done some shopping to pass the time. Plus he had to freshen up for his date. He arrived at Mary’s home. Not too far from where she works and where the restaurant is. He knocked on the front door and when she answered, he presented her with a dozen roses. “You shouldn’t have!”, she exclaimed. She smelled the bouquet and went to put them in a vase before they were off to dinner. She wasn’t expecting flowers nor the limo that awaited them.

When they arrived at The Clemens Inn, the limo driver opened the door. Joseph felt like a celebrity walking up to the red carpet. With Mary as his date, he felt nothing could ruin this evening. They walked through the entrance to the restaurant to the host’s station. The man that stood before them, had a look of judgment. As if he was the gatekeeper. “Name.”, he said coldly. Joseph, replied, “Carpenter for two.” It suddenly struck the host. “You’re the prankster that called this afternoon thinking he could just…GET a reservation? Hmm?” Joseph, taken aback, stuttered over his words attempting to save this embarrassment. Just then, Mary went to the man’s ear and whispered. His eyes widened and mouth opened slightly. He suddenly changed his tone and grabbed the menus. “Please, follow me. I didn’t realize who you were. My apologies, Mr. and Mrs. Carpenter!” Too stunned to correct him, Joseph and Mary follow the host to a round table with white linen and a candle in the center.

As the host walked out of earshot, Joseph asked Mary what she could have possibly said to make the host change his mind? She said, “I merely said who I worked for and that you are a very important client. An up and comer in the literary world.” Joseph’s face had become as red as a tomato. But quickly subsided when he remembered something she said. “I thought you’ve never been here before!” Mary replied, “I haven’t. I said I always wanted to. I just never had the chance.” Joseph accepted her answer but questioned, “How does mentioning where you work, get us a table?” She easily answers, “Nick’s work takes him all over the world. He’s renown in several countries. All doors are open for him and those that are associated with him.” Joseph, slinks in his chair as if he was just told, nonchalantly, Santa exists.

Mary and Joseph ate delicious meals, had laughs, and talked for hours. They genuinely lost track of time. The host timidly approached their table and reminded them, the restaurant was closing. He placed the bill on the table. Joseph, being the gentleman he is, took the check. “Wow.”, he thought as he saw the final total without tip. How could two people rack up such a bill? He began to place his credit card in the book when Mary, slid it to her side of the table. “What are you doing?”, Joseph asked. She said, “Consider it a signing bonus.” and placed the company card in the binding. “Well, at least let me sign it, you know for when I’m famous.”, He remarked. Not thinking, he takes his gifted pen and marks the receipt.

They grab their coats and head back to the limo. Joseph didn’t want the night to end. They pulled up to Mary’s house and he walked her to her door. She thanked him for one of the best nights that she could remember. He said to her, “It doesn’t have to end.” They lean in for a kiss. All time seemed to stop. It was only the two of them. Nothing else around. No sound. Just two beings in an embrace until their lips separated and time started again. “We have big things for you, beginning for you tomorrow, Mr. Carpenter. You better get some rest.” She closed the door behind her.

“How am I going to go to sleep after THAT?” He said aloud. Staggering back to the limo as if her kiss was a martini. He said to the driver, “Hi-yo Silver Ridge! Away!” And away they went.

The next morning Joseph awoke in such a panic! “Where’s the pen?!” He checked his pockets. Jacket. Pants. Drawers. All around his house. Every square inch. He called the limo company. The drivers clean out the cars after every evening. Nothing. Then it dawned on him. “The restaurant!” He hopped into his car and raced to the city. The car screeched to a stop in front of The Clemens Inn. Joseph barely threw it in park before leaping out. Arriving at the front doors, now locked. Letting out a horrid cry as if he lost a loved one. Sliding down to the pavement with his head in his hands. Defeated.

“What seems to be the trouble, dear boy?” The familiar voice inquired. It was Nick. “How does he know to appear when I’m at my lowest?” He asked himself. Joseph told him of the whole evening. From the highs, to his current low. Nick let out the biggest belly laugh and said, “Young man, there’s no power within that pen, magic or otherwise!” Confused, Joseph tried to understand the information he’s been told. “Then, how do you explain all the things that came to fruition? How all the things I wrote down, my dreams, came true?” Nick put his hand on Joseph’s shoulder and assured him, it was all his own doing. Nick reiterated, “It’s true, I can read people. I have a knack for it. I saw something in you that said, ‘writer’. That pen I presented to you, was merely an extension of the magic within yourself. I just gave you the necessary…push, you needed.” Joseph nodded, “but the book deal, the reservation, MARY. How’d all of that work in my favor?”
Nick smiled and said, “Coincidence, and good fortune.” Joseph took comfort in hearing that as he wiped away his tears. But when he looked up, he discovered Nick was gone. As if he vanished into thin air.

“How does he DO that?!” He shouted angrily. As he sat there, piecing together the puzzle of the past weeks, something clicked. If all of this was just coincidence and good fortune, what happened with Peter? Just as he pondered that, there Peter was. ‘Irate’ isn’t the word for that look in his eyes. “You son of a…! I should kill you!” Joseph tried to calm him down. “What’s wrong? Whatever it is, it can’t be THAT bad…can it?” Peter rolled up his sleeves as if to pummel Joseph.

“I went to the Hilton and showed your ‘note’ and they laughed at me! I tried to hang out in their lobby but they said I couldn’t squat there! Finally, I left and walked around the city all night. Do you know how cold it gets at night?!” Joseph, regaled to Peter his wonderful evening and told him the foolishness of his ‘magic pen’. Peter eventually laughed and forgave his friend. After they dusted themselves off, they decided to go back home. In all the commotion, they both didn’t realize Joseph’s car was being towed away. Trying to find the positive outlook in their new situation, Joseph shrugged and said, “Don’t worry about a thing. Apparently, I have good fortune.” Joseph laughed. Peter didn’t.