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Morton Bonsey

by yoyodama 

Posted: 29 October 2007
Word Count: 538


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Morton Bonsey
Randall Brown


A computerized random name generator gave Morton Bonsey his name. I wonder what Morton wants; most of my characters want to inhabit discarded bodies—that of my grandfather, aunt, mother, brother, ex-es—but Morton feels different. He wants his own body and life. I’m not sure how to give him that.

I put Morton in a diner because I’ve never been in a diner. It’s silver and has a jukebox at each table. It’s called Wolfie’s. Their specialty is Boston Cream Pie. Morton drinks the half and half containers. Morton wants his own desires and I’m lactose intolerant. He orders the pie with ice cream. He orders milkshakes. He gets tiny containers of Lucky Charms and puts half and half on them.

He’s stretched out thin, though. He wears Oakley sunglasses. He has sun-bronzed hair. He does dangerous things like dive off cliffs and surf tsunami-size waves. He smiles sincerely at the too-heavy waitress. He likes her. He could take her home and know what to do. He could love her.

He flicks through the jukebox offerings. He likes unironic songs about America and picks a Garth Brooks one. The waitress likes him too. It’s the end of her shift and she’ll go with him. Morton wants to come to my house. I wait for him and the waitress—Corrine—downstairs by the unlit fireplace and the vacant television. I leave the door ajar.

“I want something different,” Morton says when he arrives and sits on the couch next to Corrine who weighs almost as much as I do. He’s a bit wound-up.

Corrine is placid, just there. I’m not sure why she’s there. She has a beehive hairdo and doodles on her order pad. She draws pictures of poodles.

“Whatever you want,” I tell Morton. I say this because I’d like Morton to be happy, for someone to be happy and why not Morton?

“What should we ask for, Corrine?” When did they become a “we”?

Corrine looks up, then continues to doodle. “I’m not sure what a man like that can get for us, Morty.” Morty? He’s a Morty now? “Maybe we could just stay the night.”

They do. Their lovemaking hammers through the house like contractors working on a renovation. Then footsteps and Morton knocks on my door and walks in. He sits on the blanket chest at the foot of the bed.

“Your happiness," he says. "It worries me.” He waits, but I don’t have anything to say about it. “Corrine’s a real knockout. Thanks.”

“I had nothing to do with it, Morty.”

“If you say so.”

In the morning, Morton’s gone. Corrine’s all broken up. She fixes lactose-free pancakes and we talk about Morty, what a great guy. Nothing like you, Corrine says. I know, I say. That’s what I liked best about him.

Me too, she says. She goes on a crying jag for a while. I wonder what Morty would do. He’d be a rock for Corrine. I let her lean against me. She smells like suntan lotion and oceans and faraway paradises where Morton Bonsey rides waves and sunsets and worries about my happiness, of all things. We are alike, Morton and I, after all. We both want to live.







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Comments by other Members



Prospero at 15:18 on 29 October 2007  Report this post
Hi Randall

I liked this very much. A nice relaxed read with the sub-themes of authors living through their creations and those creations flipping the author the bird and going and doing their own thing.

A great debut.

Best

John

Elbowsnitch at 16:03 on 29 October 2007  Report this post
Hi Randall, this is so well managed, your characters presented/exposed from the start as being fictional, unreal - and yet somehow the interactions of Morton, Corrine and the author result in a touching and weirdly believable story.

I love the lactose-free pancakes, the beehive hairdo and the pictures of poodles - also (although I have no idea what this means!)
He gets tiny containers of Lucky Charms and puts half and half on them.


Slight quibble re “Your happiness. It worries me.” - I wasn't sure who was speaking here, the author or Morton, although it's made clear at the end of the story.

The last two sentences are beautiful - sad and reflective.

Wonderful flash!

Frances


yoyodama at 16:20 on 29 October 2007  Report this post
Thanks, John, for close and careful reading. Appreciate it!

yoyodama at 16:21 on 29 October 2007  Report this post
Thanks, Frances. I added a quote attribution there. Lucky Charms is a cereal brand--with toasted marshmallows!--sold in America using a cartoon leprechaun as the spokesman: "Lucky Charms! They're magically delicious!"

Cholero at 16:23 on 29 October 2007  Report this post
Hi Randall

A good story, easy-going but with a lot of complexity, good-humoured yet sad, a nice sketch of a writer's personality - I liked the empty fire and the vacant tv as much as anything else, and the element of a writer as being (perhaps all too often!) an individual who expresses his most real wishes through his/her writing... splendid stuff, very accomplished, assured, effortless.

For what it's worth I had the same tiny snag as Frances, which was that I didn't know who was speaking the line “Your happiness. It worries me.”

Great debut flash.

Best wishes,

Pete

yoyodama at 16:28 on 29 October 2007  Report this post
Thanks, Pete.

tractor at 17:45 on 29 October 2007  Report this post
Hi Randall,

enjoyed this take on 'creation', interesting moments.

Characters achieving solidity and 'doing their own thing' is something I strive to achieve. To get away from the standard 'faces' and give them free range and see where they take you is the essence of writing.

On the other hand, you have to be able to tell them when to get in line!

Good read.

Mark

crowspark at 20:25 on 29 October 2007  Report this post
Hi Randall.
I really like this flash. It reminded me of another you piece of yours I admired (there have been so many) which involved the reader in the creation of character, a boy I seem to remember.

I thought the opening was great, although my random name generator only produces boring names.

He’s stretched out thin, though. He wears Oakley sunglasses. He has sun-bronzed hair. He does dangerous things like dive off cliffs and surf tsunami-size waves. He smiles sincerely at the too-heavy waitress. He likes her. He could take her home and know what to do. He could love her.


This is great. You tell us the character isn't fully rounded and then proceed to flesh him out. I enjoyed the playful tone.

Morton wants to come to my house. I wait for him and the waitress—Corrine—downstairs by the unlit fireplace and the vacant television. I leave the door ajar.


The author's creation wants to come home, to the unlit fireplace, vacant tv. Some nice shadows here. This device reminds me of some of my favourite cartoons in which the artist interacts with his creations. A great idea which works well here.

We are alike, Morton and I, after all. We both want to live.


Great ending and a fine flash.

Thanks for the read.

Bill

Dreamer at 21:51 on 29 October 2007  Report this post
Hi Randall,

I really enjoyed this. I loved the way you slowly fleshed out the character and we get the feeling that the writer really wants to 'be' him in some ways. Interesting twist. This stayed with me a long time today, a sign of a good flash.

The 'Lucky Charms' bit. Loved it. Especially heartening to have some stuff that I get and 'they' don't for a change!

This line says so much:
Corrine looks up, then continues to doodle. “I’m not sure what a man like that can get for us, Morty.”


Not sure about this though:
He might start choking me
It was the only part that caused me to stumble.

I liked the way you said so much about the author with this one character. Well done.

Brian.

yoyodama at 04:23 on 30 October 2007  Report this post
Thanks, Mark. If only I could get them to tow the line!

yoyodama at 04:25 on 30 October 2007  Report this post
Thanks, Bill. This flash appeared on a coffee mug a few years back, but I still think it needs work. I'm fine tuning some flashes for a collection--and this one I think is not quite there yet.

yoyodama at 04:25 on 30 October 2007  Report this post
Thanks, Brian. I'm not sure about the choking line either. Nice catch!

choille at 13:57 on 30 October 2007  Report this post
Hi Randall,

What a wonderful feel this has about it, quite sad, but very haunting. The creator letting his creation live.

There were pieces that I didn't understand, probably a cultural thing: Half on half, but apart from those halts it flows beautifully. Wondered if you need a comma after 'waits'.
He waits but I don’t have anything to say about it.
Trying to have a pick, but not easy as it's such a lovely, meloncoly piece.

Quite wonderful to read.
Thanks
All the best
Caroline.



V`yonne at 14:39 on 30 October 2007  Report this post
I liked the way the author lived through Morton worrying about his happinessa nd then it flipped around and Morton worried about the author's happinessa nd in the end the author wanted to live. Brilliant that. I also liked
the unlit fireplace and the vacant television. I leave the door ajar.
- images of the need for fulfillment and letting things in. "Morty" was good too. The way the character takes on a life apart.

Need I go on? I loved the whole thing...

Oonah

titania177 at 17:17 on 30 October 2007  Report this post
Wonderful flash, Randall. I liked the tone a lot, very matter-of-fact, yet with so much underneath about the author's own desires.
He smiles sincerely at the too-heavy waitress. He likes her. He could take her home and know what to do. He could love her.

says so much!

Thanks for a great read, I can see you're going to be an excellent addition here.

Tania

Jordan789 at 22:03 on 30 October 2007  Report this post
hello, yoyo.

One of the strengths that made this piece enjoyable for me is in the flow and structure. It felt fairly seamless from the onset except for one semi-pothole with the introduction of the author who said, "I wait for him and the waitress...", but the ride kept moving smoothly afterwards.

The piece is very creative, starting with a very accurate description of a character's creation, and ending with a slightly odd cathartic relationship between the main character and the author. I can't claim to fully understand the relationship, and what is meant when the character expresses care for the author, but I enjoyed it, and I think it works. The lovely character details of Morty--created for whatever reason: him guzzling down the half and half, the lucky charms, the milk shakes--are all very lovely.

ex-es might read better as ex's?

note to others: "half and half" is half cream and half milk; and diners/fast food joints generally have them set out in tiny bowls waiting on the tables/booths.

Metafiction-reduced (because isn't this metafiction?), this piece could still work very well. However, we would lose all of that nice input about the author and their relation to the creation of the story.

-Jordan

<Added>

I am very curious if the story would lose any of its gumption and playfulness, if the author's character becomes a real character, with a name, who sits besides Morton in the diner, and acts the traits of the described author. He would, for instance, sit glumly as Morton pigs out (maybe eat a salad?), and feel lonely as Morton and Corrine get on with getting it on. The story could end in the exact same manner, and the story would then be the new character's, and not the author's. The unhappiness would be the new character's and not the author's, and I think the only part that would be lost would be its strange uniqueness.

Just some thoughts,

Jordan


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