So I reread what they wrote it again. Fear. Ok. Fear. I make a living ensuring people don’t sleep well at night so I thought about it for a sec.
Fear.
If this person was a character of mine what would I do to them to make the
reader turn on the lights? What would I have to do to make the reader think
about them long after the story ended? What if it were me?
A few months ago there was this meme floating around that showed a bug infested bathroom and asked ‘Would you spend the night here for 10 million dollars?’ My answer was not only no, it was fuck you, kiss every inch of my ass, no! Now that I am thinking about it, would I be able to do this wearing a bee suit? No. What if I wore a self-contained Hazmat suit, with the lights turned off and wearing headphones and listening to music? That would only make it worse because I would where I was and what was with me, and anyone who has read any of my books knows the very last place one should be left in the dark with is with my imagination.
Ok. Let’s ask me this way. If it meant not only saving my life but also the life of someone I loved would I be able to do it then? If we’re going to be brutally honest here, the answer is still most likely no. At this point if the person who was with me knew me, which they would because they love me, would be frantically trying to come up with an alternative route to survival. Because if that bathroom was the only option Sean would be right, we would both be fucked and that’s just the honest to God’s truth.
Click here for the Sean reference.
And it was at this point when I realized why I was so pissed off about this post. The people who know this person immediately took the bee line to the alternative route. Now just to back up a bit, this person is outside of the United States and what’s putting them in danger is not considered a crime where they are.
However…
This person is an American, and the person who is causing the unsafe living conditions has dual citizenship. What’s being done is a crime on American soil, and there is an American Embassy in the country that they are in. Though in a foreign country, on the other side of those gates is American soil. It’s not a permanent solution but it is an immediate one. And it’s not like a “Not without my daughter” scenario either because the people who know where this person is have posted Google images and MapQuest directions … it’s on the bus line!
This
person has a HUGE pool from which to pull resources, the last I checked there
were more than 700 comments, and a few hundred sub conversations. A lot of
people have offered to pay or chip in to pay for an international flight, one
person booked a hotel room.
Does
this person jump on the bus? No. You read that right. No. Did they check into
the hotel? No.
Instead
they are making excuse after excuse why these aren’t viable options while with
the next breath stating how terrified they are.
And
I am left to wonder if this is a cry for help or the cry of the wolf, and I am
not the only one. According to what’s being said by the people who care about
this person what’s being said, at least part of it is true. Which means things
are only going to get worse. This person is a critical point here because
people are starting to shake their heads and express their frustration.
This
person needs to desperately remember ‘The boy who cried wolf” because when
things get worse, the help that’s being offered now may not be extended.
No, we are not children anymore and we realize that leaving breadcrumbs is not the best navigation method when trekking through the back country. But still, it would be behoove of us to remember that Grandma did not have such big teeth...
