A troubled preamble to a tale about location
Once upon a time there was a country.
No.
Once upon a time here were TWO countries.
No.
Once upon a time there was a land.
You mean a piece of land?
No.
I mean like a country but not a nation.
Did it have a flag?
No.
Did it have an army?
Sometimes.
Did it have a king?
Perhaps.
I don’t understand.
Me neither.
I’m trying to tell a story here.
But who should tell it?
I should!
No, I should.
No – a third person should.
But you’re not even FROM here.
That’s why.
Why what?
Why I should tell it. Because I’ll be objective.
No you won’t.
Well YOU won’t be objective either.
Personally I don’t believe in objectivity.
That’s a typical excuse.
Typical of what.
Typical of the kind of person you are.
Look who’s talking!
But seriously, once upon a time there was a land
Sigh.
Here we go again with this fairy story.
Do you have a better idea?
No.
No.
Then listen.
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Published by Stephanie Barbé Hammer
Stephanie Barbé Hammer is a magical realist prose fiction writer, novelist, occasional essayist, and a committed, intermittent poet. A 6-time nominee for the Pushcart Prize she has published work in Hayden's Ferry, Pearl, CRATE, Rhapsoidia, NYCBigCityLit, the East Jasmine Review, Apeiron, Inlandia, Literary Alchemy and the Bellevue Literary Review among other places. Her novel _The Puppet Turners of Narrow Interior_ appeared in March 2015 with Urban Farmhouse Press, and her Narrow Interior novelette, _Rescue Plan, appeared in February 2021 with Bamboo Dart Press. Her poetry collection _How Formal?_ was published in 2014 with Spout Hill Press and her prose poem collection _SEX WITH BUILDINGS_ was published in May 2012 by Dancing Girl Press. Stephanie flunked early retirement at the University of California Riverside and is currently feeding her teaching love at Edmonds Community College, Hugo House and the Inlandia Institute. iShe is currently managing editor for SHARK REEF literary magazine and is working on two new novels, and two new poetry collections, Her manual on how to write magical realism _Delicious Strangeness_ is available from Spout Hill Press.
View all posts by Stephanie Barbé Hammer
A writer’s internal monologue while approaching a story? Sounds like what happens in my brain.
Actually, this IS the story…. 🙂