Welcome back to Payne's Realm!
Today, I'm excited to share a sneak peek into my latest work-in-progress. This opening chapter explores the unsettling experience of a writer facing an unexpected challenge – the sudden inability to spell even the most basic words. It's a glimpse into the anxieties and vulnerabilities that often accompany the creative process.
Chapter 1
Sitting on his old wooden chair and enjoying his favorite tea, William started to pen down what was supposed to be his next big bestseller; little did he know that this day was different than any other. Trying to write the first line became the most difficult job for William, not because he couldn’t write but because he was making a simple mistake he couldn’t understand the reason for.
The long queue never seemed to end…..
“What’s the problem? Why can’t I figure out how queue is written; is it 'qeue' or 'que'?” William was completely perplexed; he couldn’t figure out the spelling of a basic word.
“Dad, is there a problem? You seem to be worried,” Allen asked, who was unsure why his perfect father was so perturbed.
“No son, there’s no problem at all. Aren’t you late for work?”
“Yeah, I am just leaving. You take care,” Allen left with his key fob.
“Morning Dad, started working already?” Aleena hugged William with one hand as the other was busy using the phone.
“Yeah, it was just some work I wanted to finish. You new generation can’t keep your hands off the phone for even a second.”
“It’s how we stay connected to the world Dad, even you should try it,” Aleena tried to talk William into using a smartphone once again, just like every other day.
“Don’t you have college to attend? Go now,” William said, getting up from his chair to head for the living room.
“Sure Dad, but you finish your special tea, alright,” Aleena said, leaving with her bag and cell phone for college.
William opened the front page of the newspaper and started reading the headline.
The new Budget ignores deficit with increases for military
“There seems to be no problem with my sense of understanding words, then what’s the darn problem?” William turned the pages of the newspaper to see whether there were some words he couldn’t read.
The old telephone on the table rang; it was Mr. Robert on the other side. The editor of the biggest publishing house in the country.
“Hello William, how are you today?” Robert asked.
“I am fine, how about you, Robert?” William replied with his usual answer.
“Well I am good, I called to tell you about your latest book. The draft you gave me contains lots of spelling mistakes; and because you told me not to change anything I wanted to let you know about it,” Robert seemed to be a little anxious as to why an expert writer like William was making such mistakes.
“I will correct it as soon as possible, Robert. Is there anything else?” William asked.
“Nothing else, you have a good day William,” Robert ended the call saying this.
William became perplexed after this phone call; he didn’t know whether this was because of his age or if he'd lost the spark in himself.
Whenever William had no answers, he would go to his best friend, Dr. Ron Lavato, who was a leading psychologist.
“Am I disturbing the great Dr. Lavato?” William said, entering Lavato’s office.
“Yes, you certainly are, the great writer Mr. William,” Lavato said laughingly, raising from his chair to greet his old friend.
“So, what brings you here today? Mr. Bestseller,” Lavato asked.
“Can’t I just come to see my best friend?” William said, trying to camouflage his anxiety with a smile.
“Certainly, you can,” Lavato could clearly sense the worry in his friend’s eyes.
“Andrew, send in two cups of tea for us,” Lavato told his assistant on the phone, knowing that the only thing that could take away stress from William’s head was a good cup of tea.
The peon brought in two cups of tea and placed the tray on the table.
Lavato placed the cup of tea in front of William, but William was busy trying to read a book on psychology.
“So, psychology, huh? Is that what you’re up to nowadays?” Lavato said.
William held the book in front of Lavato, pointing towards a word.
“Electroencephalogram,” read Lavato.
“Now write it down, without seeing,” William said.
“What’s going on, William?” Lavato was confused.
“Just write it down,”
“Alright, if you say so,” Lavato wrote the word on a paper.
William took the paper and checked the word for the spelling. “It’s correct,” William said while his worry deepened.
“William, I am a psychologist. I have been reading and writing these words for my entire life; why wouldn’t I be able to write it once more?” Lavato said.
“Because I am unable to write even the most basic words I have been writing my whole life,” William said.
“What do you mean by that?” Lavato became intrigued and worried at the same time because these words came from his best friend who was known to be the best writer in the world.
“Have a look at this,” William showed the paper he was writing on in the morning.
Looking at the paper, Lavato noticed the mistake in the spelling of queue. “William, you have made a mistake in the word 'queue', but how? Can you read the words properly?”
“Yes, without even the least possible error,” William said, “But when I write, I can’t just recollect the right spelling.”
“Hmm,” Lavato took a deep breath.
“Do you know what’s wrong with me?” William asked with all the hope in his eyes.
“Well, William, there can be two reasons for this: a working memory issue or agraphia,” Lavato said.
“What’s agraphia?” William asked with curiosity.
“Agraphia is an acquired neurological disorder causing a loss in the ability to communicate through writing,” Lavato said, “And working memory issues can occur due to old age as you start to forget most of the things.”
“But I remember everything,” William said with assurance in his voice, “I just can’t write down the right spellings.”
“Right now, I can’t tell you the exact reason, but after some tests, we’ll get to know about it,” Lavato said.
“Can you cure it?” William asked.
“Maybe I can,” Lavato said.
“Then find the cure as soon as possible. I have to start writing,” William said.
“You can write on a computer, right? They have an autocorrect feature in it nowadays, so whatever you’ll write will get corrected,” Lavato said.
“Ron, do you really think I am going to use those inefficacious devices which are made just to lure the youth?” William said, “You know I write only on a typewriter or with a pen.”
“I am just saying, or you can take a break from writing,” Lavato said.
“Can’t do that, Ron. I have to find another way,” William said.
- What do you think is happening to William? Share your thoughts and theories in the comments!
- Stay tuned for more updates on this and other works in progress! Subscribe to my Youtube channel or follow me on social media for the latest news.
- In the meantime, don't forget to check out my debut Short Story "Ancient" for a thrilling dose of psychological horror! Read on Amazon!
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