The Fiction of Nonfiction
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
It was time. There
was no turning back. With one last check
of his watch, it was now or never. He
had ten minutes to get into place.
Taking a breath, he looked to his right and then to his left and went
into the staff restroom. He dashed into
the stall and shut the door. So began a
carefully thought-out plan into the unknown.
He reviewed his procedure in his mind many times that he convinced
himself of everything. Everything was
clear in his mind. He was in complete
control. Nothing could stop him and
nothing could turn out unexpectedly.
After all, he only had to convince himself and who better to persuade
him than the most cunning and aware person he knew, himself.
Proceeding, he assumed the position on the toilet set. He unzipped his duffel bag and took out his
materials. He removed a more comfortable
pair of jeans to wear. He was
unaccustomed to wearing chinos and did not want them to interfere in any way. He also changed into his more common athletic
shoes. Brown leather nubuck
shoes were not his normal choice, but he needed them only for this brief
moment. His appearance needed to pass
for that of an adult. He removed his
brown shoes and left them on the floor and sat cross-legged on the toilet. He changed pants and let his chinos bunch up
softly on top of his brown shoes. Inside
the bag were numerous wrapped towels that held the components and ammunition
for an M-16 a2 assault rifle. He grabbed
the butt of the gun and attached it right above the handle. With a crisp snap, the butt locked into place
and his eyes lit up with a glare of euphoria to the sound of the butt locking
into place. Confidence surged through
his veins as he imagined the power he held in his hands. His heart pumped rapidly, yet he was hardly
moving. Sweat formed on his brow,
armpits, and back. He continued
assembling the gun. The barrel and
nozzle were next. With a few twists of
his left wrist, he completed assembly of the gun. The final step was to load the bullets. He reached into the bag and pulled out another
wrapped towel. He unwrapped
the towel and grasped the clip in his hand.
Squeezing it hard he stared at it until his focus split into two images
and his mind went blank. But he could
not remove all thought from his mind, for he was a constant thinker. How strange he thought that
only moments before what would be the most exciting, real, and awaited
event in his life, he did not feel anything tangible. He only felt surreal, like he stood with one
foot on each side of the line that separated fantasy and reality. But then again, he was not sure what to
feel. Nothing in his life could come
close to what he was preparing to do and he had no idea what anyone was
supposed to feel just before something like this. Maybe this was the way it was supposed to be;
one did not feel anything at times like these, for this was a time that was not
based on thought. This venture into
philosophy was not producing anything insightful. The end was what he wanted. With that thought, he returned to a state of
emptiness. Nothing was in his accessible
conscience. His mind closed shut as he
slammed the clip into place.
“Does that just spontaneously convert to gaseous form
through water?”
“Pretty much.”
“No way dude.
So like, your poop, is like dissolving in the water and releasing
gas? That’s the only way it could smell
worse.”
“Unless you’re like Brandon who’s got terrible funk of the
ass because he doesn’t wipe.”
“Who?”
“It was one of the few guys on the LD side, he would like
take a shit an’ I swear he wouldn’t wipe.
Like we’d get to a hotel room and he’d use the bathroom for a
while. One time I went in there after
him and the toilet paper hadn’t been used.
Ya know how they fold the end just before ya check in? Still
like that. And plus, that guy smelled
all the time.”
“Hey I think this thing is almost done. It’s turning really cloudy and changing
colors.”
“OK, dude, why don’t you go over to the back and setup the
column thing so we can run it through.”
“Yeah OK. Don’t we need that o
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Book Details
About the Book
Who are you if you don’t know your friends?
The Fiction of Nonfiction unravels that question as a demanding challenge that
draws the reader deep into the thoughts and dynamics of the characters. Set among a group of childhood friends who
question the morality and necessity of their relationship, the story puts a
group of remarkable characters on a path that takes many turns, ultimately to
what they will know as what it takes to be themselves and be a friend.
There is the balanced Sean, the determined Carl, heartfelt
Paul, simplistic Arty, and the relentless Tommy, who all clash and challenge
their way to fit together into a larger body of knowledge that is friendship
and life.
The character driven story comes forth in a direct style
offering individual perspective into the thoughts, interpretations, and
motivations of the characters. The
intimacy of the characters’ style positions the reader to experience the
seriousness and turmoil before the characters.
Through a well thought out series of events, the characters present an
understanding of perspective while there are differences in priorities. Each comes to understand something important,
however can those priorities be valid if they differ?
About the Author
The inspiration for The Fiction of Nonfiction came
from similar events and personalities Anthony Hoang has encountered and witnessed.
Anthony Hoang is also the author of The Profoundness of
Small Things.