The Novel

***I wrote this on a VERY long plane trip to India when I was in high school. My goal was to start writing a mystery novel. I created this incredibly attractive protagonist. I wanted him to be a manly man! During the flight I read the in-flight magazine which had an article about the Brooks Brothers, a clothing company that sells high quality suits. Turns out my protagonist shops there. Years later, when I read this again, I realized that in my attempt to make him manly, I had made him a little too tall. He had been almost seven feet! Hahaha!! In this version, his growth has been stunted to that of a more average human being! Also, due to his lack of a name, he has been named Jonathan Smith (so boring, I know!!)***

It was an ordinary day in Michigan! The wind gently swayed the leaves, causing them to flutter and gently fall onto the colorful disarray below. Far off in the distance, innocent childhood laughter could be heard, followed by loud crunches as kids dove into piles of leaves. None of this was noticed by Jonathan Smith, who was in a state of deep slumber.

After days of searching for clues, he'd found an unnoticeable spot in the middle of Michigan's famous woodlands. This would be his home for the next two to three days. Life as a detective had taken its toll on Jon mentally. He wasn't as trusting as he used to be, and always doubted the credibility of his witnesses. Life, well his job, had made him this way. Yeah, they say life always gives you choices, but unfortunately fate doesn't. It was this fate that had led him to where he was today.

As the sun began to dip below the horizon, Jon jolted out of his sleep; he frantically looked around, trying to reorient himself, trying to remember what he was doing here. As soon as he remembered, he dragged himself out of his sleeping bag and walked over to his sports bag, still unsteady on  his feet. He grabbed a bottle of shampoo, a toothbrush, and toothpaste as he made his way to the nearby stream to brush his teeth. Then he stripped down and surrendered himself to the coldness of the water. It felt so good on his skin, refreshing. It reminded him of his childhood. During the happy times. STOP! Forcing himself to forget the past, he quickly rinsed his hair and stumbled out of the water, drenched to the bone. He walked over to his bag and grabbed his suit. He would need this to blend into the the crowd at Milan. It was about a five mile walk from here, but he was young and fit. He could easily make it in an hour and a half. This would allow him to arrive just in time for the late hour rush at Sandra's, the local nighttime hangout.

It was good he was wearing one of his new lightweight suits, custom tailored by the Brooks Brothers. Made for the heat and those long summer days, the ingenious combination of lightweight wool, Lycra, and polyester would prevent from getting too hot. As an added bonus, his wrinkle-free shirts wouldn't wrinkle on his journey.

The black suit framed his six foot four body very well. His green shirt matched the green in his hazel eyes perfectly, and the two button suit contrasted with his tan skin and dark brown hair. The richness of the green shirt and black suit highlighted his cheekbones and Roman nose. Let's just say he didn't look like a twenty-six year old that had gotten dressed in the dark.