Continuing Harvey, Aspiring Stuntman Doordash Vigilante

Task 1: Write a scene using lines from a book

Grab a book, any book. Go to page 72 and copy the first full line on the page. Make it the first line of your story. Now, go to the first page and find the first sentence. Make this your last line. You now have a beginning and an end: write the story. Start the timer!

First line: "The beauty of the land and the well-being of its people remained a perpetual marvel to him."
Last Line: "There was a wall. It did not look important. It was built of uncut rocks roughly mortared."

From The Dispossessed

The beauty of the land and the well-being of its people remained a perpetual marvel to him. He crashlanded in the desert just three days prior, with nothing to his name, on a planet familiar to his own in physicality, but unrecognizable in terms of society.

When he first emerged from the fiery rubble of his makeshift capsule a group of tiny identical shimmering machines appeared from the sky to encircle the wreckage. Upon landing they seemed to scan the area with cute little beeps and peaceful green lights. They ascertained the subject's qualifications; an English speaking lad from the North America, Earth, IQ of 118, name Howie Hanson, mission unknown.

For some reason Howie wasn't afraid, but excited, speechless, and a little pissed off that he crashed his baby that he'd been working on for decades.

The machines congregated in a tight circle around Howie and spun, synchronized, at immeasurable speeds. After a few seconds of this intimate alien dance that shrouded Howies vision the desert sand subsided and the machines settled down, disengaging to reveal a new environment. A rooftop in a green, urban, eco-metropolis that went on as far as the eye could see. Small machines whizzed above the structures in a familiar synchronized pattern, each new path with their own unique form and function.

A larger machine was assembled from a variety of the whizzing machines from above. A seemingly intelligent selection of the necessary components for this particular meeting with Howie.

"Um, hi. I'm Howie."

The modular being conjured a beautiful chromatic chalice and handed it to Howie. A worker from the sky stopped above him and conducted a brief spinning maneuver. It deployed a stream of blue liquid into the chalice, took what appeared to be a bow, and zoomed back into it's designated path.

Parched, Howie didn't ask questions and chugged the mystery liquid. Immediately Howie's burns and bruises diminished as if nothing had happened. Now he was freaked out.

He peered past the being, across the vast expanse of the jungle drenched cityscape. The air was crisp and clear, he could see for miles. There was a wall. It did not look important. It was built of uncut rocks roughly mortared.

Hell yea, that turned out pretty cool. I enjoy world building, and clearly I love my sci-fi. I'd love to expand upon this one in the future

Task 2

Continuing from where we left off in 2024-06-14-WJ - Everything he said that day was bullshit with our story of Harvey the Door Dash driver.

Harvey's phone dings. Another delivery. But this one had a note attached to it. "Don't waste my time and I won't waste yours." And a phone number to call. He didn't recognize the area code.

Another notification came through, this time a Venmo transaction for $200. Who is this? How do they know my Venmo information? Do I know this person?

Adrenaline coursed through his veins, a combination of hostility toward the fluffy haired frat boys and the mysterious opportunity that awaits.

Harvey married at a young age, gave himself entirely to his marriage, to loving his wife, to creating a comfortable life to build a family. One afternoon, on the way to one of his many doctor appointments, he received an apologetic call from the receptionist, "Mr. Harvey, Dr. Kantor was in a car accident on his way back from lunch so we'll need to reschedule." He turned around and headed home, perhaps his wife would enjoy an afternoon hike in the woods.

An electric skateboard was propped up against the garage door. Harvey glanced at the board, what the hell is that? The door was locked. As soon as he inserted his key, he heard commotion, a window slam, and caught a glimpse of the skinny tan frosted tips neighbor kid scurry through the backyard bushes, naked. The image of that Coppertone butt was that last thing Harvey saw before skipping town with a gym bag full of clothes, a toothbrush, and a 2003 first place wrestling trophy.

Harvey didn't take shit from anybody. His chronic illness stripped him of so much, but his pride and dignity remained.

He responded to the delivery, "Be there shortly." He grabbed the Spicy Italian Sub from Rinaldis and headed to the address. When he arrived he noticed a note peaking out from the door frame labeled "Harvey."

Alright that was fun! Now we need to figure out what Harvey is getting himself into. We know he's a guy that doesn't take shit, a guy that knows he's destined for bigger and better things despite his disabilities. Who's behind the note?

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