My job was to clean the swimming pool after the cops fished out Mr. Gatsby. Extra work, no extra pay. I scooped his fancy watch off the bottom and plunked it in my pocket. No one thinks of the unseen characters in fiction. The ones like me—who are yet to be written, or never get written, or get cut from the story in one of those drafts you hear writers grouse about. Listen up, I exist in the subconscious of the writer who never stopped writing that book you take for granted. I got to believe that the story never truly ends; it only stops out of exhaustion, or relief, or a deadline and threat from an editor. I keep cleaning the pool because some of us have real jobs. Look here—the pool is ready to swim in again, the water clear and the sky blue as far as I can see out to the Long Island Sound. The white plum tree quivers in full bloom. I’ll have to skim out the debris of petals in the next day or so. Now the air is honey-thick, and even I can appreciate the beauty of the scene. Fact is: After you fall asleep with a novel lost in your sheets, I might stake my claim. I might be what you dream about—me, a nobody. Remember me the next time you swim in a rich man’s pool. Truth is: I might inspire you. Take that and mark your novel with it.
Caroline Bock is a Maryland author. Her debut short story collection, “Carry Her Home,” just won the 2018 Washington Writers’ Publishing House Fiction Prize and will be published in November. She is the author of young adult novels: “Lie” and “Before My Eyes” from St. Martin’s Press. Currently, she is writing a novel set in 2099.
Delmarva Review is a literary publication of national scope, with strong regional roots. In its eleventh year, the nonprofit journal publishes compelling new fiction, nonfiction, and poetry from authors within the region and beyond. It is supported by individual contributions, sales, and a grant from the Talbot County Arts Council with funds from the Maryland State Arts Council. For information and copies, visit: www.DelmarvaReview.org.
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