Hiding behind his words | Closed

A ray of sunlight streaked through a lone open curtain. The light cast shadows about the small lounge room, piled high on a torn and tattered sofa, were reams of paper. In one corner a side table contained a partly finished drink, left untouched for days. Ashes smoulder gently in the fireplace.

The house seemed still and empty, but for the light tapping away the echoed against the wooden panels. Hidden away in a small study, a lone figure tapped away at a typewriter, with a metallic clang. A small pile of crumpled papers sat near a trash can. The figure shook his head and pulled the paper from the machine and crumpled it up tossing it to the side.

Benjamin quickly loaded another page, and began tapping away. He was still working away on some final touches for his new work. It was really beginning to come together, but he was struggling with the ending. He had been working on it for weeks, without a single break. He needed to get his draft in the mail this afternoon. He continued to work another two hours, attempting to write the ending in various ways, his frustrations building.

By lunchtime, Benjamin had given up. He gathered his work together, minus the ending, and placed it in a box. He quickly typed out a note; "Sorry about the missing ending; I can't get it right" and slipped it in the box. Benjamin quickly scribbled an address onto the box, and made his first trip outside in the last two years to post the box.

Carly was almost jogging to make it to her office on time/ She had overslept her alarm yet again and missed the train to get her to work. Instead, she had to take a cab, and of course London traffic being as bad as always, it had taken her almost twice as long to get there. Her chest was heaving as she fell in to her desk chair, just in time for her Supervisor to land a large bow in front of her. "That is to be edited and on my desk by Thursday Miss Rose!" he called out, exiting her office as quickly as he had left it.

Carly was fresh out of college, She had been lucky to land a job here at Macmillan and was still newly excited to be here. She opened up the package taking out the large manuscript, it was all typewritten and Carly raised her eyebrow before being startled by her Supervisor knocking on the glass again. "Look after that manuscript, it is the only other copy aside from the original!" he called out to her.

She picked up a small note from the bottom of the box and frowned, she hated when the authors sent incomplete Manuscripts as it usually meant it was impossible to edit the book in whole as you never know what little details are and are not important. She flipped it over again, a small gasp escaping her lips as she saw the name on the front of it. Benjamin Peterson had been one of Carly's favourite authors for her entire life, and she had been waiting for almost 4 years for the next book in his series to be released. she quickly began to read, correcting spelling and syntax errors along the way. She did not leave her office for almost 4 hours, she was so busy devouring his words, but was dismayed to reach the end and not have an inkling as to how it finished.

She sighed and stood up, walking to Jeremy's office, her supervisor, "Jem can you get me Peterson's email please? It's an incomplete manuscript I need to check in with him, Margo told me he is already past his deadlines" she said calmly, although on the inside she was freaking out- She would actually get to speak with Benjamin Prescott. Jem began to laugh at her and slowly handed her a piece of paper with an address on it. "Honey, one does not simply email Benjamin Prescott" he teased, Carly's face going bright red. She had heard rumours of how anti-social and reclusive the author was, but she had always thought people over-exaggerrated it.

@ A Drop On the Window

Benjamin hurried home, after picking up some supplies: Food, water, and paper mostly. He didn't like being outside, around people so he made the trip quickly, and set up some deliveries to his home for food from the market. The small village he had found refuge in, had grown used to his oddities. The storekeepers were happy to deliver supplies to his home, as he always tipped generously.

When he got back home after running his errands that day. He spent several days tidying his home slightly, he'd been neglecting it for months. He dusted a thin layer of dust off of his furniture, and gathered more firewood. After his home was tidy and restocked, he sat back down and got back to work on the ending of his book, struggling to get it right.

The typewriter continued to work non stop for several days, as Benjamin worked away. He was growing increasingly mad, and still hadn't produced a single workable ending for his book. Thankfully he was expecting a response to be sent back from Macmillan, his publishers, any day now.

He hoped that it might include some clarity as to what kind of ending would be appropriate. He had requested similar aid from them in the past, and they always came through.

@ KhaleesE16

Carly sat down at her desk and sighed, pulling out a pen and paper. She didn't think she had ever written a letter to anybody in her life before, and was unsure of how to start, all she kept thinking was how much easier this would be over email. She started the letter several times over, crumpling them up and putting them in the bin. Eventually she settled on one that read:

Dear Mr.Prescott,

Congratulations on the near completion of your sequel novel, having been a long time fan of your work, I can ensure you that fans should once again thoroughly enjoy this addition. As you will see in my notes (Attached) you will notice how I have suggested several changes for the character of Emma in order to make her more likeable and human, as currently she reads slightly robotic. I have also made amendments to chapters 5,8,16,17,21 and 27 for continuation and plot errors that I would greatly appreciate for you to amend at your greatest convenience. However, as I have not yet received the final chapter, I have found it difficult to complete my professional assessment of the novel's quality as I am not aware of how it ends. In my professional opinion, the theme throughout is Macabre, and I believe the finality should remain as such, do not try to create a happy ending.

As you are already aware, Several of your deadline dates have past, and the book's release has all ready been pushed from this July to December. My extension here at the office is 57339, please do not refrain from calling to further discuss your novel in full, as it will vivaciously speed up the timeline of the novel's release.

Yours truly,
Carly Rose
Editor-in-chair , Macmillian Publishing, and long time fan.

@ A Drop On the Window

Benjamin was working away trying to finish the book still, when he heard a knock at his door. He stood up, wrapped in a gown and clearly having not slept for a couple days and went to answer the door.

The postman was standing at the door, looking surprised. "Mr Prescott, you have some priority mail," he informed him. He handed Benjamin an envelope containing the letter. Benjamin thanked him and tipped him fifty pounds, requesting he come by tomorrow to pickup a response letter. The postman nodded and left to continue his deliveries.

Benjamin went back inside and read the letter. He was glad to see the notes were attached and discussed in the letter. The comments about being a fan, and how fans would enjoy the book warmed his heart slightly. He sat down to formulate a response.

Dear Ms. Rose

Thank you for your comments on my first draft, I've found them helpful. I am glad to hear that you enjoy my work. I struggled with Emily for awhile, and couldn't pinpoint what I disliked about her, but wanted to get the draft done. I have noted the changes you've made to several chapters and will consider them with an open mind, however as you've noted it may be premature to make changes until I decide on an ending.

I have included several rough drafts of the final chapter and would very much like some input. Books aren't about business to me, so I'm afraid the deadline has only acted as motivation to work for me, I'd prefer the book be perfect when finished than finished on time. I am afraid to inform you that I do not have a phone (and don't wish to have one) and will not be communicating by phone. I'm happy to communicate via mail.

Yours truly,
Benjamin Prescott
Author.

Benjamin quickly fished some of the crumpled pages from the bin, and folded them up along with the letter and sent it off with the postman.

@ KhaleesE16

Carly sat at her desk sipping a copy as she fished through a number of short essays that handed landed on her desk yesterday. There was over 50 of them, all written by amateurs- and obviously so. The publishing company was running a competition to win the chance to get your work published and she needed to create a shortlist. As the post boy knocked on her door, she looked up at him, with a warning look to not enter if it wasn't important.

He tentatively walked in the door, leaving a small pile of mail on the edge of her desk, and began to quietly leave again when she snapped at him, causing him to almost jump out of his skin. "Tell margo, that next time she hosts one of these damn free for alls, to ensure that I am not just reading shitty smut written by 15 year olds?"she demanded and shooed him out of her office beginning to flip through the mail, noticing on from Benjamin. "Another bloody letter?" she shouted, to nobody really. "Is he for fucking real? The man is not even 40, he should be able to send a c**ting email!" she raged collapsing back in to her chair as she read it.

That night at home, Carly decided to start forming her reply to him as she sat in bed.

***
Dear Mr.Prescott

Thank you ever so kindly for your reply, however I would like to ask is there any quicker form of communication which I can reach you at? While I do quite appreciate the beauty of the written word, it is rather a bollox for the impending deadlines. Which, while I understand your thinking in ensuring perfection, rather swews our timelines as we have other works in the pipeline.

Having reviewed your drafted entries, I am dismayed to see that you have subjected me to reading papers clearly pulled from your waste bin. While, as a fan it was thoroughly exciting to get an insight in to the different pathways of the book, As an editor it is disappointing to review a finale which has clearly already been marred as unacceptable by the Author. I would thank you to have a genuine draft on my desk by Monday.

Kindest regards,
Carly.

***

Quickly she pulled on her hoodie and jogged as far as her closest post bow to send it off. However, she awoke with dread the following morning, worrying that perhaps writing a letter to a famous author at 2am, after 3 glasses wine may not have been the wisest decision.

@ A Drop On the Window

Benjamin received the letter a few days later; he had as always been working on the final chapter, and finally had a draft he liked. He smirked as he read the letter. He was beginning to find Carly quite interesting. He quickly sent back a reply.


Dear Ms. Rose.

I apologise for sending those drafts last time, I didn't mean to offend I merely wanted some input into whether any one of them was on the right track.

I am afraid that I would prefer to communicate by mail. Technology is the main driver for the fall of society, and genuine connections between people.

On the bright side, I have finally drafted an ending I actually like, it is attached. I hope you like it.

P.S. Maybe don't write when drunk.

Yours
Benjamin.

@ KhaleesE16

When the letter arrived on her desk, it took Carly several minutes to pluck up the courage to read it. It looked quite thick, she was terrified it may contain her change of hands notice, which the author had a right to give any editor which they felt did not suit the project at hand. Relieved to see he had not attached them, Carly read the letter still rather red in the face from the P.S.

**
Dear Mr.Prescott,

I offer my most sincere apologies for both my language and tone in my last letter to you. I can assure you that it was a rare occasion where work followed me home, I promise I do not drink on the job nor will I make it a habit to swear at the clientele. This is your book, and Macmillan have your best interests at heart.

Having read your first draft, I can tell you that I was absolutely devastated by it, and may have even shed a tear- It was close to perfection. I have offered some minor tweaks, which you should receive separate to this letter along with the Macmillan redraft of the book being carried out by Margo Kent. Please do feel free to call me Carly.

I look forward to hearing from you,
Carly.
***

She decided to avoid responding to his views of technology, deciding that calling an author a pretentious wanker generally would probably get her fired.

@ A Drop On the Window

Benjamin received her response rather quickly. He read over it, along with the redraft when it arrived. He sat on it a few days, not entirely sure he was happy with the book. He knew they had a right to publish it, as long as they paid him, but if they wanted to use his name and not a pseudonym he had to approve it.


Dear Carly,

Don't worry about it, I forgive you. I understand the feeling of work following you home, I cannot escape mine. I hope that you can and find time for yourself.

I am glad the ending was good, and hope it was fitting. I am currently going over the redraft you sent, and have approved most changes so far, however I'm only about halfway through. I don't think it is premature to begin the formatting process for printing or whatever you have to do.

I have been out and looked at mobile phones, but haven't brought myself to buy one yet. I have just been enjoying reading your handwritten letters too much.

Ben.

Almost two weeks had passed, and Carly had not received a reply from Benjamin Prescott. She had begun to think that perhaps he had given up on her and began contacting margo directly instead of her. She was pleasantly surprised to find a letter from him on her desk the following Monday.
. _____________________________________________ .

Dear Mr.Prescott,

I am sorry to hear of your entrapment to work, perhaps when this entire process is over you will be ale to find some time for yourself, Perhaps even a vacation for you and your partner.

I am glad to hear that you have been impressed by the re-draft. I shall pass the news along to the printing team that they may start preparing so cover artwork for your selection. Would you have any ideas regarding what you may like this to be?

As I am fresh faced to the publishing world,my supervisor has decided to move me between offices to find where I am best suited, So unfortunately for you, you will still have to face me as the novel moves on to the publicity and promotional stage. I have many ideas to run past you, and shall detail them further in another letter as I must yet finalise some of the finer details!

I share with you an opinion that, a mobile phone is not necessarily the vehicle of destruction for the earth- They can often be a handy way to stay in touch with old friends and colleagues! I am merrily flattered by your enjoyment of my letters, as it has been an absolutely astounding opportunity to work alongside you. If you do however bring yourself to invest, you have my details.

Carly.

. ______________________________________________ .

Carly found herself blushing as she read his letter, she was in disbelief that THE Ben Prescott enjoyed reading letters from her. He had always been a celebrity crush of hers, even if he was almost 15 years her senior. His intellect and humour simply wooed her.

@ A Drop On the Window

Benjamin waited patiently for a response from her, he found it odd that he looked forward to her letters so much. It might have been because for the first time since working with Macmillan, they were actually handwritten letters.
As he read her letter he blushed slightly, it pleased him he would still be working with her some more.


Dear Carly,

Unfortunately the life of an author is that the next book is already bouncing around in my head. I don't have a partner to take my mind off the typewriter either.

I have finished reading over the redraft, and have only picked out one area where I'm not sure about the changes. It's in chapter 13, the changes to the conversation between Emily and Sasha; to me it doesn't really fit what I picture Emily saying. Have a look over it and please give me your opinion about whether you think it works; other please have them change it back to the original.

For the cover art, I was thinking something dark and mysterious, similar to my other covers. Send me some options and I'll get a decision to you quickly.

I am glad to hear you'll be continuing to work with me on this project. Please feel free to run some of those ideas past me when you've figured them out.

I appreciate your opinion on mobile phones, and am still considering it. It's just I prefer a more personal form of communicating, (your handwriting is delightful by the way). I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Ben.

@ KhaleesE16

Carly has been so busy in work, that it was almost a week before she managed to get around to replying to his letter. She was afraid to do it at home for fear she would once again say something deeply offensive.

Dear Benjamin,

I sympathise with you by way of being married to a career, I often wonder how it must feel to have spare time!

Having reviewed chapter 13, I see that in light of the ending, my edit no longer makes sense and has therefore been redacted and reverted. I apologise for my tardiness in getting back to you, due to the book going to print last week I have found it difficult to find the time to sit down and write.

I have attached an Itinerary for the books release, I ask that you please review it and let me know ASAP if anything needs to be rescheduled.

Thank you for your compliment of my penmanship, My father always told me that you are only as respectable as your worst handwriting. I am also very pleased to be continuing this journey with you, as I am deeply excited for the release of this novel. Speaking of my excitement, I wished to ask your permission to keep a hold of my original manuscript and Notes/ As I'm sure you are aware the usual protocol is to send them back to the Author as it is their property, but I would so like to keep it as a memento- both of my first solo editing endeavour aswell as a keepsake of actually getting to work alongside your brilliance.

Carly.

Carly found herself excited to put the letter in the post, as it meant she would hear back from him. There was a certain pleasure in the suspense of waiting to receive a letter and see what it said. She ensured to attach the itinerary, detailing 2 and a half weeks worth of interviews, signings and appeances before sending it. She had been eating take-out in her office, and had an irrelevant fear that the smell would cling to the paper- there seemed shame behind letting one of the great Authors of our Generation know she thoroughly enjoyed big macs. She sprayed some of her perfume in the air, and delicately waved the letter through it before popping it on to the postage pile.

@ A Drop On the Window

Benjamin had packed away the manuscript and early correspondences into a box for storage. He as always had moved on to planning another story. He was considering a change in direction for this one, a little less dark, and more romantic.

He managed to get his plan sorted before he received her next letter. Immediately the sweet scent that still clung to the page hit him. It was lovely, he silently pictured what the woman who would wear that smell looked like.

Dear Carly,

Thank you for your letter. I'm glad to hear you reviewed the changes to that section. Don't worry about the time it took to write back, I spent my time constructively. I have a odd question, your last letter smelled rather enticing, did you change the pen you wrote it with or something. It struck me with some inspiration.

In regards to the itinerary you have provided. I am sure you are aware that I have never done a book signing for any of my other books. I would be more than happy to pen a press release containing my comments and inspiration for the novel so you can promote the book. I would strongly prefer not to do any on camera interviews or book signings in any case.

Your father sounds like a wise man. I would be happy for you to hold onto that copy, as long as you keep it private. I don't want my unedited draft to become public. If you can promise me it's solely for you, feel free the keep it as a momento, you certainly earned it.

Ben.

Benjamin had written out the letter by hand and wanted to send it off; but he became distracted by images and thoughts the scent had stirred up. He quickly drafted a paragraph long description of a mystery woman, and what she smelled like; he half planned to use if for his new project. He looked it over and wondered for a moment. On the bottom of that page he typed out, "For your eyes only: this is what that intriguing smell conjured up for me, also a sneak peak at what my next book might be." He carefully folded the page, again wrote, "For your eyes only" on the fold and added it to the letter and sent them both away.

@ KhaleesE16

Carly found herself having butterflies in her stomach as he read his next letter. She was slightly upset at how he turned down each and every interview and signing, but she could easily overlook it reading the for your eyes only letter. Each and every hair on her body stood on edge as she read the description of a mystery woman which her perfume had inspired. The description was sensual and romantic, and made her wonder would he really think all of those things if he were to see how she actually looked in person. She quickly shoved the letter in to her handbag, before penning her reply.

Benjamin,

I certainly feel quite complimented for having elicited such a response. That scent you spoke of, I believe to be the remnants of my perfume on the paper. I often spray it between meeting and the scent must have stuck to the paper I store here. I feel my actual self may not receive such a gracious response, perhaps my scent oversells me.

I do feel disappointed that you will reject the entire itinerary, as I did spend quite some time pulling it together. I had realised you had never done a public appearance before and had grievously hoped that I may be able to change that. I know your fans would love to hear about the book directly from you, I plead with you to even consider some of the more private events? I know both I and your fans would be grateful for it. I would love to meet the man behind the letters.

I promise you that much like the letter attached, the manuscript will remain for my eyes only.

Your Carly

She signed off, not realising she had forgotten to add an 's' to yours and also making sure to spray the paper once again.
That night, Carly found herself reading his description of what he envisioned when he smelled her perfume over and over until she almost knew it by heart. She found the words almost erotic, even though it was a simple description of a mystery woman.

@ A Drop On the Window

Benjamin read over her response and was surprised to hear it was her perfume. He was intrigued by her words, and absently wondered whether she intended to sign it off as 'Your Carly'.

Dear Carly,

You have excellent taste in scents, and I am sure you are as beautiful as your handwriting leds me to believe. I hope you don't sell yourself short.

I understand you spent some time on the itinerary, so I gave it some second thought. I have identified a few things I might be interested in, so please give me some more detail one them. The first is the interview prior to release date, the second is the signing event on release date, and finally what is a streamed interview?

I would very much like to meet you, I wonder whether the picture I have of you in my head is accurate.

Your Benjamin

He signed the letter off the same way she'd signed off, wondering whether she'd mention it. He placed the letter along with the previous one, next to his bed, to read over and smell as he tried to fall asleep.

@ KhaleesE16

By now, Carly found herself waiting anxiously for the post guy to come by to see if she had gotten a reply from the author. In her own little word, she had begun referring to him as Benji, but she thought he may not appreciate the playful shortening of his name.

Dear Ben,

I am often grateful for this written correspondence, as you do not have to see my consistent blushing at your barrage of comments, you are too kind with your words.

I am grateful for your re-consideration, here is a breakdown of said events.
Interview- I had it in my mind to do an intimate interview with you about the series. It would be a ticketed event, with only 200 or so being granted access. The audience will be allowed to ask you some questions and perhaps you could read an excerpt from the novel. If we were to do it as a streamed interview, it would be, say me and you in a room, which I was thinking could mimic the feel of the book. Perhaps a fireplace stone walls etc. I would be asking you some questions, and the entire thing would be playing live on a streaming website, where the fans could interact remotely through online comments.

Signing- I had hoped, that on the day of release you could do a closed door signing/meet and greet with some of the novel's biggest fans. People like myself who have been dying to meet you for years could get some time to interract and communicate with you.

Perhaps if you were to agree, we would be lucky enough to meet at one of these events, for now I shall leave you to your imaginary version of me so as not to ruin the surprise. I will continue to imagine you, although I do not have any more than these letters to go off of.

Your Carly

Carly's stomach was twisting in knots as she read the final line of Benjamin's letter. She did not know if he had meant to write it as such, but she felt that an award winning writer would not make such a mistake and decided to follow suit and sign off in the same way. She felt a little dismayed that this letter did not contain her own personal one, but she supposed she could not expect that ever time. It was getting to a point, where she hoped Margo would never summon the letters from her. She kept each of them in a keepsake box on her desk at home. They each felt personal to her, even if they were strictly business. She wished to drop him another hint to her type of persona, but she did not know how to do it in such a manner that it would not look purposeful. Thinking hard, she decided to place the edge of the envelope gently between her lips, as if she had held it there while her hands were full, leaving behind a small but present imprint of her signature lipstick colour, an orangey red shade.

@ A Drop On the Window

Benjamin eagerly awaited her response, as he worked on another short paragraph for her. This one focused on the same mystery woman, and a long lost love; It implied she continued to talk with this love, but skirted the issue of whether her lover was alive or dead in a beautiful and elegant way.

The strange stain on the edge of the envelope confused him for a moment, until he realised what it was. He smiled softly looking at the imprint of her lips in an orange red shade. He found it oddly seductive.

Dear Carly,

I only wish to be honest, you have an intriguing soul, and have put up with my oddities for far longer than I expected.

Thank you for explaining those events for me. I have a concern that by having the events ticketed only the wealthy not so big fans will be able to get tickets. I have an idea in mind for your consideration. What if we ran a competition sort of thing and gave away the tickets to those who deserve them. I had in mind getting the fans to send in pictures of their collection of my books in their favourite place to read them, along with a few words of why they should get to meet me. Then we pick the best.

At this stage I'll pass on the streamed interview. I honestly do look forward to meeting you in person. To help with your imagination, I am ineed British.

Your Ben.

He packed the letter away, and he again folded the extra page and wrote "For Carly's eyes only". He sealed the page with a spot of his cologne before dropping it in the evelope.

@ KhaleesE16

Carly opened the letter and eagerly shoved the letter for just her in to her handbag, deciding she would keep it to be read at home. She could smell a man's cologne wafting from it, but was unable to place which it was, but she did enjoy it's smell. It was rich and manly. She realised that she did not even know what age Benjamin was.

Dear Ben,

As you are well aware from my last letters, Honesty is a language I often speak all too clear. I find myself thoroughly invested in finding out more about you, it is like a murder mystery game, but the end is less macabre.

I do enjoy that idea of a competition would you however be open to the option of the competition submissions being accepted online? It would make my life much easier if you did- and also reduce the chance of your letters getting lost in post due to receiving so many. I find I rather enjoy this form of communication, as inconvenient as it is.

That at least tells men we are in the same country, I am a Manchester lady originally. I look forward to reading your second paragraph, I have squirrelled it away to read when i have more privacy than my glass box of an office. I do so wish I could offer you the same, but unfortunately I was born to write other people's words, and not my own. I have attached some options for cover art and would love to hear your thoughts.

Your Carly Rose.
P.S I ask of you to detail how you like your tea. I feel that will reveal a lot.

Carly was slightly relieved to hear that he was British, she often found the american authors overbearing and condescending. She hoped that coming from a similar heritage may aid in their connection.
Once home, Carly devoured the short paragraph he had written, lost in the feeling of having benjamin Prescott writing her her very own short excerpts, for nobody else to see but her. She sighed, wishing he was less reclusive. She would like to just hear his voice.

@ A Drop On the Window
(Also if it is any matter of interest, the girl giving the interview in this video is how I imagine Carly to sound.

Benjamin opened the letter from Carly the day it arrived. He was slightly disappointed it didn't have the same scent as the previous two, or any other flirty little differences, but he understood he couldn't expect that everytime.

Dear Carly,

I have a similar feeling, I am enjoying communicating with you. It's slowly letting me discover more and more about you.

I would certainly be open to submissions in that manner, I do believe that's the 'in' thing, is it not. I would also like if you would screen the entries first and then send over the best ones you think should win for me to look over. I certainly would love to hear what my fans have to say.

In regards to the cover art, the one labelled 4 was my favourite, I'm curious which one was yours. They all fit what I wanted perfectly anyway so well done.

I grew up in a small village near Birmingham, but studied at Oxford, and stuck around a close as possible. I'm back to a small village, keeping a low profile. Anonymity helps me not get disturbed.

Your Ben Prescott.

P.S It depends on the tea. For Earl Grey a touch of milk, no sugar.

Benjamin sent the letter off, he was finding he increasingly wanted to ask personal questions about her. He wondered whether the letters would be filed at the company though.

@ KhaleesE16