Background Option 4

FIRST DRAFT Branding.  A unique symbol seared into skin.  The pungent smell of burnt flesh, the singe of burnt hair.

Now everyone knows which paddock you belong in.  Who owns you. 

I don't like being owned.  I like following the rules even less.  Hell, I don't even know what the rules are.  And I certainly don’t want to be judged on my outsides.  No amount of airbrushing will bring me up to standard in a world where even Cindy Crawford wishes she looked like Cindy Crawford. 

I'm the puppeteer who hides in the shadows and pulls the strings.  You can hear my voice but you rarely see my face.  That’s the way I like it.  I want to be Hitchcock - with a Rear Window view and cameo parts. 

I imagine you searching the bookshelves for an psychological thriller, a character driven story where anything can and does happen.  A page turner.  An emotional journey.  I want to let you know that I am working on that story.  I wish I could share it with you.

But I'm told the only way to reach you is by branding.  A profile photo seems unavoidable.  White teeth.  A flattering dress.  A last panic crash diet.

Until I met Camilla.

She didn't know the rules either. 

She just wanted to know about my insides. My stories, images and emotions.  The shape of my shadows, the creatures who lurk beneath the surface and keep me up at night.   

“What colour are you?” She asked.

“What would you do if you weren’t afraid?’

`I am old dusty pink but when I shine I am red.  Not the orange red but the full blooded red.  Red is passion.  Red is being alive and taking chances.  Red is not afraid to stand out.

If I wasn’t afraid I would write my thoughts in books and stand upon the stage.  I would dare to believe that my stories could touch other people’s lives.

What colour are you?

What would you do if you weren’t afraid?