“The snow fluttered down delicately, in waves of glistening white, much as it had the entire week before. The sense of normalcy acquired by some did little to comfort the man, who had taken his post in front of the whitewashed window. The frost on the glass perfectly mirrored the shards of jagged ice hanging solemnly from his heart.
It had been two weeks since he’d heard from Dennis. The red light flashing consistently from across the room signaled that someone had tried to reach him; there was no argument in this respect. Francis Kramer, however, had come to loathe few things so doggedly as an unanswered phone call.
He checked the machine each afternoon, his patience wearing thin, a chorus of hang-ups was all it offered. The tiny crimson light was beginning to infuriate him more by the day. It’s ceaseless blinking a seeming beacon for weary travelers on the road to meaning. It was all for naught, though. As the days passed, the only news he cared to hear continued to evade him.
Having roused himself from a rather troubled sleep only minutes prior, he found the empty blanket of white covering the world far more comforting than the equally empty hum of a message that never seemed to come.
After nearly fifteen minutes of staring through the dreary glass, he gathered himself and walked over to the answering machine. His hand reached out slowly, intent on pushing the small “play” button. The moment the pad of his finger managed to softly caress the plastic; however, his arm darted back toward his body.
He shook his head angrily, beginning to pace a fine line between his chair and the table on which the recorder sat. Somewhere in his mind, the panging question of whether getting worked up was even worth it began to vibrate idly in the direction of rationality.
Upon finally steeling his nerves, Frank instantly decided there was nothing to be gained, cosmically, in worrying himself sick over another disappointment. With his left hand now resting firmly on his forehead, he reached out once more and pressed “play.” “
Flexible Demons Description:
There are those of us who toil endlessly in obscurity for year upon year. Some will break out of their everyday doldrums and achieve a level of enormity reserved for a very special few. Still, others will fight until they have little left to offer. They strive on, convinced that the ride justifies their fate – however bleak. For Francis Kramer, the true cost of the chase may prove too much to handle.
While dealing with the steadfast ghosts of a troubled past, Kramer’s mind conspires to pull greatness from deep within the darker recesses of his soul. In the process, Frank soon finds that others have taken an interest in his work, however mysterious they may be.
A torturous, darkly humorous tale of mental anguish and the unyielding pull of addiction; the story tests the limits people are willing to go to in order to exercise the demons that may exist largely within their own hearts and subconscious minds. The story is a volatile, skewed look into the reader’s own reflection. Touching at some points, visceral and frightening at others, FLEXIBLE DEMONS is a highly symbolic novel dealing as much with society’s obsession with fame and celebrity, as it does with the troubling abuse of substances that are all too commonplace within our culture.
Will Frank be able to ride the fragile wave long enough to complete his masterpiece…and at what cost?
