Here's a story I wrote for English class. I was supposed to define something. Let me know what you think I'm defining.
Enjoy!
IMPATIENT INSANITY
Kenric Grimmund paced up and down the floor of his dingy, faded apartment. His “package” was supposed to arrive two hours ago. Though he managed to wait for his package until the designated time, it’s now late. He worried, eagerly anticipating his package.
Where is it? Is Derek okay? Did something happen? How long until it arrives? He finally snapped. Kenric’s face perspired as he grabbed the phone and dialed. *Ring* *Ring* *Ring* No answer. Kenric thrust the phone to the floor in disgust. Two hours; he needed his package now.
Where is it? The top secret package would help the Mimas Corporation immensely, and he needed it before the government got a hold of it. He glanced down. Footprints already embossed the rug he bought only yesterday.
Where is it? Two hours late! No one told Derek that the government would want the package; he probably got caught speeding or did something stupid that would jeopardize the Mimas Corporation’s chances. “The package is ours,” Kenric thought out loud, “Uncle Sammy didn’t buy it off the black market, did he?!” Kenric sighed and continued pacing. Suddenly, Kenric heard a knock at the door.
Kenric threw open the door to find Derek in a tattered shirt, his blond hair bleached red with blood. “What happened?” Kenric unsympathetically demanded.
“Three men… …flung off cliff… …cactus… …grabbed package… …sorry…” Derek said before fainting.
The phone rang. Kenric scooped it off the floor. The mocking demeanor of his unknown adversary gave Kenric hope but also drove him deeper into despair. “Mr. Grimmund, you have 24 hours to bring $50,000 to the steps of the United States Capitol Building in exchange for your package. Do not tell the police of our meeting, though in both your current state and the state your beloved corporation is in, you couldn’t do that anyway.”
“Who is this?!” Kenric demanded. “Answer me!!!” *Click* The line went blank.
T-minus 24 hours: Kenric drug Derek inside, propped him up in a chair and called the rest of the Mimas Corporation. “The package was intercepted. They want $50,000 for it. They harmed Derek. What will we do?”
“We’ll get back to you Kenric, in the meantime, sit tight. We’ll call you later with the details.”
Kenric hung the phone up and went back to pacing. He knew the path by now, as he traversed it for the 9000th time. Left, right, left, right, turn, left, right, left, right. The rug: threadbare. Kenric’s spirits: low. His package: up for ransom. His corporation to pay thousands more on the already expensive package.
How long until the call? T-minus 20 hours: Left, Right, Left, Right. Kenric’s feet bore into the carpet. Derek felt better now, but he was still battered and bloody. The phone had yet to ring.
Where was his package now? Kenric nervously tapped his fingers on his thighs or rubbed his hands together; anything to make the call come faster.
How long until the call? T-minus 16 hours: *Ring* Kenric grabbed the phone a split second after it rang. “Did we raise the money?” he instantly blurted out.
“Yes. Fly to D.C. and wait for Caleb there. He will bring the money to your hotel.”
“Fair enough,” Kenric said as he hung up the phone and booked the next flight to Washington, D.C.
T-minus 12 hours: The flight was agonizingly slow. Not only was Kenric delayed at the airport for thirty minutes, but the heavy turbulence made any distraction impossible. Sleep cannot come on a roller coaster, so Kenric thought about the only thing that he could: his package. He was nervous and worried. His time, consumed with the constant thought of “How long until I get my package back?” He was stressed; wrinkles formed under his sweat drenched brow.
Three hours until landing. T-minus 8 hours: After landing, Kenric made his way to the hotel. It was nice, with a comfy bed. Kenric lay down, but instead of succumbing to sleep he found his head consumed with thoughts of his package.
Will Caleb get here on time? Can I get my package back? Kenric’s bloodshot eyes constantly glanced out the window: no sign of Caleb yet. At this point only one thought ran through Kenric’s mind:
Can we get it back? T-minus 4 hours: How long until Caleb? Left, right, left, right. Bloodshot. Nerves. Stress. Worry. Can we get my package back? Tap, tap tap, tap tap. Please clock, move faster.
T-minus 2 hours: Where is Caleb? Where is my package? When do I get it? “Why can’t I have it now?!” Kenric screamed, finally letting his rage get the best of him. Soon, the bedside clock flew through the air and struck the wall with such force it shattered into hundreds of slivers, slivers of Kenric’s fury.
Caleb! GET HERE!! NOW!!! T-minus 1 hour: Caleb arrived five minutes ago with the money. We might be able to make it. Kenric’s heart beats too fast for sleep. He wants the package; he wants it more than he ever wanted anything. He has worn new holes in the hotel’s carpet.
It’s time to make the swap. The walk to the Capitol Building was only 300 steps, yet it seemed to take an eternity for Kenric. His mind conjured childhood images of the times he was scolded for being too eager to play on the playground and the times he was spanked for “cutting” in lines; images that would never go away because of the pain his impatience brought. Yet this time he did it; this time his patience hadn’t gotten the better of him, and hadn’t blown it. He finally changed his ways.
The Capitol Building: only 200 steps away. Kenric’s steps took a decade yet Caleb had to run to keep up with him. Kenric longed to get the package back; it was his. He saw the car pull up: saw the small, black box and knew this was it: it was his. Charging headlong, Kenric rammed into his unknown adversary without contemplating the consequences, grabbed the box and flipped open the lid.
Three weeks later, Caleb walked out of the hospital. He just visited Derek and was on his way home when he stopped to think. He knew Kenric hadn’t meant to run up and rip the now declassified package out of the hands of its captors, but he did – the roadblock Kenric’s impatience created got the better of him despite his uncalled for optimism. His assault on the captors of his package caused the ransomers to do what any sane ransomers would do – they shot him. Poor impatient Kenric, laying face up in the dirt, his package resting calmly on his chest. Caleb knew he would miss his friend, but he knew the Mimas Corporation had to move on.
It is not the bullet that killed my friend, Caleb thought,
but his impatience.So, how'd you like it? Also...
