The Will To Adventure

“Damn it. Every time I write about these characters, the story wants to be a novel. Need to figure out their next one at this... rate.” I stop typing at the cough behind me. Turn. It’s not a rule, but I seldom ever swear. I invent four without trying in the silence of my head. The apartment door was locked. Not that it means anything.

“Hi!”

“Jay.” There is no one else it could be. Never mind him being eleven and my knowing it. I made a post about avoiding adventures, @madworlddiary did a response. Action and reaction is as true for magic as for anything else, sometimes even moreso.

His grin is bottled everything. “Uh-huh!”

“You can’t actually be here. For one, you’re fictional. For another, I made you. There are likely a few more points, but I’m too terrified to think of them right now.” I don’t know if I say the last bit aloud, not that it matters.

“But I’m jaysome and that’s bigger than lots of things and!” he flings out happily, “I’m really good at bindings!”

“I made you. I know this.”

“But but but you don’t want to have an adventure?! Knowing stuff isn’t anything if you won’t be it too, Josh! It must be really boring being a fake surprise all the time you know!”

“A tumblr user name isn’t....” I sigh. I imagine I sound like a cross between Charlie and Honcho. “Jay. I don’t have time to have an adventure right now.”

“But that’s the best time to have one!”

“No. I’m meeting people tomorrow and can’t end up missing work Monday if you drag me somewhere far from here.”

“Oh! I bet that’s because people know you are on time, because you’re good at bindings too! Dependability is very important,” he says proudly. “I just got us into a prompt!”

“.... you are very dependable at that.” I don’t have to write stories involving Jay to see I am starting to lose this battle. “Look. Go have one, tell me about it, I’ll write it down.”

“But if you’re not involved it’s not an adventure but a hugey inconvenience I bet and that’s not fun for anyone!”

I stare at Jay. “Fine. Then I want this adventure.” And I think of a person for us to meet, so far Outside the universe.

“.... what?” Jay whispers, his voice pale.

“Yes or no?”

“THAT’S NOT A JAYSOME ADVENTURE!”

“Not every adventure is. Consider this a lesson.”

“Lessons aren’t good adventures and you’re being very rude face just cuz you’re scared!”

“I know that. But you don’t always get your own way, Jay.”

He gapes at that. “Wow! You are confusled, cuz of course I don’t: they wouldn’t be adventures otherwise,” and he vanishes in a huff of smoke. It would be a puff, but Jay is sulking.

I sit back down. It – worked. I don’t know if the threat to meet Jay’s mother will ever work again. And having used it, I wonder if I have brought it further into being in the stories than I ever intended to.

I think going on the adventures might be far safer than having Jay sulking.

I call out his name.

He returns. Apologizes for me to him with a hug. Because of course I was going to apologize.

.....

I expected the moon. Or Mars. But we’re on Pluto, and Jay insists we’re going to help it become a planet again.

Help me.