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Obsessive

Josephine Rudolf

    “Hello, Anna,
    I am sorry to inform you that your manuscript has not been chosen for publication. Although your story is engrossing, while carefully reading through I have come across many logical errors. Your story is interesting, yet deeply unrealistic.”

    With a loud thud, Anna closed her laptop violently. She began mocking while walking around the room “We are very sorry.” She sat down again and huffed “Deeply unrealistic.” The aspiring author opened her laptop again, praying that it wasn’t broken. She let out a sigh before typing, “Hello Mr. Green, thank you for your input, however, there must’ve been a mix-up since my novel was very well planned out and I«ve done extensive research on the subject of poisoning and through my former position as a barista I am very well acquainted with that field of work as well. So please tell me how it is unrealistic.”
    She spent the next few days eagerly waiting for his response. Anna had barely eaten and hadn’t showered since receiving his rejection. When his response finally arrived, she couldn’t open the email fast enough. “Dear Anna, I understand that rejection can feel painful, but it’s a crucial part of being a writer. You need to accept feedback and learn from it to grow. I am not doubting that you could poison somebody’s coffee, I am questioning your protagonist’s ambition. No sane person would go to such drastic lengths just to prove a point. Have a nice day.”

    Weeks went by in which Anna didn’t take care of basic hygiene and barely ate, almost mirroring a catatonic state. Her lungs were still filling with air, her digestive system still processing the small bits of food she ate, and her heart although broken remained beating. And while her body worked so hard on keeping her alive, all efforts were futile as her spirit had already left. However, her body didn’t stay empty for long, hate quickly found its way inside. The Hate didn’t come alone though, with it came a newly found sense of motivation. Anna was now determined to prove them wrong, determined to show Mr. Green how wrong he was. Throughout the next months, she came up with elaborate plans, while carefully monitoring the career page of Mr. Green’s company. After almost a year of waiting, her plan finally came into action. The company offered an internship, which fit her English degree to a tee.

    She didn’t see him for the first half of her internship until one glorious day, Anna was asked if she could bring him some coffee. Now the moment she had been waiting for so eagerly, had finally arrived. Anna finally had the opportunity to talk to him and prove him wrong once and for all. The mug was shaking in her hand as she walked up to his door. For the last year, he had been on her mind for every waking hour and now the moment was finally there. The intern already had her fingers on the door handle when he called for her, “Anna wait, I just saw that you got the position as an intern, and I want to say that I think it’s truly remarkable that you took this Internship as an opportunity to grow despite my rejection of your manuscript.”
    “I feel honored by the fact that you remember, is there any chance that you still remember the feedback you gave?” she questioned calmly.
    Mr. Green felt slightly confused, he however still gave his best to remember her submission and the feedback he gave. He took a sip of coffee and wondered if she’d used almond instead of oat milk, all he knew was that something tasted off. “I remember that your story was very interesting and well written, yet it lacked the key element of a good story, your protagonist didn’t have enough of a reason.” Shortly after his head began hurting in a strange way.
    She chuckled darkly as he choked on his coffee, “You know when you said that no sane person would poison somebody just to prove a point you forgot one thing”. Anna looked straight into his dying eyes while continuing, “Like Edgar Allan Poe once said, I am a writer, Therefore, I am not sane.”

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