My Novel Is Alive

I sat at the study table in the second floor room of the house. I've been here since this morning, glued to the computer screen. The initial intention was just to find inspiration for a novel that I always wanted to write

My name is Alan, 17 years old, a young man with a big dream of becoming a successful novelist. I just graduated from high school, and I'm still confused about the university I want to enter and the major I want to take. At this young age, I was looking for my true identity.

Today is one of those days when words seem reluctant to flow from my thoughts to my fingers. Monitor screen is blank like a white canvas waiting for the first touch.

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes for a moment. The thoughts running through my head, the unstructured ideas, the characters I want to bring to life, and the adventures I want to share through the pages of this novel. This is a world that exists only in my imagination, and it is my job to put it into words.

However... I am confused about what steps I should take before starting to write a novel. Hmm... should I ask the Language teacher? No! No! It would be embarrassing if a teacher found out that I wanted to write a novel.

Slowly, my back leaned against the chair I was sitting on while remembering the lesson given by the language teacher on how to make stories.

"Damn it! I hope my imagination can instantly turn into neat writing!" I shouted angrily.

I paused when I heard the sound of footsteps from the ground floor getting closer to the top. Desperately, I turned toward my bedroom door, my heart beating faster. Who will come? Father? Or Mother?

Krieek!

I saw a young woman whose head as well as part of her body was in. It was my Mother, 32 years old, apparently young. I always thought that she only loved my father for his handsomeness and wealth…

"Honey, don't scream. Your sister is sleeping..." my mother said in a soft voice

I nodded my head slowly, remembering that it wasn't even four months since the birth of my little sister.

My mom sighed, "Are you looking for college?"

It seems that my mother thought I was sitting at the table with the computer open searching for college, I was nervous and just nodded my head. I felt a little embarrassed, because my own mother wanted me to immediately go to college.

"Yes…"

"You want Chicken?"

"Did Mother cook the Chicken?"

"Yes, Hurry up we will talk about your future in the dining room."

Then, my mother walked downstairs, and I stood up and walked towards the door.

Zzzzap! Sound suddenly appears from the old VGA type.

Hearing that voice, I turned my head with a confused expression towards my computer. Then, I approached the computer carefully, moved the mouse and watched the moving cursor to check if anything was happening on the monitor. However, nothing appeared.

I squatted down and slowly inspected the computer case. I looked at the fan casing, VGA, RAM, and processor, but nothing looks out of the ordinary. I stood up but...

Zzzzap!

Before I could fully stand up, a jolt suddenly came again from inside my PC case. Losing my balance due to the movement from the crouching to the standing position, I fell hard.

Brukk!

"Aw..."

I rubbed my butt which was bruised from the fall. Then, my eyes fell on the computer casing and I saw a little spark from the VGA. Without hesitation, I quickly broke the casing glass, without realizing that my fingertips were injured and bleeding a little.

I stupidly panicked and tried to unplug the 8 Pin VGA cable, which resulted in me being electrocuted. A scream of pain escaped my mouth, but eventually the cable was released from the VGA, so the sparks disappeared. Even though I still feel the shock effect, I feel relieved.

"UAAAA!"

With a feeling of relief, I took a deep breath.

"Phew… Luckily."

Suddenly, a drop of blood from a hand that was injured by smashing the glass of the computer casing fell right into the Power Supply. Immediately, I pulled my hand out of the casing and wiped off the blood that had come out.

Seeing the messy floor caused by broken casing glass, I just shook my head.

"At least my PC didn't short out," I muttered.

I stood up and left the room, heading to the dining room which is located downstairs.

Arriving at the dining room, I saw my mother was still busy preparing food. He looks very busy.

Not only that, my father was also there. He sat on a chair and fiddled with the edge of his coffee cup. Dad is the kind of man women dream of – above average height, muscular, with a tough face. But now, it looks like he just got scolded by my mother.

I approached and sat down next to Dad whispering, "Well, what's up?"

My father also spoke softly to me, "Your mother, she doesn't allow me to subscribe to the Idol community."

"…"

Tang!

A sudden sound was heard as my mother rubbed a strained spoon against the pot of freshly fried chicken. Mom turned her face, smiling broadly – though it looked more like an angry smile.

"If you really love your idol, you better get out of this house!"

Hearing those words, my father lowered his head guiltily. I, who was sitting beside him, could only express disappointment. My father is a well-built, handsome, and rich man, but... he is an idol fan.

After that, my mother lifted the pot of chicken onto the table and started serving the food to the three of us in silence.

I feel the atmosphere in the dining room so tense. My father remained silent, focused on the coffee cup in front of him, and I too reluctantly looked up from the table. Mother was busy with food preparation, and her expression still reflected the anger from earlier.

I try to find the words to relieve the tension.

"...By the way did you want to talk about my future?"

My mother's gaze lifted from the food she was serving, and she finally looked my way. His expression was still filled with tension, but I felt a bit of tenderness in his eyes.

"Yes, Alan," my mother replied in a slightly gentle voice. "I want to talk about your future plans. You know, after graduating from high school, there are so many choices you can make. We only want what's best for you."

I felt my chest lighten a little at those words. I know that my mom always cares even though sometimes her way is a bit harsh.

My dad finally looked up from his coffee cup.

"You know Alan, the world is big. There are lots of opportunities out there. But of course, you have to be focused and have a good plan."

I nodded slowly, though the atmosphere was still tense.

Mother touched my hand gently, "We will always support you, honey. But, it's good that you also listen to our advice."

Then, the three of us ate in silence, discussing the options available: whether to find a part-time job while in college, or maybe join an organization to stay active.

Needless to say, our chat lasted long enough. The food that previously filled our plates now only left a little gravy from the remaining chicken.

"Thank you for the food, mother,"

"You're welcome,"

I got up from my chair, grabbed a plate, and put it in the sink. It was then that loud crying sounds came from our parents' room.

"Uwahhh! Uwahhh!"

My mother immediately stood up and ran into the room. Of course, I didn't really pay attention to that because crying babies are normal things when they are at home. This is part of the hustle that usually occurs when having a baby in the family.

I also walked towards the stairs, but suddenly Dad called from his seat.

"Alan! Come here for a moment."

I stopped my steps and turned to look at him, then walked closer until I stood by his side and tilted my head.

"What is it?"

He then took his wallet out of his pocket and handed me a hefty sum of money — enough to buy a set of computer components.

"Take this, I know you want something. You've never complained or asked for something since you were little. Just take it."

I was taken aback by his actions, and suspicion ran through my mind. There's no way he's giving me this for no reason, right?

"I won't pay you to join the idol community, I don't want to be angry with Mother."

"Calm down~ Calm~ I'm doing this sincerely. I get a bonus from work!" He gave a thumbs up while smiling cheerfully.

"Bonus? You mean corruption?" I answered with a smile, trying to be a joke.

"Hey!"

"Just kidding, of course. Thank You."

I waved the money I was given while walking back towards the stairs.

As I climbed the stairs one by one, I remembered that I unplugged the VGA cable earlier. Is my computer dead? Or, would that act break it? Shit!

In a hurry, I ran upstairs and towards my room. I saw the monitor screen was still on.

"Phew…"

I slowly walked over to the counter and placed the money held on to it. Then, I checked the monitor to see if anything was wrong after I unplugged the VGA cable. However, everything looks normal.

The first thing I noticed from the monitor screen was… The previously blank Canvas suddenly displayed continuous writing. I feel confused. Is my computer shorted out? What should I do? I'm not even holding the keyboard at all...

I didn't get to read it because I was still confused. Then, I squatted down to look at the computer case. I saw that the VGA cable that I remembered I had closed was connected again.

"Huh? Didn't I remove it already?" I shook my head, looking at the shards of glass scattered on the floor, "Things are getting messy…"

Then, I decided to clean up the area. I got up from my squatting position, my eyes fixed on the monitor. I just realized that the canvas screen keeps showing text non-stop. I hissed, confused at the sight. I'm sure my hands are away from the keyboard, but there are words that keep appearing on the previously blank canvas.

I moved my gaze to the left corner of the screen, seeing how many words had been typed.

[2000 Words]

[2023 Words]

The writing continues as if the novel had made itself

< Chapter 1 > To Be Continued.