The Discovery
Generally suitable for mature audiences: Strong pervasive language, graphic violence, drug/alcohol use, suggestive dialogue, sexual content
It was the year 2000, everybody was celebrating, especially since they found out the world wasn’t going to end after the New Year. In celebration, everybody had their New Year resolutions; they were going to lose weight, maybe they’ll try to make more money, or whatever the case may be, what we all know for sure is that almost nobody truly keeps their resolutions for the rest of the year. However, one young man in particular, Thomas, was determined to keep his New Year resolution for the entire year of the new millennium. He has always aspired to become a musician, and this was the year that he would make his dreams a reality.
Thomas was a bit of a curious and adventurous person. He would explore new places, meet new people often, and would even find random items in various places.
One day, as he was wandering the streets of the Bronx. Although it was the new millennium, crime was still spreading like a wildfire, so he’s always kept it guard. However, Thomas was very used to this level of crime. Hell, he’s seen a man get beaten up right in front of him, and you know he ran when he saw that. Anyways, as he was walking down the street, a certain sound started to cloud his ears. It sounded like clicking, and it only grew louder and more noticeable as he walked, and due to his curiosity, he followed the sound. The clicking sound drowned out all the other sounds of the street, even the traffic. *click*, *click*, *click*, the sound grew. And once the sound got as loud as it got, he found out where the sound was coming from– an alleyway.
As Thomas looked into the alleyway, he thought “What in the world? Am I going crazy?” Despite his better judgment, he followed the noise into the alley. *click*, *click*, the noise went. Getting louder and louder, and once he found out what made the noise, he was dumbfounded.
“A stapler?” He said. “What is a stapler doing here?”
He walked over to the stapler, and once he picked it up, the noise suddenly stopped. As his curiosity about the stapler grew and grew, he decided to take it back home with him.
“Well, looks like you’re coming with me then!” he said before putting the stapler in his backpack and walking away from the alleyway.“I wonder what’s so special about this stapler that it had to break my eardrums?” He said curiously and sarcastically. Just as he said that the stapler clicked very loudly *CLICK*.
“Okay okay! Begging for attention much? Geez.” Thomas said. “You’re just like my roommate, he would practically beg for attention and he did so much just to get it.”
The stapler clicks curiously, wondering who Thomas’s roommate was.
“Yeah, the type of shit this guy does for attention is just out of my mind,” Thomas explained, being reminded of the memories of his old roommate, “Quite dangerous, if you ask me. He is a total attention seeker. Maybe I’d go as far to say he’s an attention whore, *whispering* but don’t tell him I said that, okay?”
The stapler clicked again in interest, and kept Thomas’s promise.
“Anyways, just sit tight, and I’ll get you through these rusty streets.” Thomas said, and then the stapler started clicking repeatedly in his backpack in what seemed to be a happy tone.
“What even are you anyways?” Thomas asked “Are you sentient?”
The stapler replied with just a few clicks.
“Yeah, I’m not even gonna attempt to understand that,” he said, “But I will take that as a yes.”
As they walked through the rusty streets of The Bronx, they finally made it back to Thomas’s apartment. It was relatively small, and had bits and pieces of clutter around his house. He took out the stapler, and put it on the desk in his bedroom.
“Okay, now that you’re here, what do you do, you pretty little thing?” Thomas asked in interest.
The stapler replied with a few clicks on the desk.
Thomas says, “Okay, maybe don’t click, talk- err, whatever it is that you do while I’m trying to figure out what you even are in the first place- DON’T be a smartass and answer that, I know you’re a stapler. You know what I mean when I said that.”
The stapler hops around the desk, taking in its new environment. The desk is filled with pieces of paper with lots of sheet music, lots of loose pens and pencils, a lamp, and a picture of another person; A young man about Thomas’s age, wearing a gray t-shirt and blue jeans. The stapler faces towards the picture and stares at it for a few seconds before clicking curiously.
“Oh, him? That’s my roommate,” Thomas said “Yes, that same attention seeker one I told you about. His name is Derek, and he’s probably out right now doing… whatever reckless shit it is he does when I’m not around. Anyways, just hold still for a second, while I try to figure out what you even are.”
With an attempt to figure out the stapler, they both stare at each other for a good 15 seconds.
“Yeah, I’m not even gonna attempt to figure this out,” Thomas said, giving up. “But I’m still curious, why are you alive?”
The stapler replies to Thomas clicking four times.
“I still don’t understand,” Thomas said, but suddenly he gets an idea, “Let’s try this; whenever I ask you a yes or no question, click once for yes, and twice for no, got it?”
The stapler responds, clicking once.
“Good stapler!” Thomas said in a victorious manner. The stapler felt happy after hearing it being praised like that. It hopped around the desk and started clicking repeatedly, until it saw the piano in the corner of the room, and clicked curiously at it.
“What is it?” Thomas asked. The stapler kept clicking at the piano until Thomas said “Oh, that? I’m a bit of a musician myself, or at least that’s my dream; to become a popular one.”
The stapler replies with a curious click, interested in Thomas’s aspiration.
“There’s been lots of ups and downs with my music career. Mostly downs, but at least that’s a bit of progress. I can play a song if you’d like.” Thomas said. The stapler excitedly clicks once. “Alright, I’m a bit rusty,” he said “but here’s a good one I got used to.” Thomas sits on his piano chair, and prepares himself to play a tune, but before that happens, the stapler starts to click rhythmically.
Thomas chuckles and jokingly says, “What, are you a metronome now?”
The stapler continues to click rhythmically, and Thomas starts to become invested in the stapler’s rhythmic clicking.
“Wait… are you actually mimicking a metronome?”
The stapler still clicks rhythmically, waiting for Thomas to play his tune. As intrigued as Thomas is with the stapler, he focuses on his piano, and plays his tune. It sounded soft and reassuring, and as the stapler clicked like a metronome, Thomas’s timing was immaculate, as his hands explored his keyboard playing note after note, he began to think “Holy shit, this stapler’s timing is perfect and the clicking sounds oddly beautiful!” He continued to play until he missed a note.
He chuckles, “Ah, fuck,” he exclaims softly, and the stapler stops clicking. “Well, there you have it. I’m still writing it though, it’s not completely finished.”
Thomas contemplates for a second, seeing as the stapler was a good metronome, he wonders what else it is good at, “Hey, do you want to be part of my music career?” He asks, “I could use the help. I mean, when you mimicked a metronome like that, the clicking sounds were just so… clear, and the timing was so… precise! I don’t know if you’re experienced in any type of music other than that, but if you’re willing, you can tag along on my musical adventures if you’d like.”
The stapler replies, clicking once, meaning yes!
Thomas laughs excitedly in victory “Haha, yes, awesome!” he said excitedly. “Hey, who knows? Maybe you can even help me write music… somehow.”
The stapler clicks at Thomas excitedly a few times, fantasizing about its colorful journey through his wonderful music career.
“Hey, do you have a name?” Thomas said. The stapler went silent. “I mean, we’ve gotta call you something if you’re alive.” Still, no response from the stapler. “How about… Cooper?”
The stapler clicks twice.“No? How about Don?” Thomas asks
Again, the stapler clicks twice.
“Still no? Well… how about…”
Thomas stops for a bit as he looks at a newspaper lying on his couch. On the front page it says “Frank Zamir wins the lottery of $25,000,000.” The name sparks something in Thomas, as he found the name “Zamir” to sound very sharp.
“Zamir.” He says, “How about that?”
The stapler clicks once, agreeing with the name.
“You like that name?” Thomas asks,
The stapler begins to click excitedly, loving the name “Zamir”. To the stapler, it sounded like something very unique and awesome. It was very happy and comfortable with being called “Zamir” for the rest of its days.
“Well then, welcome home, Zamir!” When Thomas said that, it made the stapler feel like it belonged. And since it was being owned by a human who named it, it was glad to consider Thomas as “Family”.
(Special thanks to all who were with me when I wrote this chapter, and to my friend Colon, who literally wrote just two sentences. Thanks, bud 😉 - Kyle)
