I love making up stories, hence why I write fiction. I feel my first duty is to entertain, but I do respect a certain amount of realism in storytelling. When the pandemic really took hold last March, I wrestled with whether or not I should tell a fictional story about the effects of the Corona Virus. It really started to gnaw at me, but like every other story I’ve written, I have to be inspired. I can’t force myself to write about something just because I think I should and it’s important to me not to exploit a situation that has impacted so many lives.
I put it out of my mind and focused on my other stories, revising, editing and thankfully publishing them, especially my new short story anthology that I set in Chicago’s Union Station. Two are published so far and I have released the third: Mask.
Looking at all the controversy regarding masks inspired me to tell a story about it and set it in Union Station. It felt perfect to me. At first I was confused, telling myself to come up with some dramatic situation regarding Masks, but as I pondered it more I felt a ‘less is more’ approached would be better. After all, this is a social issue and I wanted to display that. Passengers traveling through Union Station during the pandemic, all wearing masks, except for one rebel named Aria. She wants no part of a mask. How would her refusal to conform impact the passengers around her? Darcy, an elderly woman who’s raising her 17 year old grandson Donnie. Darcy is fearful of her mortality as she’s aging. She’s worried about dying, leaving Donnie alone before he’s old enough to take care of himself. Other passengers include Janel and Monte, a young interracial couple traveling to tell Monte’s family about their engagement. Janel’s sensitivities of dealing with the unfortunate day to day prejudice that black and white couple’s face is only heightened by the pandemic and a racially volatile, Black Lives Matter climate.
I was able to introduce another character I plan to work into the series, Derek, an attractive, muscle bound security guard that overseas the station. I haven’t wrote about this yet, but he has aspirations to join the CPD. He’s conscientious and serious about his job at Union Station. In Mask he’s reluctant to confront the mask-less passenger Aria. It doesn’t help that he finds her beautiful. Doris, the Union Station custodian is back, but briefly. More on Doris in future stories. She’s a keeper!
Overall I’m proud of Mask. It turned out just how I envisioned it, and I don’t take that for granted. I hope you enjoy it.
Mask: A Union Station Short Story.