My name is Kyle. Obviously, it's in the title.

"Lame," I said. I deleted the line and folded myself into the back of the booth's chair. I stared at the blank computer screen and it stared back.

The neon purple "Joe's Diner" sign buzzed above my head. It flickered for a moment before going black. The other diner patrons paused to stare at the dark sign. We heard a soft rumble and the diner's main lights began to flicker. The patrons mumbled concern and fear. Finally, the flickering stopped and the neon sign lit back up.

I sighed and rested my head in my hands. How was I ever going to start this story? It's been brewing in the back of my mind for years. It wasn't writer's block that stopped me. It was fear. This story was a little bit closer to home than the others. More real. A confession of sorts...me getting things off my chest. I wanted to give it the gravitas it deserved. I wanted it to be my masterpiece.

But, recent events have...changed my mind. Also, every work should be your masterpiece, at that moment. You should be continually doing your best, learning how to improve, so that each work is better than the last. Finally, you have no real control over what is chosen as a "masterpiece." Everyone understands the trope of Superman changing in a telephone booth, but he only did that once in a cartoon long ago—for some reason it stuck. And Darth Vader's "Luke, I am your father" line is misquoted. You have little to no control over what the fans latch on to. You might be able to guide them by making a cute and cuddly Pikachu, but it is still in the hands of the fans to accept it.

I also held back on the story because I wanted it to be released at a special time. The thing with that is those "special moments" come after. Most times, you don't know the moment was special until days or months later. It only works if you make one in advanced like "when I get X amount of followers."

One day I bought a King Size of my favorite candy bar and was saving it for a special day. When it finally came, the candy bar was melted and nearly rotten. If you wait too long, the special treat might be gone.

Finally, I was afraid if I shared this story, it would upset people. I tried something similar long ago and it...was rough. One teacher even thought it was some kind of suicide note. Let's be clear, it's not.

I rubbed my temples and groaned. Maybe I should just stick with the tale of the pizza delivery boy who stumbles upon a time machine. He then accidently kills his grandfather before his father is born. When he returns to the present, he discovers he has been born a squirrel—since you can't destroy a soul, he was born as the next closest thing. It's funny and lighthearted, filled with crazy adventures.

This...*deep breath* is probably not going to be a cute and cheery.

I minimized the word processor and brought up the The Secret Life of TS Elwood folder. I had a cover ready as well as the first two chapters done. I slid my hand through my reddish-blond hair. Maybe I should stick with the pizza boy story.

I switched over to the covers for this tale. They all looked like some kind of farewell or other depressing moment. They kind of reminded me of those Toy Story 4 posters? Have you seen them? They all look sad, and rumor has it that the voice actors cried at the end, or had a hard time not crying.

I didn't want people thinking this was the last story—though it was sort of meant to be. But, life happens and plans change. This could be the last story simply because I am too busy to write anymore. You never know. I've done a lot of things in my life that I never thought I would have done.

I switched back to the word processor and took a deep, calming breath.

Here we go.

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