Alex looked at the monitors. Each of them showed a different realm.
Myrddin stood next to Manny and straightened his tie. “Your mission is to accompany Roy and his Mech riders as they transport minerals and other resources to Middang3ard. These minerals will be used for weapons. It is of the utmost importance that this delivery arrives on time. I am trusting you all with this task.”
The Boundless squad looked at each other. Alex was the one to speak. “You want us to do this?” she asked.
Myrddin smiled. “Yes, I do. I trust you all,” he said as he turned his back to her. “And I believe I have a worthwhile addition for you.”
Myrddin waved his hand, and the monitors disappeared. In their place was a floating platform.
It was Jim, her former partner in Middang3ard VR, waving and smiling like a dork. He was outfitted in the armor of the dragonriders. “Hey, guys,” he exclaimed before turning to Alex and saying, “Long time no see!”
Alex and her team of Boundless get their first mission. A routine escort job. Thing about Middang3ard - nothing is routine. Join them on their adventure in First Mission.
Author Notes Ramy Vance
January 30, 2020
I started writing rather late in life, and in that time and I had failed a lot. Failed businesses, relationships … but failing at failing?
Seriously, what kind of loser am I?
You see, before I started taking my writing seriously, I thought it would be cool to do a blog about failing. I figured that that only way to really learn is to fail. And not just fail – fail fast and often.
I learned a lot about myself in all the things I tried and did not succeed at. More than I care to share. So I started this website/blog called: Who Fails Wins. Check it out here. The video is pretty cool.
The goal was to get 100 stories about failure. If I got it, I’d start the blog.
I got 34. And most of the stories weren’t really fail stories, but rather stories about sort of failing. Things like: I failed my French test, studied real hard, tried again and passed.
Not really a fail story.
But a few people took it seriously, and since this failed endeavour deserves to be shared, I thought I’d share the top three stories. The first one is from me.
I held back the name of the other two, but know that all three stories are real – and from people who felt real pain for something that they carried/will carry with them for their whole lives.
Sorry to be such a downer on this one, but as someone who knows that stories heal, maybe stories about failure will have their strange, healing benefits, too.
My Story – Never Said It Out Loud:
I quit my job to take care of my dying father. It took nine months for the cancer to take him and in all that time, in all those hospital visits, all the hanging out we did watching old movies or chatting, I never once told him that I loved him. I thought about it, but for reasons I don’t quite understand, I just never did. He probably knew, but I still wish had said it out loud. Even if only once.
Fail Story 2 – Never Letting Go:
I am 89 years old and have two children who are almost senior citizens themselves. My failure is never letting go of the pain of the loss of what would have been my second child. He was a still born that I named Michael and he is buried in my Church cemetery. When I go, I have asked my daughter to spread my ashes on the grave of a child that I never heard cry.
Fail Story 3 – Nagging Dreams:
Since I was 12 I’ve wanted to be an artist. I studied art and got my degree. I had to decide if I had the courage to be a full-time artist depending on sales. I opted for the path of least resistance, teaching. I never gave up my art or my dream of being a renowned artist which I never achieved. Failure? I now have an adequate pension for retirement. I had a family life and raised a son. I still do my art and I participate in group and solo shows. BUT my elusive dream still nags me.
Author Notes Michael Anderle
February 1, 2020
Seriously Ramy? Failure? Damn you man…
Thank you for reading our words, but I JUST read Ramy’s author notes - which I usually go along with the theme of my collaborator’s author notes to keep us whole. But then he went and chose to write about failing.
Which was my business life to a degree before I failed to fail.
They say that a person who succeeds is often enough not the best, but the one stubborn asshat who just never understood the concept of quitting. When the dust settled, he or she was the one there picking up their pick and slamming it into the mountain going after the dream.
That is me.
I’m not a storyteller from a young age, crafting stories on notebooks through my teen years and dozens of rejections (hundreds or thousands.) Nope. I quit. I failed.
I ran with my torn heart, ripped to pieces by well considered opinions not willing to see the gems of encouragement on my … well, actually on me.
I tried ONE time to send in a story to my high school literary magazine and was rejected. I enjoyed that so much I stole my manuscript out of the slush pile, hid it in my backpack and never submitting anything again until thirty-two years later.
And that submission was to Amazon.
Ad Aeternitatem, baby!
Diary – Sunday Jan 26th – Saturday Feb 1st
First the fun part… WOOT Goth Drow! It’s a new series I’m happy about and will be coming to you in early
