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(((—Seventeen year old Jasper Culpepper sashays wearily about the upstairs hallway of the home he grew up in. Plain features and an average physique outline his being as nothing much to look at. Alarm-stricken and sleepy-headed, Jasper heedlessly performs his weekday morning routine. A simple shower, a vigorous teeth brushing and a reckless deodorant application later and Jasper finds himself standing half naked before his black-painted, silver-handled dresser. From the top-right-most drawer Jasper rescues a soft and inviting pair of snow white crew socks. From the bottom, he pulls a dark blue pair of worn-in Levi's, and from the left-center drawer, a plaid, blue and white, short-sleeved button shirt. Jumping inside the socks and jeans had proven negligible in comparison to adorning the evil threads of the six-buttoned shirt that Jasper had fallen particularly out of favor with ever since the day its top-most-button learned how to speak.—))) 2
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Top-most button: "Why do you even bother?" 4
Jasper: "Bother doing what?" 5
Top-most button: "Waking up every morning of course. Nobody really cares whether you do or don't you know. Think about it, if you were to have not woken up this morning the world would still have gone on just fine without you." 6
Jasper: "I'm not here to change the world for other people." 7
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Top-most button: "Silly boy, don't you get it? You don't matter. You're like a sprinkle on a birthday cake, just a mere hungry finger away from not even being a part of the whole picture at all. You do what you do because it's what the cake-decorator tells you to do. And the only reason she pretends to care about you is to keep you from starting a sprinkle rebellion. You're a pawn little boy. You don't even have a say in defining what role you play in the game. You're worthless."9
Jasper: "It may be true that I don't matter to the world in the bigger picture, but that... doesn't matter... to me. I never asked to participate and I refuse to play by the rules of an unmistakably unfair game. I may just be a solitary sprinkle amidst a sea of matching colors and smiling faces, but that's not who I am inside. Nobody else has the right to tell me that I'm worthless because value is based on the perception of the eye of the beholder. Being important isn't decided upon how loudly one speaks, or how many certificates they have on their wall, or how many credit cards they have in their wallet, it's an undefinable state of being that requires faith in the unimaginable, faith in the ability of humanity to improve, and last but not least, faith in one's self. Silly button, you're just jealous. Jealous that even a tiny sprinkle like me can still find it in himself to sport a smile. I have the power to portray just a tiny glimpse of the person inside me who is grateful to be alive, and you don't. You don't because you're too busy being wrapped up in what everybody else thinks to remember that you're entitled to an opinion also. Your freedom of speech will never amount to anything if you don't first exercise your freedom of thought. But I don't blame you for not seeing things the way I've come to realize little button, you are after all just a button. And nobody has ever written a story about a button as the main character before. And I think I know why."10
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(((—With nothing more to say, Jasper shoved his arms forcefully through the sleeves of the shirt and buttoned up the five bottom buttons with triumph. He eyed the top-most button in the mirror and said to himself, "Who needs you?". Then he pinched it between his thumb and index finger, yanked it with a swift jerk of the wrist, and finally broke it off. Jasper inspected both sides of the small but scrappy little tyke and flicked it over his shoulder, never to be heard from again. The button bounced on the floor, rolled under Jasper's bed and fell to the ground against the wall in a collection of year upon year of gathered dust and lint. It coughed an echoed cough and sat there in its lonely pit of defeat to soak up its first few moments of an eternal circle of Hell that had just begun to unravel. Jasper skipped lightheartedly down the stairs and held his chin way up in the air. His smile shined like the radiance from Earth's very first sunrise and for the first time in Jasper's life, he felt deservedly free.—)))12
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Author notes
[ Playtime Story: challenge entry for Week 5, Mission 1 of APTP ]
What did you think? Please comment!
Comments
1 - 13 of 13
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Amazing talent penned these words....I bow to you. I loved it!
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That fucking button!!!
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very good
Wonderfully done. It is a rare person who can stand up to the constant critisism most recieve in the world today. Your character showed real strength in not only believing in himself but disposing of the irritating self-doubt.
Really well done.
John -
Well I just wrote it a few days ago so really, all it is is what you see when you look at this page. I was just supposed to describe a scene with two or more characters using setting description and dialogue and this is what came to mind.
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Whimsical
This is a delightful read. As with all good art it makes one think.
Yet, I must wonder.....is this a play or a story? -
it reminds me of the first book i have actually read... The Giver... i really like this excellent job greg...!!!!
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Greg,
What the hell are you on? Ahahahaha... is it wrong to say that I am quite frieghtened of you after reading this piece? I always knew you had one or two screws loose, but now I insist that you have the capacity to kill.
This was, so... very highly weird. I loved it in a "I want whatever he's on" kind of way. I mean, how in the world did you ever come up with this? In a million years, I never would have predicted an entry like this. I have to say... I will likely be reading this over many more times just so I can better understand it all, and have a few more chuckles.
The whole time I just pictured you in a very "Pleasantville" state, with plastered smile and all. When you mentioned the character skipping, I couldn't help but spew and envision you merrily prancing the halls of your apartment.
This really was a new one. Great job, Greg... I think all of us will be coming back to this one before the week's end.
- Justin -
incredible
holy shit Greg. Your mind is a wonder indeed. This is positively brilliant. I love the deceptively simple surface story that has a genuine and important message underneath. You're an amazing writer. Loves.
Nobody else has the right to tell me that I'm worthless because value is based on the perception of the eye of the beholder. Being important isn't decided upon how loudly one speaks, or how many certificates they have on their wall, or how many credit cards they have in their wallet, it's an undefinable state of being that requires faith in the unimaginable, faith in the ability of humanity to improve, and last but not least, faith in one's self. -
wow. intersting way of saying that everyone, no matter how "unimportant" they maybe to others, has to be happy with themselves in order to be truly happy. i'm sure that many of us have a "top botton" in our lives, now we just need to find a way to cut the threads that bind them to us! poems like this just go to show that anyone can over come anything, if they only believe in themselves. keep giving those of us looking for this kind of insporation what we are looking for. later Honeybe
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Amazing
lol Aww Wow.. Amazing job The first story of the week and you're definately setting the bar way high . It's obvious you have alot of imagination.. And I'm alittle taken back that someone could actually write about the button of a shirt and pull it off so cleverly as you have This was simply amazing. Even though it is indeed funny, It still has a strong message behind the conversation, And I also really liked that.. Oh, And I have to agree with what Tom said.. You have made your way back to the top positions And it's obvious you deserve it, Great job.
Frances Lynn
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Fuckin button kills me
I love this shit man, I had to comment again, That button kills me. Everytime I read, "why do you even bother" i start cracking up, I look down at my very own top button and laugh, although this is brilliant as I said earlier, it is hilarious to me too, I'll no doubt laugh about this somewhere i'm not supposed to when i glance down and look upon my top button, bye again, Crackertl82 -
highly significant
Tom has touched some good points here...first..this is very believable..this would work well as a read to children, to show them of worth and their place in the big picture called life...about half way through I saw where you were going and I grinned (big wide grin) It amazes me that you Cracker and 7ragical have mission entries already...is not inspired as of yet...but enough of that...this piece is a common sense read...and still has a loud message of meaning and significance. {enters Muddy's comment} dis' bees mo' betta dan hot sauce....afta eaten dis' you shorely knows you had somfin fo' true
Peace Muddy -
Excellent
This will get you a perfect score, you are fucking brilliant. Who could ever think of such a thing, you have definitely come back to the head of the pack with this one. That was one of the most interesting, meaningful conversations i've ever heard, and you had it with a damn button. It was funny, I kept hearing Mr. Hanky the christmas poo's voice when reading the buttons comments. And then the fact that you metaphorically touched on the fact that we don't even need the top button, this was truly amazing, and reminiscent of the brilliance from your story a couple weeks back, congrats, You have set the bar high my friend, I better shit a golden turd and win the lottery or I'm a loser in comparison to you today, lata tata, Crackertl82
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