What happens to a person when the dividing line between the realm of the supernatural and the realm of madness vanishes? Is the voice you hear your own, or are the words from the lips of an unseen entity? Are the accidents that cause harm to yourself truly accidental or something more?
Michael Jennings is a man with little virtue and few friends. Most people find him rude, acerbic, and malicious. In a few days, he will come to ask the questions posed and find that the answers are more horrible than he could imagine...
What happens to a person when the dividing line between the realm of the supernatural and the realm of madness vanishes? Is the voice you hear your own, or are the words from the lips of an unseen entity? Are the accidents that cause harm to yourself truly accidental or something more?
Michael Jennings is a man with little virtue and few friends. Most people find him rude, acerbic, and malicious. In a few days, he will come to ask the questions posed and find that the answers are more horrible than he could imagine...
Monday, July 11, 2022
Michael Jennings cursed all cab drivers who ignored his frantic signaling for a ride. When a cab finally moved toward the sidewalk and passed him to stop and pick up another fare further down the block, he expanded his curse to include the driversā ancestors and descendants. As another cab sped past, ignoring his waving, he grunted in defeat. Trying to catch a taxi during Manhattanās rush hour was nearly impossible. Add in the forecast for rain, and rush hour became a losing proposition. For a moment, he regretted leaving the air-conditioned, mid-town accounting office where he worked as an executive accountant for four years. Still, heād had enough aggravation for one day.
He removed his tie, jammed it into his jacket pocket, and joined the crowds of the homeward-bound walking to the subway. Overhead, surly gray clouds made noisy threats of rain. He glanced at the sky and shook his head. He disliked New York City summerās oppressive humidity, temperatures, and thunderstorms. The combination always made him feel older than his forty-one years.
āMichael.ā
Surprised at the call of his name, he looked over his shoulder but kept walking when he didnāt recognize anyone.
āMichael Jennings.ā
Hearing his full name brought him to a halt, a decision that earned him dirty looks as the crowd maneuvered around him. Stepping out of the flow of pedestrians with muttered false apologies, he stood with his back to a store window while searching for a familiar face. Thinking heād been wrong, he dismissed the incident with a shrug after a minute or two. Lighting a cigarette, he turned to peruse the casual attire displayed in the store window, and his reflected image caught his eye. He blew smoke with an unhappy head shake.
Wow! I look like a man twice my age. Iām losing my hair and adding a waist at the same time. What happened to me?
Ten years ago, Elaine had accepted his marriage proposal by telling him sheād fallen in love with his buoyant spirit. Five years later, when their divorce was finalized, she told him his cheerful spirit was as flabby as his body. It didnāt bother him, as heād fallen out of love long before the divorce. When he realized he was no longer in love and tired of her nagging, he started siphoning money from their stock accounts and sending the funds to a numbered bank account with a lesser-known Swiss bank. The amounts were substantial but quickly explained as market losses. She never questioned the explanation; she blamed him for making poor choices.
Stupid bitch! Thank god we never had any children. Not that I wanted any with her or anyone else.
The only good result of the marriage was a comfortable job in his father-in-lawās property management company. Being the director of the accounting department was easy work. He stamped approvals on funds for capital projects such as replacing a buildingās faƧade or other issues such as plumbing or electrical work. Immediately after the divorce, Michael was notified that the company was consolidating management positions, and his services were no longer required. He was offered a retirement package with the provision that he would not use the company as a referral for another job. He refused the offer, suggesting the proposal could be better. The bartering went back and forth for a week or so until an agreement was reached. The package offered an immediate payment of $175,000, stock options, and one year of paid health insurance.
Michael readily signed the agreement. Then, on the day of his departure, he deleted over two dozen computer documents his replacement would need in the following days. Messages from his father-in-lawās phone regarding missing documents continued for weeks afterward. The final one threatened to cancel the retirement agreement. Michael responded to the threat with one of his own. If there were any changes or challenges to the retirement package, he would file suit, citing that his dismissal from employment resulted from divorce and not job consolidation. The phone calls stopped soon after his message. He enjoyed the thought of his father-in-lawās discomfort.
āMichael, over here.ā
This time, he caught the direction of the call and saw someone waving from across the street in the shadow of a sidewalk shed plastered with advertisements. He squinted as he tried to focus on the face but couldnāt make it out. Crossing the street while dodging traffic, he wondered how heād heard the voice so clearly above the concert of street noise.
āDamn it!ā he cursed as he stepped beneath the construction of wood and metal legs to find no one waiting for him. āI know I saw someone,ā he muttered angrily.
Thunderous war drums boomed above, and daggers of rain fell in torrents. A spear of lightning struck the corner of the building, and broken bricks rushed toward the pavement below. People looked up, shouted warnings, and ran for cover. Traffic stalled, and horns blared.
Unable to see the cause of the erupting chaos but infected by the ensuing panic, Michael turned away from the shed to run across the street. A body collided with him, and the impact knocked him backward to the ground. Groaning, he looked up at the shed's roof just as the bricks hit it. He screamed as the wooden barrier began to splinter and collapse.
A Piece of Mind
By Jay Rosmarin-Meyer
Complete ARC Copy Review
Michael Jennings is not having a good day. Or week for that matter. He is positive someone is trying to kill him. But is it just a crazed stalker, or something worse?
This novella was a nice little surprise. The story reads a lot like an episode of The Twilight Zone or The Outer Limits which I did not expect and was a welcome surprise. In fact I kept thinking that I'd seen or read something very similar before. You could also throw in similarities to the Final Destination movie series to a certain extent.
Usually I am not a fan of an unlikable protagonist in novels, but in this case, and I think the short length of the story helped a lot. Making the protagonist unlikable gave an almost slapstick or comedic element to the events. I remember at one point thinking that the story reminded of what it would be like if Ebeneezer Scrooge was alive today and instead of having ghosts help, he was tormented.
Obviously due to the length of the story the amount of characters in the story is limited but the ones that appear are well thought out and believable. The book flowed well, keeping the story moving at a great pace and overall I found that this was a satisfying read. I liked it enough that it could be a little longer and still hold its charm.
Would I recommend this story to friends and family? Yes, it was a fun way to pass the time. If you have a commute where you aren't in control of a vehicle, or perhaps a doctor's appointment, this would make a great way to pass the time while you wait.
3 out of 5 stars.