Ignoring the Call
[Author's Note: This was a writing exercise from Jeff VanderMeer's Wonderbook . However, while the instructions were to write a story without using Freytag's Pyramid, I accidentally wrote it to counter Campbell's Hero's Journey, specifically the part where the hero answers the call to adventure.] Marvin awoke from his nightmare, skin cold and clammy, sheets drenched in sweat. Though the image was fading in his mind as objectivity and reality replaced the ephemeral dreamscape, the image of something lingered in his mind’s eye. He took a few breaths before stepping out of bed. Bare feet against a cold wooden floor, he left his room and ventured toward his kitchen. In the dim flickering light of fluorescent bulbs coming back to life after a long sleep, he poured himself a glass of water, drinking the entire thing in one gulp. The mental image lingered, but the more he probed at it, the more it squirmed away. He had a feeling of something massive, something cosmic,