You feel the cold cement beneath you. You open your eyes for the first time. You see nothing all around you, stretching for miles upon miles. Despite first coming into existence just moments ago, you already know who and what you are. A skeleton. That's because in the real world you're a typo-filled draft written by an aspiring author. You do not give your readers any sense of enjoyment when read. You simply tell the reader something, and that's it. No emotion. No depth. No theme. You are, quite literally, barebones. But that's about to change. You see, your creator has tried to write a story several times, and each time it failed. This time will be different, however, as he has learned the error of his ways. He will be writing a simple story, one of a young man who is able to communicate with trees and other fauna. These plants are finding it difficult to soak up nutrients due to a drought, so the man helps them learn how to hunt and trap. This leads to the creation of Venus Fly Traps, Pitcher Plants and other carnivorous plants.
The story had branched out in too many directions. First, he was talking about the young man, next, he was talking about two plants having a conversation. He fixed this issue by giving his story a plot, an actual sense of direction.
The young man had the ability to communicate with plants since he was a newborn. Whenever his parents weren't paying attention he talked to the grass and the trees in his backyard. Whenever he was around them he felt safe and secure. Life went on like this for years until he was an adult. When the drought came along, he decided that this was his chance to repay all that the plants have done for him. He began to teach the field of grass outside his home to hunt and trap wildlife.
Now that you have a fairly strong basis, you will now get your vital organs. You feel a lung enter a cavity in your chest, and you begin to panic. What is this foreign object that has entered your body? You begin to hyperventilate.
Hyperventilate.
It was at this moment that you realize that you have just acquired lungs, and you breathe a sigh of relief. Your chest doesn't feel so compressed and trapped anymore.
Afterward, you got your liver, your kidney, your pancreas and so on and so forth. For once, your creator had felt proud of what he had created. You take a look at the once barren world around you and notice that it's filled with grass, trees, and wood picket fences. You're in the boy's backyard! Next, he moved on to the heart of you, otherwise known as what makes you special. There are millions of other stories in the world, so why should readers pick you? Your creator has just the solution. He has one thing that other authors don't: wonder.
The young man stepped into a forest for the first time and was in awe. The place was littered with exotic wildlife, foreboding trees, glistening ponds, and the sound of birds sing a sweet melody. This experience motivated him to not only teach a field of grass how to hunt but any and all plants he came into contact with to hunt.
You feel something beating in your chest, but you can't identify what it is. Whatever it is, you feel it rushing blood throughout your body and thumping to the beat of the birds chirping in the forest that now surrounds you.
The next step of the story is to add a touch of realism, also known as your brain. A side effect of adding wonder to you is that your characters can be quite unrealistic sometimes. Although your creator obviously does not want to eliminate wonder from you, he does want to tone it down quite a bit.
Sometimes the young man questions his own sanity.
"How could I talk to plants?! What outlandish thoughts, I must be dreaming," he would lie to himself
The truth of the matter is that he was afraid of the enormous task of teaching plants to hunt. If he failed, the plants wouldn't have just died, they would've died with shame, as he would've given them false hope. He found the courage to move on as he couldn't just let his closest friends die. They're all that he had.
Out of nowhere, you feel your skull swell, and you have a massive headache. You can't identify the source of this strange sensation until you notice brain matter dripping on the ground.
With a brain, you can see the beauty and complexity of your world. At first, you notice a deer strolling by, then it was a badger leaving its den, then the termites and worms digging through the soil beneath your feet. What was once empty and hollow is now brimming with life.
Afterward, your creator reflects on what he wants you to make your readers feel, what emotions are you trying to convey? Luckily, we can skip this step, as he already answered this question when he gave you your heart. You feel tendrils climb up your body as if worms exploring their terrain. Soon these tendrils meet together, forming your central nervous system.
After countless years of training, the first Venus FlyTraps began to emerge. What were once frail, and innocent prey were now apex predators, and it was all thanks to one man.
Finally, we reach the final two steps before you are completed. Your creator has decided to spruce you up a bit, get rid of your last imperfections and typos. To do this, he has enlisted the help of several editors to poke and prod your body until their surgery is over. You feel skin grow all around you, as you jump with glee, eagerly awaiting the final step for your completion.
Release.
Your creator has built up enough courage to show you off your beauty to the world. A giant hole appears above you. You feel wings sprout upon your back, as now that you are complete, you can finally soar above and beyond. You say your final goodbyes to the only home you ever had and leave this world.
Epilogue
You find yourself in a strange place, one of smog and steel. You see metal monsters running atop cement pathways. You see others like you, but with their wings removed. You to converse with one of them, but they ignore you. You try to converse with the local wildlife, but they ignore you. You frantically begin searching for plant life. You travel for miles upon miles until you find a freshly planted oak sapling. You attempt to converse with one of them.
"Hello!" I am a very special story. I am the vessel for the world-renowned "savior of plants," you most certainly have heard of him."
Silence.
"I see that your companions will not speak to me, but do not follow in their footsteps. You are better than them, for you are a plant!"
Silence.
"Please talk to me! I was created to spread the word of your savior, I practically am him!"
Silence.
Perhaps the world isn't as wondrous as your creator made it out to be.