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Previous Challenge Entry (Level 2 – Intermediate)
Topic: THE UGLY TOURIST (07/09/15)
I'm an avid traveler.

Everyone knows that the key to having a good trip is planning. Planning generally begins with deciding where you're going. Except for me. I never have to decide because my destination is always the same. Death.

Now don't get me wrong. While I have the same destination in mind, it actually takes some planning. Where will I stay? For how long? How much do I spend? How much turmoil do I cause? When do I leave?

Let me share one of my trips with you:

My planning began in the fall of 1999. Looking for a place to stay took a few months, but by December I had a reservation with a nice lady in her late 60s.

I sneaked up on my soon-to-be host. Disrupting her sleep a little here and there. Interrupting her sometimes during meals, sometimes after. Causing her pain in her upper back. Eventually making her turn yellow.

In March of 2000, I arrived in full force - although not saying how long I would stay. My reservation could have been for a few weeks or a few months, but probably not longer than a year. Doctors advised my host to make sure things were in order because I can be aggressive and never hang around too long.

For a few months the terms of my stay weren't quite clear. I dug in my heels and in early May I finally showed my hand. Disorder. Pain. Eventual death.

The great thing about these trips is that they don't cost me anything. My host always pays the price. Time. Procedures. Treatments. Money. Life.

My host wasn't without support. Her children rallied. Other family stepped up. Friends pitched in. Prayers were offered.

The surgeon went in and had to close her up. The treatments started, but they were doing no good so they were stopped. Then hospice was called.

The lady questioned what could have been different. She even wondered if she had done something. Those are philosophical questions and bring up deep feelings. I don't deal in philosophy or feelings. I look for places to settle in and destroy.

The nice lady left in October of 2000. So did I.

People say a visitor shouldn't treat people that way. That I'm not supposed to wreak that sort of havoc. Especially when it's not my place. I don't really care: It's just what I do.

And soon enough I'll need to make another trip.
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This article has been read 440 times
Member Comments
Member
Date
Pat Small
07/17/15
It took me awhile to get the gist of your story. Maybe I'm just slowl maybe you could have made it clearer. I see the traveler as death, but if that's true than the destination would also be death? Great lesson but needs some clarification.
Tracy Nunes 
07/17/15
Cancer is the ultimate ugly tourist. This is ingenious! Sad and scary, but still, ingenious. Out of the box in a very good way.
Pat Small
07/17/15
Tracy cleared it up for me. Very creative.
C D Swanson 
07/17/15
Whoa! Powerful! Intense! Ingenious! Brilliant!

I think this is beyond creative. Wow!

I pray this goes over well with whomever judges this week!

Fabulous and will remember this for a long time.

God bless~
Shann Hall-LochmannVanBennekom 
07/23/15
Wow this is a brilliant idea. I think it's fresh and powerful. The only real complaint is I'd have loved to see even more, perhaps some actual dialog and thoughts, some scheming and body language. You have so much potential in this piece. It's powerful and something we can't avoid, but with Christ by our side, death turns from a ugly trip to the magnificent rest stop. I do think your original idea was on topic. I think this ranks up as one of my favorites thus far this week. Kudos on a good story.