Book Chapters

Symbols and Illuminations on a Writer’s Journey- Chapter 5

The Mysterious Stranger

Introduction: It was dark in the woods, the hyenas had surrounded the pit in the wood in which I had fallen. There were stars in the sky that night, as the moon shone down over the pack of hungry hyenas. I was injured and was unable to crawl out of the hole in the ground. I picked up a branch and tried to chase the beasts away.

It was then that I saw the flame of a torch coming in the distance. I started shouting in desperation, “Help me! Help me! Help me!”

A shadowy figure comes into view carrying a lit torch. He chased the animals’ way, by throwing fiery balls of fire at them. It was as if my magic that the wild hyenas dispersed.

The mysterious stranger was Vandon Roven, a naturalist who was searching for a rare flower in the woods. The Hylioe Beranta plant was rumored to have magical properties.

We had a barbecue around the campfire on the animals I had hunted that day.

The next morning, when I awoke Vandon Roven had disappeared about as mysteriously as he had appeared to save me.

I later found out that the “balls of fire” thrown by Vandon were really clumps of grass, that he lit with the torch and threw at the hyenas to scare them off.

Symbol: The Mysterious Stranger

Random Thoughts: Strangers are always found to be mysterious. It is only after we get to know a stranger, that they are known to us and cease to be treated like a “stranger”.

Signpost: The mysterious stranger is a sign that there is a search underway in the story to find something of value or to act as a guide.

Sexy Thoughts: “Never speak to strangers”, is what we grow up hearing. Yet, there are so many people who enjoy speed-dating strangers.

Crime Scene: The stranger walked away from the crime scene. No one knew the woman or had seen the person before. She was a stranger at the crime scene, but she was a well-known personality at the city’s Museum. A criminal is a stranger, till he or she is recognized by someone after the crime has been committed.

Humor Mind: Everyone at the wedding reception had a hearty laugh at the stranger who tripped and fell into the wedding cake. It was only after the bride appeared and was shocked at what had happened and screamed at her father, did the people realize that the stranger was the father of the bride.

Mystery Eyes: Kevin was sure that the stranger in the picture was someone he knew well. When he arrived home, he showed the photograph to his father, who was shocked and told Kevin that the woman in the picture was Kevin’s mother who disappeared fifteen years ago when he was a young boy.

Poetically Speaking:

“The birds flew toward the stranger,

They did not sense any fear or danger.

The children ran towards the stranger,

It seemed that they knew her.

Who was this stranger?

Why did no one seem to care?

They were not afraid of this stranger.

She would regularly feed the birds in the park,

She was a nanny to the children,

Who trusted and knew her.

The lady was really no stranger,

So there was no real danger.”

Writer’s Insight: You will have noticed that I have turned the symbol of the “Stranger”, into so many ideas that I have used in so many short forms. Writers need to treat every symbol, sign, or illustration like a seed that has the potential to grow into so many stories.

At the End of the Day: The writer can use the “Stranger” symbol to introduce a new character, friend, or foe into the story. The Stranger can be one of the main characters in the story or just a minor character. However, it is always a good idea to use “the Stranger” to reveal a secret or a special purpose in the story.

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An Open Invitation to Writers and Readers to join me on this Writer’s Journey with its Symbols and Illuminations. ✍🏻 ✍🏾✍🏿 ✍🏻 ✍🏾✍🏿