The Invisible Story

"Our first pitch of the day is from Mr. Robert Thornhill," the organizer announced. A balding, middle-aged man got up with more optimism on his face than in his walk. He was limping, the kind of limp that says he wants no sympathy. Swinging one leg around, Robert straddles the first step and awkwardly climbs the rest. This is his moment. Now, at the microphone, he begins to speak.

"Hi, my name is Robert and I am a serial entrepreneur."

The overused term seemed to frustrate one of the judges whose eyes rolled back at the very hearing of these words. Robert noticed and paused. He started again;

"Hi, my name is Robert and I am a serial entrepreneur, really I am."

Reaching into his faded duffle bag with a ripped logo on its side, he pulls out a box, a bright, nearly fluorescent box of cereal. It was happy as if designed by a clown. "My invention is a unique cereal called Time." The judges frowned, a bit from shock and a bit from a renewed interest. "I would give each of you some, but I don't have enough," Robert said.

"My idea was to create something that reminds kids of how little Time we have here on earth, and to pour it or to use it wisely. I have three flavors; Strawberry, Banana, and Blueberry Time, and it's quite good if I can say so myself. Each box I sell will only be half full, because again, there's never enough."

The auditorium went silent. Only the monotone hum of electricity could be heard. No shuffling, no small talk. The judges were staring without blink. Robert placed one hand on his right thigh, as if to hold it in place as he bent over to put his cereal back in the faded bag. He then turned back toward the mic and asked the judges.

"Is anyone interested in buying Time?"

With those words, and with one strap of the duffle bag over his right shoulder, Robert limped back off stage in the same awkward manner he entered. No one clapped, no one made a noise, except for one judge, the one who rolled his eyes at the beginning of Mr. Thornhills' presentation. This judge slowly pushed his chair behind him, stood up and announced, "I will sir. I will invest in Time."

Question for the reader: How many invisible stories have you read here? Tell me in the comments what they are. An invisible story is one that was communicated, although it was not written. This is a narrative sample from my private Story Bootcamp where members learn how to craft stories that inspire, provoke and entertain. Look forward to reading what you found in this story.