The Invisible Story

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.

Tim Knust

Business Broker & Advisory Services

2 年

Hi Dennis Ross, your story conjurs timeless thoughts. Truth be known... You had me at Invisible :)

Dennis Ross

Specialty Ghostwriter to Family Offices | Preeminent Storyteller

2 年
回复
Dennis Ross

Specialty Ghostwriter to Family Offices | Preeminent Storyteller

2 年
Dennis Ross

Specialty Ghostwriter to Family Offices | Preeminent Storyteller

2 年
回复

要查看或添加评论,请登录

Dennis Ross的更多文章

  • People Die—Dreams Don't

    People Die—Dreams Don't

    When I was ten years old, I lived in South Miami in a community called Cutler Ridge. Our family moved to Florida…

    5 条评论
  • How to Leverage UnBelievable Truth and Believable Fiction in 2025

    How to Leverage UnBelievable Truth and Believable Fiction in 2025

    To elevate the effectiveness of your storytelling, you must do two things. A.

    2 条评论
  • Extreme Responsibility: The Entrepreneur's Secret Sauce for 2025

    Extreme Responsibility: The Entrepreneur's Secret Sauce for 2025

    I challenge you, yes you, to do something different in 2025. I guarantee, yes guarantee, it will financially change…

    4 条评论
  • Why Be Wealthy?

    Why Be Wealthy?

    I fought back tears, but the tears won. He was lying on his back, tubes in his body, pain in his eyes.

    9 条评论
  • The Richest Poor Man on Earth

    The Richest Poor Man on Earth

    The billionaire and the pauper have something in common: freedom. The billionaire speaks freely as he has nothing else…

    2 条评论
  • Opening The Private Door of Wealth Management

    Opening The Private Door of Wealth Management

    It may be the last vestige of the old world: that wealth and its management happen privately behind closed doors…

  • Why Family Offices Need to Rethink Their Story

    Why Family Offices Need to Rethink Their Story

    The high-net-worth client is not going to select your multi-family office simply because you are competent. In the…

    2 条评论
  • Your Business Story Needs a GUI—Here’s How to Create One with Words

    Your Business Story Needs a GUI—Here’s How to Create One with Words

    Coders understand more than most the power of a graphical user interface (GUI). Writing code is not friendly to the…

  • But He Was My...

    But He Was My...

    Many years ago, I fell asleep with the television on, only to be awakened by an intensely impactful scene. A Russian…

  • Crimson Crosstalk

    Crimson Crosstalk

    Crosstalk is the art of understanding confusion. When you write script for video, stage play, or film, your ability to…

    5 条评论

社区洞察

其他会员也浏览了