Literally Reruns – One Star by Sharon Frame Gay

Another excellent Rerun suggestion from Leila – It’s great that we have so many stories that warrant a second bite of the cherry – this is what she said:

Ms. Frame Gay’s One Star may be described, in a broad sense, as a neutron sun. It’s not at all large, but it weighs as much as some four-hundred page novels I’ve read.

The tale of the Lone Lost Survivor at the Mercy of the Sea is as old as the human race. Sometimes it is told via journals, other times it is presented from an unexplained godlike POV, and once it was shared with a volleyball. Sharon Gay Frame chose no such contrivance to get One Star across. Although it is presented in the past tense, the MC’s (by name, Milo) insistent thoughts keep it only a razor’s edge away from the present tense. Thus she wins with a clearly told story that contrasts well with its properly ambiguous conclusion.

Q: Let’s be optimistic and have Milo rescued before he makes “friends” with a mermaid. What kind of life would he lead? Do you think he has the character to come to terms with his survivor’s guilt, or will he eventually cave in and fall into something like alcoholism?

Q: Do you, as I, believe that fictionalized accounts of heroism and honor in war have led more than one person into a hellworld, in which there is no room for heroism or honor, but only for self preservation and despair?

Q: Yes, you get three. At this moment, only the youngest WWII veterans are pushing ninety; most are either dead or well past that landmark age. These persons had taken part in what has to date been the most important event in human history. Yet there is an alarming percentage of high schoolers out there who know almost nothing about it or the Holocaust. A double-figure percentage believes that the Civil War happened after WWII. Do you think this staggering ignorance, if left unchecked, might lead the world into–for the third time, mind you–yet another ”A war to end all wars”?

Leila Allison

***

One Star

Sharon’s Response:

Q: Let’s be optimistic and have Milo rescued before he makes “friends” with a mermaid. What kind of life would he lead? Do you think he has the character to come to terms with his survivor’s guilt, or will he eventually cave in and fall into something like alcoholism?

A. I hope Milo is rescued. If he does survive, I think he gained the wisdom to understand the gift he was given – the blessing of life – and he will eventually turn his survivor’s guilt into honoring his lost comrades in special ways. I hope he goes home and marries Jane, and they have children he can teach to swim in the river. Children he has named after his lost friends.

Q: Do you, as I, believe that fictionalized accounts of heroism and honor in war have led more than one person into a hellworld, in which there is no room for heroism or honor, but only for self preservation and despair?

A. Heroism, depicted in fiction, could be an aphrodisiac to some, which could cause them, I suppose, to aggrandize war. The measure of a man or woman can only be taken in the heat of battle. I think it’s important to write about despair, and the very real and tough feelings that come with war and killing.  Far more people suffer from PTSD, survivor guilt, and depression than those who are honored for valor.  I believe they are the true heroes, because their battles never end.

Q: Yes, you get three. At this moment, only the youngest WWII veterans are pushing ninety; most are either dead or well past that landmark age. These persons had taken part in what has to date been the most important event in human history. Yet there is an alarming percentage of high schoolers out there who know almost nothing about it or the Holocaust. A double-figure percentage believes that the Civil War happened after WWII. Do you think this staggering ignorance, if left unchecked, might lead the world into–for the third time, mind you–yet another ”A war to end all wars”?

A. I have to say that I worry about this question quite a bit.  I am actually writing a story right now about a WWII survivor who has spent her entire remaining life reliving the horrors she endured.  She is concerned that her children and her children’s children don’t comprehend the possibility of another major war, and she fears that they won’t see the “monster” coming.  They are too concerned about the stock market and where to vacation, and won’t hear the approaching footfalls until it’s too late. Without learning history in our schools and through books and stories, we are destined to repeat it. This is why the written and spoken word is so important. I hope that even a short piece of fiction such as “One Star” may cause some people to reflect on war and mankind’s past.. If they do, then I have done my job as a writer.