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/lit/ - Literature

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536700 No.536700 [Reply] [Original]

I'm writing a short story and I need some help deciding on certain plot points.

I'll give you guys a breifing of the story, so my questions make sense.

It's about this vietnam war veteran. Back near the end of the war, him and a few others volunteered to stay behind and look for their comrade who was MIA. They were ambushed by this aerial gassing, and all of them died save for the progatonist, who hallucinated this beautiful beach and then woke up in a hospital.

Ever since then he's been taking lots of drugs because he thinks this helps him 'go back' to the beach; which really only comes sporadically [the hallucination]. Here, he feels at peace; innocent. His hallucination, however, is slowly becoming disturbing and terrifying and he can't figure out why.

Eventually, people start dying. A drug has been released in the U.S. that gives the user zen-like enlightenment and bliss, but kills them. When people witness others taking the drug, and the happiness it brings them, they want to take it themselves.

As the streets break into chaos the protagonist finds his way into a church, and in the confessional booth he exchanges dialogue with the priest, revealing a bit of the things he did in the war.

Turns out the priest was his commanding officer who said he would back up their story and fill the necessary paperwork when they volunteered to stay behind.

He explains that the drug on the streets is harvested from a plant that grew in Vietnam, in areas which were sprayed by the chemical. He has a syringe, and offers the protagonist it. He takes it and goes back to the beach, where he experiences his own personal heaven.

>> No.536705

It sounds like it should be around 80 pages

>> No.536706

So here are my questions:

When the streets are 'breaking out' into chaos, should I just have people asking randomly if anyone is 'carrying' the drug, or I'm thinking of having white vans pull up, and MiB type people get out the back and start distributing the drug.

Also, the very final part of the story is going to be a third person, past tense blurb that explains the origin of the beach. Which one should I chose?

Him flying over Saigon, before he truly enters the war, and appreciating it's beauty

Or him sitting at a beach/driving past a beach while his parents argue over whether he should pursue his passion, or follow the dad's feild of business for his post-secondary education, and he instead decides to join the army.

>> No.536931

bump?

>> No.537081

Clear this up for me. A drug that at first makes people happy than kills them causes people to riot in the streets? Why?

>> No.537088

Can we forget about the things I said when I was drunk?
I didn't mean to call you that.
I can't remember what you said or what you threw at meeee.
Please teeeelll meeeee
Please teeeell mee whyyyyyyyyyy
My caar is in the frooont yaaaard
And IIIII'm
Sleeeepin with my cloothes oooooooonn
Came in through the wiiiinndooowwww
Last Niiiiight
And you're gone.
Gooone.

>> No.537104

>>536700

You still there OP?

>> No.537109

>>537104
Ahhh ooooooooo
Ahhh ooooooooo
Ahhh ooooooooo
Ahhh ooooooooo