"This is what your life has come to? Being a glorified speak-to-text function being paid just enough to get by the basic living expenses," Mark watched with a dazed expression as his father stood before him once more, but no longer as a ghost. Instead, it looked like he was right there in front of him, with his plain blue, freshly pressed shirt, and perfectly tailored pants.
"At the very least, it is better than his previous life after he left us, right dear?" His mother in his blonde hair and loose clothing materialised behind his father.
"Still nothing more than someone just getting by!" his father huffed at Mark.
"A figment of my imagination?" He mused out loud as he got out of bed and realised it was not a nightmare.
"Am I?" His father asked.
"Are we?" His mother added in her same sardonic smile she had plastered on her face almost all the time.
"Yes," Mark concluded after reaching out and realising his hand was passing through his parents.
"And yet-" Mr. Whitehall interrupted and finished MArk's statement with a gentle smile, "You are now feeling emotions with us here; sadness, regret, and joy... Which means, we are either figments of your imagination like you thought, and that you really do have emotions hidden deep inside you, or you do not. You are just the emotionless robot you thought you are, and there is another possible explanation for our existence."
"An answer I will not get anytime soon. I suppose I should enjoy the free emotions... for whatever little time I ca-" Mark stopped as he noticed his parents vanishing from view, and along with it, his emotions as well. Unlike the nightmare, his emotions did not linger for any longer, and just melted back into the same nothingness he had always felt.
"I see. Unfortunate," Mark sighed as he got out of bed and looked at the rising sun in the distance. It was still early in the morning, and Mark made an on-the-spot decision to make changes to his lifestyle. He put on some light clothes and the only pair of running shoes he had.
30 push-ups, 50 crunches, and 40 sit-ups later, he was breathing rapidly while laying down on the floor, covered in a considerable amount of sweat. He body needed to cool down, and his muscles needed the oxygen, so he allowed his body to naturally react to the exercise. after a bit of rest, he got up, locking the rented apartment behind him and heading out for a quick morning jog.
"Huff.. 1.5 miles of light jogging without any breaks... huff... good starting point. Now, as long as I increase this figure by a little everyday, and do the necessary stretches, i should become increasingly more fit and energetic during the day. All I need is to improve my food. Hmm, Sunday is coming up tomorrow, instead of heading to the library, I should go for a cooking class..."
'But I don't have a kitchen in this apartment, and until I either get money from the sale of The Sixth Sense script, or become a full-time worker instead of my current job as an intern, I won't be able to afford a better flat. It seems like a waste of time learning cooking without being able to cook anything at home.'
"So you can either learn life-skill, but one you cannot make use of anytime soon, or you can head over to the library and learn about the history of this world, and where exactly it diverges from your original timeline," Mark's father appeared behind him and nodded while contemplating deeply.
Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.
"Oh! Cooking! you can use it to woo a girl in the future," his mother appeared beside his father with a genuine smile this time. clearly, she was interested in the topic being discussed.
Mark did not turn around, and simply smiled genuinely as well.
"Will you keep appearing whenever I am at a crossroads and trying to make a decision, flooding my logical mind with emotions to change the type of decisions I make?" Mark did not mind it though, and just shrugged while decided he would head over for some cooking lessons the next day.
...
Returning home from another productive day of work, Mark ate his not-so-healthy diner, before taking out his notebook.
[Movie: Rocky (Scene 3)]
[Rocky stops by the pet shop where Adrian, a shy, reserved woman, works. Rocky has a crush on her and tries to strike up a conversation daily, but Adrian is extremely quiet and timid. This scene portrays Rocky’s loneliness and his attempts to connect with someone, despite his awkward, fumbling attempts at small talk.]
[Movie: Rocky (Scene 4)]
[Meanwhile, Apollo Creed, the flamboyant and confident heavyweight boxing champion, is preparing for a title fight. When his opponent is injured, Apollo decides to turn the situation into a spectacle by offering an unknown local fighter a shot at the title. “I’m gonna give a local underdog a shot at the title. It’s the American dream!” He sees this as a great marketing opportunity, choosing Rocky Balboa, “The Italian Stallion,” because of his unique nickname.]
'Eddie is around 25, and the actor who played the role I think was around 28. If he can build enough muscle for the role... I will take him for it. It might change his entire career path, from a Hollywood comedian, to a true actor with a serious role under his wing. Well, as long as he can act the role properly,' Mark mused after finishing two scenes in rapid succession.
Compared to The Sixth Sense, there were no complicated sets or costumes, or even shot types involved in this movie. Plus, the dialogue was rather simple, closer to a real conversation between people, unlike some other movies and shows with over-complicated dialogue between characters. thus, it did not take him more an an hour to complete a single scene for the movie, despite taking his time to describe all the actions of the characters.
Seeing there was still some time before 10, the time he decided to sleep from now on to be able to wake up early in the morning, Mark continued to write the next chapter. Of course, editing of each chapter, and adding in some missing elements was still left for these chapters, but he felt... a sense of accomplishment for completing chapters.
'It's not the addicting feeling of feeling emotions, but a true emotion at something I have done...' Mark rapidly turned around with a small hope within him, only for it to be dashed as he noticed the ghosts of his parents watching him like a happy couple from a corner of the room.
'The moment they go away, these emotions like hope and despair will be gone soon. They are temporary and fleeting in nature. True emotions come from the movies I will create,' Mark decided, more to convince himself than form a real argument, and got to work.
[Movie: Rocky (Scene 5)]
[Rocky is taken by surprise when approached by Apollo’s promoter. Initially, he’s hesitant, feeling unworthy and overwhelmed, but ultimately, he accepts the offer. Rocky realises this is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to prove himself and break free from the limitations of his life. "All I wanna do is go the distance. Nobody's ever gone the distance with Creed."]
'The true story of an underdog, not wanting to win, but rather to prove to himself that his life was not a waste. He is more than a 'bum' working for a loan-shark.'
Mark stretched as he completed this scene, and decided to go to sleep for the night. He had done all he could. Only, he did not notice his parents had not vanished as he fell asleep, and only stared it him, unmoving for around 15 minutes until he fell into deep sleep before slowly melting into the air as though they were never there to begin with.