<I>The Lonely Empire</I>
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University of South Carolina Scholar Commons Theses and Dissertations 5-8-2015 The Lonely Empire Andrew Valencia University of South Carolina - Columbia Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/etd Part of the Fiction Commons Recommended Citation Valencia, A.(2015). The Lonely Empire. (Master's thesis). Retrieved from https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/etd/3075 This Open Access Thesis is brought to you by Scholar Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Scholar Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE LONELY EMPIRE by Andrew Valencia Bachelor of Arts Stanford University, 2010 Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing College of Arts and Sciences University of South Carolina 2015 Accepted by: Elise Blackwell, Director of Thesis David Bajo, Reader Bob Brinkmeyer, Reader Caroline Nagel, Reader Lacy Ford, Vice Provost and Dean of Graduate Studies © Copyright by Andrew Valencia, 2015 All Rights Reserved. ii DEDICATION For Ryan McIlvain. iii ABSTRACT This creative manuscript contains ten original short stories dealing with themes of alienation, imperialism, and cultural intersectionality. Though they are all influenced, in one way or another, by ideas of cultural and sociopolitical relevance, they are to be read and viewed primarily as stories, i.e., as self-contained exercises in character, plot, and language that can be appreciated for their artistic merits as well as their academic contributions. The diverse settings of the stories, ranging from Ancient Greece to Central California and from Asia to Latin America, are a reflection of the author‘s own diverse cultural experiences. In one story, a young college dropout follows her aging partner to an Ernest Hemingway look-alike contest. In another, a disabled former serviceman becomes obsessed with the weather and the threat of climate change. The final story of the collection takes place in a speculative, futuristic version of the lost continent of Atlantis. Taken collectively, these ten stories offer unique and sometimes startling insights into the troubling legacies of culture and history, and into our increasingly globalized world. iv PREFACE ―Nothing is built on stone; all is built on sand, but we must build as if the sand were stone.‖ —Jorge Luis Borges, In Praise of Darkness v TABLE OF CONTENTS DEDICATION ....................................................................................................................... iii ABSTRACT .......................................................................................................................... iv PREFACE ...............................................................................................................................v CHAPTER 1: THE LOOK-ALIKES ............................................................................................1 CHAPTER 2: THE PLACES YOU‘LL GO .................................................................................26 CHAPTER 3: A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE SCRIBE ...................................................................48 CHAPTER 4: SPANISH FORT .................................................................................................66 CHAPTER 5: OLD PRO .........................................................................................................92 CHAPTER 6: ALL THOSE BARS AND ALL THAT METAL .....................................................103 CHAPTER 7: YEAR OF THE SNAKE .....................................................................................126 CHAPTER 8: MORTAR, GRAIN, AND PESTLE ......................................................................153 CHAPTER 9: THE LONELY EMPIRE ....................................................................................173 CHAPTER 10: THE NEW GODS OF OLD ATLANTIS .............................................................194 APPENDIX A: PERMISSION TO REPRINT CHAPTER 1 ..........................................................218 APPENDIX B: PERMISSION TO REPRINT CHAPTER 2 ..........................................................219 APPENDIX C: PERMISSION TO REPRINT CHAPTER 3 ..........................................................220 APPENDIX D: PERMISSION TO REPRINT CHAPTER 4 ..........................................................221 APPENDIX E: PERMISSION TO REPRINT CHAPTER 5 ...........................................................222 vi CHAPTER 1 THE LOOK-ALIKES Becca loaded the bags into the car while Richard finished trimming his beard in front of the bathroom mirror. She left plenty of space in the trunk for whatever baggage his students planned to bring with them on the trip. For the second year in a row, she was following Richard to PapaCon, an annual celebration of all things Hemingway held each summer at a beachfront hotel in Key West. Two days of lectures, deep-sea fishing, and mojitos culminating in an Ernest Hemingway look-alike contest with a first prize of five thousand dollars. The year before, Richard had been invited to give a lecture on Death in the Afternoon and on the second day had won third place in the look-alike contest. The contest was the only reason they were going back this year. With the car loaded up, Becca returned to the kitchen and started fixing sandwiches for the drive down. Richard emerged from the bedroom in his underwear carrying two slightly different styles of green turtleneck on clothes hangers. ―Which one of these looks more authentic?‖ he asked. Becca titled her head to the side. ―What do you mean by authentic?‖ Richard motioned to the framed photo on the wall—Hemingway as an old man, full white beard, looking off to the side with eyes as intense as ever, the braided collar of a turtleneck puffed up under his chin. Even in the early morning, with his hair still wet, knobby white legs exposed, wearing only his cotton briefs, Richard‘s resemblance to Papa was uncanny. 1 ―Which one?‖ he pressed, switching the sweaters back and forth in front of his chest. Becca examined the sweater in the photo and contrasted it against the ones Richard was holding. Between the two of them, she knew which one she preferred, but gauging their authenticity against the seven inches or so of colorless sweater that appeared in the photo was something she doubted she had the expertise to decide. She had left college in her senior year and hadn‘t gotten around to going back yet. Finally, she chose the lighter of the two, but only because it brought out the color in Richard‘s eyes. Once Richard had finished assembling his outfit, they headed out on the road. But before leaving Miami, they had to swing by a motel near the airport and pick up Richard‘s students, Silas and Nate, who were making their first-ever trip down to PapaCon. Richard had agreed to let them come along on the condition that they help pay for gas. Becca had never met them, but Richard once spoke of them as two of the brightest students he‘d ever taught. Now they were among his few former students who had continued to correspond with him after he left the university. Richard was in top form as he drove along the highway, his clean hair and clothes meticulously arranged, looking as robust and virile as he had in years. Becca sat in the passenger‘s seat wearing dark sunglasses and a pair of cut-off jean shorts, letting the morning sun energize her body for the day ahead. Richard reached over and stroked her thigh. ―Five thousand dollars,‖ he said. ―Do you have any idea how much research I can complete with that money?‖ Becca patted his arm. ―It would sure make things a lot easier.‖ 2 ―I have a good feeling about this year, honey. You won‘t be working at The Gap much longer.‖ Becca leaned over and kissed the whiskerless part of his cheek. They pulled into the motel parking lot and spotted Silas and Nate standing with their bags outside the front office. Becca took off her sunglasses and sat up in the seat. ―My God,‖ she said. ―What are they wearing?‖ Indeed, as Silas and Nate hustled over to the car, they appeared as figures ripped out of time and place. Their outfits were identical—black pants, black gloves, black overcoats buttoned to their necks, topped off with black bowler hats like the kind Charlie Chaplin always wore. As they came closer, Becca noticed they were both dangling plastic toy shotguns down by their pant legs. There was some meaning they were going for, of that she was sure, but seeing them walking across the parking lot at that moment, it was like looking at a painting in a modern art museum with no explanation placarded on the wall beside it. Richard just laughed. ―Those crazy bastards,‖ he said. ―They really did it!‖ ―Did what?‖ Becca asked. ―They said they were going to go all out on their costumes, but this is really something.‖ One of the popular traditions of PapaCon was to show up wearing elaborate costumes inspired by Hemingway‘s life and works. In laying their plans for the trip, Richard had even tried to persuade Catherine to go as Catherine from A Farewell to Arms, but she had refused. Putting on costumes was never her thing, not even on Halloween. 3 Richard threw back his thumb to signal Silas and Nate to put their bags in the trunk. Becca whispered in his ear, ―Do you think they should wear those the whole way?‖ They had at least three hours of driving ahead of them. ―Why not?‖ Richard said, tugging at the green braided collar around his neck. ―I‘m wearing my costume.‖