In my writing, I get inspiration to follow people. By following, I don’t mean I follow orders like an employee but I follow the actions and movements of a person. So that I can write, that’s what I do. I was given a Contract Agreement by a publisher. I signed it and I need to give them the manuscript of a full length novel after they give me royalties.
When I follow someone, I don’t make it obvious that I’m following. It’s like I’m becoming a stalker. I don’t follow everyone because that’s hard. I only have one body and I don’t know if anyone else does that.
I’m following someone. He’s dressed properly. He’s wearing a long-sleeved polo, a suit and tie and he’s carrying a briefcase. He’s walking and I don’t know where he’s going. At first, I thought he was going to get in his car. He just kept walking as if he was walking without a destination. Here along Bonifacio High Street, there are also people walking around. So sometimes I can’t follow him properly. As I was following him, I couldn’t see his face and he always had his back turned but what I always looked at was the briefcase he was holding. Is he like Anonymous Banker?
*
When I woke up in the morning, I opened my eyes. I couldn’t see well yet but I could gradually see the sunlight. I looked for my smartphone. I turned it on and the internet. I opened the messenger app. I saw the messages of my co-workers at work. I work as an agent in a BPO or (as they call it, a call-center agent). They say that when working in a Call-Center, you need to be good at English, especially when the agent is Filipino. I got up and made the bed. I live in an apartment here in Taguig City. I took a towel and went straight to the bathroom. After taking a shower, I got dressed. What I usually wear is old school vans shoes, pants (not ripped jeans) and an oversized t-shirt. I looked in the mirror. My hair was long and a little curly. I looked like I was in a rock band. I had to go to work at 9 AM but I took a shower and got dressed very early. I did it on purpose so that I would have time to open my laptop. When I checked my email boxes, there were a few messages from the company I work for and an email from a publisher. I checked the email from a publisher and opened it.
TO: MARKDELACRUZ02@GMAIL. COM
FROM: DOUBLENIGHTPUBLISHER@. COM
DEAR MR. DELA CRUZ
GOOD DAY FOR YOU. WE ARE THE PUBLISHER THAT LOOKING FOR YOUR WORK. AS YOU SUBMITTED A SHORT STORY, WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD FOR YOU FULL LENGTH NOVEL. YOU MAY SUBMIT IT BEFORE DECEMBER SO THAT WE CAN GIVE YOU ANOTHER CONTRACT. IF YOU CAN’T SUBMIT A FULL LENGTH NOVEL, PLEASE INFORM US.
SINCERELY YOURS,
When I read this, I felt like writing. I opened Microsoft Word. In writing a novel, it’s actually very difficult because you have to use your imagination to come up with something original. I just stared blankly at my laptop because I couldn’t think of any ideas. It was already 8 AM so I closed my laptop. Suddenly, a thought came to my mind… “What if I took inspiration from someone else?”
*
I continued to follow a man in a suit and tie holding a briefcase, whom I call Anonymous Banker. He continued walking and I also continued to follow him without him noticing. It was already afternoon when it happened. He passed by a bookstore, which was fully booked and went in. I was just outside the bookstore while watching his movements. I wanted to see his face but I couldn’t. A woman talked to him and a man took a picture of him. People gradually approached him and took pictures of him. I was suddenly surprised because it seemed like the famous person I was following. I approached the inside of the bookstore and gradually looked at his face carefully. I saw with my eyes that the person is me in a suit and tie with his hair no longer long but cut neatly. He no longer had a beard and was carrying a briefcase that I thought was an Anonymous Banker but was actually a Bestselling Author.
Copyright ©️ 2025 Mark Tacastacas, All Rights Reserved.
Translation Copyright ©️ 2025 Mark Tacastacas
Mark Tacastacas 
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