The Long Night - Synopsis

When a shred of the unfathomable emerges inside the unborn child, a life’s path is stained with the ink of the unthinkable. Drandis’ earliest years are a struggle to understand the subtle nature of the force he calls ‘the pealing,’ and grasp how it affects his relationship to the world around him. Estranged from his parents and ostracized by his peers, Drandis discovers happiness in the unexpected meeting of two fellow misfits, and at first they thrive in the world they create together. But a chasm begins to grow between the three as a result of the secrets they keep from each other, the pain that puberty brings, and their encounters with a boy with a wishbone birthmark, whose motivations seem mysterious. Drandis’ anxiety in the increasingly grim world around him intensifies after a disturbing dream about the pealing, and he is finally driven to a desperate decision that results in him facing the unimaginable. Inside a nameless institution with no obvious way out, he begins to understand the events that led to his entrapment and the nature of the force within. Yet it’s questionable what end his triumphs are leading him toward until the final act. The boy with the wishbone birthmark tells the story’s other side, in which the shadowed faces of intentions are revealed, mysteries left in darkness are brought to light, and the frayed ends of Drandis’ life finally join together to form an unexpected hole.

Reviews

[Aaron Shively]

The story is incredibly interesting and has a come-hither feel on its own. This is why I have a bit of a problem with the purple prose of the first sentence that trickles down through the rest of the piece. I'm all for unnecessary scenes and actions in a character sense, but from the technical perspective, to me, some things may need to be trimmed. The play on the word 'whole' seems a little pushed. With your grasp on words, a very evident talent, you could probably find another way to state it.

The 'Pealing' needs a bit more explanation. As of now, because of the societal saturation of Star Wars, explaining it as 'a force' in multiple instances creates a strange science fiction environment in my mind.

I want to know more about the two other 'misfits'. Thought it's necessary to have some level of mystery, I think it would benefit you to give a tad more info on those two characters here. They seem to be an endearing part of the story or at least engaging enough to warrant a bit more

This story would definitely make me take a longer look at the elaborated work but the synopsis itself needs a bit of fine tuning.