Alex roamed around the supermarket car park with a trolley full of groceries. ‘Where the fuck did I park?’ he wondered. After about twenty minutes of searching he concluded that the SUV had been stolen. Alex sat down on the gutter and started on the melting tub of ice cream. He called the police and went through the arduous task of reporting the stolen vehicle.
Several days later he received a phone call from detective sergeant Cliff Williams. “We’ve found your car Mr. Stolovic,” he cheerfully announced. “You’re welcome to collect it from the impound unit whenever you’re free.
Alex’s content was visible as he came across the silver BMW; there wasn’t a scratch on it. A young constable handed him a plastic bag full of items that had been withdrawn from the vehicle for evidence. There was an owner’s manual, a couple of manuscripts, and a loose pair of reading glasses. Alex threw the belongings onto the passenger seat and drove away.
The following morning Alex found himself caught in unusually dense traffic. He reached over for the nearest manuscript. The entire pile had to be edited by Friday; he didn’t have time to waste. In all his time as a publisher Alex had never been so captivated by an opening paragraph. It was a work of absolute genius. He cleared his entire schedule to focus solely on the work of fiction. At the halfway point Alex’s intrigue remained, he had no idea where the novel was headed, except to the New York Times’ list of bestsellers. He couldn’t finish the story; he needed to talk to the writer immediately. He turned to the front cover in search of contact details; it was completely blank. He flick to the final page and discovered the following addendum:
Sorry for stealing your vehicle sir. I have no money in which to compensate. I see you are an editor; perhaps this could make up for any inconvenience you may’ve been caused.
To date Gala Publishing has made over $18 million dollars from the bestselling novel, Compensation.
Several days later he received a phone call from detective sergeant Cliff Williams. “We’ve found your car Mr. Stolovic,” he cheerfully announced. “You’re welcome to collect it from the impound unit whenever you’re free.
Alex’s content was visible as he came across the silver BMW; there wasn’t a scratch on it. A young constable handed him a plastic bag full of items that had been withdrawn from the vehicle for evidence. There was an owner’s manual, a couple of manuscripts, and a loose pair of reading glasses. Alex threw the belongings onto the passenger seat and drove away.
The following morning Alex found himself caught in unusually dense traffic. He reached over for the nearest manuscript. The entire pile had to be edited by Friday; he didn’t have time to waste. In all his time as a publisher Alex had never been so captivated by an opening paragraph. It was a work of absolute genius. He cleared his entire schedule to focus solely on the work of fiction. At the halfway point Alex’s intrigue remained, he had no idea where the novel was headed, except to the New York Times’ list of bestsellers. He couldn’t finish the story; he needed to talk to the writer immediately. He turned to the front cover in search of contact details; it was completely blank. He flick to the final page and discovered the following addendum:
Sorry for stealing your vehicle sir. I have no money in which to compensate. I see you are an editor; perhaps this could make up for any inconvenience you may’ve been caused.
To date Gala Publishing has made over $18 million dollars from the bestselling novel, Compensation.