The Mentor-WP
I wrote this for a Reedsy writing prompt: Write a story about “The Mentor” — The mentor prepares protagonists for the trials ahead. Sometimes this mentor is a parent. Other times, it might be a wizard or a suburban Karate teacher. Whatever form they take, they are there to guide our hero through the unknown.
I thought Selben and Soda would fit this prompt well! This was a bit different for me, as I wrote it in Soda’s viewpoint, which I’ve never done before (since, well, I’m Selben!).
A middle-aged man sat in an office. Mounted on the walls were IT certifications and pictures of company picnics and other social events. The nameplate on the door read “Soda.” Looking out the window he saw it had begun to rain again and continued waiting expectantly for a call but hoping it would not come. He leaned back in his chair, scrolling through some emails and briefly glancing at his phone to ensure it wasn’t on silent. Finally, his phone rang. He grabbed his jacket and hat and was out the door before answering.
Soda listened patiently, making sure to not sigh or sound annoyed, “It’s okay, I’ll come take a look.”
He walked across the muddy parking lot and entered the second building. Wiping his feet, he gave a cheerful greeting to the receptionist. Without needing directions, he headed down a side hallway. Seeing a grumpy looking woman with her arms crossed standing in a doorway, he knew he was in the right place.
“Hello everyone!” he said warmly, peering around the woman to see a defeated looking younger man sitting on the floor in front of a half-disassembled printer.
The woman turned with a semi-scowl on her face and let him enter the room.
“We can’t possibly get any work done. This is worse than before he started,” she loudly exclaimed without even considering the young man’s feelings who was clearly working hard.
But Soda was wise. He saw the situation had deteriorated quickly and clapped his hands together getting everyone’s attention.
“We should have a meeting about it!”