Jo, A Short Story Series
Intro to the Fabrics, the Character List, the Back Story
The Fabric
Welcome to Jo, a never-ending parking lot hang. This is a banter factory, a saga, an epic, a never-ending series of stories that resonates like a raspy laugh.
Each story, each episode, is a crossover where literature meets other art forms (music, painting, sculpture, etc). Think of these luminous pages as a curated gallery, and the stories are the museum, the brick, the cold cement, the forced walk through the souvenir shop. (Even if the building sucks, the art and displays will provide some worthwhile substance).
Come for the art or come for the prose, but in a world of escapism, mainly come for the palate change, for a craving of the present.
Character List and Back Story
Rules don’t apply to the Oceanside Flea Market. People sell and eat items and drugs and dance with critters and do things out of accordance of laws and physics.
One of the vendors, Jo, drives a 1991 Ford Ranger that can fly and float and do Piratey things. With it, he collects expressions and trinkets of art from the creative world and sells/shows them at his booth. Between the commerce, friendships form, banter boils, and unhinged adventures spill out.
Characters:
Louie
Vegetable shop vendor. Dark brown and wavy hair. Rather ambiguous in both appearance and in action. Prefers to sleep on extra-firm mattresses or sometimes the ground.
Surfs with great skill and style but he’s a purist and only surfs shortboards even when the waves are fat and slow and beg for a fat and slow board.
Deeply pained and lustful for the human experiment. Often forgets himself as an individual. Believes in autonomy. People label him mysterious and paint him however they want him to be. And he likes to play with those expectations.
Manny
Black Hair. 6’2, but on Tinder, he’s 6 foot. Sells goods from Sinaloa and Mazatlan, where he’s from and where he frequents.
By far the best surfer. And musician. And trivia player. But he only likes to do some of those things.
He runs on laughs and will do anything for them. He will eat through a wall if forced to sit still (sober). Hasn’t provided an explanation for himself since ‘07
Jo
Sells, trades, and collects trinkets of expression (art, music, literature, etc.). Mouse brown, curly/wavy hair. Taller than he looks.
Hard to tell if he’s deranged or lucid, if he’s broken or crafted, if he’s intentional or haphazard. Believes the creative world is the spice of life, the beat of humanity. And he’s passionate about enhancing, spreading, and contributing to that world.
A versatile but unfocused surfer. Chases barrels and extra sandy foam balls.
Mason
Wirey build. Blonde Hair. Doesn’t have his own booth yet, but appreciates everything flea market
Takes in life with two thumbs up. Obsessed with Mexican food but only ever orders bean, rice, and cheese burritos. An exceptional illustrator. Borderline ambidextrous.
Very good all-around surfer. Has moments of absolute awe. Potential to be better than the rest.
Kevin
Light brown/streaky blonde hair. Runs a revolving door of quick money-making booths (dental insurance and cruise trips to Baja currently). Oddly good at karaoke.
Values his friends and family above everything. Has a best mile time of 6:47. Balls up his toilet paper before use.
Surfs in short bursts. Prefers to ride bigger boards but will never (out of principle) walk the nose.