// Creative – Short Story

Paris is Boring

I drafted a collection of children’s books around an adventure-seeking character. This short story is not about him. This one catches up with a perpetually bored chimpanzee in the city of Paris. If you like Paris, rhymes, and chimps, this is the story for you.

Page 1:

(Sketch Notes: Norman stands on a street corner in bustling Paris, looking like a spent, jaded tourist: loaded down with souvenirs and face smeared with chocolate.)

Paris! It was big. It was loud. It was boring. Boring, boring, boring…

Page 2:

(Sketch Notes: A man walks by with a sandwich board that advertises a wild carnival/circus. Thrills galore! The price is shown: Only 8 Euros! Norman lights up with that mischievous smile again.)

A galaxy of fun and excitement! And all he needed was eight Euros. (Whatever those were…)

How hard could it be?

Page 3:

By the fountain sat a man with a mustard-stained cravat. A somber poet who was looking extra glum. But he gave his solemn vow that he’d gladly pay the sum if he only knew a word that rhymed with melancholy.

A rhyming word… That’s all he’d need then to the carnival with speed! But where to find a word that sounds like melancholy?

Page 4:

Just then appeared a mime who had heard the poet’s woes, and he gestured that he knew the perfect word. But he wouldn’t say a peep, not a whisper would be heard until he moved the pesky painter off his street.

A rhyming word, a painter gone… That’s all he’d need then to the carnival with speed! But how to get a painter off the street?

Page 5:

The painter scoffed at his request as he dabbed in mauve and beige, snorting proudly he would never quit his post. Unless perhaps he could secure what he really wanted most - a dozen tourists seeking portraits that same day.

A rhyming word, a painter gone, one dozen tourists with spending cash… That’s all he’d need then to the carnival with speed! Just find some tourists to pose and pay for portraits.

Page 6:

Across the street there was a bus packed with people on a tour, and the leader he was in an awful mess. Parking signs are all in French! How’s a foreigner to guess? But we’ll pose if you can help us move along.

A rhyming word, a painter gone, one dozen tourists with spending cash, get a parking ticket torn in two or three… That’s all he’d need then to the carnival with speed! But will the gruff policeman help them out?

Page 7:

Down the row of tiny cars stood a steely-eyed Gendarme as he penciled in another pink citation. He’d been walking far too long and was dreaming of vacation, but he’d help him for a pair of comfy shoes.

A rhyming word, a painter gone, one dozen tourists for a pose, get a parking ticket tossed, and a pair of comfy shoes … That’s all he’d need then to the carnival with speed! But where would he get the shoes?

Page 8:

At a fancy old hotel stood a doorman rather shy, and he tipped his hat and sighed, “I’m here to serve.” Every day he watched Colette still he didn’t have the nerve. “Introduce me for your pick from lost and found.”

A rhyming word, a painter gone, one dozen tourists for a pose, get a parking ticket tossed, a pair of better shoes, help a doorman say hello … That’s all he’d need then to the carnival with speed! To the café then he went quite unsure.

Page 9:

Now the lovely café owner tallied sales into a ledger as she listened to the story with suspicion. Yet she said she’d say hello if he’d better her position - lower prices from the bread man right away.

A rhyming word, a painter gone, one dozen tourists for a pose, get a bus to move along, shoes from lost and found, a simple introduction, lower prices for the bread … That’s all he’d need then to the carnival with speed! And here comes the bread man!

Page 10:

Ah, the bread man looking sleepy with his shirt on inside out and a crusty loaf mistaken for his cap. He’d been working six months straight and was desperate for a nap. If he’d do his job she’d get her bread half price!

A rhyming word, a painter gone, one dozen tourists for a pose, get a bus to move along, shoes from lost and found, a simple introduction, lower prices for the bread, a few deliveries to be made … That’s all he’d need then to the carnival with speed!

Page 11:

(Sketch Notes: Odd shots of loaves stuck in mail slots, tossed in bushes and flower boxes. Show the trail as Norman races to deliver the bread.)

Page 12:

(Sketch Notes: Then a long trail back through all the happy folks and Norman getting the money from the poet! A zig-zag line that shows his progress to every wish being granted… The sun is setting.)

Page 13:

(Sketch Notes: The carnival is gone. Popcorn boxes and debris litter the ground. Tire tracks in the field, etc. Norman stares in disbelief, clutching his Euros.)

Paris. It was still big. It was still loud. It was especially boring. Boring, boring, boring…

(Sketch Notes: Norman finds a crumpled notice on the ground, picks it up. It’s a splashy travel brochure for Italy.)

But Italy didn’t sound so bad.

(Back cover Sketch Notes: Show Norman working as a canal boatman - traditional garb and mustache - in Venice, steering a couple and their gondola off course.)