On Being Alone and Being Lonely

@ThePatientAnarchist My favorite was an old Lakota man, Charlie Red Elk.

@Hinckley That's a great name. Do you know where these characters come to you from? (memories, dreams, reading, the depths of your imagination?)

@ThePatientAnarchist Charlie was just supposed to be a bit of window dressing to add color to the story. He exploded.

This is where Charlie came alive.

"Are you afraid of dying?" Ryan looked at Charlie.

"No," Charlie poked at the fire with a stick, and then looked at Ryan, "When the pale rider comes for me, I will welcome him with open arms, and embrace him like an old friend, I will kiss his cheeks. To fear your death, is to fear your life, death will come to everyone. It is as important as your birth, the beginning of your life, death is a part of your life; it is the end of your life. Worrying about your death that will surely come is wasting your life. I have had a good life, and I have danced in many Sun Dances, and I have tried to observe and keep the old ways alive. I am a lucky man, I have lived two lives, I have lived in the land of my father, and his father, I have a strong son, I am a respected man. I have loved, and been loved by many women," Charlie paused for a moment and looked over at Walter, "Even my wife."

Walt just chuckled and shook his head.

"What did you mean, you had lived two lives?" Ryan asked his eyes were on Charlie.

Charlie stopped playing with the fire and looked up at the stars, "When I was about your age, or maybe a little younger I was an angry young man. I blamed all of my weaknesses and faults on every one else. I lived in a whiskey bottle, and I was a drunkard, I wouldn't listen to my father and mother, I caused them great pain, and even greater shame. Finally an old man came and talked to me one day when I was in jail, and asked me why I had no pride. I asked him what did I have to be proud of; I was an Indian living on a reservation. He shook his head, and told me that my ancestors roamed the plains; part of the greatest light cavalry in the world, they fought with Tatanka Yotanka, or Sitting Bull. He told me that some of my ancestors probably died at Wounded Knee. He said to deny pride in myself was to deny my ancestors. He told me that I was Lakota, and to take pride in that. He took me to my first AA meeting, and through him I learned the way of the warrior. And that began my second life."

@Hinckley wow! I see what you mean that he exploded onto the page.
"Even my wife" is a great line!

@ThePatientAnarchist After that moment Charlie became one of the lead characters for the last half of the story. The story was 16 parts about 250,000 words.