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Berilio
09-19-2012, 02:57 PM
A man looked up to the sky and said: “Wow, look at this.” As his friends turned around and looked up to the sky, they were confused because the only thing they could see was a normal, wonderful blue sky during the early spring in Toronto. The man kept starring at the sky and his friend asked him what he saw, but he just answered with a short: “It is already late, I see you guys tomorrow.”
As Jordan was walking away from his friends, he barely noticed his surroundings. He felt like he had gone back to the past from one to the next second. He thought that it was no wonder that his friends did not know what was going on, for them it was nothing else than a normal sky. But for him it was everything else than that. He also thought how funny it is, how certain things or circumstances remind oneself of a past event in life and how easily it makes you nostalgic.
Jordan was not quite sure how he did feel during that moment, but all he could think of was about that certain day, in spring 1999, 13 years ago. 13 years ago, he kept thinking, it was crazy that time passes by so incredibly fast.
It was a nice and sunny day, similar to that one in 2012, Jordan had been in his first year of university, law-school, enjoying his life, not knowing that he would quit shortly after that day, noticing that he never wanted to become a lawyer or judge. But, on that particular day everything seemed perfect. He had rented a great apartment, had a huge plan for the future. he was having success with his basketball team and had endlessly fallen in love with a beautiful downtown girl, who loved him as much as he did. Everything had been perfect, everything. That day, he only had one lecture, which ended quickly because everybody wanted to go out and enjoy the sun. He spent the whole day in the park at the beautiful lake. There was a heat as if it was July already. His girlfriend and friends, meaning the people he did love most, were all together with him enjoying every minute, barbequing, laughing and drinking together. The day ended with the most amazing sunset Jordan had ever seen and with an “I love you” from his girlfriend which meant the world to him. If he would have had to choose the ten most amazing days in his life, this one would definitely be one of them.
After that day everything changed, he moved back to his hometown, began to study social work and built up a new life at another place. The memory of that time, that special day, stayed, Jordan kept thinking as he still was walking down the avenue towards his little place in Toronto.
He came to the conclusion that although there are so many bad days with problems and complaints, days like the one in 1999, made up for everything. Jordan noticed that also this spring day in 2012, was one of those. He had to smile and looked up to the sky, in that moment he saw the second most beautiful sunset of his life.

hillwalker
09-19-2012, 05:52 PM
Well done for posting your first piece on here.

Unfortunately as a short story this didn't really work for me. The plot is threadbare for one thing. 13 years ago Jordan decided on a career change. And that's it.
The rest of what you have written doesn't make it any clearer why he did so. We're no closer to knowing what makes Jordan tick so why are you even telling us this happened?

Also from that opening paragraph you're presenting it as some strange, almost supernatural event when he sees the sky today and remembers how his life changed. But since you don't show us what he sees in the sky that triggers this memory (unless it's the sun that presumably puts in an appearance more than once every 13 years) it's a rather weird set-up.

There are also some stylistic issues with this - firstly repetition:

A man looked up to the sky and said: “Wow, look at this.” As his friends turned around and looked up to the sky, they were confused because the only thing they could see was a normal, wonderful blue sky during the early spring in Toronto. The man kept starring at the sky and his friend asked him what he saw, but he just answered with a short: “It is already late, I see you guys tomorrow.”
As Jordan was walking away from his friends, he barely noticed his surroundings.

Secondly, it's a good idea to have your readers engage with the main character as early into the story as possible. So why switch from 'A man' to 'The man' to 'Jordan'? It would make more sense to give us his name right at the start.

And this bit is terribly complicated:
He felt like he had gone back to the past from one to the next second. He thought that it was no wonder that his friends did not know what was going on, for them it was nothing else than a normal sky. But for him it was everything else than that. He also thought how funny it is, how certain things or circumstances remind oneself of a past event in life and how easily it makes you nostalgic.
You're over-embellishing a fairly simple scene.

There are other points that make this less intriguing than it might be:
It was a nice and sunny day, similar to that one in 2012, - yawn. Weather forecasts don't really make for great reading.

Jordan had been in his first year of university, law-school, enjoying his life, not knowing that he would quit shortly after that day, noticing that he never wanted to become a lawyer or judge.

How did he 'notice' something so fundamental? Did he perhaps come to the conclusion that he wasn't suited to study Law? And if so, why? Because that's surely the crux of the story. Why did he change career? You never tell us. Instead you add a load of gushy fluff about his previous life that sounds as if it came straight out of a teenage girl's magazine:
He had rented a great apartment, had a huge plan for the future. he was having success with his basketball team and had endlessly How does that work? fallen in love with a beautiful downtown girl, who loved him as much as he did. Everything had been perfect, everything. That day, he only had one lecture, which ended quickly because everybody wanted to go out and enjoy the sun. He spent the whole day in the park at the beautiful lake. There was a heat as if it was July already. His girlfriend and friends, meaning the people he did love most, were all together with him enjoying every minute, barbequing, laughing and drinking together. The day ended with the most amazing sunset Jordan had ever seen and with an “I love you” from his girlfriend which meant the world to him. If he would have had to choose the ten most amazing days in his life, this one would definitely be one of them.
After that day everything changed...

There's no plot. No conflict. No character development. No resolution. So it left me asking 'So what?'

H