The Biography of George

He was 71 years of age and had lived in the ramshackle shack at the unfortunate address on Donegani Avenue for several years now. He had remodeled it somewhat, mainly on the inside where he added pine paneling to separate the few parts of the place from each other, mainly to ensure that people using the toilet were granted some privacy, the addition of a door a particularly convenient addition, and, for a reason unknown, the inclusion of a bunk bed. By the door to the toilet, George had hung a small mirror, which was hardly used. George would look into it maybe once a month, mainly to ensure that he looked as bad as he felt. Over the past few years, he had grown a beard, which he always kept unkempt, allowed his bad teeth to get worse, and had effected a slight stoop that seemed to frighten most people who saw him. Over the years, he had become a collector of junk, his backyard a veritable museum of useless articles, abandoned furniture, rusted tools, and appliances that no longer worked. There was even an automobile that looked like it hadn’t been driven or even moved in decades. It was a 1956 Pontiac Pathfinder, color metallic blue.

He was still 71 years old when a man named Barnes knocked on the door and offered George Gagnon a job for the winter. For some reason, Mr. Barnes wanted to know his family name…

Inspired by a fragment of a story written by one budding author, another aspiring author creates the life story of someone named George. From a childhood that originates in an unusual circumstance, it grows through a difficult adolescence to a curious adult life that is fated to conclude in a ramshackle shack described in the five paragraphs provided by the literary collaborator. The Biography of George is the story of a life inspired by one author and imagined by another.