This scene depicts the main character of Fanboy, Jeremy Hahn, visiting his father’s grave before setting out on his big adventure. On the surface, we see a son mourning the loss of his father, but a faded image of the past he imagines next to the grave reveals the real truth of his childhood. Fear. Abuse. Poverty. The scars, cigarettes, and conflicted feelings are the only things Roger was able to leave behind to his son.
Created for two contest entries on thehug.xyz. Check them out (and maybe toss me a like) here:
- Live AI Art Collaboration with L’Oréal Professionnel
- Colonna Contemporary Gallery: Emerging Voices Series
What Roger Left Behind
Jeremy stood in the quiet solitude of Memorial Oaks Cemetery. The grave before him, marked by an unattended and slightly disheveled stone, read ROGER WILLIAM HAHN. BELOVED FATHER. 1958-2002.
Jeremy’s first visit to his father’s grave was, a memory from years ago when Jeremy, half-drunk and entirely unruly, came home drunk. The could see the ghost of Roger, the man in the grave, reach out and slap him.
“Damn it,” Roger shouted. “You can’t just drink every night. Get off your ass and make your own luck, like Dogboy.”
Young Jeremy laughed, a sound that was both carefree and infuriating to his tired father. A punch to the jaw that Jeremy still felt, all these years later. The memory faded. Jeremy kneeled down and pulled out a pack of wet wipes and to clean his father’s grave. Then, a pack of cigarettes, another bad habit he’s inherited from the old man.
“I know we had our issues, but I hope I make something you’d be proud of.”
With a final, lingering look, Jeremy turned and walked back to his ancient Chevy Aveo.
As he sat at a stoplight on the edge of town, Jeremy took a deep breath. The sign ahead read FAREWELL FROM EVERLY HEIGHTS, OH. The light turned green, and with a sense of both trepidation and excitement, he hit the gas. The open road stretched out before him, a ribbon of possibility cutting through fields of corn. Whatever lay ahead, after years of obessing about fictional adventures, Jeremy Hahn was finally ready to start one of his own.
