The Ballad of Bonaduke—
Episode 16: Stephen Carpenter
DETAILS: Series: The Ballad of Bonaduke, #16 Format: Kindle Vella Story Read Date: February 9, 2023
The Story So Far…
A drunken Michael Bonaduke decides to use a grift (with maybe some sort of magic/magic-like “help”) to win on a scratch-off lottery ticket so he has money to buy more to drink. He pulls off whatever he did, gets his money and some booze and stumbles off into the darkness to drink himself into oblivion so he can start again the next day. He’s hit by dark memories (probably what’s driving him to the drinking) of fire, pleading, and screaming. There’s going to be a price to pay for his grift, and he’s trying to be ready.
Before then, he gets himself drunk and we get some of his tragic backstory. As he ponders this, he decides to use some of his ill-gotten-gains to buy more booze and walks into a liquor store robbery. He foils it in some sort of magical fashion, gets some more to drink, and heads off to the park to drink until he’s arrested (probably for the failed robbery). At least that’s his plan, but it gets interrupted by being hit by a car. He wakes up on some sort of short, metal bed and is unsure what’s going on. It turns out that some group is subjecting him to a test—if he passes, everything will be explained to him (and hopefully the reader, too). He passes—and is brought somewhere for answers, or maybe training, or maybe another test. Time will tell (or things are going to get really annoying). Answers aren’t quick to come—but the mysteries and questions keep piling up.
Things get hairy and Bonaduke leaves and finds himself back in the neighborhood he started from.
What’s Stephen Carpenter About?
Apparently, Bonaduke wasn’t as unwelcome as I thought at the homeless camp—it’s just that he needs to talk to the top man—Stephen Carpenter, a long-time acquaintance who knows something about Bonaduke and his abilities. But not enough.
Carp welcomes Bonaduke and reminds him that he has a place in the community and is welcome to stay—but he wants something, too. He wants Bonaduke to work for the betterment of the city’s homeless.
Bonaduke just wants to drink and sleep some right now, so Carp cuts the conversation short—for now.
So, what did I think about Stephen Carpenter?
Everyone’s being too vague for my tastes at the moment (I really don’t think I’d care if I was reading this in a longer form, but minced up like this, I need something more to hang on to). But at least something’s happening—here’s someone who has a history with Bonaduke (more of one than our protagonist realized) and pushes him to action. Something this story really needs (even if it ends up not being what Carp is looking for).
This is better and gives me hope I won’t be always frustrated by this series.
