Vera and the Famous Author

Vera thought that maybe she should think about the MacArthur Genius Grant. So she thought about it. And she thought that was about as close to a grant as she'd ever get, so she started thinking about Snoopy and the Red Baron.

Here goes the Famous Author, sitting in a Very Comfy leather arm chair, so big you can sit indian style in it without hurting your ankles. A cup of hot chocolate with a dash of coffee, a pencil in hand, a blank sheet of paper...

Aaaaaaaaaargh! Make the white space go away! The pressure! The tension!

Vera decided to close her eyes and think. She thought about what her exact location would be like in a thousand years. Would there even be people here? Would everyone be Chinese?

What about lovely gardens and tall rooms with immense libraries, and a boat. Yes, the story must have a boat. And a handsome young man. Who falls in love with a beautiful young lady, but she doesn't know she's beautiful. And there must be a bratty little brother, and a kind old uncle. And a father who has gone far away. No one knows when he may return. Mother is whistful. Full of whist (what's whist?).

His name was Mao Ling, and he was born in the year of the Monkey.