Mystery Shack Creative Writing

In the backwoods of Oregon, there lives a conman named Stanley Pines. The locals know him as the scamming Mr. Mystery, tour guide and owner of the Mystery Shack, a tourist trap. If one just looked at him, they may be able to deduce that Stan was once a boxer from the way his suit jacket stretches over his muscular arms, or that he has had a hard life when they see the deep stress lines on his face and wrinkles even though Stan is only pushing sixty. Lastly, before they leave with their fake pieces of gold, they’ll notice that Stan is a money-grabbing jerk when he won’t give them a refund on the faux merchandise and laughs at their faces.

While yes, Stan can be a jerk, especially to tourists, he’s insanely protective and loyal toward his family. Multiple times when his niece and nephew were in danger, Stan rushed in, ignoring his own safety in order

Stanley has scars. Large scars and huge scars from when he was homeless, small cuts and burns on his hands and face from sharp alien metals and circuitry from the portal, cigarette burns and a brand shaped like a demon ward seared on his shoulders, and puckered bullet holes in his torso. Stan has lost most cartilage in his joints, so they snap and creak as he walks. His knuckles pop every time Stan grabs something. Not only is his body below his neck is torn up, Stan is partially blind from scarred tissue and cataracts in his eyes.

Most of these scars are covered though, in the presence of family, by a vintage black suit and the smell of scar cream is masked with a pine scented body spray and the disgusting scent of denture paste. A vibrant crimson fez with a small mysterious symbol like a fish sits, jaunted on top of Stanley 's head, and a gold chain from a boxing match dangles around his neck. The chain jangles and twists when Stan gesticulates as he talks with a deep, gravelly voice. The chain jerks and clangs when Stan is in a coughing fit and struggles to breath through tarred