How to handle rejection

'I have to say I think it's wonderful!' said Norma.


'Well you know me,' replied Bertha, 'I wasn't going to just sit around and let the time drift by.'


'It's sort of him but not him,' continued Norma. 'It's as if you've managed to capture the essential inner angst of the poet through a partially abstracted deconstruction of his individual character while still giving us an everyman figure.'


'You can see his bum from around here!' added Annie.


'And it's not your usual material is it?' asked Norma. 'This isn't stone!'


'It's papier mache,' replied Bertha.


'Interesting choice,' remarked Norma.


'I used the rejection letters from his publisher,' replied Bertha. 'He's been having them forwarded here. If you look closely you can still read bits of some of them.'


Norma looked closely.


'So you can! They've spelt his name incorrectly on this one.'


'Oh where?' asked Bertha. 'I missed that.'


'Just here,' replied Norma, 'just above where it says 'restraining order'. So what does he think of it?'


'No idea,' said Bertha, 'I've not actually spoken to him. I just found him standing like that and thought he'd make an interesting subject. He's a very good model. He occasionally scribbles a few words and then crosses them out again but apart from that he doesn't move at all.'


'And how long has he been like that?' asked Norma.


'Er...about three months now,' replied Bertha.


'Perhaps I should have a word?' suggested Norma.


So Norma spoke to Horace and then together the four of them set off back towards Captain Bill. 


Which left only one person unaccounted for.