Smoking Man

Sometimes a person I meet will conjure images in my mind. Sometimes it is their name that inspires the image, as it did with Ralis Kahn, who I met at Haunt X (he’s a special effects make-up artist, not much like my character sketch). The following sketch came to mind when I first saw a coworker at SCO (Jascha) wearing glasses.

Written Feb. 14, 1989

He’s wearing a Ward Cleaver sweater over his shirt. He’s smoking a pipe, the smoke wistfully curling toward the ceiling. He’s seated in a reclining chair. A table with a lamp is to his right. The lamp shade is off-white with Victorian-esque lace. Along the wall behind him are rows and rows of books, all looking old and exquisite. He is reading a leather-bound copy of some class or other. The pages are yellowed with age. The light in the room is dim. The pleasant, sweet smell of the tobacco permeates the room. Classical music plays in the background. His slacks are of a cotton-polyester blend; he wears satin slippers. An Afghan hound lies on the floor by his feet and to the left, fast asleep. His face is serious with concentration and interest.