#FabulousFridayGuestBlogger, Hugh W. Roberts: Are You Sure Everything You See Exists?

/ Hugh W. Roberts

How certain are you that everything you see or hear exists?

When Marcia kindly offered me a guest writer spot on The Write Stuff, it could not have come at a better time. Not only had I just published a second collection of my short stories and flash fiction, More Glimpses, but one of the characters from the book was questioning me as to its existence.

It sounds a rather strange question, doesn’t it? Someone or something from a book or story asking if it exists. Not to be outdone or disloyal to my character, I told it to write a blog post. What you are about to read is the result.

***

I don’t have a name. Well, I did, but I’ve forgotten what it was. In fact, thinking about it, I could have had hundreds of titles.

Even though I don’t have a name, I appear as a character in the story ‘The Man In The Television’ in the new short story collection, More Glimpses’ by Hugh W. Roberts. Hugh gave me a satisfying role; one that definitely portrays who I am and what I can do.

But back to my question – Are you sure everything you see exists? How would you answer that question? Look around you and ask yourself if everything you do see is really there. Our brains and eyes play so many tricks on us, what’s the guarantee that everything you see or hear is actually there?

And about the things, you think, do not exist? They’re not real, are they?

Take Hugh, for example. Are you sure he exists? Have you ever met him? If you’ve never met him, how do you know he’s real? And if you have met him in real life, how do you know it was him you actually met?

Hugh’s had a few incidents in his life that he doesn’t fully understand. Was the ghostly figure he saw sat at the end of his bed really there? Where did the scratches he discovered under his bed come from? I’ve heard him ask himself many times if what he saw or heard were real, or if they were all figures of his imagination? He’s only told a few people about those incidents. Most of them waved them off as not being real. How wrong they are.

Have you ever witnessed something you can’t explain? A locked door that opens by itself, or the sound of footsteps coming from upstairs when you’re the only one in the house? How about that feeling that somebody has just walked over your grave?  They may go unchallenged or not seem to matter after a few minutes, but something caused them, didn’t it?   

The stories, characters and twists in Hugh’s book never existed until they were bought to life from an area of the brain not even you humans fully understand. Just because you don’t understand something doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist, does it? 

Should you be wary of me? That depends on whether you think I’m real or not. Now you’ve read this post I’ve written, I exist, don’t I?

I look forward to meeting you.

***

Story #19: The Man In The Television

Genre: Horror

Unaware of what is in the room with them, a family watching a popular Saturday evening television show have no idea what is really happening in front of them. Have you seen the man in the television?

Photo by Tertia van Rensburg on Unsplash

***

Whatever it was that wrote the above post can be found in the story ‘The Man In The Television’ from my latest short story collection, More Glimpses.

If you’d like to meet another character from More Glimpses, Jane Collins from the story The Jump, click here to read her blog post.

Click here to buy your copy of More Glimpses.

Also available – Glimpses, the first collection of short stories and flash fiction from Hugh W. Roberts.

Click here to buy your copy of Glimpses.

Thank you so much for allowing me to use your blog, today, to promote my new book, Marcia.

Now, back to the question I asked you all. Are you sure everything you see exists? Let me know by leaving me a comment.

***

About Hugh W. Roberts

Hugh W. Roberts lives in Swansea, South Wales, in the United Kingdom.

Hugh gets his inspiration for writing from various avenues including writing prompts, photos, eavesdropping and while out walking his dogs, Toby and Austin. Although he was born in Wales, he has lived around various parts of the United Kingdom, including London where he lived and worked for 27 years.

Hugh suffers from a mild form of dyslexia but, after discovering blogging, decided not to allow the condition to stop his passion for writing. Since creating his blog ‘Hugh’s Views & News’ in February 2014, he has built up a strong following and now writes every day. Always keen to promote other bloggers, authors and writers, Hugh enjoys the interaction blogging brings and has built up a group of online friends he considers as an ‘everyday essential’.

His short stories have become well known for the unexpected twists they contain in taking the reader up a completely different path to one they think they are on. One of the best compliments a reader can give Hugh is “I never saw that ending coming.”

Having published his first book of short stories, Glimpses, in December 2016, his second collection of short stories, More Glimpses, was released in March 2019. Hugh is already working on the next volume.

A keen photographer, he also enjoys cycling, walking, reading, watching television, and enjoys relaxing most evenings with a glass of red wine. Hugh shares his life with John, his civil-partner, and Toby and Austin, their Cardigan Welsh Corgis.

Connect with Hugh

Blog: Hugh’s Views and News

Twitter: @HughRoberts05

Flipboard

Mix.com

Amazon Author Page

Goodreads

© 2019 Copyright-All rights reserved-hughsviewsandnews.com.

63 thoughts on “#FabulousFridayGuestBlogger, Hugh W. Roberts: Are You Sure Everything You See Exists?”

  1. Thank you so much for being our guest blogger today, Hugh. What a great, fun post! I know everyone will enjoy both reading it and getting to know you better. (Sorry about the delay. Next time, I’ll go and schedule the completed post from my end, if I don’t have this glitch in WordPress sorted by then.) Thanks again for being here today!

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  7. I’m not sure that either Hugh or Marcia really exist, but then they can’t be sure that I do!
    When we got our first television when I was four, I thought all the television people lived in the cabinet underneath and was too scared to open it. Now with flat screens it’s even more of a mystery where they live!
    I read Glimpses ages ago, now looking forward to the new volume.

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    • Good point, Janet. Maybe you don’t really exist at all. Hey, now. Don’t make me come OVER there to find out!! On second thought, I’ve always wanted to see that part of the world. Maybe now I have a good excuse! 😀

      Thanks for stopping by today! 🙂 ❤

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    • lol, very true. And even if we do meet our online blogging friends in person (like I have), how do we know it’s really them?

      I also remember looking behind the TV for the people who were on the screen. It was some of the monsters on Doctor Who who really terrified me. Thinking they were behind the TV, while I was behind the sofa. They must have all gone very thin since the introduction of flatscreen TVs. 😀

      I hope you enjoy the stories in More Glimpses. I’m delighted that it’s already getting some fantastic reviews.

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  10. I have met (who I think was) Hugh and thoroughly enjoyed the experience, nearly as much as I enjoyed reading both Glimpses and More Glimpses! The stories are original, thought provoking, scary and fun in equal measure! Thanks for this insight into Hugh and one of the characters from his book, really enjoyed it!

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  12. Ooh this sounds so intriguing, Hugh. I have my copy on my TBR list. Look forward to reading it! Thanks for sharing this snippet, Natcia! I have a couple of your books on my TBR list too! 😘🤗❤️ To you both!

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  15. Thank you, Marcia, for hosting and promoting Hugh’s work. If his second book is anything like the first, then it is must on my list to be read. Hugh – good luck with this book. I’m sure it will do well. HUGS

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  17. Great question and thought-provoking ideas, here. Not only am I not sure we/I/everything around me exists, even more puzzling is how much exists around me/us that we don’t see? Lots, I think. The paperback of More Glimpses is on its way to our front door, because my guy can’t wait to read it also (and he’s not an lover of e-books). I have a feeling that after we read “More” we’ll have to get the first one next…

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  18. I like your thinking about the things that exist that we can’t see, Pam. Thank you so much for ordering More Glimpses. I hope you both enjoy reading the stories in it and that my first short story collection, Glimpses, will also end up on your TBR pile. Between the two books, there are 60 short stories and pieces of flash fiction that I hope neither of you will guess the endings to.
    Happy reading.

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  20. Pingback: Can Dogs Solve Murders? – Hugh's Views & News  

  21. Imagination is a curious thing! We imagine things that aren’t there. But, what’s the opposite? Imagining that “real” objects aren’t present? I’d love that. To wish away being sick right now! 🙂

    I called one of the dogs surrounding me over and petted him to make sure. Yes, he exists. He feels sad I’m bed-bound.

    The only mysterious things that have happened to my husband and me are camper and boat-related. Unexplainable issues – broken parts, non-functioning systems – that show up and need to be resolved. Those have been our mysteries. Sometimes, you need to find the cause to a problem before you can fix it and that’s an issue!

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    • I’m sorry to hear you’re sick at the moment, Liesbet. I wish you a speedy recovery.

      If I find myself faced with any problems (such as how to replace the batteries inside a strange looking remote control last weekend), I usually have a look for the solution on YouTube. The only problem with that is then being tempted by the mysterious videos that have been uploaded which touch on the subject of the unexplained. However, YouTube can certainly get my creative cogs whirring.

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