The Minnesota Plan

by Benjamin Cooper

About the Author: Benjamin Cooper is a published author residing in Naperville, Il. He studied creative writing at the University of Iowa. His works, ranging from literary fiction to science fiction, can be found on his website www.MindofBenjaminCooper.com for complimentary viewing.

Excerpt

“The Minnesota Plan,” I muttered, staring into the swirling waters of the creek, captivated by its tranquility. “Why does it consume me?” But, of course, I was fooling myself. I knew perfectly well why I was in the midst of an ill-contrived plot to murder my ex-girlfriend. Although at first, I had no intentions of actually following through. With each passing day the notion became more plausible, predestined really, in my twisted distortion of reality.

I sat in silence, perched on a flat boulder in a ravine near my apartment, which Steve and I had aptly nicknamed the canyon. Our first week on campus, my new roommate, Steve and I, had attempted to take a shortcut home from the bars. We had cut through the small wooded area with only our phones and the moonlight to light the way. Disoriented, inebriated, and in unfamiliar territory, we unknowingly stumbled into the shallow ravine. Steve had fallen in the water, reacting hysterically and ranting about being stuck in a canyon. We regrouped at the boulder, telling each other dirty jokes and laughing to lighten the mood. Eventually, we lumbered out of the ravine to discover, rather ironically, that we had been merely feet from our apartment.

Now the canyon was not a place of cheer, but of solace. To my dismay, it did not bring its usual equanimity. The Minnesota Plan was replaying over and over in my mind like an unending nightmare. Simply put, I could no longer control the plan, for it now had a life of its own. There was no stopping its evolution. I was obsessed with working out details and closing out the glaring loopholes.

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