{"id":2804,"date":"2025-08-17T09:03:49","date_gmt":"2025-08-17T16:03:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/?p=2804"},"modified":"2025-08-17T09:03:49","modified_gmt":"2025-08-17T16:03:49","slug":"de-escalation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/2025\/08\/17\/de-escalation\/","title":{"rendered":"De-escalation"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

prompt: Center your story around someone\u2019s public image and private self colliding.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

available at Reedsy<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOnce again, the unknown masked man known only as \u2018The De-escalator\u2019 has defused a tense situation in front of the federal courthouse this afternoon. After an intense, seven-minute speech, both the protesters and the police relaxed their stance, keeping the protest and the response peaceful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe mayor\u2019s office has expressed an interest in finding him and working with him. At the same time, a vocal group of supporters have been calling for him to run for office.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe turn now to Krista with the weather.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThanks, Chet. Not all heroes wear capes, some wear a hoodie and a cloth mask.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSpeaking of hoodies, you might want to keep yours close this weekend as temperatures begin to drop\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 Seth turned the TV off with a heavy sigh. He stood and took the two-and-a-half steps to the kitchenette. He opened the fridge and reached for a beer and changed his mind before his hand got there. After standing with his hand out for a brief moment, he closed the fridge. It was too late to drink, and he still needed to shower before he called it a night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After showering, Seth lifted the base of the jackknife sofa and pulled a blanket and pillow out, leaving behind only a dark grey hoodie with a black cloth mask sewn into the hood. He laid the sofa out flat and lay down on his humble bed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He was almost asleep when a knock came at the door. \u201cWho\u2019s th-th-th-there?\u201d he called out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMr. Sanders, I just want to have a quick word with you,\u201d the woman outside the door said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He rose and looked out the peephole. It was a small woman, dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt from the local community college.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seth opened the door. \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMay I come in?\u201d she asked. \u201cIf you would prefer to talk about this in the hallway, we can do that, too.\u201d She raised her phone with an image from the afternoon\u2019s protest, when \u2018The De-escalator\u2019 was talking to the crowd.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He opened the door wider and let her in. \u201cWho are you?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDenise Cline, private investigator.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He closed the door and retreated the few steps to his sofa bed. \u201cGood meeting you,\u201d he said. He hated how odd it sounded, but it was guaranteed to be easy to say without his annoying stutter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMr. Sanders\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSeth.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSeth, I followed you after your speech. I would\u2019ve shown up earlier, but it took a while to find out who you were from just your address and apartment number. Name, date of birth, all that, easy enough, but nothing that told me who you are.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She pointed at the laptop on the small table. \u201cNo online presence at all. No social media, only one personal email I could find, and it seems like you only use it for signing up to delivery and streaming services.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd until just now, I didn\u2019t know you went to bed so early.\u201d She tilted her head. \u201cI would almost say you\u2019ve gone out of your way to be private. Is there something you need to hide?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seth shook his head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat is it?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNuh-nuh-nuh-nuh-nothing.\u201d He felt the mix of annoyance and shame for his stutter bubbling up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She took the few steps required to circle his studio apartment, stopping by the small table with his laptop by the kitchenette. \u201cWhat do you do for work, Seth?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m a medical tr-tr-tr-tr-transcriptionist.\u201d He noticed she didn\u2019t do any of the things he was used to seeing. The \u2018hurry up\u2019 gestures, annoyed looks or attempts to finish his sentence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhere do you work, Seth?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAt home.\u201d He pointed at the laptop on the small table. \u201cRight th-th-there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWell, I thought I was a good detective, but now I\u2019m not so sure,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy uncle has a stutter a lot like yours. Voiced dental fricatives and nasal consonants \u2014 sounds that start with the tongue far forward. Hard dees, tee-arrs and tee-aitches and ens and such, right? Not so much sibilants like ess.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seth nodded. \u201cSo?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought I was following the The De-escalator, but he doesn\u2019t stutter.\u201d She sat on the single chair at the small table. \u201cThen again, my uncle can sing like a lark. It could be something like that. What do you think?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou\u2019re nuh-nuh-nuts!\u201d The annoyance at not being able to just spit the words out painted his face with a hot blush.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMaybe, maybe not.\u201d Denise stood and crossed to the other side of the room where his shoes sat next to a stack of books in the corner. She turned them with her toe until a green scuff on the inside of the right shoe was visible. She looked through images on her phone, then enlarged one to show him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The scuff was clearly visible on the shoe of The De-escalator. Seth scolded himself for not taking better care of his only pair of shoes. Not that he had much need of them, outside of calming down the city.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhy are you here?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI told Mayor Watanabe that I would find you and extend her invitation to work with her office as a consultant.\u201d She leaned back with a smirk. \u201cI think the real reason is, she\u2019s afraid you\u2019ll run against her, and she won\u2019t stand a chance.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seth shook his head hard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI have to ask, though, is it singing or something like it that gets you through the stutter?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTh-th-th-the mask,\u201d he said, wishing it weren\u2019t needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDoes it change how your own voice sounds to you, or something else?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSomething else,\u201d he said. \u201cNuh-nuh-nuh-nuh-nuh-not me in the mask.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cJudging by the size and furnishings, you\u2019re the sole occupant of this apartment, and those are your shoes.\u201d She pointed at the stack of books in the corner. \u201cI clocked that, too. Locke, Aristotle, Marx, Machiavelli, Rousseau, Montesquieu, probably some public policy textbooks buried toward the bottom there, with the spines facing the wall. It\u2019s you in the mask.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seth shook his head. He tried to repeat himself but became frustrated at his inability to get the words out. He flipped up the sofa, pulled the hoodie out, and put it on. Looking out through the mesh of the one-way fabric he was safe. Seth was safe and nowhere around to be seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo, you don\u2019t understand. Behind the mask, I could be anyone<\/em> or no-one. I don\u2019t stutter because I\u2019m not really Seth here. At least, that\u2019s how it is right now. If word gets out, if Seth can\u2019t disappear back into his cozy, private hole with Door Dash, Instacart, and online work with communication only via Slack and email, then this,\u201d he motioned at himself in the hoodie, \u201cis over.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Denise sat back down. \u201cI can hear the wheels turning. Calm down, I\u2019m not going to out you to anyone. Behind the mask you\u2019re The De-escalator, no connection to Seth at all.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seth let out a breath he hadn\u2019t been aware he was holding. \u201cThank you, Denise. I realize I can\u2019t do much in the public sphere, but if I can help in this small way, I\u2019ll keep doing it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat started you on this?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI realized a long time ago, protests that turn violent almost never accomplish anything. Those that stay peaceful allow for more positive impact. I never could participate in debate club, but I watched every single debate through high school and college. Between that, a degree in Psychology, and the best of the best political debates and speeches, I picked up a lot of rhetorical tricks and techniques to help win and calm a crowd.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Denise pulled out a business card and scrawled a number on the back. She held the card out. \u201cAs cool as The De-escalator is, I think I\u2019d like to get to know Seth a little more. This is my private cell. Call me when you feel up to it. I can bring takeout, and we can hang out.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Seth took the card and shucked the hoodie. His eyes glistened with the beginnings of tears. \u201cI will, De-de-de-Denise.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ll be waiting for your call, and I\u2019ll keep my eyes out for anyone else trying to unmask The De-escalator and make sure they don\u2019t get as far as I did.\u201d She smiled and walked to the door. \u201cCall me soon, Seth.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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