It’s true what people say: The Ancient Greeks influenced our way of life. For me, it was in an indirect way. Last Saturday, I was brainstorming my idea of what Homer means when he uses mist in The Odyssey. After I got an idea of what I wanted to write, I put my ideas on paper. Only one problem remained. I couldn’t make this transition. Apparently, the pen ran out of ink.
It was no big deal. I had plenty of pens in my room. I took one. I started writing and once again there was no ink so I threw it out. After countless pens, none of them worked. The easy solution was to use a pencil, but I am a stubborn man. I want to write this essay with a pen.
I went downstairs and asked my dad if I can borrow a pen from him. He said, “No. I won’t give you a pen. I will give you something better.”
“Sure,” I said because honestly want can better than a pen?
We go into the basement and my dad takes out a box. He opens it and inside was a bunch of fancy looking pens.
“Dad, those are still pens,” I said.
“No. They aren’t pens. They are writing instruments!” he replied.
“What’s the difference?” I asked.
“Try it. Then you feel the difference,” he said.
I opened the cap and saw the tip of the pen. It was nothing I had ever seen before. Thanks to Google, I found out I was using a fountain pen. I went up to my room. Took out a piece of paper and started writing random things to get a feel for it. After a while, I was getting the feel for it and then the ink also ran out!
I went downstairs to my dad and proudly exclaimed, “Aha! The ink ran out. This isn’t better than my pens. Looks like I’m going to throw this out.”
“No! Stop. Do not throw away the pen. The whole point is to refill the ink,” he said.
I was even more confused now. I never knew that pens could be refilled. We went back to the basement. He took out a syringe and a bottle of black ink. He took my pen and opened it up to reveal a cartridge. There he used a syringe to fill the cartridge.
“There you go. I refilled it. No need to throw it out like your cheap pens,” he said with a smile.
I was in total shock. I never knew that anybody still has bottles of ink lying around their home. I thought it was an 18th century thing…something of a shocker in the 21st century. As I now using my new writing instrument, I feel different than when I do with a regular pen. It gives me a sense of originality and superiority because honestly, who uses a fountain pen nowadays? Thanks to my Dad, he introduced me into this world of writing elegantly with elegant tools. Now, off to Homer!
Actually, I used a fountain pen when I was in the fourth grade for a calligraphy class. But you are right, I don’t think there are anyone who still use this kind of pen. Just a quick question, did you find it kind of messy when you refill the ink? I remember how I made a mess out of it. Then again, I was eight, so that might make a difference.
Some professional people do keep a fountain pen, and it works quite well with a sports jacket just like your average pocket square does. On Sunday night, I was watching the season premier of 666 Park Avenue, and I spotted the fountain pen when Jane Van Venn (Rachael Taylor) and Henry Martin (Dave Annable) signed their contracts with landlord. To my surprise, the fountain pen still has its place in American society. Personally, I like how you are able to derive a cultural encounter from a fountain pen. It’s a very cute concept.
I was given a fountain pen as a gift a few years back and my reaction was similar to yours, who even uses these anymore? But after writing around with it for a little bit, I actually really like the way it writes, and how smooth it is on paper, and I agree it does make me feel unique whenever I use it. I also like how you included a picture of the pen and ink, it helps the reader visualize the images in your story.