Joe "Catboy" Baughls and the 3am Challenge

3AM

Joe carefully set up the night vision camera and put down the pencils on the Charlie Charlie paper. He took a deep breath.

The pencil moved to 'no' as he exhaled. Flabbergasted, Joe jumped back and yelped. "I didn't even say anything yet! Why is Charlie Charlie already here?"

He remembered that his exhale probably moved the pencil, but he decided to keep up the act that it was a ghost.

"Ahh! Oh my goodness! A ghost!" He said, rather unenthusiastically. "Charlie Charlie, are you there?" The pencil didn't move. He exhaled again, and it moved even further to the 'no' side. "I guess Charlie Charlie really doesn't want to talk," Joe laughed. 

He turned off the camera and laid back down on his makeshift bed, struggling to get another wink of sleep. Maybe some music would help.

He picked up another guitar and strummed some chords. Before he knew it, the chord progression started to sound good, like something you would hear in a country song. Joe wasn't completely into country music, but he didn't hate it and was open to making a little song. 

He threw together some words. Tractor? Sure, that's a good country word. Women? Sure. The whole process of making lyrics to go along with his song seemed pretty easy.

Riding along in my tractor
On the farm 

I ain't ever

played guitar.

He scribbled the song lyrics he had onto a sticky note he found at the cash register. He sat down behind the counter and thought to himself. He could try to be a successful YouTuber with his fake paranormal encounters, or he could become a country singer with his new skill.

Joe picked up his phone and called Trip.

"It's 6 in the morning, man, I just woke up to go to the gym. What's up?"

"I think I'm gonna quit the channel. I found something else that speaks to me more than my paranormal encounters."

"Dude, it's 3am for you. Maybe you should get some rest so you can actually make logical decisions before you change career paths."

"Listen, Trip, I know my brain probably isn't performing at its peak right now, but I really think I can make it as a country singer-"

Trip laughed. "You're messing with me. No one randomly decides they want to be a country singer instead of a YouTuber."

"I just found out I'm a guitar prodigy. I know, it's pretty crazy."

"What?"

"Yeah. I'm at a guitar store so I decided to play one of them and I'm actually pretty good. I genuinely think this can work out for me."

"Alright, I guess. Sleep on it. Tell me what you think in the morning."