It seems there were a bunch of people who were much more interested in the book than I was....they swiped the book and posted the pirated copy online for download. The pirated version quickly grew legs and "went viral." I haven't seen download stats, but from the sounds of things, it spread across the web like wildfire
Today, the publisher and author released a press release talking about the positive angle they tried to take with this piracy. Basically, they posted a request on the author's Facebook page for everybody who downloaded the pirated copy to post a review of the book. I'm sure there were some who didn't post for fear of repercussions, but the publishers made the request in good faith and were rewarded with a ton of great reviews comparing the book to "the likes of Tolkien, Barker, King and Goodkind."
The book is slated to be the first in a trilogy. And even though the first copy was pirated, it's getting a ton of great hype and added press from the piracy. I'm sure the piracy hurt the sales. I've been involved in many discussions about how piracy can hurt actual sales of products (talking in the past with regards to music, movies and video games) though I'm sure there are also a lot of people who have now legitimately purchased the book as a result of the media spin around it and the great reviews that are out there.
I know that with the increased use and acceptance of electronic versions of books, there was a lot of concern from the literary world that they would see pirated versions of books in the same way as there have been pirated versions of other media. The past couple of years have certainly proven their fears to be valid as a number of books have been pirated.
However, the debate once again opens with the question of - Is there a way to spin piracy in a positive light and actually reap some benefit from the downside? The author, J.S. Chancellor, notes that she was flattered that it was stolen, but also left feeling sick at the thought. And the press release points out that, although the publicity is certainly not coming in the preferred method, "the book is quickly gaining notice".
My personal opinion is that there are (sadly) always going to be thieves and crooks out there. There are always going to be hackers who try to break through a DRM or other form of security system just to prove they can do it. At the same time, there are going to be people who will work through the system legitimately as designed...shopping and purchasing and generally doing things the right way. I optimistically hope and believe that the majority of people actually go through legal rather than illegal means. I would potentially worry about those who got the illegal copy without knowing it was illegal (if someone just posted a version online and they got a link saying "check out the new book for free"...a person may think it was part of a promotion or something) but still, I think the ignorant pirate is another fairly small category.
With regards to books (and even some movies, music, and games), there is almost ALWAYS a way for the frugal reader to get a FREE copy of the book (even the ebook in some cases) and that is to simply make a trip to their own library. The literary world is somewhat unique in its use of the library system...there is actually an acceptance of "getting the books for free." However, even then, this free copy is given with certain rules and with certain protocols to be followed...which again brings me to my earlier point that I think a lot of piracy (especially book piracy) begins more with those who just steal the copies for the sake of stealing them.
As a person who eventually wants to see my own work published and for sale, my heart really goes out to J.S. Chancellor over this issue. I'm very saddened to see her lose out on the sales and have her book dragged through the mud of piracy. At the same time, I agree with her that it must be somewhat flattering to have her book the subject of piracy and then to see it spread so virally. Furthermore, the reviews that came of it have been good. I think she and her publisher did an excellent job of making lemonade from lemons and doing what they could to turn a bad situation to their advantage.
I would love to see piracy go away entirely. There are also a lot of other bad things in the world that I'd like to see go away. But the sad fact is that many of the problems in society/world are here to stay. I think Rhemalda and Chancellor handled this example of privacy very admirably and set a good example for the future. I'm not saying publishers and authors (or musicians, movie/game studios, etc) shouldn't try to stop piracy or should endorse/promote piracy, but I think they should strive to wind ways to turn negative situations to their advantage rather than just bemoaning the situation and looking to post fines all through the dark underbelly of the Internet.
And yet somehow, for some reason, Howling Turtle has decided to award me the "Stylish Blogger Award." I don't think I've ever really been called "stylish" in my life...unless it was done so sarcastically. So first of all, let me thank the
Now, onto the more entertaining part. Here are the rules that go along with this award:
- Thank and link back to the person who awarded you this award
- Share 7 things about yourself
- Award 10 recently discovered great bloggers
- Contact these bloggers and tell them about the award
Let's see...7 things about myself. No criteria, so this is fairly random.
- I've been married to my sweetheart for 14 years...and loving it
- I have 3 wonderful children
- I view Dr. Pepper as a sweet ambrosia
- I (strangely) enjoy the scent of skunks
- I'm a (male) theater lover (especially musical theater) and have (on numerous occasions) driven hundreds of miles to see a play
- I love to collect and play new (and old) board games
- I love riddles, cryptography and cryptic puzzles....not only doing them but (more so) creating them for others. Eventually I want to have 'templates' I can use to host 'puzzle parties'
And now onto the 10 winners. As I mentioned, I've been kind of AWOL on the blogosphere lately, so these aren't necessarily "recently discovered" bloggers (not sure how that relates to "stylish" anyway) though there are some new finds for me. I'm also not the most "aesthetic" guy...I can appreciate nice looking things and have a feel for what I like and don't like about some designs/layouts/etc but really, I'm not looking at the "style" of the blogs in terms of how the blog is laid out so much (especially since I usually read inside an RSS Aggregator which strips out any style) as what's inside them. These are bloggers that I feel have a certain unique style they bring to the blogosphere in terms of topics, talent, content, etc. Feel free to disagree...as with the Academy Awards, there is no appeal process. ;)
So here they are (in alphabetical order...and I did 11, just because I could)
- Blog O'Cheese
- Cruising Altitude
- Dad at the Chalkboard
- Dani's Letters
- Des in Real Life
- Ducks Out of a Row
- Rememorandum
- Res ipsa loquitur
- Symphonic Discord
- Waystation One
- What the...
Thank you for your attention.
We now return you to your
regularly scheduled programming.
These are very quick 'free write' sessions without editing, planning, etc.
I invite and love feedback - criticism, praise, whatever. Just let me know what you think.
I do this equally for myself and to share.
This week I decided to experiment a little with form/voice/etc. Let me know what you think
Enjoy.
Evading Fault
Yes I can keep it secret. Can YOU keep it secret?
OK. Good. So, what do we do about it? We can't tell anyone about it. And we can't let mom or dad find out. But what do we do?
I still can't believe you opened the door. What do you mean it's my fault? If you hadn't opened the door and let him in, there wouldn't be any problem!
Fine!
You're right. We can fight about this later. Right now we have to figure out what to do. We can't leave him here. But where do we take him? Maybe we should call Ben. He'd have some ideas and he's stronger than us. He could help us lift…
Alright. ALRIGHT! Just the two of us.
Do you think you can drive dad's car? If we wrap him in a blanket or something we could carry him out to dad's car and drive him somewhere.
I don't know where. Somewhere. Anywhere!
Once we get rid of him, then we can come back and clean up the kitchen.
So what. Bring your learner's permit. If we get pulled over, the least of our problems is you not having a license.
I know dad's car is a stick.
Well, how hard could it be?
No I can't do it.
'Cause I can't reach the pedals well enough to push in the clutch. It's gotta be you.
Alright. Then what do you suggest?
You actually think they won't see him outside?
Yeah. Okay, we'll both distract them and keep them from going out back. But what about when we try to sneak him into mom's car?
They don't sleep THAT soundly. Plus then we've got Sarah to deal with. You know she won't keep quiet. I still say we do it now. Maybe we could throw him over the back fence.
There's never anybody home there. Not since she went to the hospital.
What? No!
Yeah, but breaking the window won't help.
Why would somebody smash in the window just to steal him?
Let's leave the door open instead.
Yeah, but we're going to get blamed anyway. I don't want to have to pay for the window too.
No way. You break the window and I'm out of here. You can deal with him yourself.
Good.
Fine.
So go get a blanket and let's get him out back. I'll make sure nobody's in Sam's yard.
Fine. Just hurry!
Sam's yard's empty. Come help.
Ugh. He stinks. Why does dad love him so much?
Whoa. Gross! You broke his arm off. Just keep going. Hurry.
Watch out for the door.
OK. Yeah. Probably over there by the corner. We can pull over the chair.
OK. Now you climb up and I'll push.
Ready? Well hurry. Ready?
OK. Here we go.
Yuck. That sounded gross. Hahaha. You're a mess. He totally slimed all over your shirt.
Ugh. Gross. I hate you!
Fine. Fine. Let's go clean up. But once we're done, you're dead.
You start scrubbing over there and I'll get rid of these other big pieces. We should probably vacuum too.
Fine. I'll scrub. But you're the vacuum.
**********
Finally. Yuck. I'm sticky all over.
Yeah, well shut the door next time.
OK. Let me change my shirt and then we can go.
Don't forget to leave the door open. No, just a little bit so it looks like somebody closed it maybe. Yeah. That looks good.
Come on.
**********
"David? Max? Your dad's on the phone."
I'll get it.
No I won't.
Shut up!
Hi dad.
Yeah, Max is here too. Is it time to come home?
No. I'm pretty sure we shut the door. Max was the last one out.
Ow. Stop that.
Max, did you leave the door open?
Max says he closed it. Yeah, he's sure. What's the matter?
What? Are you sure?
Well, yeah. I guess. But who would steal Chief?
OK. Yeah. Yeah. We'll be there in a few minutes.
OK. Bye.
Shut up! He could still find him. Come on. He wants us to come home.
********
Yeah dad! It's us! OK. We'll be right there.
Just shut up. It'll be fine.
Ow. Stop that Sarah! Yeah, hi dad.
Um, yeah. It does look pretty good.
Maybe. I think mom vacuumed this morning.
Oh. Well, maybe whoever stole him did it.
Shut up Max, you don't know. Maybe he did.
I don't know…whoa. Where did you find that?
Why would they take Chief and leave his arm in the garbage.
I….
Um….
No. No. I love Chief.
Yeah. I…
OK.
What? Yeow. No. I don't know! Ow ow ow. I'm going. I'm going!
******
I told you they'd find it. We should've taken him in dad's car.
Yeah, but I forgot that Sarah likes to play over there.
How were we supposed to hide him better? How do you hide a ten foot wooden indian?
Shut up. It's not my fault. No it's not.
No.
No!
NO!
Yeah. Sorry dad. OK.
Yeah. We'll be quiet.
Sorry.
The book is laid out vey well and feels very conversational. From the first page to the last, I felt like I was engaged in a discussion with the authors. Granted, it's a one-sided discussion as far as the book is concerned because obviously while a "static" book may pose questions to the reader, it doesn't respond or alter the discussion based on my responses. However, this book (as you might suspect based on the topic) includes supplemental online material to not only keep the discussion going but to turn it into a more "LIVE" conversation. The authors maintain an active twitter account, blogs, Facebook pages and more. By doing this, not only do they help ensure their readers can be kept up to date with new information, but they also actively engage with their readers to answer questions or postulate on concerns and continue discussions. So in a sense, the book transcends the page in the very way they suggest 21st century learning needs to transcend the traditional brick-and-mortar classroom/teacher learning.
As I read the book, there was a natural flow/progression. The book began with general education and information about the Online Learning trajectory and the influence and influx of technology…each chapter/segment gradually introducing more and more information and presenting ideas for learning and incorporating more. After a time, the flow moved towards the idea of transitioning "your" training/education system from traditional learning to online learning.
For me, the first portion of the book was very interesting and engaging. The ideas and concepts were very intriguing and I found myself wanting to stop reading in order to go and check out some of the applications or websites referenced in the book. There is a great appendix to the book with notes and references that include URLs to applications, websites, studies and more to help supplement the areas referenced in the text. There are many that I hope to follow through and learn more about.
As I moved into the latter portion of the book, my reading was from more of a theoretical level. While I work in software development and naturally help support and roll out any technological modifications to our company's training program…it would not be within my sphere of influence to pitch an idea for an Online Learning platform. As part of my supporting role, I could certainly provide feedback for the primary stakeholder, but I felt like I was not really the target audience for the latter portion of the book. As such, there were segments of the reading that didn't really connect with me and towards which I felt overly critical even though my personal knowledge of those interactions (specifically those of a stakeholder working with corporate level executives to get approval/etc) is certainly not as rich as the intended audience (the proposing stakeholder) would be.
Still, even without being exactly the target audience, I felt that even the latter portion of the book held enough general knowledge and ideas that it could be valuable information even for someone like me (in more of a support role to the stakeholder) or even for an individual team contributor simply looking to learn more about emerging technology.
I certainly agree with the premise in this book that the world of learning is changing. Some of the data was shocking to me but not entirely surprising when I stepped back and thought about the nature of technological growth in the past few years. I think back over my dozen years in college (I was a part time student that took more than a decade to get my Bachelor's degree). Over that time, the learning models at the University changed at least 3 times that I can recall. Admittedly, most of my classes/learning was in a "traditional" model, but even then there was plenty of growth and movement towards a blended model where technology was increasing in importance.
I think this book would be a great read for any educator or lover of technology (especially emerging technologies related to blending learning with social media). I also firmly believe that this book has lots of great information for a training manager, hr manager, or other stakeholder looking to expand the training and learning opportunities within a company or organization. This book has a wealth of great information and resources to help jump start your online learning strategy.
(NOTE: You can find links to some of the resources mentioned in the book by hopping over to the authors's blog at www.TheLearningeXplosion.com. The blog is updated fairly frequently and includes links to their Facebook and Twitter accounts as well).
4 out of 5 stars
View all my reviews
The movie started out intriguingly enough with the police tailing Angelina's character and (as the trailer points out) trying to have her lead them to some mysterious man. Apparently the man has had millions of dollars in plastic surgery so no one knows what he looks like. He communicates with Angelina and gives her instructions to find a decoy and help throw the police off the trail.
The movie then becomes an adventure of comic mistaken identity as Johnny Depp is pitted against angry international mobsters, corrupt policemen and Interpol agents led by Scotland Yard.
Johnny Depp did a stellar job pulling off the confused humor required by the outrageous situations he found himself in. Subtle nuances to the writing and direction led to a number of smaller jokes that made me chuckle at times (like the fact that he tried to be "international" by constantly speaking Spanish to the locals….in Italy).
There were a number of interesting twists and turns as each of the parties hunting the real criminal grabbed Depp from one another. As the movie progressed it became more and more apparent that there were layers of duplicity running through many of the organizations chasing him. Some of the most major twists came in the last half of the movie and were fairly surprising (while I predicted/guessed one of the twists, one of the others legitimately caught me off guard).
This isn't some Hitchcockian
Overall this was a very fun film and I was much more entertained by it than I expected to be. I thought it would be adequate but as it turns out, it is actually really pretty good. So, if you're caught in the doldrums of January/February wondering what to go see…take a chance on The Tourist and let me know what you think. :)
3.5 out of 5 stars
That said, I'm fairly certain that (apart from the high level similarities such as local, character types, etc) Maguire's envisioning of Oz is quite different from Baum's. And that's not necessarily a bad thing…it's just different.
I enjoyed Wicked
With book 3, we catch up with the story a few years after book 2 and so in some ways it is a continuation of the saga. However, this book is largely an introspective presented to us by the Cowardly Lion and set alongside a bit of thoughtful backstory from Yackle as well as the slow moving action of the Time Dragon.
As for an overall storyline with rising and falling action, this story strays from the normal mode. The meta story involves a war being waged across the land and presents us with the Lion (Brrrr) interviewing Yackle on a site which will soon be right in the middle of an ensuing battle. The approaching armies add some urgency to the timeliness of their discussion but the war and the battle exist on the periphery so it's difficult to fully gage any rising or falling action or suspense based on the war in Oz.
Instead, we spend most of the time learning the backstory of the Cowardly Lion, beginning from his life in Oz around the same time Elphaba was making her mark and then following his actions up until the present day. Part of the narrative seems to be his search for family or at least for his own "origin story" to try and figure out where he came from and who he was.
The idea of identity figures strongly in the book. Over the years, Brrr has done what he can to stay comfortable and safe but often at the expense of any real definitive action on his part. He constantly finds himself in the middle of predicaments and sometimes he even feels strongly one way or another, but he quite often takes the path of least resistance attempting to avoid confrontation and commitment. His inaction (or sometimes, poorly planned/executed actions) lead to him being constantly slandered and associated with the bad forces around the land. He finds himself accused both of being an ally to Elphaba and and ally to the Wizard in her destruction. Similar paradoxical attributions happen throughout his life.
Brrr introspectively considers what it is that really matters in his life. He contemplates the repercussions of his actions (and inactions) and generally feels like he's let himself down, although he never seemed to have a clear set of expectations for himself.
His mission to interview Yackle is a sort of last-ditch effort to make something of himself…though at the same time, the main motivating factor for endeavoring on the mission is actually one of self-preservation so once again he is very much compelled into action rather than freely and consciously choosing to undertake this action.
By the end of the book, Brrr has a better sense of himself. He's still a bit confused. He's still not fully sure of where he fits in. But at least he's made up his mind to actually DO something….he's thought through some of the consequences of his potential action and decided that whatever the cost, he must do what he believes. And that's key…he finally has a cause he believes in, even if it's just a glimmer of belief.
Often I found the narrative to be an ambling mis-mash of ideas and stories. I kept trying to fit in some sort of larger meta-story or gather a better overall sense of how things were going in the larger world of Oz. But then I realized/decided that this book was more about individuals…personalities….Character….of taking control of our life by deciding WHAT we each want to do and WHY we want to do it…and then having the integrity to DO and LIVE the life we believe in.
So in the end, I felt like this story was more an exploration of the psychology of the individual than about some larger than life war in a fantasy land. That's not the sort of book I was expecting, but it was still an interesting read. I understand there's a 4th book being written in the same world and I'm interested to see where it goes. Maguire's stories (even those with a more "natural" progression/plot) seem intent on exploring human (or Lion) nature. I think if I approach his books with that in mind rather than expecting an adventure story, I'll have a better time. As it was, I didn't hate the book, I just found it more "work" than "entertainment" to read. If you've read it, I'd be interested to hear your thoughts.
2 out of 5 stars
View all my reviews
These are very quick 'free write' sessions without editing, planning, etc.
I invite and love feedback - criticism, praise, whatever. Just let me know what you think.
I do this equally for myself and to share.
In honor of Edgar Allan Poe's birthday today, I thought I'd do something that had some sort of strange eerie twist...unfortunately since I was just free writing very rapidly, there are more questions and loose ends than there should be and this ended up being a little disjointed in points. Still, it was fun to write and gives me some fun ideas to work with later.
Enjoy.
A Coming of Age Celebration
Jane stood at the balcony and stared down at the crowd. More than a hundred people idly mingled around the ballroom, yet they made very little noise. A muffled din stretched to her ears. Muffled whispers. An occasional laugh. The clinking of glasses against metal trays as people took a drink from the roving servers.
The light in the ballroom was dim, but bright enough that Jane could make out individual faces. Near the head table, her parents smiled gracefully but with an awkward nervousness. Seated near them, Jane's grandfather held hands with her grandmother and whispered something in her ear that made her grandmother nod and smile.
Elsewhere in the room Jane noted other relatives, friends, acquaintances and near strangers. Her great-aunt Lara or Lana, June could never remember which, leaned against the piano, her fingers twitching softly, longing to play. June's older sister Nichole along with Nichole's boyfriend-of-the-month huddled in a corner and exchanged furtive passionate kisses when they thought no one was looking. Jane's recently divorced Girl Scout Leader, shuffled around the room beaming smiles at every man she came across . Her boss from Tasty Squeeze, Mr. MacMurry, slowly circled a pair of circular tables in a perfect figure-eight, like a bee circling a pair of flowers trying to decide the best one on which to land.
Jane took a deep breath and ran her hands down her dress, smoothing the soft, silky blue fabric and gently fingering the subtle pleats near her waist. She lightly patted her hair and stepped right up to the railing of the balcony and stared down. Even though the people were less than ten feet below her, the complete darkness of the upstairs kept her nearly invisible.
Besides, no one had any reason to look up to the second floor. There were no lights on. Nobody was upstairs except for Jane. There was no activity upstairs and nothing to attract anyone's gaze. Most of the guests weren't informed where to look for Jane's entrance and the rest expected her to enter through the front door. Jane could tell by the awkward looks and hesitant conversations that people were beginning to be concerned about Jane's late arrival. With each passing minute, more and more worry lines grew on her parents' faces and their reassuring smiles shrank in size and duration.
While Jane felt bad about causing concern for her parents and friends, she was honestly debating about whether or not to join the party at all. She knew that this party was all about her. This was the event every young girl anticipated from before she could talk. Preparations were started from the instant a girl was born. Special savings plans and collection efforts were put in place to help girls born into poor families. Girls in prestigious families (daughters of celebrities, politicians and the like) had elaborate, glamorous parties that always made the tabloids, occasionally made prime time news and on some rare occasions were publicized and televised for the world to see. Depending on the family, there was always plenty of media spin and censorship depending on the outcome of the Ritual. The actual details of the Ritual were always completely censored by the media and all party attendees became very tight lipped.
The thought of the Ritual sent a shiver up Jane's spine. Amid all the excitement and buildup regarding the coming of age party details about the Ritual were held in complete secrecy. Even the existence of the Ritual was denied until the girl was at least 12 years of age and entering middle school. At that point she would be enrolled in a special class each year to tell her something about the nature of the Ritual and train her, groom her, prepare her.
Even once she was told about the Ritual, the exact details of each individual Ritual was kept absolutely secret until the evening of the celebration. Only a small team of Social Workers were privy to the specific details of the Ritual and each member of the team was only given part of the details. Just enough to get the job done. The full details of each Ritual were stored and disseminated to the Workers on the evening of the celebration.
Jane had tried to press her Ritual Instructors for more information about the Ritual, but none of them were willing to go into any specifics. Last spring, the daughter of a Senator had failed her Ritual and a large report was printed in the weekend paper about the nature of the party. The food that was served. The music that played. Apparently there was even some outrageous daredevil style stunt show followed by a vaudeville style musical number. Nothing was said about the Ritual beyond the fact that the girl apparently failed the Ritual, whatever that meant.
A few weeks later, Jane read a story about the Senator and his family. The story included three pictures. In two of the pictures, the girl was generally occluded by shrubs, people or other objects. But in the third picture Jane noticed that the daughter's right leg was in a cast. This caused her to look closer at all the pictures. She noticed subtle scrapes and bruises partially covered up by makeup. She showed it to her teacher who brushed it aside as nothing. Totally unrelated to the Ritual, Jane's teacher assured her.
But this made Jane pay closer attention to reports on other Rituals. Comparing "before" and "after" photographs, she noted that even with successful Rituals, the "after" pictures showed evidence of injuries, some more minor than other. Jane once again confronted her parents. Her teacher. Some of her friends who had already had their parties. No one would say anything about the Ritual, either positive or negative.
Jane was certain that the Ritual was more than a simple Coming of Age ceremony. There was something inherently dangerous about the Ritual, whatever it was. In spite of all the celebratory excitement around the party and the many wonderful gifts and opportunities that would be available to her now that she was eighteen and officially a woman, she was dreading going through whatever Ritual was required of her to make the transition to womanhood.
She stared back over the balcony. A small crowd had gathered around her parents. Voices were still subdued, but Jane could tell from the gesticulations that the conversation was heated. She watched as her father took out his cell phone and dialed a number. A wry smile crossed her face as she quickly panned her gaze over to the corner by the piano. A rapid and noisy ringtone erupted from within the piano and made her great-aunt jump so suddenly that she actually fell onto the piano bench which subsequently tumbled over and dumped her great-aunt on her backside with her skirts flying up in the air.
Jane laughed in spite of herself but quickly brought her hand to her mouth and looked around to see if anyone had heard her. With all of the commotion, it didn't appear that anyone had heard her. Jane giggled slightly under her breath as she watched a pair of men, her distant cousins, struggle to upright their mother who swatted at them with her purse. Jane's elation quickly faded as she realized she needed to face her fate.
With a sigh, she turned and started walking for the stairway leading down to the main floor. At just that moment, the front door of the ballroom burst open and a small crowd entered. Jane strained to see who it was but didn't recognize anyone apart from her Ritual Instructor. In the middle of the group stood a young woman in a dress very similar to the one Jane wore. The same general cut and pattern. The same deep shimmering blue fabric. As the young woman wriggled in the arms of the two men beside her, Jane noticed a flash of light and recognized her own bracelet clasped around the wrist of the woman. Two men held the woman tightly. A black canvas bag was draped over the girl's head.
Jane watched in horror as her teacher stepped forward and raised her arms for silence.
"The Ritual of Jane Faramore is prepared. Bring forth the Subject."
The crowd fell silent. The only sound was the struggles of the young woman being dragged forcibly a few steps forward.
"Bring forth the Ritual."
In a loud scraping of metal and wood, a huge box was wheeled out from somewhere under the balcony where Jane stood. She looked down directly at the box, an enormous black form at least eight or ten feet high and twice as wide and deep. As the box passed beneath her, she heard mechanical sounds from within and she shuddered involuntarily. She then realized that she was directly over the box and stepped back slightly for fear of being seen. Her worry was in vain as everyone was staring intently at Jane's teacher.
"Place the Subject into her Ritual."
Jane felt her heart pounding against her rib cage as the girl was pulled forward the remaining few steps. From somewhere beside the box a man appeared dressed all in black and wearing a black hood with a pair of small eye holes that allowed him to see. He removed a large key from within the folds of his dark clothing and, with a majestic flourish, opened a door in the box. He then stepped forward and placed one hand on each of the girl's shoulders and pulled her forward step by step.
Standing behind her, he positioned her directly in front of the box. He leaned down and whispered something into her ear then removed his hands from her shoulders and raised them high in the air for the crowd to see. A mumble broke out among the crowd followed by a sporadic applause that quickly became a roar that drowned out any sound. The man held out the large key dramatically and then lowered it into the girl's hand. Her hand clasped the key and Jane noticed that the girl was trembling slightly.
The horror racing through Jane's mind was suddenly subdued by the guilt she felt as she realized that this girl was being placed into the Ritual instead of Jane. Jane screamed and shouted over the balcony, frantically waving her arms for them to stop. No one heard her. She turned and sprinted for the stairs. Once she tripped over her high heels which she hurriedly kicked off before running again. In a moment she was down the stairs. No one in the crowd noticed her. They all continued to focus on the girl and the box.
Even as Jane pushed through the crowd, begging and screaming for the people to stop, the party guests continued to shout and applaud. Their shouts almost became a chant and their clapping began to take on an eerie rhythm that seemed to match the pounding of Jane's heart. She elbowed her way to the front of the crowd just in time to see the man in black yank the hood off the young girl. In a brief instant, Jane's eyes met the eyes of the girl and she recognized the terror mirrored there. Then, the man in black gave a forceful push to the back and the girl was through the door and into the box to begin the Ritual.
Jane screamed and rushed forward. The door was slowly falling closed. For the first time, the people noticed the young girl racing frantically towards the box. Jane slid across the floor and reached out for the door. Her fingertips caught the heavy metal and stopped it from closing. A gasp and murmuring burst out all around her, but Jane ignored it. Instead, she stood and stepped to the door. As she pulled it open and peered inside, her guilt and terror jumped to a new level.
Staring through the door, Jane saw nothing. The box was empty.
These are very quick 'free write' sessions without editing, planning, etc.
I invite and love feedback - criticism, praise, whatever. Just let me know what you think.
I do this equally for myself and to share.
Enjoy.
A Night Out On The Town
Stepping into the night, Jeremy burst into a fit of coughs. The air was so cold, it burned his skin and set his lungs on fire. He pulled his coat tight around him and breathed into his hands, puffing methodically in an effort to create warmth. The taxi whisked away leaving a cloud of exhaust that seemed to hang frozen in the air in front of him.
Jeremy took a step forward and glanced up the street. Another pair of taxis rounded the corner and started towards him but were stopped at a red light at the end of the block. He glanced from side to side and saw three other men and one woman standing on the sidewalk alternating glances between the appoaching taxis and the other people on the walk.
In an instant, Jeremy decided he was NOT in the mood to share a cab with strangers and stepped closer to the curb. He held out his hand and immediately the exposed skin tingled sharply against the cold night air.
As the cars approached he felt someone else close at his side. Jeremy forced himself to ignore the presence, to stay focused on the approaching taxi. But then the person tapped Jeremy on the shoulder.
"Excuse me."
Jeremy continued to stare up the street. The fingers tapped his shoulder again.
"Excuse me. Which way are you headed?"
Repressing a sigh, or at least doing what he could to make it sound non-confrontational, Jeremy glanced over his shoulder. For as weak as the voice had been, Jeremy was shocked at the harsh appearance of the man's face.
His silvery white eyebrows were bushy and full and nearly met in the middle. His nose was a long, bulbous lump protruding from his face with some kind of scar clawing its way up the left side. Below the lumpy nose grew a haggard black mustache, uneven and long, framing the upper lip of a mouth that seemed two sizes too small for the face. From there, the head disappeared into a scarf and the hood of the winter coat.
Jeremy glanced back up to the expectant eyes of his interrogator. The eyes were dim and sunk into his face like valleys surrounding the rounded mountain range between them. His left eye, on the same side as the scar, was a pale blue, almost white, and stared slightly to the left just over Jeremy's shoulder while the other eye, a more natural, albeit still lighter, blue focussed normally on Jeremy.
"In the cab? I was wondering where you're going? I thought maybe we could share a ride."
Jeremy realized he was staring and turned back to look at the taxi which was now nearly at the curb. The man's face hung in front of Jeremy's vision in the small puffs of frozen air that he breathed out with each breath. A chill ran up Jeremy's spine at the prospect of sharing a ride with that man.
"It would just be me and my granddaughter. She's only ten and is really very well behaved. She's waiting just inside. This cold air isn't good for her asthma, you know."
Jeremy watched as the pair of cabs pulled up to the curb. The one in front stopped right next to his outstretched arm. The second car pulled up right behind the first. The other pair of men each fought one another trying to open the door gracefully for the woman between them. She giggled and stumbled off the curb, practically falling into the waiting cab. The nearest man nearly fell over himself trying to catch her. As he helped push her back fully upright, she yelped, glared at him and slapped him so hard he twisted around and found himself staring directly at Jeremy. In the instant he was staring at him, Jeremy thought the man gave a smirk and a wink before turning back to the woman who was now stomping away from the taxi.
"We won't be any trouble. I promise you. Please. If it was only me, I wouldn't pressure you like this. But she's only ten years old. And it's so late. And so cold."
Jeremy realized he was holding open the door. He looked back over his shoulder and stared into the good eye of the man. With a resigned sigh, he muttered his frozen response to the air.
"Fine. Go get the girl. I'll hold the cab for you."
A raggedy slit of a smile erupted under the unkempt mustache and the man turned and hobbled into the theater. As he did, Jeremy noticed for the first time the unwieldy cane and the large winter boots the man wore. He again started to dread having to squeeze beside the man, even if just for a few blocks.
"Hey. You comin' or what?"
"Yeah. Just a minute. The old man's getting his grand daughter."
"Well tell him to hurry up or I'm gonna start the meter anyway."
Jeremy slammed the door shut and stepped to the front of the taxi to lean against the hood. The warmth of the running car felt good against his near frozen legs. He watched the old man inside the lobby glancing from side to side and calling out. From where Jeremy reclined, he couldn't see any girl younger than her early 20s. The driver honked and Jeremy just reached around and waved at the windshield but kept his butt firmly planted on the side of the car. This ride was getting worse and worse. Not only would he be squished alongside a half crippled old man and his snot nosed grandkid, but he'd have to deal with a cranky driver.
As the warmth grew in his backside, he began to consider walking. As if to reiterate his options, an icy wind blew down the street and bit harshly into his exposed cheeks. He turned up his collar and breathed into his hands again then rubbed them against his exposed face.
He craned his neck to try and see into the lobby of the theater. Through the main windows and doors he could no longer see the old man. Ignoring the second honk from the driver, Jeremy glanced at his watch and decided to give the man just two more minutes.
As he turned to tell the driver of the new plan, he noticed a woman running towards him. The same woman he'd seen slap a man a moment ago. The man stood next to the second cab with the door open and his arms out in a pleading gesture. The woman tripped along in her high heels, her feet skidding and slipping slightly on the cold sidewalk, her deep burgandy coat half open and flapping as she hopped towards him.
Her face was smooth and creamy but was traced with shiny streaks from her soft brown eyes down her cheeks to her chin. Each of her perfectly rounded eyes was smattered at the edges with patches of makeup. A small smudge of lipstick, burgundy to match her coat, hung at the right corner of her quivering lips. Her shimmering face was perfectly framed by curly brown hair that had lost its bounce hours ago and was starting to friz as it trailed off beyond her shoulders.
"Please. Can I share your cab? I don't even care where you're going. Please. I can't let him take me home."
Her voice was as blotchy as her makeup, a patchwork set of sounds that were as painfully beautiful and sad as she was. Jeremy reached for the door handle, suddenly feeling better about the ride home. Consoling a distraught beautiful woman sounded like a much better way to spend thirty blocks than to be crunched alongside a crothety older man and his overtired granddaughter.
Jeremy looked over the woman's shoulder at the man standing by the taxi staring back at her. He was tall, well dressed and well groomed. His cheek was red from where she'd slapped him but otherwise he was fairly good looking, not that Jeremy thought much about how other men looked. As Jeremy watched, the man leaned down into the car and said something to the driver, likely convincing him to wait a little longer. The conversation looked to get a little heated and the man started fumbling in his pockets, likely looking for his wallet to give the driver something to make him wait a little longer.
Jeremy looked back at the woman next to him. She gave a little half smile and sniffled. She was about to say something more but then the man at the other taxi started shouting.
"Hey! Don't let her leave. Stop her!"
Jeremy glanced up and saw the man lean down to say something else to the driver then stood and started running towards Jeremy and the woman. Instinctively, Jeremy stepped around the woman and placed himself between her and the charging man. Then he shifted his stance and waited for the approaching man. When he was only a yard or two away, Jeremy shifted again and swung out his arms in a whirlwind of motion. His fist connected with the man's face and sent him reeling back towards the theater entrance. He spun around and fell to his knees, coughing and groaning softly.
Jeremy quickly stepped back to the cab and put his fingers on the door handle. As he pulled open the door he heard a clattering of footsteps on the sidewalk. He looked up and saw a small girl in a full length pink coat rushing towards the cab. Shining blond ringlets bounced around her smiling little face. Jeremy heard her giggle as she lept from the curb into the taxi, slid across the seat and pressed her nose and fingers against the window on the other side to stare out into the night. A few steps behind her, the old man hobbled along, smiling and waving gently at Jeremy.
Jeremy looked up to the woman standing beside him. Her concern and anxiety radiated from her tear filled eyes. Jeremy's own face filled with incredulity and confusion as he tried to determine exactly what was happening. He noticed the woman's mouth move and heard sounds but he wasn't sure what she'd said. He nodded absently and she threw her arms around him and pressed her lips hard against his cheek.
Her lips were warm and wet against his frozen skin. The contrast stung, but also sent a shudder of warmth pulsing through his body. He heard a jingling sound near his ear, something between a laugh and a cry. Then the woman pulled away and stared at Jeremy, her face so close he could feel her warm breath mingling with his own as it froze in small clouds between them.
"You truly are my saving angel tonight. Thank you. Thank you."
She gave him another soft hug and then slid into the taxi alongside the girl. Jeremy looked into the car and watched as the woman gently patted the girl's back and smiled then complimented the girl on her hair and her coat. A moment later they started giggling like old friends.
Looking back to the sidewalk, Jeremy watched as the old man finally reached him. The old man planted a frail hand on Jeremy's shoulder and gave a toothy smile.
"I thank you my boy. Thank you for waiting on us."
The man started to stoop to get in the car then halted and looked back to Jeremy.
"Did you want to sit by your lady friend? I can sit up front and let you too love birds cuddle."
"Oh, we're not..."
The woman started to answer but was interrupted by the gruff shout from the driver.
"Ain't nobody sittin' up front but me. And y'all ain't gonna be sittin' anywheres unless y'all get in an' we get goin'. So either you get in and tell me where to drop ya. Or I'm gonna leave ya here and go find me a fare what's actually lookin' for a ride."
The old man gave Jeremy a concerned look then looked into the car. His granddaughter smiled back at him and bounced softly on the seat. When the old man looked back, Jeremy just nodded and stepped away from the car.
He watched in cold resignation as the man climbed into the taxi. Jeremy watched the man mumble something to the woman and she leaned against him, wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned down on his shoulder.
Jeremy felt his icy cold blood start to burn as the taxi pulled away from the cab and drove away. He turned to walk back into the theater and suddenly saw a fist plunging forward and slamming into his face. Before he understood what was happening, Jeremy stumbled back and fell to the ground. The frozen sidewalk slammed hard against his back, butt and legs.
Looking up into the crystal clear black and starry sky, Jeremy tried to figure out what had happened. Then a face leaned over him and stared down. It was the man who'd argued with the woman at the cab.
"Think you're some kind of Casanova or something? Saving the damsel in distress? Well, in case you didn't notice, she was the one who slapped me. Just before she stole my wallet."
Jeremy felt a lunging pain in his side as the man kicked him.
"And you just smile and nod and let her wander away free as a bird. You deserve more than I have time to give you. Karma will give you the rest later."
Another shot of pain exploded into Jeremy's right side. He rolled over and clutched his midsection. The icy air burned down his throat and exploded into coughs that set his body convulsing and pain radiating from where he'd been punched and kicked. He twisted onto his side and watched as the man casually walked to the waiting taxi and climbed inside.
Jeremy continued coughing for nearly a full minute. Then he laid himself flat on his back and stared up into the night. The theater marquee had been turned off, letting him see the crystal clear blackness above him and the amazing brightness of the stars. He tried to focus on the stars, to pick out constellations. But his mind wouldn't focus.
A minute later, he realized his back was numb. He rolled onto his knees and pushed himself to his feet. He glanced at the mostly darkened theater and looked at the oversized poster advertising the evening's production.
"When you made me promise to come to the theater, is this what you had in mind?"
He shook his head grimly, remembering the promise he'd made to Ann. A promise he'd thought foolish and silly and hadn't intended to keep. Now, part of him wished he hadn't kept it.
But as he turned back to the empty sidewalk and started walking up the road, he realized that the larger part of him was glad that he had kept the promise.
And he began to whistle as he walked away.
These are very quick 'free write' sessions without editing, planning, etc.
I invite and love feedback - criticism, praise, whatever. Just let me know what you think.
I do this equally for myself and to share.
Enjoy.
Recurrent Storms
Luke pushed his way through the open doors with three other people scrambling for dryness. The storm had started unexpectedly and with such force that nearly everyone on the sidewalk had darted for the nearest building. And yet, nearly everyone was drenched through at least the first layer of clothing. Most of the crowd had stopped just inside the door and was idly looking around at one another. Luke grunted in soft exasperation and gently shoved his way between the damp shoulders and bodies of those around him.
High above him, fluorescent lights flickered and shone a dull blue-white glow over the moistened jackets and sweaters of the people around him. It was at times like these Luke wished he were taller. The ceiling was practically all he could see beyond the throng of bodies around him. Above the head of those to his right, a large clock hung on the wall, one hand pointing towards the 9 and the other, it seemed, pointing down at Luke.
After a few moments, the crowd dissipated slightly, though Luke was still amazed at just how many people were still ahead of him. As the crowd continued to thin, he was able to make out more details of the building. He'd walked past this mega store dozens of times on his way to his train stop, and yet he'd never stepped inside. Never even had a desire to linger at the windows and steal a glance at the products on display. With a shudder, he remembered why.
On the floor directly in front of him stood a small vinyl dome tent erected near a model tree with two hiking backpacks leaning prominently against the highly unauthentic bark. Nearby sat a small fire pit with blazing plastic fire and cooking pot. A kerosene lantern sat on top of a green Coleman cooler on top of a very solid looking cedar picnic table. Behind and to the left of the tent, a 2-point deer stood half hidden by some rubbery looking bushes.
But what really disturbed Luke about the display and about the store in general were the pair of rifles lying on the picnic table. Ever since his experience with Charlie and Sandra, Luke had a hard time with guns of any kind. His brother gave him grief for his recent aversion to guns since his whole family had been avid hunters when he was a kid. But now, when he looked at a firearm, particularly a rifle like those on display, he found it hard to maintain any sense of calm.
Someone pushed against Luke's back and he stumbled forward towards the display. He glared over his shoulder but only a random throbbing mass of storm soaked customers stared back at him, barely even recognizing the troubled looking man staring at them. Turning back around, Luke was startled to find himself standing almost in the fire pit. The shock set him off balance and he stumbled to his left to avoid falling into the orange and yellow pieces of lighted plastic. Instead, he tripped and fell towards the picnic table.
His hands flew out to catch himself and he suddenly found his fingers resting on the cold steel barrel of the rifle. A soft gasp escaped his lips as he twisted his hand away from the gun, still bracing himself on the table and pressing away to stand. He stared down at the two rifles. They were nice. Much nicer than what he'd used when he went hunting with his dad all those years ago. Slowly, longingly, he reached out his hand and lightly slid his fingers over the polished wood and metal of the nearest rifle.
His heart began to race. He took a half step forward and stared down at the gun. His brother had mocked Luke when he'd told his family about his new anxiety towards guns. Now as he looked at them, he wondered if he was overreacting. That whole thing with Charlie and Sandra had been a crazy and unpredictable turn of events. There was no way anything like that would happen again, was there? He certainly wasn't taking newlyweds shooting ever again, no matter what happened.
The sound of the crowd behind him broke through Luke's thoughts. He turned to stare at the mumbling crowd. Half of the bodies were turned away from him, craning their necks and stretching onto their tiptoes to try and see out the large windows at the front of the store. A torrent of rain still poured down in sheets. Now and then a large truck passed along the road, but otherwise the only motion outside the window was the silvery-white rushing of rain. The rest of the crowd was milling about, slowly walking along the main path of the store. Some spoke to each other. Some casually looked at the objects around them. No one appeared to actually be in the store to do any shopping.
Luke's eyes calmly panned over the crowd. Women fiddled with their hair. Men brushed away water that had beaded up on their expensive Italian suits. A mother crouched down over her whimpering child in a stroller, trying to console him and keep the small cry from erupting into a wail. And then, in the middle of the crowd, Luke noticed a stillness. Directly in the center of the crowd, a man in a pale blue jacket and a red baseball cap was standing perfectly still and staring at the floor.
The rest of the crowd moved around the man as if avoiding him, leaving a small circle of space all around him. Luke watched as one woman swerved just before reaching the man in the blue jacket. She slammed into another man and knocked him stumbling into a third person. Not only did the crowd seem to avoid the man, they didn't look at him. Luke noticed that anytime someone's gaze turned towards the man in blue, they quickly averted their eyes a few feet to either side.
Luke's thoughts blurred his vision and for a moment he envisioned a protruding rock in the middle of a stream or that science experiment he'd done as a kid. The one where he poured pepper into a bowl of water and then lightly placed a small piece of soap in the middle of the bowl to watch the pepper rush away. This man was somehow repelling the crowd. Pushing them away from him.
And there he stood. Still as a statue. Staring down at the floor, the top of his plain red ball cap pointed towards Luke. His light blue jacket covered his arms, dangling at his sides. His hands disappeared into the jacket pockets. Even with the crowd avoid the man, Luke found it hard to get a full complete image of him. Men and women continually walked between Luke and the man, interrupting his line of sight.
Light suddenly flashed outside the building and Luke looked up in time to catch the disappearing remnant of a flash of lightning through the windows. A heartbeat later, a muffled boom rumbled and the glass in the windows rattled. The crowd of people turned rapidly and stared at the storm. No one spoke. No one moved. They all just stared out the windows at the falling rain.
All of them, except for the man in the blue jacket and the red hat. He continued staring down at the floor. Luke stared at the man. Now that the crowd had stopped moving, he had a clearer view of him and yet Luke still had a hard time making out distinct features. The edges of the man seemed blurred somehow. A large yellow logo was embroidered on the right breast of the jacket but Luke couldn't make out its shape or even its size. The yellow form seemed to shift slightly around, growing larger then smaller then shorter or longer, stretching and shrinking but always remaining in the same basic area.
Luke glanced from side to side then back at the man before taking a step forward. As Luke stepped forward, so did the man. Luke stopped and stared again. The man was motionless once more. Had it just been Luke's imagination? Had the man actually moved? The crowd around the man hadn't seemed to move and yet the people between Luke and the man seemed the same distance from both of them as before.
Luke took another step forward. The man stepped forward as well. Luke lifted his foot to step again then set it down, not moving. The man stayed still. Luke kept his eyes focused on the man and took a step backwards. The man moved backwards as well. Luke blinked, trying to be sure of what he'd seen. The man's motion had been fluid. As if he'd slid along the floor rather than stepping. His head and shoulders hadn't bobbed at all.
As Luke focused on the man, he noticed something else that unnerved him. The noises around him had stopped. He glanced around and saw people to his sides and behind him milling about, walking the store. Some even looked as if they were speaking to one another. But there was no sound.
Looking back towards the man and the crowd near the door, Luke saw that the crowd around the man was now completely still as well. Not only were they still, but they appeared surreal. They looked almost like silhouettes or cardboard cutouts. They still maintained their three-dimensional appearance and solidity, but something about them felt ethereal and false. Luke stared closer at the face of one woman, he noticed that her mouth was open in an awkwardly rounded position, like halfway through speaking the word "YOU". As he watched, her face didn't move. Her mouth didn't change position to either open or close. Furthermore, her eyes stayed still. They didn't move from side to side. They didn't blink.
Luke quickly looked at all the people between him and the door. The same stillness of the man in the blue jacket had now extended to a circular area of eight or ten feet all around him. Beyond that strange sphere, people walked into the store or towards the windows without noticing the abnormal motionless by them. As Luke watched, one woman approached the edge of the stillness and kept walking straight towards the man in blue. When she reached the invisible peripheral of his apparent influence, she suddenly vanished, leaving nothing but a soft shimmer in the air.
Luke gasped and brought his hand to his mouth. He stumbled backwards a few steps until his legs banged against the picnic table behind him. As he ambled backwards, he saw the man in the blue jacket glide backwards as well. The strange circle of stillness moved with him. After a couple of feet, the woman Luke had seen vanish, suddenly reappeared with another shimmer, still walking towards the door of the store. She once again reached the edge of the man's influence and whisked away in a ripple of light and air.
Luke felt himself start to hyperventilate. He'd had severe asthma as a child and his shallow breathing and light-headedness reminded him vaguely of the attacks he'd had during recess in elementary school. He closed his eyes to clear his head.
Think rationally, he told himself. This isn't real. You're hallucinating. You're sick. Something's not right. This isn't real.
As his breathing slowed, Luke opened his eyes, hoping to see the crowd of morning commuters and shoppers milling about like normal. At first, he was comforted by a view of normalcy. Bodies moved back and forth in front of him as normally as he would have expected. He even chuckled in relief as he heard the sound of a whining baby somewhere in the distance.
Then, at the corner of his gaze, Luke caught a glimpse of pale blue topped with bright red. Turning slightly, he saw the man in blue standing, staring at the ground in the middle of the footwear section. Seated in a chair next to the man in blue, a boy in his teens with shaggy brown hair and a green jacket was leaning over slightly and holding a hiking boot. The boy's left foot was raised off the ground a few inches in preparation to try on the boot. But the boy was as motionless as the strange man standing beside him.
Luke shook his head, unsure what to think. What to do. He was obviously having some sort of mental episode. Imagining things. Envisioning things. Was it the storm? His paltry breakfast of a scrambled egg and a piece of dry toast? Was it seeing the guns on the table?
As if expecting the answer, Luke turned and looked back at the picnic table. Instead of seeing two new pristine rifles staring back at him, he saw his own .22 lying there alone. Instead of the polished and gleaming stock and barrel of the guns for sale, he saw the pale and faded black barrel and a dark brown stock with grease smudges from frequent use and infrequent maintenance. He even saw the two-inch gash pointing from the bottom corner of the butt up towards the bolt. The gash from when he'd slipped on the muddy trail and fallen with his gun between him and a mess of rocks.
Luke stared intently at the gun. His fingers traced the scratch on the stock. They slide along the barrel and noted the rough patches where he'd dinged and banged it while hiding in bushes waiting for a deer. As he touched the gun, he felt light headed again. His hearing grew muffled and the sounds of the people around him blurred into a strange murmuring. A few times it sounded like a muffled voice was speaking his name.
A flash of light, motion and sound erupt to Luke's right. In an instant he whipped around to face it. The man in the blue jacket now stood just beyond the dome less than a dozen feet away. His face still pointed downward, showing Luke the top of the red hat. The man's build and stature seemed more familiar up close, though his presence still seemed hazy and blurred around the edges.
Luke's vision blurred all around the man. Only the man in blue was in focus, and even then, his edges remained blurred. On the edges of his peripheral vision, hints of motion spun around him, but Luke remained focused on the man.
Luke's hearing was damped. Like his ears were full of cotton. Or he was underwater. Somewhere distant, Luke thought he heard the sounds of screams. Of frantic shouts. But then all sounds faded away into the rushing sound of a breeze.
The man in blue stayed completely still and yet slid forward around the edge of the tent. Luke remained focused on the man, still unsure what was going on.
Luke felt his forearm flex and realized he was holding the rifle at waist level but elevated and pointed directly at the man in blue.
The man in blue glided forward another foot and stopped. Luke instinctively raised the rifle to his shoulder. The world around him became a dark tunnel through which he stared at the man in blue. Nothing existed but the straight path from Luke, along the barrel of the gun, and into the motionless form of the man in blue.
A strange cacophony of sound began to build. It seemed to be coming from the man in blue. A soft low-frequency rumble that slowly began to build in volume and intensity. As the sound increased, Luke noticed that the man in blue began to wriggle and tremor. Then, his head started to twitch.
Slowly. Very slowly, the head raised.
Luke's breath caught in his throat. Staring through motionless eyes in an equally still face was his friend Charlie. The same Charlie as in Charlie and Sandra. The same ones Luke had let go to his grandfather's ranch for their honeymoon. The same ones who had asked Luke to stick around for a few hours and teach them how to shoot. To help them launch the clay pigeons for target practice. The same Charlie who, when Luke had returned to the ranch a few days later, was still there, hunkered down in Luke's grandfather's cabin like some crazed hermit. The same Charlie who wouldn't tell Luke where Sandra was. The same Charlie who punched Luke to the floor and pointed a rifle at him. The same Charlie who…. The Charlie who….
Luke's vision narrowed even more. Everything was dark except for the small oval of Charlie's face and the quivering end of the rifle in Luke's hand.
Charlie's face began to shimmer and glow. Light seemed to emanate from the stillness of the face. Then, Charlie began to glide forward, towards Luke.
Luke held the gun in front of him, his hands shaking. His eyes tearing up. A scream of anguish started to grumble out of his throat. He tried to step backwards away from the approaching form but he ran into the picnic table.
"I didn't know Charlie. I didn't know! I'm sorry Charlie. I'm so sorry!"
Charlie continued to slide slowly towards Luke. Luke pressed his legs backwards against the table and sidled around, feeling his way around the table. He wouldn't take his eyes away from the approaching figure, but he tried to back away more and more quickly. He felt something solid against his legs and back. A wall? A cabinet?
Charlie continued to slide slowly forward. His hands slipped out of the jacket pocket. The arms in the pale blue jacket rose slowly, the palms of the hands turned forward towards Luke. Luke could see stains of red along the palms and the fingers. He fought down another scream.
Then, the hands pulled back slightly and disappeared within the folds of the blue jacket. A moment later, they reappeared, holding a gun of their own. Luke recognized it as the shotgun he'd used to teach Charlie and Sandra how to shoot. He watched in horror as Charlie raised the gun to position, tucking the butt against his shoulder and leaning his cheek against the side of the stock.
Luke shook his head and tried to speak, but he brought up his own rifle in response and took aim at Charlie.
"Don't do this Charlie. Please. Just let me go. Just let me be. Please Charlie."
Charlie slide forward another foot and Luke could see his finger release the safety on the gun and hover next to the trigger.
"Please Charlie. Please. Charlie. Charlie! Charlie!"
Luke was shouting. Screaming. Begging.
A sudden explosion of light and noise erupted. Luke fell to the floor instinctively. Luke's vision blurred completely as though he was looking through unfocussed binoculars. He felt cold wind sweeping by all around him. Shouts and screams burst from all sides accompanied by the sounds of people rushing about. He brought his hand up to rub his eyes, to try and clear the vision. He realized he no longer held the rifle. As he rubbed his eyes, he felt around on the ground for the gun. He felt the rough texture of carpet and the edge of a small stone fire pit.
Lowering his hand, his vision cleared and he saw people running frantically past him. A few people stood nearby staring back towards the entrance to the store. He pressed himself to his feet, looking around at the fifty or more people shuffling around him. Staring back at the entrance, he saw shattered windows. Rain poured through the gashes of glass in sheets. A pale blue pickup truck with a red passenger side door sat half inside and half outside the glass entryway, the hood of the truck crunched up against the metal frame of the building.
He heard scattered conversations about the storm, lightning, something about a dog. People muttered questions and accusations about the driver. Some wondering if he was alright. Others wondering if he was drunk. Luke pivoted where he stood and scanned the crowd. Apart from the frenzied look of any crowd that just witnessed an out of control truck smashing through a building, everything seemed normal. Then, his gaze landed on the picnic table. There, sitting on the smooth cedar table sat a plain red baseball cap and an old .22 rifle with a two-inch gash in the stock.
Time for my own "best of" lists for 2010.
Because of lapses in memory and just silly oversights, I really don't expect this to be considered totally comprehensive, inclusive or definitive by any means. This post is me looking back at the past year to come up with some of my favorites from the year in terms of people, books, shows, games, events and events. I don't have any TV, music, news, weather, animals, etc because frankly from my perspective and knowledge, I don't have enough to choose from to narrow down to a "best of." If you have other favorite categories from the year, I'd love to see/hear/read them. :)
If you disagree with my lists…great. If you felt like you were part of something that "should" have been my favorite, I apologize for neglecting to mention you…I'm sure you were my favorite but I just left you out so as to not make everybody else feel bad. ;)
Anyway, without further ado, here's my totally random lists.
People
OK…I have to just say that I absolutely love my wife and my family!!! And this year has been even more fabulous in bringing that realization to the forefront. Thank you Lynette for making this another fabulous year and for being so absolutely wonderful in everything you do. You really are my favorite person! And thanks to my kids for making each day a joyful new experience by bringing exciting new perspectives to life.
Books
So my annual goal each year is to read ~1 book/week or ~50 books/year. This year I read and reviewed 44 books. I certainly read more than 50 books if I include the various kids' chapter books and picture books I read, but I had to draw the line somewhere so I didn't include any book less than "middle grader" in reading level (though if a younger book is especially noteworthy, I'll probably mention it in the future). So of the books I read this year, here are the top books that especially resonated with me (with these in no particular order):
- To Kill A Mockingbird
(sad it took so long to finally read this)
- The Hunger Games
series
- The Graveyard Book
- A Tale of Two Cities
- Foucault's Pendulum
- The Great Divorce
Movies & ShowsI didn't see a ton of movies this year, so trying to trim the list to my favorites was somewhat difficult since I was already fairly picky about what I watched and thus had already eliminated movies I didn't think I'd like. While I didn't see a ton of plays this year, I figured I'd include plays in this list since sometimes I'd rather go to a play than a movie.
Anyway, I really enjoyed (perhaps more than I expected):
(play)
GamesI was able to attend the Utah Board Game convention this year (in a slightly different format) and play some new games there. I didn't play much in terms of new video games per se, but did some playing of older games as well as one new release. So here are my top games and/or gaming sessions:
- The Day of Gaming at the Utah Board Game Convention
- Nuns on the Run
- Playing dozens and dozens of games of Scrabble
…err, Lexulous, with Lynette online
- The Starcraft 2
beta (still haven't picked up the final release, but I will)
- Fable 2
- Forbidden Island
- A totally close game of Settlers of Catan
where all the players were at ~8-9 points for the last few turns (Karla finally won)
- Playing Pirate's Cove
again (thanks Josh for bringing it out)
No intro, just a list:
- Graduation from the U of U!
- Family Vacation to Glenwood Springs
- Jason earning his Arrow of Light
- Creating a mystery/puzzle birthday party for neighbors
- The Rick Riordan
- Christmastime
So there you have it...the things that to me were most memorable/notable in 2010. What about you? What tops your list of memories for the past year?
About Me
- Okie
- Husband, Father of 3, Reader, Writer, Student, Employee in Corporate America.
Books Read in 2011
- The Star Shard
- The Shakespeare Thefts
- Peter and the Starcatchers
- The Maltese Falcon
- Flygirl
- Batman: The Killing Joke
- Jacob T. Marley
- Doc: A Novel
- The Man in the Iron Mask
- The Throne of Fire
- The Death Cure
- The Good Earth
- Rise of the Darklings
- The Ruins of Gorlan
- Stranger in a Strange Land
- The Orphan of Awkward Falls
- The Invention of Hugo Cabret
- A Room With A View
- The Gypsy Morph
- Casino Royale
- The Red Pyramid
- Kingdom Keepers: Disney After Dark
- Oliver Twist
- The Lost Hero
- The Mysterious Affair at Styles
- Tuck Everlasting
- The Scorch Trials
- Crucial Conversations
- The Tale of Desperaux
- The Name of the Rose
- Matched
- The Elves of Cintra
- The Learning eXPLOSION
- A Lion Among Men
Mormon Channel
Books I'm Reading Now
Board Games - wanna play?
Blog Archive
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Books Read in 2010
- The Graveyard Book
- The Last Olympian
- The War of the Worlds
- The Maze Runner
- The Lord of the Flies
- The Dain Curse
- Fablehaven
- The Turn of the Screw
- Dracula
- A Charmed Life: Growing Up in Macbeth's Castle
- The Last Apprentice: Revenge of the Witch
- Foucault's Pendulum
- Chains
- The Battle of the Labyrinth
- The Search for Delicious
- The Holy Man
- Mockingjay
- The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
- Those Extraordinary Twins
- The Tragedy of Pudd'nhead Wilson
- Beyond the Grave
- To Kill a Mockingbird
- The Sword Thief
- The Amulet of Samarkand
- The Great Divorce
- The Titan's Curse
- The Black Unicorn
- One False Note
- Magic Kingdom for Sale | Sold
- The Four Loves
- Catching Fire
- A Monstrous Regiment of Women
- Soulless
- Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
- Right Ho Jeeves
- The Maze of Bones
- A Tale of Two Cities
- The Hourglass Door
- The Sorrows of Young Werther
- The Drug of the New Millennium
- Archenemy
- Great Work Great Career
- Sea of Monsters
- The Hunger Games
Books Read in '09
- Beloved
- Holes
- The Tales of Beedle the Bard
- Jesus Without Religion
- The Water Babies
- Coraline
- Erewhon
- Tess of the d'Urbervilles
- The Elusive Pimpernel
- The Island of Doctor Moreau
- The People of Sparks
- Heart of Darkness
- Watchmen
- Tarzan of the Apes
- The Lightning Thief
- Angels & Demons
- Rapunzel's Revenge
- Son of a Witch
- Prince of Persia
- Austenland
- BUtterfield 8
- Chickens in the Headlights
- Bullies in the Headlights
- The Beekeeper's Apprentice
- Pillage
- The Mysterious Benedict Society
- Babbitt
- Frankenstein
- Red Harvest
- The Public and Its Problems
- Fables: Volume 1
- The Great Gatsby
- Captain Blood
- Coming of Age in Samoa
- Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey
- The Sun Also Rises
- Fantastic Mr Fox
- Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
- But Gentlemen Marry Brunettes
- The 7 Habits of Happy Kids
- The Big Money
- The Scopes Trial
- The Charlemagne Pursuit