A Cast Of Characters

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Tales From The Town #26: The Loft

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Agnes heard something clattering around up in the loft. I bet it’s that cat, she said to herself. I bet you any money in the world it’s that cat again. It’s worse than the dolls.

But when she opened the hatch, it wasn’t the cat at all. Or the dolls. A creature of some totally different sort was stomping around and doing cartwheels in the dark.

“Claire!” Agnes said. “We’ve been looking everywhere for you!”

“Mum! Look at me! I’m dead!” Claire said, and did a cartwheel to prove it. “See?” Then she paused for a second. “Wait, how did you get all the way down there, Mum? You’re not dead too are you?”

“Of course I’m not dead, Claire,” Agnes said. “I’m just tired. Now what are you doing up here in the loft, anyway? You know you’re not supposed to come up here on your own. It’s dark and dusty and there’s broken stuff everywhere.”

“This isn’t the loft, Mum,” Claire said. “It’s hell. I’m in hell and I’m dead!”

“Well you must be a ghost then because – ”

“I’m not a ghost. I’m a demon!”

“Well, okay, I can believe that,” Agnes said. “But you are definitely not in hell. Look!”

Agnes turned the light on and Claire saw that she really was in the loft. You could tell because there were rolled up carpets everywhere and the Christmas tree was in the corner and there was a big box of Dad’s things that no-one had the heart to throw away. Claire didn’t think even the devil would want a box of Dad’s old books and maps and things. In hell it was so dark you wouldn’t even be able to read.

“Oh,” Claire said sadly. “I really thought I was in hell.”

“You still haven’t told me how you got up here,” Agnes said.

“I used the slide under the stairs,” Claire said. “It goes down into the dark and down and down and down until you come out here in the loft.”

“We don’t have a slide under the stairs.”

“We do! Look, I’ll show you!”

Claire climbed out of the hatch onto the landing, then clattered down the stairs to the hall as loudly as she could. A few moments later Agnes heard some cries from below, then above and below, and then finally from above only. Claire fell out of the shadows and landed on the floor with a triumphant ooof.

“See?”

“I suppose this means we’ll have to leave the lights on up here now,” was all Agnes could think to say to all this. Nothing this house did should surprise her any more, but a mobius slide was certain something new. “Anyway, at least you’re not dead, Claire.”

“I loved being dead, Mum,” Claire said. “I can’t wait until I’m dead for real. It’s going to be so much fun! I’m going to haunt everyone!”
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Re: A Cast Of Characters

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Tales From The Town #27: Poems In The Dirt

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Oya leaves a new poem here every day. Beneath where the pictures used to hang, in the ash of obliterated art. If the wind and rain don’t wash the old ones away, a single brush of her boot does the rest.

Se doesn’t mind that no one sees her words. The ephemerality of it all is the point. No-one suspects a thing.
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And thats the end of that
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at least for now

(i've scheduled these for one every weekend on an accumulation of things, so they'll already stretch out until october)
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according to the document i've typed these all into, these all add up to 6666 words (including chapter titles)
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which is a nice number
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i'm sure i wrote some more comments here but they seem to have disappeared. oh well
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thematic irony
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Re: A Cast Of Characters

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All lovely. Beneath The Boat, On The Top Of The Hill is me fave, mind.
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hooray. thank you.
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Literary Criticism

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Transcript from the inaugural Sunday Afternoon Book Club

Organiser: Ethel
Curator: Daniel
Chair: Claire
Actually On The Chair: The Cat
Stenographer: Tina
Catering: Mum
Audience: The Dolls

Daniel (reading from notes): The book I chose for us to talk about is Hansel and Gretel. I like Hansel and Gretel because sometimes I wish our house was made out of cake and we could eat it. But we can’t. What do YOU think about Hansel and Gretel?

Claire: I think Hansel and Gretel are useless. Everything they do is stupid. They get lost in the woods. Twice! And then when they get locked up they don’t even think about eating their way out. Idiots. They deserved to be eaten.

Ethel: They didn’t get eaten. The witch got eaten. They baked her in the oven and the crows ate her.

Claire: That never happened.

Ethel: It did! But not in the book. It happened in my head.

Claire: Well that doesn’t count. Anything can happen in your head. That’s cheating.

Ethel: It is not cheating.

Claire: It is! Why did you even make us read this book if you were just going to imagine things?

Ethel:
Ann goes to a book club.

Claire: That’s not an answer!

Ethel: I thought this would be fun.

Claire: Well, it’s not.

Claire sits down on the chair. The cat runs away. The Sunday Afternoon Book Club is soon after abandoned.
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Re: A Cast Of Characters

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Good stuff, sir, and a very nice illustration also!
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excellent, thank you
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Tales From The Town #29: An Arrival

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The bus stops at the edge of town. Two feet step down onto the cracked pavement. Black leather shoes as shiny tar. Look up, see the suit, the shirt, the hair, the smile. The eyes. The eyes. The camera lingers there for longer than it should. But you can’t blame it. You could lose yourself in those eyes, you really could.

Even when the shot cuts away, showing him in miniature against the immensity of the landscape and the grand sweep of the town, as he disappears into the greyness and the murk where we all live, it’s those eyes you remember, those eyes that remain.

A thousand silent movies bloom in your mind.
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Tales From The Town #30: The Lake

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“There it is!” Claire called out. “I saw it!”

“Where?” said Ethel.

“There!”

“That’s just a rock, Claire,” Tina said.

“It’s not a rock. It’s the whale!”

“If it’s the whale, why isn’t it moving?”

“Because it’s dead!”

“If it was dead it’d sink,” Daniel said. “And it’s bones would become a castle.”

“For mermaids!” Ethel said.

“Mermaids don’t exist, Ethel,” Claire said. “And dead things float, Daniel!”

“The whale is not dead, Claire,” Tina said. “So stop saying it is. I’ll get upset.”

“You’re always getting upset,” Claire said. She sat down on the grass with the others and started brushing her hair. “Anyway, maybe it is a stupid rock AND the whale is dead. That way we can both be unhappy.”

“Can I be unhappy?” Ethel asked.

“No!”

“Well, that’s not fair at all,” Ethel said.

They all sat there in silence, and dreamt of whales, bones, castles, mermaids.
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Beautiful
Cthulu bum you!
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Excellent, thank you
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Blombluss approves of these products.
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Tales From The Town #31: The Town Hall

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The doors had been locked for as long as anyone could remember. The curtains were always drawn. There was a new mayor in there now, apparently. No one knew what this would mean, but it was all anyone talked about for a week.
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Tales From The Town #32: A Gathering Of Crows

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The crows gathered on the roof of the house. A hundred of them or more, all in a row, a cacophony of caws as they jostled for position amongst the crowd. On observing this event, many of the wisest sages and scholars from the town pondered the exact meaning of such an occurrence.

“Look at all the crows!” said Ethel. “I wonder what they’re all doing up there?” “I bet they’re hungry,” said Tina. “And now they’re looking for food.” “Crows eat eyeballs,” Daniel said seriously. “Dead eyeballs.” That was all he knew about crows. “Our house must smell of rotting meat then,” Claire said. “We must live in a house of dead flesh!”

“A gathering of crows like that means there’s going to be a storm,” Agnes called out to the children as they played on the swing. “You better all come inside before you get wet. I’ll make some hot chocolate and we can watch the lightning through the window.”

“An ominous warning,” the witch said, as she watched through her telescope from afar, in the comfort of her cottage, in the safety of the woods. “A portent for the horrors to come.” She cackled so gleefully the dolls covered their ears.

Back at the house, the crows, unaware of the speculation over the purpose of their existence, slid one by one down the icy gutter as if it was a slide, then joined the back of the queue to wait for another go.
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A gathering of crows?!?! A gathering of goodness, more like!!! Huraah!
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Tales From The Town #33: David

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He moved through his days like an iceberg. Slow and adrift, the immensity of his loneliness hidden beneath the surface, and denied even by himself.

He would have denied the existence of his very soul if he could. He would have denied the existence of his existence.
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Tales From The Town #34: The Boy With The Box (parts 1, 2, and 3)

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The Boy With The Box (Part 1)

He smiles at you and opens it up. Just a crack. Enough for you to see… what? Something. There’s definitely something in there. But what? What is it? What does he have in there? You step forward to take a closer look, but he snaps the lid back into place and leaves you always wanting more.

The Boy With The Box (Part 2)


“But I didn’t get the chance to see it properly!” Ethel said. “Show me again!”

“No,” said Ted. “It’s Claire’s turn now.”

“I don’t want a turn,” said Claire. “It’s just a spider.”

“It didn’t look like a spider,” Ethel said. “It was so dark it could have been anything!”

“It’s always a spider,” Claire said.

“What if it’s not, though?” Tina said. “What if it’s something new and amazing?”

“Like a newt!” Daniel said. “Or a worm.”

“Spiders are amazing,” Ted blurted out. “Really amazing.”

“See! I told you it was a spider,” Claire said. “Come on, let’s go. I can’t believe it’s snowing and all you three want to do is look in a box!”

“Oh, well, okay, yeah,” said Ethel, her eyes still longingly fixed on the box. “I suppose I don’t need another look. Sorry, Ted, but I’ve seen your spider before.”

“It might not be a spider,” Ted said desperately. “It might be something entirely different.”

“Like a newt!” said Daniel. “Or a worm.”

Ted smiled at Ethel and opened up the lid. Just a crack. Enough for a glimpse of that strangely alluring darkness, all those hints of something secret inside.

Ethel couldn’t resist. She tried but she couldn’t. She stepped forward, bent down, peered in, gasped. It wasn't a spider in there at all.

The Boy With The Box (Part 3)

(It was seven thousand seven hundred and sixty eight spiders.)
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These are all scheduled up to december now so that's why it's snowing there because its winter
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Tales From The Town #35: Five Dreams Of Space

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1. Selene puts on her blindfold and dives into the pool. Floating there in the dark is as close again to space as she will ever get. It’s so comforting she could cry.

2. Someone once told Patricia that Venus was so hot the fillings would melt in your mouth. She wonders often how this would taste.

3. Ted would blow up a planet if he could. He would blow up the stars. He’d blow up the sun. But he would never harm the moon.

4. Every summer Anna dreams of winter. Every winter she dreams of Pluto.

5. The whale has no knowledge of space. It remembers oceans in the night. Galactic blooms of luminescent algae. Constellations of jellyfish pulsing in the dark like the neurons of some vast distributed brain. Volcanic vents glimpsed through crushing depths beyond the understanding of human hearts. All as beautiful as any comet’s tails or rocket’s trails carved across the impossible skies of our dreams.
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I do love a wintry scene! :) Also, rather than "Spiders are amazing", Ted could've said: "Spiders are wonderful", which would've been cross-promotional-productastic! :D

All jolly nice stuff!
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Ted would never promote the heathen Toby
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Ted is a good man.
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Even though he wants to blow up planats and starz
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It is every man's dream
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Careers teachers are never happy to hear such things... :'(
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Tales From The Town #36: Saturday Morning Spending Spree

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The Land Of Pounds

Whenever the children get their pocket money, they head straight to The Land Of Pounds, where everything for sale costs exactly a pound. It is the most beautiful shop in the world.

[Legal Notice: The Land Of Pounds would like to make it clear to all readers, shoppers, entrants, voyeurs, and participants that it is unaffiliated with any and all other single currency unit based shopping emporiums, including but not limited to Poundland, Poundworld, World Of Pounds. World Land, Pound Island, or any other combination of words, symbols and expressions that may constitute a hitherto unknown but organically arising shop name either now, in the past, or the future, whichever future it is we finally happen to inhabit. Any coincident of naming is purely natural and within legal parameters concerning such aspects of law as trademark, copyright, emblemanisation, or hallmarking, where applicable. All legal avenues of complaint have been exhausted, and shall prove fruitless if attempted. Any broaching of this subject by customers will be met with complete and total humourlessness until the topic is dropped as awkwardly as possible and the purchasing of items can continue.]

The children know nothing of this, of course. They don’t even know Poundland exists. Even if they did it would not matter. For them The Land Of Pounds is all that there is. All that there ever needs to be.


Tina

Tina plans her purchases very carefully in advance. She wants nothing left to chance, and dares not let herself be placed at the mercy of impulse and desire. Who knows where such things could lead…

Today she goes straight to the bouncy ball aisle, and buys four identical bouncy balls (in a single pack), so that once they get home the four of them can race them down the slide together, without any arguments or complaints about who had the best ball, because all the balls will be identical now.

She’s been planning this for weeks, never mentioning the idea before now so that nothing could spoil it. She can’t wait to get home. She’s so excited. By her calculations, if they’re quick enough they’ll be able to sprint up the stairs to the loft quicker than the balls could slide down there themselves. Two races for the price of one!

In her mind everything goes perfectly. There are no arguments at all.


Daniel

“I’m going to buy a sword,” Daniel told Ethel.

“You’ve already got a sword,” Ethel said.

“I’ve already got eleven swords,” Daniel said, as he held his newest one aloft to marvel at its magnificence. “And now I will have twelve.”

Ethel could not argue with such irrefutable logic.


Ethel

Ethel bought herself a tiara because she knew Claire really hated princesses.


Claire

“What’s this?” Claire asked the man behind the counter, as she held up a plastic egg.

“It’s a plastic egg,” said Simon.

“Yeah, but what does it do?” Claire enquired. “What’s it for?”

“It’s a plastic egg,” said Simon.

“But why? Why? What’s the point? I don’t understand! I just want to know what it’s for!” Claire beseechingly implored.

“It’s a plastic egg,” Simon said.

Claire began to scream. “I don’t like it at all!” Claire told him. “I hate it!”

“You don’t have to buy a plastic egg if you don’t want a plastic egg,” Simon said.

“I do! I have to buy something!” Claire wailed.

“You could buy something else,” Simon said.

“Everything else is even worse!”

Claire slammed her pound down on the counter as furiously as she could, and then ran outside to show the others exactly what she’d got.
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Tales From The Town #37: A Simple Winter Scene

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There was a fox sleeping on the swing. Footsteps in the snow. A brittle sky about to crack. Wisps of breath like smoke. A dragon without wings.

That was the whole of the scene. There was no need for anything more.
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thats for christmas day
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the earliest christmas day yet
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and this one is for new years day

Tales From The Town #38: The Frozen Sea

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Above The Frozen Sea

The sea was frozen from the shore to somewhere beyond the horizon, as far out as anyone dared to tread. The whole town came out to see. It was like a dream. In years to come no one would be believed when they spoke of it.

Some walked timidly on the ice, some ran, slid, spun, others still skated up and down, around and around, pirouettes and arabesques, smiles to the crowd, kisses, applause.

Behind a wave of ice, out beyond the headland, in a world entirely of their own, Oya and Anna slid into each others arms. Nothing could keep them apart.


The Frozen Sea Itself

Not flat like a frozen lake, but undulating, like the gently rolling curves of some furrowed hillside. The ice groans and creaks, moans and sighs. But it does not move.

The philosophers amongst us wonder, Is a wave still a wave when it’s been frozen in place?


Below The Frozen Sea

For a mermaid there is no loneliness like days spent swimming beneath frozen seas. The footsteps above sound like explosions from some distant war, the scrape of skates against ice like tortured screams.

The sea itself seems smaller, darker, the sky now a roof, the sun as dull as the moon, her home reduced from its limitless splendour to this dismal claustrophobic cave.

The mermaid sings and sings, weeps and wails, but no one can hear. On days like today, not even the gulls return her calls.
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Re: A Cast Of Characters

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i don't hav the ability to schedule things beyond january the 1st because my diary runs out then so anything else is just going to have to wait

probably
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Three cheers for three delightful tales!
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thank you!
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I'm up to story 38 and i still haven't actually written a story about every character yet
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maybe they've already left town
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Post by blombluss »

I'm sure I saw a couple of the characters in an episode of the BBC's house-moving programme 'Escape To The Country'.

There was blood everywhere.
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Re: A Cast Of Characters

Post by Chortle Hound »

I love the colours in Tales From The Town #37: A Simple Winter Scene.

Perfect.
Anybody want a peanut?
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Post by vom »

Yes, lovely
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Re: A Cast Of Characters

Post by dng »

hooray thank you.

my investment in some ultra expensive water colours (£3 from smiths) is finally paying off
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Re: A Cast Of Characters

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also yes i really like how they look. i might start painting all my comics from now on
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The only I can paint is a wall. Anything technical, artistic, and without an undo function, and I go to pieces.
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Post by endar »

I can't even paint a wall without making a mess, getting paint where it shouldn't be. like on the floor, ceiling, skirtings

and the wall would still look shit
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Re: A Cast Of Characters

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i like painting walls with those paint rollers where for some reason no paint actually gets on the wall but instead just sprays out everywhere else instead all over your clothes and your beard and your glasses and your hair
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Re: A Cast Of Characters

Post by endar »

ves

not just me then
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