Continue the story II

Question

Thanks, Doug for dubbing me the Grand Master Most Ingenious Story Teller of All Times.  I took my favorite line from Doug's finale and ran with it.  It's the title.

SMILES WITHOUT EMOTIONS

Joseph landed a good job as a newscaster.  It didn't hurt that his sister married into the broadcasting industry.  He was doing all he could to please his new wife Marie who was recently widowed and had two boys to support on her own.  She was great arm candy, but also very mysterious.

"Joseph!"  his director said,  "You have to smile more often.  This is only a screen test, so look into the camera and smile."

He thought about something funny to smile about and finally remembered his new family.  They had a strange way of relating and that brought a smile to his face.

"Joseph, that looks like a lamb.  Ever heard of a sheepish grin?  We need a broad smile.  Try reading the next lines on the teleprompter and smile.  At least make it seem like good news."

"OK, I'll try."  Then he showed all his teeth and started reading:  'An oil tanker has just started spilling on the coast of San Diego.  Authorities are certain they can clean up the spill by next October."  When he realized how ridiculous the whole scene was, it brought a genuine smile to his face.

"That's the smile we want.  You're hired."

He went home with the good news to Marie and the boys.

Comments

I'll have to get back to you on this one, but I will continue the challenge.  Thanks for keeping it going.  Anyone else want to play?  :)

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I'll be back.

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98765

Answer 1

Part IX

The boys had done their part.  They were in control of all the workers at the station.  Their mom could pretty much broadcast at will and Joe and the other people at the station would be clueless.  This was part of the “talent” they had been studying at the crevice.

Marie and her brethren stood in a circle a few hundred yards from the crevice.  This was where it had all started and this was where it would definitely end.  The time was near and Marie could feel it in her soul.  She was a bit player in the grand scheme of things, but she had a job to do.  The “lost souls” buried in that crevice or should I say gaining their strength back were concentrating on their final appearance.  The key to completing the chain that would control the earth was the two boys who by now were on their way back from Joe’s station to join the circle.

Tick tock racing the clock we must be done before the setting of the sun.

Jake and Jeremy left the station and made their way over to where the gathering place was.  They had a determined yet lost appearance in their eyes.  It was as if they had become introverted into their bodies looking back inside rather than out.  This was the secret that “man” had not discovered.  Only through looking at ones inner self could you be complete and find the mysteries locked inside.  The lost souls from the crevice had learned this centuries ago on their own planet.  They crashed into this place we call Earth and languished in the crevice biding their time.

Comments

You kinda threw me for a loop with that last part.  I had to regroup and I think I found a good direction to either continue or end this edition.  The floor is yours maestro!

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I'm trying to dub you the Grand PooPah, but I can't figure  out how to do it.  So accept this informal passing of the Crown and wear it with pride.

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Doug, that was a fun, learning experience.  I hope your kids are OK.  My grandson is a total handful.  He can't be stopped from ordering the adults around.  And he's only 4.  Might be a story in that.  Good luck, Bud.

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Thanks giraffe.  It was a full day at the hospital.  The little ones Infant PFT results didn't turn out as well as they should have.  His lung volumes are down to about 50% which isn't good for a CF kid.  We are starting some new nebulized meds so we hope it helps.  As for Patch he had 12 vials of blood drawn and it was an all day affair with the Diabetes testing.  We haven't gotten the results from that, but we're hoping...  Being the Grand PooPah I choose to continue the challenge.  We need to change the story line though.  I'll think of something different.  Maybe others are afraid to join in to our ongoing soap opera :)

Answer 2

Part II

  Marie was ecstatic at the news of Joe’s new job.  It had been hard since the death of her husband Doug, but the boys kept her going.  She was still getting used to the idea of being with another man.  Joe was a kind soul and loved the boys to death, but she still couldn’t fully commit her heart to Joe.  There was something deep inside her that told her that it would be a long time before “she” was whole again.  

Joe sat down at the table and called out for the boys.  They bounded down the staircase in their usual stampede manner and jumped into their respective chairs.  Mom had prepared meatloaf.  They always loved meatloaf night.  It was comfort food and it made the night special.  After they all finished their plates and the table was cleared Joe retired to his reading room.  He would watch CNN and MSNBC until he had done enough studying of the nuances the various broadcasters gave to their news delivery.  He was looking for a style not like theirs, but one of his own, a signature that would make a stamp on the city’s citizens and make him the best newscaster in Somerset.

The voices on the TV seemed to fade and Joe heard laughter and hushed voices from upstairs.

Comments

I'll be back.

Answer 3

PART III

He wanted to act on this moment while it was fresh in his mind.  All he really knew about Marie was that she had plenty of money from her insurance settlement, she had no other family except the boys, and that she was beautifully mysterious.  She was great arm candy and he loved her.

So he followed the sound of the voices upstairs and stood outside the door.  They were louder now, but he still couldn't understand them.  So he took a deep breath and opened the door.  There were at least 15 people in there.  Marie was sitting on the floor in the center with her boys on either side of her - facing the window.

Without looking back at me, she said  "Joe.  Come in.  There's something I need to tell you about your news job and media connections."

"Who are these people and how did they get in?"  He asked.

"That is of no cosequence.  Sit down."  As I did, the boys came and sat at my knees.  They were like two stone lions at the entrance of an old building.

'Listen to us carefully.'  she said with her eyes.

Answer 4

Part IV

.Joe plopped down on the floor nearest the window.  Things seemed a bit otherworldly and he wanted an escape route.  He loved Marie to death, but these strangers frightened him.


Marie began…Joe many centuries ago a significant imbalance of the earth and nature caused a fissure not too far from here.  Hundreds of years ago the Indian tribes that lived off of the land found the fissure and made it taboo to go near it.  Chief Arkansan, one of the great warrior chiefs, personally visited the fissure and never went back again.  He spoke only to the elders in the tribe about it and described grand glowing crystals with dancing fire and molten metal that cast a grey aura upon the earth.  Nothing grew or lived near the fissure.  The silence was only broken by the whispers that he heard.  This was what frightened him the most.  They were like disembodied voices rising up from the depths of the abyss and he could tell they were very evil.  So he deemed the place off limits.  Fifty years ago my family was camping and my grandfather and father happened upon the overgrown spot where the fissure had been.  It was nothing more than a darkened crevice and they didn’t pay any heed to it.  That night under a moonless sky the two wandered off in search of more firewood.  They came to the same spot again, but this time there was a green phosphorescent glow coming from the crevice.  Rising out of the glow oblong shaped orbs danced back and forth and rose and fell with the intensity of the glow.  When they arrived back at camp they both had blank looks on their faces and were never the same again.  

These people have been entrusted with the secret of the fissure and we meet periodically to document any new findings.  Being a newscaster now you must promise never to talk about this again.

The boys rose up and the crowded room thinned as each individual slowly exited.  Marie led the boys to bed and Joe followed her to their bedroom for hopefully a good nights sleep.

Answer 5

Part V

Stepping slowly through the slippery crevice, the boys find themselves in a large cavernous room with very little light. The torches they carry cast ghostly shadows on the granite walls. Bats zip past seemingly attached to roller coaster wires zigzagging through the narrow passages beyond the large room. Jake finds the lantern hanging in the middle of the grand hall they entered and lights it with his torch. With the lighting of the lantern the appearance of the chamber changes. Eight polished granite shelves can be seen lining the walls. A statue of a female form stands stoically in the northeast corner of the room. A large oak table with four carved chairs surrounds the table. On the table an oversized book sits with what seems like worn pages. The boys have been here before, as have many others. Each visitor comes for the same reason, enlightenment.

The boys take their places at the table and extinguish the lantern above them. Only the pale dimming light of their torches remains. Those will soon diminish to nothing and all will be dark. Only silence fills the cave except for the distinct flutter of bats as they maneuver through the chamber and its outcroppings. Minutes pass and the boys wait for it to come. Sometimes it takes all night and other times only moments.

A few hours pass and he boys are deep in their catatonic trances. Shapes appear in the room before them. Filmy dancing shapes with glowing red eyes go round and round the table they are seated at. The boys don’t even see the shapes. In their minds they are in a dense forest with a small cabin sitting a few hundred feet in front of them. A single light shines through what must be the kitchen. A shadow passes in front of the window and the boys know that now is the time to act. They walk towards the cabin and stop when they reach the back door. There is no sound coming from the cabin and the light from the kitchen has been turned off. They need no light. They are illuminated with a different light. A light from within that shines brighter than the North Star. Jeremy eases the back door open and both boys proceed into the cabin. They maneuver their way to the anterior of the cabin and find a sleeping woman on the bed. Coming from each side of the bed they attack the woman with large knives with ivory handles. The blades of the knives are hand forged from ancient fires created centuries ago. The knives plunge into her chest. She never woke. There was only silence and the splatter of deep red blood that now coated the boys clothing and the room.

The dancing shapes eyes turned black and a great fog entered the chamber. The shapes dissipated in the mist. The boys came to and walked home.

Marie wakes up with a headache…

Comments

I actually had the first part written last night in "word" and then I had to write a segue since you added on next.  So sorry for the double.  Have fun following that last one giraffe.  I think we are the only ones playing this game.  :(

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Well, you've been busy, Doug.  I'll be back shortly.

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Part VI

"It's getting worse, Mama."  they said in unison.

"I know.  I can feel it in my head.  We don't have much time left.  You have to remember two things.  First of all, don't go back to the crevice for at least a month."

"But Mama!  We've almost perfected speaking without words!  We can't stop now."

"You heard me.  It aggrrevates the lost ones every time someone comes near,  We need them to calm down."

"What about Joe?"

"That was the second thing.  He's sleeping soundly and won't remember what happened tonight.  There will be no giving him headaches.  That's an order.  He has to be thinking clearly and be happy to fulfill our purpose."

"Why do we even need him?"

"I can tell you this much.  We got all of Doug's money.  What we need from Joe are his political and media connections.  This will help us to change the world.  You'll have plenty of time to perfect 'speaking without words'.

The other 12 in the room all nodded in agreement.

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I tried to enter this under a response to the original post and it got posted out of sequence between Part I and part II  so I just made it a comment.

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That's ok.  Nice addition to our tale.  Anyone is free to join in.  Really!  Just post the next "Part" as a response to the original post.

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Doug.  I've emailed them a couple times that it doesn't really help to know that this challenge was started 2 months ago by so and so.  It would be a lot easier to use if they would say "last entry by bhughes on Aug 19."  That way it would be easier to keep up with the current activity.  Agree?  email them.

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I don't know.  It seems like the thread with the most recent response gets pushed to the top or up at least.  I'm confused.  That happens after a long night of work.

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or maybe after looking again it's the most "recent" challenge that gets top billing.  I think the ORIGINAL THINKWRITE THREAD should always get top billing.  It is the original and should be the grandest of all the challenges.

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giraffe:  Taking a couple of days off from writing.  Painting the oldest boys room today and the little one has to go into same day surgery for a procedure tomorrow.  I'll be back!

Answer 6

Part VII

It took a few “snoozes” but Joe finally awoke.  He had to get ready quick to make it to the station on time.  Don’t want to be late for a new job he thought to himself or a “news” job for that matter.  That little whimsy made him chuckle a bit.  After getting dressed he descended the steps and went into the kitchen following an aroma that sent his stomach quivering.  Marie was finishing filling his plate with an oversized omelet and wheat toast.  The boys must still be asleep as they were not seated at the table yet.  He wolfed down his breakfast and gave Marie a peck on the cheek as he headed out the door.

He arrived just in time for makeup and endured the torture of the stylists and what not.  He wasn’t too keen on wearing makeup but it was part of the profession and he might as well get used to it.  He had five minutes before he was to be “on air” so he ambled on over to the set to read his notes.  Nothing much of importance in the news today but he had to give that winning smile anyway.  He took his seat behind the desk and in front of the “green” screen and readied for his signal to start.  There were two cameras focused on him.  He didn’t know many people at the station yet but he was sure that he would learn all their names and be able to carry on a conversation with them off air.  The intro music began to start in his ear piece so he slapped that smile on his face and got ready.

Out of the corner of his eyes he spotted Jake and Jeremy.  They were a good distance from him but they were carrying on a quiet conversation with a few of the station workers.  Whoever they were speaking to must have been in agreement with what they said because they kept nodding affirmatively.  5….4…..3…..2…. (We’re on air said a disembodied voice in his ear piece).  

“Hi, this is Joe Manson with the news!”

“Our top story today involves a gas well fire on Somerset Mountain”

Suddenly the camera lights went dark and the set with it.  

They were off the air….

Answer 7

PART VIII

Someone yelled "What the hell did you do, Joe?"

"Nothing!"  Joe yelled into the dark.  "Don't we have back-up generators?  Where are my boys?  I just saw them here."

"All I have is this little flashlight and I don't see anyone else here.  Let's get out.  Follow the light as I shine it on the floor."

Joe and his producer, Mario, made it safely out into the safety of daylight.  They were probably two of the only people in the country who did't see what happened.  Every television station, radio, internet feed and cell phone had been hijacked for a full five minutes by Marie and her 12 disciples.  All other broadcasting was halted.

"My name is Marie."  she began.  "These are the spirits of discontent who have a message for you.  First, I'd like you to meet Chief Hosa and hear him out."

"My home" the chief said  "used to be where that 7-11 now stands.  I was taken from my home and relocated to a reservation where the soil was so weak, nothing would grow on it.  We died of malnutrition."

"Enough and thank you Chief Hosa.  Next, listen please to Bernie Goldman."

"My story is similar."  Bernie said,  "My family was rounded up and put in Polish ghettos and then off to concentration camps in Germany where we all died of starvation."

"Enough and thank you Bernie.  Next, please listen to Jimbo Smith."

"My family was captured in Africa and put on a slave ship and then sold in America for slave labor.  We had no word for bad or evil until we were taken here."

The signal was breaking up as Marie said "We'll be back to speak with Matthew Shepard and Susan B. Anthony, then a little about the witch trials."

Click.  The lights came on and the public's screens went blank.  Joe and Mario hadn't heard the broadcast, but went back to their job positions.

“Hi, this is Joe Manson with the news!”

“Our top story today involves a gas well fire on Somerset Mountain”

Answer 8

Part X



The boys were sitting by the river the next morning as they a;ways do.

"The rocks are the same."  Jake said.

"They do erode and there's more moss today"

"Well the trees are the same!"  Jake pleaded.

"Except that new nest of robins from last week."

"Why doesn't anything stay the same?"

"You wouldn't want that.  The Crevice is almost filled with abused people.  Mom's only talking about her 12 friends."

"The river is the same, isn't it?"

Jeremy put his arm around his little brother's shoulder.  He leaned in real close and said without speaking  'It's never the same water.'