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The Powers That Be
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Joined: 19 May 2005
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 Posted: Sat Jun 11, 2005 10:49 pm Post subject: Chapter One |
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All right, I’ll tell you how it all started. But the thing you need to understand is, I was drunk at the time. I mean, really drunk. Pretty much blitzed out of my mind. I’m just saying, it’s possible I hallucinated the whole thing, and by no means could you use what I’m about to tell you as, say, evidence that I’m off my rocker. Understood? Okay then.
It was a Wednesday night, 10 o’clock, maybe 10:30. I was sitting at O’Malley’s, you know, the place on Cedar, about a half mile from my house. I was alone, at the table by the fire. I stopped in after work for a beer. One beer, you understand? I’d been at the plant until 10, trying to make the damn books work out, but it just wasn’t going to happen. We had three or four months left, and then there wouldn’t be any options. I was going to have to shut the place down and put 65 people out of work. So I was pretty upset, and I figured, yeah, I could use a beer. Besides, Colleen, the pub owner, used to work for me and she’s always good for a free round.
So I’m having my one beer, feeling pretty crappy about things, when who should walk in but Chuck Aleno. He’s got his girlfriend, Mandy, with him; they’re kind of a cute couple. I wanted to be alone, so I turned toward the fire, but he spotted me right off. He bellowed out (you know Chuck, always bellowing), “Hey, is that Frank Brill hiding in the corner? It is you! What’s a great man like Frank doing drinking alone? Bartender, three of whatever my friend here is having, on me.”
“Hi Chuck, hey Mandy,” I offered. “Have a seat.” I tried for a cheerful grin, but I must’ve missed by a lot, because Chuck gave me a concerned look.
“Hey Frank,” he said, still using that theater voice, “are those hemorrhoids acting up again? ‘Cause I’m telling you, I’ve got the perfect stuff for…”
“Uh, no Chuck, I’m fine, really. How’re you doing?”
Chuck gave me a big smile and said, loud enough for the whole place to hear, “Well, I’ll tell you, Frank. I’m doing great, and it’s all thanks to you!” One thing was clear, this wasn’t the first bar Chuck had been in that night. “Two years ago,” he continued, “I was nothing. No job, no money, no direction. And then Frank Brill took a chance on me. Gave me a job at the plant, and changed my life. Without that job, I’d be out on the street. And I never would have met Mandy here. I owe it all to you, Frank, and so does everyone else in that plant.”
That’s when I decided I was going to keep drinking. Chuck kept buying, he and Mandy kept singing my praises, and I kept feeling worse. Finally, closing time came, and I got up. The bartender gave me a look, but I told her not to worry. “I’m walking tonight, Jackie, I’ll be all right.”
As I headed to the door, Chuck called after me, “Wait up, Frank, I’ll join you.” Turning to Mandy, he said, “I gotta get home before Agnes gets suspicious. Love ya, babe.”
Chuck and I stumbled down the road toward our homes. Tadpole Hollow's a pretty small town, and Cedar Road was completely empty, which was good, because I’ll tell you, we needed that whole roadway as a sidewalk.
After a few minutes, I saw a pair of headlights approaching. I started to tell Chuck to stop puking in the middle of the road and get over to the side, but then I noticed something strange. “Chuck!” I called. “Do you see that?”
Chuck looked up (slowly) and said, “Whoa, check out those lights. There must be a dozen of ‘em. Oh, wait.” He squinted. “Yeah, just two. Oh hey, you know what, I bet that’s Crowley! She’s been talking about getting that new SUV, the Ford Excessive. Her husband swore he’d leave her if she got one, but she really wanted it. Yeah, I’m sure that’s her. Hey, maybe she’ll give us a ride!”
“Chuck, are you nuts?” I asked. “Those ‘headlights’ are 20 feet in the air.”
“Nah, you’re drunk, the Excessive’s headlights are only 12 feet off the ground. Yeah, two lanes wide, 24 cylinders, it’s a sweet ride…hey, you know what, Frank? I think you’re right about those lights. Huh. Maybe Crowley got the raised suspension…”
The lights were moving closer, but at a sedate pace, giving us time to contemplate them. When they got pretty near, I noticed something else. “Hey, Chuck?”
“Yeah?”
“The Ford Excessive, does it have a completely silent engine?”
“I don’t think so, unless that’s an add-on. Hey, Frank?” Chuck added.
“What, Chuck?”
Chuck craned his neck up - the lights were almost directly over us now. “What do you think we should do?”
Full disclosure: the action you choose won't change the fact that Frank (maybe Chuck, too) is going to get abducted. The next chapter will be pretty long, though, I think, so I wanted to stop here for some feedback. And hey, I don't know how the abduction will happen yet, so this poll may change things quite a bit!
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Abduction! is in the Stasis Hall, but read it anyway!
Got a problem? Write to Dear Dotty!
Last edited by The Powers That Be on Sat May 20, 2006 9:41 am; edited 5 times in total
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Vampireidiot
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Joined: 02 Apr 2005
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| Posted: Sat Jun 11, 2005 11:59 pm Post subject: |
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Well seeing as they are going to get abducted anyway and aredrunk i think it would be really funny ( don't know why)
If they wave threre arms like looneys at the lights. :twisted:
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watch out behind you....
*THUD!!!*
to late........ 
!!
Hmm...now for a story!
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ethereal_fauna
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Joined: 16 Feb 2005
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| Posted: Sun Jun 12, 2005 3:33 am Post subject: |
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About this time the hilarity of the situation strikes me, and I stop staring at the lights long enough to spare a glance at Chuck. His head craned back, and face upturned toward the sky, he swayed in slight circles with his mouth gaping open. On impulse I stretched my hands above my head and started flagging down the airborne vehicle.
What the hell I thought. It's been a long strange journey tonight already.
_________________
The maker of a sentence launches out into the infinite and builds a road into Chaos and old Night, and is followed by those who hear him with something of wild, creative delight. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson
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Chainfire
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| Posted: Thu Jun 16, 2005 1:25 pm Post subject: |
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| i say wave your arms like idiots and stare dumbly at the pretty lights, you are drunk after all.
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