633 lines
33 KiB
Plaintext
633 lines
33 KiB
Plaintext
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1 If you are in need of help, you need but ask...
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2 ************************* INSTALLED: 24 AUG 86 ***********************
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3 Welcome to BWMS (BackWater Message System) Mike Day System operator
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4 ************************************************************
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5 GENERAL DISCLAIMER: BWMS IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY INFORMATION
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6 PLACED ON THIS SYSTEM.
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7 BWMS was created as an electronic bill board. BWMS is a privately owned
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8 and operated system which is currently open for use by the general public.
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9 no restrictions are placed on the use of the system. As the system is
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10 privately owned, I retain the right to remove any and all messages which
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11 I may find offensive. Because of the limited size of the system, it will be
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12 periodically purged of messages. (only 629 lines of data can be saved)
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13 to leave a message, type 'ENTER' and use ctrl/C or break to get out of the
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14 ENTER mode. The message is automatically stored. If after entering the
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15 message you find you made a mistake, use the replace command to replace
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16 the line. To exit from the system, type 'OFF' then hang up.
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17 type 'HELP' to see other commands that are available on the system.
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18 ***********************************************************
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19
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20 ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
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21 Ahem.... the traditional salutation......AT THE TOP...
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22
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23 for one who seldom has the honor....It warms my heart to see the BW going into
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24 one it's more well regarded and relished phases.
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25
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26 On a different note... Those who turned thumbs down at Expo should go
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27 after having spent a week with the crowds, I can say with a certain degree of
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28 authority ... It is worth the trip ( perhaps without the in-( out)-laws next
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29 time....
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30
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31 :::::Alex:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
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32 """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
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33 Well, second from the top and I get first story comendations...
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34
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35 "The Moment of Truth"
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36
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37 My vision was blurry. All I could percieve (I'm still not sure that
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38 I saw anything at all) were colors, exploding in brightness, each
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39 one with an intensity that overpowered the one before it. Then my
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40 vision dimmed again, for seemingly the millionth time, and darkness
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41 stood again beside me.
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42 When I awoke, at least I had the sensation of awakeing, my eyes
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43 were clearer as was my mind. I could actually feel the sensation of
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44 being horizontal on the ground. I raised myself and painfully opened
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45 my eyes.
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46 I was, it seemed, on a rough rock path, sorrounded by mist, and
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47 when I looked around some more, I saw that the c I lay on seemed to
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48 mysteriously vanish just beyond my reach, engulfed fy the mist. This
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49 could have been simply covered over the fog, but my perception told me
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50 that beyond that line, reality did not exist. Of course that was wit-
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51 hout any merit at the moment anyway.
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52 I stood. Moreover, I reeled, my head seemed to spin about me,
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53 my body the axis. I shook my head until I felt firm where I was. I
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54 happened to glance down at myself. I was dressed in what I would call
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55 a tunic; made of rough brown material. Quite a change from phe Officer's
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56 tunic that I was wearing just a moment before. Or was it a moment
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57 before? Were there any moments before?
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58 I then heard a voice. A voice as clear and calm as any I felt I
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59 could ever hear. And powerfull! The voice shook me, as if it came not
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60 from the air around me, but instead from my very being.
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61 I turned in the direction of the voice. I saw, in short, a long
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62 roped bridge before me, drawing over a chasm that gave the image of incre-
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63 dible depth. Standing on the other side of the bridge, the mist seeming
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64 to flow and churn around him, an old, old, wrinkled man dressed in ahite
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65 tunic much the style of my own. His eyes blazed and his visage grew
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66 taunt as he sqooze harder the gnarled staff he carried, wrinkled as he.
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67 The man commanded attention, for it was his voice, I realized with
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68 some awe, that I heard. He said, "You have come to the Bridge of Truth
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69 for the only reason one comes. Now, what have you to offer the keeper
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70 who has all?"
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71 I drew a breath. This was very strange...
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72 (continued...)
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73
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74 Well, a little better. Some problems with beginning margins, I see. Change
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75 'c that I lay on' to 'rock that I lay on' and we'll do alright.
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76
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77 PEN NAME
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78 """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
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79 ________________________________________________________________________________
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80
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81
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82 Too many men
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83 Too many people
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84 Making too many problems
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85 And no much love to go around
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86 Can't you see this is a land of confusion.
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87
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88 This is the world we live in
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89 And these are the hands we're given
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90 Use them and let's start trying
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91 To make to make it a place worth living in.
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92
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93 Superman where are you now
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94 Everything's gone wrong somehow
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95 The men of steel, men of power
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96 Are loosing control by the hour.
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97
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98 This is the time
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99 This is the place
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100 So we look for the future
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101 But there's not much love to go around
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102 Tell me why this is a land of confusion.
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103
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104 -Phil
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105
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106
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107 _______________________________________________________________________________
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108
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109 PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP
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110 {+|+} <110> 860824^1138
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111 LUST,GREED & LOSS OF FAITH -PHIL
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112 the KEEPER.
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113
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114 =+-+==+-+==+-+==+-+==+-+==+-+==+-+==+-+==+-+==+-+==+-+= +-+==+-+==+-+==+-+==+-+=
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115 !##!##!##!##!##!##!##!##!##!##!##!##!##!##!##!
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116 Just checking back in -- I think.....
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117 !##!##!##!##!##!##!##!##!##!##!##! NDS !##!##!
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118
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119 Promethean product of reading about Scientifiction.
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120
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121 Nowhere is there better sample of this anti-machine worry than in a short
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122 story by that master of the twist ending, Fredric Brown, entitled `Answer'
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123 1947. Scientists, having built the ultimate in ultra-powerful computers,
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124 switch it on and ask the old question that has needed answering for
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125 centuries: is there a God?
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126
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127 The mighty machine first uses its power to insure that its switch can
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128 never again be off, then replies: `There is now'.
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129 - An Encyclopedia of Science Fiction
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130 Copyright 1978, Octopus Books
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131
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132 ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
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133
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134 && && &&
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135 The following was inspired by contemplation of the Mima mounds, thousands of
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136 earthen mounds of unknown origin found near the Columbia River east of the
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137 Cascades...
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138 Rockdance
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139 The old man hurried through the shadows of the city, casting worried
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140 glances to the eastern sky. The place called Portland, the center by the
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141 river, shifted uneasily around him as it woke. Delivery trucks and early
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142 commuters passed him by as he made his way from where he'd parked the pickup
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143 to the place in his dream, the place where the dance must be done.
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144 At the corner of Fifth and Morrison he stopped and spread his blanket over
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145 the stained bricks, and began a low chant as he lifted from it the items
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146 needed to focus his dance. A necklace of river stones with a man-shaped
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147 pendant of dark basalt went about his neck; from a clay pot he took moist
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148 earth, spreading it on cheeks, chest, arms, legs; last he took up the small
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149 drum, slipping it under one arm and beginning the dance as the first rays of
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150 dawn appeared.
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151 Shuffle-shuffle-step. Step-hop-step. He danced as he was taught, now
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152 chanting, now silent, keeping a steady beat on the drum. People emptied from
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153 buses and walked past with careful indifference on their ways to work. He
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154 seemed to take less notice of them than they did of him, drumming and dancing
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155 with persistent rhythm.
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156 At eleven the Christian Evangelists arrived. They were deeply offended by
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157 his presence, having come over the years to think of this corner as part of
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158 their church. His presence was pagan, a profanity they were sure was
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159 directed specifically at them. One of them, their leader by virtue of his
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160 loud voice and level head, took the initiative to ask the old man if he would
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161 move to some other corner so as not to disturb their spreading of the Word.
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162 The dancer's face showed no signs of having heard.
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163 The Evangelists set up anyway, crowded a bit to the side by the dancer and
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164 his blanket. One of them, with less gentleness of spirit than the others,
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165 kicked the blanket to one side. The dancer gave no sign of seeing.
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166 As noon came on, the corner became busy with people moving past on their
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167 lunchtime errands. Some passed close by the dancer, almost but not quite
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168 bumping into him. A group of secretaries off to eat a salad lunch stopped
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169 to watch, and dropped a few coins on the blanket as they continued on their
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170 way. The Evangelists shouted at him, attempting to show him the light so he
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171 would stop harrassing them with his dance. A young man in a torn T-shirt
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172 and jeans slipped forward to take the coins from the blanket. He was clumsy;
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173 trying not to be seen, he was seen by all. No one stopped him.
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174 The dancer, though very old, felt the strength of youth and of a need far
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175 older than he in his spirit. He roamed as he danced, across the high plateau
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176 by the river to the place that was his entry to the world below. Here was the
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177 other world, the world of spirit, the shadow cast by the physical world and the
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178 light that cast that shadow. Here he was powerful and here he felt most keenly
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179 his smallness, listening to the voices of the worlds as they conversed. He
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180 heard the rocks singing of longings such as men knew: the deep rocks yearning
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181 for their time in the sun and air, while those above longed to return to the
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182 warm safeness below. Pebbles in their streams sang of their emergence and
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183 their dance as they were polished and rolled to their new homes. Soil, tree,
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184 bird, bee, dog, fish, squirrel -- all of the children sang of their parent
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185 rock and their home deep in the thick shell of the world. All except man.
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186 Man alone had reached full self-awareness. He sang of himself, of his
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187 works, of his dreams of conquest. He was reaching out from the shell where he
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188 was birthed among the earth's other children, standing on their backs to grasp
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189 the stars. This, the world knew, was not wrong. She and her sister worlds
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190 knew of their unity, that they were one who seemed many because of the dance.
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191 But this unity in the dance had been trampled in the mind of man, buried under
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192 the weight of supreme self. Few now knew the depth of the dance, and of them
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193 only the dancer felt clearly how far his fellows had moved from the rhythm.
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194 He moved deeper in the dance as the day wore on in the world of light, the
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195 world his fellows saw. He heard deeper voices speaking of ancient things, a
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196 tale of a people who in an earlier age had forgotten the dance. He heard how
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197 those people returned to the dance, how they even now moved in the slow rock
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198 dance. Voice came from an ever-widening range, from deeper and further the
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199 world echoed his dance and drum, until at last he came to that voice too great
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200 to know.
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201 As a parent to an infant it spoke to him, with words beyond comprehension
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202 that yet carried meaning. #Well you have danced, child,# it seemed to say,
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203 #and deeply. But deeper still run I and my true dance. I am old beyond your
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204 comprehension, and those others who once forgot were but a moment before to me.
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205 You and those others by my blood-river still need a dancing lesson...#
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206 It had turned into an unseasonably hot midsummer afternoon, and the old man
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207 was running rivers of sweat as he danced. His breathing was a hollow booming
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208 keeping time with the higher beat of the drum. The Evangelists were packing up
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209 to go, wrung out by the heat and the drum, when one of them noticed the dancer
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210 stumble in his step and begin to fall. The Christian thought briefly of
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211 Samaritans and looking good for God, and moved to catch him.
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212 No one saw him fall. The place called Portland roared to the spirit and
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213 fell silent to the ear. The dance there resumed its proper path, the people
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214 all moving into a rhythm only their cells remembered, and row upon mysterious
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215 row of earthen mounds danced the great dance by the rivers of earth's blood.
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216 && The Mad Actor &&
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217 *************** I *********************
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218 **************--+--********************
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219 ****************I**********************
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220 ****************I**********************
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221
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222
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223 John Dereks and his
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224 ASTRAL ADVENTURES
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225
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226 Many a times, when I was young, have Ihad strange dreams. Now, you may say,
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227 we have all had strange dreams, but
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228 these dreams were different. It would
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229 seem too real to be a dream. I would
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230 travel to faraway lands, witness strange
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231 events, and view unspeakable horrors.
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232 In many of these dreams, I could see my
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233 sleeping body in bed,and would wonder
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234 how I got out here.
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235 I would try to tell my parents about
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236 these dreams, but they would only say,
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237 'now, John, you are old enough to be
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238 able to tell dreams from reality.' The
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239 problem was, these dreams were reality.
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240 They were just too real for anything
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241 else.
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242 One day, I mentioned these dreams to
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243 my grandfather. He instantly closed his
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244 eyes, grimaced, and turned away. I heardhim mumble something, and then, did I
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245 not hear someone answer? We were alone!
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246 Who could have answered my grandfather,
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247 for I saw no one in the room. But wait,
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248 there it was again! Yes there was
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249 someone, no, something else in this
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250 room. I could feel it's presence. I wentto my grandfather and lightly tapped
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251 him on the shoulder. He was crying.
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252 "I will teach you, son. Yes. I will
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253 teach you well",he said. "And then, you
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254 will face the challenge which has
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255 haunted our family for so long. Yes,you
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256 are the one.....at last..."
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257 I hugged him, while thinking:'what did
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258 he mean'challenge'? It didn't matter.
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259 I trusted him. Whatever he says must be
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260 done, I would do.
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261
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262 +ABDUL BRIAN+
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263
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264 ***************************************
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265
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266
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267 <<<<<<<<<<<
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268 Mr. Mad (Bad??) Actor,
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269 Part of authoring a story is taking comments from the reading public. I shall
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270 allow myself to use this right.
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271 First of all, your introduction is much too hammering. We get the picture
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272 that he is in the city. Repetative reference to the city people is not
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273 needed. In the middle of the work, we get blased by a dream-like plop into
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274 some sing-song poetry about man and life.
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275 What is this mish mash of mental dry heaves? It gets as preachy as the
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276 Evangelists you were refering to.
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277 Leave the pseudo-deep thought stuff to the 'Christian' preachers that like
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278 to see themselves on T.V. every Sunday. Let them stand on stage and hoot
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279 and hollar. Much to much drift for a coherent message to come
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280 through.
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281
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282 Thank you for your time,
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283
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284 The KRITIK
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285
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286 >>>>>>>>>>
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287
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288
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289
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290 && && &&
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291 KRITIK -- There was a reason for the repitition & the "hammering". If you don't
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292 see it, fine. I see no need to defend my work. It's grown up. It can take
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293 care of itself. Any other comments?
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294 && TMA &&
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295 """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
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296 Yeah, one more comment...'well done' sums it up, I think.
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297
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298 KRITIC: And there are two rules to being a critic: Know what to say and how
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299 to say it. Unfortunatly, you fail on both counts...
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300
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301 (Will the real Dick Supten please stand up?)
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302 PEN NAME
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303 """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
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304
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305
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306 oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo
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307 It's difficult to tell who it is that says what around here.... That's normal.
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308 TRIPLE-FIVE: If it is you that uses "=+-+=" in repetition, the last time I was
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309 on I saw SEVERAL of the same, one after another (^K's embedded in 'em too).
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310 It gets really tiring to see SEVERAL lines used when one would suffice.
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311 Maybe one of the 'higher-up's was doing us a service? (NOT TAKING SIDES)
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312 OMEGA: Hope you and guest enjoyed the (rushed) tour of the facilities. And I
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313 assume the presentation was adequate?
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314 Once you left I realized I gave you the wrong name over here, but it'll make
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315 do. See you over at your 'place.'
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316
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317 I sense a stream of returning writers around here... Go for it!
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318 so
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319 oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oo -oo
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320 Sorry t
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321 One mor
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322 PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP
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323 #>#>#>#>#>#>#>#>#>#>#>#>#>#>#>#>#>#>#>#>#>#>#>#>#>#>#>#>#>#>#>#>#>#>#>#>#>
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324 The Mad Actor: I liked your piece enough to say this:
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325 PLEASE send it off to publications! Personally,
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326 I think it is publishable. One market I'd like
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327 you to check out is:
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328 Sign of the Times: A Chronicle of Decadance in
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329 the Atomic Age, P.O. Box 6464, Portland 97228.
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330 They don't pay, but publishing houses do read
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331 the magazine. Getting seen is a huge step to
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332 getting into the biz.
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333 #>#>#>#>#>#>#>#>#>#>#>#>#>#>#>#>#>#>#>#>#>#>#>#>#>#>#>#>#>#>#>#>#>#>#>#>#>
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334
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335 *****************************************************************************
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336
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337 My grandfather left my embrace, and ledme to his private library. He walked
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338 slowly to a secluded bookcase, as if
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339 his stalling would make a difference in
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340 destiny's verdict. He reached up for a
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341 rather large black book that, for some
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342 reason, stood out amongst the others.
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343 From the place I was standing, I could
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344 read the title:AMOR VINCIT OMNIA. What
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345 the heck did that mean, I thought to
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346 myself. It's obviously in another
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347 language, but what did it mean? My
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348 grandfather started to hand me the book,hesitated, shook his head, then gave
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349 it to me.
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350 "This was your great-great-grandfathers. Within it are the secrets of astral
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351 travel. Many years ago my grandfather
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352 said that every fourth generation has
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353 one chance to free our family from a
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354 curse that was placed long ago. You are that generation. You must learn the ways
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355 of the astral world, become strong in
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356 the art of survival on the astral plane,and destroy the demon who possesses our
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357 name. Now go home, and speak to no one
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358 on the way."
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359
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360 ---ABDUL BRIAN---
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361 ????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
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362 Congrats to all our aspiring authors, looks like Backwash is back on track,
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363 and, sir KRITIK, criticisms are best if constructive, rather than just
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364 bloody-mindedness:
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365
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366 THE OWL-CRITIC
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367
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368 "Who stuffed that white owl?" No one spoke in the shop,
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369 The barber was busy, and he couldn't stop;
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370 The customers, waiting their turns, were all reading
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371 The "Daily," the "Heral," the "Post," little heeding
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372 The young man who blurted out such a blunt question;
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373 Not one raised a head, or even made a suggestion;
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374 And the barber kept on shaving
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375
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376 "Don't you see, Mr. Brown,"
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377 Cried the youth, with a frown,
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378 "How wrong the whole thing is,
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379 How preposterous each wing is,
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380 How flattened the head is,
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381 How jammed down the neck is -
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382 In short, the whole owl, what an ignorant wreck 't is!
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383 I make no apology;
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384 I've learned owl-eology
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385 I've passed days and nights in a hundred collections,
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386 And cannot be blinded to any deflections
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387 Arising from unskillful fingers that fail
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388 To stuff a bird right, from his beak to his tail.
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389 Mister Brown! Mister Brown!
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390 Do take that bird down,
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391 Or you'll soon be the laughing stock all over the town!"
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392 And the barber kept on shaving
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393
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394 "I've studied owls,
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395 And other night fowls,
|
||
396 And I tell you
|
||
397 What I know to be true;
|
||
398 An owl cannot roost
|
||
399 With his limbs so unloosed;
|
||
400 No owl in this world
|
||
401 Ever had his claws curled,
|
||
402 Ever had his legs slanted,
|
||
403 Ever had his bill canted,
|
||
404 Ener had his neck screwed
|
||
405 Into that attitude.
|
||
406 He can't do it,because
|
||
407 'tis against all bird-laws.
|
||
408 Anatomy teaches,
|
||
409 Ornithology preaches,
|
||
410 An owl has a toe
|
||
411 That cannot turn so!
|
||
412 I've made the white owl my study for years,
|
||
413 And to see such a job almost moves me to tears!
|
||
414 Mister Brown, I'm amazed
|
||
415 you should be so gone crazed
|
||
416 as to put up a bird
|
||
417 In that posture absurd!
|
||
418 To look at that owl really brings on a dizziness
|
||
419 The an who stuffed him don't half kknow his business!"
|
||
420 And the barber kept on shaving.
|
||
421
|
||
422 "Examine those eyes.
|
||
423 I'm filled with surprise
|
||
424 Taxidermists should pass
|
||
425 Off on you such poor glass;
|
||
426 So unnaturl they seem
|
||
427 Thay'd make the Audubon scream,
|
||
428 And John Burroughs laugh
|
||
429 To encounter such chaff.
|
||
430 Do take that bird down;
|
||
431 Have him stuffed again, Brown!"
|
||
432 And the barber kept on shaving.
|
||
433
|
||
434 "With some sawdust and bark
|
||
435 I could stuff in the dark
|
||
436 an owl better than that.
|
||
437 I could make an old hat
|
||
438 Look more like an owl
|
||
439 Than that horrid fowl,
|
||
440 Stuck up there so stiff like a side of coarse leather.
|
||
441 In fact, about him there's not one natural feather."
|
||
442
|
||
443 Just then,
|
||
444 With a wink and a sly normal lurch,
|
||
445 The owl, very gravely, got down from his perch,
|
||
446 Walked around, and regarded his fault-finding critic
|
||
447 (Who thought he was stuffed) with a glance analytic,
|
||
448 And then fairly hooted, as if he should say:
|
||
449 "You're learning's at fault this time, anyway;
|
||
450 Don't waste it again on a live bird, I pray.
|
||
451 I'm an owl; you're another. Sir KRITTIK, good day!"
|
||
452 And the sysop kept his system going.
|
||
453
|
||
454 With apologies, t to
|
||
455 James Thomas Fields . I hope I've
|
||
456 made my point.
|
||
457
|
||
458 Adric.
|
||
459 ??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
|
||
460
|
||
461 I think so. In style. Off.
|
||
462
|
||
463 <<<<<<<<
|
||
464
|
||
465 Well, I can see that there is no hope for those of you who can't take some
|
||
466 tips on writing. You are all so tied up in yourselves that you can't see
|
||
467 what you are doing. If you guys are so great, send those puppies off to a
|
||
468 publisher. Then you can upload the reject letter to B.W. The story was not
|
||
469 that bad. I can tell you people also have no head for judging people. If
|
||
470 I had hated the story you would have known it. Mr. Bad Actor's story has
|
||
471 much more promise that most of the garbage on here that I have seen in the
|
||
472 past few years. It needs serious work though. There is nothing wrong with
|
||
473 that. The constitution wasn't finished in one draft was it? One thing I
|
||
474 must commend him on is his choice of subject. I was getting tired of reading
|
||
475 all these Futuristic-Anti-Communist-Sword-Wailing-Science-fiction-SPY stories
|
||
476 that always seem to start, but never end.
|
||
477 At least Mr. Actor can finish a story (A little weak, but.....) So if all
|
||
478 of you would not be so worried about me hurting his feelings and throw some
|
||
479 comments of your own his way, he might be able to work that thing into a
|
||
480 plausible story. One more thing. I appreciate the fact that my words are
|
||
481 still here for more than one hour. At least the sysop knows that this is
|
||
482 an open board and I can say what I feel. Does every story on here have to
|
||
483 be good? NO Does every story have to be thrill-packed? NO You like things
|
||
484 and you dislike others. Such is life.
|
||
485
|
||
486 Speaking my peace,
|
||
487
|
||
488 The KRITIK
|
||
489 >>>>>>>
|
||
490
|
||
491 Eewh! How long did you spend standing in front of the mirror stealing
|
||
492 yourself for that shift from 4th to Reverse??
|
||
493
|
||
494 <<<<<<
|
||
495 Say what?
|
||
496
|
||
497 Please try to make more sense if you are addressing me.
|
||
498
|
||
499 The KRITIK
|
||
500 >>>>>>
|
||
501
|
||
502 I am refusing to take sides.........
|
||
503 ---ABDUL BRIAN---
|
||
504 up 20
|
||
505 print
|
||
506
|
||
507 Oh, a serious lack of verse for the
|
||
508 last thirty lines or so. Fair amounts
|
||
509 of complaints too. I am to try not to
|
||
510 complain about that. That would be
|
||
511 whining!
|
||
512 Waiting, hoping for some verse
|
||
513 to show up soon, Neher DuWell.
|
||
514
|
||
515 && && &&
|
||
516 KRITTIK -- Please get the name right. I am actually a rather good actor, as
|
||
517 evidenced by the fact that I am able to make a living acting in Portland. I
|
||
518 am also aware of weaknesses in Rockdance. I disagree with your choices in
|
||
519 your first message, but I DID put it up here to get feedback... You're right
|
||
520 about the ending being weak, but that's the way it ends -- Rockdance is
|
||
521 essentially a description of a dream I had while sleeping among the Mima mounds.
|
||
522 I'm still anxious to hear any feedback... I've already rewritten it since the
|
||
523 first posting (5th revision), and I do want to hear from you. I won't always
|
||
524 agree, but that's artist's perogative...
|
||
525 && The Mad Actor &&
|
||
526 ____________________________________________________________________________
|
||
527 7e17e17e17e17e17e17e17e17e17e17e17e17e17e17e17e17e17e17e17e17e17e17e17e17e17e7e1
|
||
528
|
||
529 'Almost there.' Parity could see the Buchan homestead through the dusty wind-
|
||
530 shield. The window wash reservoir was long empty, but the bright blue paint of
|
||
531 the house showed through like a lighthouse along a foggy coast.
|
||
532 The bandage on Fellows was completely soaked. The bright red on the seat
|
||
533 cover made Parity look away in fear. He had seen death and dying before. It was
|
||
534 part of the business. He had killed men in the line of duty. He didn't want to
|
||
535 think of duty now. Duty seemed a perilous creature; one fed by ambition and
|
||
536 need for belonging and power. Duty seemed inconsequential. Fellows was near
|
||
537 death. Parity was alone in his quest for a cure. The Buchans were the last
|
||
538 hope. He had driven 100 miles towards Death Valley. How apt a name he
|
||
539 thought. Was it prophetic too?
|
||
540 The Buchan house rose above the car as Parity slowed to a stop in the
|
||
541 driveway. Steam hissed from a tired radiator as Parity open his door and
|
||
542 made his way to the front of the house. It had been built in the late 1800's,
|
||
543 Dr Buchan had told him. Silver was the draw, and all around the area posts
|
||
544 and shacks mark sores on the earth where men had dug their fortunes. Many
|
||
545 buried their futures there too, for silver mining in the Nevada frontier was
|
||
546 a tough life all the way around. The house had been constructed by one miner
|
||
547 who had found a fortune in the depths. It was a present to his mail-order
|
||
548 wife. Buchan had gone on to tell the story of how the wife had gone off with
|
||
549 the assayer, and the miner had tracked them down and killed them both. He
|
||
550 was hung for his crime, but not before telling all that hunting silver was
|
||
551 much easier than hunting down a wayward woman. The house had several owners
|
||
552 through the years, all of whom had kept it in good condition. In the 1930's
|
||
553 a small diesel motor was built to supply the house with electrical power.
|
||
554 The sound of the motor coming from the back of the house was music to Parity's
|
||
555 ears. Someone still lived there, although the doctor's Cadillac was no where
|
||
556 to be seen.
|
||
557 Out in the middle of the desert a house that wasn't a mirage existed. An
|
||
558 oasis for those who know where to look. Parity knocked on the screen door.
|
||
559 Apprehensive moments later the door opened and a old woman peered through
|
||
560 the screen. A few years had passed, but Parity recognized the smile on her
|
||
561 face.
|
||
562 "Mrs. Buchan. I need your help again."
|
||
563 "I'll get my husband. He is in the back. Please come in." The doctor's
|
||
564 wife opened the screen door, but Parity motioned to the car. She peered
|
||
565 around the corner and saw Fellows propped up against the passenger side
|
||
566 window. "Bring him in and lay him down in the front room."
|
||
567 Without another word Parity returned to the car, and as carefully as
|
||
568 possible lifted Fellows out of the seat, and in a cradle fashion, carried
|
||
569 him back to the house. Fellows' breathing was so shallow Parity had to
|
||
570 stop walking in order to hear it. Mrs. Buchan held the door open for him
|
||
571 as he entered. A hide-way-bed had been opened in the front room, and Parity
|
||
572 gently placed his injured friend on it. As he bent up, Dr. Buchan entered
|
||
573 the room. Tall as before and gaunt as ever, the doctor, in a white shirt
|
||
574 and black pants and suspenders, nodded a hello to Parity and leaned over
|
||
575 his new patient. Long slim fingers deftly opened his black bag and emerged
|
||
576 with the tools of his trade. A stethoscope, eye-light, and blood pressure
|
||
577 wrap seemed to attach themselves to Fellows all at once. The doctor might
|
||
578 be getting on in years, Parity thought, but he isn't losing his touch.
|
||
579 "The wound. What's in it?" Buchan's voice was like a low-pitched dove.
|
||
580 Parity always wondered why he had chosen medicine over music. Then he looked
|
||
581 at Fellows and remembered why.
|
||
582 "An explosion, in the city. Glass, metal shards, I don't know what all.
|
||
583 I didn't have time. I came straight here. Vegas is crawling with inquisitive
|
||
584 minds." The bit of humor made Buchan smile, just for a moment. He turned his
|
||
585 attention back to Fellows. He had taken the necessary readings and was now
|
||
586 working on the makeshift bandage.
|
||
587 "Good pressure job. It got him here still breathing. I won't ask you why
|
||
588 you didn't take him to a doctor in town. I remember you brush salesmen have
|
||
589 certain rules."
|
||
590 "Yes, and we..."
|
||
591 "Sorry to interrupt, but we must hurry. Ionna, get some water to boil,
|
||
592 and bring me the rest of my instruments. The big stuff. Parity, wash your
|
||
593 hands, you'll have to help me out. He has lost a lot of blood and sorry to
|
||
594 say I don' carry plasma around here. We'll have to make due without, but
|
||
595 time becomes more critical. Now hurry." 7e17e17e17e17e17e17e17e17e17e17e1
|
||
596 ?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
|
||
597 Sir KRITTIK, I must admit I agree with you, and that I did not intend to
|
||
598 seem anti-feedback, because I merely wished to point out that criticism is
|
||
599 best with advice attached.Please don't misunderstand me, criticism is what
|
||
600 helps all writers.I hope however that your criticisms are a model for all
|
||
601 others on the system.
|
||
602
|
||
603 [C[C[C[C[C[CAs Elforson felt his arms jerk up, a grating sound reached his
|
||
604 ears, as his sturdy boots slipped on the granite wall.His rope was taut,
|
||
605 but sturdy.He was uncomfortably aware of the sound of the rope fraying above
|
||
606 him.He reached to his belt, and pulled out his piton gun.He locked a piton
|
||
607 deep into the granite, and proceeded up the tight, crooked chimney.Below him,
|
||
608 he could see the glitter of sunlight on brocken metal and glass.His delicate
|
||
609 bird, a canard longeasy, shattered and twisted all over the valley floor.As
|
||
610 he climbed, he knew that all around him the jungle was teeming with life.
|
||
611 Looking back, he could see a troop of macac monkeys crawling through the
|
||
612 wreckage.He smiled, secure in the knowledge that they would find no food within
|
||
613 his slender craft.All tht the plane had contained was strapped to his back.
|
||
614
|
||
615 Resting at the top of the cliff, he looked out over the river valley,
|
||
616 as the lazy river glistened down its path, providing lifegiving water to
|
||
617 the jungle around him.Over his head, a lone howler let out a boom of sound,
|
||
618 trying to find his lost group.He rushed off through the trees, not very graceful
|
||
619 but competant in his instincts.Elforson trudged wearily on, occasionally sending
|
||
620 out a blast of radio signal as a beacon.He knew that the battery would not lastt
|
||
621 for more than two continuous hours of transmission.He followed the example of
|
||
622 the mokeys, and climbed a nearby creeper to a strong-looking branch above.
|
||
623 He wove together all the nearby twigs, creating a hammock for the night.
|
||
624 Surrounded by the sounds of the jugle, he slept.
|
||
625
|
||
626 ( will continue if liked.)
|
||
627
|
||
628 Adric.
|
||
629 How do I spell relief? A 200 p.s.i. Turbo Douche |+| Mind Blowing!!!
|
||
|
||
TOTAL NUMBER OF LINES = 629
|