EN World Short Story Smackdown - FINAL: Berandor vs Piratecat - The Judgment Is In!

[tadk]

"Report on the Viability of" CDM Round 1 Posting TadK

Round One - Match Seven
Rodrigo Istalindir vs. tadk

Report on the Viability of Test Objects and Test Subjects
Test report of experiments recently conducted per direction

Abstract

The scope of this testing is to report on the viability and utility of the test articles and subjects. This report will be used to determine future funding and directions.

There were a series of tests conducted recently to verify viability of delivery systems, mass displacement devices, as well as zone control methods and methodologies. These tests were conducted as far from local habitation as was possible. In several instances, difficulties arose and in one case the testing was observed by local inhabitants. Despite these difficulties, all tests were conducted successfully and this test report details the setup and results of the testing.

All of the testing was conducted using standard sampling and retrieval procedures, following all safety and decontamination processes. At no time were test personnel in any physical danger due to environment, habitat, or other factors.

The key objectives were all met, testing and sampling were all held to the highest quality possible with zero cross-contamination


Table of Contents
Section Page Number
Abstract 1
Table of Contents 1
Table of Figures 1
Introduction 2
Body 2
Test Articles 2
Results 3
Conclusions and Recommendations 6
References 7


Table of Figures
Figure Number Description Page Number
Figure 1: Test Subject One, Biological subject in a Can 3
Figure 2: Witness to the Mass Displacement Test (Female Subject) 4
Figure 3: Two male subjects, in two primary colors, mind control exercise 5
Figure 4: Jungle creature held by human male, under observation 6


Introduction
The test subjects consisted of four elements. The first was an analysis of the physical, chemical, and emotional components of a biological entity found in a can.

The second test was a mass displacement device, illustrating the utility and potential of the device.

The third test was a mind control device, a sub-dermal implant, intended to prevent local detection.

The last test was a series of biometric studies of a jungle dwelling creature, with some potential for utility and use to our other future studies.


Body
One set of test engineers were utilized to conduct all the testing. There was some travel involved in the testing, as well as some minor issues relating to how they were scheduled and conducted. The main details are below in the Results section.

The purpose of the testing is to validate proof of concept designs as well as to determine whether these lines of research and study should even be continued.


Test Articles
There are four tests in this report.
The first Test Article is a biologic that was accidentally located in a can that was obtained in a raid in the eastern hemisphere. The can was a standard sized one for the location, and after the primary test subject was tested to destruction, subsequent investigation of the ancillary objects obtained during the obtaining of the original test subject, this was located. The curiosity of the find has prompted the testing cycle that was conducted. Due to the short timeframe involved, and concerns over deterioration, the tests were conducted as swiftly as possible. There were no appropriate surgical devices, so locally obtained plastic silverware was used to prod and manipulate the biologic.

The biologic appeared to be some sort of flesh, with small teeth embedded along the outer circumference of the entire entity. There was a filmy, pearlescent fluid in the can that took up the rest of the volume. After opening the can the testing commenced.

The second test was a demonstration of a mass displacement device. If successful it would help to reduce the footprint of obtaining main test subjects for the normal test cycles. In order to conduct this test it was determined to move unloving biological items to begin with. A standard flying disk was used to transport and deploy the device.
Once at the test site the device was detonated.

The third test was intended to demonstrate the effectiveness of some prototype mind control devices. As they are intended for the native population, they were inserted beneath the outer dermal covering of two of the males of the largest bipedal species, and later activated with interesting results.

The fourth and last test covered in this report was a series of tests conducted on a previously unnoticed species found in an equatorial jungle by a scout team. It was retrieved and demonstrated a high degree of potential intelligence as well as utility so some basic and routine non-destructive tests were conducted.


Results

The various tests were all successful to various degrees.
Follows is a more detailed set of results.

Figure 1: Test Subject One, Biological subject in a Can


The biologic was tested for contagious diseases, sensitivity to light, humidity, pressure changes, as well as extremes of temperature. At the start of the testing, it was determined it was chemically alive, with no indication of a nervous system analogous to the indigenous life forms previously tested.

Standard cultures were obtained, scrapings, and no infectious diseases were detected under laboratory conditions. Once that was concluded it was exposed to the local environment and further tests were conducted.

It showed no reaction to changes in light, either from total darkness up to maximum illumination.
Following that the environment was altered from no moisture, up to saturation levels for ambient air temperature. At the greatest value of humidity the biologic exhibited some slight change in hue, deepening approximately three shades with no other changes noted.

Once that was completed it was immediately subjected to a high pressure environment, with a total atmosphere equal to a gas giant. It showed no damage other than a flattening of the overall structure. After that it was subjected to an immediate and rapid decompression venting to the outside and taking it to an absolute vacuum. Again no response was detected save some deformation with the exiting of the oxygen.

Last set of tests conducted were temperature. The inside of the test chamber was lowered to match that of the vacuum, reaching to 5 degrees Kelvin. The outer fluid covering froze and remained intact.

Then it was subjected to a temperature, reached as fast as the test chamber could obtain an interior temperature of 670 Kelvin. The outer covering was converted to a gaseous form and was ablated away leaving the biologic dried and cracked.

At the end of the testing it is concluded this is some form of artificial biological device, and worthy of further study back under more concrete and extensive facilities.

Figure 2: Witness to the Mass Displacement Test (Female Subject)

The second test was of a mass displacement device. It is intended to replace manned retrieval teams, instead pulling in test subjects and items without making the local inhabitants and dwellers suspicious.

Due to a miscalculation in the time conversion the time of the test was not in the middle of the dark cycle, but in the middle of the light cycle. This was due to a mis-calibration of the time conversion standard from local time to standard time and back again.
Despite this the test was carried out, the flying disk was able to deploy the test device. It was detonated, but due to the time mistake the detonation was observed. It is estimated less than 10 locals observed, and only one was close enough to have observed any physical effects. This is recorded in Figure 2 above.

Based on the current population of the world wide test subject population of over 6.8 billion, and with only 10 potential observers, this comes to be a rounded off observation rate of .000000147. This value falls well below the potential noted threshold, and is well below the maximum allowed value.

The device detonated, displacing a standard collection box worth of un-living former biological samples. It left the manufactured and worked metallic and other non-biological materials.

Based on this and the subsequent retrieval by flying disk of the mass displacement device the test is considered an unqualified success.

Figure 3: Two male subjects, in two primary colors, mind control exercise

The third test conducted was of another prototype. This was of a mind-control device, also intended to aid in finding and testing local test subjects. Two males of the predominant bipedal species were tranquilized and the mind control devices were implanted under the scant dermal covering this species possesses.

Once the subjects were returned to their natural habitant a series of signals were sent to test the range and efficacy of the implants. The creatures displayed abnormal behavior, including mating patterns indicative of the opposite gender of their species.

Unfortunately shortly after the tests were initiated, before actual test commands could be sent, the test subjects suffered severe physical trauma and perished.

While this could be considered inconclusive, the fact that just the carrier wave induced such radial behavioral modifications indicates great potential for the implants.

Figure 4: Jungle creature held by human male, under observation

This is by far the single test subject with the most potential. It was discovered by a survey and sample team while scouting in an equatorial jungle location. They were searching for a small sub-species of the dominant bipeds, and during their radar sweeps discovered this specimen. Recognizing a potential kindred spirit, they gently obtained the subject before locating the main test subjects.

Those main test subjects along with the rest of the destructive testing will be covered in a separate report.

This subject was exposed to our cultural icons, similar as to discovering a feral child of our own great race. It demonstrated a great aptitude for learning, mimicking the sequence within a few series of demonstrations. Then a series of simple mathematic tests were conducted, which did not go as well as the visual testing. This could be attributed to the difference in digits on the upper limbs, from our own. Despite that difficulty, the test subject tested equal to a small child in our developmental stages, and the test engineers feel that it has potential to be a productive member of our greater community.

The final aspect is the safe consumption of our core foodstuffs, lending credence to the superior nature of this miniscule entity.

Conclusions and Recommendations
All of the testing is considered to be successful. Both of the biological series of tests yielded positive results, leading to a desire for more extensive testing.

The two devices tested both performed to expectations, and further funding, testing, and development is recommended.

With the greatest potential being the last test subject. The test engineers feel that further study, as well as obtaining of a viable breeding population, is warranted in the small biological specimen. This would yield a great boon to our overall society, to be able to introduce a new member into the overall good.

References
All testing was conducted in accordance with standard collection and detainment practices. At no time were the collecting personnel subjected to unprotected exposure and all precautions were followed.

Extensive visual recordings were made of all phases and are available on request.

Appendix

A short recording made of locally obtained test subject, held in seclusion post the testing of the subject entity, prior to the destructive testing the other test subject was subjected to.

[Record mental and physical]
With his hand holding the strange little creature, the one that was brought back from some distant jungle, he waited to hear the results of the many tests.

It had taken all too many days to find out, what would be the final outcome.
Too many sleepless nights waiting to find out the final judgment, yet soon it would be resolved.

Still it was strange to think that this little thing was more important than he was.
Strange indeed.
[End Record mental and physical]

 

[awayfarer]

Got my basic eye-deer thought up but probably won't have anything posted until late tomorrow night.

Off to even the playing field by killing my brain with video games.

 

[Piratecat]

Nipple count currently at five-and-a-bit-and-a-sort-of. Some normal, some best left unseen but hopefully none gratuitous.

"Gratuitous nipple" is a bad thing for EN World, but a great name for a band.

Piratecat's tricks for CDM:

1. Read your story out loud before you post. You'll find typos and redundant phrases.
2. Spellcheck.
3. EN World doesn't automatically add spaces between paragraphs like MS Word does. Make sure you have hard paragraph returns in there, or your story will be really hard to read.
4. Consider using links instead of reposting the pictures. See post #123 (next page) in this thread to see how to do it.
5. Test the formatting. Find an old post of yours in an old thread, and edit it. Paste in your story. Check any links or formatting, then remove the story from the post. Paste the story into this thread.
6. There may be message board weirdness if a story is really long. If so, post it in two parts.
7. Remember not to edit your post for any reason once it's posted.

 

[arwink]

"Gratuitous nipple" is a bad thing for EN World, but a great name for a band.

I have sudden images of terrifying band t-shirts with a space cut out above the right nipple.

 

[Piratecat]

Round One - Match Five
Piratecat vs. Orchid Blossom

How My Brother Stopped Listening to Rock and Roll
(a transcript of a tape found in my parents’ attic, c. 1992.)​

<Click>

I will move the tape recorder closer, so it hears me. We will want a good recording on the tape. What is that on your shirt? Heh. They spelled “Death” wrong. I am surprised that you did not take care to dress better. A boy whose grade depends on successfully interviewing me – or rather, on successfully interviewing a camp survivor before we all die on you and leave you telling the same dull stories back and forth over our graves – a boy like that should have taken care to make a good first impression. Ripped clothing makes you look like one of us. I am told that you are doing poorly in class. It is my hope that by the time we are done, you will have learned a little more about what it was like during World War 2. And what it is like to be an old man, eh?

Heh.

I can tell you don’t like that. Nursing homes make young people nervous. They smell the piss and the age and the smell of disinfectant, and they know it’s waiting for them at the end of their road. You smell it, don’t you? They give you adult diapers and occasionally they remember to change you. It’s no place for a sane person. But I don’t have that much longer. As I said, I’m old, but I have important things to tell first. When you’re old no one pays attention to you. It’s like being invisible. You’ll see. We’re going to talk, and we’ll be ignored until you bother to get up and leave. So let’s talk and pass the time. What do you want to know about?

Yes, I have killed people. What else?

The war. All right.

When they came to ask about this school assignment, I asked for one like you. Young and blond and strong, like one of the Aryans. No, sit back down. No need to look disgusted. I am not one of the homosexuals, any more than you are Jewish. And I am very old. Over ninety, now. The people here at the nursing home – even you, who sit across from me looking uncomfortable – the people here at the nursing home think I am a senile old man. A German immigrant to your country, a war refugee from Munich, a widower whose wife died in Dachau. Look, you can see my number from the camp, tattooed here on my arm.

It is a lie. I tattooed this number on myself after killing the man who had it first.

Do you want to hear my secrets? The ones I’ll never tell anyone other than you and this tape machine? Ah. Now I see I have you. You will not walk out on the story now. It will be a fine paper you will write. If I have to confess to anyone, why not you? So shut up. I will talk, and you will listen. And record.

In 1943 I was an archeologist for the Third Reich, but more than that. I was a member of Himmler’s Ahnenerbe. You may not have heard of us, but that is only because you are stupid. You have seen the Ahnenerbe. In your Indiana Jones movie. In your comics about Hellboys. In your horror stories. We were the archeologists who found actual miracles for the Führer, and who made sure he couldn’t lose.

Ah, you see? Now you look up at me. You’ve already decided that I am in my dotage. The senility has crept in on little scampering feet that you almost hear, but which you quickly forget because they have stolen away your memory. I have gotten very good at pretending to have dementia. “He has good days and bad days,” they say, “and on his bad days he thinks he is someone else.” It has taken concerted effort. But I’m still as sharp as I was the day that Dr. Steiger ordered me to Vienna to seize the Spear of Longinus from the House of Hapsburg. It was I who gave the grave cloth of Lazarus of Bethany to my Führer. And we uncovered the tomb of an archangel. I think that is what I will tell you about. But only if you hand me that little cup of water.

Thank you.

The Ahnenerbe was an archeological group dedicated to proving Aryan might. We also fed Hitler’s obsession with the occult. My mentor was a member of the Thule Society and a superb archeologist. Elsa Steiger was not the kind of Nazi scientist you would expect to see in an American movie. She was not tall and blonde, and she had no sex appeal to seduce American spies. I never received any indication that she liked women or men unless they could be of immediate and palpable use to her career. I admired her drive and instincts, however; she would shoot a man in cold blood if he betrayed her, and reward the loyal with wealth plundered from our archeological digs. I was very loyal. I became very wealthy.

England had invaded the country three years earlier, so in 1944 our team entered Iraq undercover and without much military support. Dr. Steiger was seeking something hidden in the mountains a certain distance from ancient Babylon. You’ve heard of Babylon, boy? There, in the cradle of civilization? Good. Our mission was to find this dig site and see if it hid anything that could be of use to the Third Reich. Dr. Steiger wouldn’t tell us what the site was supposed to contain. She referred to it as “The Tomb,” and she possibly thought it was just a fable. Still, the hunt for the Grail was dead in the water by then, and Berlin was a dangerous place for anyone not immersed in politics. This was safer and probably more productive.

You wouldn’t have known what to make of that world, boy; Nazi agents and British counter-agents, wearing tuxedos and dishdashas, playing an intricate cat and mouse game across a backdrop of sand and betrayal. Within three weeks Dr. Steiger had our expedition packed and we were leading mounts through impossibly narrow passes in the hill country. She paid off three separate local warlords, playing one against the other to make sure that we would remain unmolested. The one Brit we saw who managed to follow us was shot by our guide, and I’ve never felt as isolated as I did in those sun-washed wastes. We had brought a good two dozen people, including local women who were not to be touched by any of the men on pain of castration. Eight of the men fled a week into the march. I never learned why they ran. Superstitious, I imagine.

We ended the expedition beside a crumbling defile and a deserted stone pit. The hills slumped over us, eroded by the hot wind that whistled above our heads. In a fever one day, I thought it was talking to us. The rocks there were covered by some sort of scabrous mold. It was not a place meant for humans.

“Dig,” said Dr. Steiger. So we dug. And we slept. And we dug.

While we did, she consulted with the women and the remaining holy man she had brought with us. They moved us twice. They chanted words in Aramaic, donned strange pointed garments and burned odd herbs. The air filled with the odor, smoky and soft, and it was while smelling it that my pick punched through the stone into an empty space. Another three hours cleared a space large enough for us to squeeze. It was dark by now and the desert grows cold at night. We huddled in front of the opening. A guard gestured with a machine gun, and the women and priest were reluctantly moved into the cave. We tethered the horses, and the rest of the expedition followed.

I see your face. You want to know, eh?

It wasn’t a cave. In width it was more like a street. The passageway was wide and dry, full of dust and age and sorrow. The air was heavy. The walls... the walls were covered with runes, many of which I did not immediately recognize. I remember thinking that if I perhaps studied them I would understand exactly what it was that they said. I can feel what that was like even now. Can you imagine, boy, what it’s like to explore the edge of something truly momentous? To hunger for knowledge that could actually destroy you? Oppenheimer must have felt like this. Man can not truly touch the mind of the Creator, but standing there I thought I could, and I wanted nothing else in all the world. I must have paused there for minutes, with my lit lantern and my open mouth. I presume that no one else noticed that I was missing, because soon I was alone. Alone to trace my fingertips across those graven runes, and to pronounce them quietly underneath my breath.

The sound of gunfire broke my reverie. Screams, then gunfire, then more screams. I started and turned, ran down the ancient stones towards the tumult. Above my head the ceiling opened up into darkness, and I raised my lantern. My breath dropped away.

Before me was a carving of a crying angel. It was titanic, a cyclopean masterpiece carved by unknown hands into the most perfect rendition of sorrow I could imagine. From where I stood, I was not altogether sure that it wasn’t actually alive.

When I could, I moved forward into the darkness beneath it.

Doctor Steiger looked satisfied when I came across her, standing next to our guards. The air stunk of cordite and bright copper. The blood of the civilians looked black in the lantern light. It was splashed across a weathered gray bier. Someone long ago had built this place, and carved that angel, just to shelter the blood-spattered rock that lay in front of us.

The civilians, men and women both, had been pushed into a pit at our feet. The bodies lay tangled across one another. I had seen the same at places such as Dachau, but this was different. I looked at my mentor.

“Old Testament,” she said. I can remember the flatness and efficiency of her voice. “Blood sacrifices are traditional.”

I knew better than to ask her why. She knew enough to tell me anyways. “If I’m right, this stone was once an arch-angel. Jeremiel, if the scriptures are true, angel of prophecy and the one who guided souls from their bodies. According to the apocrypha, he was killed by Lucifer before the Fall. His body, alone of all the angels, plunged to Earth outside of Eden.” She paused and cleared her throat. “I think that’s it sitting in front of us.”

There was a noise from the pit, and the guards ratcheted back the bolts of their weapons. No need. None of the shot civilians were alive. But boy, for the life of me, they were moving – sliding downwards out of sight, and clinging to one another as they went. The corpses looked lost, lonely. The last thing we saw were the arms, only the arms, impossibly entwined with one another. Perhaps they meant to hold one another as they passed. Perhaps it was a trick of the light. But it terrified me.

“Quit blubbering,” Dr. Steiger snapped. “This...”

Then the vision occurred.

And this is what you’ll care about, boy. Jeremiel was an angel of prophecy. The blood sacrifice was apparently accepted. Our black and white world of dim lanterns and ruined rock dissolved into a cacophony of screaming flame. Blood and explosions, anger and pain all stabbed across my vision at once. I saw my beloved Führer and I heard screams. I knew, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that the Third Reich would fall. I saw what would cause my death, and I saw what would prevent it. I glimpsed eternal life. The blood and flame danced before us –

When I awoke, I thought I was dying of thirst. Filth-encrusted. Hungry. It had been days. Several had died, and I was the first to regain consciousness. I managed to crawl to our supplies. When I could, I bound the others. I knew I’d need them.

I was in that place for months. I made do for food when our supplies ran out. Heh. No one else survived, but I learned many secrets from the Oracle and the carvings on the walls. Many secrets indeed.

I was emaciated when I finally left. It was easy enough to pass myself off as a concentration camp inmate once I returned to the Fatherland. I reported the mission a failure. I knew what would soon occur, so I wasted no time in picking a camp victim who looked like me. I had many contacts. It was easy to escape before Berlin fell.

And I came here.

Heh. You are as smart as I assumed. Of course you think this is all a lie, yes? I said the vision showed me eternal life. But here I sit, an old man in a piss-stained wheelchair. Talking to a young, Aryan boy. Why would I...

Oh, no you don’t. Qerech l’kel myan bi’lihjh.

There we are, nice and still. I’ll be in your body in just a few moments. I learned that much in the Tomb. You’ll be in mine. I doubt you’ll enjoy it much. But I guarantee your family will think your taste in music and clothes has improved.

I’ve been waiting for this for so, so long.

<Click.>

 

[Berandor]

Seen the pics, saved the pics, too tired to say more right now.

Scratch that. I've got an idea.

 

[maxfieldjadenfox]

Round 1, Match 8
maxfieldjadenfox vs. Mythago

Spring Break
Maxfieldjadenfox​

Sarasota. Just the name alone conjured pictures in Allison’s head. Sandy beaches. Romance. Mangroves. It was everything spring break should be, and after months of dreary winter, bundled in a million layers of wool and still cold, she couldn’t wait to don her bikini and flip flops and soak up the sun. Even better, David and Robb were going with her. Gay guys are the perfect companions for such a trip. They are guys, so if things got uncomfortable in a bar, say, they’d bail her out.

“Excuse me, but is he bothering you?” Of course if things got ugly, they might scream like girls and run…

But, if she met someone yummy, they’d be happy to help her pick the perfect outfit, tell her she looked fabulous, and dish about the date later. It was a win win situation. She could count on them.

So, Allison packed her suitcase with sundresses, bikinis, short shorts and tiny tees and dreamed that this year, she’d find Him. Allison had been on a relentless search for Him since the seventh grade and so far she had come up empty. She hadn’t told the boys, but the reason she picked Florida this year was because she had been talking to someone, a very nice someone she thought, online, and she had finally agreed to meet him. He hadn’t been willing to send a picture, which worried her a tad, but he said he was better in person. Since she was too, she’d chosen to believe him. She imagined him. He’d be tall and handsome, with a great smile and a great personality. Maybe he’d even have a job. Most of all, he would “get” her. Most guys didn’t. She was too smart, too geeky, too apt to quote from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. And, as David and Robb often told her, she was a loser magnet. If there was a guy in a 50 mile radius of her who had no job, no prospects, maybe a little substance abuse problem, and an illegitimate kid or two, he’d find her. And it would be candy canes and puppies and rainbows until his unfortunate traits became obvious.

Too often, she’d found herself curled in a ball on the floor of David and Robb’s apartment, sobbing as she looked at the two story red wall she’d helped them paint and stencil with Kanji characters and dragons. They fed her ice cream, commiserated about what a total bastard Joe, or Tom, or Jake was. They watched Princess Bride with her again, because she said it was the only thing that gave her hope. They called her daily to make sure she wasn’t offing herself, and then, she’d meet another loser and the whole sad tale would begin again.

Allison shook her head hard. I will not start this trip with a negative attitude. I will have the boys with me. They will make sure I don’t end up with Mr. Wrong again. She dropped some lacy under-things and her favorite little black dress into the suitcase and closed it. Just in case, she thought. Besides, I may have already found Mr. Right, she reminded herself.

The boys gave her the window seat. She sighed as she looked out at the clouds.

“None of that, Missy,” David said, shaking his finger at her.

“What?”

“The sighing, oh dear, my prince will never come stuff. You can’t fool me, I’ve known you since we were 5.”

“Well, that’s easy for you to say, you already found your prince.”

David squeezed Robb’s hand.

“You’re right. I’m so lucky,” he grinned. “And you, well, you’re hopeless, and will end up alone with your 15 cats. Unless you become a lesbian. Find a nice lesbian. They’re so nurturing!”

“Geez, David, will you ever stop playing that tune? I keep telling you that I’m all about guy’s… junk.”

David laughed. “Yeah, me too.” He looked at her. “Seriously, maybe this will be the time you meet him. The one. Your lobster.”

“Well, I may have already…met him.”

“What?!” Robb grabbed her wrist. “Was there a guy between this seat and the lavatory? Is that why you’ve gone twice?”

“No,” Allison said, suddenly not sure she should tell them. “ I met this guy online…”

Both of the boys groaned.

“Fine,” Allison said. “I just won’t tell you anymore.”

“Come on! No wonder you don’t have a boyfriend. You’re such a tease.” Robb batted his eyelashes at her and she giggled. “At least tell us his name.”

“OK. His name is Draco.”

David slapped himself on the forehead. Then he slapped her on the forehead.

“Well, that’s his screen name. I don’t exactly know his real name.”

“Pedophile,” David said under his breath.

“I’m legal, dumb ass.”

“Have you talked to this guy? Do you have his number?”

“He has mine.”

David and Robb looked at each other with growing dismay.

“I don’t know about you, but I don’t think I can sit through Princess Bride one more time.”

Allison turned angrily toward the window. She felt desperate. The boys had each other. What did they know about being lonely?

By the time they reached the terminal, she had mostly forgiven them. They cared about her. They just wanted her to be happy. They bought her expensive airline margaritas.

It was steamy hot in the tunnel to the terminal, and they had to wait for a tram to take them to their airport shuttle. By the time they got to the hotel, all she wanted was to take a nap, but the boys wouldn’t hear of it.

“Didn’t you see the sign in the lobby? Black tie bikini party at the bar down the street! We can’t miss that.” The elevator stopped.

“OK, fine. You guys go to your room and I’ll go to mine, we’ll make ourselves beautiful and meet up here in an hour.” She blew them a kiss and ran to her room. She took out her laptop, found the hotel’s wifi, and logged on. She had mail from Draco. Whenever she saw his name, her heart jumped. The message was short and to the point.

“You’re here. I can feel you.”

The phone rang.

“Hi, beautiful,” he said. His voice was like black velvet, or dark chocolate.

“Hi.” She felt shy all of a sudden. They were in the same state, maybe in the same city.
“When can I see you? I can’t wait to meet you.” Damn, she thought, I’m already sounding too eager. I’ll scare him away.

“I’ll send for you.” The line went dead.

Allison’s hands were shaking as she flipped her phone shut.

About an hour later, she met up with the boys in front of the elevator.

David and Robb were wearing matching gold Speedos ala Rocky Horror, and black satin bow ties.

“Where in the hell did you get bow ties?” she asked. “or gold Speedos, for that matter?”

“You never know when you might need a Speedo or a bowtie. We were both boy scouts, remember.”

Allison shook her head. “You never cease to amaze me. Now, tell me how fabulous I look.” She did look fabulous in her old-fashioned black and white polka dot two-piece.

“You look like Marilyn!” Robb said. She didn’t believe him.

They looked at the sign in the lobby once more to make sure they knew where they were going and took off down the street. The directions seemed simple, but soon they found that they were hopelessly lost.

Picture: Shirtless guys in bowties.

“It said right at Ringling, didn’t it?” Robb asked. David looked around.
“I thought so, but we keep ending up at the botanical gardens. Weird.”

After seven abortive attempts to find the party, and seven times ending up at the botanical gardens, they decided to call it quits.

“This is just creepy,” Robb said, “like magic or something.”

Allison smiled. “I love magic! Maybe we should just go inside since we’re here?” There was something about the place, something that made Allison want to see what was in there. It was like a physical pull from her solar plexus. The boys wouldn’t understand. “I can see the mangroves from here. They’re so beautiful, so ancient.”

“Um, not really dressed for Shelby Gardens, hon.” David gestured at his outfit.

“OK,” she said, “but I want to come back here before we leave town, OK?”

“Sure. I guess I didn’t know you were so into plants…”

It took half an hour to get back to the hotel, and Allison had a blister on one of her toes from her sandal. The boys were cranky and just wanted to change and get dinner. The evening ended on a sour note when Robb asked if she had heard from her ‘boyfriend.’” When she told him about the conversation, he said,

“That is some seriously creepy caca. I don’t think you should meet him. He sounds like bad news.”

“You just don’t understand!” she knew she sounded like a petulant teenager, but she didn’t care. “You don’t know about all the conversations we’ve had. All the things we’ve shared.”

“Online” the boys said together.

“No,” she was surprised to find a sob in her throat. “It’s more than that. He gets me. He really gets me!”

“Like how does he get you?” Robb asked gently, patting her shoulder.

“Like one time when we were talking about me coming here, I said I’d be here, but without bells because they’re too noisy. He thought it was hilarious. He said he had to look back over our e-mails to make sure he hadn’t said it to me at some point because it was just the kind of thing he would say. And it is.”

“Oh, yeah, you can build a relationship on that.” David said.

“You just don’t understand!” she said angrily.

“Ally, you know we love you! We’d do anything for you! We just want you to be safe.”

“Safe isn’t happy!” she cried. She tipped her chair over as she got up, but left it where it lay and went back to her room.

Her phone rang as she closed the door.

“You were so close to me today, why did you leave?”

“Where were you?”

“Shelby Gardens. You felt it, I know it. I called you, and you came.”

“But how?” Allison felt a little hysterical. This sort of thing didn’t happen. She was tired. Maybe she was dreaming.

“You’re not dreaming,” he said. “I’ll send for you tomorrow.”

A storm blew in during the night, with thunder and lightning and sheets of rain. Allison could barely sleep, and when she did, she had odd dreams of ancient mangrove forests full of dancing boys in gold bikinis and a single red eye, watching her with a hunger that she could feel.

The next morning dawned clear and sunny, and the boys came to her door with a peace offering of chocolate chip waffles and mimosas. They promised not to make fun of Draco, no matter how easy it was, and they promised to love her forever, no matter how many times she made them watch Princess Bride, and they all ended up in her bed watching All About Eve as they giggled and ate breakfast. When the movie was over and they had finished discussing Bette Davis’s formidable acting talents, and her fabulous wardrobe, Robb said,

“Beach?”

“Beach.” Allison and David agreed.

It was a gorgeous day, hot enough to go in the water, but not so hot that you didn’t want to stay outside. They joked and watched men and had a lovely time.

“I’m going to look for shells,” David said, “want to come with?”

“Sorry, hon, I’m feeling lazy.” Allison said. Robb nodded. “I think I’ll just hang here with my girl.”

“OK, but if I find something cool, you guys are out of luck.”

A few minutes later, they heard David’s voice, carrying over the sound of the waves.

“Hey guys, I think I found something.”

Picture: On the beach with a plane.

Allison and Robb stood up and looked around. There, in the ocean, was an airplane. An old prop job, maybe from World War Two. David was staring at it in amazement.

“Can you guys believe this? It must have blown in during the storm last night! What do you think?”

Allison couldn’t hear him. The plane was making a sound. It was like a heartbeat, or a cry or something. It made her want to run and jump into the cockpit. Before she knew it, she was clambering onto the wing and reaching to open the door.

“Ally! No! It’s not safe!”

The door flew open as soon as her hand touched it. As she settled in the seat, she heard a voice, Draco’s voice.

“Hello, beautiful, buckle up.”

David and Robb were running frantically around the outside of the plane, but when the engines started, they had to give up. She waved to them as the plane took off. It didn’t occur to her to question what was happening, it just felt so right.

The flight took forever and no time at all. The plane touched down in a mangrove forest, one much larger and older than the one in Shelby Gardens. When she stepped out of the cockpit, he was there, waiting. He didn’t look at all like she’d imagined, but it didn’t matter. She knew who he was.

Back on the beach, David and Robb were frantically looking for anything that might lead them to Allison. They checked her cell phone, abandoned in her beach bag, but Draco’s number came up unavailable.

“Which direction did the plane go?” asked David.

“You’ve got to be kidding me. How do we find a phantom plane?”

“I’ve got to try. She’s my friend.”

Robb nodded. “She’s mine too. Shall we try the botanical gardens?”

The two of them started walking. They may have walked for minutes or days, but they walked with purpose and they walked with love. They found the garden, and inside the garden was a mangrove forest, and within the forest, they found a path. The path was lined with mangroves that stood like a row of teeth, each one like the one before, and the one after. The path went on for miles and led to a cave.

Picture: Weird tree path.

“Why do I feel like Prince Charming, going to hack my way through the brambles to rescue Briar Rose?” David asked.

Robb squeezed his hand. “Because you are,” he said.

When their eyes adjusted to the light, David and Robb were horrified to see Allison, tangled in the coils of an enormous black serpent, craggy scaled, with one liquid red eye. Ally looked serenely happy, like she always did at the beginning of a new relationship. The eye extended and peered at them.

“Draco?” Robb asked.

"Um, is this when we scream like girls and run?" asked David.

"Nope," Robb answered.

Picture: Red eyed thing.


They could hear a voice in their heads,

“What are you doing here? This is none of your concern. She is mine.”

“No, she isn’t.” David said, grabbing Ally by the arm and dragging her from the creature’s coils.

“Draco” Ally cried, trying to break free of David’s grip.

Draco went mad, flailing and writhing, but he seemed incapable of doing any real damage. He didn’t have a mouth, so no teeth, no arms, no stinger, no visible weapons. Even his magic seemed to be gone. He was impotent.

David and Robb dragged Ally from the cave, while Draco raged behind them.

“Please, please let me go back to him. I know he’s not what you imagined, but he gets me! He gets me.”

“Girlfriend,” David said, as the mangroves became smaller and the sounds of other people’s voices reached them from the botanical gardens, “every time, I think it’s impossible that you could find anyone worse than the last guy. And every time, you surprise me. I’m making an appointment for you with my therapist when we get back home. She’s a lesbian from Iran. You’ll like her.”

 

[maxfieldjadenfox]

OK. It's done, and despite my proofreading it about ten times, I find that I've used the word frantically twice in as many paragraphs. Aw well.

 

[Dlsharrock]

I have eyeballed the images and like what I see.
I haven't got the faintest blinkin' idea what to write though - lucky I'm doing braindead work today and have plenty of time to think of something extraordinarily witty and clever. Something about testing random sci-fi-ey things, maybe- or a quirky interview with an old man read in the first person. Dunno. Funny how these ideas just pop into your head isn't it

 

[Piratecat]

Wow, I'm still in that post-writing buzz, I just want to create. Finishing my story left me wanting more. The ones that come out this easily are few and far between for me. That was fun.

[sblock=A few notes on the storyThe starting point was the red artwork with Hitler in it. I knew that this had to be the image that the rest of the story was built around. The angel picture was the second image for me. That was such a great concept that I had to figure out a way to use it.

Huh. Hitler. Angel. Looking for occult artifacts for Hitler, maybe?

The rest of the story snapped into place. Coming up with the title provided the framing device of recording an interview, and I liked the concept. My big challenge was pacing, and not bogging down too much in exposition. People talk differently than they write, and I had to make most of the story sound like it was really someone talking. Reading it out loud helped more than usual in that regard.

I could easily get knocked out of the running by Orchid Blossom right now, and competing would still be worth it.

I'd be curious to hear comments on what people think. What would you have done differently? Any advice for tightening it up?[/sblock]