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The Never-Ending StoryAdd your short chapter to the Never Ending Story. (No "adult" material please ... this is a family show!) The idea for this came from the Bulwer-Lytton Fiction ContestDon't forget to sign up for your weekly newsletter: The Write Way Read the story so far and then click on the link at the bottom of the page to contribute your chapter. Name: JennyHomepage: http://www.write101.com Hometown: Scarborough Sent: 6:04 AM - 7/24 This is the opening sentence that was voted the WORST opening sentence in literature (!) Can we save the plot?? ________________________________________________________ It was a dark and stormy night; the rain fell in torrents - except at occasional intervals, when it was checked by a violent gust of wind which swept up the streets (for it is in London that our scene lies), rattling along the housetops and fiercely agitating the scanty flame of the lamps that struggled against the darkness. (OK ... your turn ... Who is the first character on the scene? What happens now?) Name: Nick Homepage: http://www.ipost.com.au/nick Hometown: Brisbane Sent: 2:09 PM - 7/27 Doctor Morgenes drew his cloak high upon his shoulders and paused momentarily before stepping abruptly from the building's entrance into the storm. Without a backwards glance he hurried into the gloom, anxious to be away from this place, to be in the warmth and comfort of his own chambers. The Doctor considered the bleakness of the night. Not a single carriage clattered over the cobblestones. No-one walked the streets. The only sound was the distant din of the taverns in the wharf district and even that familiar sound could bring him no comfort. "It's just so damn fitting!" he sighed bitterly. Soon, he prayed to God, these nightly errands would have served their purpose and he'd be able to put this gruesome business behind him. He was a doctor for God's sake! Name: Devin Homepage: http://go.to/devin Hometown: Laguna Beach Sent: 5:39 PM - 8/11 The approaching figure drew a long shadow beneath the artificial light, the shadow of Sir Halzwell. He was the last person the good doctor expected to see at this hour. "There could be only one reason Sir Halzwell would be out on such a dark and stormy night!" Halzwell approached silently, his presence causing an immediate halt to the doctor's errands. Name: Lee Hometown: Orange City, FL Sent: 12:31 AM - 8/13 "Evening Doc, it's me wife. I came to fetch you -- she's taken a turn for the worst. I didn't think it would be this soon..." his voice trailed off as if he couldn't force another sound. Dr. Morgenes stared past Halzwell's bowed head, choosing to gaze at the flickering street lamps. He knew what he had to do. Yet, how could he? Sent: 3:39 AM - 10/23 Halzwell began to sob -- his breath coming in great, heaving waves. "Now, now, old man," said the doctor, "I'm sure it isn't as bad as all that." He dug in the pocket of his waistcoat and pulled out a small paper packet. "Give her a pinch of this medicine at exactly midnight and again at dawn," he told Halzwell. He pressed the packet into the weeping man's soft hand. Halzwell raised his eyes. They looked yellow and haunted in the eerie light. Rain slapped at his face, dripping from his chin, his eyelashes, and the end of his bulbous nose. The man repulsed the doctor, but Morgenes put on his most professional air. "No time to waste, old man," he said. "Stiff upper lip and all that." He patted Halzwell's shoulder in a feigned show of sympathy. "Hurry along now. And keep your eye on the clock. She must have the first dose at exactly the last stroke of twelve." Halzwell nodded and shuffled off into the night. The doctor watched him go. "Poor, mad fool," he muttered. The only wife Halzwell had was the gin he'd been wedded to for some twenty years. But it served no purpose to argue the point with him. Better to send him off with a packet of harmless bicarbonate and hope he didn't end up so drunk he landed in the river. Name: pam Hometown: san diego Sent: 3:49 AM - 10/23 Halzwell began to sob -- his breath coming in great, heaving waves. "Now, now, old man," said the doctor, "I'm sure it isn't as bad as all that." He dug in the pocket of his waistcoat and pulled out a small paper packet. "Give her a pinch of this medicine at exactly midnight and again at dawn," he told Halzwell. He pressed the packet into the weeping man's soft hand. Halzwell raised his eyes. They looked yellow and haunted in the eerie light. Rain slapped at his face, dripping from his chin, his eyelashes, and the end of his bulbous nose. The man repulsed the doctor, but Morgenes put on his most professional air. "No time to waste, old man," he said. "Stiff upper lip and all that." He patted Halzwell's shoulder in a feigned show of sympathy. "Hurry along now. And keep your eye on the clock. She must have the first dose at exactly the last stroke of twelve." Halzwell nodded and shuffled off into the night. The doctor watched him go. "Poor, mad fool," he muttered. The only wife Halzwell had was the gin he'd been wedded to for some twenty years. But it served no purpose to argue the point with him. Better to play the charade and send him off with a packet of harmless bicarbonate. Morgenes shivered as a fresh blast of wind penetrated his sopping cloak. He looked longingly at the lighted windows of a nearby tavern. The warmth and companionship were so inviting ... But he had no time for self indulgence. Hunching into the rain, he set off again on the mission he could not avoid. Name: Jenny Sent: 2:38 AM - 1/3 As he turned the corner into the murky laneway, Morgenes stared in horror. Could it be? Yes! It was ... Name: Michael Hometown: Dandenong, Vic Sent: 10:17 PM - 2/29 The carriage carried the unmistakable livery of his wife's family, and the footman waiting patiently at his door was Jenkins. As he pulled back around the corner, he had one thought in his mind, "The Mother-in-Law is here!" He breathed in deeply at the close call, and considered his options. Home was out, and the local pub would be the first place that they would look. Name: pam Hometown: san diego Sent: 9:43 PM - 5/7 Then he remembered ... He could take sanctuary in the Church of the Deliverance. Aptly named, Morgenes thought. No doubt, Father Wetherly would be in the rectory and gladly welcome his company on a night such as this. God willing, the good priest would break out a bottle of brandy and, perhaps, some of those marvelous cakes the old women of the parish liked to make for him. As for the matter of Morgenes' earlier business--it seemed, for the moment, less pressing. There was always tomorrow or ... Name: michael Hometown: mckee city, nj Sent: 10:26 PM - 7/11 was there? As he neared the church, a sooty black cat shrieked and darted across his path from a darkened alley. Startled, he stopped for a moment to regain his composure. It was then that he'd heard the sound that he was sure he would never forget. Those muffled cries and then-- that sudden thud culminating in silence. Morgenes was torn in two. The doctor in him wanted to peek down the alley to see if there were any way that he could render his assistance. The frightened little boy in him won out. He fixed his gaze firmly on the ground and strode swiftly past the alley all the while hoping not to attract the attention of whomever it was that had caused whatever it was to make such horrific sounds. He could feel his pulse quicken as he picked up his pace, eager to leave the scene of such unpleasantries. Suddenly, above the pounding of his heart and the whistle of the wind, he heard footsteps sloshing through the puddles behind him. A torrent of rain brought with it a torrent of emotions: the sorrow of his earlier atrocities; the mixture of pity and disdain that he held for Halzwell; the loathe he felt for his better half's lesser half coupled with the joy of having narrowly avoided what would no doubt have been an awkward encounter; and of course the shear terror that gripped him more tightly with every encroaching footstep. "Only a few hundred yards more," he thought. As he crested the hill, he spied the glow of the lantern illuminating Father Wetherly's front room. He scurried along rapidly until he reached the clergyman's door. He rapped feverishly upon it until it flew open. "Doctor Morgenes!" Wetherly exclaimed, "The Mrs.' mum's in town again is she?" "Why you look a fright!", he added, "What is it, Man?!" Name: Phil Alderman Hometown: Luton Sent: 9:06 PM - 7/12 A confused look passed over Doctor Morgenes countenance like drape covering over a window. "I can't remember," he said, befuddled. "Never mind, good Doctor," consoled Father Wetherley. "I think it best that you come inside, whereupon we may indulge in those marvellous cakes that the old women of the parish like to make for me. "I myself, being a man of the cloth am particulary partial to the bon-bons with green icing, although it is fair to say that the odd chocolate eclair does not go amiss now and then. "Of course, it all depends on personal preference, but I personally prefer green-iced bon-bons above all other cakes. What cake do you prefer Doctor Morgenes? DOCTOR MORGENES???" The Good Doctor was nowhere to be seen! Alas, while Father Wetherley had been busy describing cakes, Morgenes had been dragged away by a hooded assailant! And was now at this very moment fighting for his very living life in a nearby allyway! Thankfully, gathering all his strength together - all those years training as a bullfighter in Southern Spain had paid off, finally, much to the Doctor's benefit at this particular time - he was able to throw off his hooded assailant! Quickly he grabbed the hooded assailant's very hood and dragged it back to reveal... "My goodness!" exclaimed Doctor Morgenes. Name: Camilla Hometown: Perth, WAust Sent: 11:45 AM - 7/30 He stumbled backwards slightly at the savage look on the face of his wife, Maria. "Ha!!" she hissed, "I thought I would find you here, skiving out of your duties to my Mother!" "Now darling..." Dr Morgenes began pacifically, but his wife grabbed him by his fashionable wing collars and hoiked him onto his tippy toes. "Don't 'darling' me, you yellow-bellied, snivelling wreck of a diseased stoat!" For not the first, nor the last time, the good Dr wished he had listened to his dear maiden Aunt and not married into the London arm of the Borgia-Corleone family. What his wife gave in gorgeously exotic beauty and intelligent conversation, she more than made up for with her streak of malice and her murderous ill-temper. He fully expected that she had invited her mother to stay as punishment for some minor infraction on his part. Right now, as the tips of his expensive leather boots scraped on the cobblestones of the alley, he heartily yearned for the tender ministrations of a parson's daughter, or a governess , rather than this she-cat, this hellion. Suddenly, there was a jarring thump, and Maria's eyes rolled up as her fingers relaxed their ferocious hold on her husband's clothing. They both collapsed untidily in a heap on the cobbles, and as the Doctor staggered unsteadily to his feet, he was confronted with... Sent: 4:08 AM - 8/10 ... Viburnia Hedgerow, the famous -- or, more precisely, infamous -- adventuress and actress. Just returned, Morgenes suspected, from another jaunt to some Godforsaken place no one had ever heard of. Courting another scandal, of course. She lived on scandal ... or so the newspapers claimed. But what was she doing here? And why had she felled Maria? He peered at Viburnia's gloved right hand and saw that it was wrapped around a brass-knobbed walking stick, the instrument of Maria's undoing. In spite of himself, Morgenes started to laugh -- the contrast between his sanctimonious Maria and the brazen Viburnia so striking that, in his shaken state, he couldn't help himself. He forced himself to look at Viburnia and what he saw sucked the breath out of him. She wasn't a beautiful woman, by any stretch of the term, but she ... Name: Patty Hometown: Pittsburgh Sent: 12:29 AM - 8/12 ....looked hideous! Viburnia's long black hair was plastered to her head, her pancake powder and charcoal eye liner running down her face in thin rivulets from the torrent of rain. What a fright! "Viburnia! What in God's name are you doing?" he cried out. "Oh! I save you from a vicious attack from a madman, and what thanks do I get? You shrieking at me like a banshee!" exclaimed Viburnia. "She's calling me a banshee? Maybe she should take a look in the mirror!" thought Dr. Morgenes. Meanwhile, the prostrate figure lying on the street started to moan. Dr. Morgenes knelt down beside his wife. "Darling, here, let me help you stand up. You'll catch pneumonia from lying on the cold, wet ground." "Darling!" shrieked Viburnia. "Someone is trying to attack you and you call them Darling?" "You fool! This is Maria, my wife. Do you know what she's going to do to me when she realizes what has happened?" Name: nina Sent: 1:27 AM - 8/12 Before Viburnia could respond, a commotion at the entrance to the alleyway drew their attention. A figure bobbled toward them ... a man, Morgenes judged ... with a guttering lantern in his hand. Then ... "Doctor Morgenes? Is that you?" It was Father Wetherley, come to rescue him. But the old priest had something else in his other hand ... something that he held out in the darkness. "You ran off before you chose, so I've brought you a cake," said Father Wetherley. "Chocolate with butter icing. I didn't know how you'd feel about the green ... but I've never seen anyone who didn't like these and so, naturally, I ..." Father Wetherley let out a strangled cry. "Holy Mother of God, WHAT is THAT?" Name: Phil Homepage: http://www.alderman49.freeserve.co.uk Sent: 1:37 PM - 10/12 "FATHER WETHERLEY!" gasped Viburnia. "I expected better of you. Such foul language from a man of the cloth..." "No! Look behind you!" gasped Father Wetherley. Standing in the shadows behind Dr Morgenes was an enormous, eight foot tall gerbil. It was wearing a top hat and suit. "My heavens!" cried Dr Morgenes. "What foul spawn of hell are thee?!" "I'm an eight foot tall gerbil, what does it look like?" spoke the beast, in a Birmingham accent. "Look, I've come all the way from Southern Spain to see you, Dr Morgenes, and what reception do I get?" "Southern Spain?" said the good Doctor excitedly. "What news from my fellow bull-fighters?" "Never mind that," interrupted Father Wetherley. "You are an enormous rodent with the intelligence of a man! How does such a thing come to exist on God's earth?" "Well," said the Gerbil, "It's a long story. Y'see I wasn't always a Gerbil..." Name: Corrine Hometown: Chula Vista, California Sent: 3:57 AM - 11/18 But before he could explain, Viburnia rushed at the gerbil. "Edward? Is that you, my darling?" The gerbil doffed his top hat and, with a flourish, bowed from the waist. "Darling?" Father Wetherley echoed, looking heavenward. "Merciful heavens." Then he remembered his dainty cakes. But, alas! In the commotion of the gerbil's arrival, he had crushed cake and frosting into the palm of his hairy little hand. Nothing to do now, but lick the stuff off and make the best show of dignity he could. But, Mother of God! That Hell-wrought woman had called the gerbil by a proper Christian name. Lord only knew what she'd say---or, God forbid---DO next. A pesky spot of frosting, lodged between his index finger and his middle finger, caught his attention. He bent his head, licking at the sweet stuff. Thus, he failed to notice ... Name: Manisha Hometown: New Delhi, INDIA Sent: 4:42 AM - 11/27 that Doctor Morgenes and Maria were staring at him with an expression of shock. "WHAT do you think you are doing, Father Wetherley?" "Why? I am just licking this frosting off my fingers... wh..why...why are you STARING at me like this??" "Because that's not frosting!", replied both of them in unison. "That's...that's.... Name: Hylton Brewer Hometown: Shepparton, Victoria, Australia Sent: 2.22 PM - 12/12 Before they could finish the sentence, the preacher clasped his throat with gnarled old fingers, gasping for breath. The three of them looked on in absolute horror, as holes burst open in the vicar's bare skin of his throat. Blood oozed out the gaping hollows on his neck and seeped down into his white collar and black overcoat. "It's the Gerbil, It's the Gerbil," Viburnia gasped. She continued..."I knew it, thats not my Edward...." She lunged at the giant beast lurching above them on the pavement, the creature just flicking her away in disamusement. "You stay out of this Livinia," the monster growled.... "Livinia?" the doctor and his wife exclaimed together. The now mysterious "Livinia" picked herself up off the cobblestone brickwork and staggered toward the group. "This.....thing, is One of the Claw Clan that live in caves in the cliffs off the coast of France, my brother Edward was captured and converted by these horrors and I haven't seen him since." "Never mind about that now, cried Morgenes, what about our Monsignor Wetherly here?" They all tured to face where they last saw the Father, and found him laying bloody on the cold ground. The doctor checked his heart, and fumbled for a pulse on the victims wrists, shaking his head sadly. Livinia or the former Viburnia rasped "I can't believe it! The toxins in Kandor's saliva caused his death. He's here for something and I think I know what it is.........." Name: Logan Beebe Sent: 4.36 PM - 12/20 The lamps suddenly went dark and the picked up blowing rainin all directions. As Dr. Morgenes struggled against the fierce wind he was muttering somthing Icouldn't undersand while I was behind the car.When the Dr. gotclose I ran to my house and cried. the Dr.killed my best friend!! Sent: 5.08 AM - 1/3 Doctor Morgenes cocked his head and gazed at his companions. "Poppycock," he fumed. "Preposterous rantings. Double poppycock, I say." He turned toward Maria. Despite the commotion, and her own recent mishap, she appeared unshaken. In fact, she appeared altogether untroubled, even ... smug. Name: Robert Benz Hometown: Indiana Sent: 5.16 AM - 1/3 He knew the meaning of that look: more Borgia-Corleone mischief. More of their time-honored chemistry at work. And time now for caution, lest he suffer the same misfortune as his fellows. "Hallucinogens?" he asked. He could only hope her answer would be in the affirmative ... and that the dosage would prove nonlethal. Maria winked and ... Name: Camilla Hometown: Perth, Western Australia Sent: 5.15 PM - 1/20 pulled a velvet pouch out of her capacious sleeve. She removed a roll of banknotes from the pouch, and handed them to the massive gerbil. "Your fee," she said dismissively, turning away. "Oh, and a bonus..." She whipped round again, and before anyone could say or do anything to stop her, she flicked her wrist-stiletto into her hand, and delivered a short, sharp killing thrust to Kandor's belly, executing a particularly vicious upward twist that made his final expression one of feckless astonishment. "Never could abide mistakes," she said without a trace of regret in her voice. As she knelt to retrieve the money from the gerbil's flaccid paw, she looked over at the tortured form of Father Wetherley. With a sweet, sad look on her face, she stroked his cooling forehead and said, "Go in peace my friend. I'm so sorry you got caught up in this. I shall miss your wise counsel and tea cakes." "What the..." Dr Morgenes sputtered, "He was *my* friend!" "You may be a doctor, but you certainly don't know everything! Now, Mother is waiting at home. Get a move on!" And with that, Maria flounced off into the damp darkness. Viburnia/Livinia turned angrily to Morgenes and said, "Are you going to just stand there like a gape-mouthed gannet and take that abuse??" Name: Nadia Hometown: Honolulu Sent: 3.27 AM - 2/2 Poor Morgenes wagged his head. "Should've just gone for a pint at the tavern when I had the chance," he muttered, rueing his earlier discipline in passing up that particular comfort. "What's that?" Viburnia\Liviana ... whatever the hell her name was ... had the voice of a rusty hinge. "I said, 'I should have gone for a ...' " The doctor stopped short, as a wicked gleam came into his eye. He dug one hand into his waistcoat pocket, closing his fingers around the little box therein. Of course. His turn to smile now, he cocked his head to look sidelong at Viburnia. "Come here, dear lady," he said. "I want to show you ... something." Name: Relais Sent: 5.29 AM - 2/2 "My Magical Mystical Spoon Simulater!!!!" "That's right, not only can you enjoy the fasinating world Spoons first hand in all their glory but you will also receive, for only an extra half a sheep, the world's first 'Paper Inscriber'!!" The blank faces told it all...Morgenes had finally lost his sense of reality. "Invented in the late ninetennth century by Sir Henry Henrist, this device will allow you to inscribe paper with your own messages...but wait!! There's more..." You will also receive, free of charge, This amazing.." THUMP!! The blow to Morgenes' head was short and sharp. "I'm sorry, I couldn't let him do that to himself any longer" Viburnia/Livinia said, holding a ... Name: Gara Homepage: http://www.david.ochiltree.btinternet.co.uk/index.htm Hometown: Gloucester Sent: 9.50 PM - 2/2 ...It was the long dead entertainer known as Elvis! Name: Nadia Hometown: Honolulu Sent: 1.32 AM - 2/3 And he was wearing an enormous gold medallion inscribed with the image of a gerbil! Name: Camilla Hometown: Perth, Western Australia Sent: 3.44 PM - 2/14 "Howdy Mama," the King said, suavely extending his hand to the speechless Viburnia. Morgenes groaned, and sat up, pressing his hand to the back of his head where Viburnia had thumped it. He looked up at her and Elvis, shielding his eyes against the bright reflections off the myriad sequins on Elvis' outfit. "What manner of apparition are thee??" he gasped in surprise, hauling himself to his feet. "You must surely be some kind of an angel to be clad so whitely!" We draw back from this bizarre little tableau to ask ourselves: How has Elvis, the King of Gyrations and Lord of Bad Karate Moves come to be in this place, sometime in the century previous to that of his birth? And why does he carry the mark of the Sacred Gerbil on his medallion?? Name: pam Hometown: san diego Sent: 12.28 AM - 2/16 Morgenes fingered the lump that had already begun to rise above his left temple. He winced, even as his physician's mind considered the possible consequences of the blow: concussion, brain damage, hematoma, disorientation, death ... Death ... That WOULD explain the glittering apparition before him--if, indeed, it were an angel come to lead him toward the Heavenly Gates. (Being a man of reasonably good character, he didn't consider the alternative.) If I'm dead, he thought, perhaps it's not so bad. It would certainly prove the perfect excuse for not visiting with the Mother-in-Law ... and it would free Maria to marry some other unsuspecting fool. Morgenes smiled and settled into the notion that he was witnessing his own departure from the Earth. Then the apparition began to sing ... Something about hound dogs and blue suede shoes and ... and a jailhouse rock, whatever that might be. Its voice was soothing--not what he'd expected exactly from a celestial being (who he'd always imagined would sound more feminine ... more akin to the Sirens, perhaps.) , Yet, it was pleasant enough. The lyrics, however, were strange. In fact, they were so confusing, so altogether unfathomable that Morgenes quite forgot the romantic idea of his supposed dying. Something wasn't right. Something was out of place. He forced his thoughts toward clarity, toward the rational processes of a science-trained mind. Then, as if struck anew, he felt the shock of realization: Why, he wondered, does this apparition say it ain't nothing but a hound dog ... even as it bears the medallion of the Gerbil? Name: spoilsport Homepage: http://www.couldntelpit.com Hometown: Brisvegas Sent: 3.03 PM - 2/18 must have at least been bashed over the head several times by a well worn ugly stick and not a very well crafted one at that. Name: Onou Dont Sent: 11.14 PM - 2/18 The doctor heard voices behind him. "Look at the poor thing," said one. "He must have been BASHED OVER THE HEAD SEVERAL TIMES." "With that UGLY STICK, I'd warrant," said another. "It left quite a KNOT on his head, too. I imagine he'll not feel very WELL AFTer that." "No doubt. Just look at that huge brass knob onTHE END." Moving gingerly so as to favor his injured head, the doctor turned toward the voices. Two young women -- girls, really -- knelt beside him. It was daylight, and the be-sequinned apparition was gone. As was Viburnia. But the stick --now the subject of the girls' interest--was most definitely hers. "Tamara, look!" one girl cried. The doctor saw her grip the other's forearm. "He's waking up." "Don't try to move," said the second -- the one seemingly called Tamara. "We've sent for our father. He's a doctor." "So ... am ... I." Doctor Morgenes found it hard to speak, his words coming out with the speed of cold molasses. "Of course you are, dear," said Tamara. "Now close your eyes and rest. You've suffered quite a blow to your poor skull." She laid one hand upon Morgenes brow and, obediently, he closed his eyes. But what's become of the singing angel? he thought. And Viburnia? And ... and ... Name: Camilla Hometown: Perth, Western Australia Sent: 1.49 PM - 2/27 how did those two young ladies come to be so scantily clad on a winter's night? He opened his eyes again to check that he wasn't dreaming. The girl called Tamara was peering out of the alleyway entrance, presumably watching for the arrival of the doctor. She wore a very short skirt, and extremely high boots. Surely the fashion was for these to be the other way around; short boots and long skirts? And what about her hair? Morgenes presumed the large dome-shaped coiff was her hair, but hadn't big hair gone out of fashion in the 1700s? Suddenly there was a hideous roaring, clattering noise, and a monstrous black shiny contraption thundered into the alley, skidded to a halt, and disgorged a tall, swarthy man bearing a doctor's gladstone bag. At least there was something familiar in this strange place! And as Morgenes got a better look at this newcomer's face, he realised that it wasn't only the bag that was familiar, but the gentleman's face...it was as if he was looking into a mirror! And to add insult to injury, the good doctor wore a tie pin, emblazoned with none other than the Insignia of the Sacred Gerbil! Name: Elizabeth Slick Homepage: http://surfmonkey@hawaii Hometown: Honolulu Sent: 7.47 AM - 3/4 I used to be a very dashing young man, arrogant and crass. I did as I pleased, hurting women left and right. I broke many hearts in my days of youth. I never cared what pain my actions caused to others. I lived in the countryside, outside of London in a little town called Pickering. This was a very sleepy place to reside but it was a good town for me to escape to because my scandalous reputation was unknown there. It was quite my habit to go into the city, to drink and mingle in the more prominent pubs, where I would carry on until dawn most nights. Well, one evening I'd had quite a bit to drink and had just finished shooing off my latest conquest. Her name was Theodora Adorable and that she was, but so young and foolish, I couldn't bear another moment with her! She was in love with me like they all were but that did not amuse or interest me. She begged me not to leave her , pleaded even, but I had no use for her and left her standing helpless in the midst of a noisy pub. She shouted " You'll be sorry Edward ! just you wait! I'll make you wish you never met me ! " she stood there with tears streaming down her beautiful face, shaking with anger and shock. I arrogantly laughed at her and strided out to my next pub to start fresh ! I had not even been in the next pub for twenty minutes when the most stunning creature I had ever seen came literally FLOATING in through the front entrance. She was a tall graceful woman and her long red hair flowed softly around her as if she were underwater. Her eyes were a piercing glowing blue and she looked straight at me! It was all I could do to stay in my chair, as I almost fell out of it from an overwhelming feeling of surprise. While I was trying to keep my body and soul from running over to her she came and sat right next to me, shocking me even more. She introduced herself, extending her exquisite hand, bejeweled with the finest diamonds I had ever seen. " My name is Silky Winter Bottoms" she said in the softest voice I had ever heard. I stuttered and sputtered like an old stove and finally managed to get out my name in a somewhat audible tone. " Edw- Edward, my name is Edward" I said, embarrassed and caught off guard by her power over me. She smiled and we started to have the most bizarre conversation, about life and death, people's actions, karma, god and so many things that I had not often spoken of to anyone before. I excused myself to buy her a port and left my beer on the table in front of her. I feared she would be gone when I returned so I hurried to the counter, nearly knocking over a giant on the way ! I returned shortly with her port and we continued to talk into the night. I was startled to see that I had huge patches of hair growing on my arms by 1 am and tried to hide it. Silky Bottom Winters laughed at me, most cruelly too, and she said "I am Theodora Adorables sister! , I was in the last pub and saw what happened ! I was hiding in a booth and followed you. You will turn into what's inside of your corroded soul now, whatever that may be, until you LEARN how to be nice and kind to others and have true compassion for your actions. You will not be able to change what is happening to your outward appearance. You will wear you soul like a suit !. " She was shouting by now and her eyes were huge and luminous. They flickered in the candlelight and changed from blue to green to brown to black to gold to glowing red and had a life of their own. I was bewildered and frightened by this sudden event. We had been having such a pleasant evening and this was a dreadful nightmare now. She rose up from her chair and said " You will change outwardly ONLY when you learn how to behave like a true human being ! Nobody hurts my dear sister and gets away with it! " She stormed away from me and I watched her walk towards the exit but she evaporated before she got there. I must have fainted because when I awoke it was not to the man I knew before. I have much mire to tell you about the strange changes that took place, but I will tell you more about that later.
Name: Elizabeth Slick Homepage: http://surfmonkey@hawaii.rr.com Hometown: Honolulu Sent: 8.01 AM - 3/4 I had to explain to Father Weatherly how I had become a giant gerbil, still sought after by quite a few women, Virbunia being the most complex and loyal one of all. Father Weatherly stood there, looking up at me with his quizzical expression, waiting for an answer... Name: Heelekoleenee Homepage: http://blumanthe001@hawaii.rr.com Sent: 1.45 PM - 3/4 Morgenes was jolted back to the present, having just recalled the journal entry he had read about the gerbil man. Now he understood a little more, who these scantily clad women might be, why the doctor with the gerbil pin had come back and why he, Morgenes should be very afraid. He clutched the journal in his coat pocket, braced himself for the approach of the doctor , who was now stomping towards him rather menacingly and continued to feel bolts of pain in his skull. He didn't know if he would be able to make it safely out of this predicament. ' Well, I see you are in a bit of a mess" the doctor said. He spotted Morgenes's hand in his coat pocket. " What have you got there? the doctor, who looked identical in every way to Morgenes seized the journal out of his pocket. " Aha, there it is!" he exclaimed triumphantly. He didn't show any interest whatsoever in helping poor Morgenes, who felt fainter by the minute. " Aren't you going to help him?" shrieked the girl called Tamara to the doctor looming over him. Name: Cassie P. Hometown: Tacoma, Washington, USA Sent: 11.09 PM - 3/6 Morgenes tried to will his arm to rise up so he could snatch back the journal but ... Alas! ... he felt as frail as dying man. He saw the other man (his Double!) sneer, his mouth drawing back in a contortion that bared his thin lips and mean, little teeth. Then, the shiny, black contraption that had produced the Double issued a frightful noise. "BEEP ... BEEP ... BEEP ... HONK!" It repeated the dreadful chorus twice more before a door of some sort opened on the side opposite that which had disgorged the Double. Faint as he was, nonetheless, Morgenes stared in wonder. One white, pointed boot emerged from the contraption. It glittered with inset stones at the toe. A fold of fabric, also white, slid over the boot top. The drape of trouser leg, Morgenes realized. The contraption's door swung wider as a second white and pointed and glittering boot emerged. Then a bulky figure pushed itself free of the interior and spoke: "Oh, no you don't." It was the voice of ... of ... But ... Alas! ... Morgenes fainted before he could quite remember where he'd heard that voice before. Name: Elizamonkeyheehee Homepage: http://surfmonkey2hawaii.rr.com Sent: 2.07 AM - 3/8 Elvis ! My god, Morgenes thought, that's who it is! He was drifting in and out of consciousness but was also realizing some very interesting things. He put two and two together ( not hard for him, he IS a doctor after all....) he also realized that the two young girls were really Theodora Adorable and Silky Winter Bottoms, but how and why were they here? Name: nina Sent: 4.41 AM - 3/8 Why, he wondered, had the glittering apparition reappeared--chubbier to be sure, but also whiter and brighter than in its earlier incarnation? Was it, then, the Angel of Death after all? Had his earlier suspicions been correct? And what did it mean that Theodora Adorable and Silky Winter Bottoms were here together with the small-toothed Double? Could his Double be the Gerbil Man? Morgenes' thoughts harkened back to the Gerbil Man's journal and its recounting of the conversation with Silky Winter Bottoms ... their tete-a-tete about life and death, one's actions and karma ... Ahh, karma. So, perhaps, after all, this was now Morgenes' passage to the Next World. And these figures around him were the toll-keepers, the collectors of HIS karmic debt. Morgenes took small pleasure in knowing that he had lived a reasonably virtuous life. For it struck him that his Double ... if, indeed,it WAS the Gerbil Man ... might intend to trade its soul for his. Hold him .... Morgenes! ... to pay the Gerbil Man's karmic debt while it, disguised as Morgenes, continued with its wicked ways! Morgenes wished his head would stop aching long enough for him to formulate a proper thought. And, oh, how he wished he'd simply gone to that tavern for a drink all those hours ago ... Click here to read the rest of the story and add your chapter
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