RRRR Story Contest Entries thread

Totte

This is where you enter your entries. You can either enter all the images in your story at once, or updated your post and add them one and one, your choice.

The story entry should consist of:
The Tag (your tag, like Tag: RH#01 (if Richard decided to join in)
The storyname
The story
The three images for the story.

Totte

TAG: Totte #1
One day in Ivana Stroganovas life

A saturday evening, that was supposed to be like every other saturday evenings, Ivana Stroganova was nursing her prize Hibiscus when her son Yuri, came rushing into the kitchen. He was yelling that a big bird had taken his starman, his favorite toy that he got for his tenth birthday last week. At first, Ivana just thought he was telling a childish lie, but after a while she realized that he was probably telling the truth.

Ivana being a good mother, decided to take her son downtown the next day to buy him a new Starman. They took the bus and when in town they went to the cash machine to get some cash. Ivana wanted to give to Yuri cash and let him go to the toy store himself. At the cash machine someone had put a note saying:

“Dear Customer, we are performing a security operation on this cash machine for your own protection. To prevent your card from expiring, please write down your card number and pin code here and leave the card in the bin to the right. Best regards, Dr. Phi-Shing Scamalot, Bank Security of Nigeria.”

She saw a man being threatened by a gun and assumed he hadn’t complied with the written instruction by from the Bank Security of Nigeria. Nigeria? Isn’t that in Africa? Strange country to outsource the Bank security to Ivana thought, then se realized she forgot to take out the money. Oh well, it will be a long walk home.

Sad they walked together, Ivana and her son Yuri, the long walk home to the house, as they had no money to buy any bus tickets with. When they passed the olive hills, they saw two strangely dressed men with a funny wagon. They said that they had just caught an escaped baby dragon that had been seen here. The baby dragon looked like a huge bird, and in its’s nest the dragon hunters had found a toy, Yuri’s Starman. The dragon was now placed inside a magic cage which prevented the dragon from using it’s lethal fire breath.

It all ended happy, Yuri got his Starman back, and Ivana found her knight in shining armor, though the armor was not that shiny, but the man wearing it was.

Ken OBanion

TAG: obanion#01

Story Title: With Friends Like These...

-- Image 1 --
Image Title: Let's Call It Kismet (Because You Just KNOW Some Idiot Who Fancies Himself a Poet Is Going To!)

Alexis and Martin were old friends; in fact, their friendship went all the way back to middle school. Their friendship had endured through the years because they had a lot in common - not least of which was an unquenchable thirst for adventure. And they had kept in touch regularly, meeting occasionally for lunch or dinner or, if pressed for time, a quick drink and catch-up.

On one such occasion, they met at a speakeasy on the Lower East Side, where Martin told Alexis a little bit about his current "project". (And yes, he even included the 'air-quotes'. And he invited Alexis to join him, "and all your travel expenses will be on me."

How could she say no? Indeed, why would she even want to? She had always been wildly curious about just what, exactly, her friend did for a living. Martin often referred to himself as a 'repo-man', and until that evening, it had never occurred to her to inquire just what it was that he 'repo-ed'.

She should have been more curious. Because she was soon to find out....

A bit of filler, because..., well, you know.

Martin was what some would call a 'soldier of fortune'. Except, in his case, he dealt with actual fortunes: valuable artifacts that, for whatever reason, were taken from their rightful owners, and whose owners, quite understandably, wanted to get them back. And that's where Martin came in.

People hired him to locate and retrieve these valuable artifacts; hence his description of himself as a 'repo-man'. His job was to 'repossess' those items, and bring them home. And he was very, very good at his job.

His current assignment, however, was to recover a person, not an artifact: the King of a land called Novaria, who had disappeared many years ago, under highly mysterious circumstances, and had not been seen or heard from since. It had long been assumed by the people of Novaria that their sovereign was dead; even the Queen believed this. But she wanted proof.

The Queen's oldest daughter, Keira, had volunteered to accompany Martin on his mission, and he had agreed. He felt that she would be useful in negotiating the unfamiliar ways and customs of her family's realm.

Also, he had heard that she was downright formidable in a fight; a skill-set that could definitely be useful.

-- Image 2 --
Image Title: This Was Not Mentioned in the Briefing

They entered the cave cautiously, with Keira leading the way, sword in hand. 'Sword?' Alexis thought. Just what had she gotten herself into?

Suddenly Keira stopped and turned around. "Did you hear that?" she asked. "What was that sound?"

As Martin's flashlight beam pierced the darkness, Alexis stifled a scream. "Never mind the sound," she exclaimed, "What the hell is THAT!?"

Keira gave both Martin and Alexis a sheepish look. "Um, yeah, about that," she confessed. "I probably should have mentioned the dragon, shouldn't I have?"

"Gee, ya THINK!?"

-- Image 3 --
Image Title: The Return of the King (Well, Parts of Him, Anyway)

Martin and Alexis' audience with the Queen was a somber affair: her worst fears had been confirmed to be true, and she was devastated. But she retained her grace and dignity, and bore the sad news stoically.

It was a bittersweet moment for Alexis, as well. Her adventure with Martin was coming to an end, and she was going to miss him. He would soon be tearing off on another assignment, probably a dangerous one, and she couldn't help but be worried about his safety, until she saw him again. But maybe....

Maybe he'd let her come along on his next assignment. That way, she could keep an eye on him. It was certainly something to think about. After all, Martin got a souvenir of their adventure; perhaps she could, too.

Martin.

zawarkal

zawarkal #01
|:| Game of Life |:|

|:| Making Choices|:|
In a realm not so different than our own there is an order to things, a random specificity controlled by choice. It is They who choose. It is We who live. For unbeknownst to us, We are their avatars. We walk though a momentary world of obstacles. We dodge. We run. We hide. And, then every once in awhile, We find joy. Every moment has been accounted, designed and set into motion by They. They are playing a game. They must make choices that They believe will cause us to feel the random emotion assigned in this game. We are born, We live, and We die each and every moment of this game. We are given our stories of what to believe in each and every moment. Past, Present and Future hold no meaning. The Moment is ALL that IS.

Here, now, you, the Observer, are watching as our game contestant, Avaris, has been assigned her Random pulls which she must now use as the base guidelines in the next Moment that she will design. It can be seen that she has drawn planet Earth with a setting in the Serengeti. The Emotion Randomizer has provided the desired emotional response to be a combination of Grin, Nervous, Surprise, Worried, and just a hint of Evil Grin added for good measure. Can she do it? Can Avaris select the pose, the clothes and the conditions of the Obstacles reflected against the background story to achieve the Emotional outcome desired?

Avaris' Avatar has been placed within the Womb of Life. A pose has been selected. And, the game is ready to commence.

|:| Setting the Stage |:|
Alright now, anticipation is building. With just moments now before the game is ready to go live, we thought that we would take all you newcomer observers out there on a back stage tour to give you an idea of what is happening just beyond your imagination.

As you can see over here on the left we have the Avatar preparation. Avaris has written a life story for her Avatar. The Avatar is being told who her parents are, where she was born, where she lives, who her friends are, and well, just think about your own life experiences up until this time. And you should pretty much have an idea of everything that the Avatar is having programmed into her soul memory for the Moment of a Lifetime to come. All memories will be on the tip of her tongue should she need to access any of the information for her attempt at overcoming the forthcoming obstacle which is to be placed before her.

Front and center we can see the Director as she is attempting to set the stage for our Moment to come. The Stage Hands are loading all the scene elements necessary to make this Moment appear Real as per the Randomized Pull Items and the variable Choices selected by our contestant, Avaris.

What's that? Oh. I'm hearing now that final preparations are being made so let's make our way back to the observer seating area and we'll get this show started. Oh, and also by the way, for all you newcomer observers it may seem a bit awkward at first but we are sure you will get the hang of observing by being the trees, rocks, birds, flies, and other elements within the scenes.

|:| The Moment of Truth |:|
And here it is. The Moment of Truth. Avaris' Avatar finds herself in the Serengeti. She has been programmed with her BS, that is to say her Background Story or her Belief System. She is prepared to protect herself from any obstacle which might present itself.

But, wait! What's this! The Holodeck Grid is visible! We have a twist in the game! Avaris, our contestant, has programmed her Avatar's BS, in this moment, to include the knowledge that She is an Avatar. The Avatar has been Awakened to the Nature of the Game of Life. What will she do with this knowledge?!?

Now remember, the randomized obstacle selected for this scene was the panther. And, you, as the observers, can now see as the panther makes it's way into this moment. The panther approaches. And now it would be very easy for the Avatar to feel the Emotions of nervousness and or worry, which as you recall are two of the five Randomized Emotional Responses required for a win. But, just how is Avaris going to achieve the other three responses of Grin, Surprise, and some added Evil Grin?

This is it. The Avatar has chosen to welcome the wild nature of the panther and to see the creature as just another player in the game. The Avatar has no intention of attmepting to kill the panther. She realizes that it just is not necessary to kill for her survival as nothing in this moment is actually real. And, look at this! The panther has bowed before the Avatar! The panther has sensed the kindness and has bowed in Thankfulness! The moment has become one of joy! There is surprise in this twist of events. And, the Avatar cannot help but grin with even that little evil grin twist at the fact that a wild animal has bowed before her. Avaris has done it! She has created the BS necessary to achieve the desired emotional responses in the Moment!

And, now all you observers out there... Does it make you wonder about this moment you are now in? All of you have had your life BS filters setup to observe the story written by our current contestant, Zawarkal. What Emotional Response did They just get from you?

Every step of your journey, ask yourself, "Did I get what I wanted?"

luci45

My Missing Mother
tag:luci45#1

Part One
My dad used to say, "Things could be a lot worse." He also used to say that things would come out in the wash and he said some stuff about the mills of the gods grinding slowly. He went to prison eleven years ago to serve a life sentence. He could have been executed so I guess things could have been a lot worse.

He was arrested when I was five. That's me being restrained by the policewoman. That chunky fellow is my dad, looking all indignant and trying to explain to these "representatives of justice" that, yes, my mother was indeed missing (as she often was), but that there had been no fowl play. Thier absurd claim was that he had murdered my mother made the body vanish somehow. Usually the justice system says "no body, no crime." This time it was different - some "incriminating circumstances" and a phoney witness were enough for a conviction.

My mother? Those marble statues on the right, yes, all three of them, are of her, lovingingly sculpted by my father. You may notice her rather unusual features and realize that she isn't from here. We tried to explain to the justice system how she is different and that she came here through a portal and, whenever she felt like, went back to that "other place". (She wouldn't let us use the word "dimension", it sounded too SciFi for her.)

Part Two

Here I am in the institution/boarding school. When I turned sixteen I thought about running away. Fortuneately though, before I had the chance, I heard from Dad that there would be a new trial. That was a few months ago and, well, to make long story story short - he is being released and real soon! This letter came from his lawyer today explaining it all. Also enclosed: a credit card and plane ticket. I will be out of here on Thursday afternoon!

Part Three

Here I am with Dad and a lot of pointy-eared people like me. Dad is fine. Prison didn't mess him up much and he has lost some weight. Also he somehow managed to do a lot of research about families like ours and contacted some people who, like me, had lost their mothers (and in some cases fathers) They wanted to get together and pool our resources and knowledge, hoping we might be able to find them. Most of the women cover their ears like I do, but you can see that pointy ears on the guys. The lady we are talking to is the exception and I think she doesn't look too bad. Maybe when I am a little older I will change my 'do.

IndigoJanson

Grandpa’s Whirlwind Romance
Tag: Jindi#01

1: A Moonlit Stroll on a Not So Still Night

“Now settle down, kids, while I tell you a story my grandfather told me when I was no bigger than a munchkin myself. It’s the story of how he met my grandmother.

It was a dark December night. No, not stormy. A very still night, in fact, with a beautiful moon shining down.

Now, there was a big dance that night and everyone was going. He wasn’t much of a dancer, was Grandpa Frank, but his friend Jimmy had promised to introduce him to Jimmy’s cousin Gayle. She’d been sent east on a visit, and didn’t dress like folks round there. But Frank thought she was mighty pretty just the same.

She seemed keen on him too, and so he suggested they slip away and take a walk over to the old carousel in the moonlight. It was hot and stuffy in the dance hall, you see, and hard to have a decent conversation over all the noise. On the way out Gayle grabbed a bottle of cordial. At least, that’s what she said it was, though who knows, those being the days of moonshine.

If you stop fidgeting, I’ll try and get to the point. Well then, there they were enjoying a breath of fresh air. It must have been very mild for the time of year as Grandpa remembered that they both forgot their overcoats.

That was their first bad decision, but not I fear their last. Just as it neared midnight, all of a sudden it turned breezy. Before they had time to head back, the breeze turned into a wind that got wilder with every minute. It must have been the wind that made that creaky old carousel start to spin…

Ever the gentleman, Frank grabbed Gayle tightly by the hand and made a run for a nearby conservatory where the park’s gardeners nurtured the young plants. Sure, it was a house made mostly of glass, but he wanted to make a good impression so he promised Gayle that they’d be safe there.”

2: Someplace Else

"Turned out not a pane of glass broke in that conservatory while Frank and Gayle sheltered inside. For a while it seemed the whole world was spinning, though, and they sang songs to pass the time. Gayle couldn't carry a tune in a bucket, but Frank didn't mind.

It felt like the storm would never end, then all of a sudden there was a thud and everything was quiet again. Gayle peeked out the door, a peculiar look on her face.

A voice rang out. "No, no, no. What in the name of Daz do you think you are doing?"

"Excuse me Miss...er... Mister. Can you tell us what place this is?" Frank asked the silvery figure who was hovering in the air.

"Shoo! Go away!" said the strange vision. "You've already gone and squished Yarg's flower garden. We don't want your sort around here."

"But go where? How?" said Frank, while Gayle tried in vain to comfort poor Yarg.

"Take a bed. How else! Wait your turn at the shelter. There will be another along in a minute. Just try not to squish anything else while you wait."

"But where should we go? We need to get back home... I made an appointment to see my dentist" whined Frank, who wasn't much of one for adventures.

"Home? What's Home? Never heard of it. There's only one person to ask: the Mighty Daz. And before you ask another stupid question, he's in the Sapphire City, same as always. Now tell your friend to stop clicking her heels, it's an annoying habit. Bed Stop's right over there."

"Er... thank you, I guess," muttered Frank, wondering just how he was going to explain to Gayle that they were going to have to share a bed..."

3: In the Hall of Mighty Daz

“Now a bed is a wonderful thing. How much better, then, a bed that can fly? Frank and Gayle agreed that it was the perfect way to travel. It lifted them gently in the air and glided over poppy fields, woods and lakes. When they grew weary of watching the land unroll below, they were able to crawl under the covers for a nap. (But not both together. That wouldn’t have been polite when they’d only recently met.)

Eventually they floated down into the audience chamber of the palace of Daz… whoever Daz was.

A being of the same race as Yarg (of the crushed flower garden) entered, by and by. He climbed up on a chair. Maybe he wanted to look more imposing? His coat was rich and he wore a kind of crown on his head. He was followed by a cat-like creature.

The crowned being spoke. “State your business with the mighty Daz!”

Frank explained their strange adventure. Meanwhile, Gayle was busy snapping her fingers and whispering “Here, kitty, kitty!”

They both jumped when the cat yelled, “Do not speak to the guard, speak to ME! I am the Mighty Daz!”

“Oh, um, my humble apologies,” Frank stuttered. Gayle had the good grace to blush.

“So,” said the cat, “you came all this way to see me simply because you wish to return home?”

“Yes, exactly that, um, your High Mighty-ness.”

“Then why did you instruct the bed to fly you here? It will go anywhere you tell it to! All you had to do was tell it to take you home, you fool!”

“Oh!” said Frank. “I see.”

“You may go. You may have the bed as a gift. The mighty Daz is generous that way, though I see you brought no gift for me in return,” the cat said, looking rather miffed.

And so they left with many apologies and a promise to bring a heap of gifts if they ever returned. As far as I know, they never did. However, they did get married and lived a long and happy life, and so it was that Grandpa told me their tale of a whirlwind romance long ago. I saw the bed while I was there, so I know it must have been true.”

Totte

Tag: Totte #2

Saving Willy, Again!

The resistance fighter heroine Luzy secretly meets with her boyfriend Frank at the old snake fountain when she gets a radio message from her best friend that is scouting the forbidden zone.

The Robotariens have set a trap and lured Willy into the inner lake basin, and they are now hunting for him. Willy is the most important of the killer whales and king of the sea and the resistance depends on him and the help from the sea to win this war against the Robotariens. The only person that can talk to Willy and that Willy trusts is Jack Tee, who is locked up in the Roboratian Statis CryoPrison downtown. They need to free Jack from the prison, and they need to free him now.

They make a quick call to Derek who hacks into the Robotarians Mainframe system and finds a way in through an unused service tunnel. Derek also pinpoints Jacks location, floor three, block nine. He meets up with Luzy and Frank at the tunnel entrance and joins the rescue group. They crawl through the tunnel and then move up inside the building through an air vent shaft until they are on floor three. The cell blocks are not very well guarded but a handful robots are patrolling. Lucy makes a quick tactical plan, then they attack to rescue Jack. The fight is short but fierce and they successfully free Jack, then they quietly disappear as fast as they came, hearing the alarms sounding in the distance as they carefully move through the city to a safe hideout. It is not over yet, it has just begun and they have no time to waste, they need so set Willy free again.

They hurried down to the zone canal and Derek hacked to flood gates and then called Willy and told him to go to the sea. The flood gates set of an alarm and soon several Robotarians arrived trying to stop Willy. The heroes opened up with a heavy barrage to try to ensure Willys safe escape to the sea, and it was close, very close but he got out to deep waters and could dive and escape the Robotarians sentinels, which still cannot work under water. It was the day to remember, the day that forever would be celebrated once the world was free again, the day that everyone would remember as Saving Willy Day, the day Earth regained hope. This was not the end of the Robotarian occupation, not even the beginning of the end, it was merely the end of the beginning, as a famous man put it four hundred years ago, when the Robotarians were humans and wore skulls on their caps.

Added a small after story render.

Sasje

Tag: Sasje #01

Title: The Magic Gate
One day little Maggie was tired to play in the backyard,, she wanted on adventure with her new bike
she went out with her bike until she came to the old gate and heard a noise, but she is young and curious and went secretly watching and when she saw what a man was doing with the coffin, she was shocked. Startled she dropped her bike and ran home.
At home, she grabbed her mother and yell Mom Mom I have saw something at the gate and told her mother the whole story of what she saw.
After the story her mother went with little Maggie to the gate but nothing, nothing to see
Maggie says I saw it really…… I saw it I saw it. Maggie went sad she know that her mother didn’t believe her, even when her mother says that she believe her story.
When Maggie grows up, sometimes Maggie heard some noises behind the gate and sees some wonderful things but ……that’s her secret, she call it The Magic Gate .

Ken OBanion

TAG: obanion#02
Story Title: Recovering the Ronin (Further In the Adventures of the 'Repo-Man')

-- Image #1 --
Image Title: "The Dickens You Say...!"

"You want to tell me again why we're decked out like we ought to be on our way to Dickens On The Strand?" Alexis asked Martin as they strolled through one of the very quaint Inner Harbor districts of Victoria, British Columbia. "I feel like a complete idiot dressed like this!"

"Oh, nonsense," Martin said breezily, "you look charming! And I've already told you three times, I honestly don't know. It was part of my instructions: dress in Victorian costumes, so our client will more easily be able to recognize us. Although you're more Regency; I hope he's not a stickler for detail. Then again," he said speculatively, "this might even be some sort of a test."

"A test?" Alexis repeated. "A test of what?"

"Our willingness and ability to follow instructions, perhaps?" he suggested. "Our tolerance for public humiliation?" Martin spead his hands in an expansive shrug. "Who knows?"

"Does this kind of thing happen a lot in your line of work?"

"With the periodicity of a tolling bell," Martin said dryly.

"So, am I to assume that a goodly proportion of the people you work for are, shall we say, a bit eccentric?" Alexis asked with a smirk.

Martin responded with a full-on grin. "You always were the diplomatic one," he said. "No, I would say that a fair proportion of the people I work for range anywhere from, as you put it, 'a bit eccentric', to full-tilt-boogie, bat-effin'-guano insane. And a lot of them are just plain freakin' nuts." He shrugged again. "One of the many occupational hazards I have to deal with," he said. He stopped, and drew Alexis to a stop beside him. "But if I'm not mistaken," he said, "I do believe our prospective client has arrived."

The woman who stepped in front of them was, in a word, beautiful.

"Are you," she said, glancing at a slip of paper in her hand, "Mr.'71077345'?"

"That's how my bank in the Caymans knows me," Martin answered. "But you can call me Martin. And this lovely lady is Alexis. What can we do for you?"

"I've been told that you can find things that have gone missing, or have been stolen," the woman said.

"Well, yeah," Martin said, "that's pretty much what we do." Alexis tossed a quick, surreptitious glance at Martin. 'We? Does that mean...?' "What do you need us to find?"

"My brother," the woman answered, holding a photograph out for Martin to take. "He's been kidnapped."

Martin took the offered photograph and studied it briefly. He started to hand it back, but the woman held up a hand. "No, keep it," she said. "I have others. Unless," she added, "you're not interested?" She cast a beseeching look at him. "Oh, please, don't tell me you're not interested! You're my only hope!"

"Help me, Obiwan Kenobi!" Alexis said with a smirk.

Martin silenced her with a glare. "I'm not saying no," he said. "Hey, I've been hired to recover missing people on any number of occasions. And it would actually be kind of nice - certainly refreshing - to recover someone who was still alive. The last person I was sent to find, well, we found out that a dragon ate him." The woman looked at him strangely. "Long story," he said, "not important now. We'll need to get some information from you, though. Are you guys up for lunch? I don't know about you, but I am starved!"

-- Image 2 --
Image Title: The Plot Thickens (Unlike the Vichisoisse!)

"I can't help but be curious," Martin said as he escorted the two women into a nearby cafe, "why you chose to come to us. Shouldn't this be a matter for the police to handle?"

"In any other circumstances," the woman answered, "I probably would have done exactly that. But you see, I already know who has Chaz. That's my brother's name, by the way. And let's just say that this guy..., well, he pretty much owns the police, if you take my meaning." Her mouth twisted into a grimace which, surprisingly, did not diminish her ethereal beauty in the least. "So, as you can probably surmise, going to the police was not an option. Besides," she added, "they told me if I did call in the RCMP, that they'd kill Chaz."

"Well, that explains that," Martin remarked. "So what's the story? How much is the ransom?"

"They're not demanding money," the woman said. "If that was all they wanted, my family would pay it in a heartbeat."

The waiter approached the table cautiously, and a bit reluctantly; after all, two of the three people seated at the table were dressed rather outlandishly. Even so, the waiter had to admit that they pulled the look off rather well.

"Good afternoon," the waiter said, "my name is David, and I'll be your server today. Can I offer you something from the bar?"

"I believe I'd like that," Martin said. "Ketel One Martini, exquisitely dry, up, one olive."

The waiter took the women's drink orders, and left.

"Only one olive?" Alexis asked Martin. "A bit anal, are we?"

"Hey, it's a cocktail, not a salad," Martin answered. He turned his attention back to their guest. "So what's the deal?" Martin asked the woman, who had finally introduced herself as Raelyn. "These goobers have your brother, and are willing to give him back, in exchange for..., what, exactly?"

"My father is an MP," Raelyn explained. "A Member of Parliament. They've offered to return Chaz, unharmed, in exchange for a 'Yea' vote on a particular piece of legislation currently before Parliament."

"Say no more," Martin said. "I'll find him, and I'll bring him back to you." He turned to Alexis. "You game?"

"Hell, yeah!" Alexis announced. "I hate politicians, and I hate crooked ones even more than the rest! Let's do it!"

"Wait," Martin said to Alexis, with a quirky grin, "I thought you were a politician."

"No, I'm a corporate lawyer," Alexis told him. "A fine, but critical, distinction."

"Whatever," Martin said. "But please..., sit."

"In this get-up? Not happening, sweetheart."

-- Image 3 --
Image Title: Extraction

After a thorough and exhaustive amount of research, poring over maps, property records, and carefully listening to recordings of the phone calls Raelyn had had with her brother and his captors, Martin was fairly certain that he had determined where Chaz was being held. Getting into the place proved to be surprisingly simple, but Martin was under no illusions: it was the 'getting out' part that would be the real test; it always was.

"A dungeon?" Alexis said sarcastically as she followed Martin down the dimly-lit corridor. "They're holding the kid in a damn dungeon!? Jeez, is any cliche safe with these guys?"

"Probably not," Martin acknowledged. "But stay alert, please. Kidnappers, by their very nature, are extremely dangerous people. I'd really hate it if anything happened to you."

"Um, so would I," Alexis concurred. Adter a moment, she asked, "Was that the voice of experience speaking?"

"Sadly," Martin said, "yes. Remind me to tell you about it some day. But right now is noth the time or place." He stopped in front of a door made of rusty metal bars. A quick glance through the bars at the cell's occupant told him that they had located their quarry. "Chaz, I presume?" he said.

"Yeah?" a young voice answered. "Who are you?"

"You can call me Martin, since that is, in fact, my name." Martin set his pry-bar between the door and the door-jamb, and gave a hefty yank; the door popped open. "Your sister asked me to bring you home. Are you okay with that?"

"More than okay," Chaz said as he stepped through the doorway. "I am so ready to get out of here!"

"I don't think so," a voice behind them said.

The three people turned toward the voice, to see a large burly man standing behind them. It wasn't the size of the man that Alexis found most alarming, however; it was the size of the gun he carried. Fortunately, the gun was still holstered.

Before anyone could react to the guard's abrupt arrival, Chaz leapt into action - literally. His trainer-clad foot clocked the guard squarely under his chin, dropping him like he'd been clubbed.

After a long moment of stunned silence, Martin cleared his throat. "Nice moves you got there, kid," he said dryly.

"Like I told you, I want to go home," Chaz said. "So.... Can we go now?"

"I'm down with that," Martin said.

"Preferably before this guy comes around," Alexis said. She crouched beside the unconscious guard to pull his gun out of its holster, and tucked it into the waistband of her pants. "Now I feel a lot better about leaving this guy behind." She stepped between Martin and Chaz, and linked her arms with theirs. "Come on, boys, let's blow this joint."

Chaz and Martin exchanged an amused look. "Wife?" Chaz asked. "Girlfriend?"

"Self-appointed keeper," Martin answered. "But I'm cool with it."

They met Raelyn at a steakhouse near downtown, where she and chaz experienced a joyful reunion. At dinner, Martin commented to Alexis, "You know, I'm in the mood for a little downtime. How does a week in the tropics sound?"

-- Image 4 --
Image Title: R-and-R. And R

The island was so small that it barely deserved to be called an island, and it was, literally, in the middle of nowhere. Actually, it was in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. And it was here that Martin took Alexis for a bit of 'R & R'.

"This place is absolutely beautiful!" Alexis proclaimed enthusiastically. "How did you find it?"

Martin shrugged carelessly. "I get around," he said. He was silent for a moment, and Alexis thought he seemed unusually pensive. Finally, he spoke. "I'm really glad you decided to join me on these little adventures," he said. "I've really enjoyed having you with me. You know, whenever I have to take off on a job, I..., I really miss you. So, having you come along has been..., it's been really good. And I was wondering...."

Alexis was on pins and needles. Or maybe she was sitting on a palm-frond. Whatever. In any case, she could tell that Martin was leading up to something; something pretty major, by the sound of it, and the prospect appeared to scare the crap out of him. She had known Martin since whe was ten years old, and he had never been this..., hesitant. She thought -- no, she hoped -- she knew what he was trying to say. So she decided to help him out a little. She just hoped that she wasn't wrong about this; that could prove rather awkward.

"I'm glad I took you up on your offer," she told him, "and I want to thank you for making it. I had a great time! Yeah, there were a few scary moments but, all in all, it was the most exciting experience of my life, and I wouldn't have missed it for the world." She took his hand in hers. "Then again, every time I'm with you is the most exciting time of my life."

Too syrupy? she wondered. Oh, well. Once said, it cannot be un-said.

Martin's smile would have lit up the room -- assuming that they had actually been in a room; he positively beamed. "That's good to hear," he said, "because I was wondering if you'd be interested in a bit of a change in your lifestyle."

"What did you have in mind?"

"Well, I'm kind of hoping that you'd be receptive to..., well, think of the events of the past couple of weeks, only on a more permanent footing."

"Martin," Alexis said, "are you asking me to..., marry you? Or something?"

"well, not right this minute," he said. And for the first time in the many years she had known him, he acted..., awkward. It was an oddly endearing sight. "But at some point, hopefully in the not-too-distant future.... Yeah, I would very much like to have a future with you." She was still holding his hand; with an almost imperceptible gesture, it became him holding hers. "Surely you know," he continued, "that I've been in love with you for years. I think I fell in love with you when you offered to share your Oreos with me that day in sixth grade. So..., yeah, I guess I am.

"But for now," Martin said, "what I would really like is for this..., arrangement, for lack of a better term, to continue. Hopefully, I'll get under your skin, and you'll become as addicted to me as I am to you." He gave her an almost childlike smile. "I've been told that I'm kind of like a fungus in that way."

"I think it was me who told you that," Alexis said with a warm smile. "And you are, and you did. And yes. I'd like that. In fact, I honestly cannot think of anything that would make me happier." She suddenly let out a giggle.

"What's so funny?"

"I was just imagining what my boss is going to say when I hand in my notice," Alexis snickered. "He's going to s**t eggrolls!"

Their kiss was interrupted by a young woman who stood beside them. "Excuse me," she said. "My apologies for disturbing you, but.... Are you the one people call the 'Repo-Man'?"

"Um, yes...," Martin responded tentatively.

"I am called Leilani. I am of the Mendor tribe." She drew a deep breath, as though she was about to take a step that would forever alter her life. "We need your help."

Karibou

Tag: karibousboutique #1

Story title: The Guardian
Image Title: Just Another Night at Home

I think I can safely state that I have the roomiest dining room on the planet. Sadly, the furniture isn't exactly something that Better Homes and Gardens would feature, nor is the space suitable for dinner parties. And, while the room never requires the use of a vacuum, it does frequently require the use of a firearm.

Truth be told, I can't blame my quirky dining room on the house. The unearthly terrain has followed me from one dwelling to the next for as long as I can remember. Of course, the location of the portal does vary from place to place -- my first apartment had one in the pantry, which made it very difficult to store groceries in any significant quantity.

The reason for my unique home decor is, in fact, genetic. As far back as anyone in my mom's family can remember, every female child has been born with the gift of Guardianship -- though I use the word "gift" rather loosely. Being a Guardian is usually more "curse" than "gift," even if it does keep things from getting dull. And while I suppose I could simply ignore the inter-dimensional doorway in my home, there seems to be a primal force in my head which instead sends me into one abyss after another as I hunt down the demons which threaten humanity.

I never know when I'll feel the tug of evil from beyond the dining room doors, nor do I know exactly what awaits me there. Tonight I was woken from a dead sleep by the familiar, urgent sensation of a situation in need of a Guardian. While still groggy, I slipped into my gear and grabbed the 9mm Beretta from the nightstand. I've been at this long enough to understand the subtle nuances of the magnetism which draws me to the dining room. Without thinking, I choose clothing and weaponry that will suit the occasion -- even when I have no conscious idea what "the occasion" might be.

So, here I am, standing at the threshold of an alien landscape, feeling the harsh sensation of evil on my skin like the blistering heat of an inferno. I'm not sure what will be required of me. I'm not even sure I'll return. But I am sure that I'm needed. Focusing on that thought, I take a deep breath and step into the unknown...

Image Title: Days Like This

I hate days like this.

As if having an inter-dimensional portal in my house isn't bad enough, I am occasionally cursed by jobs featuring another portal within the one in my dining room. Inevitably, when this happens, Guardianship gets, well... messy.

Slipping past the Buick-sized demonic idol had been quite a challenge to start with. As it turns out, the large marble eyeball embedded in the statue was not actually marble. It was, in fact, a real eyeball. And the creepie-crawlies who worship the darn thing were not at all happy to see me basking in its unholy gaze. But worst of all, after dispatching most of the evil critters, my Guardian "spider sense" was still tugging me deeper into the hellish landscape. The creepie-crawlies were not the reason I was summoned to the dining room, which could only mean one thing: I was just passing through.

I wasn't surprised by the "portal in a portal," but I certainly wasn't happy, either. The transition from "single-family home" to "fiendish underworld" had already ruined my evening. Now it appears I'm also going to be wandering the dusty corridors of an intergalactic cargo ship. On the bright side, robotic spiders won't spatter me with squishy stuff when I shoot them into oblivion. I wish I could say the same for those creepie-crawlies. I'm going to need three showers to remove all the demon guts from my hair.

And now I'm inching my way toward the skittering, robotic arachnids while still dodging a few stray tentacles from the eyeball-worshipers. In a few seconds, I'll be up to my armpits in technological vermin. This, however, is not what worries me.

You see, while I can clearly see the portal into the cargo-ship dimension, I am absolutely clueless as to where I might find the portal out of the wretched place.

Did I mention that I hate days like this?

Image Title: All in A Night's Work

Sitting here, reflecting on the ass-kicking I just dished out, it almost makes me pleased with my peculiar vocation.

Almost.

There are just too many missing puzzle pieces for me to feel satisfied by my victory. I'm a soldier in a leaderless army with no idea whether the tides of my war are turning. Who's winning? Heck, who's fighting? I certainly recognize the enemy -- they're usually trying to kill me -- but I'm never sure how many allies I have outside my mother's family. Occasionally, at family gatherings, we will share stories of our most memorable experiences. I assure you, this makes for some very interesting holiday dinners. And it also explains why dad's family doesn't come around much anymore.

Still, I suppose I can find some small peace of mind tonight. Finding the dining room doorway had only taken a few hours and the robospiders weren't terribly cunning. It would have been nice to actually sleep at night, but at least I didn't have to leave anything important for my adventure. (A few years back, I had to leave a funeral to fight zombies in Mom's coat closet. That was a rather socially awkward moment...)

Now that my cozy, non-alien-infested home is right in front of me, I can't help wishing for a few more answers. On the other hand, there's a fuzzy blanket on my sofa and a bottle of Chardonnay in the fridge. I might smell like dead creepie-crawlies and I might have spider circuits in my hair, but at least I'm back home. For better or worse, it was all in a night's work. And there are worse ways to spend an evening.

Novica

Entry removed by Novica. :)

kyoto kid

...hmm, continued on the Sports Page...fitting.

Excellent work on the newspaper

luci45

Diamonds, Dragons and Garbage
Part One
Zazu Yee fumed as a her latest mobile phone call to Ma Spencer disconected and Ping Zau patiently awaited her orders. She told him, in her most severe voice, that he would go immediately to the United States of America, to the state of Wyoming, and find Antelope’s Play Ranch.

“You will present Ms Spencer with the facts of the situation. And take a dragon with you… Meanwhile operations will continue here. How can this woman be so stupid? All the messy work is my end. She only has to harvest them. Any stupid cattle roper can do that. And we’ll both be filthy rich - trash and garbage are in endless supply! I explained that in my letter. You go over there and tell her. Why are you still standing there?”

Part Two
On the sprawling acres of the Antelope’s Play Ranch in Wyoming, USA, Ma Spencer and her son Roy have been pulling giant crystals out of the ground for the past two weeks.

“The crystals pop out of the ground red hot, then cool off in a few days and are ready to harvest,” Roy said. “Then about a week or so after this all began, Ma began receiving strange phone calls from a Ms Yee, owner of Chipan International, she said. It sounded like a promotional scam so Ma always hung up. After a lot of calls Ma got really angry and cursed at Ms Yee. And that’s when things got really interesting -

“The very next day a little guy, Mr Zau, shows up in a spiffy blue suit. That, and a registered letter comes in the mail the same day from, you guessed it, Ms Yee. And the really crazy part was the dragon - a translucent glowy thing, all long and snaky with little bitty legs and no wings. It looked more like a giant worm than a dragon! It kept flying around the crystals pointing at them making strange sounds. Well, we were soon to find out what all this was about.”

Part Three

Fortunately for Roy and Ma, they did not feel inclined to pull out their shotguns. They perused the letter and gave Mr Zau a chance to show them his computer slideshow on Chipan International’s operations.

“Here is what happens,” he said. “We take a lot of garbage, all kinds of garbage, and we always have a lot of that.” He laughed “It goes into the compression chamber, and the dragons… it is a little hard to explain - let me say that they do their “magic” and send it through the core of the earth and it comes out over here somewhere. It is like a million years of compression and the big lovely diamonds come out of the ground.”

Roy and Ma were impressed and very pleased when Mr Zau extended Ms Yee’s offer of a business partnership, and an opportunity to become very wealthy.

Part Four
The very next day Roy and Ma pulled out their best city clothes and, escorted by Mr Zua, were off to visit Ms Yee in Chipan. It was a long plane ride and an even longer drive, but worth it all. They were greeted warmly by their new business partner, who showed them around the facilities where they observed the dragon magic in action. In the days that followed the four developed their business plan. Ms Yee was and Mr Zau were surprised and delighted by the Spencer’s business acumen and Ma and Roy were amazed by the dragons and the ingenious methods used by Chipan International.

And such were the humble beginnings of a company that became an industry that played a major role in cleaning up Planet Earth.

MelanieL

TAG:MelanieL#1
Title: My Great-Uncle Bob
Part 1:
When I was in my teens I used to be sent with my younger sister to visit our great-grandmother on a Sunday afternoon.
After she'd fed us tea and cakes, she would bring out her old photograph albums and tell us tales about the past. Sometimes they were interesting, but mostly they were boring. My sister never listened, she preferred to play with Trixie the dog. But I tried to be polite and humour the old lady by trying to take interest in what she had to say.
One day, just before the Olympic Games were due to start, I asked her whether it was true that my great-uncle Bob had once been a famous swimmer. She smiled and brought out an old photograph ...
Part 2:
Yes, her eldest son Bob had been a brilliant swimmer, winning many medals. Everyone had marvelled at his speed and his natural style, saying that it was scarcely worth competing against him as he inevitably won every race. Eventually he retired from the sport, saying that he must give someone else a chance at last. But still people had wondered: what had been the secret of his success?
Part 3:
Well of course, I asked Great-Grandma that very question. She gave a strange smile and told an even stranger tale:
"Once, when I was much younger, in fact just recently married, we had been invited to the New Year Fancy Dress Ball. It was the event of the season. I spent ages choosing a costume - I finally decided to go as Joan of Arc.
"Unfortunately my husband was called away on some family business the day before the ball, but he insisted that I should not miss it. And so I was travelling alone when a speeding coach almost collided with my carriage on the approach to a bridge. My horse bolted and broke free, my carriage tipped and I was thrown out, landing in the river! Unable to swim and weighed down by my heavy costume, I was sure that I would drown. Indeed I swear that I began to see the events of my short life passing before my fearful eyes.
"But suddenly a figure appeared from under the water, swam to my side and rescued me. I had never seen anyone like him before. He was dark and handsome, but ... well, there was something about him that was unlike any other man I had ever met, or ever would again."
Great-Grandma was silent for a moment, then continued:
"And I was really very grateful for his assistance that evening."
Now I wasn't sure what all this had to do with my question about great-uncle Bob, but then Great-Grandma was getting very old and sometimes seemed to lose the plot when she was in the middle of telling a story.

Sasje

Tag: Sasje #2

Jim and Lizzy on the farm of Aunt Ann

The barn on the farm is a great place to play
Lizzy: Jim give me my doll back
Jim: No it is food for the monster, and Roeffus must play the big monster that I captive.
Lizzy: give my doll back and Roeffus is no monster he’s a good big dog ore I will go to Aunt Ann.
Jim: nope NANANA try to grab it.
Lizzy: Auntie Ann, Auntie Ann Jim won’t give me my doll back.
Aunt Ann: Jim give Lizzy her doll back you’ve got your own toy use that one for your play
Jim: Aahwn I can’t find it
Aunt Ann: searched the barn, I think Roeffus hide it somewhere, and now go to play and don’t fight I have some work to do.
Lizzy: Jim Jim I found it, Foeffus has it.
Tim: Ooh Roeffus look what you’ve done to it, it’s wet and slimy
Lizzy: HIHIHI gniffel Roeffus clean it for you.
Tim: not funny Lizzy
Both find a towel and dry the hoover now both Have a toy and play nicely on the farm.

hawkonthewing

Hawkonthewing#1

Dumpster Diving

“Sylia!”
Sylia turned to see her chief engineer bouncing rapidly in her direction. “Yes, Sid?”
“I did it! I did it! The quantum time-flux infracapicator works! It maintained all integrity and broke the space-time barrier! Come see!”
Sylia sighed at his usual over-enthusiasm. “Quantum...what?”
Sid stomped his foot, grabbed her arm and dragged her towards the hangar bay. “Quantum time-flux infracapicator. You know, the time machine you wanted! With this we can dive through the time stream, just like you said! It's done, it works, let's GO already!”
The two of them reached the hangar. Several of the security bots had dispatched, unsure if the new contraption was a threat or not. Sylia took a deep breath and looked at what Sid had built. After several minutes, she shook her head and looked at Sid.
“Is there...a particular reason you built it to resemble an ancient trash receptacle?”
Sid nodded enthusiastically. “Oh, yes, the structure is an excellent size for the equipment. It allowed for reinforced construction, and the harmonics resonated cleanly in...”
Sylia waved her hand impatiently. “Yes, yes. I...really can't believe I am going to say this. If you say it works, well, you are the best at what you do. Let's go test it out.”
Sylia thought for a bit. “Ok, set it to...1000 B. C. E.”
Sid saluted and set the controls. He punched a button, and the dumpster erupted in a flurry of noise and flashing lights. The noise was enough to make Sylia think her head would explode. After what felt like a lifetime, things because quiet again. Sid, unfazed by the whole event, cheerfully climbed the ladder and opened the hatch. He threw it open, looked around, spread his arms and sang, “We're heeeeeeeeeeeere!”
After dragging herself to the side of the dumpster and pulling herself up, Sylia took a look around. She had to admit, they were not in the lab. However, she had real doubts the time was anything close to 1000 B.C.E.
“Sid, your timing unit's off. This looks a lot later than I told you to set it.”
Sid looked around. “How can you tell, Sylia? All I see are a bunch of fields!”
“Try turning around.”
“Well all right, but I highly doubt...” Sid saw what Sylia had been referring to. “Oh. Uh...sorry...didn't...uh...mean to interrupt...”
The people made no response, and seemed frozen in fear.
“Leave the poor things, Sid. Just figure out how to get us back with the timing unit out.”
Sid nodded and started muttering to himself as he calculated. He shut the hatch and started up the controls, and the noise began again. Sylia swore and braced herself.
Once the noise stopped, Sid nodded confidently. “All right, we should be back in the lab now!”
“Sid, why do I feel like we're still moving...”
Sid stopped and concentrated. “You're right...this...doesn't feel like we landed on solid ground. Uh-oh.” He scrambled to the top of the ladder and popped the hatch. As he lifted it, he heard a massive shout somewhere above him. “Oh heck, what is that?!?!
Sylia slowly opened her eyes and moved her hands from her ears. She blinked and looked around. “Sid...we may have more than one problem. First, where are we? Second...why are your clothes gone?
Sid looked confused. He then looked down and started grabbing bits off the dumpster to try to cover himself. “OHNOOHNOOHMYGOSH!!!!!!!”
“Calm down, Sid. Focus.”
“Butbutbutbutbutbut...”
Sylia put a hand firmly on his head as another shout rang out some distance away, then an answering shout came from above again. “SID. FOCUS. NOW.”
Sid took several deep breaths. Sylia looked out and assessed the situation. She put her head in her hands. “Sid, this is DEFINITELY not the lab. This looks like some kind of ancient war zone...and we're FLOATING. On water. Get us out of here. Preferably now!”
After he scrambled up the ladder, Sid gestured wildly. “And...oh, Sylia, it's worse...I'm seeing...evidence of time flux, things are all fuzzy and dark around the edges! Oh heck...um...here...”
He jumped down and rapidly typed into the terminal. He shook his head. He typed again. He grabbed a large wrench and gave the central computer a rather solid whack. It sprang to life and the horrendous noise began again. “Ok, Sylia, this time we ought to end up at home!”
She nodded, sighed, and curled up into a ball again.
It was deafening. More so than before, and Sylia felt as though she was being turned inside out by the noise. The dumpster tossed and heaved much more than the other jumps. Finally, there was a screeching whine, and the dumpster hit something hard. Sid fell on top of her, and she almost blacked out.
When she finally felt like her body had righted itself, she reached up and shook Sid. “Hey. Hey, Sid, come on. Sid, come on, wake up.” He let out an agonized groan. “SID...you're crushing me, get off.” Sid blinked, looked around, realized his clothes were still gone and launched off Sylia. He ricocheted off the lid of the dumpster, knocking it open.
“Identity confirmed. Chief Engineer Sid. Captain Sylia. Alert terminated.”
Sid scrambled up the ladder of the dumpster and looked around. Behind him he almost heard Sylia say “Sid, why do you have...wings...”
“Sylia, it's the lab, we're back in the lab!! I did it! I got us home!!”
“Something's not right, Sid...”
He looked around, confused. Sylia climbed out of the dumpster, and he noticed she had changed.
“Oh...oh no...I...Sylia.” He looked around closely, then started to cry. “I forgot...I forgot to calculate for it. That's why...and now...I can't fix it, but...oh, I'm...so sorry!!!!!” Sid started to bawl.
Sylia sighed and patted him on the shoulder. “Tell me, Sid...what didn't you calculate for? I'm lost here.”
Between sobs, he managed to say “The...butterfly effect!”
Sylia looked at her new wings. She thought for a minute, then started to laugh. “It's ok, Sid. I did always want to fly.”

luci45

Visiting Tomorrow
tag:luci45#3

Part One
Because he dreamed of a future world with flying cars, alien races, and towering buildings, Adam was both amazed and dazed when Sal and Angela invited him into the future. One morning in July of 1959, a mysterious little conservatory building showed up in the backyard of an unoccupied home in his neighboorhood. Young Adam, thirteen years old at the time, was wandering around in his usual restless state when he noticed the little building - and he noticed that it had a vaguely nebulous quality and a bit of sparkle. He jumped a fence and went to check it out and surprisingly was greeted by a booming voice.
"Hey, kid, yah gonna come over hea an' visit o' not?"
Adam noticed them then, a short dark man wearing a red sportcoat with a tapestry vest and a very tall woman in a black shiny dress wearing a lots of makeup. Kind of a bizarre couple he thought, but they were smiling at him and there was something about them...
To keep this story somewhat brief - introductions were made; Sal and Angela took a strong liking to young Adam; they invited him to come back with them to their future world home; he agreed; off they went in the little building which, yes, was a kind of time machine.

Part Two
For the next two and a half years later Adam accepted things as they came, though life in the future, this future anyway, was not as exciting as he had dreamed, and it was kind of dirty and grimey. It was great at first to not have school (public school was not mandatory, hooray!), but the replacement, doing grunt work at Sal's Air Car emporium, was usually more boring and repetitious than school had been. He normally had a happy smile though and enjoyed the friendly bantering and heckling with the other sentient species, and he also loved watching the air cars and cycles and the big cruisers departing and arriving from distant worlds.

Sal and Angela treated Adam pretty well, though they didn't have a lot in common with him. They had also come from an earlier time, but from "another kind of life", as Angela put it. Sal was mostly honest, but now and then an unhappy customer complained and brought the law. Sal had "connections" though, so it always came to nothing.

Part Three
Though she appeared to be harsh and jaded, Angela was had a heart of gold. She noticed that Adam was not so happy any longer and decided that he should go back home to get an education and that maybe he and his parents might be missing each other too. Also she liked his thoughts about urban planning and had high hopes for so him making some changes before 2166 rolled around again. Sal protested as Adam was his "right hand man," but Angela, well, Angela was the boss. And so Adam returned to 1959 and later became a renowned urban planner and futurologist.

Ken OBanion

TAG: obanion#03
Story Title: In-Laws and Out-Laws

-- Image 1 --
Image Title: The Game Is Afoot! (And This Time, It's Personal)

The Story:
Martin suggested that they would be more comfortable discussing the situation in the privacy of his yacht. (Yeah, his job pays exceedingly well. And it wasn't what you're thinking; criminy, people, get your minds out of the gutter!)

"So," Martin said, once they were all settled in the cockpit (there you go again, you sick whatevers!) of his boat. "How may we be of assistance to the Mendor tribe?"

"The daughter of our tribe's Queen, Princess Lydia, has been kidnapped," Leilani told him. "She has been attending a private boarding school in Hartford, Connecticut -- her own decision, one that her mother strongly disapproved of; but, the Princess has always been a bit headstrong in that regard -- and she was spending a Saturday afternoon at the local shopping mall with a friend. That was where she was taken. We have been told that our best chance of getting her back safely, is to enlist your aid."

"Do you have any idea why was taken?" Martin asked. "I mean, when it comes to kidnappers, there is always a reason. Usually it's money, but sometimes...."

"The reason was not money," Leilani said, quite definitely. "One of our Queen's most formidable adversaries, a man known only to most of us as the Dark Paladin, was behind the abduction, and he has already made his demands very clear." Leilani lowered her head slightly. "It is not within my authority to reveal the details to you. I am very sorry, but my instructions are quite clear on this point."

Martin shook his head. "Don't apologize for following orders," he said. "It's probably not all that important, anyway. Until the moment that it becomes important, and then, assuming we all get out of this alive, your Queen and I are liable to go 'round and 'round on the issue."

"There is yet another another complication," Leilani said. Martin turned to gaze at her expectantly -- and he was expecting the worst. He got it, too. "As I mentioned, the princess was not alone when she was taken. She was with a friend, a classmate from her school, at the time she was abducted, and the friend was taken, as well."

"Oh, man," MArtin said, highly annoyed, "that means the other kid's parents are going to be involved, and probably the local police, and they're probably going to call in the FBI, and those guys are gonna come in all stompy-footy and that's just going to booger everything up!"

"Perhaps not," Leilani said carefully. "Our people have been in communication with the other child's family, and with the local authorities. The police are being extremely, shall we say, deferential, to the wishes of the Queen's emissary -- all those diplomatic niceties, you know -- and the other girl's parents have been completely in accord with the Queen's representatives. They were, in fact, the ones who suggested that we seek your assistance."

"Why would they do that?" Martin asked, confused. "How do they even know me?"

"Apparently," Leilani said, "they do know you. Quite well, in fact, I have been told. And equally apparently, they hold you, and your talents in these matters, in very high regard."

"So who are they?"

"The parents' names are Jonathan and Miriam Anders," Leilani informed him. Alexis drew a loud gasp; Martin's face registered a look of intense anger and out-right rage that Alexis had never seen before, and frankly, hoped never to see again. "Their daughter was the girl who was with Princess Lydia when she was kidnapped,"Leilani continued. "Her name is--"

"Laura," Martin finished for her. "Her name is Laura." He turned to Alexis. "Put some clothes on, Lex," he said. "We're hauling ass to Hartford!" He turned his gaze upon Leilani. "And pack a bag, sweetheart; you're coming with us!"

"The Privy Counsel will want to speak with you," Leilani said, "to discuss your fee...."

"There won't be a fee," Martin said. "This one's on me. This 'Dark Paladin' dude is about to find out that he just jacked with the wrong mercenary."

-- Image 2 (Flashback) --
Image Title: An Unpleasant Encounter

The Story Continues...
Lydia's school-mates did not know that she was a real, live, honest-to-Federal-Reserve princess, and that was exactly the way she wanted it. To them, she was just a normal fifteen-year-old girl, with the normal fifteen-year-old-girl interests and aspirations: hanging out with her friends, whiling away hours on end at the local mall (with or without the accompanying shopping), getting through gym class with most of her dignity intact, and fantasizing about dating Justin Bieber (before he went off the deep end and turned into a self-obsessed, entitled jackass, that is).

Lydia and her best friend from school, Laura Anders, had met at the mall for an afternoon of shopping, flirting with the boys from school, and just generally goofing off. Your typical teenager's Saturday.

That, at least, was the plan. But sometimes, plans change. Or, more to the point, something, or somebody, changes them.

"What are you doing in your school uniform, girl?" Lydia asked, as the two girls linked arms and started down the mall's concourse.. "In case you forgot to look at a calendar this morning, it's Saturday!"

"I know," her friend replied, "but I have this school thing later today. The choir is performing at the Children's Hospital this afternoon, and rather than race home to change, I figured I'd just..., you know."

"That makes sense, I guess. So, what do you want to do first?" Lydia asked Laura as they strolled the mall's concourse. "Wander by the arcade, see if any of the really cute boys from school are there? Check out Victoria's Secret? How about Wet Seal? They just got in a ton of new stuff! Want to check it out with me?"

"I suppose I can look," Laura said dubiously, "but I probably can't buy much. When my folks saw last month's Visa bill, they absolutely freaked! I mean, seriously, my mom went totally exponential on my ass!" She grimaced. "And then my dad took his turn."

Lydia stopped, reaching out to grab Laura by her arm, and turning her friend to face her. "They didn't..., hit you, did they?" she asked, alarmed.

"No, of course not!" Laura replied. "My parents would never do anything like that! They don't believe in that kind of thing. And besides, they know better than to try."

"What do you mean by that?" Lydia asked.

Laura giggled, and gave Lydia a conspiratorial glance. "They know that if they ever mistreat me, and my uncle Martin finds out about it, then they will find themselves in a world of hurt. My uncle is very protctive of me."

Lydia grinned back, visibly pondering the possibilities. "You know," she said, "there are ways to work something like that to your advantage...."

"Oh, I would never -- and I mean never -- take advantage of that." She raised a finger to stress her point. "It's a safety net, not an indulgence." They resumed their stroll to the boutique. "My parents are great," Laura said, "but my uncle is just wicked awesome!"

"Ah," Lydia teased, "just a little bit in love with him, are you?"

"Well," Laura admitted, "maybe just a little."

"So what does your uncle do?" Lydia asked.

Laura looked off into the distance, thinking. After a moment, she answered, "You know, I don't really know. I do know that he travels a lot, all over the world, in fact. And whatever he does, he makes a butt-load of money doing it! But, as for what that actually is...," she shrugged, "I got no clue."

"Maybe he's an international spy," Lydia suggested.

"He'd be a good one," Laura concurred. "He's really smart. And very resourceful. And he's almost painfully good-looking!"

Suddenly, a man, dressed entirely in black, stepped in front of them. "Hello, Princess," he said. "The Paladin sends his regards."

Lydia gasped. "David!" she breathed.

The man smiled. Normally, a smile makes people appear more attractive; not this time. "Aw, how sweet," he said. "You remember me."

"I've spent the last three years in therapy, trying to forget."

"Maybe you need to find a better therapist," David suggested.

"That wouldn't help," Lydia said. "The roadblock has always been the knowledge that you're still alive!"

"You cut me to the quick," David said. "But that's what the profession calls 'an impasse'," he added mildly. His voice hardened, as he said, "But that's neither here nor there. The Paladin wants to see you. And it's my job to make that happen." He stepped toward her.

-- Image 3 --
Image Title: Doubling Down on Unpleasant Encounters

The Story Continues...
The girls were taken to an old, abandoned hospital -- a mental hospital, in point of fact. They were led into the day room by David and his two subordinates (or 'goons', as Laura had come to think of them). Lydia's demeanour was one of confidence bordering on cockiness, and that helped to keep Laura's fear in check. But the truth was that both girls were absolutely terrified. But there was no way that either girl would let their captors know that.

Lydia was curious about the woman in the room with them. She was not surprised by her presence, however; Lydia was just naturally inclined to assume that every 'super-villain' was pretty much required to have a major babe lolling around the lair for decoration (union rules, or some such, she suspected), but she would have thought that, knowing as much about the Paladin as she did, he would have enlisted someone with better fashion sense. That dress looked downright dowdy on her!

"Well, well, well," the Paladin said pleasantly as the girls were brought before him. "It's been a long time, Princess."

"Not long enough," Lydia replied. She gave him a disdainful glare. "Looks like you got to Wet Seal before I did. Intersting look you got going there. Doesn't suit you all that well, but then again, style has never been your long suit."

David managed -- albeit barely -- to stifle his giggle.

"Ever the plucky one, aren't you," the Paladin responded. His voice hardened. "But there are limits to the degree of impertinence that I will tolerate, even from you." He turned his gaze upon David. "That goes for all of you."

Laura stepped a bit closer to Lydia and whispered, "Is this guy for real? He looks like an extra in a Batman movie on bad dope!"

"No argument there," Lydia whispered back. "But that doesn't make him any less dangerous." After a brief moment, she felt obliged to voice what Laura had already pretty much figured out for herself: "We're in a lot of trouble right now." She turned her attention back to the Paladin. "So why did you kidnap us?" she asked him.

"Well," the Paladin said, "taking your friend, here," he gestured towards Laura, "wasn't specifically on our 'to-do' list. But, we didn't want her to raise the alarm too soon, so.... As for why you are here, let's just say that I needed a bit of leverage against your mother. And that's all either of you needs to know." He turned to David. "Take them down to the basement," he instructed. "You don't have to lock them into the drawers, or anything." An evil, sadistic grin split his face. "Unless, of course, you just want to."

-- Image 4 --
Image Title: The Cavalry Arrives

The Story Continues...
It had been four days since Laura and Lydia had been abducted from the mall. Throughout that time, they had been kept in the hospital's morgue, although -- and fortunately for them -- they had not been "locked into the drawers", as the Paladin had semi-suggested to his minion.

The girls had been well fed -- well, if you can call a diet of Mickey-D's 'food' -- and had not been maltreated in any way. (Save for being held captive in a disused morgue, that is; a situation that would have creeped out Freddie Krueger!) But the ordeal was wearing on their nerves, mostly due to the simple fact that they didn't know what was happening, or what was likely to happen; either to them, and their situation, nor with respect to the larger situation: why had they been abducted in the first place; what the Paladin's demands might be (if any) for their release, and what their respective families were doing to secure their freedom.

Laura, at least, had one great hope to cling to: she was absolutely certain that her Uncle Martin was on the case, and that if there was any way possible, he would move mountains to get her and Lydia out of this mess. She had been trying from the beginning of their ordeal to convince Lydia of her certainty of this, and she felt that she had made progress in that effort.

It was early on the morning of the fifth day of their captivity. One of David's 'goons' (neither girl had ever learned his name, and neither particularly cared to know, other than to make certain that they were spitting on the right grave) had given them their 'breakfast' about a half-hour earlier -- and Laura, for one, never wanted to even look at another Egg McMuffin, ever again -- when they heard a commotion in the hall outside their place of captivity. Shouts, running feet, the sounds of a brief scuffle, finally punctuated by several gunshots. The girls rushed to the door to see what was going on.

Laura had never been so relieved to see a familiar face in her life, and it was doubtful that she ever would: her uncle, standing in the hallway, pointing a pistol at someone just beyond her field of vision. She made no effort to attract his attention; he was obviously focused on more immediate matters, and she didn't want to risk distracting him.

Laura was surprised to see her uncle's old friend from school with him, however. She had known Alexis her entire life, but had never thought of her as a particularly intrepid sort; certainly not someone who would charge headlong into a hail of bullets. But there she was, looking and acting like she did this kind of thing every day. There was definitely a story here, and Laura was dying to hear it!

Laura watched through the window as her uncle handed the gun to Alexis, who immediately focused her attention on the person beyond her view. Martin pulled his trusty pry-bar out of his back pocket and went to work on the chains that secured the room's double doors. Within moments, the chains were on the floor, and the doors swung open.

Laura rushed out into the hall and flung her arms around her uncle's waist. "Oh, Uncle Martin, I just knew you'd come!"

Martin returned his niece's hug. "Sorry it took me so long," he said apologetically, "but I got here as soon as I could."

Lydia followed Laura out of the room, where she spied Leilani and ran to her. They shared an emotional embrace. "Your mother is going to be so relieved to hear that you're safe!" Leilani said.

"So," Alexis said to nobody in particular, and gesturing vaguely with the gun, "what are we gonna do with this guy?"

Martin threw a disgusted glance at David, then said, "Lock him in the morgue. It should hold him long enough for us to get out of here. Once we're well away, we'll call the police, and let him explain...," he waved a hand in the directon of the two bodies that littered the floor, "all of this."

Alexis gestured with the pistol in her hand; David cast a brief glance at the two bodies on the floor beside him, sighed and nodded in acceptance, and apparently relieved that he was not about to join them. He walked meekly into the room the two girls had recently vacated. Martin re-fastened the chain that had secured the doors, using a length of wire in place of the broken lock.

"But what about the Paladin?" Lydia asked.

"Oh, him," Martin answered. "He..., will not be a problem any more."

Laura looked sharply at her uncle.

"Don't look at me in that tone of voice, young lady," Martin scolded the girl. "I didn't pull the trigger." He pointed to Leilani. "She did."

"Um, can we get out of here now?" Lydia asked the group.

"Sounds like a plan to me," Alexis said. She took a step toward the stairs. "Hey, is anybody hungry? I noticed a McDonald's up the road...." She stopped speaking when she saw the incredulous looks on the girls' faces. "What? What'd I say?"

Karibou

Tag: karibousboutique #2, Picture 1
My Pull:
5902 Soulmate Poses DAZ
6658 Tootsie Hair DAZ
1877 Dystopia Destinations: Landing Pad DAZ
1968 Eliza for K4 DAZ
5661 SG Steam Queens DAZ
4727 PH’s Swinging Cages RO
6641 Tithe Barn DS DAZ
912 Carnival Picnic Tables DAZ
Rendered inPoser Pro 2014, Postwork in Photoshop CS6

Story title: How Karibou Stole Christmas
Image Title1: An Awful Idea
Image Title 2: To Dazville, for Looting!
Image Title 3: To Dystopia’s Top!

Every Daz down in Dazville
Liked Christmas a lot
But the Karibou,
Who lived just east of Dazville
Did NOT.

Karibou HATED Christmas! The whole Christmas Season!
All the gift receipts and cookie sheets, that must be the reason.
It could also be that her head was a wee bit off-kilter,
Or perhaps that her mom always called just to guilt her.
But I think that the most likely reason of all
Was that her checking account was always five sizes too small.

But,
Whatever her reasons
Her mom or the baking,
On Christmas eve, she screamed 'til the rafters were shaking,
And she growled from her cage with a Karibou glare
Down at Dazville and all the Victorias there.
For she knew every Daz down in Dazville below
Would be on super-sale... when she had no more dough.

"And my wish-list is growing!" she snarled with a sneer,
"So I'll have to wait for March Madness next year!"
Then she cursed, with her Karibou brain in a knot
"I MUST buy the items that I still haven't bought!"
For tomorrow, she knew...

..Her dear 10-year-old twins
Would leave holes in her wallet where her savings had been.
And then, to her aunt's house for more gifts to give --
If she spent another Christmas dime, she'd have NO PLACE TO LIVE!

And THEN
They'd do something she liked least of all!
Her angelic children, so sweet and so small,
Would sit close together, occasionally fighting
And then NEXT YEAR'S Christmas lists they'd start writing!

They'd write! And they'd write!
And they'd WRITE, WRITE, WRITE, WRITE!
And the more Karibou pondered next year's Christmas spending
The more she thought, "There's no way this can have a good ending!"
"Since I became Santa, I've been poor as a peasant!
I must find some cash for my OWN Christmas presents!"

Then she got an idea.
An AWFUL idea.
KARIBOU
GOT A WONDERFUL, AWFUL IDEA!

“I know just what to do,” Kari snickered with glee.
And she wrote a new program on her fancy PC.
She chuckled and sneered as she covered her tracks
And then deep into Dazville, that Karibou hacked.

“All I need are electrons…”
Karibou looked around.
And thanks to the atom, those electrons were found!
Her physics and chem minors then came to good use
As a Virtual Karibou she nimbly produced.

THEN
She sent her new e-twin to Dazville for looting,
Confusing the Daz-es who, right then, were computing.
Their screens all went dark, then with a keystroke
Kari called on Magneto —causing Dazville to croak.

With Dazville in darkness, Karibou started prowling,
Draining accounts! Wishlists disemboweling!
Platinum Club items! Brand new releases!
Fastgrabs and software! Artists’ masterpieces!

Then, with evil vengeance that bordered on glee,
Karibou pilfered EVERY product library!
When just then, in a voice (much too sweet to ignore)
Came a simple, soft question from a little Kids-4.
She stared at the Karibou and she blinked her wide eyes.
“Why are you taking our libraries? Why??”

But you know, that e-Kari was so smart and so sly,
She thought of a reason without blinking an eye.
“Magneto,” she said, “made the website go down.”
“I’m moving your items to a server ‘cross town.”

And her fib fooled K4, so she patted her head,
Closed her eyes with a morph, and then sent her to bed.
And when the wee-little sprite was deep in cyber-slumber,
Karibou finished up, leaving each account plundered.

And the one speck of content she left on the site
Was the unflate-able pony—made of one, lone kilobyte.

It was quarter-past dawn,
All the Daz-es still sleeping,
When Karibou left,
Her greedy heart leaping!
She took all the content to her zeppelin of steel
And began to imagine how those Daz-es would feel
As they woke in the morning,
Expecting content galore
But then finding, in horror,
That they were now… content-poor.

Three thousand feet up!
To Dystopia’s top!
Kari steered her steel zeppelin
And then pulled to a stop.

With heartless delight, she carefully placed it
On the landing pad’s edge…
Where she prepared to ERASE IT!
Her checkbook, so shriveled from the twins’ childhood…
Well, if she couldn’t buy content, then NOBODY COULD!

She snickered as she thought of the Daz-es reaction
To the nefarious plan she’d just put into action.
“They’re just waking up! I know just what they’ll do!
“Their mouths will hang open a minute or two
“Then those Daz-es in Dazville will all cry BOO-HOO!”

“Defeated and grieving o’er the content they missed
“Those Daz-es will give up! There’ll be no more wishlists!
“I will never again feel that mean Christmas taunting
“From the people who write what NEXT YEAR they’ll be wanting!”

“That BOO-HOO,” Kari said,
“Is a sound I must hear!”
So she paused. And she put a hand up to her ear.
And she did hear a sound rising over the snow.
It started in low. Then it started to grow…

But the sound wasn’t sad!
Why, this sound sounded merry!
It couldn’t be so!
But it WAS merry! VERY!

Every Daz down in Daz-ville, the tall and the small,
Was smiling! They were SMILING! With no content at all!
A merry Christmas had dawned!
Christmas morning—it came!
Somehow or another
It came just the same!

And Karibou stood, staring off into space,
Quite unsure how to process what had just taken place.

“It came without Vickies! It came without Freaks!
“It came without creatures with talons or beaks!
“It came without Poses! It came without Bryce!
“It came without fastgrabs or discounts on price!

And she puzzled for hours, `till her puzzler was sore.
Then Karibou thought of something she hadn’t before!

“Maybe Christmas,” she thought, “can’t be bought and downloaded.
“Maybe Christmas…perhaps.. isn’t so quickly eroded.”

And she suddenly knew why no Daz-es were nervous.
For tomorrow, back at work, would be
Customer Service.

And what happened then…?
Well…in Daz-ville they say
That Kari threw out her budget
Then said, “Meh. What the hey…”

And the minute she didn’t care about being so broke,
She returned all the content with a single keystroke.
She grabbed an M4 and then gave him a kiss,
And then she…

...SHE HERSELF…!
Made her own, new wishlist.

barbult

Tag: barbult #1
Get Me To The Church On Time

Picture 1
Lee was on the way to his wedding, when his rented truck had a flat tire on the deserted country road at sunrise. Lee was getting panicky. He was going to miss his own wedding! Just then a motorcycle drove up. "What's the trouble, kid?", the biker asked. "I'm supposed to get married at noon, and my truck has a flat with a spare that doesn't even fit. And oh, great, now it's starting to rain." "Hop on kid.", the biker said, "I'll get you to the church on time!"

Picture 2
They roared through the countryside and entered the city. The rain subsided, but the city streets were still flooded. As they approached the railroad crossing they heard the train horn. It sounded close! "Hang on, kid!", yelled the biker,"We can beat this train. It's the only way to make it in time." Sparks flew as the Parkside Cargo engineer hit the brakes hard, trying not to strike the motorcycle directly in his path.

Picture 3
Lee's bride waited nervously outside the church, under the colonnade, with the officiant. Where could Lee be? It's almost noon. Just then a motorcycle roared around the corner. Soaked with rain and coated with mud, Lee thanked his rescue biker and ran up the sidewalk to his bride. "I made it!", he exclaimed.

luci45

tag: luci45#4
Return of the Golden Hinde

Gopherus

Gopherus #1
The Lass from Nantucket
Verse 1
An adventurous lass from Nantucket
Slipped off to the sea in a bucket
When she wanted a meal
She would steal from a seal
Or grab a good goose and pluck it.

Verse 2
The bucket rolled round and around
And the wind howled like a huge hound
Can you tell me, kind Sirs
'Cause my mind's in a blur
Maybe where my happy home can be found

Verse 3
She hasten'd to her home with a grin
Her mother said, "My girl, come right in!
"You didn't milk the cow
"And I'll tell you right now
"It's off to your bed with no din'!"

Fin

MelanieL

TAG:MelanieL#2
Title: Tales of the Chronos Removals Company - Book 1

Chapter 1: The Assignment
Location: The Office of the Chronos Removals Company, London
Time: Morning

It began as another average day in the office. Jim had just surfaced from his previous assignment, which had generated a copious stack of paperwork for his assistant ("Whatever happened to the paper-free office?" she wondered.)
He hadn't even finished his first cup of coffee when the phone rang.
After a long while he hung up and said "We've got another assignment. Removal job. Something gone where it really shouldn't have gone. This could be a tricky one - I think I'm going to need backup. How are you fixed this afternoon?"
"It's OK, I had no specific plans, at least nothing that can't wait" she replied, looking ruefully at the mess of papers on her desk.
"Good" said Jim, "Then can you make the arrangements for us both: 1445 please, Miss Moon."

Chapter 2: The Removal
Location: The Black Stag Inn, Little Bevington, Devon
Time: 1445 (Just after lunch)

Thing was, an item had been stolen from their latest client. A very high tech item. Dangerous in the wrong hands. And it had now turned up where it never ought to have turned up. It was Jim's job to remove it from the wrong hands and return it to the right ones.
"No," Jim mused as he and Miss Moon arrived at their target destination, "this item should most definitely not have turned up in a quiet English village in the late Middle Ages. That sort of thing could cause a critical distortion of history. Good thing our client had a tracking device on it."
Jim and Miss Moon had travelled in appropriate style - no need to scare the locals. The Chronos device did a pretty good job of making them blend in. Surprisingly the same thing had been attempted by the miscreants they had come in search of, though their outfits were still a little random.
The dodgy guys were lounging around outside an old inn, obviously well refreshed. And they had an awful lot of destructive-looking hardware with them too. But Jim had a plan: slip a Mickey in their ale, while Miss Moon did her best buxom serving wench act on them. Soon they were all out for the count. Nice easy job now to extract the stolen techie stuff and return it to its rightful owner.
"Pity I can't work out how to turn this thing fully off" said Jim, "I just hope nobody spots those lights before we get away".
Jim thought he'd better remove their armaments too: "Wonder how they'll get on here without those?" he pondered. "Luckily that's not my problem. Mean looking guys - they've got a really shifty look about them."
Miss Moon looked back at them and replied: "According to my pre-transit checks there's a triple hanging due to take place near here in four day's time - but maybe that's just a coincidence?"

Chapter 3: The De-Brief
Location: The Savoy Hotel, London
Time: 1930 (Late afternoon)

Another job successfully completed. Client happy to have his belongings back. No risky dislocation in the space-time-continuum.
Jim owed Miss Moon for her assistance - she had after all gone way beyond her job description. He offered to buy her a slap-up meal at the location of her choice.
She selected the Palm Court of the Savoy Hotel in 1930: a time of elegance, grace and style - and a very good place to get dainty cucumber sandwiches and petit fours. She might even persuade Jim to join in the Tea Dance after eating.

Totte

*now closed* - voting will start s..., in the near future ;-)

Totte

As I said, not s... , come vote here! http://www.daz3d.com/forums/discussion/35612/