27. Tings Nov 27

(8:03 am Nov 27, 2005)

Quonset.

Quonset. Hut. Semicircle. Quonset Point. Nissen. World Wars. Twenty by forty eight. Forty by one hundred. Portable. Prefab. Rhode Island. Red.

Low voltage blues hit.


(8:24 am Nov 27, 2005)

Well, I am back, but unprotected by my UPS which refuses to cut over to mains power due to low voltage. I hope running unprotected does not bite me. Must remember to do very frequent saves..

Bruddah Bing and Bruddah Boom finally caught a bit of luck. Unfortunately, it was to prove a mixture of good and bad luck. They had heard news of a sighting on Cang and XXIII in Adelaide Village and had gone to investigate. Yes, some residents thought that they had been seen down on the beach on several occasions lately.

Bing and Boom went down to the beach to conduct a stake out. (No no, you can't buy tickets to their steak out it is a stake out, I can probably get you tickets to the next police steak out if you want me to though.)

They had been hidden back in the trees for a few hours now watching the beach.

There! Could that be them going down for a swim? The audacity of them!

Bing and Boom started to make their way down the beach to where the two were swimming, careful to stay in concealment. They got closer. It was Cang and XXIII. Finally, success. Now, to stay out of sight and follow them for a while and take them when they moved to a less public spot.

They decided to get a little closer and, cock a doodle do! This reddish rooster up in a tree saw them and sounded a warning. Cang and XXIII came running out of the water and headed off to the west at a run, the rooster flew down out of the tree towards their path and hit the ground running and soon joined up with them.

Bing and Boom started running as soon as they heard the warning sound and adjusted their path to try and intercept their quarry. They had a good angle and thought they might cut them off on the other side of a house if they hurried.

Now! Where were they? "They must have gone into the house. There is no place else they can be. You stay out and circle the house in case they come out, I will go in and search for them."

So Bing stayed out and circled the house while Boon went in to search. The house was deserted. It looked like it had been closed up for a long time. There were spider webs everywhere. Boom spotted DaVidah, someone he knew by reputation. he went over and introduced himself and asked her if she had seen anyone come into the house a little while ago.

"Yes, I did see someone come in as a matter of fact."

"Can you tell me which way they went?"

"Who they?"

"The three who just came into the house a little bit ago."

"I never saw three, I only saw one come in."

"That can't be, there were three of them."

"No, I only ever saw one."

"OK, where did he go?"

"Oh, he came in and searched around for a bit and then he started bothering me and insisting I saw three when I only saw one."

"The shoe dropped and Boom gave her a hard look. He turned around and scurried out."

(8:55 am Nov 27, 2005)

Kindred.

(10:25 am Nov 27, 2005)

THEY GOT ME!

The No Voltage Blues struck and I lost a good chunk of writing! I hope I can halfway remember it and duplicate it. Back on UPS with no beeping now at least.

Kindred. Kin. Fambly. Family. Who's ya people? Akin. Blood. Marriage. Adoption. Clan. Kinship. Alive.

Kith and Kin. (Friends and acquaintances) and (family)

No voltage blues again.

(10:30 am Nov 27, 2005)

(11:21 am Nov 27, 2005)

BEC ya messin with me!

How is one supposed to pump up the words with no power? OK, longhand, but I copy type so slowly that I am not sure I will get ahead that way. Let's hope there are no more "incidents" for the rest of the day.

Bing and Boom searched around the bushes and the Village for a couple of hours and then gave up and went to report the incident to Big Sal and Uncle Albert. They decided to ask for a small task force to stake out the Village more thoroughly for the next couple of days.

(11:25 am Nov 27, 2005)

---

When Vikta's friend had gone back to the beach with the top, he found Vikta passed out and snoring. He sat beside him and watched the water and the birds playing in the air and the birds playing on the beach and the birds swimming in the water. Vikta did not wake up. And so he sat with him through the night, covering him with some beach towels that he had brought. Sitting as the night got colder and he began to shiver. He had gathered up some wood and started a small fire in a pit which he dug in the sand and lined with rocks. It gave enough warmth to keep him comfortable.

"The King of the Sleepers arises."

"Where am I?"

"Over on P.I. where I brought you yesterday. How do you feel?"

"All busted up inside and sore outside."

"That's to be expected. Are you hungry? You should eat something."

"I am hungry, what do you have."

"Well, let's see, I have some tuna and some fire engine, I have some rolls, I have some chicken wings, ah, here are some chips, some pineapple, some sodas, some water, and some cheese. Does anything sound right?"

"I think some fire engine on a roll sounds right. We've been here all night?"

"Coming right up, and yes, this is where we have been all night, you since yesterday morning."

"Where's Chocolate?"

"I have her in the car for you. I have something else for you too. Let me go to the car and I'll be right back."

(11:41 am Nov 27, 2005)

(12:13 pm Nov 27, 2005)

By the time he got back, Vikta had polished off a good portion of the food in the igloo.

"You sure is true true Vikta, I don't care what anyone say? You going back for seconds? Is the plate too small?"

"True dat! I really felt like mashin. So, where's Chocolate."

"Vikta, we need to talk."

Quid.

Quid. Pound. Dough. Money. Pro Quo. Promises, promises. Twenty. Plug. Wad. Squid. Lid.

"I have something here four you, I think you will like it but I need to warn you about it first., before you decide to accept it."

(12:36 pm Nov 27, 2005)

"OK, enough with the mystery already, show me."

He opened a box that held the new top like a hardcase camera case holds a camera. "Here, I had this made for you yesterday while you slept."

Vikta saw it was a top and wanted to turn away and demand Chocolate and only Chocolate, but there was something about the top that spoke to his heart. He could not turn away. He could not take his eyes off of Vanilla. No, he didn't name her on the spot, it was more like she whispered her name to him in his ear. Lovingly. "She's lovely, I'll take her," he said with a smile and a glint in his eye.

"Not so fast Vikta, we have to talk some first, this top comes with a high price tag attached."

"However much she costs, I'll find the money. Let me hold her."

"Vikta, you don't understand, she is free, she is a gift to you, I am not talking money when I say she comes with a high price tag. I am talking about a price that you may be unwilling to pay."

"That's where you are wrong. Vanilla and I were meant for each other."

"Know this then. If you accept her as a gift, you will never peg against another top again. Not in a tournament, not just for fun amoung friends. She will never enter a battle, and you will never again enter a battle, with her or any other top."

Vikta was floored. "That's crazy! Vanilla was made for the battles, just look at her!"

"Vikta, listen to me. If you accept her, it will be for you as I have said. Do not try and fool yourself. You need to count the cost before you accept her."

(12:55pm Nov 27, 2005)

Vikta's heart fell. "I don't know if I can do that," he said as he stood up and turned to walk away down the beach towards the cove and the cove beyond the cove. Vanilla called to him plaintively as he walk away but he steeled his will and continued walking away with a heavy heart.

"I'll wait here for you my friend. Come back this way when you are ready."

(1:37pm Nov 27, 2005)

Melody watched from the trees as Vikta walked down the beach. It was obvious that he was in a confused state of despair. Her heart went out to him and she came out of the shade and down into the sunshine to fall in beside him and see if she could help him.

(1:39pm Nov 27, 2005)

Novel.

Novel. Extended. Fresh. Fiction. Original. Prose. Not seen before. Story. Printed. Bound. Written. Narrative. Tale. News. Novella. Forty thousand. Free. Fifty thousand? Character. Action. Innovative. Not the romance.

Hmmmm, so, is Tings a romance or a novel. Well, a quick check of the Genre Lounges confirms that for Nano, a romance is accepted as a novel, never mind what those supposed intellectuals would say on the matter. Those high nosed, high toned, ivory towered big heads. Knights on quests for magical swords indeed.

Melody walked quietly beside Vikta for a while, matching him stride for stride. This was a skill she picked up in the last few weeks of hanging around with Bruno. She smiled at the thought.

After a while, she began to hum quietly, just above the level of perception. She wove an intricate tune, one full of possibilities and mysteries. One of promise and challenge.

Vikta's stride grew longer.

(1:53pm Nov 27, 2005)

Soon, she started to sing words. Sweet and low. Sultry and inviting.

Vikta ran down the sand and dove into the water. "Whiiiiiiilllllllbuuurrrrr!" He ran up the beach again shivering. He lay down on the sand in the sun to warm up and dry off. He dozed. Melody sat beside him and continued to sing softly.

---

(2:02pm Nov 27, 2005)

It had taken a lot of convincing, but finally Big Sal had agreed to give them some more soldiers for their stake out. They went back to Adelaide and deployed their troops around the village to their liking. Everyone had radios and light arms. Bing and Boom felt confident. They would get those two the next time they showed up.

(2:11pm Nov 27, 2005)

Cang, XXIII and the rooster did not intend to come back though. They were on Atholl Island after a detour through a castle in Scotland and some creative (wink, wink) naming of places. They could have gone to Blair, but felt safer on the offshore island in light of almost being captured this morning.

(2:31pm Nov 27, 2005)

Time was crawling along. They decided to swim the narrows and get back to Nassau that way. It would mean taking the chance of being seen in public, but they felt sure that the search would be concentrated in the west for the next few days and thought they would be able to make it.

---

Vikta's was feeling better. Vanilla was calling to his spirit as he lay in the warm sun and listened to Melody's sweet song. He would go back and get her. He opened his eyes and saw a hairy guy, a red rooster, and a soldier crab walking towards him at the water's edge.

He thanked Melody for her kindness and stood up to go back. The tree called out to him to wait.

He turned back to the east and watched as they trotted towards him.

"Can you give us a ride over the bridge and up east?"

They certainly were a bold lot. "I am here with a friend, but I guess I could ask him for you."

"Would you, it would really help us out a lot."

Vikta nodded and turned to walk back west without another word. The three fell in behind. Melody floated away on the breeze.

(2:39pm Nov 27, 2005)