How's the job going? You haven't mentioned much happening there lately, but this prompt has me wondering if you're finding things that happen bemusing :) Right, let's get started with a Four Horsemen Short Story, as I think writing another novel in your blog would definitely count as rude!
Spinning in Circles E. Kevin Gway sat on the porch of War's house in Finca Vigia staring out across the manicured lawns. For a while he'd assumed that there were gardeners to tend to it though he never saw them. He'd conjectured that they were scared of War and came out only when they knew he wasn't around, so Kevin, tasked with reportage, would never see them. But when the lawns were still neat and tidy after a two week break staying at the house full time he wondered if perhaps they only came when he was too drunk to notice them. So he tried sobering up, which happened so astonishingly easily that he suspected Famine had had something to do with it, and still saw no-one. He had started pondering if the Valkyries did it, and then he saw the Hellhounds herding a flock of fire-breathing goats out to the lawn early one morning. He would have started drinking again then, only somehow all the alcohol bottles were always empty when he picked them up, and he knew that that was Famine's doing. He sat in a wicker chair lined with duck-feather cushions that was suspended from a large steel screw in the ceiling so it could turn freely, and with a gentle push from his foot now and then, spun in circles. He watched the world turn, seemingly about him, and wondered how on earth he'd managed to end up with the Four Horsemen. "Kevin!" War's greetings were jovial roars that could terrify small children and grown men alike. Kevin only twitched a little, his shoulders jerking and his foot tapping on the floor. "The newspapers have arrived!" "I didn't hear the door," said Kevin, his mind still a little adrift. He was sure he liked the Four Horsemen, but when they were around things got... scary. "I mean, well... oh, what am I saying? I wouldn't hear the door, would I? You probably just summon the newspapers from wherever they're printed." War laughed, a basso chuckle that made the porch planking vibrate like tanks were moving nearby. "Actually one of the kids brought them in," he said. "Scuffles, he's had a growth spurt recently. Barely recognised him myself. He's in the living room chatting up a Valkyrie. Good luck to him, they're all maneaters." He lobbed a rolled-up newspaper at Kevin, who ducked instinctively. The paper hit him on the top of his head and bounced back into his lap. "You're on page 4," said War. "Some nice coverage of the four-day war in Tunisia, and they got some photos of the Battle of Fatnassa from somewhere." Kevin turned, dutifully, to the page and looked at the story. They'd kept his title: Death in the Afternoon. He smiled, though there was a frisson of fear that trickled down his spine as he did so. He hadn't expected to find that the Four Horsemen were actually competitive with one another. "You're ok with the title?" he asked, prodding at it like it was the hole in his mouth where a tooth had been extracted. "Not really," said War, and there might have been a faint rumble of thunder in the distance. "But the Boss loved it, and 'War in the Afternoon' sounds like something you should write for Cosmopolitan, so we'll let it pass this time." "Right," said Kevin, his mind's eye contemplating a vision of War reclining in one of these wicker chairs giving a casual interview about his afternoon routine. "We're not doing Cosmo, right?" "Would be a change of pace...." said War thoughtfully.
Greg - the job's been going pretty good, better than expected to be honest. The days go by super quick, as I always seem to be busy. Or at least being interrupted whilst trying to get things done, when there are fewer things to do. Either way, I'm getting the hang of most of my duties now and just in time for the super busy summer season here.
And making it shorter rather than longer counts as rude in my books, as you know danged well how much I enjoy both your writing and these four characters :P
I like the element EKG brings to the horsemen. And War remains one of my favorites of the four, so this is an excellent opening in my books :)
2 comments:
How's the job going? You haven't mentioned much happening there lately, but this prompt has me wondering if you're finding things that happen bemusing :)
Right, let's get started with a Four Horsemen Short Story, as I think writing another novel in your blog would definitely count as rude!
Spinning in Circles
E. Kevin Gway sat on the porch of War's house in Finca Vigia staring out across the manicured lawns. For a while he'd assumed that there were gardeners to tend to it though he never saw them. He'd conjectured that they were scared of War and came out only when they knew he wasn't around, so Kevin, tasked with reportage, would never see them. But when the lawns were still neat and tidy after a two week break staying at the house full time he wondered if perhaps they only came when he was too drunk to notice them. So he tried sobering up, which happened so astonishingly easily that he suspected Famine had had something to do with it, and still saw no-one. He had started pondering if the Valkyries did it, and then he saw the Hellhounds herding a flock of fire-breathing goats out to the lawn early one morning. He would have started drinking again then, only somehow all the alcohol bottles were always empty when he picked them up, and he knew that that was Famine's doing.
He sat in a wicker chair lined with duck-feather cushions that was suspended from a large steel screw in the ceiling so it could turn freely, and with a gentle push from his foot now and then, spun in circles. He watched the world turn, seemingly about him, and wondered how on earth he'd managed to end up with the Four Horsemen.
"Kevin!" War's greetings were jovial roars that could terrify small children and grown men alike. Kevin only twitched a little, his shoulders jerking and his foot tapping on the floor. "The newspapers have arrived!"
"I didn't hear the door," said Kevin, his mind still a little adrift. He was sure he liked the Four Horsemen, but when they were around things got... scary. "I mean, well... oh, what am I saying? I wouldn't hear the door, would I? You probably just summon the newspapers from wherever they're printed."
War laughed, a basso chuckle that made the porch planking vibrate like tanks were moving nearby. "Actually one of the kids brought them in," he said. "Scuffles, he's had a growth spurt recently. Barely recognised him myself. He's in the living room chatting up a Valkyrie. Good luck to him, they're all maneaters." He lobbed a rolled-up newspaper at Kevin, who ducked instinctively. The paper hit him on the top of his head and bounced back into his lap.
"You're on page 4," said War. "Some nice coverage of the four-day war in Tunisia, and they got some photos of the Battle of Fatnassa from somewhere." Kevin turned, dutifully, to the page and looked at the story. They'd kept his title: Death in the Afternoon. He smiled, though there was a frisson of fear that trickled down his spine as he did so. He hadn't expected to find that the Four Horsemen were actually competitive with one another.
"You're ok with the title?" he asked, prodding at it like it was the hole in his mouth where a tooth had been extracted.
"Not really," said War, and there might have been a faint rumble of thunder in the distance. "But the Boss loved it, and 'War in the Afternoon' sounds like something you should write for Cosmopolitan, so we'll let it pass this time."
"Right," said Kevin, his mind's eye contemplating a vision of War reclining in one of these wicker chairs giving a casual interview about his afternoon routine. "We're not doing Cosmo, right?"
"Would be a change of pace...." said War thoughtfully.
Greg - the job's been going pretty good, better than expected to be honest. The days go by super quick, as I always seem to be busy. Or at least being interrupted whilst trying to get things done, when there are fewer things to do. Either way, I'm getting the hang of most of my duties now and just in time for the super busy summer season here.
And making it shorter rather than longer counts as rude in my books, as you know danged well how much I enjoy both your writing and these four characters :P
I like the element EKG brings to the horsemen. And War remains one of my favorites of the four, so this is an excellent opening in my books :)
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