I hope the right team won for you, Marc :) From the reports it sounds like it was one of the better Superbowls, with an interesting, energetic game and a result that wasn't clear until the last few minutes of the game :)
The impossible "You never told me what the ransom note wanted," said Snake. He was staring at the strange structure that might or might not be part of the clapboard shack -- while it definitely emerged from it into this other realm, the walls stopped him seeing if included the shack or just occupied the same space as it. "Equations," said Sberychev. "Don't tell me! You've said enough things that I don't understand already, and it's been less than half a day. Fine, they want equations because they're mad and don't understand what money is used for. What do they give you in return for these equations? And, hang on a minute, why don't you just give them the equations? It's not like they're valuable or anything." A man dressed in a trenchcoat and blue jeans stepped out of the shack and walked over to the rusted pick-up. He seemed not to see Sberychev and Snake in the Tesseract. Sberychev was staring at Snake, his mouth hanging open and his fingers twitching as though they wanted to reach out and strangle him. "Um, maybe the equations are more valuable that I thought?" Snake wondered if he could actually get out of reach of someone who'd spent half the journey here sitting on the ceiling. "The equations would give them access to this space," said Sberychev. His voice sounded slightly strangled and his face was flushed. "Which in turn gives them unlimited access to the world. You talk about money," there was a hint of disgust in his voice, "well, they could walk into any and very bank vault there is and help themselves. Invisibly." "That's impossible," said Snake reflexively. Then he looked around himself, and his brain caught up with what his mouth had just said. "Huh, well, maybe it's not," he said. "So that's why they're not getting the equations? Wait, why can't we go and get a little bit richer?" "Money doesn't make happiness," said Sberychev. "How you do know? I think we ought to conduct an experiment," said Snake. "You be the control and stay away from money, and I'll be the experimental subject and expose myself to its potentially baneful influence." "A moment ago you were telling me I wasn't the Geneva Convention. I think the same line of reasoning probably applies here too." The man in the trench coat got a sports bag from the pick-up truck and started walking back to the shack. "I don't think he can see us," said Sberychev, watching him intently. "But I think he knows that there's something here." The Tesseract started drifting slowly after the man. "Hey, what?" Snake grabbed at the floor, his hands sinking through the purple sides. "Why are we following him then?" "They offered to not destroy this space in return for the equations," said Sberychev. "They must have something in there that they don't understand that's allowing them to access this -- it must be what's creating this building we can see. And something about it must have told them about you and me, because otherwise they couldn't have sent the ransom note. So... what they have in there must be something to do with the quantum prison we were in. "That's impossible!" The man in the trench coat went into the shack and closed the door behind him. Sberychev looked at Snake. "This time I want to agree with you," he said. "But if it is impossible, then what's in there must be even more surprising."
Hm, I awoke to the sound of something tearing, almost silently. I looked around, it was still dark, the moon was barely a sliver so not light from her. “Thud, thud,” Ye gods! What was that? Soft footfalls with a bass note came slowly down the hallway, pausing, as if seeking, and then moving on... ...Getting closer.
‘But all the doors are locked’, I thought. No one could get in; they were not just locked, they were dead-locked. I pushed my face back under the covers, hoping for sleep which captured me immediately in its clutches of instant dreaming. Or so it seemed.
I found myself being dragged down the hallway, deep in the grasp of a chimeric creature, an impossible combination of human torso and goat legs, his arms (were they arms?) were around my neck, my held held firmly in a headlock - a death grip unlike anything experienced on the wrestling mat. I was gasping for air, holding on for dear life, I had to think and think fast!
What to do? Remember those self-defence lessons, come on, for god’s sake! But... does it... does it have... you know... something I can kick with the heel of my foot? Was it possible? Well, there was no time to deliberate, it had to be vulnerable somewhere, so I pulled up my anger and focussed it into my heel, kicking backwards and flailing my elbows back as well, hoping to hit the torso as I downed the creature.
Thump! I did it and the thing fell and whimpered away into the never-never, not to be seen again.
I woke up.
Perhaps it was just a nightmare. Perhaps the veil between worlds hadn’t been rent open. Perhaps there was no chimera in my house that night, attacking me for dear life. Surely it was impossible.
Greg - I wasn't especially invested in it, but the team I'd rather won did so, so... yay? Also: the result wasn't clear until the final play of the game ended (I've watched highlights, having not watched it live), so that's pretty cool.
I'm glad this prompt worked for you (I had this tale in mind when I chose it). I am only getting curiouser and curiouser about what's to come. And I think I've got a good prompt for your story on Wednesday lined up.
Morganna - I want to say this is about magic, but I'm equally certain it's about yoga :P
Dragonfly - late is always better than never around here :D
Eek. I'm pretty sure I'd move after having a dream like that, thank you very much.
4 comments:
I hope the right team won for you, Marc :) From the reports it sounds like it was one of the better Superbowls, with an interesting, energetic game and a result that wasn't clear until the last few minutes of the game :)
The impossible
"You never told me what the ransom note wanted," said Snake. He was staring at the strange structure that might or might not be part of the clapboard shack -- while it definitely emerged from it into this other realm, the walls stopped him seeing if included the shack or just occupied the same space as it.
"Equations," said Sberychev.
"Don't tell me! You've said enough things that I don't understand already, and it's been less than half a day. Fine, they want equations because they're mad and don't understand what money is used for. What do they give you in return for these equations? And, hang on a minute, why don't you just give them the equations? It's not like they're valuable or anything."
A man dressed in a trenchcoat and blue jeans stepped out of the shack and walked over to the rusted pick-up. He seemed not to see Sberychev and Snake in the Tesseract.
Sberychev was staring at Snake, his mouth hanging open and his fingers twitching as though they wanted to reach out and strangle him.
"Um, maybe the equations are more valuable that I thought?" Snake wondered if he could actually get out of reach of someone who'd spent half the journey here sitting on the ceiling.
"The equations would give them access to this space," said Sberychev. His voice sounded slightly strangled and his face was flushed. "Which in turn gives them unlimited access to the world. You talk about money," there was a hint of disgust in his voice, "well, they could walk into any and very bank vault there is and help themselves. Invisibly."
"That's impossible," said Snake reflexively. Then he looked around himself, and his brain caught up with what his mouth had just said. "Huh, well, maybe it's not," he said. "So that's why they're not getting the equations? Wait, why can't we go and get a little bit richer?"
"Money doesn't make happiness," said Sberychev.
"How you do know? I think we ought to conduct an experiment," said Snake. "You be the control and stay away from money, and I'll be the experimental subject and expose myself to its potentially baneful influence."
"A moment ago you were telling me I wasn't the Geneva Convention. I think the same line of reasoning probably applies here too."
The man in the trench coat got a sports bag from the pick-up truck and started walking back to the shack.
"I don't think he can see us," said Sberychev, watching him intently. "But I think he knows that there's something here." The Tesseract started drifting slowly after the man.
"Hey, what?" Snake grabbed at the floor, his hands sinking through the purple sides. "Why are we following him then?"
"They offered to not destroy this space in return for the equations," said Sberychev. "They must have something in there that they don't understand that's allowing them to access this -- it must be what's creating this building we can see. And something about it must have told them about you and me, because otherwise they couldn't have sent the ransom note. So... what they have in there must be something to do with the quantum prison we were in.
"That's impossible!"
The man in the trench coat went into the shack and closed the door behind him. Sberychev looked at Snake. "This time I want to agree with you," he said. "But if it is impossible, then what's in there must be even more surprising."
It's
Maybe not
Possible
Only if you try
So
Simple
It can
Be done
Let it go. Release your
Energy.
better late than never...
The Impossible
“Rrriiippp!”
Hm, I awoke to the sound of something tearing, almost silently.
I looked around, it was still dark, the moon was barely a sliver so not light from her.
“Thud, thud,” Ye gods! What was that? Soft footfalls with a bass note came slowly down the hallway, pausing, as if seeking, and then moving on...
...Getting closer.
‘But all the doors are locked’, I thought.
No one could get in; they were not just locked, they were dead-locked.
I pushed my face back under the covers, hoping for sleep which captured me immediately in its clutches of instant dreaming.
Or so it seemed.
I found myself being dragged down the hallway, deep in the grasp of a chimeric creature, an impossible combination of human torso and goat legs, his arms (were they arms?) were around my neck, my held held firmly in a headlock - a death grip unlike anything experienced on the wrestling mat.
I was gasping for air, holding on for dear life, I had to think and think fast!
What to do?
Remember those self-defence lessons, come on, for god’s sake! But... does it... does it have... you know... something I can kick with the heel of my foot? Was it possible? Well, there was no time to deliberate, it had to be vulnerable somewhere, so I pulled up my anger and focussed it into my heel, kicking backwards and flailing my elbows back as well, hoping to hit the torso as I downed the creature.
Thump! I did it and the thing fell and whimpered away into the never-never, not to be seen again.
I woke up.
Perhaps it was just a nightmare.
Perhaps the veil between worlds hadn’t been rent open.
Perhaps there was no chimera in my house that night, attacking me for dear life.
Surely it was impossible.
Wasn’t it?
Greg - I wasn't especially invested in it, but the team I'd rather won did so, so... yay? Also: the result wasn't clear until the final play of the game ended (I've watched highlights, having not watched it live), so that's pretty cool.
I'm glad this prompt worked for you (I had this tale in mind when I chose it). I am only getting curiouser and curiouser about what's to come. And I think I've got a good prompt for your story on Wednesday lined up.
Morganna - I want to say this is about magic, but I'm equally certain it's about yoga :P
Dragonfly - late is always better than never around here :D
Eek. I'm pretty sure I'd move after having a dream like that, thank you very much.
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