C James

Thanks Carl! Yep, there was some stage-setting in this chapter. BTW, now I can explain the titles of 19 and 20! Ch 19, "and then there were two" alludes to a possibly couple forming. And "The Show Must Go On" was based on the final line in Ch 20. And to think, people were thinking dire things... See? 19 wasn't a cliffhanger at all! I should mention here, for people who didn't see it in the other thread, that the press getting something wrong is far from a rare event. You pegged it! Congratulations Jan! Yep, a big part of the reason Steve and Zeke are so protective about Wilde is his past abuse and how sensitive he is about those scars. That's why they said "Just don't expect us to take our shirts off" at the pool party. They knew Wilde wouldn't. Ummm, oops... I sort of left him hanging, didn't I? This is an oversight on my part. With Eric telling the story in retrospect, I was somewhat limited. The cliff was only a little over twenty feet high. Chase made it to the top right after Steve. We can assume Steve was scrambling up to give Chase a hand. Oh, and was it Wildone who said that Steve could have been making sure Chase's gear was on just the way he wanted it so that it highlighted certain anatomical features? Assuming that Eric is correct, Bingo! The way I pictured it, Steve arriaved on top of the cliff just before Chase. Steve heard what Eric was saying and then Eric noticed Steve, and decided to get out of there by showing off on a rapell, Chase, Steve, and Wilde would have come down after him. They wouldn't need a harness fur such a short rapell. Well, Chase might. OK, now, there was one very touching scene , a real tear-jerker, that no one has commented on yet.

Hi Pupster!! Thanks!! I'm sure that Eric will behave... Like Eric. Of course! I never write cliffhangers. Basically, at this point in the story, everything is looking good and happy-happy. They are even ahead of schedule in Australia after a successful test of the implosion design. :nuke: BTW, good catch on using Bikers to provide security. You're right, a lot of celebs, especially musicians, do just that. Incidentally, Vladimer (the engineer) does seem to have a knack for tweeking The Scar's nose, doesn't he? Well, while ya'll were reading Chapter 19, I was writing Ch 23. So, if I was going to do anything like that, it wouldn't show up for a while. Ahhh! So that explains that thread! But beware... You could have ended up with Shadowgod writing LTMP, and we know how he loves cliffhangers!

That poor goat! Snatched right off the cliff. Now, now, No ideas!!! But Jan, that must have been some other goat.. We all know that I'd never have anything to do with a cliff...

Happy New year, everyone!!! And a happy New Year from Earth to your planet, too.

Happy New YEar, Everyone!!

Ahh, but I could quote example of bands that fit what you say, and others that fit the opposite. ACK! Nooooo!!! I never use cliffhangers! However, I do admit that some readers might be interpreting LTMP 19 as a cliffie.

ACK! That was a close call!!!! All i said was that what was posted was a clue... It wouldn't be there if it hadn't been important, so please, no spines!!! ACK!! Spines AND BBQ? It really isn't easy being a goat who writes...

I hate to ask, but... Does your wife know that you use your picture as an avatar? That's perhaps not the wisest thing to do if you aren't out... I think Steve raises an excellent point here: opening any door can lead to unexpected consequences, not all of them good. Thank you Graeme, for sharing this part of yourself. CJ

Carl, this was great!! The first thing I noticed was the present tense. That's very difficult to write in, but it works well here. Their world is indeed harsh, with all manner of nasty fates. Nightmarish, and the scariest thing to me was that there is a strong hint that thoughts are not private; they were "found out" without actually having done anything. I had a good chuckle over the "Geeks" term, and the description of truckers and their habits. The comment about "Spanners" at the end had me laughing. HOWEVER, there is one thing that I found most objectionable... Great story, Carl!!!

This has better not be the clue we are looking for I think we all must unite to convince CJ that this is the wrong path to take!!! Steve Edit to add: Yes the newswire service got it wrong, it wasn't one of the Carlisle brothers! But Chase could easily now be considered one of them by Helen and Barbra now, as they are like all of their surrogate mothers. Isn't there an old legend that if you dream you are falling and don't wake up in time, you die when you hit the bottom in the dream? Hrmmm, something like that anyway. Or maybe a premonition? Or could it be something random and unrelated? I never said all clues to a chapter are in the one preceding it. Yes, there are clues throughout the story to future events. I can say unequivocally, and without fear of contradiction, that what you found either is, or is not, one of them. Well, ummm, mean old goat? Awww, but I'm sweet and noce (and don't forget quiet and shy). And have me for dinner? err, as the guest, or the main course? Yipes... Ahh, no, I promised to SEND IN the next chapter early. Remember, I can't actually install the file on the server. Joe does that. It is also at least possible that Joe has plans for new year's eve that don't include his computer. Bondwriter!! What ever do you mean? Didn't you like the ending of 19? If not, remember the forum rules (p[osted at the top of the forum) so it should be Shadowgod y'all are after.

Echidna! How can you doubt me so??? Would I do such a thing as that? And as for "the Kiss," I kept my promise! There was indeed a kiss in that chapter. By a fountain in Rome, in fact. How romantic. Awww, but if you'd turn the oven off, I'll give you tWO paragraphs. Shhhh... They don't need to know that... It wasn't a twisted Christmas gift! I said "Merry Christmas" in the first post in the thread! It's not my fault if some of y'all, for reasons I cannot comprehend, perceived some kind of cliffhanger? And no more fire! I'm getting singed already!! Nope, I'd actually give the first two paragraphs, in return for a promise of no more roasting. And yes, Bondwriter, welcome back!!!

Lurking?!?!!? But you can't be lurking.. you post too much! If you want to be a lurker like me, I'd be happy to give you lessons.

Thank you!! I've been stung by a few stories where, roughly, the lead characther goes through 30+ chapters of drama, and FINALLY everything is great and he has his lover interest at last, and KAPAOW, love interest dues in a tragic, random, way (car accident, random gunfire, etc), the end. ARGH, I HATE those, and I do peek at endings before starting reading. I don't care in a short story, but If I'm going to read a novel, I want to be sure it's not a downer. And what? Me, use a cliffie? I'd never do that.

Ack, no wonder it's getting so hot in here... Hope you feel better soon. Glad to have you on the forums! We do like to have fun here. I'll be happy to offer the first sentence of LTMP 20 if ya'll will turn off the oven.

Gulp.... Well, yes, AT LEAST a couple of times... And he's got those spines, ya know... Just look at his picture!!! I'm thinking the Wikipedia article on Echidas is woefully incomplete. There's no mention of the fact that they seem to detest spoilers. Well, how about this... I can list the clues after the next chapter posts, and then show what they mean? And didn't you know? Goats like confusion and chaos! And apropos of nothing, here's a google search of "sign of the goat" ACK!!! Oh no, the Echidna is raising a Posse! I really do need to hide... And, um, talk about feeling the heat! I'm already getting rather singed... :fire:

ROFL!!!!!!!! Yes, the Echidna was very sneaky with that, wasn't he? I research a great many things. Some have nothing to do with stories. This may, or may not, be the case here. Yes, Cruel!!! Talk about a catch-22! If I say "yes" it's a spoiler! If I so "no" it's a spoiler! And in either case, you turn me into a pincushion!! 0: My only other alternative would be to give a non-responsive answer, ut I don't know how to do that sort of thing.... And, ummm, goat-hunting? Yipes... I still don't understand why anyone would perceive LTMP 19 to be any sort of a cliffhanger?

Great news, Colin!! Looking forward to seeing what you post. The wire services often get it wrong. For example, I can't recall if Castro has been dead twice, or three times this year according to news reports. Reuters and API, two of the biggest wire services, often get things wrong. In some cases, they are duped by dubious sources, and these are too numerous to mention here. However, here's a google search result for "Reuters Retraction". You'll find at least 10 pages of 'em. Here's a link where they went with a very bad photoshop AND a dubious source. http://web.israelinsider.com/Articles/Diplomacy/9061.htm Or for something more on topic, take a peek at Wikipedia's list of "premature obituaries". Many are celebs, and in many cases the news services are involved. I can't resist posting this tidbit about CNN: They accidentally posted no less than seven false death reports on April 16, 2003, The pages included obituaries for Fidel Castro, Dick Cheney, Nelson Mandela, Bob Hope, Gerald Ford, Pope John Paul II, and Ronald Reagan. Some of these obituaries contained fragments taken from others, particularly from Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother's obituary, which had apparently been used as a template. Dick Cheney for example was described as the 'UK's favorite grandmother', the site noted the Pope's 'love of racing', and described Castro as 'lifeguard, athlete, movie star' (a reference to Ronald Reagan). Though the Queen Mother was already dead, in an unrelated incident she had previously received a premature obituary of her own .

What? Me? Provide false hints? Well, actually, it might be amusing (and informative for me, too!) to look back on what I've said about Ch 19 after Ch 20 posts, and see if I really did tip my hand in any way. BTW, we're under 48 hours from me sending in 20. I'll even, if the Echidna will forgive a spoiler, give out one bit of real information about it. There are words in it, and most of them have both consonants and vowels. We don't actually know if I've killed any characters lately. Jake was not shown to have died, just lose consciousness. Okay, the Senator in "Requiem" did die, but he was very old and also very ill, but that was back in the fall. Fall seems to be bad for my characters.. "The Muse" was in the fall 2006 anthology, and the dinner engagement might not have been the most pleasant thing in the world for the protagonist, but at least he got closer to his Muse. And the only people who died in FTL were some of the bad guys. Agreed about Colin's writing! But as for the mood, might I remind you that not everyone thinks this was a cliffhanger?

Ouch... If you still have access to the van, you might want to investigate why it didn't latch right. I'm glad you are doing okay, but get plenty of rest, and don't hesitate to go to a "Doc if you notice anything unusual. Impact injuries can be tricky on occasion. Get well soon!! I'm sure the Echidna can do acupuncture. Or, at least, puncture. Those spines are sharp!

Aww, but Graeme, that's just becuase you insist on doing things oddly... I mean, you have Christmas in Summer, you drive upside-down, and you think it's Wednesday when it's Tuesday. I'll see what I can do. But, the title has to stay, but of course, it may or may not mean what you think it does.

Graeme said basically everything I was thinking, only he said it both better and sooner. I REALLY loved the part about astonishment at not being able to ride. That's a great exposition of mindset, and what is normal for their world.

Great story Ieshwar!!! Your characters were wonderfully developed, including in their confusion and conflicted feelings. The feel of the story fit very well, and in the end I can't help but feel very sorry for Jake, and wonder what happened to Kieth. Did he die in the final days of fighting? Or did he lose his nerve and not go to meet Jake? My guess is the latter, and thus the road not traveled is what might have been, and Kieth didn't realized that he was condemning Jake in the process. Very well done, Ieshwar!

Thanks... Jake definitly got himself into a mess, and knew it. I'd never kill off a character, even in a short story, just for the sake of doing so. I get just too attached to my characters to do that. LoL Well, ummm, possibly, in fact I left it open for that. Jake loses consciousness at the end. It doesn't actually say he died, so that's not a certaintly. So, although I don't plan on writing another multi-chapter in first-person, I have no qualms about, say, making this story a prologue (because you can change "voices" for a prologue, if done right.).

ACK! Shhh, don't give Joe ideas... And Joe, congrats again, and thank you for all that you do.

I too had to smile at Iain's penchant for taking things apart, becuase it's very much one I shared. I took apart the TV when I was 12, and a dishwasher when i was ten, and a bunch of other things. My parents never bothered to lock up the liquor or medicine cabinets, but they sure locked up the tool chest! LoL Ummm, Graeme, If your son has this same interest, I'd suggest you not worry as much about your stereo and worry more about your car. One of my earliest "investigations" involved figuring out how to use a tire-iron. I wanted to see if I could get a wheel off, but I was too young to know how to use a jack. Then I got distracted (probably by cartoons, I was in first grade) and forgot to put the wheels nuts back on, and then Dad didn't notice before he drove off. He noticed real soon thereafter, though (fortunatly, it was only one wheel I'd been fiddling with). Then there was the time a few years later I tried to figure out how a distributor works (on Dad's car, again), and ended up finding out the hard way that spark plug wires go in a specific sequence for a reason... Bard, I really loved Iain's tinkering. I also thought the murder plot was very well done, and I was glad to see they didn't have to go through with it. I thought for a while though that that was "the secret". Well done!