ReaderPaul

Actually, there were 989 NAMED characters in the works of Charles Dickens, and the other twelve thousand plus were unnamed. A very good story, a short one, by Dickens is "The Story of Richard Doubledick."

Thank you for those references. I've already read "Going to Waste" and will have to read the rest later, due to errands.

Great story, @northie. I smiled and chuckled most of the way through it.

Well done, @northie. Thank you. What other personifications have you done and in which of your stories?

I like these "Ask An Author" segments. Sometimes I can be inspired to check out an author I have not been reading because of the articles. It is obvious to me from this article that @Mrsgnomie and @kbois and also @astone2292 all have a good and varied sense of humor. I have a crazy caregiving schedule due to my spouse having physical and mental issues, including possibly spouse having the beginning of Alzheimer's. I do not get to read nearly as much as I wish. But articles like this one inspire me to try to read a greater selection of authors than previously. Well done, all three of you.

@CincyKris, as you liked this story, you should also check out more stories by @Geron Kees -- especially Geron's "Doorways" series here on GA, and "Z is for Zombie" here on GA. They are top rate science fiction stories, The Doorways stories go in this order: "The Odd, Onward Door,' then "Never a Door Lost," and most recently ""The Darkness Between Doors."

No, they would not be simple to answer. BUT -- from something you described in a Halloween Charlie Boone tale some years back, I get the idea that Ricky's sister is about two (at the most three) years younger than Ricky. Kiernan is one year or not more than two years younger than Rick, so --- It would be a possibility for Kiernan and Ricky's sister to meet and date. Since Ricky is loaded with skwish, his sister probably is, as well. She just has to discover it. That might make a good side trip in the Boone universe -- but I can't think of a good title. One you definitely don't want to use would be -- "My Sister is Getting Skwishy, Charlie Boone!" "My Sister is Getting Crafty, Charlie Boone!" might be slightly better, but not much. LOL.

Another great story in the "Charlie Boone" universe. Charlie and several of his friends, and this time adding Auggie, Robin Hood and new friend Jeremiah Hawkins, return to once again face Lane Tallfield in the realm of the dead. They first do research, and find out many interesting things. (No, I'm not saying what they find out. You need to read that for yourself.) We learn more and more as the story progresses, and once again, things are not completely as they originally seem. The story is well worth reading.

I think Browbeat would have a lot of fun with Frit and Pip! They like to have fun, though they can be serious when needed. Since Horace can summon people in the lower layer, can he now also summon people in the present layer, somewhat like Charlie can inspire people to call whether on Engris or Earth? Does Charlie's ability include persuading Murcha, Onglet, or Illia to call him? Can he inspire persons to call someone else -- such as inspiring Uncle Bob to call Horace? Does Amy have any siblings? Maybe she is becoming like an "honorary Aunt" to Ricky's younger sister and even younger brother? Is Ricky's younger sister old enough to date Kiernan Willman?

Well, @Geron Kees, now you can do a short Valentine's Day story! Amy or Horace proposes, and they get married on Valentine's Day 2023! Surely the town of Kinniston has a witch official who is authorized to conduct marriages, who could come to Third Planet Inquiries to conduct the wedding. Or, perhaps Jeremiah knows someone in Holdover who could perform a ceremony, and would keep their mouth shut about the attendance of Ragal, Casper, Durapar, Auggie, Pacha, Kontus, and Browbeat. Human and elf visitors to the wedding, such as Frit, Pip, Max, Keerby, Bob, Kiernan, etc., would be no problem.

@Geron Kees. I like your ending better than the ones I had thought as possibilities. Well done indeed. Now they have three major places to visit in the lower level -- Jol's reality, Lane's Holdover reality, and the library. I still think they should perform their show for Amy, Ilessa, Nara, and, if he can come to their town, Hendrick. And Nicholaas, Ronja, Max, Mrs. P, Frit, Pip, and Keerby and his girlfriend, and Kiernan. And the Pacha group. And definitely, Durapar and Sefton. And possibly Adrian's mother, and possibly Rick's Aunt Susan. After all, as the wife of an illusionist (Uncle Bob Travers), she is used to seeing odd things. A very satisfactory resolution to the story. I had to agree with @Fae Briona and @drsawzall and their summaries of the story. It brought real tears to my eyes, as well.

So -- one of Lane Tallfield's new abilities is to be able to see or discern through Casper's illusions? This might mean they have to put on an unscheduled show of fighting Tallfield before the scheduled show. I am only guessing, but I am guessing that Jeremiah and Auggie will have something major to do in the next chapter, and quite possibly Rick, as well. Browbeat will be important as well, I predict. When they get back, they could put on a private show for Amy, Kiernan, and possibly Hendrick, Ilessa, and Adrian's mother? Possibly Pacha, Mike, Bobby and Kontus as well? Possibly in an epilogue? Surely, Adrian's mother has noticed some skwish, even if on an unconscious level, while working at the Ornament Graphics division of Northern Industries? (See the second Charlie Boone tale, "It's the Gayest Christmas Ever, Charlie Boone!") Adrian's mother could possibly be the first of the parents to know more about the four guys who run/own Third Planet Inquiries. Enquiring minds would like to read more, @Geron Kees!

Excellent chapter, @Geron Kees. I look forward to seeing what Carl will have as a part in the next chapter. It is obvious that things are setting up for fireworks. 4th of July at Christmas time! So will Fred and Dave Evans show up soon?

@Backwoods Boy -- I can partially identify with you. When my parents got a tv in 19661, we could get ONE channel. Folks up the hill across the road were 25 foot higher up, and could get TWO channels! Up the hill from them, another fifteen feet higher yet, could get two channels all the time, and sometimes -- if the weather was right, could also get channels from St Louis or Kansas City or Jefferson City! Lots of good cartoons still exist from that era, @Geron Kees. I agree.

Wow, wow, wow! I can hardly wait to see Jeremiah's part in this. The concepts here-- amazing! Very well done, Geron. I predict I have more to say later.

And, did Jeremiah get to meet Blanche, and be trained for maximum mind resistance? That would be necessary, facing Tallfield in the lower level. In the last story, it was JOL. Now, it is usually JOS. ????? And IOMfAtS, It is Auggie, instead of Augie -- so could the software of GA be stealing "Gs" from Auggie's name in this story?

I have to agree with @Ivor Slipper. Auggie will be needed. And not only is Kip delighted to have Browbeat back, so am I. Snidely Whiplash! Had not thought about him in years! And @drpaladin is right about an AI reading lips. Maybe Charlie and the gang did not pay enough attention to Hal in the movie -- 2001: A Space Odyssey. @weinerdog had a good observation. I can read lips a bit, and I am not trained in that. Surely Robin, as old as he is, has a bit of lipreading ability, or Horace, or Bob, or Jeremiah. I have picked up some of that over the years, and the older guys should have picked up at least a little of it, unlike the four in their twenties, or the aliens and their less practice at seeing human lips. But -- differing accents and intonation affect the way our lips move, and that would affect the efficiency of lip reading. Good issues being raised in this chapter and the comments, @Geron Kees.

It finally occurred to me that Chirka could not teleport them back to Sefton's place of business after their adventure is done, because Max and/or Pacha has not yet taught her teleportation. That was something that Max taught Pacha. But who knows what Chirka has learned of skwish/ka/craft/magic in the lower layer that she might eventually teach Max, Pacha, Keerby, or Robin? (Yes, I know -- Robin, Keerby, and Pacha are not with them on THIS particular adventure, but eventually, they may compare notes.) @Geron Kees -- you have such a richness of future possibilities in every story!

Good chapter, @R. Eric. I look forward to seeing what happens next.

Nah, don't worry about it in this story. I don't know how much editing GA software lets you do. But "They're Stealing Gees, Charlie Boone!" or "They're Stealing Gees, Pacha'ka!" might make for a good story about gravity!

By the way, @Geron Kees, Branson is just north of the ARKANSAS border, not Tennessee. Missouri is west of Tennessee.

Hey, @Geron Kees -- in previous stories It is "Auggie." When did Auggie go to one gee, "Augie?" I am certainly not going to stop enjoying the story because of that, but I am curious.

Geron is a loser in the "number of characters" game. Some literary analysts say that Charles Dickens created over thirteen thousand unique characters total in his stories. Geron has a LONG way to go to match that. Good observation about Maddy and the apparently changed appearance of the Tallfield place. Well, we don't know how Charlie introduced Robin to Jeremiah. He might have said, "This is Robin, whose last name happens to be Hood." Robin Hood has also been referred to as Robin Loxley, Robin of Loxley, Robin Locksley, and Robin of Locksley. I look forward to seeing Jeremiah's reaction to meeting Chirka! And, doesn't Jeremiah need training from Blanche?

This is a good story. I remember a few years ago, a larger city some distance from where I live was discussing a skate park, and some of the terminology used in the story was explained. In my opinion, Geron explained it better than the news reporters. The issues raised in the story happen in a realistic way, The resolutions of those issues could very easily have happened that way.

In the very last paragraph of this chapter we see Charlie being influenced in his phrasing by Robin Hood. "But . . . gather around, and I'll tell you!" The thought appeared in my mind, does Jeremiah Hawkins have any granddaughters near Kiernan Willman that he might meet and date? Maybe some of the descendants of Jeremiah have moved to New York, and go to the same college? I can imagine Kippy playing matchmaker. Or, perhaps, Kiernan's sister might meet a male Hawkins grandson. For that matter, do Kiernan and his sister go to the same college/university? I will be interested to see what the questioning of Lane Tallfield turns up.