ReaderPaul

@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.

No! We have to have more Doorways stories and Pacha'ka Adventures and a side story featuring Ricky's younger sister and Ricky's even younger brother! (Hey, @Geron Kees -- maybe Ricky's younger brother could be "Bobby" after Uncle Bob, and the younger sister be Suzanne, after Bob's wife Susan!) Yes! More Doorways/Odd, Onward Door tales! Perhaps a sequel to the Thrift Shop series, an 8th Charm story, and some of your other stories.

That is good reasoning, @Luca E. While I was not thinking about that with regard to a synopsis, I have noticed the differences in common usage can vary a lot from country to country. I have seen some writers from Australia and New Zealand include glossaries on some of their stories, and it can be very helpful. Thank you for pointing this consideration out to us.

BTW (By The Way), @Geron Kees, it sounds like -- this time -- Auggie was using the telzee route of teleportation described in "Light My Roamin' Candle, Charlie Boone!" Whereas, when Auggie chased Fit and Pip into Twombly, the method seems different -- (see "Christmas is a State of Mind, Charlie Boone!"). ***If any of you have not read those excellent stories, "Roamin' Candle" needs to be read first.***

It is as if I've seen "Holdover, Missouri," mentioned before, along with "Hideaway, Missouri." Somewhere I have seen a directory of fictional places. "Hideaway" is close to Branson, Branson West, and Indian Point, Missouri -- if it existed. "Holdover" was listed as somewhat between Branson and Joplin -- which would put it in the 417 area code with Branson, Springfield, and Joplin, Missouri, instead of the 660 area code. Great starting chapter, @Geron Kees. My guess? Lane Tallfield, from the lower level, is somehow related to this Rance Tallfield. There are a lot of Rantz families and some Rance first names around the Branson and Hollister and Reeds Spring area of Missouri. Years ago, I used to live about 5 miles south of Branson.

Oops!

Well, the villain has the name TALLwood ---

I don't remember seeing narwhal rooster/cock on the Burger King menu --

I notice, on thesaurus dot com, that one of the synonyms for narwhal is "whopper."

With my dyslexia, and since my stroke a couple of years ago, my brain makes strange connections at times. I read that as "the NECK-TAR of the dogs," and visualized a dog with a ring of tar around its neck. I thought, "Poor dog!" I was glad to see, on closer inspection, that it was nectar instead.

@drsawzall, I love that thought. If a sentry was disguised and put at one of the Trojan points of Earth or Mars orbit, info could be relayed much faster to Ark II. The disguise would have to be very well done, however, or it might be detectible by craft looking for valuable metals. I am sure that @R. Eric has thought of several possibilities that neither of us has considered yet. Perhaps, R. Eric, you might post another Ark II chapter before going back to Makarovia or Bluebloods or one of the others?