Category Archives: Novels

December 20, 2017 · 4:55 pm

Revealing

Upon reaching the cave’s upper mouth — leaving The Musician behind in its bowels again while she scouts for additional, useful poses — Wheeler spies Willard and Harriet Miller dancing up a storm in a nearby gazebo.

Then something extraordinary happens. The couple instantly cease their gyrating, then Harriet appears to fall asleep on the spot. Like she’s “away”, as we say in Second Lyfe speak.

Another takes her place. Jimmy. The *bastard*, Wheeler thinks. He’s asleep too, for a moment, then springs awake.

“You can go now,” Wheeler can hear him say faintly from her position. He’s apparently speaking to Willard Miller, for just after this the husband of Harriet Miller vanishes — poofs out of existence.

“It’s time to come out of the closet, er cave,” he then calls in the direction of Wheeler. “It’s time for you guys to remember who you are. The upper 2/3rds of the infamous punk band Story Room, with me completing the trilogy.

Jimmy approaches the cave mouth, still quite red but now much taller. And also a woman.

Tammy Whatammy?

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Filed under **VIRTUAL SL, 0007, 0207, Comfrey, Gaeta V

Tagged as Chroma^^^*#, Harriet Miller, Tammy Whatammy^^, Wheeler Wilson^^++++\@, Willard Miller

December 20, 2017 · 9:06 am

Brilliant Twin

The Musician couldn’t help himself at breakfast. He had to show off his new cybernetic arms and torso to The Millers. Artist Harriet Miller was completely taken by the shirtless subject, and insisted he pose as a model for her newest work. Wheeler Wilson reluctantly tagged along to Harriet’s creative getaway tucked in the small woods, along with her husband Willard, an insurance salesman at Barnum and Bailey’s.

Wheeler was thinking: Willard looks *so* familiar.

On a window ledge of the cabin, Dirty, Frosty, and Bluebell wonder what they’re gandering at with the part machine Musician.

The Millers having returned to their primary lodgings, we catch up with Wheeler and The Musician partaking of after-breakfast treats at a nearby frozen pond. He was explaining more about the procedure.

“Same thing happened to Philip. No problems in 10 years. He just keeps his shirt on, like you’ve suggested to me about 10 times now… keeps the eyeglasses on so the vision will always remain slotted — no problem there again, really — and then keeps his mouth shut as much as possible. Because without the teeth, the deal is not sealed. The great 3-n-1.”

He forcefully smiles for Wheeler Wilson again. More metal. More jagged.

I’m going to kill Jimmy the next time I see him, she thinks.

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Filed under **VIRTUAL SL, 0007, 0206, Comfrey, Gaeta V

Tagged as Harriet Miller, The Musician^*+, Wheeler Wilson^^++++\@, Willard Miller

December 20, 2017 · 6:53 am

Shirtless in Comfrey

Grace Zebriskia gasped when seeing The Musician pass earlier this morning on his way over to Wheeler Wilson’s Japanese house.

“Good morning, Grace.”

“Good *morning*, Mr. Musician. How… how are you?”

“Fine Grace, fine. Never mind all this. I’m fine. Have a good day.”

“You too sir!”

—-

Deep in meditative thought, Jimmy’s bunkmate Rey Wisa did not turn in his seat to look, but only echoed a vacant hello to The Musician’s passing hello. He knew what had happened.

—–

He stops in front of Grace’s twin cousin Jowday and asks if Wheeler is up yet. “Yes sir,” she replied, markedly not as surprised with The Musician’s appearance as her virtual doppleganger. He briefly wonders why before moving on.

—–

“Musician! What have you done to yourself?!”

“I got rid of the stigmata, Wheeler. Jimmy fixed me up. Said he did the same thing for his astronomer friend Philip back in Australia.”

“Can you *undo* it?” she asked with mouth still dropped.

He paused, disappointed in her reaction. Then: “I think not.”

“Well throw a shirt on all that at least, for Christ’s sake. The Millers are waiting for us in the gazebo.”

—–

The Musician then rummaged through his inventory for a suitable breakfast shirt. Not too punk but not too tame. And, obviously, with long sleeves.

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Filed under **VIRTUAL SL, 0007, 0205, Comfrey, Gaeta V

Tagged as Ellen/Rey Wisa^*%, Grace Zebriskia, Jowday, The Musician^*+, Wheeler Wilson^^++++\@

December 17, 2017 · 10:05 am

landscape

“I can’t see *anything*, Pitch thinks. “I can’t hear, can’t speak. My life is over.”

“We’ll get you fixed up,” Mary encourages in his head while continuing to stare at the giant fruit in front of her. “Apple, orange, yellow fruit, lime. There’s nothing to see, hear, speak about. Yet. We’ll get you fixed up.”

Merlin Martin

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Filed under **VIRTUAL SL, 0007, 0204, Clemscott-, Gaeta V

Tagged as Mary Tyler/Chuckles Greentop^^+!, Pitch Darkly^*+

December 15, 2017 · 8:03 am

Greenup 12, 13

“There’s no other choice in the matter, Broken Heart,” Jacob called from his chair. “We’re going to have to go to Stonethwaite and that is that.”

“I know,” replied his bone cat friend, positioned in front of the next two collages of the series here. “I’m already packed up (compacted). We’ll have to figure out a way to erase the two beds, though.”

“I’m on it.”

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Filed under **VIRTUAL SL, 0007, 0203, Heterocera, Rubi

Tagged as Broken Heart Jackie^^~~~~~~, Jacob I.^*&

December 15, 2017 · 7:16 am

“One Pink”

Pitch had always gotten chills when walking past this particular spot on his Grassy Avenue. Tonight he understood why. Two cardboard figures, Derek Jones and ~~Sikul Himakt~~ Mykall Skall, awaited him at the location. Pitch temporarily lost his sight.

“Ahh, my eyes! I can’t see.”

And soon he couldn’t hear or speak either.

—–

Jacob I. was now up on the second floor of House Greenup in Rubi. He had reached Greenup 11 in his examination. Himself.

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Filed under **VIRTUAL SL, 0007, 0202, Clemscott-, Gaeta V, Heterocera, Rubi

Tagged as Broken Heart Jackie^^~~~~~~, Cardboard Derek Jones^!, Jacob I.^*&, Mykall Skall^*!, Pitch Darkly^*+

December 14, 2017 · 7:48 am

breaker breaker

Marion Harding thinks his world might be breaking down. He had been on Gaeta V going on 2 years now. Sent here by trickery and mistake; eventually caught in a tangled web of power and intrigue woven in Capitol City.

He didn’t like the continent’s largest and most central burg very much, although it had elements he admired. Of course there was the money, the flow being strongest here. But heiress Becky Latrobe wouldn’t even let him into her posh house now that he’d shot Dirk in the head and made him dead. And Madam Wanda Stinoble was going straight and returning to the old continents. For Gaeta V was news at the time of its birth eastward of Corsica. News and dangerous. And those darker elements naturally aggregated and congealed at the depression originally called Pittsboro. Pittsboro evolved to Pittington evolved to Darksity evolved to Capitol City. Over time the sinister aspects were smoothed away like the reformed, flat terrain. Gaeta V would have no natural sinkhole that kind history would remember. The Great Black Swamp which sucked up aboriginal settlers such as Ned Bartlett and Kindsey McTweed into an untimely doom was tiled and drained, and a shopping mall now graces its ironed over land, selling the newest threads and peddling fresh leather attache cases soon to be filled to the breach with lindens and gold and jewelry no doubt. Like his own, bought just a week and a half back. Because Marion liked to ensure that each case of treasure had its own home. He could himself probably build a small house with them even now, only 2 years in. Or, really, only 1 3/4 years in because it took him a little bit to find, then ingratiate himself into the sodded fabric of the city.

—–

“Baker, have I ever told you the story of my nephew Marion and how I mistakenly sent him over to walk the length of the Gaeta V continent 2 years back instead of having him watch the GTA V video Spongeberg actually requested at the time?”

“No. Do tell Cardboard!”

“I haven’t heard from him since. Until yesterday. A short note indeed: ‘I think my world might be breaking down.'”

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Filed under **VIRTUAL SL, 0007, 0201, Capitol City-, Gaeta V, GTA, Heterocera, Rubi

Tagged as Baker Bloch^*++++@, Cardboard Derek Jones^!, Marion Harding^*++++%

December 13, 2017 · 8:30 am

Attachment

“You *see* about the magnifying glass, Jacob I.?” Cardboard Derek Jones pronounces with pride at the newly rezzed House Greenup in Rubi. “Right at the Southern Cross.”

A list of constellations and stars on the map:

Procyon (α Canis Minoris).
Canis Major: five stars, the largest depicting Sirius.
Canopus (α Carinae).
Spica (α Virginis).
Hydra: two stars, the largest depicting Alphard.
Crux Australis: five stars, the largest depicting Alpha Crucis.
Sigma Octantis (σ Octantis, south pole star).
Triangulum Australe: three stars of similar size.
Scorpius: eight stars, the largest depicting Antares.

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Filed under **VIRTUAL SL, 0007, 0116, Heterocera, Rubi

Tagged as Cardboard Derek Jones^!, Jacob I.^*&

December 13, 2017 · 7:19 am

naked viewing

I have evolved beyond you, Mmmmmm Campbell O’Pine thinks about his green cousin Grassy Noll standing beside him. Eyes, hands, head, feet, torso… *everything*. You cannot understand the forest and the corresponding part of the night sky if you don’t change. You cannot cling to the one movie role forever. It was only a 15 minute spot for Christ’s sake!

“Do you see it yet, Opp?” the green being asked of his blue cousin. For that’s what everyone had been calling Campbell since childhood.

“I *think* so. But the lights are so bright here. And maybe change angles. How about the other side of the porch?”

—–

“No, it’s still no good Grass.” For that was what Grassy liked to be called these days. He’s trying to grow up a bit more and wants this reflected in his name. Like a Billy evolves and becomes Bill.

“They’re looking for me,” Grass reveals, staring over at Opp with offset black pupils.

“Who’s looking for you, Grass?” Opp then laughs and shakes his head. “That’s just the weed talking.”

“No it’s not,” replies Grass firmly. Not wanting to go through the whole rigamarole about the Big Eye in the Sky again, he turns his attention the other way. “You do know that Gypsy has a telescope right over there. We could use it.”

“That’s not what we’re doing, Grass. This is naked eye viewing. *No* attachments. No telescope, no microscope. Not even a magnifying glass.”

“Who started this club anyway? Was it Jim? Or Bob? Jim knew Bob or Bob knew Jim?”

A cool wind passes through Opp, making him shiver. “I… I can’t remember. Let’s go back inside and drink some joe to offset the wack. You notice I haven’t called you Grassy one time tonight.” And then Opp thinks: that’s the one thing that *has* evolved. He gives him a quick look-over once more.