The Source
Alice headed back inside, latching the door shut behind her. She stood dumbly in centre of the kitchen, scanning it’s contents, searching.
“I put it somewhere safe.” Alice muttered, closing her eyes.
“Where did I put it?” She demanded, shaking her head with frustration.
Always losing things lately aren’t you, forgetting where you’ve put things! Why is that do you think? A voice asked, no not asked ‘niggled’ from deep in Alice’s consciousness.
“I’ve got things on my mind.” She whispered. “Ever since that damned-article!” Alice sighed. The article in the newspaper which Alice was now searching for but couldn’t find.
“Maybe I put it on the table after all.” She said, crunching over the broken coffee-mug and skidding - with arms flailing – through the puddle of tea to the pile of newspapers.
She rifled through the half-finished crossword puzzles: brightly-coloured magazines and stack of out-dated local and national papers, tossing them into a messy sub-pile.
“It’s not here” She cried, "Where is it?"
Even though Alice had re-read the article several times already, it was all she had to go on.
So ring the paper! Get to the source. A voice whirred. It was a good idea.
Alice’s mind was humming, as she grabbed the nearest paper and flattened it out on the first page. She could feel her heart bumping as she scanned through the waffling for the number. There it was midway down the page, in small bold print:
Have a story? An enquiry? Contact one of the team on: 0845-*******
Alice hurried into the hall, this time noting the broken-mug and tea, and grabbed the phone. She punched in the numbers and waited impatiently for the dial-tone to be replaced by a friendly-ear.
“Morton-Gazzette, Chris speaking, how can I help?” A voice asked. A deep eager voice, polite and some what enchanting. To coax-out potential stories Alice supposed. She could hear telephones ringing in the back ground, voices rising and falling, photocopiers printing.
“A story, an article you printed last week” Alice began, “I was wondering if you could give me some more information?” She asked, chewing one of the nails of her free hand.
“We’re pretty busy here today” The voice replied “What information are you after? Which story are we talking about?” Chris asked.
“The man in the coma, the one who woke up.” Alice replied, cautiously. “There was no name.” Alice said, returning to her nail.
“I remember the story, yeh. The guy who covered it’s on holiday, won’t be back for another week. You’ll have to call back.” Chris said. “Jeff Brown’s the man you want” He finished. Alice heard the receiver click and dropped the phone back into it’s cradle.
“He’s out there, I know it!” She said, staring hazily at the wall, at a lop-sided painting which she proceeded to straighten.
And Flynn? A voice quizzed.
“His puppet!” Alice whispered, swaying on her feet as the room once again began to buzz. It hummed and pulsed like ten-thousand volts of over-head electrics. She slid down the wall onto the cool tiles and brought her knees up to her chin, fixing-her-attention on the thick navy tights which covered them. She wrinkled them down and stared-hard at her leg, at the grotesque silver scar which climbed seven inches up her left shin – and she closed her eyes.
She could hear it snarling - barking, see it's huge white teeth dripping with saliva, it's upper-lip stretched back into a hideous-grin. Her had stomach knotted into a rush of acid, and her heart was drumming so fast she feared she was having a heart-attack.
All the while he just stood there, laughing, encouraging the mutt to have fun! Enjoy itself.
Alice now tensed into a ball, and grabbed her left-leg tight, feeling a sharp-pain rip through her shin. She could hear Frank laughing in her mind's eye: hoarse-monstrous laughter which made Alice feel dizzy.
The mutt’s eyes rushed with excitement, it’s huge teeth mauling at her leg, chomping and slobbering through her pink goose-bumped flesh. And the pain was unbearable. Sharp, nasty, throbbing pain.
The memory fizzled out, and Alice wiped a tear from her cheek. Composing-herself.
“You got what you deserved!” She said, scowling.
“We’re even, leave me alone!”
POST A COMMENT
69 COMMENTS ABOUT THIS STORY RSS
STORY TAGS
RELATED STORIES RSS
BY THE SAME AUTHOR RSS
You're a bad boy Josh!mature
THE GOODS
You're currently reading a chapter in the story
Who chooses to forget. This chapter
was posted on May 9, 2008 by
Look forward to reading your next chapters. I'm in the middle of moving house at the moment, so I won't be adding anything for the next week!"
:D involved in the storyline. So am I.
phew
- wipes fevered brow, reinserts monocle."
It's soo hot I agree, boiling!! No need to rush the next chapter, I won't add anymore, I need a break, and am looking forward to reading more from you :-)
Hope you weren't offended when I said I wouldn't have brought the man in so early. It was only because you asked my opinion, and have become waaay too involved in the storyline lol. Hence needing a break.
SS"
Am feeling sorrier and sorrier for poor ol Alice. She seriously needs a break :0 Will have to have a think how to follow this - maybe I need a break too - have not been sleeping so am shattered. The heat is intense!
Same as this story lol
Like it!
And also clever - the way you brought in the ref to the puppet thing.
Give me a day or two.
:D"
Let me know if you don't like it!!"
It's a bummer that you can't copy and paste.
Not too overdone no, I can see Carol in my mind's eye, you've painted her well! :-)"
Do you think I introduced him too soon? We still haven't seen him tho."
"So then, why don't you just write in the same style as a best-selling author"!!! HAHAHA. How hilarious.
Tit-bits rub-off, but that's about it! No author has the same style, nor can they copy another writer's style. It's just not possible, I told my friend. It's an interesting idea to 'adapt' to another writer's style on here for instance, for fun; but Jackie Collins is never going to write like P.D James, is she! ;)
I'm with you on the mood thing, I wrote the Josh chapter when I was in particularly dark mood ;)"
I need to edit my branches 100% before posting; but that's just me all over, I'm impulsive and impatient :)"
About the different styles. I'm just easily influenced by whatever I happen to be reading at the time - sighs. I can almost tell what I was reading when I wrote something, even if it was ages ago.
:)"
'The woman's eyes were dark and ambigious eyes'
... this sentence wanted the last word scrapping!! :-)"
I'm looking forward to reading your next chapter (or two lol)
:-)"
You have this way of depicting heightened emotion which I think is great :)"
My desk is held together with tape.
Ok - we'll remain immature ;)"
P.S, it's ocurred to me what you're profile pic reminds me of!... From a thumb-nail view, it looks a bit like the puppet from the movie 'The Saw' lol :))"
maybe we need to ask Nick if he'll change it to mature :0
good stuff, can't wait to see the rest"
Wonder if they're planning something like that here.
Still a relatively new site so I think they're continually tinkering with it.
Want to see your new chapter (hint hint);)"
Want to do the next bit SS? please do. would be cool :)"
Looking back on it I've winced at a couple of things I wrote. Particularly the teddy bear with the get well soon tag around it's neck :) Just didn't sound right. I usually come back to what I've written a day later, refreshed, and then edit it. It's a different ball-game here. Unless you write it in Word before hand, and don't rush yourself.
Sorry I didn't initially pick up on the paranoia, my sister had popped around and I was having to read over a busy discussion. Yep, I like it!! it's carried on the theme nicely :)
I'll await your response to see what you want to do with it, as you've said you're giving it a once-over. Most importantly it's what you think that counts!! You're worried it doesn't fit right? But I could say the same with my branches! ;)"
If you want to carry on adding stuff SS, I can delete this if you don't think it fits? and write another. what say?"
didn't forget, both can happen at once - frosty relations with neighbours as well as a past. Maybe am steering it to a darker place than you were going? not sure. Was trying to depict paranoia - maybe she thinks her friends could have been contacted by someone in her past - ref the 'puppet' - someone who recruits others? but it's the photo of her house that makes her think of that house and that time. Maybe the next part could be some contact with a friend calling round and her being all suspicious? watching them for clues etc. What do you think?
Anyway, if you would like to add - which I would love if you did :)
the ball would be in your court to take it where you like.
wasn't sure about it generally - was trying to use the devices you brought in and used so effectively - the voice and so on - the ticks and wasn't sure I did so good at it lol."
Perhaps recently something has happened to remind Alice of the past, of the house, and that's why she was on edge when the box arrived on her door step? Maybe because of this incident (reminder), Alice hasn't been herself and this has been reflected in some way by her getting on the wrong side of her neighbours?
You say you're not sure about the chapter, why is this?"
I used to try an odd thing walking along a street. I'd imagine myself much further up it, visualise the entire thing, the passers-by, everything. And then when i finally got to there I'd have a weird deja-vous - that the people who were passing me where the ones I'd imagined.
Possible madness brought on by frustration brought on by the unreasonably long long long streets we have in abundance near where I live ;-)"
It needs a different ending - more added - so it becomes clearer.
I suppose I think we need to see what's real.
Only when youre talking about perception and reality and subjectivity - how do you show it? because anything can be the truth and anything a lie, it's what you choose to see whether you know it or not. kind of like the Lucid Dream stuff DrPinch is writing."
We have the house now - so the house becomes the new box (what's in The House?), which I like!
But I still would have preferred the lid left on a little longer."
surprise you hmmm - will give it a try.
Nicetameetcha Danni :)"
I'm Danni!! lol"
the plot thickens to the consistency of tomato soup. ;-)"
:-)"
How did you manage to post 4 comments like that btw?
feeling a bit sorry for Alice lol poor woman, whats she done to deserve all this? guess we'll find out soon"