Well despite the fact that the XWWC Thing is about to kick off and i’m going to be re posting my story to get all your votes

(Remember to Timestamp your story if you happen to be a contestant reading this )

Anyway Despite that I am going to risk pushing the limit of the modern day attention span by also asking you to read this story.

The concept for this tale was originally going to be more about a kind of Platonic Leon the Professional relationship as I was talking about HERE

But as is often the way with a story it changed during the writing, into something aimilar but slightly different, If i’m honest it seems to me that most of my stories turn out something like this…well certainly one of my LKJSlain writing prompts did.

So personally I think it could do with a bit more of a unique concept behind it and more time spent on the characters, but i’ll be interested what others make of it.

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If she defocused Grace could pretend that time was moving a double speed as she stared out at the desert whizzing by. She shuffled trying to rearrange her dress.

“Don’t crumple it honey!” Her mothers’ voice broke her daydream,

“Just this once try to stay tidy and pretty will you”

Grace didn’t say anything she just stared out of the window again, just this once was one of her mothers’ favourites, it was always ‘just this once’. She looked over at her dad, he was concentrating on the road, the setting sun catching the side of his glasses, his gaze was set on the distance, the distance where he lived.

“I need the bathroom” Grace broke the silence that had descended over the car for the past hour.

Her mother sighed, “There’s a rest stop up ahead honey”.

They pulled in a few moments later, “do you think it’s self service?” Dad said almost to himself,

“look at this place Jeff, what do you think?!” answered mom sharply. Grace got out of the car as soon as it stopped.

“Don’t take too long honey we have to be there soon!” Her mother called as she turned from her purse where she was digging, searching for something.

It was almost dark and the small gas station stood out against the dark purple and red desert like a ghostly oasis. Grace walked towards the grimy restroom door, as she did she looked out at the setting red sun glinting off the shiny sides of big rigs parked up like resting animals in the huge open truck stop adjacent.

 

The bathroom was dark and predominantly green, it felt dangerous and dream like, at any moment she thought something strange or magical could happen…and it might not be something good. As she washed her hands she stared at the little girl in the mirror before her. She looked sad, out of place.

Suddenly the door opened and a man slid in, he was tall and looked hounded, Grace felt her heart skip a beat at the sudden noise. The man moved to the sinks right next to her, and stood on tip toes to look out the small flash windows that opened to the truck stop.

“Where are your parents little girl?” The man asked turning for a moment to look at her.

“Buying gas” she responded looking up at him with an odd mix of fear and fascination.

“Well if you’re done you’d better be runnin’ off darlin’” He looked out of the window again and pressed his hand against his coat.

 

Grace side stepped the man and headed towards the door, but before she reached it she stopped.

“Why are you scared?” She said turning to the man.

“Why do you say I’m scared?” The man turned and looked directly at her.

“I dunno, but you are..arn’t you?” The man knelt down and looked into her eyes.

“How old are you darlin?”

“nine, and a half” Grace said suddenly feeling self conscious.

The man smiled “Well thank ya for your concern but I’m just fine okay?” He stood again and looked out of the window. Grace looked up at him for a moment, and then turned.

“Fuck!” The mans sudden shout surprised Grace and stopped her in her tracks, she looked back and saw that he was holding a gun, checking its chamber.

“Change of plans darlin’ I’m real sorry about this but I’m gonna need your help”

 

Grace didn’t say a word, the warnings of her mother about strangers suddenly ringing in her head.

“Just look out that door and tell me what ya see, that’s all…okay?”The man nervously peered out of the window again. Grace backed up against the door and opening it only a crack pressed her eye against the cool metal. Outside she could hear the crunching of gravel and dust as a car slowed to a halt, it was a police car its siren was off but the lights on top still cast their jarring red/blue mix over the gas station walls.

 

“They comin’ this way?” The man pressed, tension clearly in his voice.

“Yep” Grace nodded and lent against the door. “Are they looking for you?”

“Yeah kid, and if they find me somthin’ bads gonna happen” The man rubbed his forehead and cursed quietly. The long moment seem to stretch out in that quiet still room, the only sound the dripping of a broken tap.

“I could help?” Grace offered. In her mind the scene had taken on that of an old noir film, him the desperate gumshoe her the glamorous dame. The man stared at her his gaze going deep inside his own mind, as if he were questioning himself.

 

Suddenly the door jerked and Grace was half push and half sprung towards the man, out of instinct more than thought the man knelt and closed his arm, the one without the gun, around her. Standing in the doorway was a state trooper, he was over weight and had a world weary expression deeply engraved into his face.

“What the Fu..” Before the trooper had finished his sentence the man had whisked Grace off her feet and was advancing at a run. The impact threw the trooper to the ground and grace saw his face caught in the bright blue of the siren for a moment before they were out into the dusk.

The man turned and pressing his pistol to Graces head reversed quickly towards the patrol car. At the door of the gas station the troopers partner had already drawn his gun and was aiming it in their direction, while the trooper on the ground was hurriedly unclipping his side arm as he struggle to right himself.

“Don’t do something stupid Parker!” Shouted the trooper as he pointed his gun and stood. The man looked down and caught Graces eyes for a moment, they silently share that moment and then the man tightened his grip her and retreated to the car.

In one move they were in the car Grace was thrown across to the passenger seat as the man slid into the drivers side. Grace turned to look out of the windscreen just in time to see her mothers face marked with fear as she was restrained by the officer near the gas station before the car was slammed into gear and they sped out into the darkness, Grace looked back for as long as she could until the gas stations light were nothing but a glow obscured by the dust behind them.

 

Grace sat on the bed her legs hanging over the edge, the sheets were sludge grey and didn’t look entirely clean, the man sat in a dilapidated chair by the window, they stared at each other in silence. The trip too had past in silence; the man was driving quickly and never once looked over at her. When they reached the motel he’d told her to get out and wait by a vacant room as he went in to pay.

 

“I’m Grace” She eventually said, looking at the carpet as she spoke.

“Nate Parker…just call me Parker, everybody else does” He rubbed his neck and forehead and then stretched his shoulders.

“What the fuck am I gonna do?” as he spoke he lent forwards and stared at Grace “…what the fuck..”

 

Silence once again descended and then Grace said half to her self “We could play?”.

“I never have anyone to play with at home” she added and looked back at the carpet.

Parker chuckled surprised by the normality of the statement “Sure, what do you wanna play?”

“I dunno…cards?”

“Yea?…hell why not…I’m guessin’ you’re not talking poker right?” Parker laughed at the thought.

“Noooo, I don’t play poker! That’s a boring game my dad plays.” Grace said with a big smile. “I want to play Slaps or Liar”

“Heh okay you’re the boss, but you’ll have to teach me how to play, okay?”

 

As they played they both forgot for a while the strangeness of their night and lives,  as they laughed and joked Grace felt grown up, while Parker felt young and innocent for a while. But as the hours past reality once again seeped into each of them. By 3:00am Grace could barely keep her eyes open and eventually she fell asleep, Parker carried her to one of the two beds, tucked her in and sat on the other bed watching her as she slept.

When Parker woke the first thing he saw was Grace. She was sitting on the side of his bed staring down at him, the light from the low morning sun caught he face in a golden haze, her brown hair glowing bronze.

“Morning” She spoke quietly and gave a half smile, she then paused and thought for a moment. “Are you…bad?”

Parker rubbed his eyes and put his arms behind his head. “Mornin’ kid, I’d say it’s too early…but it’s never the right time for that kinda question huh?” He smiled and closed his eyes, he was comfortable, he was safe for now and he actually felt at peace.

“Yea, I’m bad…those men who came for me, they had every right to, hell they had every right to shoot first…guess I got lucky”

“You don’t seem all that bad to me” Grace looked away at the sun as she spoke.

“Thanks kid, I’ll tell em you think so if they ever catch up with me again” He chuckled and smiled at her. She lay down beside him and stared up at the ceiling.

 

“Did you know you were bad?…when you were young?” The question surprised him, leaning on one shoulder he put his hand on her cheek.

“Hey, no…it’s not like that okay? Nothing made me this way, other than my dumb choice okay?” She looked at him, her face sad and concerned.

“But nothing stops you being bad, sometimes you just are…sometimes you have to be”

“Huh Shit kid, you don’t have to worry about that…not for a long time yet, maybe never” He lay back down

“You got parents, they love ya right?…you just let them worry about what’s bad or not” Grace rolled over and lay her head on his chest, she could feel him tense up for a moment and then he relaxed and she could hear his heart and breath as his chest slowly rose and fell.

 

“I was wrong, you weren’t scared.” As she spoke she closed her eyes and listened.

“Yea…what was I then?” He rested his arm over her and stared out towards the golden sun.

“You’re lonely….it’s okay so am I”

 

Grace showed up later that day at the Cactus Flower Motel, she was unharmed and sitting on a bench by the car park. Her mother left the car before it had stopped and embraced her, holding on as tightly as she could as she wept with relief, her father could only stand and stare as tears streamed down his face.

Though she was questioned for several hours afterwards she had little to say about the man who had taken her, other than they’d played cards and talked.

Nate Parkers where abouts is still unknown.    

 

While finding the right song to sing I listened to a few other Josh Ritter tracks and this one when I was reading the lyrics along with the song to test it out I actually couldn’t get through with out tearing up lol :’(

So I thought I’d ruin everyone else’s day too by sharing it

My challenge is to read the lyrics or better sing along with the song as you listen and tell me if you can make it without even a little lump in the throat.

 Lyrics:

He opens his eyes falls I love at first sight
With the girl in the doorway
What beautiful lines and how full of life
After thousands of years what a face to wake up to
He holds back a sigh as she touches his arm
She dusts off the bed where ’til now he’s been sleeping
And under miles of stone, the dried fig of his heart
Under scarab and bone starts back to it’s beating

She carries him home in a beautiful boat
He watches the sea from a porthole in stowage
He can hear all she says as she sits by his bed
And one day his lips answer her in her own language
The days quickly pass he loves making her laugh
The first time he moves it’s her hair that he touches
She asks, “Are you cursed?” He says, “I think that I’m cured”
Then he talks of the Nile and the girls in bulrushes
[ Lyrics from: http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/j/josh_ritter/the_curse.html ]
In New York he is laid in a glass covered case
He pretends he is dead people crowd round to see him
But each night she comes round and the two wander down
The hall of the tomb that she calls a museum
Often he stops to rest but then less and less
Then it’s her that looks tired staying up asking questions
He learns how to read from the papers that she
Is writing about him and he makes corrections

It’s his face on her book more and more come to look
Families from Iowa, upper west siders
Then one day it’s too much he decides to get up
And as chaos ensues he walks outside to find her
She’s using a cane and her face looks to pale
But she’s happy to see him as they walk he supports her
She asks, “Are you cursed?” but his answer’s obscured
In a sandstorm of flashbulbs and rowdy reporters

Such reanimation the two tour the nation
He gets out of limos he meets other women
He speaks of her fondly their nights in the museum
But she’s just one more rag now he’s dragging behind him
She stops going out she just lies there in bed
In hotels in whatever towns they are speaking
Then her face starts to set and her hands start to fold
And one day the dried fig of her heart stops it’s beating

Long ago in the ship she asked, “Why pyramids?”
He said, “Think of them as an immense invitation”
She asked, “Are you cursed?” He said, “I think that I’m cured”
Then he kissed her and hoped that she’d forget that question

 

Well @RestlessButterfly asked me to sing and unfortunately I owe her too much to deny her such a request

So despite great shyness and embarrassment here is me Singing, I was going to do another Incredibles song…but in the end went for something a bit more modern and tuneful.

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But wait there’s more! 

A while ago I asked for people to guess how far I’d get through a no saves allowed go at an FPS computer game…sadly it turned out I got hardly anywhere But @Megabyyte did guess the closest and since then i’ve been racking my brain as to what her prize should be, eventually I settled on the following Sonnet by Shakespeare, since JmeLove got me to read one before on a Q&A Vlog I thought it would be fun to try again, so I found this one Hope it’s a good enough prize

 Here’s a description of what he was on about from the site i found it on: This is the final ‘procreation’ sonnet, in which the youth is urged to have a child so that he may live (forever?) both in that child, and in the verse which the poet writes celebrating his beauty. If you do not have a child, argues the poet, there will be no proof that you were as beautiful as I claim you to be, and my verse will be disbelieved. The memory of you will be distorted, and the descriptions of you which adorn this page will be scorned like the speech of babbling old men, or the worn out ideas of a vanished age. Therefore take heed and prepare for the future and the threatened night of oblivion.

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Anyway Hope you enjoyed/endured the videos and I shall be back to hiding behind good old text next time

I have a problem.

Who was it who invented the idea of NameTags for waitresses?

And why did they not think to put the tag elsewhere?

Okay admittedly going out to places isn’t my biggest use of time, but when I do i’m often confronted by a minor but still potentially quite annoying problem. The probelm is that my eye seight is fine for most times but can become a bit fuzzy at range or under certain types of light…like those indoors for instance.

So when I’m there dealing with a waitress or other server, I am tempted to be polite and get the name from the tag…but if i’m not close enough or perhaps tired or the lighting is low i’ll have to spend more than a decent amount of time deciphering the name, this while entirely innocent could easily be mis-understood and although it has never happened I can see the potential day coming that some poor waitress whos not had the best of days may get the wrong impression from my eyeline :S

So I suppose my question is where else could we put the name tag? that would avoid such issues and is this a problem anyone else has encountered or worried about or am I alone?

Best of all is there anyone who’s worked or is working as a waitress and what are your thoughts opinions?

Hehe a slightly miss leading title to lure you into reading this somewhat dodgy poem about what I realized I enjoy most about talking with the opposite sex.

But first an image of what i’m not 

Some Men.

Some men are strong.
Some men are rich.
Some men climb mountains.
Some men fight wars.
Some men build rockets, and some fly them.
Some men Fight in rings.
Some men create beautiful art, and some sing.
Some men lie and cheat, some pretend and steal.
Some men are noble and some are real.
Some men are magicians, charmers and dancers.
Some men are posers, lovers and romancers.

But I’m not concerned with all those things,
I can’t fight.
I can’t fly,
Nor sing
I’m not super smart, I’m a bit too shy…
But I don’t really mind and you want to know why?

Because all I really want to do, what I really love, doesn’t need all those fancy things or all that much, what truly gives me joy is easy and it’s fun, though simple it can be tricky but rewards those who try, I know I’d like to do a lot more of it before I die.

This thing just needs me and you, a few words and time, but sadly this thing is also very hard to rhyme, so I’ll write it plain and simple though it spoils the mood…I suppose you can add poetry to my list of ‘at which I’m not so good’.

What I enjoy most of all is to make a pretty girl laugh, to hear her happy to know she’s okay for that moment, to be the one for that short time that gave her a smile for no greater reason than for the fun, and I hope to be able to do that for many years to come.

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 Sorry for the rhyme cock up at the end but I had sat there for ages and couldn’t come up with a way to end it. ah well practice makes perfect.

Okay so i probably should introduce this since it might sound a bit odd.

A few days ago I was reading a sunday magazine (well skimming through it actually) and i read the first few sentances of an interview with some french actress or other, and while i wasn’t all that intruiged by the actress I was quite interested by the style of the writing.

I’ve often had my attention caught by this Interview section of the mag because of its a mix of scene and personality that suggests more of a feel than actualy revealing all that much info.

So as an experiment i’m going to write an interview, but since I have noone to interview myself it’s going to be entirely fictional. So the following interview, interviewer, interviewee and all other names, places or films mentioned do not represent any person(s) place(s) living or dead

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Scary, Funny.

After 10 years painting our screens red in some of the biggest horror films ever made,
David Saint asks, why is Amy Lana the ‘princess of horror’ now asking us to see the funny side?

When your setting up an interview you usually expect to be in some glamerous hotel somewhere waiting for your few rushed minuets with someone who might have five more journalists waiting in the lobby behind you, but as i sit back in a luxurious white deck chair surrounded by the gleaming white stone of Amy Lanas beach front residence I realise the truth in the old saying ‘to every rule theres an exception’, perhaps that should be her motto.

At 27 she’s no stranger to the hollywood lifestyle Having started acting at the age of 12 she’s seen it all before, but even in her early career she hadn’t exactly been like most child actresses. At 15 she made her first big impact on the silver screen when she became the suprise star of Living Night the first in the now world famous Night series by directing duo Martins and Kyle

Her performance not only won her acclaim but also cemented her position as the muse for many of the directors subsequent projects. What followed was one of the most successful franchises since Alien.

But today Amy has broken her usually strict no interviews policy, not to talk about a new Horror but rather to promote the comedy drama ‘Frederique’ by French director Bruno Reen.
I’ll admit that as I waited in the bright sunlight, listening to the distant sound of waves, despite a long career of journalism I was nervous. Amy Lana was one of those golden ticket interviews and I knew my editor would be waiting by his phone anxious for my call.

My worries were soon laid to rest though the moment she stepped out from the sliding glass wall that separated her bespoke kitchen from the patio/pool area.
She looked as normal as any superstar can, none of her simple outfit of flowing silks and cottons was branded, she wore no jewellery and hardly any make-up, it felt like i’d just popped round to visit a friend for lunch.

She dropped down a large salad bowl and two smaller dishes and then threw her self into an opposite deck chair with a long sigh.
‘I adore the sun!’ she exclaims
‘I hope you don’t mind i’m desperate for lunch, we can talk and eat it’s just a salad’ She smiles and attacks her salad with vigor.
Seeing this more relaxed side of Amy helps make sense of her move away from the blood and guts of her early years, having survived her tumultuous hollywood teenage life it make sense that she’d want to embrace more mature roles.

“I don’t think that theres much difference between horror and comedy’ she explains in her silky voice which still carries the hint of a texas drawl ‘It’s all about expressing something pure and primal, that can be any emotion really, fear, laughter, sadness, joy. Some of the saddest things i’ve seen have also been the funniest.
You know that moment when your having a good time enjoying a show and all of a sudden they spring something more ‘real’?”

I’m surprised by how self possesed Amy is given her past I was expecting someone more fragile. Her parents lived a life of excess, her father Jason Lana the front man of Heaven Scent and her mother the designer Lucielle Lana have described their time together as one long divorce, which finally came when Amy was 15.

Amy does an exaggerated eye roll when I bring up the subject of her family. 

“Sh** I know, I know you have to go there, i’ve been dodging you guys and your questions for this long” Her tone is playful and toung in cheek, but I can see that shes not comfortable talking about her past. 

“My life fell apart when my folks finally stopped fighting and split, they didn’t much care where or what I did they were too involved with each other and what they’d lost, and YES I did go live with the Boys” Her affectionate term for the Directors Nick Martins and Kevin Kyle with whom the fifteen year old Amy lived for almost 6 years.

“We all read the papers and got a real kick out of what some of em wrote about us. The Boys are sweet, kind guys…okay their weird but i’m sure I was pretty weird too back then…hell not just back then!” She smiles and laughs leaning over to press my hand.

“It made sense ya know? I’d just done their first film, they told me right off the bat that they had lots more ideas, I had nowhere else to be…and despite ya’ll speculating and thinking stuff about us, the truth of it was way more boring. We were just like siblings really, we worked, we played…it was kind of like I got my childhood again” Amy’s charm and confidence is disarming she’s all at once like a friend and a big sister looking out for everyone around her, but behind it all there’s still a fragility or perhaps yet another veil hiding some yet more private person.

Despite my journalistic instincts I change the subject to the more comfortable territory of her new film. The director Bruno Reen supposedly created the part for the French starlet Julie Laroche but had the casting changed last minute when Amy read the script and asked to play the part instead.

“It was Nicky who got me the script to read, just cos he thought I’d get a kick out of I think. But after i’d read it I kind of felt like I knew this girl and I called the Director more out of curiosity than anything else, and he was real sweet and got me in to read, despite them already having Julie all cast and everything. And a day later he was on the phone saying she was out and he wanted me…I felt kind a bad to be honest”

The resulting media generated by the furious Julie can’t have hurt the mystique surrounding the film, but despite being by proxy in the spotlight once again Amy still managed to avoid the usual round of interviews and media frenzy so I ask why is it now that the film is done and about to premier has she decided to finally break her silence.

“Well I guess I just finally have something to talk about” She flashes a mischievous smiles  ”Before…I don’t know, I just thought I had my acting and the character that The Boys had made and thats all I needed, but with Brunos film it feels like there’s so many more Amy’ out there to try”  

We talk for most of the afternoon and finally when I come to leave she hugs me like we’ll never meet again. And later after I’d poured over my notes and listened intently to all my recordings I realize that despite her warmth and genuine affection I won’t be meeting that Amy Lana again.

Acting was her escape from a life that never really began, and like a chameleon Amy has learnt how to perfectly conceal herself in plain sight. The intensity and honesty with which she can portray a role is as close to the real Amy as the world with get…for now.

But If I learnt anything during our interview it’s that to every rules there’s an exception.    

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Interview By David Saint – The Dawn Review –

Frederique Will be in the cinemas February 2

  

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Hehe This is actually quite tricky to do and has taken me far longer than I thought to finish, but if anyone else is tempted I’d love to see another writer/bloggers version of a fake interview, so tag me if you have a go. Other than that let me know what you think

I recently bought a New camera…because all mine died :/

It’s cheap and only a compact but it seems to be doing my needs perfectly including having good video

So here are a few recent photos i’ve taken to test it.

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One of the best ones, seems to handle the light quite well this isn’t even edited I don’t think.

This had to be Level’d in Photoshop, but again nice lightness.

Yar Har, wheres me rum!

Tharr she blows!

Lichen…a rather boring Macro test

Mysterious.

Clouds oh how I love em!

See the Sea. This was a test of Mega Pixel-ness this camera clearly interpolates…which means it says it has 14 mega pixles, but it really has only 3 (I think) and the rest of them it guesses with it’s little computer brain (Interpolation) this means that if you pick 14 MP setting the shots are MASSIVE…but of less fine detail than simply using 3

Thank you Marica @cestovatelka for your lovely card that was my prize for winning second place in the most creative/hand made of the costume contest.

This is the VERY first physical thing i’ve ever Received from a Xangan despite having the oppertunity before, so it’s even more special.

Thank you again it was a really fun contest and such a sweet card

Received

Here are three dilemmas taken from TV shows that I’d be interested to hear your answers to.

1: The Secret.
The mentor and old friend of a close friend of yours visits and during the time he there he confides in you that he is dieing but asks that you hide this from your close friend.
What do you do?
A: Support the trust you and your friend have by telling them.
B: Honour the mentor by keeping the secret.
C: Wait to see if a third more inventive solution comes up.

2: The Mistake.
You meet and fall in love with a beautiful, intelligent and kind Man/Woman you even sleep together. But the next day you discover that your new love is in fact your half Sister/Brother.
Do you.
A: Leave and never see each other again or speak of your mistake to anyone.
B: Hang the social and genetic consequences and pursue your love.  
C: End the sexual relationship, but try to build a more appropriate connection.

3: The Revelation
You have been happily married for over a year and you and your partner are both content and comfortable. But it is suddenly revealed that your significant other had a long career as a contract killer before you met them.
How do you react?
A: You accept that your partner has changed and that your love is still just as real.
B: You freak out at the lie and the fact that the person you love has killed many times and leave.
C: You respond in a way of your own description.

So today is the last day of @Shining_garnets week of positivity and i’d like to say THANKYOU for making this happen and for all your work getting all the links, and everything.

It’s a wonderful thing to spread a bit of joy and a few smiles and I know i’ve throughly enjoyed making these posts and reading other peoples.

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Now for today it’s our own choice for what we post, so I thought i’d do my best to spread positivity with my post by (hopefully) making you smile or laugh

As far as things to spend your time on go, making people happy seems to me to be one of the most valuable, by action or attitude we have the power to change someones mood and give them one of the best gifts I can imagine, a feeling of happiness.

So please watch the following short video…and if you haven’t smiled by the end then i’ll kick your ass hehe

 

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