Tell me where to go next! - A Story
Photo: CC BY-SA 4.0 - Insaneworks
– So what do you actually do?
The young woman asked, while she dug something from one of the bags.
– Are you a photographer? Since we have all this gear here? I'll admit I'm slightly baffled. I mean, what the heck is all this?
She waived her hand towards a pile of devices.
– These look like some sort of cameras, but then again not. Perhaps measuring devices? But what are they supposed to measure?
The old woman adjusted her devices on the other side of the room and answered:
– You'll see. Just put your camera here, somewhere, and when we start, take as many photographs as you can with it.
Photo: CC BY-SA 4.0 - Insaneworks
– Well, I'm ready so I might as well start. What an awful wallpaper. And the ceiling! At least the furniture is slightly interesting.
The young woman started taking photographs, not really knowing where to aim, when suddenly the old woman said, in fact she almost shouted:
– For the love of... They are early! They are coming right now and I'm not ready. Shit! Shit! Shit!
She tapped her devices so they were on and continued muttering.
– Please, just one minute! Just one minute and I am ready. Almost. Almost!
Photo: CC BY-SA 4.0 - Insaneworks
– Shit! There it was! Did you catch that?
The old woman shouted to the younger one.
– Did I catch what? I wish you would tell me what to catch!
The old woman snatched the camera from the young woman's hands and started to browse through the images.
– No... no... no... THERE! Here it is! My calculations were wrong by half an hour. I won't make that mistake again. I didn't get any data but at least you got a photo. Good job Gaby!
Photo: CC BY-SA 4.0 - Insaneworks
Thank you @juliamulcahy for correcting my text.
To be continued...
That's it! For now.
Now I need you.
Tell me where to go with my story. Give me a clue or a suggestion.
How?
Comment a short sentence or two. If you have no words, comment with a picture or a photograph. Or a link. Anything! Your words or someone elses. A photograph taken by you or someone else. You can comment more than once, but perhaps not more than 5 suggestions. Before 7 days has gone, I will choose one comment. Or more if I feel like it.
But I don't know what to say!
That's okay. We've all been there at some point. Interesting, but brain all empty. You can also upvote someone else who has commented this post. That may have an influence to my selection.
Important!
If you comment with someone elses words or image, please mention the source also. If you don't mention the source, I assume the words or the image is yours and I will credit you. Words: @[you], images: ©copyright @[you]. If you want to be mentioned in some other way, please attach the text and/or link.
Why?
Well, mainly for fun, but also because depending on what I like, you will be rewarded for your comment. Upvote, SBI, a little bit of STEEM or SBD.
Does the little grammarist inside you cry tears of blood when you read my text?
No worries! Feel free to correct my grammar! I encourage you to do that. You can also suggest something to be changed if you think things could be written better than I have done. Help and suggestions are appreciated. Really. Truly. :)
Why am I using – instead of " " in the dialogue? Answer.
Yours,
Insanewords
I started to correct your grammar but I quitted soon after... It would take days!! :)
As for the story, things are pretty obvious. The old "woman" was trying to imprison a spirit, the same thing she did many times before and failed. Every time, a new clue surfaces to help her succeed, but still she has to learn a lot. Problem is, that the old "woman" cannot use technological devices, so she needs others to do that for her and follow her instructions. Another problem is that the spirit has to be photographed during a very specific time period that occurs once in a while; also, it's not the spirit itself that must be photographed but its reflection, seen through a series of mirrors, each reflection distorted through a piece glass or window. If we were to plot down the exact coordinates of the mirrors and glasses on a 2d plane, it would look something like the graph below, so it will take some more time until the old "woman" can complete her strange curse.
I chose part of your comment and your image to the story that I just now continued. Which one would you like to have: 1 SBI (@steembasicincome share) or 1 STEEM? :)
Cool! I have no idea what SBI is, so please, i'd like to receive the reward in SBI, in order to check it out :) Thanks
That's the spirit! Straight to the unknown! Your wish is my command and I will now reward you with a steem basic income share which will reward you forever. :)
I added the CC BY-SA license to my story. That of course doesn't include the pictures. Your work, as always is the kind that I love and most probably will use at some point in the story, so could you throw me a link or a text that you want me to attach under your art? Your website, or a specific post perhaps? Otherwise I'll just add the text: ©copyright @nyarlathotep.
Cool! I also added the same licence to the pic, so do whatever you want with it. I haven't published it anywhere else, only in the comment here, so you could link the comment or just mention its wondrous creator! :) Now, let's see what you come up with to continue the story...
This reminds me of the "Fractal Writing Contest" i used to host some months ago:
Contest #2
Contest #6
Contest #11
And I completely missed your writing contests! Then again I think I have a fair excuse as joined barely 8 months ago to Steemit. :D
I have my thinking braincells on on pause (or a holiday) for the weekend. I'll see them again next week so then we can go back to the story.
Define spirit.
Also define "a very specific time period that occurs once in a while".
How can a 2D image be converted in to a 3D map so that the z axis numbers or measurements are correct or understandable? Is there a specific device for that? The device that uses mirrors? What would it be called? And to go further, how about 4D? How can a 3D map be converted into a 4D map that has specific coordinates and time in it?
Well, since I have to explain... in this case "spirit" refers to the representation of a being of higher consciousness into something that can be understood by the limited set of senses we have. If we were to witness the being in full-extra mode, our brains would melt by the sensory overload. Now, the old "woman" obviously can see more, but not all of it. Yet. Because she works hard to imprison a part of it, and soon she might gain the required information. Then, maybe the old "woman" would become a higher being too.
As for your dimensional question, the answer is: YES, by extrapolating the fallangies.
Fallangies?
Fingers and toes? :D
https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Fallangies
Yes, and everything in-between. But on the reverse. Damn it, just extrapolate them and stop worrying.
I'm all about extrapolating and not worrying. :D
Ghost stories! ...I have little experience with 'em. But I personally like mysterious goings on and things that twist and confuse the mind, so may I suggest a twist into unreality? Even a subtle one, perhaps on next contact?
Oh and while this was mostly supposed to be a suggestion for the story, my mind has wandered off a bit and now I must recommend, passionately and with great fervour, Flann O'Brien The Third Policeman. I feel that it might be a delicious dark treat for a fellow Stephen King fan.
I love genre mixing so if this is a ghost story, it will be something else too. :) We will see, we will see...
Define unreality. Define your unreality. Or the unreality of this story.
Hard questions, I know. :D
Thanks for the book suggestion. I have to find out if it's available in Finnish somewhere. I read the text about the story in wikipedia and I have to say it sounded really delicious. :)
Let's see what wikitextbot has to say. :)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Third_Policeman
Define "Unreality", eh? Hm. The notion is a vague blob of experiences even to me... A mirror in barely lit room, your home as seen in a dream, familiar yet twisted... I've had a dream once that the walls of my house had secret doors leading to impossible corridors. Hm, yes something like that.
As for the book, honestly, with your command of the English language you shouldn't have much of a problem reading the story in its original form. There's also an audiobook around somewhere. Though if you're more comfortable reading it translated, fair enough.
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Sometimes, when waking up from a dream that my brain still wants to continue, as I start waking up, I at the same time realize that I am almost awake but still dreaming. The last moves, last words in that dream. And then I wake up and it's gone. If it was a nightmare, I sometimes struggle with the waking up part. I know I'm dreaming, but the nightmare doesn't want to let go of me. But if it's a dream I'd like to continue, I sometimes manage to be there, sleeping and still seeing dreams, just a little while longer. This transition, for me, feels incredibly unreal.
Better get that to my hands then. :)
Cool post! Keep it up! Let's go on a trip with a spaceship 🚀
It's been almost four months since our last stay on 8720 Centauri. We need pick up food for the next several month and then restock, but we don’t have enough power to get to the next neutral spaceport. The nearest planet is Pequark Tani – uninhabited, because of hostile environment and unstable atmosphere but rich in mineral resources. An other option is to head for the port on Ae’Vortau – under the control of a fraction with unpredictable behavior.
Oooooo! Love this! Delicious stuff! Let's hope I get an idea and pick this one.
You are certainly not making this easy for me! :)
I chose part of your comment to the story that I just now continued. Which one would you like to have: 1 SBI (@steembasicincome share) or 1 STEEM? :)
Cool! Thank you very much, @insaneworks! That's awesome!! If I have to choose between those two, I would choose SBI because it's a win-win for both of us. <3
Your wish is my command! :)
Sounds like the old woman was awaiting for a ghost who's never late! :-D
An early ghost! if and early bird catches the worm, what does an early ghost catch? :D
Oh I get it all right!
They were looking for a man high on the "No shave November" thing.
But of course they were! :D
Interesting.
I hope so. :)
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