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Young Writers Society


Finch's Cage



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Sat Sep 17, 2016 8:24 am
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Finch Redhage, an eighteen year-old Pony Express messenger in 1861, is missing.

On the morning of his expected arrival, Finch’s horse is found slaughtered on a trail in Sacramento, just one mile from its final destination, every letter, except one, having vanished from the saddle’s envelope-shaped pockets. As the acquaintances, friends, and lovers Finch met along the journey learn about his disappearance, members from each station along the Pony Express gather to find him and solve the mystery surrounding his slaughtered horse, the missing letters, and the crude riddle tucked neatly in one of the saddle pockets:
Spoiler! :
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Each character from this storybook will come from one of the following stations along Finch’s ten-day journey:

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1. The Pony Express Stable is the starting point of the route. (Open)
2. Patee House, one of the best-known hotels west of the Mississippi River, is where Finch spends his last night before the ten-day journey. (Open)
3. Marysville Barn is the first livery stable on the Pony Express route, where Pony Express horses are cared for and exchanged, if needed. (Open)
4. Hollenberg Station is both a stop for the Pony Express and a waystation for travelers passing through Kansas on the California and Oregon Trails. It is rumored to be haunted. (Reserved for @Persistence)
5. Rock Creek Station is the last stop for six hundred miles. Finch takes his longest rest here, and witnesses the shooting of David McCanles by Wild Bill Hickok during his stay. (Open)
6. Fort Caspar is the isolated last stop for another four hundred miles. (Percival Henry Simmons - @ChildofWriting)
7. Camp Floyd, the “Forgotten City in the Desert,” is home to the Stagecoach Inn. (Open)
8. Simpson Springs is one of the most prominent stations in the West Desert because of its plentiful water sources. For the same reason, Native American population around the area is high. (Open)
9. Fort Churchill was built to protect nearby American settlers. It is the last place Finch is seen before his disappearance. (Reserved by @Moonwatcher)
10. B.F. Hastings Building is the endpoint of the Pony Express trail. Finch’s horse is found on the trail one mile from its doorstep. (Clayton Caty - @Wolfical)

Little is known about Finch Redhage or his background. Apparently, he was orphaned at a young age and bounced around with different jobs until he was hired to be a Pony Express messenger, both for his claim to be familiar with the western frontier and for his likable personality that set him above the rest. Along the Pony Express route, he can perform gracefully as either a grateful guest or a handsome flirt, depending on who he’s acquainting himself with.

If you'd like to help solve the mystery of Finch's Cage, head on over to the DT and reserve whichever route location you please. Keep in mind that your character's occupation should pertain to the location. For example, if you choose one of the forts, your character should probably be in some way related to the army.


Character Profile
(please delete the text in parenthesis before submitting):

Code: Select all
[b]Name[/b]:
[b]Gender[/b]:
[b]Age[/b]:
[b]Location[/b]:  (Give a brief description of the location as well to prepare you for writing your first post, that which depicts Finch’s visit. Each of the listed locations are actual historical places along the Pony Express route, so be creative, but authentic! A little research wouldn’t hurt.)
[b]Appearance[/b]:
[b]Background[/b]: (It’s alright to be brief. Be sure to cover where the character was born, how they came to live here, what their job/education is, marital status, and who they live with.)
[b]Character strengths[/b]: (List at least one physical and at least one emotional/social/mental)
[b]Character flaws[/b]: (List at least one physical and at least one emotional/social/mental)
[b]Finch Attraction[/b]: (What they like about Finch, and why they’re so concerned with his disappearance. When they meet Finch, do they assume the role of a friend? A lover? A motherly figure, caring for the son she lost or never had? An army general of one of the forts who admires Finch’s marksmanship? Finch is an open character; besides what has already been said about him, his attributes are up to you.)
John 14:27:
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.
I do not give to you as the world gives.
Do not let your hearts be troubled
and do not be afraid.








Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream.
— Mark Twain