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Young Writers Society



The Echoes

by Quibbons Quill


The Echoes

Derek walked slowly through the corridor, his brown shoes carefully stepping on the white tiles as his head turned to look at the green walls on either side. In front of him he saw that the corridor split into two separate directions. The first decision he would have to make. The wall in front, which had previously been at least two meters away, was suddenly right in front of his eyes. He placed his hand on the green wall and felt a burning pain, yet he kept his hand there. Derek did not know why, but he knew this was the right thing to do, as if to

justify this thought an archway opened in front of him. He walked through.

-

Derek walked slowly down the corridor, his black loafers pressing down on the brown tiles as he looked to his left and right at the pristine white walls that enclosed him. In front of him the corridor ended, left or right, the first decision he would have to make. Suddenly the wall, which had seemed further away was right in front of him. Derek did not seem surprised; he moved his hand up and placed it upon the pristine white wall. It burned but Derek did not move his hand away. He knew this was right, an archway opened up in front of him, fire burning at its side. First time that has happened though Derek before walking through.

-

Fire. Archway. First time? When were the others? The thoughts banded around his head as he struggled to breath. Smoke, he smelled smoke. He couldn’t see any. Green grass and a girl writing in a diary. A man bent over a desk holding his head in his hands. Someone typing on a computer. Derek looked down, fire covered his hands, and he smiled as he saw a familiar corridor, though he didn’t know from where.

Derek ran down the corridor, his white trainers causing echoes as he sprinted to the wall. Suddenly it was right in front of him. Before he could stop himself Derek’s hand was placed on the wall, but he removed it even though it caused him pain to do so.

His hand felt incredibly cold, Derek screamed grabbing it with his other hand and looked around hoping for help, in the entrance to the left hand corridor lay a knife, Derek crawled over to the knife, the pain having brought him to his knees. He grabbed the knife and attempted to cut off his hand, the knife eased through the flesh, though it caused him great pain. The anguished screams started again as he had to saw through his own bone. He saw a raven fly over his head and a man standing in front of him. The man shouted something but Derek heard nothing. Eventually his hand dropped from his arm, the blood was now pouring from his arm.

The echoes of the man finally reached Derek. “If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off”. What sin thought Derek, could have caused that. However his musings where cut short, the blood from his arm had continued to bleed as he had been thinking, it know filled the corridor. Derek, dived below the blood and began to swim, after his hand which was floating away.

Suddenly he couldn’t breathe, he began to swim to the top, but the blood never seemed to end. He swam and swam and swam without ever reaching anything else. His hand now lost.

He felt a weight pulling him down, a hand on his shoulder and a voice whispering something about a book.

-

“If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.”

Derek sat and listened the priest in the church, his eyes felt heavy. He closed them and as he opened them again millions upon millions of people surrounded him. Some on computers, children, typing furiously. Further away he could see people writing on parchment, and beyond that he saw a fire. It was coming closer. Derek ran.

-

Derek fell hard on his face; his blood trickled and then poured upon the blue carpet that covered the floor. Derek quickly got up, and ran forward ignoring the blood that was now flying back into his face. It stung his eyes and flew into his mouth, he saw in the mirror that hung on the wall directly in front of him that his face was completely red. As he turned right the mirror shattered, shards flying out. They hung in the air, though Derek didn’t notice, and then, seemingly making a decision, followed quickly after Derek. Right had always been the right corridor, why had he not realized it before and what did he mean before. Derek shook his head and carried on running. The ground beneath hi feet fell away as they moved ceaselessly forward. No way back, bits of the floor had joined the glass in following Derek.

A Door. Opening.

A Man.

Derek stopped as the man walked forward. The floor still fell away and so did Derek.

Derek caught the outstretched hand, and was lifted up by the man, dressed in a red suit with a broad smile.

-

Sitting in an office, a cup of tea surrounded but screens, of that room, the children, the men and woman all writing.

The man explained, imagination was the key to humanity and to its maker. The creature that lived in the room next door, lived on its creations imagination, calling it the breath of life. While others worked, dreamt and thought on the earth, others worked in the factory thousands merely imagining to keep the world turning. Derek had merely escaped. The man smiled up at me, “Do you want to meet him? Your creator?”

Derek shook his head, the man smiled Derek knew he had asked him before.

“Do you want to go back to the engine room?”

Derek shook his head, the man smiled Derek knew he had asked him before.

The man, placed his hand on my shoulder, Derek fell through smoke, blood and the rest of existence.

Derek walked slowly down the corridor. Suddenly he smiled, in the thousands of years the man’s explanation had got better. The first time Derek had asked many more questions. Derek saw the wall in front of him, turned round and ran back from where he had come.


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Thu Oct 22, 2020 2:01 pm
KateHardy wrote a review...



Good Morning/Afternoon/Evening/Night(whichever one it is in your part of the world),

Hi! I'm Knight Hardy here on a mission to ensure that all works on YWS has at least two reviews. You will probably never see this but....Imma do this anyway.

First Impression: Well this one was....different...to say the least. It was kind of weird and I didn't quite get what you were trying to say. The one thing I can say is that the individual segments themselves were pretty good and seems like parts of a great story...but I have trouble stitching them together. Okay lemme see if I can figure more things out as I read through it again and get to some nitpicks should they be present.

Anyway let's get right to it,

Derek walked slowly through the corridor, his brown shoes carefully stepping on the white tiles as his head turned to look at the green walls on either side. In front of him he saw that the corridor split into two separate directions. The first decision he would have to make. The wall in front, which had previously been at least two meters away, was suddenly right in front of his eyes. He placed his hand on the green wall and felt a burning pain, yet he kept his hand there. Derek did not know why, but he knew this was the right thing to do, as if to


Seems like yuo got a bit of accidental capitalization in that on there. As for an opening paragraph that's no bad at all. Its establishing a bit of the setting which is always nice and its also got some decent mystery about it so that's a pretty neat opening paragraph.

Derek walked slowly down the corridor, his black loafers pressing down on the brown tiles as he looked to his left and right at the pristine white walls that enclosed him. In front of him the corridor ended, left or right, the first decision he would have to make. Suddenly the wall, which had seemed further away was right in front of him. Derek did not seem surprised; he moved his hand up and placed it upon the pristine white wall. It burned but Derek did not move his hand away. He knew this was right, an archway opened up in front of him, fire burning at its side. First time that has happened though Derek before walking through.


Wait a minute...why is the first part basically copied and pasted here. At this point I'm not sure if its to tell us that its some kind of time loop scenario or simply some kind of typo...but it certainly sounds interesting.

Fire. Archway. First time? When were the others? The thoughts banded around his head as he struggled to breath. Smoke, he smelled smoke. He couldn’t see any. Green grass and a girl writing in a diary. A man bent over a desk holding his head in his hands. Someone typing on a computer. Derek looked down, fire covered his hands, and he smiled as he saw a familiar corridor, though he didn’t know from where.


Well that's some interesting imagery that you got right there. Definitely sounds like it could get pretty interesting going forward.

His hand felt incredibly cold, Derek screamed grabbing it with his other hand and looked around hoping for help, in the entrance to the left hand corridor lay a knife, Derek crawled over to the knife, the pain having brought him to his knees. He grabbed the knife and attempted to cut off his hand, the knife eased through the flesh, though it caused him great pain. The anguished screams started again as he had to saw through his own bone. He saw a raven fly over his head and a man standing in front of him. The man shouted something but Derek heard nothing. Eventually his hand dropped from his arm, the blood was now pouring from his arm.


And it gets even more confusing right there....at this point I'm not sure what's exactly going on...I'm suspecting maybe something to do with either crazy magic or some kind of dream sequence because its getting somewhat hard to keep track of what exactly is happening at the moment.

Suddenly he couldn’t breathe, he began to swim to the top, but the blood never seemed to end. He swam and swam and swam without ever reaching anything else. His hand now lost.

He felt a weight pulling him down, a hand on his shoulder and a voice whispering something about a book.


Okay yaa...this one is definitely some kind of weird dream sequence...otherwise it really isn't telling any sort of story or anything here.

Derek sat and listened the priest in the church, his eyes felt heavy. He closed them and as he opened them again millions upon millions of people surrounded him. Some on computers, children, typing furiously. Further away he could see people writing on parchment, and beyond that he saw a fire. It was coming closer. Derek ran.


Okay...these transitions are now getting harder and harder to actually understand.

Derek fell hard on his face; his blood trickled and then poured upon the blue carpet that covered the floor. Derek quickly got up, and ran forward ignoring the blood that was now flying back into his face. It stung his eyes and flew into his mouth, he saw in the mirror that hung on the wall directly in front of him that his face was completely red. As he turned right the mirror shattered, shards flying out. They hung in the air, though Derek didn’t notice, and then, seemingly making a decision, followed quickly after Derek. Right had always been the right corridor, why had he not realized it before and what did he mean before. Derek shook his head and carried on running. The ground beneath hi feet fell away as they moved ceaselessly forward. No way back, bits of the floor had joined the glass in following Derek.


Umm...yaa...nope...your storytelling itself is amazing, its capturing a very engaging scene each time but how they connect is something that I can't seem to get the faintest idea of.

The man explained, imagination was the key to humanity and to its maker. The creature that lived in the room next door, lived on its creations imagination, calling it the breath of life. While others worked, dreamt and thought on the earth, others worked in the factory thousands merely imagining to keep the world turning. Derek had merely escaped. The man smiled up at me, “Do you want to meet him? Your creator?”


Okay...I hope that's getting close to some sort of explanation now...it sounds like it at least.

Derek walked slowly down the corridor. Suddenly he smiled, in the thousands of years the man’s explanation had got better. The first time Derek had asked many more questions. Derek saw the wall in front of him, turned round and ran back from where he had come.


Okay so it is some sort of weird time travel loop situation at least to an extent.

Aaaaand that's it for this one.

Overall: Overall this started to make a little more sense by the third time I was reading it and it seems like quite the concept you have there. However, you need a lot more in there to explain it or else its really hard to understand.

As always remember to take what you think was helpful and forget the rest.

Stay Safe
Harry




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Mon Apr 06, 2009 2:18 pm
Quibbons Quill says...



Thanks a lot for the Critique, this was basically built around a vague idea i had about imagination being the breath of life. The rest was added in later, i've made some of the changes you suggested though i think the piece needs the similarity as Derek keeps going over the same points in time, i'll try and make that clearer in the piece.
Thanks
Quibbons Quill




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Sun Apr 05, 2009 6:28 pm
elijah1 wrote a review...



Hello, I'm going to critique your piece today.


Derek did not know why, but he knew this was the right thing to do, as if to justify this thought an archway opened in front of him


I don't think this is needed; it slows down the piece; also, avoid using 'this' as a noun when the reader doesn't know what you are referring to

Hmm... your second paragraph is too similar to your first paragraph; it is liable to bore the reader and make them think that nothing is happening. You don't want that to happen.

Derek did not seem surprised;


Show us, don't tell us.

When where the others?


Should 'where' be 'were?' I'm not sure this sentence makes sense.

Derek looked down, fire covered his hands, and he smiled as he saw a familiar corridor, though he didn’t know from where.


Cool idea, but if he is looking at his flaming hands, he isn't going to see a familiar corridor

Suddenly it was right in front of him.


I don't think that 'suddenly' is needed

Suddenly his hand felt incredibly cold,


Same deal. Maybe you could say something like: 'His hand grew incredibly cold.'

He saw a raven fly over his head and a man in front of him.


A man? What man? You don't mention him until this sentence.
It might look better if you reword it. 'He looked up. A man stood in front of him. Wings flapping, a raven flew over him.'

the blood was now pouring copiously from his arm


'copiously' is not needed, in my opinion

Derek, dived below the water and began to swim, in the blood, after his hand, which was floating away.


where did the water come from? you don't mention it until this paragraph

Derek sat and listened the priest in the church, his eyes felt heavy.


since when was he in a church? if he just woke up, say that 'his eyes opened' or something.
Warn the readers if the setting is going to change.

Derek sat and listened the priest in the church, his eyes felt heavy. He closed them and as he opened them again millions upon millions of people surrounded him. Some on computers, children, typing furiously. Further away he could see people writing on parchment, and beyond that he saw a fire. It was coming closer. Derek ran.


don't change the setting in the same paragraph; also, don't describe Derek's actions and the setting in the same paragraph

A Door. Opening.

A Man.


I like this; I think you should use more short paragraphs like this throughout your piece

Sitting in an office, a cup of tea surrounded but screens, of that room, the children, the men and woman all writing.


this confused me slightly, since you don't warn us that the setting is going to change

calling it the breathe of life.


I think 'breathe' should be 'breath'; typo

“Do you want to meet him? Your creator?


I think it looks better with a question mark at the end of creator. I'm just being picky.

The man, placed his hand on my shoulder, I fell through smoke, blood and the rest of existence.


you jumped to first person all of a sudden

Derek saw the wall in front of him, turned round and ran back from where he had come.


I like the ending

Overall: I'd say this was a very imaginative piece. At times it seemed confusing, however, mainly because you talked about Derek's actions and about setting changes in the same paragraph.
The content was good. Your writing style could use some work.

Keep writing.





But what about second breakfast?
— Peregrin Took