z

Young Writers Society



The insanity of Hathland.

by melkor


Alright then.

Here be my latest random story.

This is the first chapter, and so is long, but if you wish you may review one part at a time, it might help...

I hope that I get a lot of feedback on this, becuase I worked on it for at least two weeks..

Authors note-

Well here you are.

A story.

In my life I have discovered that there are several types of stories.

For example, there are fairy tales, in which non-existent creatures befriend /maul/appear alongside normal people and which are intended solely to teach you a moral you probably won’t remember or care about.

Then of course there are serious stories, which seem to think it logical that you can write a made up story about a very real thing, (which is just plain rude) and which often cause many things such as laughter leaking of the eyes and minor blows to the head.

This story, you’ll be glad to hear, could be described as both, yet is in fact none.

The story has several purposes, but the main ones are:

A- To make you smile.

B- To make you think.

And let’s face it, I’m being very vague here but there are other, darker meanings trapped in the story’s mesh, but hopefully you’ll be absent minded enough to ignore them, and if you do happen to come across one I suggest you pretend you never had, it’s better for us both.

Therefore here is a disclaimer of sorts, which may make you run at a great speed to the nearest door, or possibly a bin.

~This story is odd~

CHAPTER ONE. ~ part one~

~In which you start reading this book long after I have finished it, and in which the most dysfunctional person possible is introduced~

Today was not a good day.

It was not a beautiful midsummer’s morning.

Not because that would be cliché, but because this was Northern Ireland after all and the weather was often as temperamental as your incredibly senile great grandmother.

Yet again, it was another dark dreary sort of ambiance, of the sort which was often the cause of a great number of murders (or at least it was an excuse), and which generally made people run off to foreign hot countries.

The sky was of a pale grey, flecked with white as dull clouds loomed warily in the distance, most likely plotting their terrible revenge against mankind.

Not far beneath there lay a small but horribly busy little street, from which a jumbled heap of prosaic conversation rose, mingled with the smell of distant burning, past the ageing sky.

It was on that very street that an important person walked.

He was in fact not important in any normal sense, save that he is important to this particular story.

Like many people he was completely and utterly normal, (at least to look at) being of an awkwardly large height, with short hair and wearing average boring clothes.

In fact he wouldn’t have been any more inconspicuous if he had been wearing a sign saying ‘Please give money’.

There isn’t much to say about him in general, as a person he is really not at all interesting, unless you really know him, but I shall tell you two things, firstly his name was Adam, and secondly, it was his birthday.

Quite frankly he was cold, tired, fed up, and possibly just a little suicidal.

Minutes ago he had made a fine purchase at the nearest run-down off-license, a purchase which he struggled to carry as he walked along oblivious to everything and anything which was nearby.

Perhaps you are too young too or naïve to know what I’m on about but these two variables could only mean one thing.

~He intended to get drunk, VERY drunk. ~

I suppose you are wondering why? Humans often do, to no avail.

I mean obviously the question is ‘How?’ Not ‘why?’

If we knew ‘How God could possibly exist’, or ‘How it was possible for angels to stand on clouds’ or even the immensely popular question ‘How come sometimes the milk runs down the carton when other times it pours neatly?’, then we’d really be ahead of ourselves, but no, instead we keep asking the dratted ‘why’ questions.

However now, we shall answer a single ‘why’ question.

The reason was that despite the fact that it was his birthday, he had not received a single present, or any cards, nor even a single tip of the hat.

This obviously disturbed him greatly, and so he was leaning on man’s greatest and least reliable crutch: alcohol.

So slowly but surely he made his way through the town, taking care to ignore the large amount of spiteful old people glaring at him as well as the horde of underage mothers pushing prams along in a bored manner, their oversized earrings swinging like pendulums.

Soon he left the town altogether and after an hour’s walk he came to a wide open and beautifully fresh field, surrounded by thin wooden fences and hedges that might really be leafy demons in disguise.

He at once climbed over these fences, rather carefully so as not to drop any of his ‘surplus’.

Then he stopped, making sure to get a joyous inhalation of the wondrous air that could have easily killed someone suffering from hay fever, before running quick and free to a great big twisted oak tree which stood in the corner of the field, and which presumably the farmer hadn’t the heart to cut down.

It was there that he sat down and began to enjoy his spoils, which would take a while really, even if he was a fast drinker, as it included at least thirteen bottles.

So it was that, under the dulling influence of alcohol, that Adam forgot just how unloved he was, and that it was in fact his birthday.

Not long later, he had but one bottle left, and it seemed such a shame to leave it, all alone and cold in its cardboard box, with not a friend in the world.

So he picked the poor fellow up and murmured

“You buddy, yer just like me, you ain’t got nobody and nothin’, and you were last til’ left.”

I think that at this point a little tear ran down the bottles neck, but that might have just been condensation.

At this sad moment, the first odd thing of the day happened;

Adam heard a strange and mildly disturbing creaking sound, as though some old man had just sat down in his ancient rocking chair right next to him.

He then felt something; or rather several hard objects touch his back, and that’s saying something, because in his current state, he could barely feel his own legs.

He turned around cautiously, and was not at all surprised to see that the old oak tree had bent over in sympathy, its entire frame twisted around grotesquely as it patted him on the back with as many branches as it could.

It looked strangely human poised there, as though it’s branches had become hands and it’s many roots bunched together to form ugly feet.

“I hear ya son! I too am the only tree for approximately 42 meters!” it groaned in a deep booming voice, every bit as wizened and dry as it’ s bearer.

Adam looked from the amber bottle to the tree in dismay and replied,

“Quit poking me”

***

Several hours later, Adam found himself clambering over a thin stretch of rocks, just at the other side of the field.

He wasn’t sure why, but he was perfectly clear were.

There was a rather quiet country lane a good distance away, yet between it and himself lay a dozen or so hedges, two fields and a small enclosure of trees.

So it was that he made it his goal to get to that road, or die trying.

To be honest I think he was doing a very human thing, that is inventing new and extremely easy tasks to make up for the great many he had failed.

He was silent as he almost literally tore through the hedges, but once he got to the first field he spoke.

“Damn mud! Why does it have to be so muddy! I mean who needs mud anyway! Even the worms hate it!

Blast and botheration!”

In reply the little voice in his head said

“It’s just mud kiddo, shut-upa-ya-face”

So he did what was best and obeyed the voice.*

Just as he cleared the first field, he realised just how tired he was, and so he sat down on a nearby fence for a short while.

As he sat there it passed his mind, if only for a slight flickering moment that he should give up, at least it did until the bees came.

They were perfectly ordinary bees, yet very loud, as they flew about his head with sheer enthusiasm.

Perhaps to poor Adams broken mind, they were saying things like, “You can’t do it! BUZZZ!” and “Just as I BUZZZ suspected!” and that was likely why he swatted them with such force.

Minutes later he continued and despite being stalked by several sheep, he made it to the small patch of trees.

He had always liked trees, mostly because they could be climbed, but also because, under any amount of trees, there is a constant, whether it’s wet, hot, dry, dark or radioactive, it will always be the same.

Just bugs and leaves and possibly an evil witch or two.

After a short bout of walking, lo and behold!

There it was just twelve or so steps away, the ROAD!

‘Aha!’ he thought, ‘I’ll show those damned bees, and that accursed tree!’ and he ran forward with a cry of pure glee.

Now, I’m sure you’ve read many books in which one or more characters find their way into another world, therefore your perception will be slightly off.

Despite popular belief, one does not get into another world through wardrobes, paintings, holes in the air, or even old and seemingly abandoned police boxes.

No, the truth is much less pretty, to get into another world, you must be beat into it, and I mean such a smack that you quite literally end up in an entirely different place altogether.

Generally, most of these people die, and thus never make it, but say for example, you had the impression that you were immune to anything, I don’t know, perhaps you had practically pickled yourself in alcohol, then maybe, just maybe, you could survive a large collision, perhaps something like being hit by a very large and incredibly visible truck which happened to be driving past as you stepped onto the road.

It was a strange moment, one second Adam was enjoying a sense of glory, the next he heard the screech of wheels, followed by an immense ‘thud!’ which rivalled the sound made by the big bang.

The first thing he thought was ‘OW’ because generally being hit by something several hundred times your own weight hurts.

The second thing he thought was ‘I hope that buggers not insured’

As these thoughts came to him, that he felt an odd sensation, as though some almighty deity had snatched him up, tore him in half, and then tossed the other piece away, presumably before deciding he had better things to do.

So it was that as he flew through the air with tremendous force, that he got the impression that he’d left something behind, that wasn’t the contents of his stomach.

He was stuck like that for a few minutes like a grumpy leaf caught in the wind, before eventually it seemed like he had landed abruptly, in a large pool of icy water, yet he could breathe perfectly and no water was visible.

All around him lay what looked like nothing, I mean really nothing, not a black hole, or a white screen, just nothing.

“Oh NO!” yelled Adam as he looked about.

“I’ve lost my bottle!”

*If you start hearing voices, I suggest you ignore them, especially if they say things like “kill your family!” or “Don’t listen to that conscience, harps are sooo last century” Or possibly you are known to have psychopathic tendencies, as many of us are, then I suggest you just find a nice padded room, trust me, it works.


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Thu Jul 03, 2008 4:28 pm
melkor says...



Woah.
all those quotes make me feel special.

I think I can officially count ashleyee as my number one fan after all that.

After all she has reviewed EVERYTHING I've wrote.

Yes I will Pm you ash!

I ight also invite you to my site, becuase you make me happy!

As for the message, there are several hidden messages in Adams 'notes' and there will be a stort arc of sorts which is revelead at the end, which will tie up everything weird and unexplained.
The next chapter sees the introduction of evil trees, the road that goes ever on, the snake that caused sin, and a place were metapors/proverbs/plays on words feature at every turn.

Unfortunately, my keyboard broke, so I haven't been able to type it up, it's all on paper...




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Thu Jul 03, 2008 2:59 am
Wang Chung wrote a review...



Your story is fantastic. Overall, it has very Douglas Adams type feel to it, not only in the writing, but in the story as well. I'm sure you know who he is because of the wonderful quote at the end of each chapter. It is decicdedly wacko, which, for me, is a very good thing.




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Wed Jul 02, 2008 5:44 pm
ashleylee says...



Okay Melkor, I have FINALLY finished corrected your stories. Whew! *wipes brow* And let me tell you before hand that your style of writing is so sarcastically funny and immensely entertaining that I give you props for that right now without even finishing all the parts yet! :D :D

Now, I’m going to correct by parts. So here’s to Part one!

Minutes ago he had made a fine purchase at the nearest run-down off-license, a purchase which he struggled to carry as he walked along oblivious to everything and anything which was nearby.


I think you should change “which” to “that”. The sentence would flow better. Also, instead of a comma after “license” change it to a period and start a new sentence. I did notice that you have a tendency to use LONG sentences, where they go on and on forever. But I didn’t even notice that until I went over it again, because your writing flows so well. :D

He wasn’t sure why, but he was perfectly clear were.


Do you mean “where” not “were”?? Otherwise, if you do mean “were” I am totally confused! :?

“It’s just mud kiddo, shut-upa-ya-face”


I think you should delete the “a” after “up”. I think that was a typo…maybe??
As he sat there it passed his mind, if only for a slight flickering moment that he should give up, at least it did until the bees came.


I’m not sure if the last part of this sentence makes sense. Reread it and you’ll see what I mean.

Perhaps to poor Adams broken mind, they were saying things like, “You can’t do it! BUZZZ!” and “Just as I BUZZZ suspected!” and that was likely why he swatted them with such force.


I think you should add the word “at” between “swatted” and “them”.

He was stuck like that for a few minutes like a grumpy leaf caught in the wind, before eventually it seemed like he had landed abruptly, in a large pool of icy water, yet he could breathe perfectly and no water was visible.


Long sentence again. I think you need to cut this one up a little.

It was a strange moment, one second Adam was enjoying a sense of glory, the next he heard the screech of wheels, followed by an immense ‘thud!’ which rivalled the sound made by the big bang.

The first thing he thought was ‘OW’ because generally being hit by something several hundred times your own weight hurts.

The second thing he thought was ‘I hope that buggers not insured’


Omgosh! This whole part in the story seriously made me laugh out loud. Ha ha. Very creative and humorous! :D :D

All right, now for the Part Two Review:

I only noticed one thing in this part:

A rather unworldly sound shook the void, although how that was possible, no-one really knows.


You don’t need the dash between “no-one” Also, you use “void” twice in the first paragraph. If you could come up with another word for “void”, go for it! Otherwise, I guess it sounds fine as it is.

Part Three:

Its movements seemed powerful yet graceful as it approached, almost as if it was completely carefree, defiant of each and everything around it, its inky black fur glistened like silk and its sleek tail swayed to and fro with all the elegance of a corrupt politician.


Another long sentence. Try changing the comma after “around it” to a period and starting a new sentence after that. (by the way, I love the comparison “the elegance of a corrupt politician”. Very true and funny :D )

“Well, how about the concept of humanity? Are they not juts mammals?


Do you mean “just” on “juts”??

Melkor!!!!!!! How can you do that to me!!! It’s just done! Over! Finished! ????? I want more of this. I want to know how he gets home! I know there is some message along there that I somehow have to discover, but you are asking too much of me…I’m not a genius like you! :wink:

Anyway, this was pure brilliance as is all your work. As you can tell as you read my review that I immensely enjoyed your story. I think I may have a hint of what I am supposed to understand but I think you might need to PM me and clear up a few things. :wink:




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Tue Jun 24, 2008 2:47 am
ashleylee wrote a review...



Hey, Melkor!

Long time, no see :wink:

Anyway, I have your story on my comp because I can't be on the internet anymore (I mean by I copy/pasted your story so I can review it) and will hopefully post soon

Maybe by the end of the week...

So, if you want to bug me and remind me, go ahead! :D

But I'm pretty sure I'll remember because if this story is as good as your last one I read (the one about death) I am looking forward to reading it!

Well, I better go now...

Bye




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Fri Jun 13, 2008 1:55 pm
melkor says...



RandomGrrl wrote:Hello! I recently realized I have never read anything by you. That I can recall. So, here for a crit!

"and wearing average boring clothes."

Hem hem. "average, (<<<) boring clothes" Comma! (P.S. I'm a comma hound. I'll call you out on missing commas.)

"This obviously disturbed him greatly, and so he was leaning on man’s greatest and least reliable crutch: alcohol."

I can't think of a word to describe how great this sentence is. And how true, unfortunately!

" with not a friend in the world."

I know you're kind of going for the "random, strange, vaguely artsy" kind of style here, but this would just sound way better as a "without" rather than "with not".
Arrg! I have to get off the computer... Well, I'll come back to complete the crit soon, but you've caught my interest! Lookin' interesting.
RG


Thank ee very much RG!


So what did you think of the actual story then?




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Fri Jun 13, 2008 4:28 am
RandomGrrl wrote a review...



Hello! I recently realized I have never read anything by you. That I can recall. So, here for a crit!

"and wearing average boring clothes."

Hem hem. "average, (<<<) boring clothes" Comma! (P.S. I'm a comma hound. I'll call you out on missing commas.)

"This obviously disturbed him greatly, and so he was leaning on man’s greatest and least reliable crutch: alcohol."

I can't think of a word to describe how great this sentence is. And how true, unfortunately!

" with not a friend in the world."

I know you're kind of going for the "random, strange, vaguely artsy" kind of style here, but this would just sound way better as a "without" rather than "with not".
Arrg! I have to get off the computer... Well, I'll come back to complete the crit soon, but you've caught my interest! Lookin' interesting.
RG




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Mon Jun 09, 2008 6:41 pm
Shinox says...



Nice story.

I can see that most of the mistakes and etc have been pointed out to you.

Keep writing!

:D




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Mon Jun 09, 2008 8:16 am
melkor says...



Thank you oh so very much, demeter, I'll return the favour right about now...


:D




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Sat Jun 07, 2008 7:40 pm
Demeter wrote a review...



Hi, here by request! :)

(Sday's right about that Holden thing. Oh, now I feel like reading Catcher again.)

Okay. At first I thought "Oh, gee, where is this going to?" but then I started to like it! And I'm now reviewing ONLY the first part as I haven't got time to read the second one right now. I like the fact that we don't know who the narrator is, there is just the mysterious "I". Good.


The sky was (of a )pale grey


I put the parenthesis, because I don't think you need "of a" here.


he had been wearing a sign


Wearing? I think "holding" would suit better.


There isn’t much to say about him in general, as a person he is really not at all interesting, unless you really know him, but I shall tell you two things, firstly his name was Adam, and secondly, it was his birthday.


This should be divided into shorter sentences. The ending is abrupt, too – could you try and fix it a little smoother?


~He intended to get drunk, VERY drunk. ~


Please delete the ~s.


‘How come sometimes the milk runs down the carton when other times it pours neatly?’


nor even a single tip of the hat.


the horde of underage mothers


from which


a joyous inhalation of the wondrous air that could have easily killed someone suffering from hay fever


Good job.


Generally, most of these people die, and thus never make it, but say for example, you had the impression that you were immune to anything, I don’t know, perhaps you had practically pickled yourself in alcohol, then maybe, just maybe, you could survive a large collision, perhaps something like being hit by a very large and incredibly visible truck which happened to be driving past as you stepped onto the road.


Again, too long to be only one sentence.

So, all in all, despite the lot of typos and punctuation mistakes, you have a gift. The way you knot words together – I admire you. I'll read the second part tomorrow. See you then!

All the best,
Demeter xx




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Fri Jun 06, 2008 3:55 pm
alwaysawriter wrote a review...



Hi. I'm in 4th period. Hehe--she completly forgot to give us our exam. We'll probably take it Monday or Tuesday. Sorry--off topic. I saw no grammatical errors except for a few missed periods here and there. I felt bad for Adam. Poor dude. I didn't know half the words in it but thanks to the context clues, I figured them out (I think my lack of reading in the past few months has been dumbing me down). Anyway, good story. :)




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Fri Jun 06, 2008 12:34 pm
melkor says...



Well thanks for taking the time to read it, both of you.

I always enjoy people telling me their favourite line, for some reason...


It's a tad insane I admit but thats kinda the point...

Watched Dr.who then?




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Fri Jun 06, 2008 12:09 pm
sday1607 wrote a review...



I don't know what possessed you to make such a story, but it was executed pretty damn well ;P. It reminded me a little of Holden in 'Catcher In The Rye', and his streams of consciousness.
The basic idea's good, and I like the humour used throughout to keep attention.; I generally don't like reading LONG stories and long chapters, but it kept me going.

'Despite popular belief, one does not get into another world through wardrobes, paintings, holes in the air, or even old and seemingly abandoned police boxes.', was my favourite line.

It has the makings of a good story, except I'd get rid of the asterisks, as they make the reader a little frustrated for maybe an irrelevant thought.
Keep writing!
~sday




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Fri Jun 06, 2008 11:40 am
rubberduck wrote a review...



Hey there!

Wow. I really enjoyed this story! I do pity poor Adam though. All this happened on his birthday. (But I think he sees it as a blessing in disguise, am I right?)

So... I couldn't find many mistakes apart from typos.

“Well, how about the concept of humanity? Are they not juts mammals?

*just*

Your story is different. And I like that.

There were some comical parts in this story and I appreciated it. It eased my intense mood a bit. (I got a bit tensed up reading your story. No idea why. Haha.)

And it was long. I normally lose my concentration reading long chapters really fast, but you managed to keep me focused on your story and I never strayed. ^^ Congratulations! You're the first one! Haha.

So, PM me once you post the other chapter, alright? And for spending 2 weeks on this, you deserve a pat on the back! *pat.*

Keep writing! :D




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Thu Jun 05, 2008 11:14 am
melkor says...



CHAPTER 1 ~ part three
~In which the panther proves his worth and everything becomes vague yet scientifically possible. ~

It was not a small panther either, rather a large dark shape, that walked with a heavy pride and seemed to exhume some sort of deadly force that was concentrated mostly on it’s bright yellow eyes, which were fixed unswervingly on Adam.

Its movements seemed powerful yet graceful as it approached, almost as if it was completely carefree, defiant of each and everything around it, its inky black fur glistened like silk and its sleek tail swayed to and fro with all the elegance of a corrupt politician.
Most people would have ran, but then again most people wouldn’t have got utterly drunk, ran over, and then made their way to a completely different world altogether (and most likely enjoyed it.)
So Adam just did what first came into his head, he stood very, very still.*
There were several other things that crossed his mind when he saw the creature, and each was as strange as the next, so he did his best to ignore the impulses.
For one, he wanted to run at it wildly screaming his lungs out, and beat it with a stick, and for no apparent reason, he wanted to eat some honey while doing so.

However, neither of things were required, because the panther merely prowled straight past him and instead made for the endless expanse of sky.
Adam stared at it as it passed, a tad bewildered, and after a few seconds, found he couldn’t contain himself.
“That’s it! A great big scary panther! And you just WALK PAST?”
The panther continued to ignore him, as it began to poke its head through patches of cloud, and run its paws over the glassy surface below it, as though looking for something.
“I mean come on! Don’t tell me I’m not good enough to eat!” continued Adam, not one to be ignored with such ease.
A low growl emanated from the creature, but it still did not turn round, in fact it was no longer facing him, but was lying down on its front legs, peering through the glass, as though waiting to pounce.
“Right, that’s it!” growled Adam fiercely, and being in one of his psychotic moods, he walked straight to were the panther lay, scattering clouds in his wake.
It was then that a rich deep voice spoke, one that seemed not to belong to anything in particular, as though it was just another part of the earth, like the wind and the sun, a constant that could not be tamed.
“If you’re going to start crying, please do it elsewhere, I don’t have time for children, regardless of that you’re scaring away the fish.”
Adam instantly stopped, and rather than doing the cliché look about for the voice, he simply looked at the panther in disbelief.
The problem was that he was very logical person, and right now, two types of logic were battling.
The first said ‘Animals don’t talk, you know that’, and the second said ‘well who else said it? Not thinking of being religious eh?’ And then a third voice joined in, which sounded a lot less maniacal,
‘Look lets face it, it’s not as if people walk on clouds, or swim in voids or even talk to trees! So what’s so hard to believe about a bloody talking panther?’
“Fish?” said Adam in a confused tone.
“Didn’t you see them?” asked the panther, without moving in the slightest.
Completely forgetting his anger, Adam approached the spot were the panthers head lay with care, before kneeling down to get a better view of what the panther was gazing at with such concentration.
It appeared that there was something moving just below were the panther lay, it was difficult to see past one particularly persistent cloud but eventually it passed, and Adam got a proper look at what had caught the panthers attention.
There appeared to be several of them, bright shapes, about an arms lengths away form the surface, which looked as though they were gliding, but it seemed more likely that they were swimming,
as the panther had mentioned, they were indeed fish, but not at all like fish would we see everyday.
They were elegant creatures, with long silver fins and pale white bodies, and they were shining, not just glittering, but giving off some form of natural light, that made the sky above sparkle even in the day, and he wondered how he had failed to notice them.

“That’s just so impossible it hurts” said Adam quietly.

“Well technically, they are stars, see how they shine?” whispered the panther, his yellow eyes fixed on the moving shapes.

“So they’re starfish?” replied Adam weakly.

“Indeed. But quiet now, they’ve lost interest, that’s all I need” and with that, the panthers forepaw shot forward, and within seconds, he had snatched up one of the starfish and now held it under his paw.
“That is just completely ridiculous” commented Adam as the Panther lifted his catch in his mouth and began to walk away.
“How so?” the Panthers came muffled reply.
“Because…well for one the sky shouldn’t be solid, and the wrong way up, and even if it was, how could something swim in it! Furthermore, why would a talking panther want to fish for stars?
And how can there be stars in the daylight anyway!
It just doesn’t make any sense at all!”

“Well for one, this isn’t just anywhere, replied the panther,
This is Hathland, and anything you see here, no matter how far you will go, was born from human imagination, and will be twisted, random and most importantly impulsive. Furthermore, I am not just any ordinary panther, I am the debating panther, and I wish to be addressed as such, if you would be so kind”
as he finished he gave Adam a glaring look, which suggested that he had better do just that, or he’d be falling very far very fast, quite soon.
“The debating panther? Oh. Just brilliant. What exactly do you debate?”

“Everything and anything” replied the panther in a polite tone.

“Well that does it. There can be no doubt that nothing that has appeared so far exists, unless of course I’m having a terribly disturbing dream, in which case I’m waiting right here until I wake up.” Adam declared, as he folded his arms and began to study the area above him once more.

“That…” replied the panther “is a completely ludicrous sentence; I do believe I’ll prove you wrong.
It’s what I do after all.”
Then the debating panther moved straight in front of Adam and sat down, much in the same way a cat does, before locking his deep yellow eyes on him.

“Ahh.” Adam said, being quite glad to have something to do while he waited “a debate is it? Well that’s fine by me, although I ought to warn you, I’m an INTP.”
The panther merely looked at him, and blinked once, “Oh dear” he said, with only the slightest hint of mockery in his voice.
Then he began,
“So, you say that none of this can be happening? That is not entirely correct.
Well then, I’m sure you’re familiar with the mulitverse theory?”
Adam simply nodded; he knew exactly what was coming.

“Well then, logically, in an infinite universe, there is infinite possibility, and then is it not possible that you have traversed into another world, perhaps even another universe and that here, things are of an entirely different possibility? Thus allowing such creations as debating panthers and inverted skies, to be in abundance.”

The panther blinked again.

“Yes, well that’s all well and good, but you seem to have forgotten, the term is in fact infinite physical possibilities, and I find it hard to believe that an inverted sky is physically possible or even how a fish can swim in an empty sky”

“Ahhh, but now you are assuming, how very human, is it not possible that a different universe, adhered to different laws? Why, couldn’t it be that this place has no physical laws?” the panther’s tail flickered as it said this. Clearly, it was enjoying itself.

“Then it simply wouldn’t be a universe.
How can something exist, and yet not be physical?” replied Adam, who was clearly in his element.

“Well, how about the concept of humanity? Are they not juts mammals?
None of the things in their minds take an actual physical shape, so do they exist at all?”
“Technically, no they don’t”

“What if they did?” said the panther, his yellow eyes seeming to catch a new light.
“What if, unknown to humans, their thoughts were more than chemicals and cells and nature?
What if they too, were conscious, but only to a point?
Could they not exist somewhere?
Could they not exist here?”

“No, to exist anywhere, you have to exists somewhere, and in physical form, or at least tied to one”
Glaring back at the Panther, Adam got a slight feeling that both he and the panthers mind had wandered.
“Alright then...” said the Panther somewhat triumphantly,
“Never mind, none of this exists, not even the ground beneath your feet, or the forest behind you.
That leaves only two possible answers.
Perhaps, everything around you, including me, is a figment of your imagination entirely, this leads to the conclusion that you are arguing with yourself, and that’s just sad, so there is no need to go on is there?
Or, there is an or, you are completely and utterly insane in every possible way, if so, then I deem you have an unfair advantage, and the debate ends here”

Then the debating panther smiled, revealing bright glossy and very deadly teeth.
“Well I do admit to being a little insane every now and then, but that’s just cheating...”
Adam replied.
“Perhaps it was” said the Panther, yawning as it raised itself up onto its forelegs and stretched itself.

“But we didn’t establish a single thing throughout that ridiculously short debate, save for the fact that I’m stuck in the land of discharged thoughts!”

“The short ones are the most thorough, you know.
I’m always stuck debating with people with one way minds, they just hold one belief and force it, over and over again, not really listening to the other person, save for to search for flaws in the argument. You just have to be ready to be wrong sometimes.
AND these sort of people claim to enjoy debating!
I think they enjoy shouting and being right, or at least pretending to be right...
If you have to hurt the other person, then really, there isn’t any point….
Still, you can’t blame people for having stupid beliefs.”**

Then both the Panther and the man stood a while, thinking about the words, as the world went on around them, because of course the world is selfish like that.

“Well I guess you can’t say fairer than that!” said Adam with a shrug.
Then he looked out across the sky to the forest, and took a few minutes quiet thought.

“Who won then?” inquired Adam, as both he and The Debating Panther, slowly walked towards the trees.
“I don’t think debates should be won or lost, in a sense, you lose much when you begin, and gain a lot when you finish.
Though I daresay it’s the opposite for some people.”
“You seem to know an awful lot about debates” came Adams reply, bearing a smile which said ‘heck yeah, you know I won!’
“It’s what I do” answered the Panther once more flashing fierce teeth, as if to say ‘In your dreams boy!’
It was then that Adam realised that the Debating Panther was good company, and he wished to stay longer, but he knew that he had to find a way home even if he didn’t want to.

“I think we owe each other something” declared the Panther prowling along beside him.

“Wait, you mean like a soul!?
You aren’t some sort of evil soul pinching demon are you?”

The panthers reply was a low sniggering laugh.
“Perhaps, but no, I mean as proof of our ‘debate’, we ought to exchange tokens”

“Why?”

“It’s what I do” declared the Panther, and that was enough.

“Well…” replied Adam as he searched the pockets of his jeans.
Unfortunately, all he unearthed was: one credit card, two matches, a sweet wrapper, his pencil and paper, a single silver key and three fat toffees, soft from being in his pocket,

“Um…. Here you are...” said Adam solemnly, and both stopped, they had reached the edge of the forest.

The Debating Panther inspected the toffee in Adams hand suspiciously, and then he nudged it to the ground and began to paw at it.
“What on earth is it?” came the bemused reply.

“It’s a toffee, you eat it!”

The creature looked at the wrapping curiously, and then delicately, he peeled it back with a claw, and removed a small chunk of the sticky substance before raising it to his mouth.
There was a strange moment, as the Panther chewed rapidly, much the way in which a cat does when you feed it something small, the problem was that these particular teeth were for tearing and mauling large chunks of meat, rather than tiny bits of Toffee.
Then Adam heard a strange noise, and realised, while trying not to laugh, that the panther was purring.

Then as if he remembered himself, the panther straightened up, and carefully lifting the rest of the toffee, placed it a previously unnoticed pouch around its neck.
“Err yes... Well that should do, but only just, I realise you haven’t much to give…”
And the prowling dark nature of the panther had returned.

“How about you? You’re a Panther for goodness sake? You’re hardly going to go fish another star are you?”

“Certainly not!” came the indignant reply, “this is for something important! True, I possess no physical tokens, but I have one thing which I may give”

“It’s not a soul, please tell me it isn’t a soul” moaned Adam as he shifted from foot to foot.

“No you damn fool!” growled the Panther, and then a little more politely,
“What I speak of is knowledge. I will answer a single question you have; I know you will have many.”

For a brief moment, Adams thoughts went to the note in his pocket, but he soon forgot about that, he had to ask a proper question if he only had one; he had to ask how exactly he could return home.
Then he thought about it did he really want to return to the average bland taste of reality?
Did he want to return to a boring job, surrounded by irritating people and psychotic neighbours?
Did he wish to spend a normal life wallowing in self pity while trying to snatch up fragments of his broken dreams?
Of course he didn’t, he’d get dream splinters.***
So he made up his mind.
He would remain in Hathland for as long as he could, and while he was here, he would try to answer his questions as best as possible, while preserving what little sanity he had left.
So he turned to the ever patient Panther and said,
“Well I’ve thought about, and I’m not going to ask you an important question about immortality or religion or anything that has anything to do with that world, instead, I’m going to ask a very vague and sensible question, which I’m sure you can answer easily, but to my advantage.”

“Very sensible indeed, for a human” replied the Panther with a smirk.

“Whatever.
My question is ‘Where would one go, if one wished to find the answer to questions?”

The Panthers smile widened, so that it was almost maniacal,

“I do like vague things. However I have work to do, and will be quick
Here is my answer, I would turn to your right, and go through those trees, after that, things should simply unfold, they tend to around here.
I might also add, and these are by all means freebies, that you should do your best to befriend as many people as possible, and in addition you should not stop walking in that particular forest, especially not to lie down, until you have passed through the tallest trees, if you feel your limbs becoming incredibly weary, they you should drink the sap from the tree which made them so, and if your eyes become heavy, you should sprinkle the dew from the leaves of the same tree on your eyes.
And that, is essentially all I can tell you that will help, others may do more.
However I shall say good luck and many thanks for the err……”
“Toffee?”
“Yes indeed, now be off with you”

So Adam turned around and with one last look at the scene, which was slowly becoming dark, he passed through the trees and left the debating panther to his star, still wondering how on earth any of this could be happening.

*Unfortunately, this is the correct response to an approaching bee, not panther.

**Yes I know you can really, but lets pretend that you can’t and try to make the world a better place okay?

***I know this asterisks should contain something both hilarious and informative, but unfortunately, I hate to let you down, but what can I say about a blooming dream splinter which you don’t already know?




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Thu Jun 05, 2008 11:13 am
melkor says...



CHAPTER 1 ~part 2
~In which questions of strange substance are posed, and the first nonsensical character makes an appearance ~

A rather unworldly sound shook the void, although how that was possible, no-one really knows.
But if Adam knew about the nature of physics in endless voids, it would have sounded like a plughole being created in the fabrics of reality in an empty void.

Adam looked down into the apparently endless emptiness, and sure enough, there was a hole amidst the nothing, through which he could see a grassy hill crowned with a few small trees, and not much else.
He took roughly three seconds wondering where he’d much rather be when he was dragged out of that place, as quickly as a cat can drag a pigeon, when provoked of course.

For a brief moment he fell towards the grassy hill quite slowly, and then as though gravity had changed its mind, he was flung backwards, and landed on something solid, so that he was facing the hill above him.
“I get the strangest feeling that something isn’t quite right here” he ventured.
He lay there a while, studying were the sky should have been, it was like a few of the grassy plains he’d know back home, beautiful , abundant in life and likely to stain his knees.
Finally, he came to the terrifying conclusion that ‘if what was supposed to be down here is up there, then what was supposed to be up there is down here’.
He felt the ground underneath him; it seemed solid enough, almost like polished glass.

So he cautiously stood up, and then quite quickly sat down again.
What he had seen in that brief moment had been as you would assume, a pale blue summer sky, strewn with wispy little clouds and illuminated by the sunlight below.
“Now I’m sure this isn’t right!” shouted Adam, but the sound just stopped, as though it had been cut off, not a single echo.
It was then, that for some reason, he wondered if his life was just some mediocre television series, and he briefly considered if it was seen as controversial and how much the writers were paid.

He sat there for a while longer, half afraid, half excited, until finally curiosity got the better of him, and he slowly stood up.
Once again, he was greeted by that fascinating and scream-inducing sight, and was able to deduce, by means of jumping up and about like a right prat, that the ground was indeed, very solid.
It was as if he was standing on an infinite pane of glass, just above (or below) the sky, which somehow let the clouds seep through, while still holding his weight.

He had always been very sceptical of clouds, from a young age, not only because they resembled disembowelled sheep, but because they could be anything, or anyone, and yet, when it came to it, they were just randomised drifts of gas.
‘Still’ he thought, ‘I’ve answered one question, if angels exist, I know how they might go about standing on clouds.’
He smiled to himself for a while.
If it was one thing he enjoyed, it was obtaining knowledge.
For some reason, he decided that he ought to make a list of questions which needed answered, and for yet another unknown reason, he had brought a pen and a small notepad, which simplified things greatly.
He took his time doing it, as he sat on (or at least in) a rather large and dry cloud, and when he was finished, he found some quite disturbing results.

Questions which need answered.

1. Is a note scribbled willingly ever random?

2. Is the pen really mighter than the sword?

3. How the hell do angels sstand on clouds?

4. How com the milk pours neatly sometimes, when it spills at others?

5. If death dies, do wee?

6. How is it possible that the entire world can support all that cnicism?

7. Whoo delivers the mailman’s mail?

8. Huw on earth can a god exist?

9. Can oranges make everyone turn orange more evenly?

10. What is the most sufficient method for the pinpointing of wildlife?




Now unless you’re an idiot, you might realise that there are several things wrong with Adams list.
He most certainly did, and found it quite disturbing, not only because he was often a good speller, but because almost everything he said made sense to someone.*
So almost immediately, he went back to correct the spelling of his questions, and made a strange discovery, he could see the mistakes clearly, but as he went to correct them , he forgot what they were almost instantly, so that each time the pen touched the paper, he wondered what he was doing again.
Then he realised, with a slight touch of horror that he couldn’t remember even writing questions one, nine, and ten.
Perhaps, if he had taken the time to further study this page, and had maybe discovered the hidden words within, he would have been quite put off, and would have tore that page up, tossed the pieces away, and made his way home.
Unfortunately, the universe isn’t as kind as all that, in fact the universe is an extremely cruel place, even for the kind people. You spend all your life being nice, and then you die. Hardly seems fair does it?
So instead, Adam just took that little piece of paper, and stuck it in his pocket, and perhaps by doing so, pronounced a certain doom upon himself.
So deciding that he wasn’t going to stand about asking questions to no-one in particular all day, he started to walk a little, slowly at first, but faster as he began to become sober.**
He enjoyed the cool air, and the calmness of the sky around him, and soon he forgot his every fear and want, and decided that if he could, he would walk along the sky forever, stopping only to drop things on people’s heads or to sleep amongst the clouds, surrounded by the pale and tranquil bliss of non-existence.
Of course, after a while he changed his mind, not because he got tired or bored, but because there was a sudden change in the horizon.
Rather than nothing but white swirls and faint blues in the distance, there gradually appeared what seemed to be an opening of trees.
It was barely twenty meters away when Adam stopped, and gazed at this sight.
The trees were old trees, not ancient, but certainly a lot older than him, and three times his height, their leafy branches intertwined so that all that lay beneath them was shrouded in thick shadows that were only broken by the shafts of light that pierced through the canopy.
They were certainly nice to look at, because they gave you a sort of sleepy feeling, not just a normal tiredness of the limbs, but as though a weight had fallen on your shoulders, and a pleasant voice was whispering in your ear.

However, for now, Adams attention was entirely on the thing which had left the trees, and was slowly making its way towards him, without pausing in the slightest.
He stared at it hard, and then blinked before looking again.
It seemed that, unless he had completely lost it (which he may have, who knows?), a panther had appeared from beneath the trees and was slowly moving towards him.
*this is a lot harder than it sounds.

**I still to this day do not understand fully the effects of traversing worlds, on the drunkenness of humans, but evidentially it helped a lot.





Perfection is lots of little things done well.
— Marco Pierre White