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Let's Write a Story

Stitch

AKA Patrick
Joined
Aug 13, 2013
I thought this would be a fun activity. Basically we are going to write a story together. This is going to last for 50 posts. Please only post story in this thread, don't even compliment or critique. You can like posts and talk outside of this thread. The content is anything goes, as long as you follow the forum rules. You can write as long as you want. Do not end the story unless you are the 50th post, in which case you are required to end it. Do not double post or edit your posts. Once we hit the 50th post you are welcome to reply as you like. Suggest titles at that point and I will collect the 50 posts together, mistakes and all (even if say two people follow the end of the same post). Contact me from private message if somethimg is unclear to you.

Beginning
It was 8:00 am when I woke up, I was late for school. My alarm never went off and my parents weren't anywhere to be found. I ate some cereal and had my coffee. I turned on the television and sat on the couch.
 

Dio

~ It's me, Dio!~
Joined
Jul 6, 2011
Location
England
Gender
Absolute unit
Displaying on the TV was one of the news channels. My parents liked to keep up with current affairs first thing in the morning but as for myself, I liked to watch something a bit more entertaining so I reached for the remote to switch over to a different channel, yet I noticed something wasnt right. The news studio that was being broadcast was completely empty.

I waited a minute watching the empty studio just to see if anything would happen. Nothing did. I decided to turn over to another channel. No signal. Another. Same again. Then I searched for another live news channel, that one was working fine yet just like the first it was showing another empty studio.

I got this sinking feeling in my stomach that something terrible had occured. Why was there nobody reporting the news and on two channels? I went to the window to look outside. There were no people in sight and as I listened for the sound of car traffic which could always be heard coming through the window I realized I could hear none.
 

Mamono101

生きることは痛みを知ること。
Staff member
Moderator
Joined
Nov 17, 2011
Location
The Makai
Where is everyone, I thought to myself. My parents not being around in the morning is a normal occurrence from time to time, but to have the entire neighbourhood seemingly vanish was definitely cause for alarm. Mild panic began to set in as the realisation that I was alone caused my chest to tighten. My breathing became shallow and as I struggled to inhale, I could feel my heart pounding. A tingling sensation ran down my left arm as my vision simultaneously blurred. I needed to sit down.

I stumbled my way back to the couch and collapsed trying to inhale and exhale at an even keel in order to stem the state of panic my body had entered. I closed my eyes and began to focus on my breathing. In for four seconds. Out for five. In for four, out for five. Slowly but surely I could feel my heart beat slow. The tingling in my arm began to subside and as the world came back into focus, I was was left feeling fatigued with a lingering anxiousness about what it was I should now do.
 
Joined
Feb 17, 2015
I tried to think back to the day before. Was there anything weird about yesterday? Mom and Dad had another argument over who lost the T.V. remote, we ordered Kung Fu Express take out for dinner again, and I stayed up late finishing an essay on the history of bread. Nothing new or abnormal, besides the essay's subject matter. Why was everyone missing?

The tingling in my arm returned as I made my way to the front door. I needed a way to clear my mind, and driving my vintage Honda Civic seemed like a good way to get some air. The rusty screws and bolts squeaked as I opened and shut the car door. I half expected the piece of junk to not start, but it clicked and banged like it always does. At least my Civic never changes.

Driving down the deserted streets, I wondered where my friends were. Sarah and Josh would probably lose their minds without playing video games. But as long as they were together, they'd have each other to complain with. Mari and I swapped phone numbers just last week and we kept sending each other emojis over the weekend; things were getting serious! I wonder if she's even thinking about me.

While lost in my thoughts, I ended up driving to my school parking lot. Only a few parking spots remained, the rest packed with teacher and student vehicles. That's weird, I thought. Is everyone here at school? I guess it was all in my head! I parked my old car and bolted through the front doors of the school excited to finally see somebody.

I walked into biology class expecting to get scolded by my professor, but no one was there. Panicking, I checked all the classrooms in the building. Not a soul. What was going on!

I began to reason with myself. They must be on a campus wide lunch break. Yeah, that's it. Everyone at the school, in the town, and on the news are eating lunch somewhere. Of course...

Wondering if it was even lunch time, I glanced at my watch. The hands were stuck on 8:00 AM. The batteries must've died. I grabbed my phone from my pocket, but it too showed 8:00 AM to be the time. Shocked, I looked at all the clocks in the building. 8:00 AM. 8:00 AM. 8:00 AM.

The throbbing in my arm quickened; the pain grew in intensity. I needed to sit down in a safe place. My breathing staggered as I walked back to my car, clinging my left arm. I struggled to get in, but managed to shut the door and start my breathing exercises.

Going through the breathing motions, I noticed the clock on my dashboard read 10:47 AM. Relieved that it must have been a fluke, I calmed down. That's my Civic. If one thing worked, besides the engine, it was the clock; it never missed a second.

"That's some clock you got there," said an unfamiliar voice.
 

Mellow Ezlo

Spoony Bard
Joined
Dec 2, 2012
Location
eh?
Gender
Slothkin
Startled, I began frantically turning my head every which way in an attempt to determine where the mysterious voice was coming from. But I could see no one. There was nobody in my car, nobody in the parking lot, nobody in any of the cars in the parking lot, nobody on the street, nobody in the trees, nobody anywhere. Well... there was a old homeless man eating Baskin Robbins doughnuts while sitting in the grass by a trash can, but it couldn't have been him. I couldn't even tell if he was alive, he wasn't moving or anything. Confused, thinking I must have just imagined it, I started the engine and began backing out of my parking spot.

"That's some clock you got there," the voice said again. But where was it coming from? Thinking my morning drink must have been spiked with something and it was all just a large trip, I pulled out of the parking lot and began driving down the road back to my house.

I decided to stop for coffee on the way. It costed exactly $8.00. Wait, that didn't make any sense. Why was it so expensive? It's usually only $2.75.

"That's some coffee you got there," that same voice said. "WHO'S THERE??" I screamed. No response. Then I realized there wasn't even anybody in the restaurant. But how did I end up with coffee then?

I tried pinching myself, hoping to wake up from this strange strange dream. But nothing happened. I was fully and completely awake. So what was going on then? What was this voice? Where was everybody?

Then, as if from nowhere, in a flash of confetti, a short, stubby man wearing green with red underwear appeared in the passenger seat. He said nothing, but simply stared at me.
I screamed and spilled my coffee. But it wasn't hot. And it didn't leave a stain. Then, the man said four words I will never forget.
 

Dio

~ It's me, Dio!~
Joined
Jul 6, 2011
Location
England
Gender
Absolute unit
It was not the words themselves that were unforgettable but it was the pure glee with which the little man said them, and the look of joy on his face.

'Oh don't look so surprised, sir' The man said. As he saw my startled expression 'Not everyone likes their parents you know. Mine were just a pain in the rear end sir. A pain! Always telling me to grow up and act my age...but why should I!? I still can't believe she is finally gone. Nobody left to tell me how to behave sir. Nobody!'

'Ummm...what are you doing in my car? How did you even get in?' I asked, confused and terrified at the same time.

'Oh sir...How terribly rude of me...I am Tingle. A fairy sir. And I am here to help you save the world!'
 

Mamono101

生きることは痛みを知ること。
Staff member
Moderator
Joined
Nov 17, 2011
Location
The Makai
I must have been more tired than I realised. Rubbing my eyes, I blinked profusely praying that this strange, little man sitting in my passenger seat was nothing more than a figment of my imagination. Even though I had heard him talk, there was no way this wasn't all in my head.

I turned my head to face the front of the car and stared through the windshield at a giant red balloon that was tied to the front bumper of my car. The strange man must have put it there while I was grabbing my coffee. Perhaps if I just ignored him, he'd go back to whatever recess of my mind that conjured him up. As the minutes ticked by, I could see out of the corner of my eye that he was growing more and more agitated. After fifteen minutes he exploded.
"SIR," he yelled into my left ear, "DID YOU NOT HEAR ME, SIR?"

It seemed obvious to me that the problem wasn't that I couldn't hear him, but that I most definitely could. I stretched out the index finger on my right hand and jabbed it into his side. The man let out a yelp as my finger confirmed that he was indeed corporeal.

"So," I reluctantly began, "you're... a fairy?"
"I am not just any fairy. I am your fairy, sir," he declared proudly.
"Erm...OK, I guess. And you're supposed to help me save the world?"
"That is right, sir! Only Tingle knows the magic words to stop all this and he swears he didn't make them up all by himself."

Sometimes when you wake up in the morning, you just know that it's going to be one of those days and unfortunately for me there was nothing in the world that could have prepared me for this. Not even the disappearance of the rest of the human race. Weighing up my options, I decided to play along with Tingle for now. I don't know why exactly but that name seemed somewhat familiar and despite looking like he was at least 35 years old and wearing a ridiculously tight-fitting green outfit, he was the first living thing I'd seen all day and it would be good to have some sort of company.

"OK," I replied, "You can come along for now. But I'm warning you, make one wrong move and I'll... I'll... eat you." He certainly looked like he could make a substantial meal if it ever became necessary.
"Yes, sir, Tingle understands, sir."

And just like that I had myself a rather strange companion. Weighing up my options of what to do next, I noticed that the light was fading. I'd spent more time talking to Tingle than I'd realised and the sun would be setting soon. I decided to get back on track with the original plan which was to drive back home, pack a bag with emergency supplies and set out to try and find some sort of clue about what it was that had happened whilst I was asleep. Perhaps Tingle might even be able to shed some light on that.

As I turned onto the street where my house was, I got a text message. I knew from the custom tone that it was from Josh and I could feel my anxiety creeping up on me again. I pulled into the driveway, stopped the engine and looked at my phone. The message was blank but there was an image file attached. I downloaded it, but at first glance was unable to make heads or tails of it. There was also some strange language I'd never seen before resembling hieroglyphs across the top. As fast I could I texted back: Josh? I'm so glad you're alive! Where are you? Is Sarah with you? What is this that you've sent me?

Ten minutes went by, and just as I was about to give up hope I got a reply. Two simple words: Tingle knows.
 

Stitch

AKA Patrick
Joined
Aug 13, 2013
I turned to Tingle. "Do you know what this means?" I asked.
"I have magic powers, I can bring them all back." Tingle said, emotionless and staring at me.
"Bring them back goddammit!" I yelled at him. He became startled and started crying profusely.
He managed to tell me through his sobbing, "If only I had my wand, but alas it is in a kingdom far away."
"Where is this kingdom?" I asked him, still hoping that this was all just a terrible dream.
"Not in this dimension." He muttered.
 
G

Guest-3

Guest
I pondered on the thought for a moment. There were so many other parallel dimensions... it would be near impossible to find, not to mention that even if I did get to the right dimension, it could take eons to find such a relatively small artifact...
"Tingle," I spoke with the weight of despair and regret on my voice. "I need you to calm down, alright?"
I very carefully placed my calloused hands upon his shoulders. Tingle, huffing a bit, wipes his nose with his wrist and looks up at my face.
"Better?" I ask softly. He nods.
"Good." A slight smile finds its way onto my face. "I need you to lead me to this dimension. It is imperative that we find your wand and bring them back... I'd rather not say what I'd do to you if you didn't find it..."
Tingle swallows hard. "U-um... alright. I'll lead you to it... b-but please don't kill me..?"
I cock my head to the side in thought. "That's a deal- for now."
 

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