The old man turned to face me. "Get up! Get going! The world won't stop for you, son. There's an entire mass of humanity behind you, and they'l run your ass over. Millions of slobbering, toothless, gaping minds who won't give a second thought to crushing you where you sit, because they don't even have a first thought. "
He looked around nervously, and lit a cigarette. "And there's worse than that, you know. Weaving around in that flabby meat soup are eels. Teeth sharper than anything you know, and they're holding paper. Contracts, laws, rules, tickets, signs, memos, warrants, briefs, answers. Always answers. You can't let them catch you. Before you know it, they're shoving fistfuls of bills down your throat and they won't stop for nothing. So get going."
Crouching down beside me, his skin looked like folded carboard. "Think of your family, son. Your mother, your father. Do it for them. Do it for your wife, or the one you want to marry some day. You got to stay above it, you got to do it right. Because even if you avoid the meat sacks and the eels, what comes next it worse, because it ain't nothing. Nothing to speak of. No reasons. Just a horrible, screaming silence, consuming the entire world."
He held out his hand. "So keep moving, son. Can't let go. Can't give up. Move. Always move." I reached up, felt his bony, leathered grip. Another step. I was responsible.
Hope you don't mind, I have NO idea where this came from.
Quote
The old woman turned to face me. "Look around! Keep going! The world won't stop for you, girl. There's an entire mass of humanity around you, and they never stop. Millions of empty, gaping minds who won't give a second thought to crushing you where you sit, because they don't even have a first thought, and it's up to you to put it there."
See looked around, eyes wide with wonder. "And there's better than that, you know. Weaving around among the mindless are eels. Minds sharper than anything you know, and they're holding paper. Posters, memes, flyers, arguments, and questions. Always questions. You can't let yourself miss them. Before you know it, they're gone, off doing their thing, and if you're too slow, you'll miss the perspective they can bring to your life. So get going."
Crouching down beside me, her skin looked like an old apple. "Think of your family, girl. Your mother, your father. Do it for them. Do it for your husband, or your wife, or the one you want to marry some day. You got to stay with it, you got to do it right. Because even if you teach the ignorant and learn from the brilliant, what comes next it better, because nobody knows. And there ain't nothing finer than a mystery."
She held out her hand. "So keep moving, girl. Can't let go. Can't give up. Move. Always move." I reached up, felt her bony, leathered grip. Another step. I was free.
Works for me. I was trying to get something out of my head, I think I was trying too hard. Mine didn't turn out as well as I was hoping. Maybe I'll use the thread to keep trying.
Quote from: LMNO, PhD on March 08, 2011, 08:47:58 PM
Works for me. I was trying to get something out of my head, I think I was trying too hard. Mine didn't turn out as well as I was hoping. Maybe I'll use the thread to keep trying.
Sometimes you gotta cough it up and look at it. I think I can see where you were going, my brain just took it a different direction.
I like both. :mittens:
OK, I think it makes sense to me now.
:mittens:
Quote from: LMNO, PhD on March 08, 2011, 08:47:58 PM
Works for me. I was trying to get something out of my head, I think I was trying too hard. Mine didn't turn out as well as I was hoping.
Balls. There's something hideous lurking in the OP.
Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on March 09, 2011, 06:59:12 PM
Quote from: LMNO, PhD on March 08, 2011, 08:47:58 PM
Works for me. I was trying to get something out of my head, I think I was trying too hard. Mine didn't turn out as well as I was hoping.
Balls. There's something hideous lurking in the OP.
Yes it is tickling my brain as well.... I thought it was just me.
Quote from: Khara on March 09, 2011, 07:01:56 PM
Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on March 09, 2011, 06:59:12 PM
Quote from: LMNO, PhD on March 08, 2011, 08:47:58 PM
Works for me. I was trying to get something out of my head, I think I was trying too hard. Mine didn't turn out as well as I was hoping.
Balls. There's something hideous lurking in the OP.
Yes it is tickling my brain as well.... I thought it was just me.
Not at all. It kicked me in the muse, which has been sleeping for a LONG-ass time... You really don't want to know how long it's been since I've written anything, much less threw it up for public view, much less done so in, what, less than 20 minutes, which meant I couldn't have spent weeks agonizing over every word...
Quote from: Khara on March 09, 2011, 07:01:56 PM
Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on March 09, 2011, 06:59:12 PM
Quote from: LMNO, PhD on March 08, 2011, 08:47:58 PM
Works for me. I was trying to get something out of my head, I think I was trying too hard. Mine didn't turn out as well as I was hoping.
Balls. There's something hideous lurking in the OP.
Yes it is tickling my brain as well.... I thought it was just me.
Hah! Same. I keep coming back to it, but now I think I've placed it.
It evokes a similar manic terror as many of the Surprise Me Eris pieces. It looks like you got to the point where everything is about to go completely wrong and then abruptly stop. The effect is that a supernatural entity is no longer required to provoke a scare; reality is sufficient, in the brief times where your guard is dropped to experience it entirely.
Quote from: Eater of Clowns on March 09, 2011, 07:09:10 PM
Quote from: Khara on March 09, 2011, 07:01:56 PM
Quote from: The Good Reverend Roger on March 09, 2011, 06:59:12 PM
Quote from: LMNO, PhD on March 08, 2011, 08:47:58 PM
Works for me. I was trying to get something out of my head, I think I was trying too hard. Mine didn't turn out as well as I was hoping.
Balls. There's something hideous lurking in the OP.
Yes it is tickling my brain as well.... I thought it was just me.
Hah! Same. I keep coming back to it, but now I think I've placed it.
It evokes a similar manic terror as many of the Surprise Me Eris pieces. It looks like you got to the point where everything is about to go completely wrong and then abruptly stop. The effect is that a supernatural entity is no longer required to provoke a scare; reality is sufficient, in the brief times where your guard is dropped to experience it entirely.
Everything makes me think of Nessies, now.