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Post by reasonably_crazy on Aug 29, 2005 0:26:05 GMT -5
LOL!
Smug pencils?! I love how it 'adopted' her. This is so awesome!
The story LIVEZORZ!
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Post by Hobbit-eyes on Sept 2, 2005 13:39:59 GMT -5
I liked the idea of that too - I have no idea where it came from. In fact, I have no idea where this entire chapter came from. It just came out of my fingers while I was typing. I have no idea where this story is going... except for the absolute ending.
Anyway.... here's some more.
Alex picked up the pencil, and said slightly desperately, “I can’t leave this behind?”
“No,” said the wizard, “It won’t leave you now until it chooses.”
“But – what does it want me to do with it?”
“Errrr,” replied the wizard, looking at his shoes and running his hand through his hair again.
“Save us,” muttered the cat disparagingly.
“What?” said Alex in alarm.
“As in ‘Oh mercy, the dithering quality of this wizard’,” said Cephalonius wearily, “Not as in ‘The pencil wishes you to save the world’. Not yet, anyway.”
“What?? Then what does it want me to do with it?”
“Well?” said the cat to the wizard. Alex turned to him as well. He looked extremely worried.
“First things first…” he said finally, “We ought to get away from here. Cephalonius is right, he’ll turn up here sooner or later…”
“Am I ever not?” said Cephalonius, sounding slightly insulted, but Alex interrupted,
“WE? Me too? Why me?”
“Because the pencil which they’re looking for has just adopted you and it’s you they’re looking for,” said the wizard all in a rush, “So it really is safer if you came with me-”
“Us,” said Cephalonius pointedly.
“Like I could get rid of you,” grumbled the wizard, “But Alex, it would safer for you to get away from here. As Cephalonius said, Mr Brown will be able to tell the pencil’s nearby…”
“He couldn’t in the hospital,” said Alex, “He was sitting right next to me.”
“He probably could,” said the wizard grimly, “But he was probably hoping to get it from you of your own free will. If the pencil had adopted you, as he might have suspected, he wouldn’t want to provoke it… and it was a public place – as you may have guessed, we wizards are trying to avoid detection.”
“Mr Brown’s a wizard too?”
“You hadn’t guessed?” said Cephalonius disdainfully.
“I – I thought he might be…” said Alex, heart sinking slightly. Great, she was caught up in some wizarding conflict…
“Yes, he’s a wizard,” said the wizard, “A powerful one – more powerful than me. And he wants the pencil back.”
“Why? What does it-”
“And so we really ought to get away from here,” he added more loudly, “Do you want to run home and get some things?”
“Er… OK…” said Alex, getting to her feet, mind racing. “Where are we going to go?”
“Let me handle that,” said the wizard, who had picked up the mugs off the table and was putting them in the dishwasher, “Be back here in five minutes. Cephalonius, go with her. If you see Mr Brown in the street, hide in your room, don’t answer the door – I’ll try to get rid of him.”
Alex opened her mouth to ask how, but then decided she didn’t want to know. She turned and hurried out of the kitchen, into the hall and out the front door, Cephalonius at her heels.
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Post by reasonably_crazy on Sept 2, 2005 13:56:49 GMT -5
Oooh.... Exciting....
Mr. brown... That can't be his real name, is it? A tad boring for a powerful evil wizard...
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Post by Hobbit-eyes on Sept 3, 2005 12:47:45 GMT -5
No, it's not his real name. But it'll do for now, because I don't know what his real name is. I don't even know what the wizard's name is.
I don't know ANYTHING about this story! You should have realized that by now!
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Post by reasonably_crazy on Sept 3, 2005 13:26:13 GMT -5
Well, yes, but my expectations seem to be refusing to be lowered.
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Post by Hobbit-eyes on Sept 4, 2005 9:22:45 GMT -5
Oh dear. Well, here's some more then.
She ran across the road to her house. As she rifled around in her pocket for the key, she glanced nervously up and down the street. There was no sign of Mr Brown, but she hurriedly let herself into the house and locked the door behind her, and checked the back door was locked as well before she ran up the stairs two at a time to her room.
She pulled her backpack out from under her bed and tried to think what she might need. She decided she wasn’t going to stay away too long, no matter how dangerous it was, so she only took a spare shirt and some underwear. She stuffed her money into one pocket and her phone into the other. Out of habit, she threw in her hairbrush, toothbrush and toothpaste, and after a moment’s hesitation, put in her diary and her small teddy as well. She looked at her backpack thoughtfully, shook her head and took the teddy out again. She put in a couple of her books on wizards (for any useful tips) and, after much internal debate, quickly tucked in her teddy again and zipped up her backpack before her brain tutted her too much.
“No more clothes?” asked Cephalonius, in what she thought was quite an accusing tone.
“We’re not going to be gone long,” said Alex firmly.
“Really?” said Cephalonius mildly, “How long are we going to be gone?”
“I – er – well, only overnight, surely? At the most?”
“I wouldn’t be so sure,” said Cephalonius in a raised eyebrow tone of voice.
“But – I can’t stay away too long, my parents…”
The cat sighed exasperatedly. “The wizard will think of something. I realize you’ve only known him for two days now, and that since meeting you he has stolen your car, crashed your car, broken your arm, mended your arm, and lumbered you with a pencil who plans to use you to protect it and achieve its ends… but you really ought to trust him.”
“I do,” insisted Alex, “I just-”
“If you find it difficult to trust him, you can at least be assured that I will always make sure he does the most sensible thing,” interrupted Cephalonius, “I have been with him for a very long time and with wizards for considerably longer – and I have only been wrong twice.”
“When?”
“When I claimed that I would never be wrong, and then when I… made a misjudgement.”
“What-”
“You’re very assuming, aren’t you?” observed Cephalonius with a hint of disapproval, “You assume that I’ll just tell you about this significant part of my life? You’ve known the wizard for two days, and you don’t trust him yet. I’ve known you for, what, five minutes?”
“I do trust him-”
“And you assume that this is all going to blow over in a couple of days. Do you have any idea what you’re involved in?”
“No,” said Alex, barely keeping irritation out of her voice, “Because you haven’t told me.”
“And the wizard will when he’s ready. Which you should trust him to. Until then, you should trust that he’s getting you away from here for a good reason.”
“I told you, I do-”
“You trust him to do what?” Alex didn’t answer. “My first bit of advice for you – stop assuming things. For example, I wouldn’t assume that it’s safe just to hang around here talking. Mr Brown could be coming around the corner right this moment. Shouldn’t you be packing extra socks?”
“I’m hanging around talking? You’re the one who thought this was a good moment to start lecturing me about trust!”
“It was,” said Cephalonius, “Lesson two – don’t argue with me. I am always right.”
“You’ve been wrong twice.”
“All the more reason for me not to be wrong again. Now get socks.”
Alex suppressed a sigh of exasperation and grabbed some socks from her drawer, and shoved them into her backpack as well. “And take a jacket, it’s cold out,” ordered Cephalonius.
Alex grabbed a black fleece when she heard the doorbell buzz (the bell had broken years ago). She looked out the window and saw the wizard standing on her doorstep, looking up and down the street nervously. “He’s here,” she said, shouldered her backpack and ran down the stairs. Cephalonius sighed and followed her at a more leisurely pace.
As she laid her hand on the front door latch, Cephalonius called from the middle of the stairs, “Are you sure it’s him?”
“Of course it’s-” Alex hesitated. “Why?”
The cat nodded satisfactorily. “You’re learning. You’re not assuming.”
The doorbell buzzed again, and the wizard banged on the door. “It looks like him – can wizards change shape?”
“I haven’t heard of them being able to for years,” said Cephalonius, “But Mr Brown has the gift of appearing as whatever he wants people to see him as. What did he look like to you?”
“Er – quite old, brown thinning hair – someone trustworthy,” said Alex, comprehension dawning, “And he appeared to my mum as someone she wanted to help – and to the nurse as someone allowed to see me-”
The cat nodded. “But – could he appear as anyone?” said Alex, disturbed, “Could he appear as the wizard? Or my parents?”
The cat shrugged. “I have no idea whether he is so powerful as to take on someone else’s appearance.”
The wizard started pounding on the door. “Alex? Alex, are you in there?”
He sounded genuinely worried. Alex looked nervously at the door. “Then how do I check?”
“Ask.”
Alex stared at the cat, but realized he was being deadly serious.
Apoloies for the cliffhanger, but that's as much as I wrote last night. I was watching 'Top 100 films' on channel 4, and writing when some old western came on or some other film I didn't know. It concludes tonight, so I'll write more then.
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Post by reasonably_crazy on Sept 10, 2005 21:54:55 GMT -5
Ask. Good plan.
This sounds quite dramatic... I hopes you update soon!
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Post by Hobbit-eyes on Sept 12, 2005 11:40:44 GMT -5
Being tied up with schoolwork, I haven't had much time to write this... here's a bit to tide you over.
A very little bit.
Nervously, she stepped a little closer to the door, and called through, “Hello?”
“Alex? Open the door!”
“Er…”
“Hurry up!”
Alex glanced at Cephalonius. The cat looked at her. “Erm – you are the wizard, aren’t you?”
There was a pause. “What sort of question is that?”
“Cephalonius told me to ask.”
She heard the wizard swear and mutter, “Bloody know-it-all.”
“That’s him,” said Cephalonius brightly.
Alex quickly pulled open the door and stood aside to let the irritated and confused-looking wizard step over the threshold. “Sorry, but Cephalonius just said-”
“Don’t apologize. I expect you’ve been lecturing her, haven’t you?” said the wizard in an accusing tone to Cephalonius, who yawned.
“If she kept going without any kind of warning, she would have got into trouble.”
“She’s not going to have any opportunities to get into trouble,” said the wizard firmly.
The cat sighed. “He keeps assuming things as well,” he said despairingly to Alex, “Denial isn’t just a river in Egypt…”
The wizard ignored him. “Ready to go?”
“I think so… we’re not going to be gone too long, are we?”
“Hmm? Oh, I shouldn’t think so.” The wizard went into the kitchen and left a blank sheet of paper on the table. Seeing Alex’s inquiring look, he explained, “It’s charged with magic so that whatever someone wants to see, they’ll see it written there. So that whatever excuse for you vanishing for a few days that your mother would accept, she’ll see written in that ‘letter’ there.”
“Can’t we tell her what’s happening?”
“Oh no,” said the wizard, looking surprised, “Oh no, you should never get parents involved. They just complicate things. Ready? Right! Let’s go.”
That really was a very, very little bit... i will write more.
Once I, um, know what happens next.
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Post by Hobbit-eyes on Sept 27, 2005 9:05:43 GMT -5
Alex, the wizard and Cephalonius let themselves out of the house. After a quick glance up and down the road, the three of them hurried down the street. Just before they turned the corner, Alex glanced back. She saw a car coming round the corner at the other end of the road, and subconsciously grabbed the pencil in her pocket. It was slightly warm. She tore her eyes away and hurriedly rounded the corner.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“I phoned my nephew, James. He said he’d meet us at the newsagents.”
“Is he a wizard too?”
“No, he doesn’t like pointy hats. He can do a bit of magic, though, if that’s what you mean.”
“He’s an idiot,” commented Cephalonius.
“Cephalonius! Don’t be cruel.”
“It’s true.”
“No it’s not,” said the wizard firmly to Alex.
“Denial again,” sighed Cephalonius, “Honestly, you’re so blind to things I’m surprised you don’t wander around bouncing off walls.”
“Cephalonius and James have never got along,” explained the wizard, “I don’t know why.”
“He’s an idiot,” repeated Cephalonius.
“That’s no reason to dislike someone.”
“It’s a start.”
The wizard sighed, but didn’t say anything. They walked in silence to the newsagents – the very same newsagents Alex’s mum had parked outside only yesterday – with Alex trying to stop herself from glancing behind them every few seconds to see if they were being followed. However, the pencil had gone cool again, and the wizard seemed calm enough, so Alex tried to relax.
“I think we’d better wait inside,” muttered the wizard when they reached the door, “Look less suspicious – Cephalonius, you’ll have to wait outside.”
Cephalonius gave him a look which left Alex in no doubt just what he thought of this suggestion.
“Good cat,” said the wizard, and he and Alex entered the shop.
The bell chimed as they opened the door, and again as they closed it. The wizard wandered over to the drinks fridge and seemed to become engrossed in deciding between a Summer Splash or Fruits of the Forest drink. Following his example, and also her instincts, Alex headed for the sweets aisle.
She was closely examining the Dairy Milks when she heard a strange clicking noise. She looked around for the source of the noise, even covering her ears to check whether it was coming from her own head. When she lowered her hands again and looked around in confusion, she heard a stifled laugh behind her.
Spinning round, she saw a young man who had stuck his head over the next aisle, and was holding an old-fashioned camera. He grinned at her, and took another photo.
“Er,” said Alex, “What are you doing?”
He lowered the camera, and said with a strange look on his face, “Stealing your soul.”
“Oh. Er. OK.”
He snapped another photo of her confused face and lowered the camera with a laugh of disbelief. “Bloody hell, you thought I was serious. Do people try to steal your soul a lot?”
“I didn’t think you were serious,” said Alex, reddening.
“You seemed to think your own head was clicking.”
“I-” Alex took the moment in which she half sighed, half growled in irritation, to look at him properly. He had black hair, glasses, and was wearing a black shirt with a red tie. The camera around his neck would be described by a second-hand dealer as ‘well-used’ and a ‘classic model’. And he was laughing at her again.
Failing to think of a snappy comeback, she asked, “Why are you photographing me?”
Before he could answer, she heard the wizard call, “James! There you are!”
She span round to see who the wizard was talking to, and was surprised to see him walking towards her – and smiling at the boy with the camera.
“You’re James?” she said in amazement.
The boy lowered the camera (with which he’d just snapped a photo of the wizard) and looked at her with a similar look of surprise. “You’re Alex?” he said in horror.
The wizard slowed, looking from one to the other. “Ah,” he said.
“This is Alex?” James demanded, “The girl the pencil has adopted, the girl we’re having to hide with us, the girl upon whom the entire future of the world may rest?”
“Er,” replied the wizard, “Yes.”
James swore. Alex blinked in surprise.
“What?” she asked.
“You’re-” began James furiously, but then stopped himself, running his hand through his hair in a way she recognized from the wizard. “You’re just not what I expected,” he said finally.
“What did you expect?”
“I don’t know, just… someone different.”
Before Alex could say anything, the wizard, sensing trouble, quickly cut in, “James, are we ready to go?”
“Yeah, sure,” said James, “Just a minute-” He suddenly turned round and snapped a photo of a group of children by the ice-cream freezer. Ignoring their looks of astonishment, he turned back to them, grin back in place, and said, “Now we can go – just once I’ve bought some M&Ms.”
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Post by reasonably_crazy on Sept 27, 2005 11:55:38 GMT -5
hehehe... I kind of like James so far. He seems likable.
Of course, I've read about 4 paragraphs with him in it, but still.
Poor bewildered alex.... *giggles madly*
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Post by Hobbit-eyes on Sept 27, 2005 16:07:44 GMT -5
He's an idiot. ;D
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Post by reasonably_crazy on Sept 29, 2005 23:54:34 GMT -5
I loff idiots. I'm an idiot.
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Post by Hobbit-eyes on Sept 30, 2005 6:23:27 GMT -5
Everyone's an idiot.
YAAAAAY!
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Post by reasonably_crazy on Oct 2, 2005 18:09:20 GMT -5
*Par-TAYS for idiots*
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Post by Hobbit-eyes on Oct 3, 2005 11:50:44 GMT -5
Again, story is delayed as I try to figure out what happens next...
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