What are the games like?
“Chess is easy. It’s this board with squares – “
You don’t have to talk, Chuck interrupted. I can read your mind.
Bob paused, “Can you read – “
Anyone’s mind? Yes.
“Wow.” Bob paused. “What am I thinking – ?”
Right now? You’re wondering if I can tell you what your mother is thinking. I can, but it’s against the rules of the project. If I tell you what anyone else is thinking, I fail.
“Bummer. That would have been cool.” Bob always wondered what grown-ups were thinking. “You want me to think at you? I’d rather just talk.” Bob placed both palms to his forehead and massaged, careful not to dislodge the Kleenex still dangling from his nose. “This is too weird.”
You will get used to it. Try it. Explain chess. Don’t use words.
Bob sat down. He hunched over and breathed deeply. Closing his eyes, he ran his fingers into his hair and pulled the image of a chessboard to the front of his mind. He carefully added each piece starting with the white rooks and ending with the black pawns. Finished, he sat back and relaxed.
See. Easy. You’ll get better at it. You’re still trying to think it the way you would speak it. Here, someday you’ll do it like this. A chess board and its complements abruptly filled Bob’s mind.
Bob laughed, “You didn’t tell me there were shortcuts.”
Sorry. Now you know. Show me how to play.
“Awesome!” Bob grinned, “watch this!” Sitting up straight, he launched his mind into images of his favorite openings and the various counter strategies. He played white. Pawn forward so the bishop can exit. How would Chuck counter? Projecting Chuck’s shimmer on the other side of the board, Bob’s mind exploded into sound and color. Reeling and retching, he fell backwards onto the floor. His chest heaved with effort to comprehend, and he ripped his eyes open. “Chuck,” he coughed, “what just happened?”
Silence. The shimmer flickered in and out of substance. “Chuck! Chuck! Come back! What happened? Chuuuuuuuuuck!”
What did you do? Chuck’s thoughts floated to Bob from a distance. Don’t do it again.
“I tried to see you in my mind. I tried to put your shimmer on the other side of the chess board, and then everything just fell apart. What do you think it was, Chuck? What happened to you?
I was everywhere and all-time, like they said I would be when I Traveled. I was everywhere, but I was concentrating on you. Then you pulled me toward you, out of everywhere. For a second I was nowhere. Then you let go and I am everywhere again, concentrating on you. Just a minute. I’ll ask.
“What? What are you talking about?” asked Bob. “Who are you going to ask?” Emptiness. No shimmer. No thoughts. No Chuck. “Nuts!” Bob lay there looking at the ceiling fan. It circled with his thoughts, always arriving at the same point. “What the crazy is going on?” No answer. Exhausted, his head lolled to the right. The chair he had used to get the comics was on its side, under the light switch. Blood spattered the lower bookshelves, making Bob remember his nose. It didn’t hurt anymore. Comics, his favorite comics, spread helter-skelter, covered in red specks. Of course he had bled on his comics. “Dang it!” he shouted. “I said, WHAT IS GOING ON?”
The door sprang open, hitting the chair. Busy with his thoughts, he hadn’t noticed his mother’s footsteps in the hall.
“Bob? Bobby! Are you Ok? Open the door please. What have you been doing? Why didn’t you answer when I called?”
“Nothing's wrong.” He sat up and pushed the chair away from the door. “I was trying to get my comics when I fell. I got a bloody nose, see?” He slipped the tissue out of his nose for proof. “Then I read for a while. That’s all. I have a headache,” he finished, his voice barely audible. “I feel really weird.”
Mom paused before she responded. “You know what works best when you have a headache, right?” She was worried. He looked pale.
“Yeah.” His tongue labored to form the words. “You always say I’m dehydrated, to get a drink of water and lay down.” He paused. “I don’t need a drink, but I’m going to lie down.” He couldn’t help but notice how closely she watched him. “What?”
“You look really pale, Bobby. Is it just the headache?” she knelt and cradled his head in her arms. She smelled so safe.
Bob opened his mouth to tell her everything. “Yeah,” was all that came out. What if he was crazy? Hadn’t Chuck said he’d be right back? ”It’s just the headache. I’ll be fine.”
Bob’s mom was still worried. “Are you sure?” Standing up, she surveyed his room. “Bob honey, don’t worry about the mess. Just get some rest.” Then her eyes caught something unexpected and she changed her mind. “You know what, Bob? You can get the comics later, but I’ll get the chess right now. You don’t want to lose any of dad’s pieces.” She stepped over to his left and stooped to gather the men, starting, as he had, with the white rook. Working quickly, it didn’t take her long to pack everything away and chivvy him into bed. Bob lay silently dumbfounded. How had it happened? Mom must be really worried. He didn’t even get in trouble. She left, taking the heirloom chess set and closing the door. Bob surged out of bed with the click of the latch. His fingers instantly sought his hair. How had his father’s chess set come to be in his room? And who had set up the pieces?
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
BobChuck -- Chapter I, The Beginning
Chapter I: Alien Introductions
Bob Robert Robertson stepped out of the back door to put the garbage out. A shimmer on the brick wall made him stop mid step. Turning to get a closer look, a thought burst into his brain.
I won’t hurt you.
Duh. Of course I won’t hurt me. What a stupid thought. Bob turned away from the shimmer and dumped the collection of dirty diapers and kitchen waste into the big outside bin. “Mom, it’s done,” he yelled. Quietly he spoke again, “I’m going to Eric’s house, OK?” Then he ran. He wasn’t giving her any time to say no.
It’s not that important.
Bob stopped. “Yes it is,” he said out loud. “What are you talking about?”
“Bob, who are you talking to?” It was Liza, the girl from next door. She thought she was his friend or something. He started running again for an answer. “Where are you going? Eric’s out of town, remember?”
Dumb girl. How come she was always spying on him? He turned around started walking home. Liza watched him from her porch. “Where are you going now?”
Wasn’t it obvious? Another question he didn’t care to answer.
“Come see my Bonsai jasmine. It’s blossoming.”
Jasmine? Now that’s important.
“Jasmine’s not important,” Bob shouted, but only half to Liza. What is going on? He pelted home. Reaching for the screen door, his eye caught the shimmer again. It had moved. “Weird,” Bob said, and then he slipped inside.
I didn’t see anything weird.
“Yes I did,” Bob mumbled. Where are these thoughts coming from?
“Forgot Eric’s out of town, didn’t you?” Mom interrupted Bob’s wories. “He’ll be back before you know it. You could see what Liza’s up to.”
“Liza’s a girl,” Bob answered as if that decided the matter.
“I’m a girl. What does that have to do with it?”
And she has jasmine.
“I don’t care if she has jasmine or not!” Bob shouted.
“What are you yelling about?" aksed mom. "I didn’t say anything about jasmine. I’m just saying that I’m a girl, and I’m dang cool, so you better watch what you say about girls.”
“Oh mom, you’re not a girl," Bobn grinned. "Liza’s weird. She has these little trees that she’s always talking about. That’s boring.”
Jasmine!
“Besides,” Bob ignored the interruption, “I feel weird. I’m gonna go read.”
“Ok. But Liza’s not that bad, and you’ve got the whole summer ahead of you without Eric. Bonsai trees are not normal plants Bob. They’re very beautiful, and extremely valuable.”
And I could get some jasmine.
“Ok, ok. Leave me alone about Liza, ok? I just don’t like her.” Bob slumped down the hall to his room and began rifling the bookshelf. What he needed was an alien killing, planet saving comic book -- something to take his mind off Eric, Liza, and this jasmine weirdness.
A few minutes later, Bob climbed on a chair to reach the box that held his comics. Jumping as high as he dared, he tap-tapped the box toward him off the shelf. Almost there . . . just one more . . . the box was ready to drop perfectly into his hands when Bob noticed the shimmer on the wall and hit the box too hard. His feet missed the chair, but his rear caught the edge of the seat and tipped it forward. Slam! His nose was crushed against the spine of Lewis's The Voyage of the Dawn Treader on a lower shelf. It started to bleed all over the rug. Picoseconds later, ten years of favorite comics hit him on top of the head.
I didn’t mean to scare you.
Shaking his head in pain and frustration, Bob plugged his bleeding nostril and eyed the shimmer. It was moving toward him. Yanking himself up, he stumbled to the opposite wall. “What are you!?” He never took his eyes off the shimmer. “What are you doing to my brain!?”
I’m communicating with you. The shimmer advanced.
“Stop! Don't come any closer!" Bob was panting, trying not to freak out. He shot a question at the shimmer. "Why don’t you talk like a normal person?”
I’m not a person. I’m an alien. The shimmer was close enough to touch him.
Bob’s head stopped pounding. Blood ran from his nose unchecked. “You’re an alien? No way. This is some kind of joke." Eric, is that you?” But he knew the shimmer was not a joke. No joke could get inside his head. This had to be real. How awesome can it get!
Who’s Eric?
“My friend.” Bob remembered the blood running over his lips and down his chin. “Be right back.”
Wait! Where are you going?
“I’ll be back. I just need a Kleenex.”
Don’t tell anyone. If you do, I’ll disappear.
Bob's mom interrupted their dialogue for a second. "Bob, are you Ok? It sounded like something fell." The sound of her footsteps in the hall put him in a panic.
"Yeah, I'm Ok! My comics fell. Don't worry, I'll pick them up."
"All right, honey. I'm going for a walk with Beth. Be back in a half hour. Are you sure you don't need anything?"
"Yeah, I'm good mom. Bye." He grinned at the shimmer. "Don't worry, I won't tell. No one would believe this anyway. Hang on a sec, I’m getting blood all over my shirt.”
In a few moments Bob returned with a wad of Kleenex shoved up his left nostril and carrying a roll of Charmin’ two ply. The shimmer was still there. Bob held up the toilet paper. “In case it doesn’t stop,” he explained, sure that the creature would be wondering. Then he voiced some of the million questions that occurred to him on his trip to the bathroom. “Why did you come here? What’s your name anyway? What’s it like where you came from? Can I go? Who-"
My name is Wgrcckkyptptgs.
This halted Bob. “Huh? Waggerchuckypotputgoose? What kind of a name is that? That will definitely not work on earth. I’m calling you Chuck. Are you a boy or a girl?”
Boy.
“How old are you?”
Ten.
“Cool, me too. Are you guys on summer vacation? We are.”
No.
“Then why aren’t you at school?”
I am at school.
“Come on, this is my bedroom. What are you talking about?”
You wouldn’t understand.
“Yes I would. I’m the smartest one in my class. Everyone says so.”
Someone on your planet had an idea called the theory of relativity. Do you know it?
“No, what is it?”
Time slows for someone traveling at high speeds. He was right. When you travel at the speed of light, time stops. I am at school, and I am in your room, and I am in between. All is present. Do you understand?
“No, but it sounds cool. How do you know about it?”
My teacher told me. I don’t get it either, but my dad told me not to worry about it and just do the project. He said it would be fun.
“What project?”
Homework. Travel in time and space and visit another planet in the past. I’m supposed to make a friend and write a report.
“I hate reports. I had to write one on porcupines. How did you pick me?”
I didn’t. My teacher chose figures important in cosmic history for us to write about. I was assigned your time and space. Will you help me? I have to turn my report in tomorrow.
“Sure.” Bob ran both hands through his hair. He always did this when he was thinking. “Wait a second." He pulled his hair so that it stood on end. "If you’re everywhere in time and space, isn’t your report already done?”
It is for me, but not for you.
“Weird," Bob pulled the Kleenex out of his nose to see if it had stopped bleeding. "Nope," he said, and he shoved it back in. "Want to play a game? I have Spiderman Monopoly and chess. Oh, and this really cool one called Goblet. Eric gave it to me. He's really good at it.”
Bob Robert Robertson stepped out of the back door to put the garbage out. A shimmer on the brick wall made him stop mid step. Turning to get a closer look, a thought burst into his brain.
I won’t hurt you.
Duh. Of course I won’t hurt me. What a stupid thought. Bob turned away from the shimmer and dumped the collection of dirty diapers and kitchen waste into the big outside bin. “Mom, it’s done,” he yelled. Quietly he spoke again, “I’m going to Eric’s house, OK?” Then he ran. He wasn’t giving her any time to say no.
It’s not that important.
Bob stopped. “Yes it is,” he said out loud. “What are you talking about?”
“Bob, who are you talking to?” It was Liza, the girl from next door. She thought she was his friend or something. He started running again for an answer. “Where are you going? Eric’s out of town, remember?”
Dumb girl. How come she was always spying on him? He turned around started walking home. Liza watched him from her porch. “Where are you going now?”
Wasn’t it obvious? Another question he didn’t care to answer.
“Come see my Bonsai jasmine. It’s blossoming.”
Jasmine? Now that’s important.
“Jasmine’s not important,” Bob shouted, but only half to Liza. What is going on? He pelted home. Reaching for the screen door, his eye caught the shimmer again. It had moved. “Weird,” Bob said, and then he slipped inside.
I didn’t see anything weird.
“Yes I did,” Bob mumbled. Where are these thoughts coming from?
“Forgot Eric’s out of town, didn’t you?” Mom interrupted Bob’s wories. “He’ll be back before you know it. You could see what Liza’s up to.”
“Liza’s a girl,” Bob answered as if that decided the matter.
“I’m a girl. What does that have to do with it?”
And she has jasmine.
“I don’t care if she has jasmine or not!” Bob shouted.
“What are you yelling about?" aksed mom. "I didn’t say anything about jasmine. I’m just saying that I’m a girl, and I’m dang cool, so you better watch what you say about girls.”
“Oh mom, you’re not a girl," Bobn grinned. "Liza’s weird. She has these little trees that she’s always talking about. That’s boring.”
Jasmine!
“Besides,” Bob ignored the interruption, “I feel weird. I’m gonna go read.”
“Ok. But Liza’s not that bad, and you’ve got the whole summer ahead of you without Eric. Bonsai trees are not normal plants Bob. They’re very beautiful, and extremely valuable.”
And I could get some jasmine.
“Ok, ok. Leave me alone about Liza, ok? I just don’t like her.” Bob slumped down the hall to his room and began rifling the bookshelf. What he needed was an alien killing, planet saving comic book -- something to take his mind off Eric, Liza, and this jasmine weirdness.
A few minutes later, Bob climbed on a chair to reach the box that held his comics. Jumping as high as he dared, he tap-tapped the box toward him off the shelf. Almost there . . . just one more . . . the box was ready to drop perfectly into his hands when Bob noticed the shimmer on the wall and hit the box too hard. His feet missed the chair, but his rear caught the edge of the seat and tipped it forward. Slam! His nose was crushed against the spine of Lewis's The Voyage of the Dawn Treader on a lower shelf. It started to bleed all over the rug. Picoseconds later, ten years of favorite comics hit him on top of the head.
I didn’t mean to scare you.
Shaking his head in pain and frustration, Bob plugged his bleeding nostril and eyed the shimmer. It was moving toward him. Yanking himself up, he stumbled to the opposite wall. “What are you!?” He never took his eyes off the shimmer. “What are you doing to my brain!?”
I’m communicating with you. The shimmer advanced.
“Stop! Don't come any closer!" Bob was panting, trying not to freak out. He shot a question at the shimmer. "Why don’t you talk like a normal person?”
I’m not a person. I’m an alien. The shimmer was close enough to touch him.
Bob’s head stopped pounding. Blood ran from his nose unchecked. “You’re an alien? No way. This is some kind of joke." Eric, is that you?” But he knew the shimmer was not a joke. No joke could get inside his head. This had to be real. How awesome can it get!
Who’s Eric?
“My friend.” Bob remembered the blood running over his lips and down his chin. “Be right back.”
Wait! Where are you going?
“I’ll be back. I just need a Kleenex.”
Don’t tell anyone. If you do, I’ll disappear.
Bob's mom interrupted their dialogue for a second. "Bob, are you Ok? It sounded like something fell." The sound of her footsteps in the hall put him in a panic.
"Yeah, I'm Ok! My comics fell. Don't worry, I'll pick them up."
"All right, honey. I'm going for a walk with Beth. Be back in a half hour. Are you sure you don't need anything?"
"Yeah, I'm good mom. Bye." He grinned at the shimmer. "Don't worry, I won't tell. No one would believe this anyway. Hang on a sec, I’m getting blood all over my shirt.”
In a few moments Bob returned with a wad of Kleenex shoved up his left nostril and carrying a roll of Charmin’ two ply. The shimmer was still there. Bob held up the toilet paper. “In case it doesn’t stop,” he explained, sure that the creature would be wondering. Then he voiced some of the million questions that occurred to him on his trip to the bathroom. “Why did you come here? What’s your name anyway? What’s it like where you came from? Can I go? Who-"
My name is Wgrcckkyptptgs.
This halted Bob. “Huh? Waggerchuckypotputgoose? What kind of a name is that? That will definitely not work on earth. I’m calling you Chuck. Are you a boy or a girl?”
Boy.
“How old are you?”
Ten.
“Cool, me too. Are you guys on summer vacation? We are.”
No.
“Then why aren’t you at school?”
I am at school.
“Come on, this is my bedroom. What are you talking about?”
You wouldn’t understand.
“Yes I would. I’m the smartest one in my class. Everyone says so.”
Someone on your planet had an idea called the theory of relativity. Do you know it?
“No, what is it?”
Time slows for someone traveling at high speeds. He was right. When you travel at the speed of light, time stops. I am at school, and I am in your room, and I am in between. All is present. Do you understand?
“No, but it sounds cool. How do you know about it?”
My teacher told me. I don’t get it either, but my dad told me not to worry about it and just do the project. He said it would be fun.
“What project?”
Homework. Travel in time and space and visit another planet in the past. I’m supposed to make a friend and write a report.
“I hate reports. I had to write one on porcupines. How did you pick me?”
I didn’t. My teacher chose figures important in cosmic history for us to write about. I was assigned your time and space. Will you help me? I have to turn my report in tomorrow.
“Sure.” Bob ran both hands through his hair. He always did this when he was thinking. “Wait a second." He pulled his hair so that it stood on end. "If you’re everywhere in time and space, isn’t your report already done?”
It is for me, but not for you.
“Weird," Bob pulled the Kleenex out of his nose to see if it had stopped bleeding. "Nope," he said, and he shoved it back in. "Want to play a game? I have Spiderman Monopoly and chess. Oh, and this really cool one called Goblet. Eric gave it to me. He's really good at it.”
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Monday, June 22, 2009
Oh how time flies!!!
So we have had a lot of fun this spring and early summer. This is some of our June fun and I will blog April and May soon I hope.
In the beginning of the month we took a trip up to the beloved state of Delaware to go to a wedding of some good friends Karl did ROTC with while he was doing his master's degree at UD. Paul and Katie's wedding was beautiful! And so much fun for us all.
In the beginning of the month we took a trip up to the beloved state of Delaware to go to a wedding of some good friends Karl did ROTC with while he was doing his master's degree at UD. Paul and Katie's wedding was beautiful! And so much fun for us all.
At the end of the night I was taking this picture of Rebecca and she suddenly gave me a big thumbs up. I guess that was her way of saying the wedding was a hit.
Because we are cheap we stayed with our friends the Hannigs. Can I say fun! Oh how I wish we lived closer. We had the opperitunity to go to church in our old ward there and it felt so much like home it made me cry. We didn't realise how hard it would be to have a short visit. But it was well worth it. Maybe some day we will move back. Such great people in a wonderful area.
Just some funny reasent pictures.
Zach is always in trouble lately! He's so funny if he gets in trouble he puts himself in the corner and stays there until someone count to 20 for him. The one of him naked in the corner he was running away from me when I was trying to change his diaper and so when he went to the corner for being naughty I had to snap a picture of it.
Over Memorial Day weekend we cut down a pine tree in the back yard and some large limbs off the other trees to let in more light so my garden will grow. The kids made a lean-to with the limbs a couple weeks ago. I am happy to say that with the help of one of Karls friends from school we finished cleaning up the branches in the yard today. YEAH!
CARSON is 10 now!!!! He had a fun birthday. He really wanted to go hiking for his birthday, but it stormed that morning, so we went Sunday instead. I can't believe he's 10
This last weekend we went camping in the Red River Gorge. It was hot and HUMID, but a lot of fun. The orge is beautiful, but my camera is on the fritz so sadly enough I only have a couple pictures. We went with Karl's two study buddies from his dental class. John is from KY and has connections so we camped and canoed and kayacked all for free. It was a great camping trip. Carson Stayed up withthe adults until about 2 AM and I think that he was back up at 5:30 or something. He was out the whole ride home. slept in the car for a while when we got home and then when he did wake up he was only awake enough to get in the front do and crashed again on the floor for about 4 hours. He's a crazy kid.
CARSON is 10 now!!!! He had a fun birthday. He really wanted to go hiking for his birthday, but it stormed that morning, so we went Sunday instead. I can't believe he's 10
This last weekend we went camping in the Red River Gorge. It was hot and HUMID, but a lot of fun. The orge is beautiful, but my camera is on the fritz so sadly enough I only have a couple pictures. We went with Karl's two study buddies from his dental class. John is from KY and has connections so we camped and canoed and kayacked all for free. It was a great camping trip. Carson Stayed up withthe adults until about 2 AM and I think that he was back up at 5:30 or something. He was out the whole ride home. slept in the car for a while when we got home and then when he did wake up he was only awake enough to get in the front do and crashed again on the floor for about 4 hours. He's a crazy kid.
Monday, May 4, 2009
Chandler Quotable Quotes
Lydea: (While clapping hands vigorously)
What would happen if you milked a cow like THIS!?
What would happen if you milked a cow like THIS!?
Lydea
Here are some fun pictures of Lydea we randomly took the other day. I thought they turned out really cute so I played with some of them. She is such a pretty little girl. She has a very cute personality as well. I just hope that she learns some manners and calms down a bit, but I have to say I didn't have the best manners myself at her age and I had a tendency of being quite loud and obnaxious. I think most people would be surprised to know that about me if they didn't know me when I was young.
Friday, May 1, 2009
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)