Tracy

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  • in reply to: The Eights’ Shift, Stories #2217
    TracyTracy
    Participant

      A strange smell of fish

      Well, what a coincidence! Ann had woken up to find herself scribbling notes in her dream notebook, nonsensical words and phrases as usual, not that she was complaining, she loved the nonsense riddles and clues. The Fermented Village, she’d written, and Shopping for Parasites. The Fermented Village had reminded her of her childhood so many hundreds of years ago in Baelo Claudia and the stench of rotting fish in the garum factory down by the beach.

      in reply to: The Eights’ Shift, Stories #2215
      TracyTracy
      Participant

        “Well, perhaps this will inspire you again to write in the story, Ann” remarked Sally, Ann’s twin sister. Sally always hit the nail on the head.

        “Hmmm” responded Ann. “I can’t see the wood for the trees sometimes.”

        “Well, that’s a tree synchronicity, there you go! Do you want to write about the trees?”

        “Hhhmm, maybe…”

        in reply to: The Eights’ Shift, Stories #2214
        TracyTracy
        Participant

          Ann woke up thinking of Annabel Ingram. The name sounded very familiar, quite close to the name Annabel Ingman actually. The funny thing was that Ann had seen images of Annabel’s face, lots of them, a series of faces of all the ages of her life. She felt like a ‘real’ person’, whatever that meant. Ann wondered which came first ~ the ‘real’ woman that inspired the character, or did the character now have a life?

          in reply to: The Eights’ Shift, Stories #2204

          “I’m noticing alot of threes lately!” remarked Rhodedrendron, Aspidistra’s freind. “I wonder why?”

          “I keep noticing sevens” replied Aspidistra.

          in reply to: The Eights’ Shift, Stories #2202

          When offered a gift of a pig
          Aspidistra remembered the Stig
          Of the Dump

          And then ran out of words
          It had never been heard
          But it happened
          And she didn’t give a fig
          Or even a hoot
          Toot! Toot!

          in reply to: The Eights’ Shift, Stories #2201
          TracyTracy
          Participant

            “Well let’s assume for a moment that you do choose to accept the gift of pig, Asp, will you change the name?”

            “Well I’m not sure I need to. He’s called Sassafras Sense, and I quite like the name ~ Sassy for short. In fact I like the name so I think I will choose to accept the gift pig after all.”

            in reply to: The Eights’ Shift, Stories #2200

            “Hey, Asp” Phildendron was still chuckling at her sister Aspidistra’s reaction to the piglet news “Why don’t you make a deal with Lavender, tell her you’ll only accept the piglet if it comes with a years supply of that DMT stuff.”

            “So I can share it will you, Phil?” Asp raised an eyebrow. “I don’t like haggling though, you know what I’m like. Looking a gift horse in the mouth and all that, no accidents and all the rest of it. I mean, I must be creating this piglet gift myself, and acceptance is key, is it not?”

            “Acceptance doesn’t mean literally accepting gifts of piglets, silly!”

            “Well what DOES it mean then?”

            “It means accepting that everything is fine, whatever you choose ~ whether you say yes to the pig, or no to the pig, you’re supposed to accept that it’s the perfect choice.”

            “Well how the devil is a person to know which is the right choice then?”

            “Well that’s just it, it doesn’t matter which choice you make. Not only that, it’s not a case of just one choice, either.”

            “So what you’re trying to tell me, which sounds like absolute nonsense, is that if I choose to accept the pig gift now, I would have to choose tomorrow that I accepted the pig gift today, otherwise I would be choosing…..” Asp’s voice trailed off as she lost her thread.

            “Yes! And not just once tomorrow, but in every moment you would have to choose that you chose the pig gift ~ otherwise you’d be choosing that you didn’t accept the pig ~ and that would be a choice too.”

            “Oh don’t be silly, Phil, with so many choices to make in each moment you wouldn’t ever be finished choosing before it was the next moment, then you’d have to start choosing again ~ You’d never get anything done!”

            in reply to: The Eights’ Shift, Stories #2198
            TracyTracy
            Participant

              “You can laugh Philodendron, but what on earth am I going to do with a piglet?”

              in reply to: The Eights’ Shift, Stories #2185
              TracyTracy
              Participant

                The fact of the matter, if indeed there was a such a thing as a fact, was that Elizabeth needed to sort out her probable selves. They were constantly overlapping and it was causing a great deal of confusion. She decided to reinvent herself completely, starting with a new name.

                She sat quietly chain smoking as she pondered possible names.

                ‘Just choose a short one this time, one that’s easy to write. It really doesn’t matter what name you choose, but in the interests of ease, just make it short.’

                Ann sat quietly chainsmoking, wondering where to start.

                ‘Perhaps you should go back to bed’.

                Ann sighed, feeling tired and disillusioned at the unexpected changes. It felt like too much effort to start afresh, as if the disruptions and changes everywhere were permeating her own private sanctuary, and stray random thoughts now had no easy path towards release, that they would be bogged down and hampered with new details, and new explanations.

                ‘You don’t have to write anything.’

                But there was so much to say!

                ‘Try listening instead’.

                in reply to: The Eights’ Shift, Stories #2184

                Unfortunately Aspidistra couldn’t remember the dream that she had told Dick. I wish I could remember it, she muttered to herself. I suppose if Dick suggested I sing the joys of life upon awakening that it must have been an unpleasant dream, she mused, and as such it’s perhaps not terribly important that I recall it.

                “What are you mumbling about now, Aspidistra?” groaned Philodendron, her sister. “It’s hard enough to get some sleep as it is with you glowing all the time; if you’re going to keep mumbling as well, well, it’s just not fair!”

                “I wasn’t even speaking aloud, Phil!” retorted Aspidistra, stung at the unfairness of the accusation. “You shouldn’t be listening in to my thoughts in the first place, you nosey parker.”

                Philodendron sighed and rolled over, pulling the blankets over her head in an attempt to block out the glow and the mental chatter bombarding her from every direction. I really need to learn how to block all this, she thought, I can’t seem to get a moments peace anymore.

                “You’re right, you do, Phil” replied her sister.

                AARRGGHH!” Phil shouted. “Don’t keep answering my thoughts, they’re private! Bugger off!”

                in reply to: The Eights’ Shift, Stories #2180

                “It may have been the sudden change of environment, but Leörmn had great difficulty at staying focused.”

                Aspidistra Merryweather, suddenly disconcertingly finding herself in a completely different place, with a new name and an unfamiliar body, was marginally relieved to discover that the wonderful synchronicity of the random quote selector hadn’t changed.

                “Thank heaven for small mercies” she muttered to herself, fully aware that mercies and heaven were self made, as were sudden changes of environment. “I’m not called Aspidistra for nothing, after all. I have in built capablities for growing well in the dark”

                in reply to: Circle of Eights, Stories #1288
                TracyTracy
                Participant

                  “Blast” exclaimed Elizabeth. “If I hadn’t been so overwrought I’d have noticed the next comment was 57 and written something there myself.”

                  Tutting to herself, she wandered off to make coffee, pondering a multitude of feelings.

                  in reply to: Circle of Eights, Stories #1286

                  It wasn’t just the twins that were outraged, there were alot of outraged people that day. Becky, Sanso, Illi, Bea and Leo, Elizabeth and Zhaana ~ all of them were utterly outraged at the monstrous display of dictatorship. They were devastated because they had been labouring under what was clearly a misconception that it was a group project.

                  “Godfrey, I am inscensed!” declared Elizabeth. “And don’t you dare correct that spelling! I will write my own story somewhere else. If you think you’ve snatched my characters from right under my nose you’ve got another think coming, old chap.”

                  Elizabeth snatched up the papers on her desk and crammed them into a carpet bag.

                  “I’m going out for a walk. Alone.”

                  And off she went, clutching her bag under arm and muttering under her breath, angrily wiping the tears that dribbled down her cheeks.

                  in reply to: Circle of Eights, Stories #1280

                  “Well, I must say, the random daily quote is rather apt Godfrey” Elizabeth said with a weak smile. “Listen to this:

                  ‘When Rudy the myna had come back crashing on the boat, it all became suddenly a huge uncontrollable chaos.
                  The hovering menacing clouds that were looming in front of them were coming closer at a dreadful speed, and even more concerning were the rocks that were appearing everywhere now, that they had more and more trouble to avoid in betwixt the turmoils and eddies.

                  So they had finally come to the Great Rift, Bådul was thinking. The back of the legendary water dragon that noone was known to have crossed.’

                  “What do you think of that, eh?”

                  “Oh by golly, it is rather isn’t it. Been quite a day hasn’t it, Elizabeth?” Godfrey smiled gently.

                  “I should say so!” she replied. “Oh, listen to this:

                  ‘But Bådul knew better.
                  He howled orders to get everybody ready at their posts, and felt reassured when he saw that Austor was maneuvering with dexterity and confidence through the rift.’

                  “Ahahah…..” Elizabeth was starting to sound marginally hysterical. She continued reading the random daily quote.

                  “‘He ignored the crazy laugh of Razkÿ, the madman who was now shouting with a manic laughter…..’”

                  in reply to: Circle of Eights, Stories #1269
                  TracyTracy
                  Participant

                    “Ok so now we have time travelling absinthe vampires, who suck the pee out of the time travelling absinthium salesmen?” Becky laughed. “Or would that be the reindeer pee salesmen? Otherwise known as Santa Clauses ahahah.” The idea was starting to sound strangely plausible. “Santa Claus is really a time travelling reindeer pee salesman from the gnome dimension ~ we were getting it so distorted because of our beliefs!”

                    Al rolled his eyes and passed her a map of the Carpathian Mountains.

                    in reply to: Circle of Eights, Stories #1266

                    Jacques Schitt and Frank Diddley Squat were time-travelling artemesium absinthium salesmen. Diddley Squat had not returned from his last trip, and Jacques had just been informed that Frank’s phone was being answered by an imposter. The Absinthium Pirates has been unusually active of late, and Jacques was concerned.

                    The Time Travelling Absinthe Pirates were bright green in colour, and were often mistaken for aliens, depending on the timeframe they were visiting.

                    in reply to: Circle of Eights, Stories #1265

                    “Jacques?” Increasingly perplexed, Monica called Franks friend at the laboratory. “Can I speak to Jacques Schitt please?”

                    in reply to: Circle of Eights, Stories #1264

                    Monica del Apio couldn’t understand why he kept telling her she had the wrong number. Frank Diddly-Squat had had the same phone number for years, but for the past two days, he ~ or someone using his phone ~ was refusing to admit to any knowledge of Frank.

                    in reply to: Circle of Eights, Stories #1261

                    “Hey Leo, I had a blinding revelation last night, after Barb left.”

                    “Well, do tell, Bea, I’m all ears” said Leonora with an encouraging smile, pouring herself a cup of tea.

                    “Well the moment was far clearer than I can explain it but it went something like this” Bea continued. “Bearing in mind that the FOCUS DIRECTS so the question of ‘directing’ essence is another choice of puzzle piece of the individual puzzle game at any moment…”

                    “Ye-es” replied Leonora, making an effort to concentrate.

                    “To connect to an individual focus is but a baby step towards being able to comprehend the interconnectedness of everything that you create, and that it is all in fact you.” Bea went on, adding “Like a beginner stage as it were, to keep it manageable.”

                    “Keeping it manageable sounds like a good idea” interjected Leo, pointedly glancing around at the disorder in the kitchen.

                    Unperturbed, Bea continued “You draw to yourself parts or, if you like, focus points or other focuses of All That Is —of the whole that are at that moment useful.”

                    “Sounds reasonable, Bea, do continue. Pass the gingerbread men, would you?”

                    “All of the characters in the stories I write, for example, are my focuses in a manner of speaking, as are all the characters in anything I bring into my world my focuses if I choose to SEE THEM FOR A MOMENT FROM THEIR FOCUS VIEWPOINT.”

                    “Ok, ok, no need to shout!”

                    “I’m not shouting, Leo, let me finish and stop interrupting! Adding another focus is an analogy in a way for adding another focus or point of view to mine.
                    Dividing the actions of adding focus viewpoints into sections is useful in order to comprehend the scope of possible actions, but only initially, and as more actions are experienced objectively, the sections and labels become limiting and confining.” Bea paused for a sip of coffee and a long draw on her cigarette. “But they do keep it manageable to some degree, it must be said” she added.

                    “Yes, keep it manageable, by all means, couldn’t agree more”

                    “Everyone’s puzzle game is their own,” Bea was on a roll. “And the same puzzle piece, or other focus in this case, for one, would fit equally well into a completely different puzzle game of someone else’s because all of the surrounding puzzle pieces of each individuals puzzle game are created in each moment and are chosen for their relevance to that moment.”

                    “Good point, dear.”

                    “Likewise an individuals puzzle game is a new one in each moment and the puzzle pieces are interchangeable within the same puzzle game, depending on their relevance to the moment and the chosen surrounding puzzle pieces.”

                    As usual with blazing flashes of illumination, Bea found that they were hard to form into words, and when she did manage to get them into words, they look so screamingly obvious.

                    “Does that make sense to you, Leo?” she asked.

                    “Er, I think so Bea, I’m getting the gist…”

                    Interrupting, Bea continued to describe her revelations to her now glassy eyed friend. “And on the subject of trusting, doubting, confusion and so on”

                    “Oh, yes, confusion…”

                    “We are here shiftING, not shiftED, this is what we are choosing.
                    With the variety of viewpoints we have, the shifted and the unshifted and the semi-shifted, there is always something new to notice from yet another new perspective. Why not get really enthusiastic about the ride itself instead of planning how to float through it with the least fuss ~ it’s more fun on the helter skelter with its many perspectives and view points than on the mill pond for those of us who choose shiftING.”

                    “I dunno, Bea, from my perspective floating on a millpond sounds rather pleasant.”

                    “Well, at least now we know that what we don’t know is there to know.”

                    “Yes, there’s no doubt about that!” relied Leonora, “Have you finished? That was all very interesting but don’t forget we invited everyone over for the Yule Boulder Moving party. We should get a move on with the preparations you know”

                    :yahoo_coffee:

                    in reply to: Rafaela’s Random Ramblings #1927
                    TracyTracy
                    Participant

                      On the subject of other focuses I had a blinding revelation in the
                      kitchen last night. As usual with my blazing flashes of illumination,
                      they are hard to form into words, and when I do try to get them into
                      words, they look so screamingly obvious, like D’uh, you mean you
                      didn’t realize that yet? LOL

                      Anyway, the moment was far clearer than the following words, but I
                      managed to get a few words out in chats to Eric and to Dawn which I
                      snipped together:

                      (bearing in mind that the focus directs so the question
                      of ‘directing’ essence is another choice of puzzle peice of the
                      individual puzzle game at any moment)

                      To connect to an individual focus is but a baby step towards being
                      able to comprehend the interconnectedness of everything that you
                      create and that it is all in fact you. (beginner stage as it were,
                      keep it manageable)

                      You draw to yourself parts (focus points/other focuses of All that
                      is) of the whole that are at that moment useful.

                      All of the characters in the story I write, for example, are my
                      focuses in a manner of speaking, as are all the characters in
                      anything I bring into my world my focuses if I choose to _see for a
                      moment from their focus view point_. Adding another focus is an
                      analogy in a way for adding another focus or point of view to mine.
                      Dividing the actions of adding focus viewpoints into sections is
                      useful in order to comprehend the scope of possible actions, but only
                      initially, and as more actions are experienced objectively, the
                      sections and labels become limiting and confining. (but they do keep
                      it manageable to some degree)

                      Everyones puzzle game is their own, and the same puzzle piece (or
                      other focus) for one, would fit equally well into a completely
                      different puzzle game of someone elses because all of the surrounding
                      puzzle peices of each individuals puzzle game are created in each
                      moment and are chosen for their relevance to that moment. Likewise an
                      individuals puzzle game is a new one in each moment and the puzzle
                      peices are interchangable within the same puzzle game, depending on
                      their relevance to the moment and the chosen surrounding puzzle
                      peices.

                      And on the subject of trusting, doubting, confusion etc:

                      We are here shiftING, not shiftED, this is what we are choosing.
                      With the variety of viewpoints we have, the shifted and the unshifted
                      and the semi shifted, there is always something new to notice from
                      yet another new perspective. Why not get really enthusisatic about
                      the ride itself instead of planning how to float through it with the
                      least fuss ~ it’s more fun on the helter skelter with it’s many
                      perspectives and view points than on the mill pond for those of us
                      who choose shiftING.

                      At least now we know that what we dont know is there to know.

                    Viewing 20 replies - 1,581 through 1,600 (of 2,261 total)