CHALKBOARD STORIES
Proposition 1: It is possible to determine everything that was ever written on a chalkboard from the traces of dust they leave behind.
The hard chalk squeals in pain as the young man drags it across the board. He stops for a moment, then writes a second:
Proposition 2: It is possible to reconstruct a life from the traces they leave behind, the ways they affected other lives.
Yes, he thinks, that's it. Stretching, he adds an underlined title above the two sentences:
The Chalkboard Proposition
-date-
The big ship sails on the ally-ally-oh,1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7Oz3Y4FYM1
The ally-ally-oh, the ally-ally-oh,1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnm4DS5UntT
Oh, the big ship sails on the ally-ally-oh,1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw6n8oM2PlB
On the last day of September…
"Oh, come on, you've got to tell me who you're taking to the social!" Esme titters, throwing her luscious blonde hair back with a flick of the head.1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqruiOtkZv1
"Just someone." David was an unusual person; quiet, introverted, and the secret crush of nearly every girl in his year (not to mention ones younger and older). He had well defined features – piercing blue eyes, observant, brown curls hanging over his forehead and the faintest hint of facial hair sprouting beneath his tall nose and under his chin.1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzLGb66Fnpq
"Don't tease me, Dave. Give me a name." Esme pouts in what could be considered a sexual way, and a few distant onlookers wolf-whistle. It took a lot to get the self-proclaimed beauty of the school to give that face.1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEsyrt2v1Az
"May, I'm not going to tell you that." He sits down on the grass oval and opens his chemistry book.1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkp3rKZlJ8i
"Okay then. First letter."1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWsw3Eag4In
"May –" Her bottom lip sticks out even further, and she bends over, batting her eyelids. Shit, David thinks. If I don't say anything soon she's going to be undressing for me right here.1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwPeqkXkOv1
"Okay. It's an B." He sighs.1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVmlVEAXPBg
Immediately, Esme straightens herself, and pulls up her dress which had casually fallen a centimeter or two during her maneouvres. "B for bitch?" She adds, helpfully. A hysterical laugh.1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4ZQnCcQn4y
"No, what the hell, May?"1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQkoZAchahz
She puts on a young, girly voice: "It was just a joke, mummy, no need to get so uptight!" Another laugh. "Ohhhhh my god, it's Bronte, isn't it. That SLUT!" She gasps theatrically.1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4D7nGeiyZ6
"No, it's not Bronte. You wouldn't know who it is." He takes out and puts on his glasses and focuses on the book on his lap.1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7qU16uuUo9
Esme smiles conspiratorially. "You're quite the puzzle, aren't you?" A more sophisticated person might have used the word 'enigma' instead.1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡATb9ZVPFza
David looks up. "Only if you want me to be."1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMaSyctpbpD
"Haha…" He can tell she doesn't understand him, as he expected. No one would.1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgtaRlVOHnd
Esme's group of friends appears suddenly, as if sprouting out of the ground like unwanted weeds; dandelions, pretty at first sight, but as you blow all the frills away you see the filth underneath that spreading over your garden.1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGp1lpay2E6
"Well, Dave, I've gotta go. A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do!" She giggles, and her friends follow suit with an irritating chord of nervous laughter.1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsFR7hXPEbV
As if in reverse mitosis, they form one impenetrable cloud of gossip that slowly walks away, emitting the occasional 'No way!' or 'Oh my god!'1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl2DmwQauBw
David sighs, and closes the book.1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcMDRrikWzP
He can't concentrate now.
-impurities-
There was a crooked man and he walked a crooked mile,1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0RgZx02XLx
He found a crooked sixpence upon a crooked stile.1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyRq7LcSgfk
He bought a crooked cat which caught a crooked mouse.1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBuUh8PAajU
And they all lived together in a little crooked house.
sample: H2O1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSiTgdSBXx9
sample volume: 7325kL1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFIOexV7LxN
hypothesis: i am alone1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡocRAuEaZG1
method:1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtST7KKVkgy
-extract impurities1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ50y7TmcGye
result: collected 109875L of impurities1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU4XkAQG8wb
hypothesis disproven1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4lV4yNSRag
hypothesis ii: i am alone, here1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhbEueueFNC
method:1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8pBkc2b5LZ
-sift and sort impurities1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0BybBGvEWQ
result: collected 809550mL of relevant impurities1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQdXoVaoq5K
hypothesis disproven1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTolIjIfq2Y
hypothesis iii: magic does not exist1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLpAPOAamSk
method:1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpIGH7dWNuE
-collect 2mL of relevant impurities1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu5LBBrrqKd
-place in flask1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHmZMenVPR5
-wait1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡisHHXss1o2
-wait1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeABuvsRGF5
-wait1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHfVf26aaDD
-wait1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn9zvhIapBp
-wait1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFOsD4sE0sD
-wait1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY71493ntSO
-wait1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ75Cb5KXVCv
-until something magical happens1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4aLBhnx4BC
result: i waited1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡggIOMHTQao
result: i wanted1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ3Qzmj1WC9
result: i failed1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5bAQO5f1Qf
result: i hid1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3qkVcDRweC
result: i tried1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ68QbBYxEPH
result: i searched1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0tTBP1dLhY
result: i found1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrYpetipxSl
result: i found something magical1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUlnKpOImEi
hypotheses disproven1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcyLoNPk2sr
i am not alone
-sign here-
Monday's child is fair of face,1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPnMsVkfw7t
Tuesday's child is full of grace,1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHMaJpm5NJa
Wednesday's child is full of woe,1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1C69k67nbC
Thursday's child has far to go,1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiMpta8blPK
Friday's child is loving and giving,1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyDjBl4nvVk
Saturday's child works hard for his living1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXZBEncvQ4g
And the child that is born on the Sabbath day…
The author signs the book, another thank, another person. The line goes on.1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkdXifXt7OA
"The name's Gretta. I'm your number one fan!"1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2GEYjohGuS
To Gretta, my number one fan. -sign here-1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl7Ap5lZ1Dg
"I really loved your book. It touched me so much. I've had similar issues myself…"1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVnKdzocmDR
To quote a cat meme: 'Hang in there!' Don't give up, Jacob! -sign here-1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc1OSZG0BHH
"What an honour to meet you! I'm lost for words."1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNu0wmoDKDQ
To Kyle, my number one fan. -sign here-
To (name), my number one fan. -sign here-1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD8Nal5nBH6
To (name), my number one fan. -sign here-1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpCG882aYWP
To (name), my number one fan. -sign here-1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyMEwRaoH6I
To (name), my number one fan. -sign here-
Endless, endless, endless, and they all mean nothing. Dammit. The pen has run out of ink. He reaches for another –1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNQv15RmN1w
"No need to." The author looks up at the voice, and is greeted by the figure of a young man, possibly mid to late twenties, perhaps even in the thirties. Streaky blonde hair, slightly awkward gait, but something elegant about the entire presentation. A smile. "It's already signed."1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7S4otUdBLR
The author opens to the inside cover, and sure enough, there's a signature there. It's not his own, though.1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI0JnnWGv6s
This is for you, Hector. I want you to know that I'm sorry.1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpkZHaF5EvG
Carolyn1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMRjfnnvbqm
"I'm sorry, I don't quite understand –" The author is interrupted by the young man.1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7P7aIquICS
"You don't need to. It's only a mystery if you make it one." There's an audible muttering of impatience from the people in the line, and he glances back quickly after he finishes the sentence.1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAVZgx6Zmj9
"The book isn't mine. I bought it second hand." He takes closes the cover, and takes it back. "I think there's a greater story in those fourteen words than what could ever be expressed in the entirety of your book."1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpxY4Ghzz0w
The author finally sees; and – for a moment – for an eternal, deathly moment – he wants to cry.1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡASbXZCbcCT
"Yes…" He manages to form the word. "…I agree."1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkNqyQadSZZ
The young man offers nothing for a goodbye, simply walking away; but, just before he exits the bookshop – he turns back, and gives one last smile – that happy, sad, confused, surprised, goddamn smile.1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaYByT5jhZA
The author doesn't want to let himself believe it, but he's sure, so sure, that when the man returns home, he'll play an old record of some Shakespeare, sit by his Shigeru and with his long, shapely fingers, play the most impenetrable and so unspeakably beautiful harmonies.1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJbp6MqMeFv
The clearing of a throat brings his attention back to the person in front of him.1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmHe9OwQgOo
To Samantha, my number one fan. -sign here-
-ghost 54-
"When will that be?" say the Bells of Stepney,1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAUr2IxVcFn
"I do not know" say the Great Bells of Bow.1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTbHN4uMX5A
Here comes a candle to light you to bed…
It is known that ghosts do not come out in day, but only at night, or in the dark.1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSH3Inmd9io
Why is this, experts ask?1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiQFVc9Xcco
And why is it only occasionally that ghosts are found in groups?1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8Ckgw72bKl
It was decided that a study must be conducted.1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnY8zJTV8Ms
We stayed at the Crawley Cemetery for five nights, with video cameras, audio recording equipment, and an ectograph.1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNbpZfanH8z
Each night, we video the cemetery, record audio in selected areas, record a transcript of all dialogue at our midnight campfire, and place the ecto-sensors around the cemetery, transmitting information to the ectograph.
NIGHT 1:1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcRPGKpBcPa
Video cameras find nothing.1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeB9RbYYxVY
Audio finds only the faintest of whispers.1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpgCBhYlUY7
No ectograph response.1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdZekm1GqV1
At our midnight campfire, we had seven people gathered around, telling stories. We came as a group of six. Once pointed out, said extra person vanished. Ghost activity suspected.
NIGHT 2:1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8V2OjHrMrb
Video cameras find nothing.1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡziR29uNFS9
Audio records crying at a frequency unnoticeable to human ears. Had to be edited.1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfZrPAEOrZh
Slight ectograph response.1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSeX0LrYF9I
At our midnight campfire, we sensed a presence, 5 foot 4 inches tall. One member of our group panicked, and bailed from experiment.1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5muUnpPSYI
The presence feebly tried to morph into a replica of a human body, but the image collapsed.1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtNto4KK6Td
We have christened the presence 'ghost 54'.
NIGHT 3:1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuUpV6VRzix
Video cameras find a group of ghosts, touching, walking through each other, but seemingly without the knowledge of each other's presence. Further study of this phenomenon is required.1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbtEDmOLWCY
Audio records multiple prayers being said through the night. Again, frequency had to be edited.1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKPWtJVMdxJ
Ectograph gives huge response. Large ghost activity in area.1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhNVwtZTU9z
Ghost 54 returned to our midnight campfire, seemingly trying to make contact with us. Sounds made were unintelligible. We managed to capture it: we have placed it in a cage.
NIGHT 4:1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf6QkUILBTp
Video cameras record images of horrific beings, humanoid but monstrous.1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgRiXFWzyNs
Audio records unintelligible noises. This phenomenon requires further study. Possibly an attempt at communication.1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6xj1L7BkFV
Ectograph spikes, has buffer overflow. Line of activity goes off the top of graph before the machine breaks.1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmihEdMboNZ
We repair the ectograph during our midnight campfire.1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5kCXF5sizX
One of our remaining 5 crew members has an epileptic fit. We attempt to calm him before he morphs into a monstrous ghost before our eyes. We restrain him, and place him in the cage. We have lost another crew member.1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjpYv9kLPAI
Ghost 54 is silent.
NIGHT 5:1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuR0zCaTF8P
Video cameras show many people walking around the cemetery.1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWwhiZeKAnO
Audio records many casual conversations.1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDgCX5tSiRW
The repaired ectograph gives no response.1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6XmP8WSz7t
The cage contains our crew member and ghost 54. We cannot tell which is which, as both no longer resemble ghosts, both seemingly human now.1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3I4u6MLKbB
No ghost activity was found at all.1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJK7vu1hyCO
At midnight campfire, we go back through previous footage and recordings. They have changed. Frequencies are back to normal (edited versions had to be re-edited) and unintelligible noises now resemble human conversation.1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP18JBEZzxv
We congratulate ourselves on our unusual findings.1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhPSLemD1H2
To celebrate, we watch the footage of ghost 54 being placed in the cage.1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMoBBlwO5Ly
We are surprised to see in the recording, us placing a perfectly healthy (and struggling) human into the cage.1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡruKFGiRKd6
The footage has not been tampered with.
This phenomenon requires further study.
-whish-
Jack and Jill1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJuHIVgHgTn
Went up the hill1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0eJZwg5a43
To fetch a pail of water…
The hill is silent, serene – peaceful, he wants to say.1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJF6dtlPmQX
This is his place, where he can lay the storm of thoughts rushing about inside his mind to rest.1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡscKVpp6AnA
The climb is harsh, and he recalls when once – as a younger child, perhaps 11 or 12 years old, he twisted his foot on a rock, and it never quite fully healed; you wouldn't notice it at a glance, but there's something ever so slightly awkward about the way he carries himself.1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ85n9j1mg4t
But he still does it, perhaps once a month, sometimes more, sometimes less, because of the Whishing Well.1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfV4FGLt3H2
That's what he calls it; the old, defunct well at the top of the hill – the Whishing Well. His own little private joke. And on those nights that he sneaks out of the house to climb up, he drops something precious down the well and makes a wish, then lies under the glimmering stars for as long as he dares before heading back down to his house.1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5DbbquR712
Tonight is different.1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOgYRogOdxg
He has nothing left to give to the well.1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoTx6rmadO9
Or, perhaps, he has everything to give.1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPetHf6H1aJ
He knows that this is the last time he's going to go to the well. He doesn't want to come back after this, because this – this is his final wish, the most important thing in his whole life, the one thing he wants granted.1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXqZZ8dD1pj
He reaches the peak, and kneels beside the stone circle surrounding the pit. He makes his wish, and as he does so, he can't help but let a few tears escape; each echoing hollowly as they splash against the bottom of the well.1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSPF54EiHXn
The sleepless moon watches over him, gliding so slowly across the sky, a guardian, a confidante, the only other that will know the wish, the light reflecting of his streaky blonde hair.1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoituWKxB4R
He opens his eyes. The wish is over.1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfMoJQCYqkn
He wants it. He needs it.1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡseBJN3CxYf
With a sigh, he walks back down the hill.
The next evening, his parents are crying.1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6SfGrtgmjF
"We're proud of you, son, no matter what." They're smiling, but they're shocked as well, shaken.1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVBUZariBz4
His dad, eyes red, pats him on the back.1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMm1FVUAOcL
"Go get 'em, tiger."1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡolbGkUpURF
And so a door closes, another opens.1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq0QsEJgeig
He walks out, a half-hearted goodbye, a see you soon, and they watch all the way as he walks down the street.1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiGy5d3mMiq
The thirty minute walk gives his time to think about what's going to happen, to him, to them, to everyone they know.1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYqOvhGuoCa
He reaches his destination, and there, a slim, quiet figure waits, extending a hand upon sight.1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLhp0sxuWVy
He grasps it.1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDEP18UMKKM
"Ready?"1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡge467pHaXR
The person answers. "Ready."1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZuST9A1tLH
He can tell that they're not, really, but they're going to do this anyway.1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvGPeoLjL2A
They can hear all the noise from inside the hall, growing louder as they open the door.1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUuPYmdHzQD
Silence.1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq7y07x77Lu
Everything stops.1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSPTFXdMgcQ
And he thinks of his wish, still strong in his mind, and walks, hand in hand, into the room.1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPkDQPzXoSn
I wish…1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJAs7yrBdLt
I wish…1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhuH1rr0gpN
Esme cries.
-extract from memoir of a ghost by david whishaw-
When Adam delved, and Eve span,1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpDp0MkEJMB
Who then was a gentleman?
I'm walking new territory now, no footsteps in the sand before me. I've thrown everything that I knew and loved to the winds, and I'm scared that I'll take the journey alone. Everything is different now, but even in those first, tentative steps, I know that however hard this will be, something magical is waiting for me at the end. And when I glimpse that beautiful thing, still so far away, rising over the horizon, I'm going to run, oh, I'll run, and I'm never looking back.
Just watch me go.1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5S0ep3w6Gt
-chalkboard stories-1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK4VDCNApMB
its only an enigma1029Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkb4hbH6ifR
if you want it to be
