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,1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNKzpNhztVk
The ally-ally-oh, the ally-ally-oh,1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPqasp3qjaI
Oh, the big ship sails on the ally-ally-oh,1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKw8BgtuF03
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.1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp0QOH5QGcc
"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.1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5bSflV0zoU
"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.1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe8NXRCZc69
"May, I'm not going to tell you that." He sits down on the grass oval and opens his chemistry book.1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaIIquAmquO
"Okay then. First letter."1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP7KhZFfJoT
"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.1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVeVcG51lh2
"Okay. It's an B." He sighs.1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwLZCpuZN0n
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.1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjPQmC6uDhD
"No, what the hell, May?"1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNMtOGINhE8
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.1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtUMbP1WW4k
"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.1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDqwYvZazjk
Esme smiles conspiratorially. "You're quite the puzzle, aren't you?" A more sophisticated person might have used the word 'enigma' instead.1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa2xbcpIL84
David looks up. "Only if you want me to be."1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ55NLlB0GG7
"Haha…" He can tell she doesn't understand him, as he expected. No one would.1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5vqAqlPzk4
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.1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOFBG4z2syM
"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.1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ39HFHq9a2K
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!'1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡefdZvcnTwm
David sighs, and closes the book.1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtHFUjCsFYT
He can't concentrate now.
-impurities-
There was a crooked man and he walked a crooked mile,1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7TRHYGjvlH
He found a crooked sixpence upon a crooked stile.1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKzmXB7zhva
He bought a crooked cat which caught a crooked mouse.1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwzPxYfSRwk
And they all lived together in a little crooked house.
sample: H2O1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvBYbij3RxI
sample volume: 7325kL1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl9NMOLqt52
hypothesis: i am alone1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ9fofy81zW
method:1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMQ3T3LnMiw
-extract impurities1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3Zolm3NaVB
result: collected 109875L of impurities1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIqnYWttWV7
hypothesis disproven1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ11plzM60wx
hypothesis ii: i am alone, here1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsJIXbpeF0U
method:1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡan7Gm2Rfho
-sift and sort impurities1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2BYH5NGLwU
result: collected 809550mL of relevant impurities1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvubXn6HCNi
hypothesis disproven1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxY1lDYjY05
hypothesis iii: magic does not exist1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCGJ9ZYgNcg
method:1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwsMH8cQqvu
-collect 2mL of relevant impurities1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJO4g5QYw9f
-place in flask1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYDYDY57wfe
-wait1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt9SYVnMVww
-wait1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiK3x1LQX8Z
-wait1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4K9dBtZ3L3
-wait1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3NfZ9d8LE8
-wait1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWgqUH1SGu8
-wait1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqPqPASvDAk
-wait1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkLJBiwohdK
-until something magical happens1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlXT5i70E9y
result: i waited1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaCVHBNCHY7
result: i wanted1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcuBqbEOSRD
result: i failed1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡorzvWUE5Ua
result: i hid1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjIDMQVg5u6
result: i tried1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGLGgUf9HYR
result: i searched1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfRwvhDjU1n
result: i found1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpH7h9MuQz0
result: i found something magical1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ61pq6koz3n
hypotheses disproven1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf5jt3rvJHa
i am not alone
-sign here-
Monday's child is fair of face,1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJYaHLWb9fP
Tuesday's child is full of grace,1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5IIwYkfD6T
Wednesday's child is full of woe,1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXMgV9nqx1y
Thursday's child has far to go,1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡudgCa8NVDx
Friday's child is loving and giving,1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡydFQhtHa8E
Saturday's child works hard for his living1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg2qXAJCUEK
And the child that is born on the Sabbath day…
The author signs the book, another thank, another person. The line goes on.1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOzdXT01xjf
"The name's Gretta. I'm your number one fan!"1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjO9ZfaBnZo
To Gretta, my number one fan. -sign here-1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqDoi8B1Mfc
"I really loved your book. It touched me so much. I've had similar issues myself…"1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdIpEcYTRuy
To quote a cat meme: 'Hang in there!' Don't give up, Jacob! -sign here-1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkBIPYIi3PZ
"What an honour to meet you! I'm lost for words."1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqB7AfrjURA
To Kyle, my number one fan. -sign here-
To (name), my number one fan. -sign here-1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyDMWX5QeL1
To (name), my number one fan. -sign here-1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgNeY6YTXew
To (name), my number one fan. -sign here-1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7U1qGHkHAd
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 –1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmnGfWt94Gq
"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."1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7lRuGrbx2k
The author opens to the inside cover, and sure enough, there's a signature there. It's not his own, though.1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXxOslCgWP9
This is for you, Hector. I want you to know that I'm sorry.1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1tOtDU8YOP
Carolyn1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6DUiH9K2nI
"I'm sorry, I don't quite understand –" The author is interrupted by the young man.1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrLBV6zfCDr
"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.1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoiEaxk7IMl
"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."1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3ouJukXiEe
The author finally sees; and – for a moment – for an eternal, deathly moment – he wants to cry.1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVPDKqxifCn
"Yes…" He manages to form the word. "…I agree."1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkN07OnMUeR
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.1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ61VgukK3z0
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.1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzjPxwhcRJG
The clearing of a throat brings his attention back to the person in front of him.1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMFOgyhaxMk
To Samantha, my number one fan. -sign here-
-ghost 54-
"When will that be?" say the Bells of Stepney,1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfqnZkGKYlp
"I do not know" say the Great Bells of Bow.1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5eD2ePZMU0
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.1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrpfLA3sJdA
Why is this, experts ask?1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHFen048DDW
And why is it only occasionally that ghosts are found in groups?1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBArmYLknjl
It was decided that a study must be conducted.1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuw2obcB6Uk
We stayed at the Crawley Cemetery for five nights, with video cameras, audio recording equipment, and an ectograph.1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbfDrZ1FvXx
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 1:1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUk5nhgsagJ
Video cameras find nothing.1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIORCD4lNbE
Audio finds only the faintest of whispers.1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7vnZf3uinN
No ectograph response.1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUYfJMLA9jx
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 2:1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7gY9KlkKsq
Video cameras find nothing.1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3hIJHdv5hO
Audio records crying at a frequency unnoticeable to human ears. Had to be edited.1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm1Tc7HPirt
Slight ectograph response.1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp1Y9lcDw6b
At our midnight campfire, we sensed a presence, 5 foot 4 inches tall. One member of our group panicked, and bailed from experiment.1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnyNk1nCyBh
The presence feebly tried to morph into a replica of a human body, but the image collapsed.1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBalJ50mqRW
We have christened the presence 'ghost 54'.
NIGHT 3:1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnBOEXLp8gS
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.1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfDXeUtisPU
Audio records multiple prayers being said through the night. Again, frequency had to be edited.1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz9ujSRupgz
Ectograph gives huge response. Large ghost activity in area.1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA59BhrBkza
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 4:1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7B07NhiP8j
Video cameras record images of horrific beings, humanoid but monstrous.1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjc3QtMNN20
Audio records unintelligible noises. This phenomenon requires further study. Possibly an attempt at communication.1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpkce0ag7mG
Ectograph spikes, has buffer overflow. Line of activity goes off the top of graph before the machine breaks.1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCRRloTnf0c
We repair the ectograph during our midnight campfire.1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZpSV5bF56x
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.1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBn1vOSc3jZ
Ghost 54 is silent.
NIGHT 5:1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLoPX9izsvN
Video cameras show many people walking around the cemetery.1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡysG4UKlN2z
Audio records many casual conversations.1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWhQbURrfWI
The repaired ectograph gives no response.1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQNt5G3BpTh
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.1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb2tlUMSarg
No ghost activity was found at all.1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgn7styXs12
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.1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdb9LiFLYSC
We congratulate ourselves on our unusual findings.1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIGqgxZGKBO
To celebrate, we watch the footage of ghost 54 being placed in the cage.1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5dYK4tbD05
We are surprised to see in the recording, us placing a perfectly healthy (and struggling) human into the cage.1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHMGu838LBK
The footage has not been tampered with.
This phenomenon requires further study.
-whish-
Jack and Jill1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHiWWUdbhOp
Went up the hill1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtJIcVpB5Wm
To fetch a pail of water…
The hill is silent, serene – peaceful, he wants to say.1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrBoNMzWKFG
This is his place, where he can lay the storm of thoughts rushing about inside his mind to rest.1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYG6Dq9q7aO
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.1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIHq0EuWAPG
But he still does it, perhaps once a month, sometimes more, sometimes less, because of the Whishing Well.1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ30DO8tLdYz
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.1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGfTMn34PkW
Tonight is different.1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ9dEosSUWu
He has nothing left to give to the well.1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ32syR3egAm
Or, perhaps, he has everything to give.1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp8bIF9BSGu
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.1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi3CRIVQ4SN
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.1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡplmMunS6l8
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.1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0nlz0yNeJq
He opens his eyes. The wish is over.1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtRHOTzWbZH
He wants it. He needs it.1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKjUcDsgS8g
With a sigh, he walks back down the hill.
The next evening, his parents are crying.1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLQnvUcRW9w
"We're proud of you, son, no matter what." They're smiling, but they're shocked as well, shaken.1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0dfIZa5SKf
His dad, eyes red, pats him on the back.1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW3DroCkUOw
"Go get 'em, tiger."1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4OcNYI6DxO
And so a door closes, another opens.1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtTP6xOH80k
He walks out, a half-hearted goodbye, a see you soon, and they watch all the way as he walks down the street.1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqqKYkM4wK4
The thirty minute walk gives his time to think about what's going to happen, to him, to them, to everyone they know.1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi7V3PkMsoE
He reaches his destination, and there, a slim, quiet figure waits, extending a hand upon sight.1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW1j5Cc7qfK
He grasps it.1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFETBUdXuGw
"Ready?"1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpF3WxN7wfN
The person answers. "Ready."1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡirsrPfZuT0
He can tell that they're not, really, but they're going to do this anyway.1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPTZ4of0Du9
They can hear all the noise from inside the hall, growing louder as they open the door.1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡShEIamW4xU
Silence.1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7eteY1w0Py
Everything stops.1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSs14dGr4wC
And he thinks of his wish, still strong in his mind, and walks, hand in hand, into the room.1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpLKpu5W7fq
I wish…1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA2U09mVw6s
I wish…1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0WhA49Kw4Z
Esme cries.
-extract from memoir of a ghost by david whishaw-
When Adam delved, and Eve span,1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqD1tKU18JK
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.1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyhgfiy9Yt5
-chalkboard stories-1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgJ2prdmKSr
its only an enigma1035Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrHARRIPTsm
if you want it to be
