Post #9 - Darkness and Light

In the end, the death of Mr. Evans still remained a mystery.  Some thought it was an unknown mugger while others thought it was a family relation with a grudge. Others thought it was some kind of conspiracy against the old man.  Maybe he knew too much. Perhaps too little.

But as darkness settled over the town months after Mr. Evans's death, people turned their attentions elsewhere.  Some started packing and others knew they needed a changed but didn't know how.  People still sat in the same chair at the coffee shop, others still went to the same job. Change is hard.

Bea stood behind the mailroom counter shredding Mr. Evans's old letters, junk mail, and bills. She seemed lost in thought. She paused when she saw an unusual letter from an auction house. She opened it as if it were her own.

Dear Mr. Evans,

We are very much interested in the set of sterling cards you offered to us to sell for you.  We have tried to contact you several times and this is our last effort.  They are indeed worth a great deal and we would be happy to find a buyer for you.

Please contact us as soon as possible.

Best regards,
Mr. Jones
Sotheby's Inc.

Outside, the evening seemed to grow even darker. The street lights' pools of light seemed to be closing in on themselves. People were reluctant to leave businesses or restaurants. Others, who were caught out in the deepening darkness, felt as if they were going blind.

The light from the street lamp shone through the rear window of the museum. The cards reflected the light as if they were sending out a signal to anyone who might want to find them. Just pass the reflection, on the floor, lay Elwood Clark in a small pool of his own blood.

This is your last blog. The last plague is a deep darkness that descends onto the town.  Does your character succumb to the darkness, or do they move into the light?

#8 - Festering thoughts

• Everyone needs a break now and then. Morning breaks revealing a beautiful, inviting day. Everyone’s trying to get out of the apartment. Spring is finally here so the lobby is busy with the comings and goings of residents.
  
  
  In the lobby of the Foxberry, two people are standing in front of the fountain. A blonde woman with high, sharp cheekbones, dressed in a suit and an attractive man, clean-shaven, looks neat, also in a suit. They stand next to several big boxes of pamphlets asking people if they have a minute to talk about the sudden outbreak of boils in town. “We’re here to help,” they say, and then smile.  People don’t really know what to make of them. They seem pleasant enough, but their smiles are a little too genuine and their clothes a little ill-fitted.  They say that if members of the building complete a dynamic of scientology, their boils will disappear. After a while, they sometimes slip pamphlets into people’s hands before they realize it. People continue to walk on but quizzically look at the pamphlet in their hands. If someone pauses at the elevator, one of them will slip a pamphlet in a bag of someone unaware.
  
  
  The heading on the pamphlet is Keys to Survival.
  
  
  On each pamphlet one of the “keys to survival” are circled in red pen. 
  1.     The Self - Focus only on self-improvement, don’t worry about anyone else, self-reflection and meditation.
  2.     Creativity-Make something for the future to help make your life better.
  3.     Group Survival -Interact with and depend on others to help you, ask for help and help other people.
  4.     Species - Think about the nature of mankind, put aside group differences to come together as a species because we’re all human.
  5.     Life forms - Realize that life isn’t limited to humans. Care for an animal, plant, or insect.
  6.     Physical Universe –Let-go of material possessions.
  7.     Spiritual - Contemplate the nature of the spirit. Does it exist? Does fate exist? Does self-determination? Accept things with no definite answer
  8.     Infinity - Figure out your place in the universe. Find what makes you happy and what helps others, and do it.
  
  
  In order to rid yourself of your metaphoric boils, your character should include one of the ideas above in your post.  Choose one that will allow your character to rid him/herself of something that is festering in him/her.
  Due date March 19th

Post #7 - Something to Lose

The weather is changeable these days, some times warms, on other days the cold lingers. One never knows when some small change can cause other changes. This morning a heavy fog arrives. A fog so thick that the Foxberry is lost in the clouds and a person can barely see a few feet in front of themselves. The fog persists all day.

Sometimes you can feel it coming.  That little tickle in the back of your mind. Things seem to be going okay, but you know something is just around the corner. Like the fog, you sense it before you see it.  Something you don't want to happen, but you know it will. You just can't stop it from happening.  Like the poker hand you know you shouldn't play. Even if you are the best at bluffing your way through the hand, you know you should just fold. Here at The Foxberry, there are many who played that one-too-many hand and lost. Then there are others who folded early, knowing that the house always wins, or they know their limits. They are playing the long game.

On this day, everyone, I mean everyone, looses something important to them. It could be the lucky penny they've had since elementary school, or the last $100 dollars that they withdrew from their bank account, or the need to understand life's deepest mysteries. The city itself seems to have lost a few things.  The gas stations have little gas, the buses aren't running because of a strike, and the coffee shop is runs out of coffee and can only offer tea, smoothies, and hot chocolate.

News of the investigation comes and goes.  There are those who listen to the news and others who just as soon let it go and move on.  Below, are the results from the writer's survey. You should decide at this point how much you are willing to engage in the creation of the group story. If you want to be part of solving the mystery, then you need to engage with other characters who wish to do so as well and be willing to be flexible. This involvement means to be timely in responding to other participants and complete your blog on time.

·                    Solve the murder – these characters should provide a clue or join the power plant group.

o   Regan - provide a clue

o   Billy Bob and Jackie- want out of the group, so gives us a clue

o   Frankie- “kinda” - give a clue?

o   Stephanie Lovett – since she had a vision, she may need to join the OG-6

o   Meredith –  join the OG-6?

o   Stephanie Greene – would be kinda funny if the two Stephanie’s joined the OG-6 and everyone keeps getting the two mixed-up. (comic relief)

·                  Possibly the killer of Mr. Evans –oddly both of the possible perps want both a happy and a                   sad ending. 

o   Dorothy

o   Huncho- just note, Huncho, Mr. Evans is a nice, old man with no ties to drug rings. 

·                   OG – 6 :

o   Bret, Ren, Evelyn – Rose is joining

·               Bea solves the murder

o   Probably solves it, depends on the others. Probably should join the OG 6

·               The following characters, want to be a part of the happiness to make this place better, and do not want to be part of the solving of the crime.

o   Shawn doesn’t care as long as he has a happy ending

o   Aydar could go either way, good or bad or both

o   Noah is just trying to move no with or without the ghosts following him.

o   Ironically, Boots wants a happy ending

o   Godfrey says “probably.” Commit, Godfrey, commit.

o   Azula gets out of the OG- 6

o   Quan wants to continue to smoke pot, write rap music and be happy

o   Donna just wants to work at the G. Bee, remember Mr. Evans as a good guy and focus on her family.

·               Have not so happy of an ending, maybe die or move away

o   Elwood wants to die- emphatic in that request… I believe he should start the cycle of death again, at the end. Maybe a murder, or maybe something that looks like a murder.

o   Bret

o   Rose

o   Billy Bob

o   Regan

o   Frankie – “sure”

o   Jackie – “maybe”

o   Stephanie L – will you see your own demise but too late to do anything about it?

POST DUE Feb. 26th 

Post #6 - Come one, Come all

"Come, one, come all," advertised the posters that began appearing around town about a week ago.
"For one night only, come see the most spectacular show on earth!" Those at the Foxberry needed this
amusement.

So when the red and white-striped trucks drove in early Friday morning, there was already a line of people
around the block waiting to buy tickets.

Under the old and rusting water tank, the tents were lifted and staked-down, the carousel assembled, and
and food trucks parked under the trees, which were just beginning to bud.

The Master of Ceremony was trying to catch his annoying monkey. "Binky! Binky!" He shouted, "Get down
here now!" The crazy little monkey was hopping around the trapeze troop who were doing a good job
ignoring him.

Most people buying tickets were interested in the wild animals. The horses strolled around the grounds turning
a curious eye toward those who were watching them. The tiger, with sad eyes, paced back and forth across
the front of his cage. Most gave him a wide berth.

The occasional bark or yip from the pack of various sized dogs somewhere amid the tents, echo against the
water tank, sending the shouts across the town. Many of the high school students mill around on the steps of
Taft's statue taking selfies with the circus in the background.

By the time the sun went down, the starlights draped all around and up the struts of the water tanks, lit the scene.
Not a single citizen was left in either pizza place or coffee shop. 

And finally, Mr. Evan's murderer sneaks into the police station and steals all the evidence of the murder investigation.

Post due Wednesday, Feb. 13 by class time.  You should include the circus. Since this is the 6th "plague," you should include something about the wild animals.  (Like in Song of Solomon the "wild wilderness.") You could, of course, be metaphoric in this wild wilderness. Something that your character cannot seem to control.

Blog #5 - "May All of the Dirt Across the Land be Lice"

Everyone knows the saying ‘those who lie with dogs get fleas.’ In St. Abel some are more acquainted with the saying than others. Those who possibly join cults get lice.

Dorothy was out late that night. Or early technically, she hadn’t been able to sleep so she decided to go out to the playground and get some shots in the dark. Her new camera has a supposedly great setting for taking photos in the dark and she was itching to try it out. On the other side of the park, unbeknownst to her, there was a meeting in the old power plant, which was slowly crumbling into dust. Hushed whispers filled the cold, early morning air.  

Dorothy is at the right place at the wrong time, and she notices the flickering lights. Kids often go into the plant for any number of reasons, but tonight, she noticed the shadows were larger and she wanted to know.

She began snapping photos of those exiting the plant. The first was Billy Bob, he hesitates at the side door, looks both ways and hurries-off.  Snap. There was a pause. Then two, Azula and Jackie, leave together. Snap, snap. Dorothy lowers the camera and waits. A minute or so later, after the others faded into the dark, Bret and Ren exit. After exiting, they pause, say something to one another and go their separate ways. Snap, snap.

After a few more minutes, Dorothy is packing-up her camera thinking there are no more,  but the door opens and Evelyn appears. She looks around, then quickly heads toward the silent statue of Taft. Dorothy can only get a shot from behind her. Snap. "Damn-it." She mutters. 

Post #5 is due on Jan. 28th.  If you are not in this scene, your character is "infested" with something. Dreams, fears, too many pennies, or something that causes you to try and find a solution to rid yourself of this infestation.  Those mentioned here get an actual infestation of lice.  Whether or not you are there by your own choice, curiosity, fear or accident, you write about being in the abandoned plant. 

Blog #4: The Pharaoh promised Moses

 Everyone makes promises.  Mothers promise good things from Santa for good children; couples promise to stay together; others promise to keep secrets. We all make promises to ourselves. Many promises get broken.  At the Foxberry, the promise of spring was far off and winter brought long nights and short days. But strangely, on this day, here in St. ----, the weather had warmed enough to allow for the exodus.
     When they decided to close the power plant and move to the other side of town,  Glenn Electric promised the town that everyone was "safe." The newspaper's headline showed the shuttered windows and chained entrance, and a clean bill of health was stamped on the notice placed on the massive doors. Some promises were never intended to be kept.
     They arrived early in the evening when the light left is just enough to make your way. Darkness soon will arrive. The frogs were leaving their home next to the creek because promises weren't kept.
       Most people first noticed the sound they made. It was if they were imploring everyone out into the streets. Like "hey, hey, this way, this way." The frogs appeared first on the Taft statue in the small pool at the base of the statue.  When it became too crowded, they searched for other sanctuaries. The exodus made some people think they were in a waking dream. Others simply stood and watched the progression.
     After a while, the frogs couldn't be ignored. A few had managed to get into the lobby fountain, while others headed to the large outdoor fountain at the end of Effugium -- a fitting Latin name. There were, of course, unfortunate casualties.
     But it was the sound, the constant, layered murmuring wafting through the streets and reverberating off buildings that made everyone notice.
      Cats appeared and chased them into corners. Some well-intentioned people gathered a few intending to return them to the creek but realized that the exodus was away from the creek.
     The sound drove many inside only to find a stray Peeper, Leopard, or Pickerel frog just trying to make its way. Some followed the pilgrimage as if they, too, were seeking sanctuary from broken promises.

Due date: Jan. 14th. Two things to include in your blog: 1) Incorporation of frogs in someway is necessary to get a passing grade in this post 2) Think about how you can weave magical realism into your characters story.  Are you the agent or the affected? Remember the rest of the blog post will include the other plagues, along with solving the murder of Mr. Evans.

Post #3 - The question of Mr. Evans

Everyone has questions.  Little kids ask why the sky is blue, teenagers ask why can't they make their own choices, and adults ask where has all the time gone? In the Foxberry, the elevators go up and down, mostly, and people stand in the lobby as if they were themselves part of the building. On this particular day the patrons were startled by the sound of water flowing from the fountain. Some tossed a coin or two in. Did they want their wishes granted? Did they want answers to their questions?

Take, for example, the question of Mr. Evans. Who knew him? Who saw him the night he met his end? Who had any answers? For that matter, why Mr. Evans? The police were doing their best in a place that liked to hold its answers tightly within the walls, street corners, restaurants and behind closed doors. So it stands to reason that the police struggled to find any pieces of the puzzle, much less put any pieces together.

As the holidays rolled over the city, Halloween passed along with Thanksgiving and Christmas started to appear.  Bea realized that in most other places, packages and letters start filling the mail room, but here, there was only a slight up-tic in package traffic. When the police questioned her, she didn't give them Mr. Evans' letters because she had violated federal law and opened one. A few questions were answered, but more occurred.

Across the street at the museum,  Frankie, Bret, and Evelyn sat in the manager's office, each holding a knife. Each looking at each other.  They now had many questions.

While Aydar and Stephanie G. received knocks on their doors and packages delivered into their arms, Donna and Regan sat in the police station outside the detective's office.  Donna is not too terribly surprised by the summons, but Regan continually checks her phone and looks about the station with a mix of irritation and fear.

And finally, why is Noah standing in corner of the 3rd floor parking deck mumbling to himself as he watches, unbeknownst to her, Stephanie L wandering around spot 303?

To do: If your character is mentioned above, you should have some questions or answers and generally keep with the ideas. For the rest, your character must have a question or two, right? Questions are what keep things interesting.
Due date: December 7th, by the beginning of class.