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,949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1HahnAfMAU
The ally-ally-oh, the ally-ally-oh,949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb8Lh53VWSt
Oh, the big ship sails on the ally-ally-oh,949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJjlBWVrCYe
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.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ56XlTL2wb5
"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.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJMTlL0SNku
"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.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEzjaIzIc6X
"May, I'm not going to tell you that." He sits down on the grass oval and opens his chemistry book.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHMLWjw75uv
"Okay then. First letter."949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD2kOeRzeiE
"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.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvaHLqrfUhp
"Okay. It's an B." He sighs.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx7Hj3wQQwO
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.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLWi6B5MO8B
"No, what the hell, May?"949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ7Ur7TEk4G
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.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlejZSd7F1E
"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.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk0KKtiO85v
Esme smiles conspiratorially. "You're quite the puzzle, aren't you?" A more sophisticated person might have used the word 'enigma' instead.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFwtfYAru9F
David looks up. "Only if you want me to be."949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnaKuMW1aOV
"Haha…" He can tell she doesn't understand him, as he expected. No one would.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJfEgdsDAiK
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.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPFBQft1oOa
"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.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI9U9TdwFjQ
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!'949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ7Fxy6pcdu
David sighs, and closes the book.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPOHr2C1aRH
He can't concentrate now.
-impurities-
There was a crooked man and he walked a crooked mile,949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBPw6cWAQZK
He found a crooked sixpence upon a crooked stile.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7kLFHfUU8W
He bought a crooked cat which caught a crooked mouse.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMFe58iMfba
And they all lived together in a little crooked house.
sample: H2O949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeu4uPECWWx
sample volume: 7325kL949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsduwaN1EP6
hypothesis: i am alone949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4h9xJesJW4
method:949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlxedL35IAa
-extract impurities949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMduuq7W6SK
result: collected 109875L of impurities949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr8xU2612bQ
hypothesis disproven949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrMrjnGufBp
hypothesis ii: i am alone, here949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSfPF3svkOP
method:949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqgYx1v4JP5
-sift and sort impurities949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgLoyObRNcZ
result: collected 809550mL of relevant impurities949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxvVfql4TcP
hypothesis disproven949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsxOQANFJUP
hypothesis iii: magic does not exist949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡemSLeh47MU
method:949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiTBIoIuCHJ
-collect 2mL of relevant impurities949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfP1vMr5Ir2
-place in flask949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiyxMd82WDu
-wait949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs5piIi9DEP
-wait949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4I3GK4q5lQ
-wait949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRvMMKIQFLt
-wait949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvkRf7LWBaP
-wait949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwIMa3P1uqX
-wait949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzX3z4wxf9B
-wait949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUOPt5t9zip
-until something magical happens949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPjhh1TigN4
result: i waited949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXOGmNUYzpC
result: i wanted949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcLyWzEieLk
result: i failed949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡus0PwvcoMu
result: i hid949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbhN3tWpehS
result: i tried949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi6C5KNo5WQ
result: i searched949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy6vKmy0hXO
result: i found949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡseWkNIRr1S
result: i found something magical949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH2vnUuSs6l
hypotheses disproven949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvpV2GsFyVb
i am not alone
-sign here-
Monday's child is fair of face,949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDCqfJBIvsF
Tuesday's child is full of grace,949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1Npvb7bLMb
Wednesday's child is full of woe,949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYHnOgZHHkl
Thursday's child has far to go,949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0VsSX48DxF
Friday's child is loving and giving,949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIORmlGxbXm
Saturday's child works hard for his living949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM25yi3lpBj
And the child that is born on the Sabbath day…
The author signs the book, another thank, another person. The line goes on.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2dkUbKfI7o
"The name's Gretta. I'm your number one fan!"949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6j71beHTRg
To Gretta, my number one fan. -sign here-949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6hbzg0csZf
"I really loved your book. It touched me so much. I've had similar issues myself…"949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ32RTPLkTd6
To quote a cat meme: 'Hang in there!' Don't give up, Jacob! -sign here-949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8LP3FhPoSs
"What an honour to meet you! I'm lost for words."949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf1C8egu0JH
To Kyle, my number one fan. -sign here-
To (name), my number one fan. -sign here-949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVHAlNoUCQc
To (name), my number one fan. -sign here-949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyUFw4NogyB
To (name), my number one fan. -sign here-949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDJdYZlen8r
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 –949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj8owLFb2RQ
"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."949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAN9D5405bC
The author opens to the inside cover, and sure enough, there's a signature there. It's not his own, though.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkI0g7XmnwK
This is for you, Hector. I want you to know that I'm sorry.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgT4frO3RPa
Carolyn949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm88fhYGhBv
"I'm sorry, I don't quite understand –" The author is interrupted by the young man.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ80QvdL0DHW
"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.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZP2cqvba1C
"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."949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡilndqo5DoD
The author finally sees; and – for a moment – for an eternal, deathly moment – he wants to cry.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKrSYWVfruE
"Yes…" He manages to form the word. "…I agree."949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHoHmT23OM9
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.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAPphQ4TDQW
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.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8MtoXxZZyY
The clearing of a throat brings his attention back to the person in front of him.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtIGjvnAnTn
To Samantha, my number one fan. -sign here-
-ghost 54-
"When will that be?" say the Bells of Stepney,949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuHgKl4rQi9
"I do not know" say the Great Bells of Bow.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNJZRBJYnaL
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.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0Mv013BU3q
Why is this, experts ask?949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjwWF1ABz3e
And why is it only occasionally that ghosts are found in groups?949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwJTq2yUaPt
It was decided that a study must be conducted.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqtgpyas6Ni
We stayed at the Crawley Cemetery for five nights, with video cameras, audio recording equipment, and an ectograph.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmhFpy0dhok
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 1:949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq9xa9XAiml
Video cameras find nothing.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH8lFp0kdBy
Audio finds only the faintest of whispers.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ46XuD7tOQW
No ectograph response.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ86mnm1quCc
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 2:949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmSxQXBPoO2
Video cameras find nothing.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYTTnKYCF3m
Audio records crying at a frequency unnoticeable to human ears. Had to be edited.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoMjmfGnpi0
Slight ectograph response.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwMDDD7hbZ0
At our midnight campfire, we sensed a presence, 5 foot 4 inches tall. One member of our group panicked, and bailed from experiment.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYNjLsz2HSk
The presence feebly tried to morph into a replica of a human body, but the image collapsed.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSWJF0WJGMA
We have christened the presence 'ghost 54'.
NIGHT 3:949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCwaqsoVsaz
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.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8Rpd37Gy1k
Audio records multiple prayers being said through the night. Again, frequency had to be edited.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVC8NjmTSpK
Ectograph gives huge response. Large ghost activity in area.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCPAiDlTvOW
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 4:949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC0KVES1op6
Video cameras record images of horrific beings, humanoid but monstrous.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2YvGIjK0EK
Audio records unintelligible noises. This phenomenon requires further study. Possibly an attempt at communication.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPwsuZdK5M0
Ectograph spikes, has buffer overflow. Line of activity goes off the top of graph before the machine breaks.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXfxqSMV8k8
We repair the ectograph during our midnight campfire.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPcZWFBOSEQ
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.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6gPI7xGwmZ
Ghost 54 is silent.
NIGHT 5:949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTOqeBvSgt2
Video cameras show many people walking around the cemetery.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7lW0B7R1yG
Audio records many casual conversations.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡytCppThDq6
The repaired ectograph gives no response.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP6EKy35wIn
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.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmLDkH24rU2
No ghost activity was found at all.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUiBip3N18m
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.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbLF0lcIAfP
We congratulate ourselves on our unusual findings.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8iKXNc7ScQ
To celebrate, we watch the footage of ghost 54 being placed in the cage.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwuRvBdBaB0
We are surprised to see in the recording, us placing a perfectly healthy (and struggling) human into the cage.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaaW4QYfNff
The footage has not been tampered with.
This phenomenon requires further study.
-whish-
Jack and Jill949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeV4GdvTWoC
Went up the hill949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHqff6tbz33
To fetch a pail of water…
The hill is silent, serene – peaceful, he wants to say.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB7ysSseJQj
This is his place, where he can lay the storm of thoughts rushing about inside his mind to rest.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡviEzO74ND9
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.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB9atPZM6Le
But he still does it, perhaps once a month, sometimes more, sometimes less, because of the Whishing Well.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWJGLbtp9RI
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.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvjjn3giRm2
Tonight is different.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEMKPSReEIs
He has nothing left to give to the well.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCf4sDOAuzI
Or, perhaps, he has everything to give.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnmV48AHLcu
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.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgQNMlyxEqr
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.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1uebneePSD
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.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1rjUtSKY9N
He opens his eyes. The wish is over.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcI2z4YyxZn
He wants it. He needs it.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvFXnsjq96j
With a sigh, he walks back down the hill.
The next evening, his parents are crying.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo5JC6SnjuO
"We're proud of you, son, no matter what." They're smiling, but they're shocked as well, shaken.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeHbxNhNYNE
His dad, eyes red, pats him on the back.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhaueFcvJ1G
"Go get 'em, tiger."949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYZr32yy1Ej
And so a door closes, another opens.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa7JRmycaEw
He walks out, a half-hearted goodbye, a see you soon, and they watch all the way as he walks down the street.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgfCKT7i6vK
The thirty minute walk gives his time to think about what's going to happen, to him, to them, to everyone they know.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGkzAV98bmj
He reaches his destination, and there, a slim, quiet figure waits, extending a hand upon sight.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuhaOoymxTs
He grasps it.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXcuKP19PJy
"Ready?"949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHRZqNWWVcj
The person answers. "Ready."949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkA8jGggvP8
He can tell that they're not, really, but they're going to do this anyway.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXKEmtAyyNt
They can hear all the noise from inside the hall, growing louder as they open the door.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBuxNz6vlEB
Silence.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgIWgpV7Osi
Everything stops.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTJbqYiraSW
And he thinks of his wish, still strong in his mind, and walks, hand in hand, into the room.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0mEbks9uzU
I wish…949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf2WuFHMeQf
I wish…949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvpT3WzMbvh
Esme cries.
-extract from memoir of a ghost by david whishaw-
When Adam delved, and Eve span,949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGDHrKwPlk0
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.949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUpYZELgf6r
-chalkboard stories-949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpqgKDD2yF3
its only an enigma949Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBMmizuFS5m
if you want it to be
