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,923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW1KYsAnEit
The ally-ally-oh, the ally-ally-oh,923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwBC3oTMZ0C
Oh, the big ship sails on the ally-ally-oh,923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsIntHhN4Oe
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.923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlx47fyQWNY
"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.923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbSfPtpQQxq
"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.923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrAIZ4xp0dk
"May, I'm not going to tell you that." He sits down on the grass oval and opens his chemistry book.923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv6Xoz4Q4Jr
"Okay then. First letter."923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVtCi0OLLHw
"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.923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXZeWA4xTvs
"Okay. It's an B." He sighs.923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8am3AB1LE0
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.923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf2riUIrcu9
"No, what the hell, May?"923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAxQ8jDLBmH
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.923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡalDDV11u9P
"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.923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrJbRwV6xMC
Esme smiles conspiratorially. "You're quite the puzzle, aren't you?" A more sophisticated person might have used the word 'enigma' instead.923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW09OjVOclu
David looks up. "Only if you want me to be."923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIluPIxPMWm
"Haha…" He can tell she doesn't understand him, as he expected. No one would.923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV5vJJGZxED
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.923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrCEsw5mmRp
"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.923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2rjxs5E0a9
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!'923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkQhoW9ZUmI
David sighs, and closes the book.923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGvjLAdshHH
He can't concentrate now.
-impurities-
There was a crooked man and he walked a crooked mile,923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVVmoC3Jh1U
He found a crooked sixpence upon a crooked stile.923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2VtTbieqaH
He bought a crooked cat which caught a crooked mouse.923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcZI8jGWXvC
And they all lived together in a little crooked house.
sample: H2O923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz8iU9BpMLS
sample volume: 7325kL923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7CNbsEvXta
hypothesis: i am alone923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ60LpgilHv4
method:923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw4DqSgCCV9
-extract impurities923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcIxLndBorE
result: collected 109875L of impurities923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiW7GQMmxor
hypothesis disproven923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOqJwyvR0OZ
hypothesis ii: i am alone, here923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1K8aYIM7U4
method:923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs6xqyga08i
-sift and sort impurities923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuBFnQDrMwr
result: collected 809550mL of relevant impurities923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyYKXokFz9h
hypothesis disproven923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ13OVfFbggd
hypothesis iii: magic does not exist923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY1DFFqqPBK
method:923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRqPRgwRsc2
-collect 2mL of relevant impurities923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnbZdREZEr7
-place in flask923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlmXhjPU0jh
-wait923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5ENJWlAX8z
-wait923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD3Or2DtQVh
-wait923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYrZ5B862g5
-wait923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb8Zkeeehg8
-wait923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTo5fFXzRBp
-wait923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuRpGV0iuUR
-wait923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUXTDaqZjIJ
-until something magical happens923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQXt1D0RVv2
result: i waited923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlSR2cAIstj
result: i wanted923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4QabAceAFi
result: i failed923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKrafIwjzQZ
result: i hid923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrgMltuPxWb
result: i tried923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjA075pPPKC
result: i searched923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQMmOOxRWF8
result: i found923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOVpfwrihd4
result: i found something magical923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1jcFsHiHz1
hypotheses disproven923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbKLvwyrc64
i am not alone
-sign here-
Monday's child is fair of face,923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡydRmnZoOo0
Tuesday's child is full of grace,923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9SSrv6tTkE
Wednesday's child is full of woe,923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFpVV3nDsvn
Thursday's child has far to go,923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfQHZWCKQ1r
Friday's child is loving and giving,923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1LtXHD1pj7
Saturday's child works hard for his living923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsKJ5zF8hz3
And the child that is born on the Sabbath day…
The author signs the book, another thank, another person. The line goes on.923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVLIzXhDZca
"The name's Gretta. I'm your number one fan!"923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNYNZiqKjAR
To Gretta, my number one fan. -sign here-923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkjq0s7InLH
"I really loved your book. It touched me so much. I've had similar issues myself…"923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVLStWi84V9
To quote a cat meme: 'Hang in there!' Don't give up, Jacob! -sign here-923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2bNnMCUt8i
"What an honour to meet you! I'm lost for words."923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4k9NtwEi1A
To Kyle, my number one fan. -sign here-
To (name), my number one fan. -sign here-923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhNRdhRfPew
To (name), my number one fan. -sign here-923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb9go5mTStW
To (name), my number one fan. -sign here-923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvJ41AZJ9vw
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 –923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ28WZyzVuYG
"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."923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ84LQvUjL95
The author opens to the inside cover, and sure enough, there's a signature there. It's not his own, though.923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpIP51BvLgT
This is for you, Hector. I want you to know that I'm sorry.923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu0yRTCOicC
Carolyn923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb3EfPj6FSj
"I'm sorry, I don't quite understand –" The author is interrupted by the young man.923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyixaVvHx0m
"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.923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtPy7dBn6I3
"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."923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJonI5fLNGE
The author finally sees; and – for a moment – for an eternal, deathly moment – he wants to cry.923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuWYqSThDr4
"Yes…" He manages to form the word. "…I agree."923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡieXMTOdhaJ
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.923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLlUu1kQD3Z
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.923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGOgM0LnpaU
The clearing of a throat brings his attention back to the person in front of him.923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdZUlUbK0S5
To Samantha, my number one fan. -sign here-
-ghost 54-
"When will that be?" say the Bells of Stepney,923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfZVKL9xgkQ
"I do not know" say the Great Bells of Bow.923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuntHP4fFS0
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.923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ94F3LbDrAD
Why is this, experts ask?923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaJ5C2fY5BQ
And why is it only occasionally that ghosts are found in groups?923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ23h5sAX5La
It was decided that a study must be conducted.923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW08mp88Ldj
We stayed at the Crawley Cemetery for five nights, with video cameras, audio recording equipment, and an ectograph.923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhlhTasLEy0
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 1:923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6MEJJtumqm
Video cameras find nothing.923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4RYjiW3YFz
Audio finds only the faintest of whispers.923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡja3AcjJpjJ
No ectograph response.923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeeikrcyiWL
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 2:923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡahkxtNWaGP
Video cameras find nothing.923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3GkdLdsQ7K
Audio records crying at a frequency unnoticeable to human ears. Had to be edited.923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeoKjWi1z2o
Slight ectograph response.923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4I90sljw0W
At our midnight campfire, we sensed a presence, 5 foot 4 inches tall. One member of our group panicked, and bailed from experiment.923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8jBWUWxvjk
The presence feebly tried to morph into a replica of a human body, but the image collapsed.923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ66rq7f049g
We have christened the presence 'ghost 54'.
NIGHT 3:923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhWqSa0lFtX
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.923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk04YTqkQ1m
Audio records multiple prayers being said through the night. Again, frequency had to be edited.923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5QiVlPalGh
Ectograph gives huge response. Large ghost activity in area.923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKuiEKteVwq
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 4:923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfJU8jVPVie
Video cameras record images of horrific beings, humanoid but monstrous.923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd0EX2xG4qD
Audio records unintelligible noises. This phenomenon requires further study. Possibly an attempt at communication.923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTpQE2pGCtf
Ectograph spikes, has buffer overflow. Line of activity goes off the top of graph before the machine breaks.923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEu8uiewZls
We repair the ectograph during our midnight campfire.923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuWC3Oj1TtT
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.923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzTcDJvvVWx
Ghost 54 is silent.
NIGHT 5:923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡorKHdwLAef
Video cameras show many people walking around the cemetery.923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsIF9FajJ3E
Audio records many casual conversations.923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeH8nFtgkAF
The repaired ectograph gives no response.923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDu1r5OHKm1
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.923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXetmxR1ElF
No ghost activity was found at all.923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6a67tdxcNr
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.923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDAQzGB67nj
We congratulate ourselves on our unusual findings.923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeCalV6UwQb
To celebrate, we watch the footage of ghost 54 being placed in the cage.923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUakakONHxS
We are surprised to see in the recording, us placing a perfectly healthy (and struggling) human into the cage.923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDjFmHjKMYs
The footage has not been tampered with.
This phenomenon requires further study.
-whish-
Jack and Jill923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoMSORvT9xn
Went up the hill923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuamQVm1VJY
To fetch a pail of water…
The hill is silent, serene – peaceful, he wants to say.923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6H0u7YBvtI
This is his place, where he can lay the storm of thoughts rushing about inside his mind to rest.923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡATdZe1aOG9
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.923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyUUCx5OSjz
But he still does it, perhaps once a month, sometimes more, sometimes less, because of the Whishing Well.923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDKefoSNhlD
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.923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYzbRdAUm1v
Tonight is different.923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYK9Jax9JI9
He has nothing left to give to the well.923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzwpEj4JvPk
Or, perhaps, he has everything to give.923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVDqCGQS6lG
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.923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJoayJdZWIo
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.923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo5OupAqLCC
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.923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkO4cchOuqW
He opens his eyes. The wish is over.923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5M9WJcDToC
He wants it. He needs it.923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡextHU3pbgL
With a sigh, he walks back down the hill.
The next evening, his parents are crying.923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS0Dg208Ykn
"We're proud of you, son, no matter what." They're smiling, but they're shocked as well, shaken.923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIZTZBweQOl
His dad, eyes red, pats him on the back.923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0fhqcjLtBf
"Go get 'em, tiger."923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKwWTciO2KL
And so a door closes, another opens.923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoJUm0FHax3
He walks out, a half-hearted goodbye, a see you soon, and they watch all the way as he walks down the street.923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuWFiU9kSZn
The thirty minute walk gives his time to think about what's going to happen, to him, to them, to everyone they know.923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkrJyVcy90e
He reaches his destination, and there, a slim, quiet figure waits, extending a hand upon sight.923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXS2hPq0nh4
He grasps it.923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9A2Otvw11G
"Ready?"923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVuLJEyz8U4
The person answers. "Ready."923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRrtRUawTrE
He can tell that they're not, really, but they're going to do this anyway.923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg0mT8Q2nTN
They can hear all the noise from inside the hall, growing louder as they open the door.923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsiB8dWC5aS
Silence.923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjEpeVXRHl9
Everything stops.923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBe6GiC1Mx8
And he thinks of his wish, still strong in his mind, and walks, hand in hand, into the room.923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1EIG6V6VKA
I wish…923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnde6cf6dyL
I wish…923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFOI79awmKG
Esme cries.
-extract from memoir of a ghost by david whishaw-
When Adam delved, and Eve span,923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡryNHqSoqA0
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.923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBZXkknTyMp
-chalkboard stories-923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP9oOPCyhC9
its only an enigma923Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMUIwX67XyZ
if you want it to be
