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,1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq0OJrFzU3g
The ally-ally-oh, the ally-ally-oh,1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh1OQ7Bzqai
Oh, the big ship sails on the ally-ally-oh,1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwCr0XInwj5
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.1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOe9NxPS4wd
"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.1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0bVqF6YtTy
"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.1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsJfU6d5j4L
"May, I'm not going to tell you that." He sits down on the grass oval and opens his chemistry book.1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgQykw4bAm1
"Okay then. First letter."1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxo25W2DJBv
"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.1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMiefW1hc7v
"Okay. It's an B." He sighs.1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyD1PdbPsbU
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.1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYLfupnF9Ny
"No, what the hell, May?"1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWA4t6mAPH1
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.1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMvt32dltD1
"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.1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6YYN8MTp0O
Esme smiles conspiratorially. "You're quite the puzzle, aren't you?" A more sophisticated person might have used the word 'enigma' instead.1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡteGncUa07w
David looks up. "Only if you want me to be."1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl8y6jz26Ya
"Haha…" He can tell she doesn't understand him, as he expected. No one would.1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDN4qCPmCsx
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.1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3SRWGsiXDa
"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.1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDLXWRvI5AR
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!'1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDhw36sYIfQ
David sighs, and closes the book.1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8tgwWiOioO
He can't concentrate now.
-impurities-
There was a crooked man and he walked a crooked mile,1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0ctISvtlHs
He found a crooked sixpence upon a crooked stile.1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjEtczcWg3g
He bought a crooked cat which caught a crooked mouse.1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJCJXtv6FqV
And they all lived together in a little crooked house.
sample: H2O1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpAPwYD6gnO
sample volume: 7325kL1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCen7mLT50J
hypothesis: i am alone1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxJuAN9gFRC
method:1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUCYdOqhAuv
-extract impurities1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPCXtpjb5ge
result: collected 109875L of impurities1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf0JYi6tCIU
hypothesis disproven1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj6uuE4f8v6
hypothesis ii: i am alone, here1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2QQJE8gjhh
method:1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCTTiBZi6q7
-sift and sort impurities1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT00CHgfVG5
result: collected 809550mL of relevant impurities1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTvjX3CLOgy
hypothesis disproven1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeR29jdTB1N
hypothesis iii: magic does not exist1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZy96vBIour
method:1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxK8g4jAsYu
-collect 2mL of relevant impurities1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnpxJzB9NlG
-place in flask1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4qEEDHBsrW
-wait1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFnu2MGc1EG
-wait1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrJg47YWqso
-wait1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡndWHterN4K
-wait1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzG9TT7WM91
-wait1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfeQUxNydI2
-wait1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ5MGmmyoct
-wait1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBk3VvUMP65
-until something magical happens1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4JIztwJXeb
result: i waited1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjhLiNPjZvW
result: i wanted1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwNEVXFDG7f
result: i failed1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfjhZn1qFBO
result: i hid1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzWs8RtwsIA
result: i tried1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWaso6b4776
result: i searched1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7dmvteZkGt
result: i found1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ037oFVNGHn
result: i found something magical1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNyIjrCzjrj
hypotheses disproven1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhr8yhr1r3U
i am not alone
-sign here-
Monday's child is fair of face,1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5s0HkYbiBN
Tuesday's child is full of grace,1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4a7jBfqWAJ
Wednesday's child is full of woe,1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4uXFcgmlcj
Thursday's child has far to go,1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4GwBf0R1A9
Friday's child is loving and giving,1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSuPuIi2SUp
Saturday's child works hard for his living1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlrlOqKD0BD
And the child that is born on the Sabbath day…
The author signs the book, another thank, another person. The line goes on.1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW0ETZVZr5E
"The name's Gretta. I'm your number one fan!"1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6oILknKQ3J
To Gretta, my number one fan. -sign here-1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8danmmnaqU
"I really loved your book. It touched me so much. I've had similar issues myself…"1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5bC1170n6w
To quote a cat meme: 'Hang in there!' Don't give up, Jacob! -sign here-1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDk2MoNO8Wy
"What an honour to meet you! I'm lost for words."1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkb0HRBnGRZ
To Kyle, my number one fan. -sign here-
To (name), my number one fan. -sign here-1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnn3dnD5PX6
To (name), my number one fan. -sign here-1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM5aAXaWAl0
To (name), my number one fan. -sign here-1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2setXUn7I3
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 –1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs0skhtxKhR
"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."1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdLoAA7hT6p
The author opens to the inside cover, and sure enough, there's a signature there. It's not his own, though.1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZIxboCP2Xy
This is for you, Hector. I want you to know that I'm sorry.1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp4rtpi9sdp
Carolyn1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1mf6ezNLRy
"I'm sorry, I don't quite understand –" The author is interrupted by the young man.1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHUU858hPGZ
"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.1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ18vvXMB0pU
"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."1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqk83Eeuiig
The author finally sees; and – for a moment – for an eternal, deathly moment – he wants to cry.1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmL03MZPimq
"Yes…" He manages to form the word. "…I agree."1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd4vPjRTFJV
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.1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyPFXqvu937
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.1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN6GUfgVBqH
The clearing of a throat brings his attention back to the person in front of him.1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpExZpqchjf
To Samantha, my number one fan. -sign here-
-ghost 54-
"When will that be?" say the Bells of Stepney,1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm4519aPoEl
"I do not know" say the Great Bells of Bow.1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡendPZN0amO
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.1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCTZnTk0BQn
Why is this, experts ask?1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcuHkAlX78R
And why is it only occasionally that ghosts are found in groups?1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2bTQzdR0Ww
It was decided that a study must be conducted.1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUiIoe7e8xJ
We stayed at the Crawley Cemetery for five nights, with video cameras, audio recording equipment, and an ectograph.1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBEhmTrf3vE
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 1:1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnKm3tbHYw5
Video cameras find nothing.1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfz7hzb4FL5
Audio finds only the faintest of whispers.1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVo85pMl3J5
No ectograph response.1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvx1fE41cNZ
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 2:1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUBwSYL4bnG
Video cameras find nothing.1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmvqeqIfflE
Audio records crying at a frequency unnoticeable to human ears. Had to be edited.1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWEHNCxz0lp
Slight ectograph response.1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfp757iVPmL
At our midnight campfire, we sensed a presence, 5 foot 4 inches tall. One member of our group panicked, and bailed from experiment.1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3txxiRYPc9
The presence feebly tried to morph into a replica of a human body, but the image collapsed.1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVMPhehKWD2
We have christened the presence 'ghost 54'.
NIGHT 3:1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEFwqWW9cxJ
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.1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxZj9k9pbtF
Audio records multiple prayers being said through the night. Again, frequency had to be edited.1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDass1hoEb6
Ectograph gives huge response. Large ghost activity in area.1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlYDBc9fruT
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 4:1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDb4glnom52
Video cameras record images of horrific beings, humanoid but monstrous.1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvHdhbgk6pY
Audio records unintelligible noises. This phenomenon requires further study. Possibly an attempt at communication.1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy6n7WkzzMC
Ectograph spikes, has buffer overflow. Line of activity goes off the top of graph before the machine breaks.1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi715PsxRmk
We repair the ectograph during our midnight campfire.1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPnKCymkRVk
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.1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaM2BDmXE1U
Ghost 54 is silent.
NIGHT 5:1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdWsTsJ81LN
Video cameras show many people walking around the cemetery.1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCmIb6RRgIJ
Audio records many casual conversations.1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmXAh0JNgEm
The repaired ectograph gives no response.1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm4O9pR0W5m
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.1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz0gtTOaDfC
No ghost activity was found at all.1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8UlckTBbG0
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.1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡekPr0tvifK
We congratulate ourselves on our unusual findings.1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdZTiM65Sgg
To celebrate, we watch the footage of ghost 54 being placed in the cage.1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡljEGjUwAl1
We are surprised to see in the recording, us placing a perfectly healthy (and struggling) human into the cage.1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzDtJfs9E8t
The footage has not been tampered with.
This phenomenon requires further study.
-whish-
Jack and Jill1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVPJnsdIKvQ
Went up the hill1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6cKSG01dW7
To fetch a pail of water…
The hill is silent, serene – peaceful, he wants to say.1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3j4ZMtPYBX
This is his place, where he can lay the storm of thoughts rushing about inside his mind to rest.1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuhFAmnFOlF
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.1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHCi4DFZbl6
But he still does it, perhaps once a month, sometimes more, sometimes less, because of the Whishing Well.1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIO06vNqAeP
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.1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZtRiSUBi44
Tonight is different.1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1mXg5EUZF5
He has nothing left to give to the well.1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡASNWJyYK68
Or, perhaps, he has everything to give.1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdhDwpxACli
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.1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfF3fw3tRyv
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.1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8b7RLAHBZZ
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.1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaXYQdvRgVR
He opens his eyes. The wish is over.1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn1YoAW9TIM
He wants it. He needs it.1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvm1Jb6KLPP
With a sigh, he walks back down the hill.
The next evening, his parents are crying.1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuZ4PkDRhX6
"We're proud of you, son, no matter what." They're smiling, but they're shocked as well, shaken.1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoCQNGGXokj
His dad, eyes red, pats him on the back.1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0Eh1qrbXCx
"Go get 'em, tiger."1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPUwKrZGzRy
And so a door closes, another opens.1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtYZBTBi05e
He walks out, a half-hearted goodbye, a see you soon, and they watch all the way as he walks down the street.1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuXcNPE52Ju
The thirty minute walk gives his time to think about what's going to happen, to him, to them, to everyone they know.1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlmWRjvojdT
He reaches his destination, and there, a slim, quiet figure waits, extending a hand upon sight.1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDbohuaDSFi
He grasps it.1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8SvoEf0aMO
"Ready?"1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQM7mJhzIF1
The person answers. "Ready."1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGLQ6m0EK0H
He can tell that they're not, really, but they're going to do this anyway.1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSi9EiPsHr4
They can hear all the noise from inside the hall, growing louder as they open the door.1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGepBb2e3bn
Silence.1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXA5kSRRpDm
Everything stops.1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvq1w8dKMMe
And he thinks of his wish, still strong in his mind, and walks, hand in hand, into the room.1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYegMkMZsVA
I wish…1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzQSUnlGZN3
I wish…1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhbMtKfe1il
Esme cries.
-extract from memoir of a ghost by david whishaw-
When Adam delved, and Eve span,1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCUZarlZNoe
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.1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRjjs9kY5TK
-chalkboard stories-1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDcQULDFPvy
its only an enigma1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjY3PJEhlfh
if you want it to be
