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,1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz5VELiof03
The ally-ally-oh, the ally-ally-oh,1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ73SpAO8ck4
Oh, the big ship sails on the ally-ally-oh,1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8ijb6vkrgw
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.1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRtwh7WyH63
"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.1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKVbZoQRPJZ
"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.1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9RvHd2JSmx
"May, I'm not going to tell you that." He sits down on the grass oval and opens his chemistry book.1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyoX6Reg6lQ
"Okay then. First letter."1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIbycQuEEY8
"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.1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuXp1Ky5p2m
"Okay. It's an B." He sighs.1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1nPr0sJYI1
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.1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMYTn2WqMLU
"No, what the hell, May?"1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡICI5K1J2PG
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.1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGqLKmqowpR
"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.1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR9rRgZICrT
Esme smiles conspiratorially. "You're quite the puzzle, aren't you?" A more sophisticated person might have used the word 'enigma' instead.1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZBqlhiF5IE
David looks up. "Only if you want me to be."1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ9bvpbNZoY
"Haha…" He can tell she doesn't understand him, as he expected. No one would.1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhB6e2h7E4d
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.1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZsygtQN2CS
"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.1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ19xz7AsKtS
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!'1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrD5sInrqne
David sighs, and closes the book.1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp94uv3jJOq
He can't concentrate now.
-impurities-
There was a crooked man and he walked a crooked mile,1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnFvtbWn3Lp
He found a crooked sixpence upon a crooked stile.1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsTq8xrBSHI
He bought a crooked cat which caught a crooked mouse.1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOOsxZoz8hd
And they all lived together in a little crooked house.
sample: H2O1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy5G498Vtnq
sample volume: 7325kL1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlioDKoFuTS
hypothesis: i am alone1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVOmzeVSLOK
method:1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw4EXQjSJBg
-extract impurities1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxohgMzvvGP
result: collected 109875L of impurities1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzeHKFzBqNz
hypothesis disproven1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkhGECwmxxL
hypothesis ii: i am alone, here1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ18jqb23oBH
method:1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOi8Yhcoxy6
-sift and sort impurities1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPS9b6Dja9W
result: collected 809550mL of relevant impurities1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyCDkEgrk9v
hypothesis disproven1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfMNhsqyn8x
hypothesis iii: magic does not exist1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL7eFQk2H8l
method:1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTHQDdzB997
-collect 2mL of relevant impurities1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjUyCR0Aup9
-place in flask1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmVqjuh5Jd6
-wait1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnxch5IvZS0
-wait1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHGguAKcBrw
-wait1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLoU7Bfn5EU
-wait1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpQ9g6kyyxa
-wait1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOYmJ7dMRWY
-wait1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzfFGLaiI4G
-wait1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv8quu8xBnp
-until something magical happens1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr8wHYdk0EX
result: i waited1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI2OWxhgNYr
result: i wanted1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWc1JQ9CJoo
result: i failed1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgqzAmOzjYI
result: i hid1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRzHYUe6MeK
result: i tried1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMua5y73vDE
result: i searched1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXRE4vYdGyr
result: i found1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJxCuyC69ef
result: i found something magical1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq0DvFNJG3C
hypotheses disproven1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOar4bQuJtC
i am not alone
-sign here-
Monday's child is fair of face,1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ84zMIcG8zi
Tuesday's child is full of grace,1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP1Bk7mZ3bb
Wednesday's child is full of woe,1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwMmDHy9IQL
Thursday's child has far to go,1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYgAfZwH9Wg
Friday's child is loving and giving,1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwlQa8Cd3CQ
Saturday's child works hard for his living1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCoevls3pN5
And the child that is born on the Sabbath day…
The author signs the book, another thank, another person. The line goes on.1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZXXeFVLLv8
"The name's Gretta. I'm your number one fan!"1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlovIWZ4PcV
To Gretta, my number one fan. -sign here-1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFNOs28eTEL
"I really loved your book. It touched me so much. I've had similar issues myself…"1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYMhXzpP5cZ
To quote a cat meme: 'Hang in there!' Don't give up, Jacob! -sign here-1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqisAkRtyAQ
"What an honour to meet you! I'm lost for words."1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWGjRmkvm5j
To Kyle, my number one fan. -sign here-
To (name), my number one fan. -sign here-1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg29vITFvft
To (name), my number one fan. -sign here-1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGhx5LQsBgm
To (name), my number one fan. -sign here-1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRIQALIvpDd
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 –1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd2ql5rAIOb
"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."1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUkLm2hZzUC
The author opens to the inside cover, and sure enough, there's a signature there. It's not his own, though.1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7ePfUwfvIh
This is for you, Hector. I want you to know that I'm sorry.1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl9oKpZKSG1
Carolyn1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7Wio8LKWgM
"I'm sorry, I don't quite understand –" The author is interrupted by the young man.1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpxSZ1okx2p
"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.1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQnP4GrWIqe
"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."1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpEWPhGuolD
The author finally sees; and – for a moment – for an eternal, deathly moment – he wants to cry.1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaNMeZIW8As
"Yes…" He manages to form the word. "…I agree."1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlL6yGvHCvR
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.1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOWj24XpvTe
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.1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoNTdWXGnfm
The clearing of a throat brings his attention back to the person in front of him.1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw6eDSOaKyj
To Samantha, my number one fan. -sign here-
-ghost 54-
"When will that be?" say the Bells of Stepney,1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDfj2dmt2Lx
"I do not know" say the Great Bells of Bow.1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoQzcl3TdG9
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.1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuAPtbaE8uC
Why is this, experts ask?1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiV7k475R3U
And why is it only occasionally that ghosts are found in groups?1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLEzASjeL6h
It was decided that a study must be conducted.1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDu7a1sYIkD
We stayed at the Crawley Cemetery for five nights, with video cameras, audio recording equipment, and an ectograph.1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡahwgG53Uiz
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 1:1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJYdSiLXwRw
Video cameras find nothing.1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9oUsw7Ehq3
Audio finds only the faintest of whispers.1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBs4gwE0ozS
No ectograph response.1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdLRjoOnlDB
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 2:1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXiXej9vhDS
Video cameras find nothing.1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIyOq9ks60s
Audio records crying at a frequency unnoticeable to human ears. Had to be edited.1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX7ADlqZuRy
Slight ectograph response.1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3oMZVQ3UX2
At our midnight campfire, we sensed a presence, 5 foot 4 inches tall. One member of our group panicked, and bailed from experiment.1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7626z95QQK
The presence feebly tried to morph into a replica of a human body, but the image collapsed.1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8VmUdCb0j5
We have christened the presence 'ghost 54'.
NIGHT 3:1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8XZiLMMV0N
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.1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpv8akYlD4X
Audio records multiple prayers being said through the night. Again, frequency had to be edited.1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnlCXSJONdK
Ectograph gives huge response. Large ghost activity in area.1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3sRqkvj9c9
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 4:1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCdwNQnIDlH
Video cameras record images of horrific beings, humanoid but monstrous.1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqCGXgLW0tU
Audio records unintelligible noises. This phenomenon requires further study. Possibly an attempt at communication.1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFaoG6jSomz
Ectograph spikes, has buffer overflow. Line of activity goes off the top of graph before the machine breaks.1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVR2FfOY9mS
We repair the ectograph during our midnight campfire.1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPj5PC5ekAw
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.1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLhTBQXDjpP
Ghost 54 is silent.
NIGHT 5:1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOKIxIoWP4k
Video cameras show many people walking around the cemetery.1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKjWAOFQgP5
Audio records many casual conversations.1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYtjbVkPSaY
The repaired ectograph gives no response.1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnDLzzLSeZ4
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.1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJZv0LTXYtg
No ghost activity was found at all.1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ1lXw0qdif
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.1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEAepukdJSC
We congratulate ourselves on our unusual findings.1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrbOXqlHMIF
To celebrate, we watch the footage of ghost 54 being placed in the cage.1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZhPLFtHRI4
We are surprised to see in the recording, us placing a perfectly healthy (and struggling) human into the cage.1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxb3n4gN4U6
The footage has not been tampered with.
This phenomenon requires further study.
-whish-
Jack and Jill1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtdHF7cvpVs
Went up the hill1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWxqZQqFa3F
To fetch a pail of water…
The hill is silent, serene – peaceful, he wants to say.1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCyL7yGRX8a
This is his place, where he can lay the storm of thoughts rushing about inside his mind to rest.1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqibUr4DYz5
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.1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzuY8Bfy1zz
But he still does it, perhaps once a month, sometimes more, sometimes less, because of the Whishing Well.1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡleB1ec6zzP
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.1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLwh4fcoEmC
Tonight is different.1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpcrpjJ6OkT
He has nothing left to give to the well.1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT2Njm9P86e
Or, perhaps, he has everything to give.1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyiLKRTMcjR
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.1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjRm1D62mQJ
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.1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLlSt5aZoLt
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.1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyAuf3KD9NA
He opens his eyes. The wish is over.1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUSPW6Mj4Xr
He wants it. He needs it.1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4b1Lr7madZ
With a sigh, he walks back down the hill.
The next evening, his parents are crying.1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVPmcedJ8ph
"We're proud of you, son, no matter what." They're smiling, but they're shocked as well, shaken.1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf8QoTIOVaJ
His dad, eyes red, pats him on the back.1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡovf989hhS2
"Go get 'em, tiger."1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ63xDqhgaqW
And so a door closes, another opens.1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTl06VuLSbT
He walks out, a half-hearted goodbye, a see you soon, and they watch all the way as he walks down the street.1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ70pu3BCN88
The thirty minute walk gives his time to think about what's going to happen, to him, to them, to everyone they know.1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ35yXzgnDZ3
He reaches his destination, and there, a slim, quiet figure waits, extending a hand upon sight.1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNKyzpz92Wu
He grasps it.1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYkDx3gMCfE
"Ready?"1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdoc5kY2vpJ
The person answers. "Ready."1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3orj1dxEs1
He can tell that they're not, really, but they're going to do this anyway.1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3GbrGlx9Qu
They can hear all the noise from inside the hall, growing louder as they open the door.1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwVhxsfN5j9
Silence.1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPwsd9z4Bvy
Everything stops.1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9ZB9jzH37t
And he thinks of his wish, still strong in his mind, and walks, hand in hand, into the room.1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4t9ZsoQtqS
I wish…1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBwtj2dvGSZ
I wish…1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCxPgjmZwVm
Esme cries.
-extract from memoir of a ghost by david whishaw-
When Adam delved, and Eve span,1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFy7X9KfgxM
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.1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8E3mOKFDVd
-chalkboard stories-1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS7BPtzZ40P
its only an enigma1082Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtC6oXYESxc
if you want it to be
and then Add to home screen.