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Saturday, 24 March 2012

Chapter 2. Separate Ways


William

William was used to disappointment. He was born uncoordinated and had suffered many bangs to the head as a child. But his determination to succeed drove him on against the opposing constraints of bad luck and consistent failure. The King had annoyed him, but he'd decided not to get angry about it. Instead, he slipped through the back door for a bit of solitude and fresh air. He needed inspiration; something to stir his creative juices. He needed to be distracted, he thought; and his new story unfold in due course.
The garden was an overgrown mass of weeds, vines, trees and shrubs. Not one of the three storytellers had much concern with horticulture, and consequently, none of them had discovered what was at the bottom of the garden. Until now that is.
He brushed past branches and chopped down plants and marched on through the unexplored growth. Only a few minutes had elapsed, when suddenly ("oof!") there it was. A shed. He got up off the floor and inspected his grazed and bloody knee.* The rusty padlock disintegrated in his hands, the door squeaked open and in crept the inquisitive William.


*it wasn't too bad. Just a scratch really.

Wayne

Wayne was a pessimist, and had decided that his fate was no longer in his own hands. He took a couple of sleeping pills, laid down on his bed and thought about the week ahead; arduous days and nights of writing and rewriting, the long road to the King's castle, the embarrassing reading, probably followed by some form of torture and then death. He slept soundly.
He was a dreamer, and found the boundary between consciousness and sleep a very fine line indeed. He would switch off without warning.
"Wayne?"
"Wayne?"
"Wayne!"
"Mmm?" he mumbled.
"Have you not heard a word i have been saying?"
"Mmm?" he replied.
"Just look at me for God's sake!'
"Hey Wycliffe. You....."
At that moment, Wayne came to his senses. He saw his dog, Wycliffe, staring back at him.
"I can speak and its weird," explained the dog.
"No shit."
Whether he knew it or not, Wayne wasn't dreaming.


Warren

Warren was irrational and head-strong. He had the inability to weigh up the pro's and con's of all situations. Quickly deciding that it would be too difficult to write another story in such a short space of time, he started to pack his travel bag. He'd concluded that no matter what, his story would be badly received, and he would most likely die if his head was cut off. He hadn't concocted a plan as such, but knew the best course of action to take.
'Simple', he thought, 'I'll kill the King myself'.
Warren burst out of the house and ran back to the extremely well-guarded castle.

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