Collective story telling...

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   shynslyposted 12 years ago

   This may have been done already (many times over), but with the plethora of talented writers here on HubPages, and in the spirit of fun forums, carry on the story with a sentence or short paragraph...
   
   
   The man with the strange hat left the office in quite a rush, his secretary calling out something behind him as he plowed headlong into the street. Unfortunately for him, he was in too much of a hurry to hear her, and he missed the 10:45 bus just as it was pulling away from the curb...

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      Home Girlposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      He realised all the grave consequences of his being late, so he rushed back and grabbed the phone. But it was ringing already. "Is that you, Jack?" he said  hesitantly.

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         couturepopcafeposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         "Listen, bub.  I know what you're up to.  And don't think I won't squeal.  I got a lot to bark about, see," came the voice through the line.
         
         "Who is this?"
         
         "You just nevermind who this is.  Be at the train station.  Gate B.  Nine sharp.  And come alone."

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         Christy Goffposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         Jack, you know I want to be there for her, but I missed the bus.  Please tell her to hold on and I will be there as soon as possible.  As he hung up the phone, his secretary came up to his side and said I have that information you was wanting.

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            couturepopcafeposted 12 years agoin reply to this

            He seemed in a haze.  "What's wrong?" the secretary inquired.
            
            "I don't think that was Jack."

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   shynslyposted 12 years ago

   "It sounded an awful lot like my brother Tom"
   
   His breath still rushing rapidly in and out of his lungs, he glanced down at his watch and realized the error of his thinking...

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      couturepopcafeposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Stupid, stupid, stupid.  You know Tom's been dead for six years.  Think, man.  Who else would know about the key?

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   2uesdayposted 12 years ago

   The image of the woman he had shared six months of his life with began to form in his mind.

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      couturepopcafeposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      "Nancy," he addressed his secretary.  "Do you remember the last time Alice was in this office?"
      
      "Let me look on the calender.  I think it was January of last year.  Why?"
      
      "Just wondering."  He raced out the door.  Nancy picked up the phone.
      
      "Hullo.  He just left.  And he was asking about Alice."

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         shynslyposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         Suddenly there was an audible "click" and the line simply went dead, followed almost immediately by the lights.
         
         Curious, as there were no storms in the area, the secretary began to rise from her office chair. At that precise moment, there was a loud "BANG!" as five heavily armed masked men came bursting through the door. One of them ran to her desk screaming, "WHERE'S JACK!? ANSWER ME, WHERE IS HE!"

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            couturepopcafeposted 12 years agoin reply to this

            Nancy was in trouble and she knew it.  Playing both sides of the fence wasn't going to pay off this time.  She had to think fast. 
            
            In the meantime, the man in the strange hat raced for the train station.  He had exactly 7 minutes to get to Gate B and traffic was at a dead standstill.
            
            "Let me off here," he told the cabby and threw a $20. on the seat.  He ran the last 3 blocks and blew through the revolving door. 
            
            His brother, Tom, leaned against a phone box and watched from across the street.  He tossed his cigarette to the curb and ground it with his boot.

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               Christy Goffposted 12 years agoin reply to this

               Deleted
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                  couturepopcafeposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                  Deleted
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                     Christy Goffposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                     Sorry, confused, continue.  Get me back on track please.....

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                  couturepopcafeposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                  (Christy - Who is narrating your first line?)

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                     couturepopcafeposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                     (No worries.  I was just wondering).

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                  couturepopcafeposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                  "Shut up," Tom growled.  "What the hell are you doing here?"  He shoved the woman aside and walked across the street and into the train station.  The woman hit 7 on her cell phone and let it ring. 
                  
                  Nancy heard the phone ringing and looked at the caller I.D.
                  
                  "You've got to let me answer that."
                  
                  "You tell us where Jack is and you can answer all the calls you want.  You've got 5 more minutes and Shad here is losing his patience."
                  
                  Shad twisted his knuckles until they snapped and popped.  Nancy shuddered and began to sweat.

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   shynslyposted 12 years ago

   Falling back on her training, Nancy began to spin a yarn even the most experianced interogator would believe.
   
   Meanwhile, in the train-station, a bored sounding monotonous voice hailed over the P.A. system, announcing the 5:15 to Harrisburg, PA would be departing 20 minutes behind schedual.

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      couturepopcafeposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      The man in the strange hat looked about frantically.  Gate B.  He saw two women dressed in burkas chatting idly.  A man holding a child's hand.  A teen texting into a cell phone.  Cautiously, he stepped closer.
      
      His head was spinning.  There was too much going on.  It could have been anyone on that phone.  "Be at Gate B.  9 sharp."  He replayed the voice over and over in his head as his fingers rubbed the smooth surface of the key in his pocket.

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   2uesdayposted 12 years ago

   It was 5.35 and he did not feel safe waiting here, he felt too vulnerable to hang around at the gate until 9.

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      couturepopcafeposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      5:35?  He'd heard the announcement for the 5:15 to Harrisburg but it didn't register.  The office clock had read 8:30.  Nancy!  But why?  He ripped his cell from his coat pocket and tapped the screen.  5:36. 
      
      As he turned back toward the doors, he saw his brother grinning at him from across the pavilion.  Tom disappeared in the crowd as the man in the strange hat ran toward him.
      
      "Tom!" he shouted.  "Tom!"  Suddenly he stopped.  "I must be losing my mind."
      
      "Sir, are you alright?"  He turned to look into the sympathetic eyes of the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

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         Home Girlposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         "Alice!" He wispered her name. "We are in trouble."
         "No, my dear," she smiled mockingly.  "You are."

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            shynslyposted 12 years agoin reply to this

            Glancing down, he noticed the very tip of a small automatic pistol protruding from under the newspaper she was carrying.
            
            In disbelief, he returned his gaze to her eyes and tried to ask, "Why?"... but his voice betrayed him and he was only able to mouth the word.

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               couturepopcafeposted 12 years agoin reply to this

               The man in the strange hat fluttered his eyes open.  He could hear  muffled voices.
               
               "You fool.  Why did you bring him here?"
               "What was I supposed to do with him?  I couldn't very well let him wander off with the key."
               "Well, we've got that, at least.  The question is what do we do with it."
               
               The three men burst into the room, dragging an unconscious Nancy with them.
               
               "Oh, no.  Now what?  You people are dragging in bodies left and right.  Am I the only one doing any thinking around here?"

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   couturepopcafeposted 12 years ago

   Tom was a nobody.  Always was.  His brother was the one who was successful, talented, and always got the ladies.  Faking his own death had been in the planning for 7 years before he actually did it.  It was a brilliant scheme.  It was the only way he knew to get the attention he felt he deserved.  To get the attention away from his brother.  There was only one catch.
   
   He had planned to get the key out of his parents house while everyone was at his 'funeral'.  Problem was, his brother was so choked up he couldn't attend and stayed at the house. 
   
   Damn him.  Still ruining my life even after I'm dead.  Well not this time, buddy boy.
   
   "Ok, I want a thorough search for the numbers on that key.  Find out what bank it is attached to, what key company made it, anything and everything.  I want that money.  And don't try to cross me.  You know what I'm capable of."
   
   "Move it!!"
   
   "What do we do with them?"
   
   "Don't worry about them.  I'll handle it."

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   shynslyposted 12 years ago

   (perhaps this wasn't such a bright idea, afterall, lol... thanks for giving it the "ole' college try", though, Couture!)

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      couturepopcafeposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks, shynsty.  And thanks for the shout out.  The inherent problem with lengthy writing is staying on track.  I guess on a forum, it's not feasible to read the entire thread and add to it.  In a real story, book, whatever, most people fall short when they lose interest, don't want to do the research, etc.  I think these types of forums challenge writers to think outside themselves.  Trying to add to someone else's surprise idea of which way the story goes is stretching to the imagination.  It's like being in a writing class.  But, alas, the world is full of a number of things which drag our attention away.

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      couturepopcafeposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      So handle it he did.  He ripped the pages from his notebook and crumpled them, tipping the already full wastebasket.
      
      "I'll start another story tomorrow."  Despondent, the man in the strange hat sat at his desk, staring at the four walls and at the blank page in front of him.  Then he got up and made himself a sandwich.
      
      "Hmm.  What about a story involving a kid who's parents are killed by an evil wizard because they are witches, then he finds out he's a wizard, he goes to magic school, and has all kinds of adventures?". 
      
      The man in the strange hat got up and called to his wife.  "JK, I've got a great idea for a book!"

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