Welcome to the Wakefield Doctrine (the theory of clarks, scotts and rogers)
This is the Six Sentence Story bloghop.
Denise is the host.
Something a little different this week.
Last week, Len, over at lensdiary, posted quite the enjoyable story-ette. In my comment, (on his Six), I wrote: ‘Who doesn’t love a good time travel story?’
Len concurred and added: ‘Be interested to read one of your takes on time travel, Clark.’
And, I was, all, “Welll!”
I went on to describe how, a couple of years ago, Val and Pat wrote ‘spin-off’s’ from a Six I wrote in the Ian Devereaux storyverse. What made it fun, and very popular, was that they both took elements of the story and ‘found out more’.
Looks like you get to read one of these spin-offs this week, as Len graciously assented to my suggestion.
For maximum enjoyment, first read the Six Sentence Story Len wrote last week, Time Travel.
Now to this week’s Six (btw, the current prompt word is ZANY)
No sooner had the man shimmered into existence, on the far side of Thrall Street, when a hansom cab, racing towards the relative safety of Commercial Road, blocked my view; the half-second it took for him to reappear, reached back, according to my notes, at least one hundred fifty-one million years.
I waited.
Earlier, on this fog-dimmed day, Brother Abbott, on the pretext of helping me carry the soup pot out to the sidewalk, handed me a glue-stained square corner of a flyer from the Adelphi Theatre promising ‘high drama and zany amusements‘; written in broth-smeared ink was: Genesis 2:18-20; the traditional reference to secure one’s mind against sudden changes in the reality around it.
The chronos-effect manifested in the expected proportion: embedded in the mass of the hungry and the poor, like tumors not yet killing the host, the slumlords and the money-changers mirrored in their appearance, if not numbers, those of a higher social caste, the frock-coated, bejeweled rulers of the city, all now clearly of Saurian decent.
The natural cruelty of a cold-blooded species was not poorly suited to their innate view of life, as I took note of flesh-tearing beaks and extra arms among the more permanent citizens of Whitechapel; for the lifetimes I’ve spent among my kind, secretly guiding and quietly limiting the excesses of the descendants of Eve, no one promised it would be simple or easy.
Consistent with the natural tenacity exhibited by members of my branch of God’s grand experiment, my whiskers twitched and tail swayed in anticipation, helping smooth the hackles ridged around my neck; I followed him with the knowledge that witnessing the effect of his arrival was only half my task.
About clarkscottroger
So much more to that theatre drama than meets the eye! Captivating and well done sequel.
Thank you, Pat
Don’t know who I find more “mysterious” – shimmering man” or our canine-like protagonist :D
You’ve created a rather dour atmosphere and a reality in which I would not wish to live, lol
I especially like your 4th sentence – “….embedded in…”
Excellent spinoff Six of Len’s tale last week!
ty. surely was a nasty time and place to live, lessen you had a bunch ‘o money
It sounds like the start of a very fascinating adventure.
I know! I’m trying to resist the urge to start… I gots two serials in progress now, be silly to start another. (but then, my last Six (last week)) might be combinable with this week’s… at least in terms of using the Order in todays Six as part of what Dr. Leanne is getting involved in.
Traveling to familiar times with a twist! Fascinating!
thank you, Lisa I agree
Whiskers and a tail, huh?
…better than a beak and four arms, right?*
*the source story for this week’s Six
Brilliant, as usual!
thanks, R
Who doesn’t love a well told bible story, with a time travel twist?
this is true
Excellent story telling my man. And as a Tullite, well, I’m good with the Jethro.
Great writing and imagination, Clark. Do I detect a hierarchy of sub-species? You have created a Dickensian atmosphere of East London, with a touch more savagery thrown in. Thoroughly enjoyed your take on the story. As a side note, I was born a ten minute walk from Commercial Road.
Thanks, Len.
As I’ve often said in these comments, most of my reason for participating in various bloghops is to practice the craft. I mean, its fun to write posts and all (and, of course, Wakefield Doctrine posts are in a different category entirely*) but a challenge such as this week’s ‘spin-off’ Six is different.
Its not merely creating a storyline, its making it work in a pre-established context.
Your East London made that a little easier, by virtue of how strongly the setting you established was written. (All I had to do was dive into the internet with Victorian-era East London in my head and absorb as much as I could in the time I had.)
Dude! Human nature is such a… easily-heinous expression of life. lol
Thanks, though, this gave me an excuse to read Oliver Twist (high school readings don’t really count in this kind of research, being a different person who read it first) and some Arthur Conan.
Is suspect we’ll all be hearing from the the un-named Order in my Six…
though, to your question, not a hierarchy of sub-species as much as parallel versions of Man, (more properly reflecting the distinction, would more correctly say, ‘the versions of Man comprised of the descendants of Eve’ and ‘humans descending from Lilith’)
* the Wakefield Doctrine is totally the sine in the sine qua non of my presence here in the blogosphere
I barely got away from this one without starting a serial…
Can’t beat a bit of good old time travel, never mind if it’s terrifying! Love the old London images – fog, soup, theatre flyers! A gnarly old SSS this, with bite!
Top work.
tru dat
and fog-soaked grease on them cobblestones, right?
thanks for the readation
And the Hansom cab you mentioned too!
Enjoyed.
Thanks, V.
Fun of creating a scene is to daydream it and try to remember details.