Welcome to the Wakefield Doctrine (the theory of clarks, scotts and rogers)
This is the Doctrine’s contribution to the Six Sentence Story bloghop.
Hosted by Denise, constrained by a sentence limit (high and low) of six, there are worse ways to spend the remaining time you have on earth.
Previously. in our current tale…
Prompt word:
DUST
The susurrus of air conditioning ducting common to renovated mill buildings, factories and condemned schools, along with the damp-whoosh of distant plumbing, provided a slightly cyber-punk vibe to the room. The two verifiably-human people in Room 215 paused to assess their feelings towards the occupant of a hidden closet only just revealed. When reasonably mature, if not rather sophisticated, people discover a four-foot bellhop in a hundred-years-abandoned room, they can be forgiven for feeling nonplussed. That this being’s sole manner of communication consists of holding up what appear to be silent movie inter-title cards, well it’s kind of a lot to process.
The tall, thin man smiled a knife-edged smile as the seconds threatened to metastasize into an awkward, if not, threatening stillness; la Raconteuse was, quite characteristically, already in motion.
There was a knock at the door; a decisive rapping, in no way like softly-seductive sounds of the darkness that roamed the dusty and half-dark hall outside the room, this, in its tone and tenor, was decidedly more…urgent.
About clarkscottroger
So just when we find out what was hiding behind the wall- someone is knocking at the door- and I am guessing I will have to wait till next week to find out who- or what!
well… we know you have a busy schedule (like James Brown of the ‘sphere)… you could stop by and see for yourself ;]
This is delightfully strange and slightly sinister. Well done!
Thank you
An urgent knock on the door means more people are getting involved.
right… thanks for thinking positively… more ‘people’ and good ones at that… where are those wonderful Jehovah Witness missionary family units when you need ’em?
I can almost see what will happen next week. Do tell the tall, thin men too! Since I do like the idea about those interesting cards… Mr Bellhop do be kind to us! Plus, who is about to appear, after knocking, and loudly.
excellent! I suspect we’ll be reading more from our dumbwaiter/bellhop (you’re to blame you know!! lol you used the term dumbwaiter and before I could picture one of those cute, baby elevators (in Victorian homes first, I hear) I got the idea of a mute (but not necessarily mute bellhop)
fun writing
Very much so!
This room is filling up quickly!
you’re name is so on the Guest List! stop by any time (uh oh! he’s about to go into another of his interminable descriptions of the layout of the SSC&B! feets don’t fail me now!)
Some of those who enjoy a brief, albeit discreet visit, take advantage of a feature that follows the architecture/design of the building so well, you’d think were made it up!
Many mills and factories of the time (late 19th early-mid 20th C) had columns along the exterior walls as part of a buttress system to support a high and broad roof.
Standing in the Bistro and looking at the exterior wall that forms one of two ‘long sides’ of a rectangle one sees these columns. Usually square most often granite blocks they divide the interior run of this wall. The result are natural ‘alcoves’ between each. These have a single table and privacy curtains (of varying degree of opacity ranging from ‘Want to see what you’re missing out on?’ to ‘Private Party Keep your eyes to yourself.’
Let us, we’ll totally reserve one if you so desire.
Thank you for the reminder about the guest list.
Have you ever drawn up a floor plan? Andrew has a talent in that direction.
keep taking a run at it.
(a rectangle shape, long edge along the sidewalk/entrance (three steps down) near the right-hand end. inside, viewed from above: the right-hand short side is the bar running from entrance to ‘the hallway’ the remaining 3/4 is the bistro.
Got it. I’m going to draw this up so that I’m not walking through walls if I walk-on in August (after I return from visiting family in Denmark in July).
Go idea.
Note: if you stand at with your back to the bar the exterior wall to the left is divided by square granite block columns (as part of the buttress roof system) the space between each of the, say, ten columns create the privacy alcoves.
Looking to the right the interior wall is brick and halfway down (from the bar) is a small stage (two steps up) for readings, singers, open mic etc
The remainder of this ‘three quarters of a rectangle’ are the tables. All are the classic round wood (heavily lacquered (but still have white(ish) drink rings and cigarette burns). Chairs are those spindle cane affairs that every drunk believes they can tip back on two legs.
The bar is polished mahogany. At the far end (nearest the hallway) is the waitress station (in the seat adjacent to this is where Mimi can most often be found)
Maybe I should get some graph paper or something
funny thing, that (the Café, not your vacay)… the. rule of the Six Sentence Café & Bistro is anything goes (as long as it remains bound to the rules of ‘good fiction’) but it is the enduring reality of the setting that frees up the ‘what do you think will happen next?.
Concrete sounds of knocking disturbs the old, dusty, undisturbed room. Nobody sneezed in the dust?
fortunately not! Now, the stairwells! They are a different matter entirely! Sneezistically*-speaking, that is.
* not a ‘real’ word
There’s something wonderful about this building, and some things I think we’ll never understand.
agreed
im diggin on that ‘slightly cyber-punk vibe’ phrase… i’m now looking everywhere i look to see this manifesting as if it’s always been there and never seen before… there’s a lot going on in that room 215 almost feel it getting smaller and smaller like alice when she decided to eat the pill and got bigger and bigger and bigger…. knife edged smile is enough to back off 10 feet and give tall man plenty of space to breathe… i think i stopped breathing at the thought of that sorta smile… though i would be totally delighted to walk down that dark hall with a flash light or maybe a pair of those kid flashing shoes as a comfort to my fear and curiosity…. and so suddenly too suddenly the 6S ends without warning…
funny thing, the hallway was always a part of the Six Sentence Café & Bistro, like right from the start. of course the bar (running down the right side of place coming out of the foyer (where there are two cigarette machines with stacks of Watch Tower and free newspapers and a vinyl-wired rack of color glossy real estate books) has changed since back then (the kitchen was added a couple of years ago). But the hallway, necessary to get to the Managers office, has always had a thing with it’s lighting
fun place
The plot thickens and my nerves are ready to snap!
thank you!
“Kind of a lot to process”.
Yeah, it’d be a hell of a lot to process, yet, being Proprietors and all, the tall, thin man and la Raconteuse are handling themselves as I’d expect. Not to say I’d blame them for feeling slightly unnerved!
year reality tv comes to the SSC&B