The Horror in Smithville[/caption].
. Welcome back My Dear Readers to The Other Shoe. Welcome to this, the Friday edition of, ‘FIVE NUNDRED ARTICLES – A Celebration and Review’! My Dear Readers, when I first started this blog, back in March of 2010, I never imagined that I would be celebrating the publication of my five hundredth article… well, so soon! In just four short years I have written and published, for your entertainment and information, over five hundred articles of all stripes and colors. We have gone to Mars and to the outer reaches of our solar system to the Kuiper Belt and the Oort Cloud.
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I have shared political news and editorials, as well as weekly news from around the world. We have ventured to the furthest reaches of the internet to ‘The Deep Web’, too! All of this, I have done with/for you. Yet, it was not until recently that we took this journey together. A journey of the creative and a journey to the darker side in all of us. Today, we celebrate that journey. The journey to ‘The Horror in Smithville’!
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Now, My Dear Readers, I have always wanted to pen horror. Since a boy, reading horror stories late at night under the covers of my bed, desperate to not have my mother find out just what I was reading. I have yearned to write and publish a work of the horror genre. Today, I can cross that off my ‘Bucket List’! Not only have I wrote and published a work of horror… if I may say so myself… I have delved deep into the dark and murky waters of horror itself.
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As anyone can clearly see, in the very last installment of this tale, I have no problem with bringing a horrific scene to these pages. And yet, if you decide to continue on this adventure with me, “Oh!” the terrors you will see! Today I am going to review the first thirteen episodes of this tale of horrific terror. Then, I am going to share with you, My Dear Readers, a little tid-bit of what is yet to come.
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That’s right, My Dear Readers, at the very end of this article I will include a few paragraphs of what is to come in the horrific journey of Timmy and Archer! So, hold on to your hats and sit back in your chairs, for here comes the first hundred pages of ‘The Horror in Smithville’ all for you!
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- The Horror in Smithville : “Timmy Marref lived on a farm outside Smithville. Smithville was a little town smack dab in the middle of America. Timmy’s father, Kenneth Marref, worked the family farm. As his father did before him, and his grandfather did before that, and his great-grandfather did before him. From what Timmy could gather the Marref’s had worked this land for more than 100 years. Timmy didn’t mind living on a farm. As a matter of fact, more times than not Timmy just downright loved living on the farm.” THIS is how the whole story started. It was March 6th, 2014 and I was thinking on “what NEW can I bring to The Other Shoe’?” I am always thinking of how to improve the blog, what more series or articles can I bring to you, My Dear Readers, that will bring smiles to your faces and joy to you souls. I, at this point, had written articles about world news, Mars, the Hubble Space telescope, financial inequality, and even some politics here and there. What, pray tell, could I cook up in my little head that might tickle your collective fancy? Then, it hit me, like a ton of bricks coming at my head. The idea of a lifetime landed in my lap. ‘A Horror story meant for young adults! The great thing was, if I wrote it well then adults as well as young people, will enjoy reading the story. That was how it all began, back in March. :0
- The Horror in Smithville – Part Two : “Now Timmy’s Mom weren’t no fool, nor was she born yesterday. Margaret knew Timmy had just been on the phone, for the past half hour, with his best Archer. Margie also knew, and she loved her son Timmy for this, that he was mighty accustom to hug her at any given time. However, Timmy creeping up on her to put his arm around her waist and hug her while she’s frying chicken? That was a sure fire sign that Timmy wanted something, and he wanted it something mighty strong. This made Margie smile ear to ear. She could hardly wait to hear the yarn her son was about to spin. Just in the nick of time though Margie bit her upper lip to make herself stop smiling, right as Timmy looked up into her face with those doleful hazel eyes.” Well, I have said it before, and I will (likely) say it again and again. At this point, the story was nearly writing itself! The characters had come to life, and each and every time I closed my eyes and thought about; Timmy and Archer they began to perform and act right before my eyes. I had the easiest job in the world, all I had to do was watch and write down what they did each day. Even this early in the story the characters of Timmy and Archer had started to leap off the pages of the story. ‘Character Development’ was as easy as letting the boys speak! The plot was a simple one… two young men out for an adventure at Halloween. BAM! It wasn’t until two or three weeks later that ‘The Tall Man’ came to life and the story started developing a ‘Darker’ side.
- The Horror in Smithville – Part Three : “Just as Archer had anticipated, when dinner was served there was; deep fried chicken (at least one chicken if not two), mashed potatoes with a pad of butter still melting on the top of the potato mountain, what looked to be buttermilk biscuits, a gravy bowl filled to the brim with hot and fresh (made from scratch) chicken gravy, and both green peas and corn on the cob. Archer was drooling with anticipation, but before lifting a single eating utensil he gave Timmy’s Mom her much deserved praise.“Everything looks just great, Mrs. Marref! I don’t know which is better, how good it all smells or how great it looks on the table!” This was about the time that the ‘sleep-over’ idea was flowering in my head. The idea of having ‘his’ first appearance not happen during the fateful ride on the Haunted House. How to build the suspense for the ride, how to incorporate character development with a three day long sleep-over. It was in parts two and three that I truly developed the ‘Home Spun’ feel of the story. How I was to take two rual young men, and throw them out of their world of feeding chickens and milking cows and hurl them head long into a world with ‘zombie-wolves’ and the undead. It was, also, about this time that I feel in LOVE with this story and its potential. What was meant to be a really short story, lasting no more than a month, now had the potential to run for several months. Timmy and Archer had found a way into my heart.
- The Horror in Smithville – Part Four : “Lightening filled the room with brilliance that shown like daytime. The room was plunged into darkness, followed by the low rumblings of thunder. The time between the two events, the lightening and the thunder was decreasing. Timmy knew that meant the heart of the storm was yet to arrive. Another flash of lightening, it filled the room. Geeze, it was so bright you could read your math homework with it. It was followed by deepening darkness, then the low rumble of thunder. All the time the sound of the rain, pounding on the back porch and the barn, grew louder and louder. This was going to be a heck of a storm!” To this day I am still unsure just where the lightening storm came from in this story. No where, in the first month’s notes, did I even mention a lightening storm. However, once I wrote it down… once I worked it into the story… and once ‘The Tall Man’ appeared with the storm… well there was no turning back and it felt as natural as a spring rain. You see, My Dear Readers, it was as if; the Carnival, the Haunter House Ride and ‘The Tall Man’ ALL ‘blew into town together’! See how it all just fits? Honest to goodness I am not fibbing when I tell you that it was not originally thought up tied together, it must have just happened one night when the pain robbed me of sleep. Now, looking back? Well, I just cannot see it working any other way. THAT is what makes my job…. A JOY!
- The Horror in Smithville – Part Five : “Standing there, Timmy felt a cool breeze passing under the door. Now, he knew that he and Archer had kept the window in his bedroom closed. As hard as it was raining, outside, an open window would have drenched the bed and sleeping bag. He leaned over to the right, slightly, looking at the space between the bottom of the door and the sill below. Sure enough, there was a light on in the room. It was lighter that what his ‘Adventures of Princess Nadia’ nightlight created, too. Timmy screwed up his courage, wrapped his hand around the doorknob, and turned the knob.” ANOTHER great ‘Behind the Scenes’ story relates to the creation of this, Part Five. You see, Part Five NEVER EXISTED! When I wrote part four, then looked back over it getting ready to write (what is now Part Six)… well, I just did not like how it ended, Part Four. Something was missing. I gave it a great deal of thought… then it hit me! In ending Part Four, the way I did, I have deprived myself of a Grand Entrance for ‘The Tall Man’! Once I experienced that inspiration, well there was no ‘going back’. I simply had to re-write Part Four, and have it segway right into THIS Part Five. Part Five exists solely for the purpose of the introduction of ‘The Tall Man’ to his Protagonist = Timmy. It was all falling into place, just like a prefect shuffle in cards, each person (card) was stacking right on top of the other person (card) to form a ‘dove-tail’ of characters. My Dear Readers, this was not ‘planned’… this just happened to me, and I can never express just how happy I am that it… did!
- The Horror in Smithville – Part SIX : “And we are not talking about a really nice graveyard, eight. This graveyard looked to be from long long ago. The headstones were mostly broken, the names of the dearly beloved long ago forgotten to time. Gnarled trees, leaning half out of the ground, were the only remaining landscaping. Above, the moon hung full in the sky while a deep rolling fog moved over the ground.. It just then that Timmy felt the first deep chill, it was very cold and damp outside.” This, My Dear Readers, THIS is when it all started coming together. In THIS chapter… the MAGIC started happening. Let me explain a little. First, in part six I started interweaving the boy’s reality with their dream world! Things, and people, from one part of their lives began showing up in the other part of their lives! This gave me all sorts of creative opportunities. NEXT? Next the boys were taken to a different dream world! More than one ‘dream world’ freed me up, as a writer, and gave me the opportunity to begin interweaving their “Dream Worlds’! This was a huge gift to me, as a writer… but the best I saved for LAST. In Part Six… I did something that reached off the page! Now, My Dear Readers, if you are a frequent readers then you have (no doubt) hear about my most favorite… my PRIZED novel; ‘The Adventures of Princess Nadia’ book ONE to be ‘The Healing Light’. I have written about this upcoming work for the better part of the past FOUR years. In Part Six, I managed to create a ‘Trademark’ writing dynamic exclusive to Daniel Hanning. IN part Six… I brought Princess Nadia and Alexander into the ‘dream world’ of Timmy and Archer! That’s RIGHT My Dear Readers, it will be a trademark of my writing style that MY characters Cross Over into other literary works of mine! Never before have I read of this being done by another writer. Not only that, but it is not just a chance encounter! That’s RIGHT Princess Nadia and Alexander will have full roles in ‘The Horror in Smithville’ and Timmy and Archer WILL APPEAR in ‘The Adventures of Princess Nadia’! My Dear Readers, when I made this happen on the page… and it WORKED! I was just THRILLED at the possibilities! I am not going to give any spoilers… but this is going to happen… and BIG!
- The Horror in Smithville – Part Seven : “Timmy had directed Archer to climb to the highest branch of the old gnarled tree he could manage. There he would do his best to; bleed, slow down and/or maim as many of these zombie-wolves as possible. You see, that is a common misnomer about archers, and archery, among the larger populous. Archers rarely ‘kill’ someone with an arrow to the heart. Archers are best to bleed your opponents, causing them to slow and reducing strength. Timmy had explained all this, to Archer, as they climbed the gnarled tree.” My Dear Readers, at FOURTEEN PAGES in Word, this Part, Part Seven, is the single LARGEST of all the parts so far. In it I tie together all the new tools, tricks, characters, and ‘trademarks’. I interweave just about every aspect of this story, and this story begins getting dark. By becoming dark the story firmly plants itself into the Horror genre and leaves no doubt to the readers. This is a horror story, and one of a different and terribly original style and feel. This final part, for the first ¼ of the book, sums up Timmy and Archer’s experience in their ‘Dream World’, so far. Now, not only are characters from different IPs showing up in other intellectual properties? Events, and people, from reality are showing up in Dream World (OTHER THAN Timmy and Archer), events are carrying over from one reality to another. Now, I really do not want to tip my hand… I REALLY want you to READ THIS STORY… if you haven’t already… and (here is the REAL problem with reviews) I want to do this without giving away any of the surprises and without diminishing the suspense. However, weighing in at 14 pages THIS part of the story… is monumental! That is why I am taking my time working on, out, Part EIGHT! I do plan on its release TOMORROW… May 8th, 2014. Barring any totally unforeseen circumstances… like the A/C going out completely… I WILL PUBLISH ‘part Eight’ Thursday may 8th, 2014.
- The Horror in Smithville – Part EIGHT: “Welcome back My Dear Readers to The Other Shoe. Just as promised, I have worked through the night, and most of this morning, to make sure I was able to publish the much anticipated (and slightly tardy) Part EIGHT – ‘The Horror in Smithville’! You know, My Dear Readers, I am really glad that I didn’t promise any particular; plot twists, character changes, plot lines or story lines prior to writing.” Here it IS!! After many readers having waited another week, just to read this episode, here is the much anticipated PART EIGHT of The Horror in Smithville’!!! I am not sharing any spoilers, here today… so if you want to know “what happens”? You will just have to take a few moments and read this great episode, yourself! ENJOY!
- The Horror in Smithville – Part Nine : “Timmy was pale, in color, in his face and arms. Almost like he had been drained of blood. Archer pulled Timmy’s jacket up around his face and over his ears. As Archer’s hands passed Timmy’s face, he felt heat radiating from Timmy’s face. Jeeze! Archer had never felt a fever that hot before in his life. Timmy had to have a fever well over 100 degrees, and he was standing in a foot of snow by the edge of the road. The more Archer thought about it, the more he realized that taking Timmy to school in his current condition was not the best idea.” In this, the ninth episode of the series, we find Archer struggling to get Timmy to school. Honestly, going to school had to have been the single worst idea of young Archer’s life. Yet, if they had stayed at home… well, Timmy’s illness would have been readily apparent and that would lead to too many questions. This way, Archer thought, was the best way to avoid his parents finding out… Finding out that their young son, Timmy Marref, had fallen prey to a bite from a zombie wolf. Archer thought avoiding that confrontation, at any cost, was the best choice. Archer did not know of anyone, at school that would be able to help Timmy, yet something inside him pushed him forward. Little did Archer know that help was there, at the school, just waiting to lend a helping hand.
- The Horror in Smithville – Part TEN: “The final bell for homeroom rang just as Timmy and Archer had sat down in their seats. Timmy really didn’t feel like sitting quietly for the next hour. Actually, he had so much energy he felt like going out and running or playing in the snow. Timmy was daydreaming about just that when he heard his name called out, Ms. Steward was calling roll.” Archer had made good on his promise to Timmy, they were at school, and no one was the wiser. However, it was becoming increasingly more difficult for Archer to hide Timmy’s condition… and more difficult moving Timmy from place to place. Timmy needed help and Archer had no idea where to turn. IN this episode we follow the boys through two classes at school… and an surprise announcement! Time is running short for Timmy. Will Archer find the help that Timmy so desperately needs? Will our duo be ‘found out’, or will help arrive from a very unexpected source? All this, and more, awaits you in this, the TENTH episode of ‘The Horror in Smithville’!
- The Horror in Smithville – Part ELEVEN! : “Mr. Champion snapping his fingers, right in front of his face, brought Archer back to this world and struggle at hand. For the past several hours all, in the world, Archer wanted was someone to help Timmy. Help Timmy survive the bite from the zombie wolves, and get back to his old self. Now, it appeared that help had arrived in the form of the substitute teacher for Mr. Albright. The Mr. Albright that, just last night, he and Timmy had watched as ‘The Tall Man’ and pulled his head from his shoulders, his spine from his body, and then drank his blood like a ice cold Coke.”There’s nothing like a nice cold ‘Coke’, eh? In this episode Archer, finally, gets the help he needs with Timmy. None, too soon, either! Timmy was fading in and out of consciousness, his left hand as big as a catcher’s mitt, a fever that radiated off his body like a furnace, and a terrible sweat that caused pools of hot water wherever they boys went. But, what is it with this Mr. Champion… ‘David’ as he says he wants to be called. Where did he come from? How did he know that Timmy was in trouble? How did he open a locked science classroom door… without so much as touching the door? How does one start a flame on a Bunsen burner with NO source of heat or flame? Stay tuned, My Dear Readers, with the coming episodes all will be told, all will become clear!
- The Horror in Smithville – Part TWELVE! : “The adventures of Timmy and Archer are as real, and come from my own personal experiences, as any thing I have ever written. There are moments, several of them, which you will be reading today that were literally taken out of my memories as a young man. As an extra special treat, for everyone out there from Pearland Texas, (and everyone that has known me and my scholastic life) there is a very special ‘Guest Appearance’ in today’s episode by someone we all dearly loved.” In this episode of ‘The Horror in Smithville’ Timmy and Archer jump out of the pan and directly into the fire! Barry has, finally, caught up with our intrepid heroes and he has blood on his mind! Barry has clotheslined Timmy and is sitting on his chest! Archer, frozen by fear cannot manage to respond or think of just how to help is fallen friend. What will come? Only way to find out? READ the upcoming episode of ‘The Horror in Smithville’ right here at ‘The Other Shoe’!
- The Horror in Smithville – Part Thirteen : “If you find this episode too disturbing, too violent, too bloody or what-not? Then, what is to come will, most certainly, curl your blood. While writing this (prose? Did you hear this episode? Could you feel the beat under the words?), I got a glimpse of many of the chapters to come. This. My first venture into the genre of horror, is going to be far more horrific than I first imagined.” Well… THERE is a ‘spoiler’ if ever I saw one! I am not going to say too much about this episode, because I do not want to give anything away. Just one thing… don’t read this on a full stomach. K?
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That brings us to the end of this, Part Five of FIVE HUNDREDTH ARTILCE at The Other Shoe – ‘The Horror in Smithville’! My Dear Readers, I am happy to inform you that, right now where we have stopped this review, ‘The Horror in Smithville’ weighs in at… … … ONE HUNDRED PAGES! That’s right, My Dear Readers, what started out as a bit of ‘an experiment in horror writing’ is now well on its way to standing as a complete horror novel!
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As I have indicated, in other reviews of this work recently and in a few promotional articles I have presented on Facebook, ‘when last we left our intrepid heroes…’ Timmy’s unconscious head, covered in blood, was in Archer’s lap at Timmy’s father drove like a bat out of hell towards the Smithville hospital. Now if, My Dear Readers, you have tuned into this review hoping that I might give you some hint on Timmy’s well being? Well, you are just out of luck! I am going to share several paragraphs of some of the thirty pages I have written, but yet published.
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So, without further adieu… I give you ‘The Horror in Smithville’ the ‘unpublished pages’…
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Principal Marsch was a dour man. The son of a farmer, and a farmer before that, in a farmer before that, Roger Marsch had broken a multigenerational line of farmers to become the principal of the middle school in the town of farmers. Principal Marsch worked very hard to get a football scholarship to go to college. After a terrible knee injury in his sophomore year Roger Marsch devoted himself to a career in education.
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Roger Marsch started his career in higher education as a physical education and health teacher at Smithville high. He became very active with the local PTA, Cub Scout troop (then Boy Scouts), and recently the city Council of the city of Smithville. Some might say it that been a rise from mediocrity to mediocrity, however, Roger Marsch and is a major step up from multigenerational farmer. It was for just the past two years that Principal Marsch had worn both the hat of middle school Principal and city council member.
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It was the latter of the two hats, sitting city council member, which drew him away from his office at the middle school. Shortly after his announcement, to the ends entire school not something he usually did or was very comfortable with, a call had come in to his office. His secretary, Betty Sue, had originally taken the call. Betty Sue also a student of Smithville schools before can becoming secretary, as such Betty sue often overreacted to minor problems. The oncoming snowstorm had put Betty sue in a frantic frame of mind, the unknown voice on the other side of the phone just pushed frantic too frightened.
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Principal Marsch was looking over this month’s school budget when a frantic knock came into his office door. Either out of fear, or because she totally forgot principal marks repeatedly telling her cannot just walk into his office, Betty sue burst and a principal Marsch’s office.
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“ROGER… ROGER, there’s a problem at the Carnival site… there is a Mr. Dark on the phone for you. He says that you need to come out there, right away!”
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Principal Marsch, really, disliked the habit Betty Sue had of bursting into his office, not waiting to be invited in. ‘Roger’ admittedly believed in order and discipline without which, he was convinced, the middle school and the town could/would fall into disarray and anarchy. Roger Marsch did not want anarchy in his school. He slowly rose his eyes up from his paperwork, slowly tapping the fingers of his left hand as he engaged Betty Sue’s anxious glare.
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And with that, My Dear Readers, we have reached the very end of this edition of ‘Five Hundred Articles – A Celebration and Review’ for today. Tomorrow is Saturday… so there will be ‘A Week in Review’. I am going to go and get some rest… and try to get my neck to stop hurting.
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Thanks for dropping by and I really hope that you have enjoyed this review of ‘The Horror in Smithville’!
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Adieu!
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Thank YOU!
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Danny Hanning of The Other Shoe - May 6th, 2014[/caption]
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