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The Horror in Smithville[/caption].
Welcome back My Dear Readers to The Other Shoe. Today is Thursday July the 17th 2014. Until recently Thursday was the day that I published my newest project, a venture into the horror genre, 'The Horror in Smithville'. However, a few weeks ago I received a comment suggesting that I was 'missing a great market opportunity... put it on Friday... fresh in their minds for weekend reading'. I took this advice and moved the publication of 'The Horror in Smithville' over to Friday. Sure enough, my friend was correct. More and more people, appeared, to read and 'Like' this venture into horror when I published it on Friday.
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Now today I am not breaking with that publication schedule, but I am shaking things up a little. Today I am going to publish... a missing chapter of 'The Horror in Smithville'. Missing in that when I, originally, wrote parts two and three I had not yet imagined just how I was going to create the conflict I needed. Since that time I have figured out just how to create the desired effect in my story. That has resulted in me writing two (or more) chapters that, actually, come earlier than we currently find ourselves !
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That means that what I have written, and published, below actually happened between Part Two and Part Three. Hence, the chapter designation Part 2B! Previously I did not have a large role for Archer's father to play, in this story. However, certain... elements of the novel have come to light and I have changed my designs on Ralph Simner. Ralph Simner is father to Archer Simner and husband to Becky Simner.
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As I indicated earlier, when I first started out with this novel Ralph did not have a large role to play. I explained that he was here, that he was Archer's father, and husband to Becky. Beyond that... well, My Dear Readers, he did not play any role in any plot line, nor was he party to any other character's development. THAT changed today! I am not going to tell you just how this has changed, nor will I explain why it is I feel it important to add a whole day to the publication schedule of 'The Horror in Smithville'. However, as anyone can likely figure out, the role that Ralph does play (now) is important enough that I backtrack and include these chapters before we get too far in out story.
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This whole experience reminds of me a line from a play I just loved performing. The name is 'The Zoo Story' by Edward Albee. The line goes like this; “Sometimes you have to go a very long distance out of your way, in order to come back a short distance... correctly!” THAT, My Dear Readers, is exactly what you and I are going to do, today. We are going to do engage in this... long distance out of our way, in order to come back a short distance... CORRECTLY for the next two to three weeks.
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Today we are going to get some back-storyabout Ralph. Look in on a very intense, and life changing, conversation between Ralph and Becky prior to Archer's birth, and then we are going to take a little trip up to our current time in the story. Next week we are going to get some more information and character development for Ralph, and bring him up to about Chapter eight or nine in our story line. The (should be) final 'Thursday Special Episode' will be published on July 31st, 2014. After that we (should) be finished going back and forth in time for the sake of Ralph... and the (much) larger role he has to play in our story.
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Now, My Dear Readers, when at first I started this... experiment in 'Real-Time Publication' I did warn that there would be... events, like this one. That, maybe... occasionally, we would have to go back and pick-up people or characters that I/we missed on our first pass. For me, as a writer and publisher, this is really kind of different! Here I am plugging along with my story line and characters... when suddenly I realize that I have totally missed out on a possible character development opportunity and and opportunity to develop... redraw familial lines! In the process I get to 'bring to life' a character that, previously, was little more that set decoration!
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Now, My Dear Readers, (and I have given a lot fo thought about just how this would be for you) this gives you a very unique opportunity to 'see' behind the curtain. To witness the inner workings of a writer's mind. You get to 'see' why a certain character is moved from... furniture status, to a whole filled out character with emotions, a role to play and a life lead... and (perhaps) ended. You get to actually 'see' just how I have changed the interpersonal dynamics of my characters and altered the landscape for all concerned!
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Truthfully? I have never seen anything like this before in all the reading and all the books and all the magazines I have read in my entire life! This is such a wonderful and unique opportunity for you, My Dear Readers! This is something that, if you lived to be two hundred, I sincerely doubt you will ever experience this kind of literary event, again. You see... I do really treasure you, My Dear Readers!
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So, without further adieu I give, to you, Ralph Simner!
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Part Two B
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Ralph Simner had been born to be a coal miner, like his father before him and his father before that, for more than four generations. Ralph and began working in the mines at the age of 17. Before that Ralph had worked for the mining company; cleaning, sharpening tools, taking out garbage, and any other odd job the mining company could find for him. For the past hundred years mining ran through the veins of the Simner men as thick as this so it did in their lungs. It struck Ralph as one of the heart coincidences of life that only weeks after Becky told him she was pregnant the mine, in town, started shutting down.
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With a boy on the way, and is only means of income going the way, Ralph Simner was a man lost in a world that was changing. Even before Ralph received his last check from the mind he started looking for new work all around town. The problem with that was 1000 other men were doing the same thing in that town of less than 3000 people. It was a scant month before Becky came to Ralph with a question.
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“Ralph, hun, how would you feel about raising the hour little boy in Smithville?”
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Now Smithville was all too familiar with Ralph Simner. Smithville was home to Linda, his wife Becky’s aunt. Smithville was also, for Ralph Simner, a sign of failure. Failure that Ralph Simner would be unable to raise his son, Archer, in the same town he had been raised, his father had been raised, his grandfather and been raised, and his great-grandfather had grown up. Ralph Simner is not only a hard-working man Ralph Simner was a very proud man.
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“Becky what would I do for a living, if we were to move to Smithville and I’m not saying I’m ready to up and move my family out of Tennessee!”
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Becky was prepared for this, she had given a great deal of thought to this conversation and it spoken extensively Linda on the phone about the opportunities that would await them in Smithville. Oh but, My Dear Readers, thinking about a thing and screwing up the courage to do it are two entirely different monsters. Becky took a deep breath, looked her husband Ralph straight in the eyes, and went about explaining to Ralph what is new life in Smithville would entail.
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“Well, Ralph, I glad that you asked because Linda and I have put a lot of thought into us moving, First, I want you to know that we would not be living with Linda for very long… if at all. She says that the Elementary school is looking for a new English teacher! I have already put together my resume and, if you are willing, ready to send it to Linda to forward to the school district. Linda has already found us a really nice place to move in to, it is an old farmhouse! It is in very good repair, the family that lived there had to sell the farm to one of those big corporate farms, but the house is set up as a rental, now.
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The house right next door, to the farmhouse we could rent, the people right next door? Well, they are farmers... the Marref’s I think Linda said; anyway Linda told me that the mother… well she is pregnant, too! Linda told me she believes that she is ‘due’ about the same time our little Archer, sometime in November. Ralph? Little Archer would have a boy his age right next door! Someone to go to school with… someone to play and get in trouble with… someone to be Best Friends with, and Linda says that this family are good people. The Marref’s have been farming that same plot of land for the past hundred years!”
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Right then Ralph interjects, despondently;
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“A hundred years, Becky? Like the hundred years that the Simner’s mined coal right here in Tennessee?”
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Ralph’s words but to the quick, but Becky did not flinch did not show just how much his words hurt. Without missing a best Becky started up, right where she left off.
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“Archer would have a boy, right at his age, to go through all the grades with, study with, have sleepovers with… and… Ralph? Ralph, I could be their English teacher, at least during the first four to five years of their schooling! Ralph? Ralph it is a good town, a farming town just as American as this town… always was to you and to your family. But.. Ralph? The mine, Ralph. The mine is dead, Ralph, and it ain’t coming back! Ralph, there are over a thousand good hard working men, right here in town, fighting over… well, less than a hundred jobs, Ralph. Things are bad, now. But, Ralph, they could get so much worse… if we stay. Now, Ralph, I told you that Linda had a job… for you… Ralph.”
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Right then, at that moment, Ralph had a huge chill go right down his spine. ‘Got a goose walk’n on your grave?’ Is what Ralph’s grandmother would ask, when he would get just such a chill. It was March and not at all cold, outside. There was no chilling air, but the chill Ralph felt was as real and bone-chilling as any he had ever felt. Ralph shook his head, and refocused his attention on what Becky was saying.
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“Ralph, I told you that Linda had found work for you. Ralph, it is work that will make it so that you see your son Archer… every day. All day! You can keep an eye on him, him and the Marref boy, too! You will have the unique opportunity, unlike any other parents, to watch your son grow up… first hand!”
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Ralph noticed two things; first Becky was ‘sellin’ this hard and second Becky was using her other words… like “unique opportunity”. Reminded Ralph of a used car salesmen, or those modern-day grifters that came on the television late at night to steal your hard-earned money. Ralph had even heard was Becky was about to say, and he already knew he wasn’t going to like it, not going to like it at all!
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“Ralph? Ralph Linda tells me that they are in dire need for a janitor… a maintenance and cleaning technician over to the elementary school! Ralph, didn’t you used to clean up and do repairs for the mine, before you started going down into the mine… right? Linda and I have talked and talked, and we think me working in the elementary as an English teacher and you working doing repairs and clean-up… well we think it would give us a unique opportunity to watch our son grow-up! We would have opportunities that other parents would envy! Ralph, this is an opportunity of a lifetime!”
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Ralph swore, quietly in his mind, that if Becky said, “opportunity’ or “unique opportunity” just one more time, he would go stark raving mad. Buurrrr… There was that terrible, bone-deep, chill running through his body. Ralph wasn’t sure if he just went ahead and told Becky “OK” because of all the plotting and planning she had already done… or because he wanted to end the conversation in hopes that when it did end, the chill would go away! Either way…
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“Becky? It is pretty clear that you and your Aunt Linda have given this a great deal of thought. That you have worked, together, to plan this out the best the two of you… could. Becky? I would rather die than leave this town! Somehow… I feel like… if I leave this town… I will… die! But… I’ve made a decision. Becky? Becky get on the phone to your Aunt Linda… and tell your Aunt Linda… we’re moving to Smithville!”
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Just as soon as Ralph had said the name of the town, Ralph fell to his knees. Ralph grabbed himself around his stomach, and started chocking! He couldn’t seem to stop! His whole body lay, on the cold hard linoleum, wracked with chills and chocking! Chocking on some unknown something in his throat! Ralph about blacked out, when Becky came over and picked him up off the floor and held him cradling him in her arms. Ralph’s body was wracked with bone deep chills… his throat felt like something was tearing at it from the inside… and his insides…. His stomach and guts hurt something fierce!
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Ralph lay there, in his wife’s embrace, for several minutes. Then, it all just passed as quickly as it came, Ralph was back to normal. Ralph got up, off the floor, and got himself a glass of tap water. He drank it and thought. Ralph thought about what had just happened. Ralph thought about the fact he had just decided to leave the only place he had ever known, ever felt safe. For a town, and a life, he knew nothing… absolutely nothing about, and Ralph wondered (if for just a minute) if he hadn’t just made the biggest mistake of his adult life.
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Only time would tell, Ralph thought quietly to himself, only time would tell. The very next day Ralph Simner began packing up everything he had ever known into boxes. Then the boxes went into a trailer, they had rented for the move. Everything that Ralph ever knew was going into boxes. Boxes that would be unpacked in a town named Smithville. Smithville would, later, be the town his son was born to. The town where he would raise his son, and watch him grow.
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Yet, every day Ralph spent in Smithville? Every day Ralph spent in Smithville he would get those very same chills. That was until the day he got the phone call. The phone call to come and “make some real CASH!” Some real cash working to help set-up the Carnival and the Haunted House ride for the Harvest Festival! For some odd reason, Ralph Simner did not feel that chill on that day. Not that day or any of the others that we worked out to the Carnival, and not at the school.
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Well, My Dear Readers, that is Ralph Simner so far. Like I said this is just the very first chapter with Ralph playing a larger role. One of, what looks to be, three additionalchapters that I did not have originally planned. Now, what this means to you, My Dear Readers, is that for the next three weeks (including this week) you will be getting a 'Double-Dose' of 'The Horror in Smithville'! Each week you will see, right here, a Thursday edition of 'The Horror in Smithville' that is just about Ralph Simner and the role that I have given him. Then, on Friday you will get the regular weekly chapter of this fine venture into the horror genre.
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The Thursdaychapters will be out of cadence, chronological order, with the Friday chapters. Meaning, that on Friday the story is going along just as it has for the past thirteen weeks. However, each and every Thursday we will be going... backward to pick up the adventures of Ralph Simner. Each Thursday I will let you know just when we are by placing, at the top of the page, a heading. Like, this week, I placed the heading 'Part Two B'. That means that today's special chapter comes after Part Two and before Part Three in our regular story line. As we move on, from here, we will get closer and closer to our real time of the story as it unfolds.
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I really cannot explain it more than that without risking giving away certain... happenings that are essential to Ralph's part to play... and the story line as a whole. Now, My Dear Readers, I thought long and hard about making this addition to the story. I really considered if this would throw people off, if it would be too much of a venture from the 'norm' of story writing. Then, I thought about you, My Dear Readers! Over the past four years you have shown yourselves to be an exceptional group of readers and I felt confident that you would (not only) weather these changes but that you, My Dear Readers, would enjoy the real and special opportunity represented by this extra-special content and character addition.
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That you will all enjoy the unique quality of this opportunity and that it is likely that you will go out into the Real World and tell; friends, family members, co-workers and others about the really special literary event that you are taking part! That you will be so excited that you will be anxious to read the special chapters, on Thursday, and that you will make sure to remind all those you have let into our special literary world. You, My Dear Readers, are a very special breed of reader.
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I hope that you have enjoyed this special Thursday Edition of 'The Horror in Smithville'! Hope that you have enjoyed meeting Ralph Simner, Archer's father. Also, I look forward to seeing you all right here, tomorrow, for another great chapter in the story.. the lives of... the event that is 'The Horror in Smithville! Until then...
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Adieu!
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Thank YOU!
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[youtube=http://youtu.be/n165a1MCVNs?list=UUnoM3lW9vmuWOLG1c8he52g]
'The Horror in Smithville' Logo with Music!
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Danny Hanning of The Other Shoe - May 6th, 2014[/caption].
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