The door to the dressing room burst open and a Colt revolver clicked

[lizblackdog]

Dear f-list,

I need a McGuffin. Or rather, I need a name for a McGuffin. You know, like the Maltese Falcon, the One Ring, the Detachable Penis of Rassilon... You get the idea. It's for a story that a bunch of us are writing, which I will show you as soon as I've asked the other participants' permission.

The story's in a Wild West setting, so it can't be anything extraterrestrial (amusing as that would be - no, control yourself, Liz!)

Obviously I may not use any of the ideas. Equally obviously, I will be very grateful for any suggestions, whether I use them or not.

[Poll #968150]

Comments

[kyra-neko-rei.livejournal.com]

Must it be portable?

If not, the legendary lost gold mine of Old Jeb Jenkins, reputed to hold fifty tons of gold already mined, plus more in the ground.

If so, the map to the legendary lost gold mine of Old Jeb Jenkins.

Or whatever.

[lizblackdog.livejournal.com]

It can be either a physical object or a piece of knowledge - the whole thing is very open-ended. That's a good thought, though, I like the gold mine idea.

[biggles69.livejournal.com]

I think mine's a good one. :-D

[lizblackdog.livejournal.com]

It is, though perhaps not for this particular story... though one day I may write the story it does occur in. I think it may come as matched set with the Rassilon thing...

The Last Word... ( split - part 1)

[(Anonymous)]

It's an old tale, and I don't know if ever ye heard it. I heard it from my momma, and she from hers. We don't tell the men folk. They wouldn't believe... But it goes like this...

These days, well, it's all citified. And what ain't city, there's cows and what ain't cows, there's railroad. But once... once this was new land. And ne wpeople came, and like as not they didn't come alone. And one as come, she was Alice. Alice who? The tale don't tell, and it don't matter none. And along of her came Pete. And they was married back East, so they say, and some say they weren't. But back then it was just them and none cared.

And they set themselves down by the river, and they built them a cabin and Pete, he set to men stuff. Which was mostly lying around and drinking whisky mash. And Alice, she set to women stuff. Which was mostly everything else.

And a woman, she larn's a whole load of things a girl don't, and one of those is that men-folk is mean as snakes. And Pete, he weren't no different.

And it weren't long before Alice, she knew how long Pete's arm was and how to try to stay out of reach. But the whisky, it gave him long arms. And it was long nights she had with that snake in her bed, and there were more tears than rain that fell near Pete.
.
.
.

The Last Word ( split - part 2)

[(Anonymous)]

And one day, too much it was for her. It turned she couldn't get no childer, and that just made Pete worse, and that night he had beat her like she was fit to die. And so die she decided to do. And she went down to the river. And down by the river she walked, and it wasn't coming back she was going to be.

As she walked, and her last walk it was in her head, she saw a thing along of the ground. And it sparkled in the sun, all copper red and lead black. And she looked, and it was a single bullet. All shiny and new. And so sparkly it was, she bent and picked it up, and she looked at it. And the copper case, it had writing on it, and she had learned some. And the writing, it was all curly and clever, and the word was.... Pete. And she looked at it, and a fear came over her, and she threw the thing into the river. And she walked on.

And as she walked, she saw a thing in front of her, on the ground. And it sparkled... and she was a good woman, just one who had come to die, and she ingored it and kept her walking. And she came to a place she knew, and it was a place she loved, and it was the place she chose, and she gathered some rocks to put in her pockets. For the river was her place to be. And as she put the first rock in her pocket... she found a thing. and she took it out, and she looked at it, and all copper it sparkled in the sun. And the word... was Pete.

And Alice, she walked home, and a thing she held tight in her hand. And when Pete slept that night, she got his gun, and she put the thing she had found in the gun, and she took the gun, and she put it to Pete's head. And she pulled the trigger. And the hammer fell, and the hammer clicked... and nothing else. And over nad over she fired, and each time... and Pete slept safe. And Alice put the gun away, and she took her to Pete's bed, and she knew what lot she had was hers to bear.

And she woke up, and Pete was still sleeping. If sleep was companied by a hole where his left eye used to be. And if sleep was a red and bloody pillow. And if sleep was a thing he would never wake from. And his gun was in his hand, and a single bullet it was missing. And noe that were left bore a single word upon them.

And she took him, and she went to the river again, and she came back alone. And after a few days, she took her horse, and she rode away, and never she came back.

And, or so the tale is told, Alice was the first. But not ever the last. For men are men and whisky is whisky and... and no few woman have walked to the river.

So if ever you find yourself a man, and if ever he has a long arm, and if ever the trial comes too much, and if ever you walk down by the river, and a thing you see, and it gleams in the sun... then have a care for that thing. For if you read it, and if you see the word... then that word is the last word. And the deed is done. but if you leave it, then you have made your choice and never will you see it again.

It's an old tale, and I don't know if ever ye heard it. I heard it from my momma, and she from hers. We don't tell the men folk. They wouldn't believe...


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Re: The Last Word ( split - part 2)

[lizblackdog.livejournal.com]

...have |I told you lately that I love you?

Love... in all its forms...

[(Anonymous)]

Expressing your poor taste in public is bad for your street cred.

does that mean you vaguley liked it? {G}


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Re: Love... in all its forms...

[lizblackdog.livejournal.com]

Don't worry, dear heart, I'm known for being undiscriminating in matters of love :p

I am, however, much pickier about writing, and yes, I liked it more than vaguely. Thank you XD

On scribbling...

[(Anonymous)]

For your amusement, or indeed disparagement... {G}.

Some stuff a friend and I have been working on for more than a few years now... {BG}. Still a work in progress. We see it as maybe five, matbe seven books...


Thunder and Lightning - A Tale of the Fool and the Fair - Book The First

http://community.istaria.com/forum/showthread.php?t=14811


Thunder and Lightning - A Tale of the Fool and the Fair (Book 2 Intro & Part 1)

http://community.istaria.com/forum/showthread.php?t=15374

Thunder and Lightning - A Tale of the Fool and the Fair (Book 2, Part 2)

http://community.istaria.com/forum/showthread.php?t=15375

Thunder and Lightning - A Tale of the Fool and the Fair (Book 2, Part 3)

http://community.istaria.com/forum/showthread.php?t=15377

Thunder and Lightning - A Tale of the Fool and the Fair (Book 2, Part 4)

http://community.istaria.com/forum/showthread.php?t=15378


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