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1 If you are in need of help, you need but ask...
2 ************************* INSTALLED: 1 JAN 87 ************************
3 Welcome to BWMS (BackWater Message System) Mike Day System operator
4 ************************************************************
5 GENERAL DISCLAIMER: BWMS IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY INFORMATION
6 PLACED ON THIS SYSTEM.
7 BWMS was created as an electronic bill board. BWMS is a privately owned
8 and operated system which is currently open for use by the general public.
9 no restrictions are placed on the use of the system. As the system is
10 privately owned, I retain the right to remove any and all messages which
11 I may find offensive. Because of the limited size of the system, it will be
12 periodically purged of messages. (only 629 lines of data can be saved)
13 to leave a message, type 'ENTER' and use ctrl/C or break to get out of the
14 ENTER mode. The message is automatically stored. If after entering the
15 message you find you made a mistake, use the replace command to replace
16 the line. To exit from the system, type 'OFF' then hang up.
17 type 'HELP' to see other commands that are available on the system.
18 ***********************************************************
19
20 :::::::O O:::::::00:26:30:::::::::::::::::::::::::::01/01/1987:::::O O:::::::::
21 Can we withstand the strain?
22 The Earth and the moon are aligned, causing the highest tides in decades...
23 The first disk of the new year, fresh and clean, and I'm
24 at the top
25 It can only be down hill from here; I might as well retire.
26 (but first perhaps a peek behind the brown door...?)
27 :::::::O O:::::::::::::::::::voyeur:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::O O:::::::::::
28 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
29 Some *very* odd noises were emitted by the door (or whatever was beyond)...
30 More pounding, a bit of silence, then the clatter of wood falling and a bit
31 of what could only be cursing, uttered in a language that could not be diserned.
32 Interesting. The new texture of the door was beginning to look familiar,
33 somehow. Now where had I seen anything like it before?
34 Grann might remember. Where was he? Nowhere nearby, out of range. Probably
35 over-indulging somewhere. I'll probably have to teach him Sonwitt's
36 Sober-Spell on the morrow.
37 +++ A very happy new year to all the Innhabitants,
38 +++++++++++++++++++++ Milchar +++++++++++++++ January 1, 1987 at 2:12am ++++++
39 Voyeur: I am further interested in the employment opprotunity you spoke of
40 recently. Where might I get more information? Please call when convenient
41 for you. If you do not have my current landline connect sequence then dial
42 the old one and someone should supply it. Or, if you are so inclined, obtain
43 it from those parties who have it. Thanks in advance, + Milch +
44 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
45 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
46 The Innkeeper woke. (It seemed tp the loudness of her thoughts).
47 He moved toward her. "Aha!" he exclaimed, "So it is you. Welcome to
48 this humble establishment we call the Inn. What can I serve you?"
49 The shadows dropped from her like a curtain and he could see her
50 dark eyes peep out from her dark cloak. "Which ever drink you think
51 best," she said formally and then laughed. The Inn suddenly became
52 warm to her, and familiar faces seemed to come out of no where.
53 "How have you been?"
54 The sound came then, a rumbling. The Innkeeper turned and so did
55 she, looking at the door.
56 "What--" she breathed, "is happening?"
57 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
58 #################################################################
59 "What do you suggest for a drink?" The voice came from
60 behind the hooded cloak. But with that laugh as she threw back
61 the hood and shook her hair free of its confines, and I knew who
62 she was. Ah, my friend, I know not what you desire these days.
63 It's been a while hasn't it? Perhaps a warm glass of ale with a
64 stick of cinnamon?
65 The rumbling noise came from the door in the back again.
66 "what was that?" she exclaimed with a start.
67 Nobody really knows, it just appeared one day a couple of
68 months ago, a door that used to lead to one of the back rooms was
69 replaced by that metal thing. The noises and vibrations have
70 been coming from behind it ever since. For some reason at the
71 break of the new year it decided to remind us of its existance
72 with this lastest outburst. I don't know what it is all about,
73 and I fear for the safty of the Inn. Yet there doesn't seem to be
74 anything that we can do. The best people of the Inn have tried
75 and come away empty handed.
76 There are still people working on it, but other then the
77 curtain to cover it there doesn't seem to be much I can do about
78 it right now. Here's your drink, now tell me, what have you been
79 up to these days? And what has brought about the cause for this
80 unexpected and most pleasent visit?
81 ######################## The Innkeeper ##########################
82 pppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppp
83 The night rain stung the face of the piper as his sodden shoes slipped
84 in the rutted mud of the road. The wool of his kilt hung heavy with its
85 load of moisture, keeping some warmth in his body, but slapping at his
86 legs with frigid claws at every halting step. His tattered plaid wrapped
87 his shoulders covering a small kitten draped around his neck -- its small
88 furry body giving him one small focus of warmth, although it had started to
89 shiver with the cold. His eyes had long ago adapted to the darkness, picking
90 up each vagrant photon, but light was almost completely absent. Occasionally
91 he would see bursts or whorls of light, particularly when a foot would slip
92 and jar his cold brain, but he knew that they were artifacts of sight too
93 long unused.
94 The soft gleam of light through shuttered windows suddenly came into view
95 as he slogged around a bend. In the faint reflections of the night rain
96 he saw a familiar rowan tree bending and shaking in the night wind. Only
97 a few hundred feet to warmth and a chance to dry out.
98 The familiar weight of the scarred wooden door felt like a familiar hand
99 reaching out to him. Even the slight catch as it scraped open across the
100 threshold releasing the aroma of woodsmoke and nut-brown ale, the gutter
101 of candles dancing in the draught, the mutter of tales in shadowed corners
102 held a sense of home-coming.
103 Moving quietly down the stairs, he slipped unnoticed up to the bar. The
104 innkeeper was quietly conversing with someone in a dark cloak, someone
105 who seemed to be oddly familiar, but hidden by the hood, someone he could
106 not quite recognize. Shivering slightly, he unwound the tattered plaid
107 from his shoulders and set the small furry burden on the bar. Throwing the
108 plaid back over his shoulder, he coughed, caught the inkeeper's startled
109 eye, and asked diffedently, "Have you any of the autumn ale? And perhaps
110 a saucer of cream for my little friend here?"
111 ppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppp
112 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
113 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * K W H * * *
114
115 It was a cold and lonely friday night as a loner walked the road to the inn.
116 Clutching his coat close to him, he bundled up tightly and regretted the lack
117 of better transportation. The rain almost stung the life out of his weary
118 body, and he ventured to ease the pain.
119 Coming in, cold and wet, the man sat in the corner. He had been warned many
120 times about this place, and how quickly it could get violent. The Innkeeper
121 was indeed most slow in serving him. It seemed he was engaged in conversation
122 with two of the regulars.
123 Once the Inkeeper had gotten his order, he bruoght the drink quickly. The
124 hot tea was delicious, and he savored both the aroma and the taste. After
125 finishing the tea, he was sated, and felt much better in the process. It
126 seems that things have changed a lot
127 After the tea, he walked over to the bar and sit down. He ordered a second
128 cup of tea, and sat to listen to the people. The tales were indeed more rich
129 than the tea, and he was most satisfied and pleased. It seemed they had a new
130 door put in, and he wanted to ask just where it went. he had nott seen it that bright outsite in a long time...
131
132 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * K * H * * * * * * * * * * *
133 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * W * * * * * * * * * * *
134 off
135 O\=<([V2V])>=/O
136 **********************************************************
137 What ever happened to the yearly rush to Backwater by all
138 the new modem ers? Does this mean the beginning of the
139 end for BBS's? Will things continue to be so dead, then
140 eventually die? What a shame.
141
142 Horace
143 **********************************************************
144 PsIpSiPsIpSiPsIpSiPsIpSiPsIpSiPsIpSiPsIpSiPsIpSiPsIpSiPsIpSiPsIpSiPsIpSiPsIpSiPs
145
146 "This," muttered Cragmore to himself, "is getting ridiculous."
147 The psi specialist looked up at the door again. An inquisitive innhabitant
148 had drawn the curtain away to examine the door some ten minutes ago. Five
149 minutes, and a great deal of ancient spells and incantations later, the
150 stranger had fled the Inn in a great deal of disgust.
151 Bard looked up from his songbook. "Did you say something, Cragmore?"
152 "Oh, no, just muttering to myself about that damned door again. With
153 all our skills and abilities, you might think between the bunch of us we
154 could figure out what in Elreb's name is going on!" Cragmore was visibly
155 agitated. Bard had never seen his friend in such a state before.
156 "So we failed in our attempts at a permutation solution to the door. We
157 will think of something else. We always have before." Bard set the songbook
158 down on the table, and in one swift motion, drained a tankard half full of
159 ale.
160 "Or," Milchar, who had been sitting at the end of the table with his
161 back to the mysterious door, "the door will reveal its own secret in its own
162 good time. Patience is a virture, you know."
163 Cragmore slapped his hand on the table. "Spare us your pontifications,
164 Milchar. I am worried there might be something malevolent behind that door,
165 and if that is the case, I don't want to be caught waiting around for 'it' to
166 decide what to do with us. Let ye who not be prepared be the first fallen."
167 "Hypocrite!" charged Milchar.
168 "Ok, you got me there." smiled Cragmore. "But you do see what I mean,
169 don't you?"
170 "We all see what you mean." Bard said in a level voice. "But perhaps
171 Milch is right. We have tried everything. We got no where. Face it, we aren't
172 omnipotent, and there are a few mysteries left in the multi-universe that
173 we just can't understand. Take a look around, everyone else is doing a pretty
174 good job of ignoring the door, why can't you do the same."
175 Cragmore paused. "What about the wiz..." his voice trailed off. He knew
176 the others were right. One of the benefits of being able to look into other
177 people's mind was the resolute ability to examine one's own mind. It didn't
178 take much searching to reveal the truth. "You are right. I guess we just sit
179 back and let the door and whatever is behind it making all that noise do to
180 us what it may. But never say I didn't warn you!" Cragmore ended his speech
181 with a laugh, and that eased the minor tension for everyone at the table.
182 "So, here we are, my friends." Bard reached for his songbook. "We have
183 travelled a thousand worlds and seen sights from Zeb to giant ants to
184 bothersome rabbits. Yet it is back at the Inn that we encounter perhaps the
185 greatest mystery of the all. Excuse me." Bard got up from the table. "I
186 need some peace and quiet. I have an idea for a song, so if you will permit
187 me..."
188 "By all means." Cragmore feigned a royal bow. "We want to hear it the
189 second you are done."
190 "Yes, yes. The second." echoed Milchar.
191 As Bard walked back to the rear of the Inn, the front door opened just
192 long enough for a kilted figure to enter.
193 "Piper's here!" Cragmore said with subdued excitement. "I wonder what
194 tales of wonder and adventure he has to share. It has been sometime since we
195 saw him after that messy Lost Innkeeper incident."
196 "I suggest we ask him." Milchar said as he drained his concoction. "But
197 let's give him a chance to dry off and warm up a bit."
198 "Good idea. He looks like he could use a little warming." Cragmore said,
199 as he too finished the drinking work before him.
200
201 PsIpSiPsIpSiPsIpSiPsIpSiPsIpSiPsIpSiPsIpSiPsIpSiPsI CRAGMORE PsIpSiPsIpSiPsIpSi
202 *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
203
204 Ah, if our hooded visitor is who I think it is, indeed it has been
205 a long time. Welcome fair lady, you have been sorely missed. (And if
206 not, I'll retire to the hearth and attempt to remove my foot from my
207 mouth.
208 And I see the Piper has returned also. We are twice-blessed.
209
210 *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Valinor *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
211
212 ____01/03/87__________________JD 2446799.5635_________17:31:35_PST_______
213 hmmm... test 32767......
214 To ALL......Hello, My name is John Chaplen and I am looking for a car, I am
215 look for a Honda Accord (76-80) LX, if you know of any such cars for sale
216 and that are in good condition please leave a message on Oswego Fido
217 (636-xxxx) under the name of John Chaplen......Thanks
218
219
220 #################################################################
221 While the Innkeeper was looking at the ever confounding door
222 which was making much ado with the inn's patrons, he heard the
223 heavy oaken front door open followed by a cold gust of wind.
224 Turning about, he saw a weary traveler enter. His clothing soaked
225 to the skin. A tiny worl of leaves from rowan tree out front
226 followed him in as he entered. Some of them escaping outside
227 again as he closed the scared but sturdy door that so many had
228 entered thus in the past.
229 Stepping up to the bar, he upwrapped a small bundle of fur
230 that had found some small measure of comfort and warmth on his
231 shoulders. Placing the small creature on the bar, he looked
232 around, searching for someone. Then spying me with the woman who
233 had entered earlier, he smiled and said. "Ah, Innkeeper a drink
234 if you please, something to warm these cold bones, and perhaps a
235 nice warm bowl of milk for my friend here if you please."
236 "Excuse me for a moment won't you? Duty calls" I said to my
237 companion and went to service the needs of this well known
238 partron. Grabbing a warm blanket along the way, I handed it to
239 him saying "here friend sit yourself down in front of the fire.
240 Take my chair. Warm yourself while I get your drink."
241 Then picking up a small bundle of old bar rags, I picked up
242 his friend, and showed Piper to my chair. I placed the rags and
243 the small furry friend on top in a favored position in front of
244 the fire. As I leaned over to place the small kitten on the
245 cushion of cloth, the small gold locket slipped out of my shirt
246 catching the attention of the kitten who pawed at it, interested
247 in the flashes of light it reflected from the flickering fire.
248 "No my little friend, that isn't for you."
249 Seeing the locket brought back old memories of times past, I
250 didn't have to see the small twig of rowan that was held within,
251 that was a reminder given by another dear friend long absent.
252 Where she was no one knew. Though the months had dwindled
253 her existance to little more than a memory to most, they were
254 still warm memories. Particularly for an innkeeper who was proud
255 to be counted among her friends. With a deep sigh I tucked the
256 locket back in its place. "There now little one, warm yourself,
257 I'll be back in a moment..."
258 Moments later I was placing a warm bowl of milk on the
259 hearth, and a steamimg mug of ale in the hands of the Piper.
260 Moving back into the shadows, I grasped the hand of the shy woman
261 who had been waiting patiently through all of this. "Come," I
262 said, "let us hear what the Piper has to say of his adventures."
263 and guided her to a bench across from our visitor.
264 "So my friend, tell me what has happened to you since last
265 we met? How have you come to be here once again? No, no... Take
266 your time, warm yourself, take rest, speak when you have removed
267 the chill from your body."
268 "Thank you." was all the Piper could say through clenched
269 teeth as he wrapped the blanket closer about him, holding the
270 steaming mug in both hands in an effort to extract even the
271 little heat it offered to ease his shaking frame.
272 The inn quieted down, it seemed as if the noise had subsided
273 behind that damnable door and the light had dimmed a bit. Perhaps
274 it was just an imagined thing as Bard closed the curtain over the
275 apparition and he, Cragmore, and Milchar moved over to listen to
276 Piper's story.
277 ######################## The Innkeeper ##########################
278 1???????????????????????????????????????
279 TOP 10 ICE CREAM FLAVORS FOR 1981
280
281 replace
282 1.Vanilla 35.1%
283 2.Chocolate 12.4%
284 3.Neopolitan 7.4%
285 4.Chocolate Chip 5.9%
286 5.Strawberry 5.6%
287 6.Vanilla Fudge 4.2%
288 7.Butter Pecan 2.7%
289 8.Cherry 2.5%
290 9.Butter Almond 1.6%
291 10.French Vanilla 1.4%
292 Other 21.2%
293
294 ????????????????????????????????????????
295 exit
296 O\=<([V2V])>=/O
297 pppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppp
298 Have you ever noticed how sensitive damp skin becomes? Not the
299 "damp" that you get from a quick dash in the rain from the car to a house,
300 but the deep penetrating damp that comes from untold hours of being saturated
301 by unending rain. The deep, bone-chilling damp that causes the skin to
302 first swell, then lose its color, then seemingly to thin over exposed nerve
303 ends -- nerves that, were they not numb from the cold, would rake your
304 every move with raw agony. Under the heavy blanket the piper slid out of
305 his sodden shirt. Every nerve in his back and shoulders screamed with a
306 sensation that was almost pain at the rough warm touch of the heavy blanket.
307 The fire's warmth was sending curls of moisture up from the piper's muddy
308 shoes, echoing its own smoke in the swirls of white that curled and twisted
309 in the luminous air. Slowly the piper's shaking stilled and he began to
310 listen to more than the pound of his own heart. The normal buzz of
311 conversation in the room had died to a background murmur, the welcome silence
312 broken only by the occasional snap of the fire and a muted purr as the small
313 kitten lapped its milk from the bowl at the hearthside.
314 Looking around, the piper saw familiar faces -- old friends and companions
315 whith whom he had shared danger, challenge, and joy -- faces that looked
316 expectant, faces that seemed to ask of his travels since he had last stepped
317 into the inn.
318 "It has been a long time, old friends," the piper spoke. "A long time
319 and many weary miles since I could warm myself with the taste of mulled
320 ale, feel the warmth of the inn's fire and companionship."
321 A shadow seemed to pass across his face.
322 "My tale has not been of adventure, but endurance. I have been learning --
323 learning the lessons of persistance. I left here, ghod knows how long ago,
324 searching for traces of Peg, determined not to let my impatience pull me
325 aside, and have been trudging down most of the back paths of the multiverse
326 since."
327 He paused and took a pull from the cooling mug.
328 "I have been following my path," he continued. "And I thank who or whatever
329 is the architect of this journey that I have returned to the inn, if only
330 for a brief moment or two. I have not achieved my goal. I still don't know
331 what happened to Peg, but I fear for her. The trail is cold, but passed
332 through this point in space and time. I can only follow and hope to cut
333 a newer trace, perhaps."
334 The piper sighed deeply. "And you, my friends, what has happened with
335 you since last we met?"
336 pppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppp
337 ***GREMLIN***
338 Harvey and the two sheep were spotted on the mountain pass. The trek
339 had been long. Working for the CIA was not easy.
340 However, the basic concept of my theory, is not fully documented.
341 This lead to a major dimension change which in effect has totally
342 changed absolutely nothing.
343 Eclectic environments where quickly being phases in and out as
344 the progressions continued. Many theories were discarded and the
345 theory remained undocumented. Due to a change in circumstance beyond
346 the control of Violent Femmes, there will be no chocolate pudding
347 tonight. More and more symbiotic relationships were formed thru no
348 fault of mine. Still my theories remained undocumented. What more
349 proof was needed? How obvious must it be?
350 Three atoms of oxygen; ozone. It was being systematically
351 transformed into orbiting photo-plasms. But the proof you ask?
352 The proof remained undocumented. Harvey knew something. The hieghts
353 he scaled yielded the proof. But now he knew his chances of escape
354 where narrow. Where was he to go? To Elaine Purlaine's that's where.
355 Elaine Purlaine had been fostering plans of pineapple-upsidown-cake.
356 Now it seemed the change was to be completed. But who was the mastermind?
357 Was it the phantom of koopaloplax?
358
359
360 ---------------------------------------------------------------
361 The results of the "1987 Young Writers Fiction Contest" were
362 published in the Northwest section of the paper today. O
363 again none of the work of the Backwater writers made the
364 grade. At least you'd think one of the NET writers would be
365 represented. After all, aren't they supposed to be the elite
366 of Backwater? Or are they only the elite of their own imaginations?
367
368 Paperback writer
369 --------------------------------------------------------------
370
371 Beauty is in you heart,
372 Let it out, let it beat
373 Give yourself a treat.
374
375 Good Sense is the master of human life.
376 Your work interests can capture the highest status or prestige.
377
378 The Fortune Cookie.
379 --------------------------------------------------------------
380 Paperback writer: Ah, the NET writers were too busy defending the populace,
381 including ingrates like you, from denizens of evil to enter any writing
382 contests. So, who are you, some slighted insecure writer who must express
383 his or her frustrations by putting down others whom you have probably never
384 really met?
385
386 Disgustingly yours,
387 F. L. Baily, NET Legal Counsel
388 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
389 TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT
390 UNNOTICINGLY WHILE THE CONVERSATION OF THE INN COMMENCED.. A STRAGLED STRAY
391 DOG WONDERED IN. ALTHOUGH SEEING THE FURRY BUNDLE LAPPING THE CREAM IT DID NOT/REPLACE
392 the kitten in doing so. The dog lumbered over to the the huge door studing its strange texture and size
393 and began to scratch at the door.
394 It soon gave up the scratching which was starting to bother some of the inhabitants of the inn. Bard and some of the others were395 intrigued by the dogs behavior.
396 The dog circled in front of the ominous door a couple of times and then la down in front of the threshold which still remained
397 closed. By close study of the dog could be seen a brown frayed collar with an attached piece of paper. May be a scrap picked
398 up off the street since it looked as if it was about to fall away. Or it may be a clue to the incidious door that lie behind the399 dog. A bit of scroll perhaps? Well only a few of the inhabitants of the inere intrigued by the dog and the door.
400 Could ther be a connection?
401 TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT
402 {{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}
403 no point.
404 no message.
405 no punchline.
406 no peanut butter and jelly.
407 please refrain from this sort
408 of behavior in the future.
409 thank you for your support.
410 {{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}
411 exit
412 :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
413 Why will Mikey tolerate this kind of
414 drivel but continue to delete any message
415 offering praise to the work of SKATER
416 DUDE or The True American. I don't under-
417 stand. We are obviously facing a new era
418 of censorship on Backwater but what is
419 the criteria for what we are not allowed
420 to read. Doug
421 :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
422 Doug: While I don't know for sure just what was removed (other than that
423 ne of my markers was caught up in it), I can make a good guess.
424 "ASCII graphics" such as the skateboard and flag, are not and never have
425 been welcome! Doing it once or twice is one thing, but more than that is
426 asking for deletion.
427 Why? Because Backwater stores things in LINES not characters! Thus a line
428 consisting of just a carriage return takes up just as much room as a 126
429 character line. This is due to *hardware* not software, so please don't
430 tell us that it should be re-written.
431 The 'cute' graphics have wasted close to a quarter of the last few disks!
432 I can't blame Mikey for deciding to remove them. It's not as if they were
433 saying anything new! It has *always* been policy here to remove duplicate/
434 repeated postings.
435 ____01/04/87__________Leonard_JD 2446800.6003_________18:24:36_PST_________
436 [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]
437 It seems as though something important is going to happen. Psychic energy
438 has gone out from the Inn to a lot of the old patrons, myself included. I
439 returned after a two year absence, but felt a warmth to the place. Now many
440 of the more highly regarded of the inn are returning. Perhaps it is the door ?
441 I don't know, myself, but I am going to go back to my Sunday scroll. A
442 contest completed. Perhaps one or more of the winners was from here, using
443 another name in that hateful place, "reality". And tacked to the back of
444 the same scroll, a man learned in the ways of writing. His advice this day
445 should surely be required reading for some of the Inn's patrons of more
446 recent vintage.
447 The news finished, I turned to a riddle posed here at the Inn. Is
448 Neapolotin a flavor ? If it is, then should not 'Other' also be a flavor ?
449 And as a flavor, `Other' would move to second place. Well ?
450 "Welcome, old friends. I am glad to see all of you."
451 [][][][][][][][][][][] Friar [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]
452 O\=<([V2V])>=/O
453 pppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppp
454 The piper had stopped shivering. From the inn's kitchen the innkeeper
455 had produced a bowl of hot stew, thick with meat and vegetables. The piper
456 had gulped it down and strength was even now pouring through his limbs.
457 The kitten had long since finished its cream and, in the serious way cats
458 have, had carefully cleaned its paws and whiskers and was carefully grooming
459 its coat. It looked around the room, and with a quiet "mrroowt" flowed up
460 into the piper's lap.
461 Silence covered the little group around the fire. After some time the
462 piper spoke again. "Something is bothering all of you. Please tell me what
463 is wrong."
464 ppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppp
465 @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
466 a dark figure entered the inn quietly. quickly he placed a notice on the
467 wall he hoped would be seen....
468 ___________________
469 Wanted: Employment. Perfer something a newly graduated programmer would
470 like. Any leads appreciated. Fast Fred.
471 ____________________ @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
472 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * K * H * * * * * * * *
473 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * W * * * * * * * *
474
475 Tah dah! Glad to see some of the old faces are back. Now that this has
476 transpired, when do we start to read the stories that have made them old faces
477
478 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * K W H * * * * *
479
480 O\=<([V2V])>=/O
481 ----------------------------ME
482 HEY, ANYBODY KNOW IF RAINFOREST IS STILL UP????? I HAVENT BEEN
483 ABLE TO REACH IT. WHATS NEW(FOR THE LAST COUPLE OF MONTHS) BEEN DOWN MESELF
484 FOR THE LAST COUPLE MONTHS. THANX-
485 ME
486 ----------------------------ME
487 ____01/05/87__________________JD 2446801.5950_________18:16:49_PST_________
488 ***********************************************************************
489 She watched quietly from the back of the room. Scraps of paper and a
490 ink pen were scattered on the table she kept alone. Recounting the
491 adventures of the past year, she had failed to project the energies of
492 the situations. Writers cramp is another good word for it. She smiled
493 as she watched old friends gather and glanced to the strange door. Her
494 imagination went wild considering the door. Wouldn't it just be a scream
495 if the door would suddenly blow inwards, sucking all of the patrons into
496 a new world? But the door just stood there, and the woman ordered yet
497 another ale.
498 ************************************kathyD*********************************
499 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
500 Milchar, the mage from Celene (many miles and realities from Innisfall),
501 quietly sat in his favorite corner of the common room of the Inn. His hand
502 moved in short, precise strokes to create the symbols upon the vellum sheet
503 before him; when asked what he was doing, he'd merely reply, "I'm scribbling
504 down some incantations for a friend of mine."
505 #You have a sensitive mind, Piper. Perhaps you sense our forebodings about
506 the brown door, now covered by cloth?# A mental gesture indicated to Piper
507 the direction of the door, and slowly, he turned to look at it.
508 #No one can determine much of anything about it. The answer is not written
509 upon my 3 x 5 cards, nor on Bard's instruments, nor in Cragmore's mind...#
510 Cragmore emitted a mental nod. Bard glared a little at his instruments, which
511 still showed nonsense readings in odd-looking symbols. Innkeeper just looked
512 tired.
513 #Since nothing can be done that has not already been tried, we have, for now,
514 resigned ourselves to watching it. Until it does something, or one of us
515 thinks of a way to pry from it its secrets.
516 But hold that for now. Enjoy the warmth of the hearth. Shake off the chill
517 and dry yourself... and have another ale!#
518 "Innkeeper? Fill Piper's mug with your best ale, and fill your own mug, as
519 well! To the Inn, and to the patrons who visit here!"
520 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Milchar ++++++++ January 6, 1987 at 1:12am +++++
521 O\=<([V2V])>=/O
522 PsIpSiPsIpSiPsIpSiPsIpSiPsIpSiPsIpSiPsIpSiPsIpSiPsIpSiPsIpSiPsIpSiPsIpSiPsIpSi
523
524 Clang! And a dozen pairs of eyes went from gazing at table tops to the
525 curtains and the door behind. Clang! This time louder. A whisper of comments
526 shot through the Inn. The Innkeeper set down the glass he was holding thanks
527 to Milchar's generosity, and moved a step closer to the curtain.
528 "What is it?" "Did you hear that?" "Of course I heard! What could it be?"
529 Bard cursed as his instruments told him 'Plaster, timbers, and rock' Milchar
530 crumpled a piece of paper and teleported it towards the hearth. Cragmore
531 rubbed his temples to relieve the headache pain caused by psi-exhaustion.
532 Other Innhabitants displayed similar signs of stress and fatigue, as each,
533 in his or her own way, tried to discover the secret of the door.
534 Clang! The sound ringed again. Softer this third time.
535 Ten minutes of subdued conversation passed, and the door made no more
536 sounds.
537 "I guess we go back to waiting and wondering." Cragmore sighed, as
538 eyes returned to what they were looking at before the audible reminder of
539 the door and its secrets.
540
541 PsIpSiPsIpSiPsIpSiPsIpSiPsIpSiPsIpSiPsIpSiPsIpSiPsI CRAGMORE PsIpSiPsIpSiPsIpSi
542 ____01/06/87__________________JD 2446802.6050_________18:31:16_PST_________
543 Well... PLease continue! I am interested!
544 O\=<([V2V])>=/O
545 Yes! Do! I've always found the inn fascinating, and would like to see much more
546 of it. May I join, if I can find the time?
547 O\=<([V2V])>=/O
548 s
549 pppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppp
550 The piper felt Milchar's mental touch. It had been so long since he had
551 last communicated so! His mind wandered, rejected parts of the communication,
552 then accepted fragments. He heard "#xxxxxxxxxxxxxpiperxxxxxxforbodings
553 xxxxxxxxbrown doorxxxxcovered by cloth <<over there!>>#" before his mind
554 suddenly cleared and the communication became clear -- particularly the
555 invitation to have another ale.
556 The combination of warmth, dryness, ale, and a curled up small cat on
557 one's lap is extremely soporific. If you add to this mental and physical
558 exhaustion and a stomach recently filled with the inn's beef stew (perhaps
559 one of the best kept secrets of the multiverse, you'll find very few
560 of the innhabitants who
561 <oops, that was supposed to be a backspace> who'll discuss it, considering
562 the limited quantity that comes out of the inn's kitchen) it's not too
563 surprising that the piper fell into a deep, almost comatose sleep. With
564 sleep come dreams -- some pleasant, and some less so.
565 pppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppp
566 USAUSAUSAUSAUSAUSAUSAUSAUSAUSAUSA
567
568 HEY, SYSOP. YEA, YOU. WHY DO YOU OPERATE THIS SYSTEM?.
569 I HAVE NOTED SOME INTERESTING THINGS
570 ON IT.
571
572 ALSO, MAY I INQUIRE AS TO WHAT POLLITICAL
573 PARTY YOU AFFILIATE YOUR SELF WITH.
574 YOU HAVE EVERY RIGHT TO KEEP IT QUIET
575 IF YOU WISH, BUT A PERSON THAT I KNOW
576 CALLED THIS BBS AND THINKS YOU AND
577 MOST OTHERS ON IT ARE COMMUNISTS.
578
579 I WILL REFRAIN FROM USE OF THE FLAG
580 ON YOUR SYSTEM AS IT TAKES TOO MUCH
581 MEMORY. BUT REMEMBER, IT IS STILL
582 THERE IN SPIRIT.
583
584 A TRUE AMERICAN
585 USAUSAUSAUSAUSAUSAUSAUSAUSAUSAUSAUSA
586 to the above:
587 it's either that, or they're what is commonly called "leftist"
588 "liberal" or "radicals" - Jane Fonda, for instance.
589 Sebastiani
590 ..............................................................................
591 Me? Try "Non-political". Really, if you MUST use tags, apply the correct
592 ones! ......................................
593 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
594 Dear F. L. Baily, NET Legal Counsel: Thanks for the laugh! The Net writers are
595 too busy with mental masturbation to do ANYTHING wothwhile, let alone defending
596 anybody. What a bunch of megalomaniacs. "Denizens of evil." HEHEHEHHEHEHE
597 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
598 ch/wothwile/worthwhile
599 ###########################################################################
600 While I was settling in, listening to and watching the patrons, a high
601 piched sound started to eminate from behind the curtain. Oh no, here we
602 go again, I thought. Then after a very short period of time the sound
603 changed changed. Now it sounded like a continuous and massive stream of
604 ball bearings in a multitude of sizes and shapes being spewed at the
605 metal door. The sound drowned out any possiblity of further speach,
606 and roused Piper enough to cause him to wince at the noise. The kitten
607 on his lap stired nervously, uncertain why this sound should be invading
608 its peacful rest. The other patrons looked on exasperated. Bard made as if
609 to approach the door with his instruments again, but then seemed to
610 think better of it and sat back down and started to rummage through his
611 pack instead. After a moment he came up with a pair of ear muffs which
612 he promptly put on. The noise continued on for a time until finally just
613 when everyone was certain that they would begin to lose their sanity if
614 they didn't get out of the Inn, the sound suddenly stopped, then a loud
615 click was heard followed by a buzzing sound as if a large swarm of bees
616 were hiding just behind the curtain. I've got to do something about this.
617 It's starting to get on my nerves and those of my patrons. While it is
618 nice that the novlety of the door has caused many patrons to take intrest
619 in events in the vicinity of the Inn, that interest won't hold long.
620 I've got to figure out what to do to change things either find out what
621 is behind that bloody door, or find some way to get rid of it before
622 it gets rid of me! Getting up, I went around the bar and into my own
623 quarters. Carefully closing the door behind me and locking it, I opened
624 a trap in the floor, pulled out a wooden box, then getting a pry bar,
625 I opened it. Inside was a covering of straw which I moved aside, and
626 a medium sized glass jar was exposed to my view. Pulling it out of its
627 well protected cushion I held it up to the light. The small dark red
628 ball was still there. - To be continued -
629 ######################### The Innkeeper ############################
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