Post by angersexual on Apr 14, 2016 17:59:57 GMT -8
A prefatory note
The following depiction of events has been altered. Depending on what you are looking for in the text, it may or may not be an accurate retelling.
The following depiction of events has been altered. Depending on what you are looking for in the text, it may or may not be an accurate retelling.
Operation is subject to the following two conditions:
(1) this device may not cause harmful interference, and
(2) this device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation.
(1) this device may not cause harmful interference, and
(2) this device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation.
--Federal Communications Commission Rules, Part 15.
If a man does not have sauce then he is lost. But that same man can be lost in the sauce.
--Gucci Mane
I
In Erry's eyes the trees glide from left to right. Tall roadside grass is a persistent blur from a wicked zoetrope. The canalside air is hot, humid and fetid. The canary-yellow Zastava Fiat 128 speeds down the road. Erry's elbow rests on the tiny tongue of lowered window still protruding from the slit. They (Erry) yawn; the car's interminating vibration and the persistent fog that had faded the sky to a near-white have both tired them out. The road takes a slight bend.
'That copse of trees over there - ' Willem nods up and forwards, 'the locals call it The End of The World.'
'Why should I know that.'
'It vexes and haunts me.'
'That was a statement.'
'I'm just as sick of this ride as you, Erry. Please, the less we talk the less I have to think about all this.'
A quarter-hour later the car pulls up on a gravel road. Erry and Willem unfasten their seatbelts and hurry to get out of the car. The estate is shrouded with trees and the air is brisk. Willem slaps himself on his wide neck to confirm both an implicit maxim of life that goes "it's either one or the other" as well as that he has forgotten to apply mosquito repellent. After the high-speed trundle they both feel like their legs have been levigated. Stable ground, either feel, will feel unusual for a couple of minutes.
'Bill, what now?'
'We wait for him.'
Crunching gravel sounds in the distance and Stephen Horner, one of the heirs to the estate and its acting manager, runs to them, waving. Willem greets Horner. Erry only watches until Bill introduces them to one another.
'Mr Horner, this is Erry Yang. Erry, this is Stephen Horner, the man who hired you.'
'I'm glad to finally meet you, Mr Horner.'
'I promise you, M Yang, that the trip herewards will have been worthwhile; but please, let's get inside first. You seem like you need rest.'
The room just off the foyer is a parlour with a bookshelf wall and an apéritif bar. The device on the bartop looks to Erry like an alchemical setup.
'It looks like an alchemical setup.' Erry.
'It's just for decoration.' Horner. 'Personally, it's a sensitive objet d'art bolted down in the wrong place. À propos of the bar, would you like something to drink?'
'No, no; it's okay. Even if I wasn't here on business, I wouldn't drink on an empty stomach.'
'Alright. It's been a long way here for both of you, so it's only fair that we should get down to business. Please, take a seat.'
Erry and Willem drop ass into the armchairs next to the bar. Horner does the same thing across the coffee table from them.
'Erry, Willem, for now I will leave to implication why you're here to investigate, if only because we simply don't have time. I appreciate that you have come on such short notice, but time is still damnably sparse. This estate will not be able to properly change hands according to my grandfather's last will if one of his demands isn't met, and that demand is for an investigation. Sadly that is also all I that know. I don't even know what you're supposed to investigate, so you'll have to start from this house. It's most likely that whatever trail you'll be following begins here. I would be doing this myself, but his last will also stipulates that the investigation must be conducted by a complete outsider to the matters. I know that this sort of stint isn't in your line of work. According to what has so far been made public of the last will, you have two weeks and two days' time to operate. After that, the investigation ceases and grand-dad's lawyer makes public the rest of the will.'
'That's fairly vague.' Will.
'If I knew more I'd tell you. It's in my interest for you to get through with this inquiry as soon as possible. To that goal, I have prepared lodgings here. Feel free to settle into any of the domiciliary bedrooms on the upper floor. I'm not sure if I should have you stay in the guest house. The doors aren't as thick in there, and several people have reported to me that they've seen something I could only call very worrying on the estate grounds. I'm not going to lie, it's probably deadly, but it only ever happens at night. Whatever you may choose to do, exercise extreme caution.'
Horner exhales and looks down at his feet. Erry and Willem have both become nervous.
I
In Erry's eyes the trees glide from left to right. Tall roadside grass is a persistent blur from a wicked zoetrope. The canalside air is hot, humid and fetid. The canary-yellow Zastava Fiat 128 speeds down the road. Erry's elbow rests on the tiny tongue of lowered window still protruding from the slit. They (Erry) yawn; the car's interminating vibration and the persistent fog that had faded the sky to a near-white have both tired them out. The road takes a slight bend.
'That copse of trees over there - ' Willem nods up and forwards, 'the locals call it The End of The World.'
'Why should I know that.'
'It vexes and haunts me.'
'That was a statement.'
'I'm just as sick of this ride as you, Erry. Please, the less we talk the less I have to think about all this.'
A quarter-hour later the car pulls up on a gravel road. Erry and Willem unfasten their seatbelts and hurry to get out of the car. The estate is shrouded with trees and the air is brisk. Willem slaps himself on his wide neck to confirm both an implicit maxim of life that goes "it's either one or the other" as well as that he has forgotten to apply mosquito repellent. After the high-speed trundle they both feel like their legs have been levigated. Stable ground, either feel, will feel unusual for a couple of minutes.
'Bill, what now?'
'We wait for him.'
Crunching gravel sounds in the distance and Stephen Horner, one of the heirs to the estate and its acting manager, runs to them, waving. Willem greets Horner. Erry only watches until Bill introduces them to one another.
'Mr Horner, this is Erry Yang. Erry, this is Stephen Horner, the man who hired you.'
'I'm glad to finally meet you, Mr Horner.'
'I promise you, M Yang, that the trip herewards will have been worthwhile; but please, let's get inside first. You seem like you need rest.'
The room just off the foyer is a parlour with a bookshelf wall and an apéritif bar. The device on the bartop looks to Erry like an alchemical setup.
'It looks like an alchemical setup.' Erry.
'It's just for decoration.' Horner. 'Personally, it's a sensitive objet d'art bolted down in the wrong place. À propos of the bar, would you like something to drink?'
'No, no; it's okay. Even if I wasn't here on business, I wouldn't drink on an empty stomach.'
'Alright. It's been a long way here for both of you, so it's only fair that we should get down to business. Please, take a seat.'
Erry and Willem drop ass into the armchairs next to the bar. Horner does the same thing across the coffee table from them.
'Erry, Willem, for now I will leave to implication why you're here to investigate, if only because we simply don't have time. I appreciate that you have come on such short notice, but time is still damnably sparse. This estate will not be able to properly change hands according to my grandfather's last will if one of his demands isn't met, and that demand is for an investigation. Sadly that is also all I that know. I don't even know what you're supposed to investigate, so you'll have to start from this house. It's most likely that whatever trail you'll be following begins here. I would be doing this myself, but his last will also stipulates that the investigation must be conducted by a complete outsider to the matters. I know that this sort of stint isn't in your line of work. According to what has so far been made public of the last will, you have two weeks and two days' time to operate. After that, the investigation ceases and grand-dad's lawyer makes public the rest of the will.'
'That's fairly vague.' Will.
'If I knew more I'd tell you. It's in my interest for you to get through with this inquiry as soon as possible. To that goal, I have prepared lodgings here. Feel free to settle into any of the domiciliary bedrooms on the upper floor. I'm not sure if I should have you stay in the guest house. The doors aren't as thick in there, and several people have reported to me that they've seen something I could only call very worrying on the estate grounds. I'm not going to lie, it's probably deadly, but it only ever happens at night. Whatever you may choose to do, exercise extreme caution.'
Horner exhales and looks down at his feet. Erry and Willem have both become nervous.
