One More Thing...

So that's it.  The story I set out to tell, three and a half years ago (give or take), all done and dusted.  It didn't quite work out as I first imagined, some parts proved too difficult to do in a serialised format, especially Episode 10, but it's close enough to what I had in mind.  However, I'm not writing this to present caveats or excuses, it is what it is.

No, I'm writing this to say thank you.  If you're reading this, the chances are you read the whole thing, following it day by day as I plucked rubbish from my head and threw it at the...what?  The page?  The screen?  Whatever.  Thank you for sticking with it.

It's been a journey: both in the real world and in the Warp, but I enjoyed writing it (and sometimes it felt like a lifeline) and I learned a lot from it.

I'd love to hear what you thought of it, now that it's done.  I'm going to leave the comments open here, or you can send me your musings at gavinwhite2010@gmail.com.

I have started thinking about doing another one.  A serial, that is.  It's still in the vague thinky stages, and right now I'm about to move house, but keep your eyes peeled and I'll let you know when it's getting started.

Thanks again,

Gavin

Episode 10 - Chapter 100

 ...In a place that is no place...

...In a castle that was never built, in a land that only appears on imaginary maps and in unconventional minds, in a throne room never seen, built from the shards of forgotten dreams, on a chair so resplendent no one man could ever have built it...

...An angel sits, contemplating his victory with a hollow satisfaction. His tall, thin form folded into this most unreal chair, legs crossed, fingers laced, thumbs resting against his brow. All the players played their part, all the pieces fit together: decades of careful planning and subtle manipulation...a suggestion hear, a strange dream there, all for this moment, this so-called victory...

...One-nil to the good guys...

...Yes, he has new influence in the Warp, and yes, new allies too in this endless conflict. But a single battle does not win a war, there is conflict and turmoil just outside the door, he must never lose sight of what the war was for...

Something snaps in the depths of his mind, permanent and irreversible. He's on his feet before he knows it, fingers snapping above his head, minions summoned with a single click.

Out with the old, in with the new, isn't that what they say? Time to begin a new chapter, to scheme a new scheme...and perhaps it's time also to take a new name.

The End

(...for now...)

Episode 10 - Chapter 99

 Maria Thesos sits in the back of her taxi trying, as best she can, not to fidget. Not for the first time since her journey began, she's doubting her sanity. “Just don't think about it,” she tells herself, “I'll be there shortly, and then I'll know.”

She twists the magazine in her lap, forces herself to look out at the beautiful English countryside speeding past. What on earth is she doing, a hidden voice keeps asking, it's almost tourist season, her family needs her, the business needs her. But instead she's abandoned everything, jumped on a flight to London, a train to the middle of nowhere, and now this taxi, all without pause or rest. She worries that is she stops moving the doubts (“Reason” her father called them) will take hold.

The taxi slows as it pulls in to a picturesque little village, all quaint cottages circling a village green. The taxi cuts through the main gathering, turning off the main road just before it reaches the farthest edge, following a narrow lane to a dead end.

“There you go, luv,” the driver says as the car draws to a halt, going on to name the price. She pays him with the last notes in her purse, gathers her bags and steps out. The clean air assaults her, fresh and floral, causing her to feel dizzy and unbalanced.

“Maria, is it?” A young man's voice inquires as she struggles to get her bearings. She turns, still disorientated, to see a smiling gentleman walking towards her, arm outstretched to offer his hand. “Don't worry,” he continues as they shake, “You're in the right place.”

Behind her, the taxi pulls away, abandoning her to whatever mysteries have brought her here.

“It's a brave thing that you've done,” the man says, “Coming here because a dream told you to. You can call me Robert, by the way.” He takes her bag from her hand, gently cupping his hand in the small of her back to guide her up the path. “Come on, we'll get you introduced to the others. Then some answers to all those questions in your head, how does that sound?”

Episode 10 - Chapter 98

 Fiona wakes early, several minutes before the alarm is due to go off, as has become her habit lately. A belligerent sun claws fiercely at the blinds, outside birds sing their joy at the marvel of a new day. Beside her, her husband snores into his pillow, sleeping the sleep of the just and satisfied.

“Let him sleep,” she thinks, “He deserves it.” Robert had come in late the night before, or maybe it was early this morning, muttering something about pot-holes at the museum. He'd barely managed to undress before collapsing into a deep stupor. For a moment Fiona wishes she could remember more, but he's woken her from a conversation with the King of the Sandmen, a conversation she's been eager to return to. “Never mind,” she thinks, “I'll just ask him later.”

After gently kissing his shoulder she rises, showers quickly, dresses and heads downstairs to the kitchen. As usual she arrives to find Raven sat at the table, a large glass of orange juice and steaming mug of coffee before him.

“Morning Boss,” he says when she enters, pushing the cup toward her.

“Good morning,” she replies, lifting the mug to her lips for a long, satisfying slurp. “What's on our ticket today?”

“There are reports,” he says uncertainly, “Of a Popular Misconception stalking the industrial estate.”

Another mouthful of coffee. “I'm sensing a 'but'?” she asks, pulling her jacket over her shoulders.

“These reports,” he tells her, reaching for the back door, “They're mainly from the wasps.”

“Oh,” is her only response, her heart sinking in her chest. It's going to be a difficult day, she can tell.

Episode 10 - Chapter 97

 Mary closes the notebook in her lap, folds her hands and looks round at the expectant faces crammed in to her dining room. “And the rest,” she says finally, “Is, as they say, history.”

At first she'd been disappointed by the low number of people who had responded to their advert in the paper. Where they'd have put any more she didn't know, but she'd hoped to see them.

“Never worry, luv,” her husband had said, doing his best to reassure her. “Better to start small, eh? Besides, Fiona's had a new idea for recruitment, something a little more direct.”

She takes a deep breath, releasing a long sigh before standing. “Of course the Elements decided to work with the Angel, and us, to improve the Warp,” she says, focusing on the eager faces before her. There are others, more cynical in their demeanour, but she lets her eyes pass over them. “And that's how this place, this bridge, came to be opened.”

One chap in front of her yawns openly, checking his watch, while another chews idly on his pencil.

“Now you've heard our story,” she continues, forcing herself not to tut, “As fantastic and ridiculous as it sounds. The question for you all is this: Would you like to know more? If your answer is no,” now she looks directly at the sceptics, “Then I'd like to thank you for your time. Make your way out through the door at the back and you'll be back in the real world in no time at all.”

She pauses. Waits. None of them makes a move.

“For the rest of you,” she smiles as Edward pushes himself to his feet, “If you'd like to follow my husband, we'll try to give you your first look at the Weave.”

Episode 10 - Chapter 96

 Everything stopped, the whole room frozen, as if time had actually stopped. Literally, the tick-tock of the mantlepiece clock fell silent, motes of dust hung in the air, glistening and still.

Fiona stood in the centre of the living room, arms reaching out, a strange blue glow alive in her eyes. “I don't know what your master had planned,” she said, “But it wont be happening today.”

I glanced round the room to see who she was addressing, actually rather surprised to find that I could move at all. I saw my husband, rubbing his wrists, obviously feeling that same sense of shock. When he caught my look his eyebrows arched, as if to ask “What now?” When I looked away I caught sight of Robert, mouth open, watching his wife with astonishment. Beyond him were Raven and Oak, both glued to the spot, expressions fixed upon their faces.

That was when I realised our living room was also home to three other figures, tiny and wisp like. Were these the three midgets that combined to make Strauss? They were the right height, certainly, but so thin they were barely there at all, with no real distinguishing features. Locked in the moment, they were caught running toward each other, arms outstretched, holding shiny silver gizmos.

I didn't know what might happen next, but I certainly wasn't expecting the walls to darken, nor for the nub of that candle abandoned on our table to spring in to flame.

“We have reached our decision,” the voice of Fire crackled and raged, filling the room.

Episode 10 - Chapter 95

 “Where are they?” Mary asked, looking round.

It was obvious, even to me, that those words weren't being spoken by a physical mouth, of for that matter three mouths. The sound of them was too dense, too resonant, it was as if the house itself was speaking.

“I don't know,” Raven replied, “They could be anywhere.” He, too, looked around him, then began gently guiding us all towards the living room. “They could be everywhere! Right now, we should be back in there.”

“We had hoped it wouldn't come to this,” the voice filled the air once more, “But, we are afraid to say, our master was very clear in his instructions.”

Robert walked into the living room first. Mary grabbed hold of me, she must have thought I needed some support after our mishap, and we hobbled in together, followed by Raven and Oak.

There in front of us stood Fiona, eyes closed, arms outstretched. She looked so strange standing there, otherworldly even, I'd have sworn she was actually glowing.

“There can be no bridge between the Warp and the Weave,” Strauss voice boomed, even louder. “We had hoped you might understand that.”

I felt the air move around me, we all did I think, as something unseen raced past us.

Fiona's eyes shot open, wide and bright. “Stop,” she said calmly, and the world around us froze.

Episode 10 - Chapter 94

 Raven and I were racing up the hall in pursuit of something we hadn't seen, when dad stumbled out of the cellar, closely followed by Oak. I was moving too fast to avoid them, though I tried to turn away, banging into them both, bringing us all stumbling to the ground.

“Is everybody okay?” Mum asked from the end of the passage. Raven reached down, offering me his arm to pull me up. As I got to my feet, Dad sat upright, rubbing his head.

“That was a lucky escape,” he said, untangling his limbs from Oak's.

I helped Dad to his feet, while Raven assisted Oak. Once we were all upright, Dad put his hand on Oak's shoulder.

“I think I would have been a goner there,” he said, “If you hadn't reacted so quickly. Thankyou.”

By that time, Mum had caught up with the four of us. “For what?” she asked, almost accusingly.

“Never mind that,” Raven said brusquely, “We need to get back in there.” He pointed to the living room door. “Chop, chop!”

“We are sorry, M'lady,” the voice of Strauss filled the house, too loud to be spoken by any one mouth, or even three. “We really do not have a choice in this matter.”

Episode 10 - Chapter 93

 I reached the top of the stairs just ahead of Raven. Looking down I saw my son by the front door. He glanced round, seeing me, then turned sharply to look closer at the wall, or at least that's how it looked to me.

“'Scuse me, Mary,” Raven said as he pushed past me, descending quickly to join Robert. Sad to say I'm not that spry any longer, so I followed behind at my own pace.

“What is it lad, what did you see?” Raven asked as he joined my boy.

“Nothing,” Robert replied, almost absent mindedly, “I haven't seen anything, but I keep hearing...” His voice trailed away to silence.

“Yes?” Raven asked, “What do you hear?”

That's when I saw a movement. I was halfway down when, just for a second, something flashed between the two of them, moving towards the back of the house.

“There!” I shouted, pointing, “It's going towards the kitchen!”

“What is it?” Raven shouted as they both turned together, “What did you see?” They both set off down the hall.

“I don't know,” I called back, trying to hurry down the last steps. I reached the bottom just in time to see them collide with Edward and Oak as they stumbled up from the cellar.

Episode 10 - Chapter 92

 I was just stood there, frozen to the spot. It all happened so quickly: the tell tale noises, the box's movement, the start of its' fall. I brought my hands up over my head, bracing myself for the impact, when a strong hand grabbed me by the collar and dragged me out of the way.

The box hit the ground with a dull thud, its' lid splitting to allow papers to spill everywhere. I was trying to steady myself, stand up straight, but Oak was having none of it.

“No time for standing around, old chap,” he said, his hand still attached to my collar, pulling me out of the path of a second tumbler, “We're not safe down here.”

He kept yanking at my jacket, pulling me through the length of the cellar as more boxes rained down, each narrowly missing me by ever decreasing margins.

“Come on,” he grunted as he almost threw me at the base of the stairs before getting behind my back to push me forward and up. I did my best to move as fast as I could, practically climbing up on all fours. Behind us, everything was crashing to the ground as we launched ourselves through the doorway to land in a tangled heap in the hall.

Episode 10 - Chapter 91

 So I left the living room doorway to walk down the hall towards the front door. I could still hear the soft murmur of the Angel's voice talking to Fiona, and her muted frustrated replies, though I couldn't tell what was being said. All my senses seemed to be alive, on fire even, scouring every inch of that space as I approached and passed it, looking for any available place out quarries could possibly be hiding.

Nearing the foot of the stairs I heard some kind of kerfuffle behind me, coming from the cellar door to be exact. I almost turned to go back and check when the rustling noise came again, louder now and seemingly very nearby. In front of me stood the hall table, telephone and unopened mail sitting on top. I opened its' only drawer warily, quickly pushing aside the random objects dumped there for want of a better home: letter opener, a couple half used candles, old dog lead, disused plug, tape measure.

“Don't be so daft,” I laughed at myself, “They'd never fit in there,” when I heard the rustle again, freezing me to the spot. Next to the table was a coat rack with a variety of outdoor garments hanging from its' hooks. I was about to investigate further when a “klump” at the top of the stairs grabbed my attention. Half turning, I saw mum's feet beginning to descend the stairs, when I heard that rustle behind me once more.

Episode 10 - Chapter 90

 Fiona sits in her husband's parents' living room, trying to understand what the voice of the unseen Angel is telling her. She's vaguely aware of her husband, stood in the doorway, a tiny pair of shoes in his hand. She knows he's looking at her, knows that he's trying to follow their conversation. It even registers with her when his attention is snatched away by something in the hallway, something she might have to think about later.

But not now. Right now she needs to understand what the Angel is telling her, because it seems important, urgent even, if she judges it by the speaker's tone.

“That house is not the Warp,” that oily voice tells her, “No matter how much it looks and feels like it.”

“So you say,” she replies, “But I don't know what that means, or how it helps us!”

The Angel doesn't reply at once, pausing to contemplate his response. She almost finds it funny, that silence, it's as if she can hear him thinking.

“Okay,” he says at last, “Try this: the Weave is a big house, where almost anything is possible? Yes?”

“Y-yes,” she falters, waiting for whatever comes next.

“Then that house,” the Angel continues, “Is like a shed at the bottom of the garden.”

“O-kay,” she replies, still unsure.

“Your shed!” There's a note of triumph in his voice. “A place where you have total control. Now concentrate, breath, feel the shed around you, feel it as an extension of you.”

Episode 10 - Chapter 89

 “Hmmm,” Raven grunted, looking me up and down. He grabbed my shoulders, turned me round. I felt his hands patting my back...hips...when he reached my legs I couldn't help but say something.

“Do you mind?” I asked, trying not to sound too offended, “Is there something you're looking for?”

“I don't know,” he replied honestly, turning me back to face him, once more looking from head to foot. “There's something...”

Without finishing his sentence, he turned and walked into the second bedroom. I watched him have a quick look round, then return to the landing.

“What something?” I asked, “You're being very cryptic again.”

“Yes,” he said, “Sorry.” With that apology hanging in the air, he walked into the third bedroom, barely glanced t much at all before returning to me once more. Standing still for a moment, he seemed to make a point of sniffing the air.

“I doubt there's little point in checking the bathroom,” he said turning toward the stairs, a new spring in his step. “Come on,” he continued, giving me a wink, “Things are about to get interesting.”

Episode 10 - Chapter 88

 I was about to pull open that first cupboard door when a huge wave of anxiety swept through me. What on earth were we doing down there, searching for midgets that might look like anything? What did we think we were going to do if we found them? What were they going to do if we didn't? A thousand doubts raced through my mind, each jostling for my attention, each suggesting ever greater dire consequences. I might have stood there for hours if I hadn't heard my wife shout from the upper floor.

“Get a grip, man,” I muttered to myself, finally grabbing hold of the handle.

“Are you feeling okay, Edward?” Oak asked, ripping open a fourth box. I have to say, he was being very methodical in his approach to our search: lifting down a box, opening it cautiously, checking the contents then stacking it neatly against the adjacent wall.

“Fine,” I said, pulling open the door to find myself confronted by the shiny glint of Christmas tinsel and a box full gaudy tree decorations. “Just fine.”

I paused then, sure I'd heard a tiny grunting sound somewhere above me, followed by the sound of cardboard rubbing against cardboard. Looking up, I saw the top box on a pile of four teetering unsteadily above me. “Oh no,” was all I could manage before the box slipped from its' mount and plunged towards me.

Episode 10 - Chapter 87

 I was watching my wife from the living room doorway , listening to the conversation she and the Angel were engaged in, when I heard mum's surprised exclamation from upstairs.

“Is everything okay up there?” I shouted, which gave Fiona a bit of a start.

“Fine,” Raven responded immediately, “Everything's fine.”

“I'm not sh...” mum said at the same time, then went silent for a second. “It's okay,” she said, “Keep looking.”

Fiona looked right at me with an expression I couldn't quite interpret. I was sure she was going to say something when the Angel said something else I didn't quite catch and her attention moved on.

“I'm sorry,” she said, “I don't understand.”

I made myself concentrate, listening closely to his reply. “This is your world,” he said, “It will bend to your will.”

He continued speaking but I didn't catch what was said, my attention snatched away by a rustling sound coming from somewhere near the front door.

Episode 10 - Chapter 86

 “We've found a jacket,” I shouted from the bedroom doorway, which earned me another scowl from Raven.

“Mary!” he scolded, holding his finger to his lips.

“Sorry,” I whispered in reply, shrugging my shoulders meekly.

I watched as Raven searched the room: sliding open the doors of the fitted wardrobes, pushing clothes aside, fighting his way past piles of shoes. For a moment I almost felt embarrassed, a feeling that disappeared when the door slid shut. He knelt on the floor, grunting a little, to scour under the bed, then quickly examined the bedside tables, opening and closing drawers in quick succession.

I don't know why, but I just stood there, somehow unable to pitch in and help while also feeling slightly awkward as he searched through our most intimate possessions. It was an odd feeling, one I still can't explain, but I mean how would you feel watching a stranger stick his hand in your knicker-drawer?

Thankfully he finished in no time at all and we returned to the landing. We were just about to enter the second bedroom when I was sure I felt something brush past me.

“What was that?” I demanded, looking round me.

“What was what?” he asked, looking concerned.

“I don't know,” I replied, still startled, rubbing my hands together to get rid of the sensation. “I think something moved up here.”

Episode 10 - Chapter 85

 There's a big counter unit that stretches along one wall of our cellar, starting at the foot of the stairs. On top of it are any number of storage boxes: from those collapsible crates you get in the local cheap shops, to those proper archive boxes that come from proper stationers. The boxes are piled high, often three or four deep, filled with the detritus of thirty years of marriage, two children, employment histories and god knows what. The cupboards below are full too, chock-a-block with defunct toys and games, discarded kitchen gadgets and old clothes.

The opposite wall is piled high with old furniture and soft furnishings: a retired dinning table and chairs, a couple of standing lamps, retired garden games, even an old exercise bike that had never quite achieved any level of usefulness.

I looked at it all and sighed deeply, not for the first time in my life ruing Mary's inability to throw anything away. Oak, meanwhile, had found a knife in his pocket and was cutting at the tape that bound the first box. I found my breath catching in my throat as he ripped open the first box, only to find a deadly tea service we'd inherited from my wife's aunt.

“One down,” Oak said with a wry smile, reaching for the next.

“I'll look through the cupboards,” I replied, walking to the far end of the cellar to bend and open the first door.

Episode 10 - Chapter 84

 Walking back into the living room, tiny shoes in hand, I couldn't help but pause and wonder for a moment if my wife had finally gone mad. There she was, sat alone, seemingly chatting away to herself.

“Yes I know that,” she was saying, a tiny bead of frustration decorating her brow, “But what do you expect us to do? This isn't the Weave, as well you know, we have to pay attention to little things like physics and...”

She stopped short, obviously interrupted by her unseen Angel. All kinds of worries filled my head then: how long would this go on for? Would she ever recover? Would the world ever seem normal and mundane ever again.

It was as I watched her, turbulent questions swimming through my mind, that I began to hear the voice myself. It started as a thin whine, the high pitched complaining of an old analogue radio being tuned in, but the more I listened the more I could make sense of it. I'm not sure they were words exactly, but I certainly began to understand the message.

“That is true,” our invisible protagonist was saying, “You most certainly are not in the Weave. But you have to remember, you're no longer in the Warp either. The usual limitations do not apply there, certainly not to you!”

Episode 10 - Chapter 83

 “Be on your guard,” Fiona shout from the living room, “They may have changed their appearance.”

“We've found their trousers,” I shouted a triumphant reply from the top of the stairs. Raven turned to look at me, scowling. “Well, it's a pair of trousers,” I corrected myself, which only caused Raven to scowl all the more.

“There were shoes in the kitchen,” Robert called from the hallway, “Just a single pair. They were in the dishwasher!”

Raven's expression returned to a deep frown as he turned back to the trousers. “Curious,” he said, picking them up.

“Anything down there, Edward?” I called to my husband, which elicited another harsh look from Raven.

“Can we try to keep the noise down Mary,” he said as he ran the trousers through his fingers. It didn't feel like a question. He shoved his hands into the tiny trouser pockets. “Nothing,” he grunted, finally casting the garment aside.

“Sorry,” I apologised, following him to our bedroom, almost walking into his back when he stopped suddenly.

“Eyes and ears open,” he said curtly, pointing at the bed, “Mouth closed.” There, in the centre of Edward's pillow, sat a tiny, neatly folded jacket.

Episode 10 - Chapter 82

 “The idea of our cellar...” I said slowly. Part of me understood, while at the same time there was a part of me that just found the idea so challenging. There was the cellar, right in front of us. Surely it was what it was. But then, how did it get to be so tidy, when just a few hours earlier it had been in such chaos? “I do get it,” I told Oak, “But...”

“Maybe it would be for the best,” he replied, “If you didn't think about it too much.”

For once, I found myself agreeing with him, resolving there and then to put it out of my mind until I had time to think properly. Preferably, I thought, with the aid of a large scotch.

“You're right,” I said, pulling at my belt to straighten my trousers. “Where do we begin?”

Before he could reply we heard Fiona shout from the living room above. “Be on your guard,” she warned, “They may have changed their appearance.”

“Marvellous,” Oak sighed, not quite under his breath, “We could have saved ourselves a lot of trouble if we'd just followed the usual protocols.”

I couldn't help glaring at him, lost for words. “Sorry,” he said, lifting a box from the top of the pile in front of us, “Force of habit. We've got a lot to get through,” he continued, looking reluctantly at the scale of the task before us, “We'd better just start here and work our way through.”