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 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 35

 All that noise just stopped. The howl of the wind, the crash of waves, even the crackle of fire: gone, only to be replaced by a pensive silence.

“Wake up?” Mary asked, “You mean they've been sleeping?”

“Yes,” Raven replied, then “No. Sort of. They are not habitually used to consciousness.”

The three of us fell silent again, trying to understand what that meant. Mary was about to ask something more when Raven said:

“Nevermind. Try not to think about it too much. Just have patience, and all will become clear in the fullness of time.”

The flames roared once more, but this time the sound was different: the fire was speaking, and I could understand what it was saying.

“Tell us again,” it said, “Which of you was the First?”

“I was,” Raven replied. I think he was looking a bit anxious when he spoke.

“And it was you who brought us here?” the fire asked, “Ignoring all protocols?”

“I did,” Raven said, his hands clenched in fists by his side.

“Unusual,” the wind roared, “Let us hope you don't find reason to regret it.”

Episode 10 - Chapter 17

“Not in the.....?” I could hear Oak's voice, almost apoplectic with an odd mixture of confusion and frustration. Although my sight was beginning to clear, I still couldn't see him properly, but I could imagine his hard, round face getting redder and redder. “If we're not in the Warp,” he continued, “And this isn't the Weave. Tell me now, where the blazes are we?”

“I don't know,” Raven replied simply, “Somewhere new!”

“We're not in Kansas any more,” I chuckled to myself, but I kept my voice down. There was far too much tension in the room for stupid little jokes.

“Somewhere new?” Oak spat, “What do you mean, 'somewhere new'? There is no 'new'. What have you done, you stupid old bird?”

In reply, Raven just shrugged his shoulders.

On the far side of the room, the three midgets had gathered together, patting each other down, each checking the other two to make sure they were okay and intact.

“If we might be so bold,” they said in unison, the voice of Strauss deep and resonant with the weight of some authority, “We think we may be able to help answer your questions.”

Episode 10 - Chapter 7

If I really concentrated, I found I could get the world to stop spinning around me. I still couldn't focus properly, but the waves of nausea were beginning to subside. I could just about make out the shape of my wife, doubled over and coughing furiously, but I felt relieved just to see her there. I wanted to reach out and touch her arm, just to connect with her somehow, but my limbs were like jelly so for the time being I had to be satisfied with knowing she was okay.

“Raven is just fine,” Raven said behind me, “What are you implying?”

“Not implying, merely inquiring,” the other voice replied. I tried to turn to look at the speaker, gulping down a deep breath to counter the terrible stomach churning sensations that came with the movement. I couldn't make out much: a vaguely familiar figure with something in its' hands, standing in front of a silverish wall that was reaching out to grab him.

Time Off For Good Behaviour....?

Greetings.

First off, if you're reading this, the chances are you've followed my odd little story thing since it started, so thanks for sticking with it and I really hope you're still enjoying it.

I've been putting out a new chapter every day for over two and a half years now. Sometimes they've been good, sometimes they're a bit ropey (yes, I do know), but they keep coming. Right now we've just reached the end of the Eighth Interlude, and we're about to embark on the penultimate episode (I think).

Which seems like a good moment for me to say “Whoa, time for a break.” On a personal level, the past two years have been unusually cruel and brutal, and I think I'd like a little time for myself, to heal some wounds, reconnect with a few friends and most of all take stock.

To that end, I'm taking a couple of weeks off. Twixt the Warp and the Weft Episode 9 will premier on Monday, January 6^th on the internets, or on the 7^th if you wait for it to flop into your inbox.

I'd like to take this opportunity again to thank you for sticking with it, and to wish you the very happiest of holidays.

See you next year,

Gx

Due to personal circumstances 'Twixt the Warp and the Weft will be taking a break for a couple of days.

Episode 8 will begin on Friday 23rd August on the web, or Saturday 24th if you subscribe by email.

Thanks for your patience.