Sideways Village
Ok here is the first little bit of the story. I think I'll post just keep posting chunks up here for the time being, I'm not taking it very seriously, just having a bit or fun. Don't feel obliged to read it either, I know it won't be to many people's tastes.
Even writing this much has showed me the ridiculous amount of work that would be involved in finishing the story. It took me something like six hours spread over three nights just to do this tiny bit. Still while my enthusiasm hold out, the writing will continue.
This story is about a Hero named Charlie. He became to be known throughout the world as "Charlie the Hero", because, well, sometimes people just aren’t very creative when thinking up impressive names.
Charlie was born in the most isolated village on the world. It was named Sideways Village, which really is an excellent name for it, because it was built Sideways, near the bottom of a very deep chasm along one of the chasm walls. As far as vertical villages go, this one is well located. A long ledge protrudes from the Chasm wall, just wide enough for two people to walk across - making it a good starting point. Clear fresh water almost bursts from the chasm walls, as if begging to be tapped. Hollows and caves speckle the section of the Chasm wall near the village; these are filled with the tasty Deepshrooms - blue mushrooms that turn to dust when exposed to sunlight. Useful metals are easy to find, including some rare ones only found several thousand meters below the earth's surface. A veritable forest of hardy Slantburst trees grows nearby, holding themselves tightly against the side of the chasm with their deep roots. They form a tight cluster at about the same height as the village. Slantwood the Sideways people call it (here we see more evidence of the lack of imagination people have these days).
The trees are an excellent source of Hardwood needed for building, as well as the Slantnuts which the trees produce eleven months of the year. The trees are also the perfect nesting ground for a docile breed of bird the people of Sideways Village have called Chubbers. Chubbers spend most of their days flying from one side of the Chasm to the other, dozing, building impressive nests deep within the Slantwood, and wooing other Chubbers over to said nests with irritatingly incessant Chubberspeak. The birds are especially delicious when fried slowly with a handful of Slantnuts and diced Deepshrooms. The birds are so easy to find and catch that some Village worry about the overpopulation affecting the delicate ecosystem of the Chasm, and insist that the Villages glut themselves on Roast Chubber around the clock. Those Villages are mostly the fat ones, so no one really takes the comments very seriously.
The people of Sideways Village are industrious and clever, and cope surprisingly well with the obvious drawbacks that come with building on vertical slopes. Not having the luxury of horizontal surfaces to build their foundations on, they drive long beams of wood deep into the chasm wall. Upon these they build sturdy platforms, and on top of those they build huts and walkways. Rope ladders connect everything together - climbing is a part of every day life. Babies born in Sideways Village often learn to climb before they learn to walk. Until then they are carried around by their mothers and fathers in pouches worn on the back like packs, leaving the parents both hands to climb.
The ledge around which the village was founded is naturally in the center of the village. The original ledge has been extended a good fifteen meters or so, and now has a wide roof to keep off the rain. A large brazier is lit when it's cold and torches provide light when it's dark. It has become the Village Square, even though it more of a semicircle. The Ledge it is called.
Aside from The Ledge, the town has a Blacksmith, a Brewery, a Seamstress, and even a tiny Hospital. Everyone works hard, even the very young and the very old, because there are always plenty of things to do. Hunting and gathering food, as well as cooking and preparing it. Gathering wood from Slantwood and stone from the face of the chasm. Building new places for people to live and maintaining old ones. Making rope - you always need lots of rope in a place like Sideways Village. It is a good place to live, the kind of place where things just click together. Here, life just works somehow, despite how impossible or ridiculous it may seem.
***
Today is Charlie's tenth birthday, so he is a little excited. He has already been awake for three hours, waiting on the roof of his family home for the first rays of sunlight to catch on the rim of the chasm. Suncatch means the day has officially started, and since today is his birthday, that means presents. It takes him less than three seconds to climb back down to his bedroom. His Father is waiting for him - holding a brand new bow!
"Now Son, you’re a big boy now so -"
"Wow Dad!” Bursts out Charlie. "It's so awesome! Can I have it?" He says, holding out his hands.
"In a minute this isn't a toy Charl-"
"My very own bow! I can't believe this, Reggie and the others are going to be so jealous! Can I have it?
"If you let me finish." his father said, trying hard to be stern. "Owning a bow is a big-"
"I'm going to shoot down a thousand Chubbers! Can I have it Dad?"
His father gave up being stern and laughed. "Charlie if you do that, there won't be any left for the hunters."
"No dad there are hundreds of Chubbers up there, I promise I won't shoot them all. Can I *please* have it?"
"What am I going to do with you boy?" said Charlie's Dad.
"Give me the bow I hope!" Charlie said excitedly.
"Only if you don't shoot it in the village, and that you won't let your brother play with it. And you must never aim-"
"Dad, I *know* about all that." Charlie said impatiently. "I am ten now you know."
His mother came into the bedroom, yawning. She too has already been awake for three hours, listening to make sure Charlie hasn't fallen off the roof yet.
"Go on, let him have Harold." she said. "We will wake the neighbors"
"Yeah the neighbors will be annoyed with you Dad," Said Charlie. "So can I have it?"
His father laughed again. "Of course you can Son."
***
Even writing this much has showed me the ridiculous amount of work that would be involved in finishing the story. It took me something like six hours spread over three nights just to do this tiny bit. Still while my enthusiasm hold out, the writing will continue.
This story is about a Hero named Charlie. He became to be known throughout the world as "Charlie the Hero", because, well, sometimes people just aren’t very creative when thinking up impressive names.
Charlie was born in the most isolated village on the world. It was named Sideways Village, which really is an excellent name for it, because it was built Sideways, near the bottom of a very deep chasm along one of the chasm walls. As far as vertical villages go, this one is well located. A long ledge protrudes from the Chasm wall, just wide enough for two people to walk across - making it a good starting point. Clear fresh water almost bursts from the chasm walls, as if begging to be tapped. Hollows and caves speckle the section of the Chasm wall near the village; these are filled with the tasty Deepshrooms - blue mushrooms that turn to dust when exposed to sunlight. Useful metals are easy to find, including some rare ones only found several thousand meters below the earth's surface. A veritable forest of hardy Slantburst trees grows nearby, holding themselves tightly against the side of the chasm with their deep roots. They form a tight cluster at about the same height as the village. Slantwood the Sideways people call it (here we see more evidence of the lack of imagination people have these days).
The trees are an excellent source of Hardwood needed for building, as well as the Slantnuts which the trees produce eleven months of the year. The trees are also the perfect nesting ground for a docile breed of bird the people of Sideways Village have called Chubbers. Chubbers spend most of their days flying from one side of the Chasm to the other, dozing, building impressive nests deep within the Slantwood, and wooing other Chubbers over to said nests with irritatingly incessant Chubberspeak. The birds are especially delicious when fried slowly with a handful of Slantnuts and diced Deepshrooms. The birds are so easy to find and catch that some Village worry about the overpopulation affecting the delicate ecosystem of the Chasm, and insist that the Villages glut themselves on Roast Chubber around the clock. Those Villages are mostly the fat ones, so no one really takes the comments very seriously.
The people of Sideways Village are industrious and clever, and cope surprisingly well with the obvious drawbacks that come with building on vertical slopes. Not having the luxury of horizontal surfaces to build their foundations on, they drive long beams of wood deep into the chasm wall. Upon these they build sturdy platforms, and on top of those they build huts and walkways. Rope ladders connect everything together - climbing is a part of every day life. Babies born in Sideways Village often learn to climb before they learn to walk. Until then they are carried around by their mothers and fathers in pouches worn on the back like packs, leaving the parents both hands to climb.
The ledge around which the village was founded is naturally in the center of the village. The original ledge has been extended a good fifteen meters or so, and now has a wide roof to keep off the rain. A large brazier is lit when it's cold and torches provide light when it's dark. It has become the Village Square, even though it more of a semicircle. The Ledge it is called.
Aside from The Ledge, the town has a Blacksmith, a Brewery, a Seamstress, and even a tiny Hospital. Everyone works hard, even the very young and the very old, because there are always plenty of things to do. Hunting and gathering food, as well as cooking and preparing it. Gathering wood from Slantwood and stone from the face of the chasm. Building new places for people to live and maintaining old ones. Making rope - you always need lots of rope in a place like Sideways Village. It is a good place to live, the kind of place where things just click together. Here, life just works somehow, despite how impossible or ridiculous it may seem.
***
Today is Charlie's tenth birthday, so he is a little excited. He has already been awake for three hours, waiting on the roof of his family home for the first rays of sunlight to catch on the rim of the chasm. Suncatch means the day has officially started, and since today is his birthday, that means presents. It takes him less than three seconds to climb back down to his bedroom. His Father is waiting for him - holding a brand new bow!
"Now Son, you’re a big boy now so -"
"Wow Dad!” Bursts out Charlie. "It's so awesome! Can I have it?" He says, holding out his hands.
"In a minute this isn't a toy Charl-"
"My very own bow! I can't believe this, Reggie and the others are going to be so jealous! Can I have it?
"If you let me finish." his father said, trying hard to be stern. "Owning a bow is a big-"
"I'm going to shoot down a thousand Chubbers! Can I have it Dad?"
His father gave up being stern and laughed. "Charlie if you do that, there won't be any left for the hunters."
"No dad there are hundreds of Chubbers up there, I promise I won't shoot them all. Can I *please* have it?"
"What am I going to do with you boy?" said Charlie's Dad.
"Give me the bow I hope!" Charlie said excitedly.
"Only if you don't shoot it in the village, and that you won't let your brother play with it. And you must never aim-"
"Dad, I *know* about all that." Charlie said impatiently. "I am ten now you know."
His mother came into the bedroom, yawning. She too has already been awake for three hours, listening to make sure Charlie hasn't fallen off the roof yet.
"Go on, let him have Harold." she said. "We will wake the neighbors"
"Yeah the neighbors will be annoyed with you Dad," Said Charlie. "So can I have it?"
His father laughed again. "Of course you can Son."
***