NaNo Wrap Up.
Dec. 2nd, 2006 11:26 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
swestrupI just got back from the NaNoWriMo wrap party, where I read an excerpt of my story. It got a sufficiently good response that I've decided to publish it here:
Carl looked up at Betsy, the tears slowing to a trickle, “Thank you,” he said. Then, making an obvious effort to pull himself together, he asked Aleph for a tissue, and made free use of the box that appeared in his hands. While he was trying to regain his composure, June decided to lighten the mood by showing the others some of the benefits of a personal flying robot.
At June’s request to ‘start the show’ Bet flew over to the adjoining dining area and zapped away the existing furniture. She then created a dizzying succession of dining room sets one after another, ending up with a large polished oak table, eight chairs and a matching sideboard. For her next trick, Bet started to conjure a wide variety of household goods which began to pile up on the newly created table. There was a cutlery set, pots and pans, a new coffee maker, a food processor, boxes and cartons of fine crystal and china, two new computers, one each of the latest gaming consoles, a toaster, a blender, a mixer, sets of linens and towels, and still the packages piled up. Soon the table was completely hidden by the bounty and the mound was threatening to collapse, at which point larger packages started appearing on the floor. These included a wide screen TV, a high-end stereo system with surround-sound speakers, a new dishwasher and fridge, a microwave oven, a set of mattresses, the various parts of a bed frame, and last of all a four-foot high concrete statue of a monkey.
“Where did you get all this?” Carl sputtered in amazement, his distress momentarily forgotten.
“I told you I went shopping today,” June replied. “What with all the excitement, I didn’t really get a chance to tell you about it. I managed to go into a number of major stores, and scanned absolutely everything I could without being seen. If we’re going to have robots who can replicate anything, I figure we should make the best use of that.”
“And you somehow knew I’ve always wanted a concrete monkey?” Naja asked in an amused voice.
“No,” June said, “actually that was going to be part of an experiment I wanted to try, and now seems as good a time as any. Bet,” she called out. “I want you to take away this monkey, analyze it, and create an object of the same size and shape, but made entirely out of polished diamond. Do you think you can do that?”
“Sure, sugah” Bet replied in her imitation southern accent and, in a flash, the monkey was replaced by a glittering replica that looked for all the world as if it had somehow been carved out of a single gigantic gemstone.
“Ooh!” said Hannah, “I like. Now all I need is a little one, hanging on a silver chain like a pendant.” There was instantly another flash, and she suddenly found herself wearing a sixty-karat diamond necklace of a unique design. Hannah was momentarily dumfounded. “I was just joking,” she said, “but I’ll take it. Uh, provided Naja can have one too.”
“Wahll, sugah,” Bet replied, “raht now we’re plumb out of silvah, but I kin produce another if’n y’all get me some more.”
“Nah, that’s alright. I probably shouldn’t be walking around town wearing a zillion-dollar diamond if we’re trying to keep this technology secret anyway,” Hannah said. “Take the diamond monkeys away. At least I know that we can have them back whenever we get the raw materials.”
“So!” Naja said, “I guess we’re in! You ended up bribing us with monkeys, but I guess all’s fair in love, war and alien invasions. So, what’s next?”
Carl looked up at Betsy, the tears slowing to a trickle, “Thank you,” he said. Then, making an obvious effort to pull himself together, he asked Aleph for a tissue, and made free use of the box that appeared in his hands. While he was trying to regain his composure, June decided to lighten the mood by showing the others some of the benefits of a personal flying robot.
At June’s request to ‘start the show’ Bet flew over to the adjoining dining area and zapped away the existing furniture. She then created a dizzying succession of dining room sets one after another, ending up with a large polished oak table, eight chairs and a matching sideboard. For her next trick, Bet started to conjure a wide variety of household goods which began to pile up on the newly created table. There was a cutlery set, pots and pans, a new coffee maker, a food processor, boxes and cartons of fine crystal and china, two new computers, one each of the latest gaming consoles, a toaster, a blender, a mixer, sets of linens and towels, and still the packages piled up. Soon the table was completely hidden by the bounty and the mound was threatening to collapse, at which point larger packages started appearing on the floor. These included a wide screen TV, a high-end stereo system with surround-sound speakers, a new dishwasher and fridge, a microwave oven, a set of mattresses, the various parts of a bed frame, and last of all a four-foot high concrete statue of a monkey.
“Where did you get all this?” Carl sputtered in amazement, his distress momentarily forgotten.
“I told you I went shopping today,” June replied. “What with all the excitement, I didn’t really get a chance to tell you about it. I managed to go into a number of major stores, and scanned absolutely everything I could without being seen. If we’re going to have robots who can replicate anything, I figure we should make the best use of that.”
“And you somehow knew I’ve always wanted a concrete monkey?” Naja asked in an amused voice.
“No,” June said, “actually that was going to be part of an experiment I wanted to try, and now seems as good a time as any. Bet,” she called out. “I want you to take away this monkey, analyze it, and create an object of the same size and shape, but made entirely out of polished diamond. Do you think you can do that?”
“Sure, sugah” Bet replied in her imitation southern accent and, in a flash, the monkey was replaced by a glittering replica that looked for all the world as if it had somehow been carved out of a single gigantic gemstone.
“Ooh!” said Hannah, “I like. Now all I need is a little one, hanging on a silver chain like a pendant.” There was instantly another flash, and she suddenly found herself wearing a sixty-karat diamond necklace of a unique design. Hannah was momentarily dumfounded. “I was just joking,” she said, “but I’ll take it. Uh, provided Naja can have one too.”
“Wahll, sugah,” Bet replied, “raht now we’re plumb out of silvah, but I kin produce another if’n y’all get me some more.”
“Nah, that’s alright. I probably shouldn’t be walking around town wearing a zillion-dollar diamond if we’re trying to keep this technology secret anyway,” Hannah said. “Take the diamond monkeys away. At least I know that we can have them back whenever we get the raw materials.”
“So!” Naja said, “I guess we’re in! You ended up bribing us with monkeys, but I guess all’s fair in love, war and alien invasions. So, what’s next?”
