Grimwood Adventure: Mini-Stories

BETWEEN 21 - 29 SEPTEMBER, 1989

"ANCIENT"

It was not that Anon wasn’t interested in his current school year’s topic of Egyptian history, he was just very bad at it no matter what way he went at it or how hard he studied. Which is why he was dismayed to see Tanis’ vast collection of stone artifacts and sacred texts--all of which were written in hieroglyphics. “This here is “Story of Sinuhe,“ said Tanis, unfurling the fifteenth (or so) length of parchment on her bed, “made around the 20th century BC, it tells the story of...” she went on. Anon sat on a stool that was probably about as old as everything in the room, his head swimming as Tanis translated the ancient text. Comparatively, Elsa’s potion-making intrigued him far more than this. “Are you listening, Anon?” Tanis asked with the slightest hint of annoyance in her voice. Anon put on his best ‘grade-A student’ face and said “Yes, teacher, I’m listening!” Tanis giggled and she went onward with the story.

Not even seven minutes later, Anon fell asleep on his stool. His peaceful slumber was cut short by a loud CRACK followed by his hard landing on the rickety wooden floor. He sat upright and looked around stupidly. He found Tanis glowering at him from across the room. “Humph! Even the remains of King Horemheb would be a better listener than you!” she said. Anon looked over to his stool, which now had two of its three legs broken. “At least the Pharaoh sat in comfort on a throne and not this old thing,” Anon muttered. Tanis simply smiled.

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"MIDNIGHT, THE STARS, AND ANON"

The school’s gymnasium was fairly large, but not very well-maintained (as was the rest of the school). This was the first place that Anon hadn’t explored yet, and he was eager to see what he could find there. He didn’t find much in the locker rooms apart from old papers assigned to someone named “Rogers”, a dusty pair of leg-warmers and an old jockstrap which more than likely wasn’t there previously. A few dried-up and deflated basketballs and a tattered leotard was all he found that was left before he stepped out into the main gym area, where he found Sibella quietly sitting on the bleachers.

“Hey.” said Anon walking towards her with a smile. Sibella blushed and looked away. “Hello.” she said quietly. “Are you alright?” Anon said sitting down next to her, “You weren’t like this when I first came--err, invited myself in.” “Everything is fine,” Sibella said turning to look at Anon, “thank you for asking.” “Sure.” Anon said. “I’m just having a gander around this place. It’s actually pretty neat!” “Mmm,” Sibella said in acknowledgment.  There was a period of silence before Sibella said “Anon, I was wondering. Have you ever danced before?”

 Anon looked away, embarrassed. “I did it once--didn’t end well.” he said, thinking back to the recent school dance he attended; that’s another story. “Do you know how to?” Sibella asked with a half-smile. “N-no,” Anon mumbled, “I don’t.” Sibella rose from her seat and disappeared behind the bleachers. She wheeled out an antique phonograph (the kind with the large brass horn) and, turning the crank a few times, strode over to Anon and grabbed him by the hand. “Anytime’s a good time to learn!” she said before the rosy-cheeked Anon could protest. The music reverberated in the large, mostly empty gym; the orchestra and horns played a mid-tempo tune that Anon could swear he heard before in a movie he saw.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmnhssxSoLo

Dancing was especially hard not only because of Anon’s inexperience, but because the gym floor was very dusty and a few floorboards jutted out here and there. Sibella giggled as Anon missed steps and tripped up. “You certainly aren’t ballroom material!” she said with a laugh. “Hey, I’m trying my best!” Anon scowled. “Don’t worry, you’ll get the hang of it!” Sibella said as the two waltzed around the gym. Sure enough, Anon got the hold of the moves, and began to move more fluidly than before. For the first time, Anon was actually enjoying a dance that wasn’t to a catchy pop song, and Sibella was clearly enjoying herself as well. The two moved about the room with such finesse that they failed to notice a stray floorboard catching the leg of Anon’s jeans. He staggered and fell while still holding on to Sibella who fell hard on the dusty floor with him (or rather, on top of him).

“Are you alright?” Sibella asked as Anon rubbed his sore head. “Mmf, yeah, I’m okay. How about you?” He said looking at her--directly into her emerald-green eyes. “Yes,” Sibella said softly, “I’m fine.” The two stared at each other some minutes after the music had ended. For some reason, Anon felt like he was drifting; closer and closer, inch by inch, slowly approaching the pale face of Sibella. The noses touched; they were almost there...

CLACK

Both Anon and Sibella scrambled to their feet and dusted themselves off as Elsa pushed the gym door open and entered with a new basketball under her arm. “Guten nachmittag!” she said cheerfully as she walked past. Anon prayed that she did not see anything. Sibella glanced at him and smiled. Anon returned with a small grin and shuffled to the exit as the sound of Elsa dribbling her ball reverberated around the gym.

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“INVISIBLE TOUCH”

“I could swear it was here someplace!” said Phantasma frantically as she whizzed about the music room. Anon stood in the doorway with a confused look. “Erm, what are you looking for, exactly?” He asked. “My harpsichord!” Phanty said despairingly. “I really wanna let you hear a piece I just wrote!” “Well, maybe I can help,” Anon offered as he stepped into the room, “I feel like a fifth wheel around here anyways.” Overjoyed, Phanty swooped in and encased Anon in a tight hug (which he barely even felt). “Thanks a lot!” Phanty said happily. “Sure, sure.” said Anon with a laugh.

After searching the room for about twenty minutes, Anon pulled a ratty sheet off a large, old mahogany piano, but it was much smaller than those he had seen. “Hey, is this it?” Anon called over to Phanty. “Yes!” she said with delight, and whizzed on over. She produced a piece of paper from the inside of her tattered dress, unfolded it several times, and placed it on the sheet music rack of the harpsichord. Phanty sat down on an old padded bench and attempted to play. The keys did nothing.

“Anon,” Phanty said, a little embarrassed, “I need you to do me a favor.” “What’s that?” Anon said. “Phanty stood up from the bench, and indicated Anon to sit. “But I can’t play this thing?” Anon said, puzzled. “It’s hard to explain why I can’t play at the moment, but please,” Phanty said with a little bit of plead in her voice. Anon sighed and sat on the bench. “Okay, what now?” “Just relax.” Phanty said as she gravitated behind Anon. Then suddenly, he felt a sharp pain in his back which suddenly disappeared. The same prickly sensation that he felt when Phanty first phased through his chest had returned, only it was more prominent than before. His hands! His hands were glowing a bluish hue, and they shook violently as if he were shivering of cold; he could not control them! The hands moved over the keys and then...they moved automatically. The music poured into the room; it was a wondrous sound that could fill anybody’s heart with cheer. The music was upbeat and fast and seemed to get much faster; and as it got faster, Anon began to feel more and more ill.

The song lasted for about ten minutes, and then ended with a little motif. Then the prickly sensation of Phanty’s presence inside Anon faded. Anon sat woozily on the bench. “Well? What’d ya think?” Phanty said in excited anticipation. “It... ugh... uuurrmmmmfff...” was all that Anon could muster before he sprang to his feet and bolted to the door with his stomach in his hands. He almost knocked over the audience that had gathered in the doorway on his way out. Everyone stood quietly with eyes wide as the sound of Anon’s retching filled the silence.

“Phanty,” Winnie said accusingly, “did you possess him?” “Umm--” Phanty began, but was cut off by the “UUUURRRRRRGGHHHPPTHPH” coming from outside. “Uh, kinda?” She said with a small grin.

It would be some time before Anon trusted Phantsma with his body again.

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“HUNTING BUDDIES”

The woods in New England are perhaps the most relaxing and beautiful places to walk in, especially in the fall. However, this year’s fall proved to be chillier than normal, which prompted several complaints and protests from Anon, who sat shivering against a tree in the middle of the woods with nothing to keep him warm but his light jacket and knit cap (he had expected to stay inside mostly that day). The sky was growing dark, and he was growing more and more irritated.

 “H-hey, Winnie, have you got anything?” he said, blowing into his cupped hands in an attempt to warm them. Winnie, who was wearing a coonskin cap she had recently found, stood unmoving near a bundle of shrubs. “Nothing...yet...” she whispered almost inaudibly. “Nothing. Great.” Anon grumbled quietly. “You didn’t have to come, you know.” whispered Winnie, not breaking her steely glare at the darkening woods. Anon turned to her indignantly, “Well, I wasn’t given an option--” “Hush... keep still....” Winnie whispered suddenly, “Two...” Anon slowly and carefully peered around the tree to look. Then suddenly, Winnie leaped forward and dashed into the woods before Anon could say “Two what?” He could hear scampering of paws, followed by a growl, a couple high-pitched screeches, and the unpleasant sound of bones breaking. Anon knew she had caught something. Moments later, she emerged from the shrubs with two decently-sized rabbits, both spattered with blood. “Hey, you’ve got a knife, right?

Anon, armed with his pocketknife, looked at the dead rabbits with a hint of disgust. Winnie sat across from him. “Well?” she said after a moment’s silence, “start skinning!” “Skinning?” Anon said, alarmed. “You’ve never skinned a rabbit before?” said Winnie with a bit of surprise. “Uh, no... but I did dissect one for a biology class.” Anon said sheepishly. Winnie shook her head and took the knife from Anon’s hand. “Fine, I’ll get it out of the way for you.” She was clearly irritated, so Anon said nothing. She removed the skins from both rabbits with swiftness, and Anon almost heaved when she started peeling the hides off. Now the rabbits were bare, and looked like demented mole rats.

“Okay,” said Winnie as she stuffed the hides into a small satchel she had with her, “Can you at least gut them?” Anon gaped at her. “Oh, come on! It’s real quick!” If that was the case, Anon thought, then he could handle it; which he couldn’t, because his hands ended up getting entangled in the entrails (which did provide some warmth, at least). Winnie could only shake her head at this display.

On the journey back to the mansion, Anon carried one rabbit in each hand while Winnie lead the way. His head was cast down in embarrassment. “Hey, uh, sorry about the mess back there,” he said, “I've never gutted anything in the bush before.” Winnie put her right arm around his waist and smiled. “You may be a lousy hunting buddy," she said, "but you’re still cute.” Anon felt a strong urge to hug her, but he remembered that there were still rabbit guts stuck to the front of his jacket.

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 “WIERD SCIENCE”

The tangerine sun was just about ready to set at the climax of another day, and it was a stunning sight. This was the first sun that Anon had encountered while he visited the finishing school, where it was otherwise cloudy during the day. He sat lazily on a sofa in the mansion’s main hall, listening to his walkman. “Orange Crush” was upbeat, but Anon neither danced about nor tapped his foot. He just wanted to sit in the fading sunlight and bask in its last offerings of warmth. He closed his eyes, and he slipped into a colorful daydream.

That serene peacefulness was broken when Anon felt himself being roughly picked up by Elsa, who encased him in a crushing hug. “I feel so lonely down in ze lab,” she said mournfully, “everyone else is tending to zeir own charges.” She was squeezing Anon so tightly, that it was difficult to breathe. “Will you be my lab assistant for the evening, Anon? “ she said as she released anon from her grasp. Even through his gasps for air, anon couldn’t help but chuckle at the big eyed look Elsa was giving him. “I can’t argue with that look. Sure, I can help.” Elsa could barely contain her happiness. “Oh, wunderbar!” she exclaimed, “I’ll save my thanks for afterward. Just follow me!” Elsa strolled over to the entrance to the laboratory, while Anon shuffled along behind her, not quite knowing what she meant.

There was a new addition, Anon had noticed, to the lab equipment; it could only be described as a long table with a segmented steel dome on top of it. Going over to a panel, Elsa flicked a few switches and pulled down a wood-handled lever. With a loud metallic thud, the metal dome opened segment by segment. “Zis machine helps me with ze assembly and disassembly process.” When anon looked at her with alarm, she continued, “I am always swapping old parts for new--like a ‘kraftwagen’, only it is a much simpler process.”

“Okay,” Anon said, still confused, “what’s next?” Elsa smiled. “Just turn around for a few minutes.” Anon shrugged and turned to face. The sound of buckles being undone and cloth falling to the floor was heard, and so was the creaking of metal against metal. “Now,” said Elsa from inside the dome (her voice sounded as if she were talking through a tin can), “just throw zat switch, and ze panels vill close around me. Further instructions are on zat table over zere.” Anon did as he was told, and threw the switch.

*click click click click--POW*
The segments closed and the machine began its work, all the while making the strangest series of sounds: *whiiiiizzzzZZZZZZ--CLUNK--ratchet, ratchet--TINKLE* and so on. To Anon, it sounded like a home improvement project. Picking up the instructions on a clipboard, he read the list that followed:

“1: Remove bolts from dispensing unit”

Anon searched for, and found, said dispensing unit, which looked like the coin return on a vending machine. He found the bolts sitting in the little dish, which he picked up and stuffed in his jeans pocket. He then consulted the instructions again:

“2: Place parts into assembly unit (by number).”

“Parts”? Looking around the lab, he found several packages of various size wrapped in gauze, each with a number written on it. Just then, the machine opened behind him, completely empty save for a lone HUMAN BRAIN. Anon performed his task as fast and as neatly as he could while trying not to jar the brain so much, and trying to keep the contents of his stomach in their place. As soon as he finished, he looked over article three of the instructions:

“3: Close assembly unit, and turn the LARGE RED-HANDLED LEVER to the ON position.”

“Okay,” Anon said to himself and turned to the control panel, where there were several buttons and switches to choose from. “Great.” Finding the largest lever on the panel which was no doubt the right one, Anon pulled it down--*BOOOOMMMMFFFFFF* The room was filled with light and noise, A few sparks flew here and there, arcs of electricity zapped between the two Tesla coils in the room, and then...*KRAK-K-K-K* The machine exploded internally, and smoke billowed from the gaps between each segment of panelling. Something that sounded like a suppressed pneumatic hammer emitted from the machine, and then, after a few minutes, the machine opened.

Anon stood in nervous anticipation as to what would exit the smoldering machine. Out stepped one leg, then the other, then the full form of a girl appeared: barely covered with ragged strips of gauze, she had a tall, shapely figure with the slightest toning of muscle along her arms and abdomen. Her bust line was conveniently covered by long dark hair, that belonged to a medium-sized head with a pert, freckled face. Where there was once a heavy brow ridge, was a perfectly-formed one with eyebrows that weren’t there before, either. Of one thing, Anon was certain: it would be wrong to call this being ‘unattractive’.

After a moment’s silence, Anon said: “Is this the part where I say ‘it’s alive’?”  Elsa folded her arms and looked at him. “Really, Anon?”

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“LOVE AT FIRST BITE”

“I need to ask,” Anon said, “am I violating any sort of school policy by visiting here?” He was sitting in Miss Grimwood’s study, which was a minuscule affair with shelves lining three of the room’s walls; each shelf was filled with ancient spellbooks and musty tomes. Cobwebs filled each corner where the walls met the ceiling, and hung there like spanish moss. Miss Grimwood sat at her desk in the center of the room, and she smiled kindly at Anon. “Of course not, dearie!” she said, “you’ve boosted the girls’ morale since you’ve started visiting.” “Really?” Anon said with a bit of surprise, “It wasn’t boosted previously?” Grimwood shook her head, “Not since our previous P.E. teacher left.”

Exiting the study some time later, Anon strode down the hall and into the main hall. He found Tanis laying on the sofa, stroking the back scales of Matches, who was asleep in her lap. He peeked over and addressed her. “Sorry to disturb you, but have you seen Sibella?” He asked. “She’s on the second floor in the library,” Tanis said, looking at Anon with those big blue eyes, “be careful going up the stairs.” Anon smiled, “Okay. Thank you.” As he ascended the old stairs, which creaked with every step, he wondered if Sibella was alright, for he had not seen her very often.

Anon reached the top of the stairs, where he found the double doors of the library slightly ajar. He paid no mind and simply walked in. Inside, it was large but not massive; the old mahogany shelves holding the musty books of various topics were almost ready to fall apart, yet they still stood tall and proud. The maze-like layout of the shelves brought Anon into the center of the library, which contained a coffee table, large sofa with plush upholstery, and Sibella sitting quietly on it, her nose buried in a book. Anon didn’t want to startle her, so he said “hello” in the most quiet voice he could manage without being completely inaudible. This attempt failed, as Sibella jumped in her seat, knocking over the stack of books next to her. She stared sternly at Anon as he grinned. “I didn’t do that on purpose,” he said, “lemme help you with those.” He set about re-stacking the books, the bindings of which had seen better days. Sibella smiled down at him. “Always willing to lend a hand.” she said. “I aim to please.” Anon replied as he stood up and wiped his brow.

“You’re very nice, you know that?” Sibella said, marking her place in her book. Anon took a seat next to her. “Well, I have no reason to be a jerk.” he said with a half-smile. “What brings you up here?” Sibella saked. “You do,” Anon replied in a  matter-of-factly tone, “just to see how you’re feeling.” Sibella looked away. “Why’s that?” she said meekly. Anon couldn’t see it, but she was blushing heavily. “Because,” Anon continued, “I care about my friends’ well-being, and because I haven’t seen you around so much.” Sibella turned to look at Anon. There was a sort of awe in her green eyes as she looked. “You... you consider us to be your friends?” She said quietly. “Yup,” Anon said, “all of you.” He then turned his attention to a bookcase across the room, and he continued, “I think I made a good decision in trespassing. If I hadn’t, I probably wouldn’t have seen such interesting and fun people--uh, ghouls. And I probably wouldn’t have seen...” At this point, Anon began to blush a little as well, “such, uh... a pretty girl like--” Before Anon could finish, he felt his head being seized by two hands and a brief pressure on the right side of his face.

*SMOOCH*

It was quick, and it registered instantly in Anon’s brain. His face tingled for a bit; not like the one he felt when Phantasma was last inside him, but it was a pleasant kind of tingle.  Anon sat unmoving as Sibella kept her grasp on his head. “Uh...” was all that Anon said.  Then, without warning, three more tingly pressures graced his face, the third one lasting for a few seconds more. Anon turned his gaze towards Sibella, whose face was just as red as his was. She smiled at him and said “To answer your question, my well-being is...FANG-TASTIC.” Her face was drifting closer to Anon’s. “Thank you for asking.” she said softly. Once again the noses touched, and it went further. The lips were touching, but it wasn’t yet a full-on kiss. They were almost there...

“AAAIIIIIIIEEEEEEEE!”

Sibella and Anon froze. Both looked at each other, as if to say “What was that?”

*KRRRAAAAASSSSSSHHHHHHH!*

The floorboards exploded, sending bits and splinters of wood all about, and Anon caught a quick glimpse of Winnie being thrown into the rafters above. Sibella was so startled, that she jumped on Anon and they both fell in a heap on the floor. Out of the splintery and smoldering hole in the floor popped Elsa’s head; hair mussed, face marred with smudges of black soot, goggles dangling around her neck. Her face was that of pure, unbridled joy. “Success!” she said with glee. Phantasma entered through the same hole, laughing maniacally. Winnie, who had managed to work her way down from the rafters, shot a nasty look at Elsa. “That is the last time--THE LAST TIME that you use me as a test subject!” she screamed. “What?” said Elsa, visibly confused, “iz only phoenix blood und nitro.” Sibella looked at Anon, who was clearly shaken, and began to laugh.

Throughout the rest of the afternoon, the only thought that cycled through Anon’s mind was: ‘Where the hell did they get nitro from?’

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