Think but this....

Okay.

Inspired by Stooks' ongoing interactive epic, and under heavy encouragement from Chaos, I am preparing to embark on a grand experiment.

We'll call it BIF (Blip Interactive Fiction), and here's how it works: I'm starting a story, you guys are going to add to it in the comments. Make sure your addition picks up where the last commenter left off, so we don't all get confused. Whatever the last guy left you, that's what you're stuck with. I'll pick up where the last comment leaves it in my next entry.

I have no idea where this is going - should be fun.

If you don't want to write anything, you can still participate - throw us some curveballs with characters/situations/things/objects/animals/etc. that you'd like to see incorporated, and we the writers will twist ourselves into knots trying to work them in.

Clear?

Oh, one last thing - I don't want to steal anyone's thunder, so do check out Stooks' ongoing piece, as well as the cool fictional experiment launched a couple of days ago by Drifter and Shade - they're telling one connected story from the POV of two different characters. Anyone I've missed? Drop me a line....

Okay? Ready. Steady. Go--


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Chapter 1



Flowers are not the answer.

It ran round and round his head as he listened to the daisies greedily slurping down every last drop of water he could spray in their direction.

Flowers are not the answer.

"Hey, let the sweet peas have some!" he reprimanded, and could hear the childish sighs rise up to greet him in response. Daisies are like teenagers - you have to show them who's boss.

Joel knew, in his head, if not his heart, that he could easily hide out here in this beautifully insignificant greenhouse for the rest of his life - all he had to do was stay.

But he also knew that to be led down the garden path would ultimately be his undoing.

He had things to do - things he had to do. And time was running out.

His tasks done, the flowers sated, he arranged his keys on the potting table and turned for the door.

There was a low murmer behind him as he opened it. "They know," he thought. "They know."

He wanted to turn and give them a proper goodbye, to share his reasons and reassure them that it would all be alright, but he knew if he stopped now he would never make it out the door, and that would be the end of everything.

Besides, he wasn't sure he truly believed that it would actually be alright.

The door clicked closed behind him as he stepped out into the gathering storm.

....



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P.S. - a cropped version of today's dreamy photo. Gives more emphasis to the flower, while the negative space takes on more significance in the original.


P.P.S. - I'm adding an assignment tag to all these, because, as I've just realized - this whole BIF experiment has been a grand celebration of Different Viewpoints!