Visiting Minnesota

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Sgt. Howard
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Re: Visiting Minnesota

Post by Sgt. Howard »

"So... you went from learning how to kill, to learning how to heal... quite a culture shock, I imagine," Georgette commented.
"How long did it take you to learn surgery?" Monica asked.
"Hah! I'm STILL learning!- but in truth, I was six weeks learning to be a medic, six weeks of classroom for surgery, six weeks of actual surgery OJT then cut loose to my permanent duty station... it was as intensive as Ranger School. You do more as an Army tech than you do as a civilian, but it's still all interesting... I once had an idiot with nineteen bullet holes in him,"
Both girls were shocked by this- "... did he... did he live?" Monica asked.
"He lived... and sued the police, the hospital and the corrections people for anything he and a shyster attorney could think of... this guy had an interesting history... public nudity, assault on a fire hydrant with a hammer, multiple drug charges, attempted rape, animal molestation, lewd behavior... he was hitch-hiking when a car got pulled over by Highway patrol. He jumped in the cruiser and took off with it- once he figured out the code buttons, he was running lights and sirens, pushing other cars off the road, being a jackass. Highway patrol, Santa Clara County Sherriff's Department, Campbell Police, San Jose Police, Los Gatos Police all got involved- they boxed him in- he came through the windshield with a fire axe and faced a 'Polish Firing Squad'. 9 mm, .357 magnum, .38 special, .45 acp, .44 special and 12 gauge from 360 degrees. Turns out he was on six different animal tranquilizers. I had general surgeons on his belly and chest, neuro guys on his head, ortho guys on his pelvis and femurs... and me in the middle... we pulled bits of his state ID out of his groin where the bullet went through his wallet first. Two bullet wounds to the head- he lost use of the right eye, but that was about it. He had done enough damage with drugs, it was hard to say what harm the bullets might have done... but yea, he lived,"
Rule 17 of the Bombay Golf Course- "You shall play the ball where the monkey drops it,"
I speak fluent Limrick-
the Old Sgt.
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jwhouk
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Re: Visiting Minnesota

Post by jwhouk »

---

I was suddenly faced with the prospect of having to walk about 20 blocks back to my car – or, perhaps, using one of those share-a-bike things, or maybe just calling for a cab.

I slung my camera over my shoulder, to the side, and concentrated hard on the doorknob.

"All I want is to get back home," I said.

I reached down, touched the door handle… and it opened, back into a dark hallway.

"Aw, not this again," I said to myself as I turned my phone back on. It was down a few bars, but at least I wasn't going to get caught having to walk…

The door shut behind me – but I wasn't in the dark. There was some illumination from windows, way up high on the one wall. I looked up – the windows were of stained glass, and the symbol in the middle was very familiar.

Bia's symbol, the "stylized" Y in glyph.

I appeared to still be in a hallway, though. I kept walking, my New Balances squeaking as I stepped.

Oh great. Phix will be able to hear that clear across the Library complex.

About halfway down the corridor, there were a set of ornate, carved double doors. The frame looked like something out of the Crystal Palace, or the carvings of Petra. Okay, I thought. Not exactly "blink and you're there," but it looks nice.

I tried the door. They were both locked.

"Oh, GREAT," I said out loud. Then, I noticed something on one of the pillars next to the doors:
Αυτή η πόρτα είναι κλειστή. Παρακαλούμε χρησιμοποιήστε εναλλακτική πόρτα.
Hoc ostium est clausa. Commodo utor alternis ostium.
此门已关闭。请使用备用门。
このドアが閉じています。代替ドアを使用してください。
Esta puerta está cerrada. Utilice puerta alternativa.
Cette porte est fermée. S'il vous plaît utiliser autre porte.
यह दरवाजा बंद कर दिया है। वैकल्पिक दरवाजे का उपयोग करें।
Mlango huu imefungwa. Tafadhali kutumia mlango mbadala.
This door is closed. Please use alternate door.
There was an arrow pointing down the hallway, away from where I had come. I turned and looked around – "Is this some kind of trick?" I found myself saying aloud.

No response.

I decided to go down and check out the "alternate door" (I think one of those translations was Chinese). Down at the end of the hallway was a plain, white, wooden door, with an older doorknob on it. There was another EXIT sign on the top of it – I started looking around to make sure there wasn't some "alternate door" that I'd missed – then went and opened it.

I found myself standing on a small front porch, with steps that looked like they'd been through the wringer, leading down to a dirt parking lot.

I recognize this place, I thought. I took some careful steps out onto the dirt, and turned to look back at the building.

SCOTT TOWN HALL. Or, at least, what used to be Scott Town Hall. It had been abandoned well before I moved up to Merrill.

I was back home – about two miles South of home, but back home.

My car, however, was back in Minneapolis.
Last edited by jwhouk on Sun May 17, 2015 8:34 pm, edited 1 time in total.
"Character is what you are in the dark." - D.L. Moody
"You should never run from the voices in your head. That's how you give them power." - Jin
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lake_wrangler
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Re: Visiting Minnesota

Post by lake_wrangler »

jwhouk wrote:
Αυτή η πόρτα είναι κλειστή. Παρακαλούμε χρησιμοποιήστε εναλλακτική πόρτα.
Hoc ostium est clausa. Commodo utor alternis ostium.
此门已关闭。请使用备用门。
このドアが閉じています。代替ドアを使用してください。
Esta puerta está cerrada. Utilice puerta alternativa.
यह दरवाजा बंद कर दिया है। वैकल्पिक दरवाजे का उपयोग करें।
Mlango huu imefungwa. Tafadhali kutumia mlango mbadala.
This door is closed. Please use alternate door.
What? No French? I'm sooooo disappointed... :roll:
:P ;)

jwhouk wrote:I was back home – about two miles South of home, but back home.

My car, however, was back in Minneapolis.
:lol: :lol: :lol:
Ha! Good one! As if he/you hadn't come through enough twists as it was... :P
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jwhouk
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Re: Visiting Minnesota

Post by jwhouk »

lake_wrangler wrote:
jwhouk wrote:
What? No French? I'm sooooo disappointed... :roll:
:P ;)
Cette porte est fermée. S'il vous plaît utiliser autre porte.

I have no idea what you are talking about. O:)
"Character is what you are in the dark." - D.L. Moody
"You should never run from the voices in your head. That's how you give them power." - Jin
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Sgt. Howard
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Re: Visiting Minnesota

Post by Sgt. Howard »

Hector Velasquez had just finished moving the last line of irrigators in Roger Oyler's North field- from mid twenties that morning it was already creeping up to 85 degrees. He had peeled off several layers over the morning, and had polished off two quarts of water... and had been eyeing the outhouse for the past half-hour. With the line set and turned on, he decided he could not ignore his bladder any further... so off he went to drain the main vein (and make his bladder gladder).
Just as he reached for the handle of the door, however, it opened. Out stepped Gregory Howard- wearing his bomber jacket, his leather driver's cap, lined britches and snow boots... and two bright lipstick imprints, one on each cheek. They were not even the same color. Hector stared in amazement- he had not seen ANYONE approach the outhouse all morning- and here was the man that Roger Oyler warned everybody about, how he was certain that Greg was insane.
Greg looked up to see him- "Oh! 'Scuza porfavor- Hector, no? Buenos dias, amigo, Yo estoy aqui finito..." and with that left the poor befuddled farmworker to ponder the situation. Hector watched him leave, then searched the outhouse for whoever left the lip prints... after a moment, he remembered his previous priority and went inside to deal with it...
Rule 17 of the Bombay Golf Course- "You shall play the ball where the monkey drops it,"
I speak fluent Limrick-
the Old Sgt.
Jharris16-17
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Re: Visiting Minnesota

Post by Jharris16-17 »

Well done... Now i want to see what Annie does
Jharris16-17
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Re: Visiting Minnesota

Post by Jharris16-17 »

[/quote] "Men don't try to understand women... Women understand each other, they understand each other and they still hate each other."
Last edited by Jharris16-17 on Sun May 17, 2015 10:02 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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jwhouk
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Re: Visiting Minnesota

Post by jwhouk »

---

A few minutes later, Hector realized he had to go – regardless of the crazy man who had wandered out of the outhouse.

He was just about to open the door when another man – this one shorter, with glasses, carrying a cell phone and a camera – came peeking out of the door.

"Damn it, now you're just playing GAMES with me," he yelled – then suddenly realized that Hector was staring right at him.

"Oh. Uh… Occupido!" The man retreated back into the outhouse, slamming the door shut.

Hector suddenly realized he didn't have to go to the bathroom anymore.
"Character is what you are in the dark." - D.L. Moody
"You should never run from the voices in your head. That's how you give them power." - Jin
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Sgt. Howard
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Re: Visiting Minnesota

Post by Sgt. Howard »

Jharris16-17 wrote:
"Men don't try to understand women... Women understand each other."[/quote]

"... and they hate each other,"

Ladies and Gentlemen of Wapsiworld, allow me to introduce my stepson, James Patrick Harris
Rule 17 of the Bombay Golf Course- "You shall play the ball where the monkey drops it,"
I speak fluent Limrick-
the Old Sgt.
Jharris16-17
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Re: Visiting Minnesota

Post by Jharris16-17 »

OOPS!
Last edited by Jharris16-17 on Mon May 18, 2015 9:09 am, edited 1 time in total.
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TazManiac
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Re: Visiting Minnesota

Post by TazManiac »

Uh oh...

(And welcome aboard)
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Sgt. Howard
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Re: Visiting Minnesota

Post by Sgt. Howard »

TazManiac wrote:Uh oh...

(And welcome aboard)

(sigh)... I have created a monster... James, who is this person that just burst through the door and (I assume) got blackjacked?
Rule 17 of the Bombay Golf Course- "You shall play the ball where the monkey drops it,"
I speak fluent Limrick-
the Old Sgt.
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jwhouk
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Re: Visiting Minnesota

Post by jwhouk »

(Not me. I'm still trying to find my way out of the Library...)
"Character is what you are in the dark." - D.L. Moody
"You should never run from the voices in your head. That's how you give them power." - Jin
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lake_wrangler
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Re: Visiting Minnesota

Post by lake_wrangler »

jwhouk wrote:
lake_wrangler wrote:What? No French? I'm sooooo disappointed... :roll:
:P ;)
Cette porte est fermée. S'il vous plaît utiliser autre porte.

I have no idea what you are talking about. O:)
While I was teasing, and I do appreciate the fact that you retconned it into your story, I do have to insist you make a slight correction:
Cette porte est fermée. S'il vous plaît utiliser une autre porte.
Or, if you want to be a little fancier:
Cette porte est fermée. Veuillez s'il vous plaît utiliser une autre porte.
or
Cette porte est fermée. Veuillez utiliser une autre porte, s'il vous plaît.
or
Cette porte est fermée. S'il vous plaît, veuillez utiliser une autre porte.
All three are equally valid, but the first of the three sounds more natural, to me.

But I only mention this because you already retconned it into your story... :D
Like I said before (I forget if it was to you or Sarge), this nitpicking doesn't detract in any way my admiration for your work. :D
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jwhouk
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Re: Visiting Minnesota

Post by jwhouk »

Whoever posted the sign used the same source I did: Google Translate. :)
"Character is what you are in the dark." - D.L. Moody
"You should never run from the voices in your head. That's how you give them power." - Jin
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lake_wrangler
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Re: Visiting Minnesota

Post by lake_wrangler »

jwhouk wrote:Whoever posted the sign used the same source I did: Google Translate. :)
No doubt. "They" should have used a good proofreader... ;) :P :lol:
Jharris16-17
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Re: Visiting Minnesota

Post by Jharris16-17 »

So sorry about that. Excuse me while i delete that post. My sincerest apologies!
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GlytchMeister
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Re: Visiting Minnesota

Post by GlytchMeister »

Woah, woah, what? Why? I'm pretty sure they weren't upset about you joining in. You're welcome to show what you've written.
He's mister GlytchMeister, he's mister code
He's mister exploiter, he's mister ones and zeros
They call me GlytchMeister, whatever I touch
Starts to glitch in my clutch!
I'm too much!
Jharris16-17
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Re: Visiting Minnesota

Post by Jharris16-17 »

I misunderstood. I was trying to be respectful, because i had butted in, i was trying to remedy the situation
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TazManiac
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Re: Visiting Minnesota

Post by TazManiac »

I'd hardly call it butting in, more like contributing.

I'd thought to also, but didn't 'feel it' strong enough to produce anything.

In any case, I'm enjoying the results and I for one don't have a problem w/ your entry; it's a bit intriguing.
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