Lisa Lizzie Richard Serendipidy Norval Joe Tom Planet Z The next topic is PICK TWO Still, Officer down, Random Action, One two three…, Pure, You never know RICHARD Railway lines I'm writing this on the train. It's a good way to kill the time between departure and arrival, and it's surprising how even the longest journey can seem to fly by. Some might prefer to gaze out of the window, snooze or read, I've tried them all - had to really, when the job meant travelling for hours on end, most days of the week. Then we discovered online meetings. And the travelling stopped. The writing didn't, although somehow it seems I never have the time, these days. So, it's good to be back on the train. Getting creative once again. LIZZIE Train the mind, train the body. Row, row, row. And that was the deal. Resurface after a downfall. Get up and walk, get up and run. Go, go, go. But he didn't want to go, go, go. He didn't want to get up and he definitely didn't want to resurface. He didn't mind the rowing, though. After rowing away for hours, he landed at a beach. Nice. Seagulls in the background. He could get used to this, he thought, until his coach showed up. How...? "GPS, my son, GPS. Why do you think I gave you that gadgety little watch?" SERENDIPIDY I bet they never trained you how to deal with this, did they? Oh yes, you can kill a man with your bare hands, survive in the wild with no food or shelter, sneak up and overcome an enemy before they even know you're there. I know they trained you to resist any kind of torture, giving away nothing but your name, rank and serial number. And I'm sure you're very good at it too. But they never trained you for this. And it's going to last the rest of your life. So just say 'I do', and kiss me! LISA Welcome “So, Welcome to Newton Manor.” He pauses, smiles. “There’s a train station nearby- it’s unused. The ticket office is in our grounds. When the house was built our ancestors had the village moved. The quickest escape would be to walk down the path following the old tracks. That said, I’m happy to drop you in town if any of you want to leave. This is my brother, and since our parents died, we live here alone. It was nothing sinister, old age, but it has left us financially secure and potentially in a position to create something very special here.” TOM Penny a Point I grew up a mile and half from the City of New Orleans tracks. On very still nights could hear it moving down the tracks. One of the joys of being a kid was taking rapped interest in semi-destructive acts. Take flattening copper pennies on train tracks. Not as easy as one would think. The speed and weight of the train play crucial factors in perfectly squashed coins. Also, age. Secondly even if you found the best location of the rails finding the pennies was another matter. Multiple squashes ruined the aesthetic. I have no idea where those pennies went 855 When Stripes Ruled The United Mime Workers Union a was seriously bad ass union. Gave the Teamsters a hard run for the honors. You had to be hecka strong to free yourself from an unseen glass box. Find your way around imaginary invisible walls. They never loss an invisible tug of war. Never ones to be lifted into heaven by non-existent balloons. Go toe to toe with a man who could lift an impossibly heavy bag try that after 15 beers. Sadly, the Mime Works Union isn’t what it uses to be. Striking using imaginary lead pipe just does not cut it. NORVAL JOE Billbert and his parents walked to their car in silence. He wondered what Sabrina was going to do now that her only relative was dead. Could she live by herself in Buhmilda's meadow? Once inside the car, Billbert's father broke into his train of thoughts, and asked, "Are you going to tell us what happened, son?" "Sorry, Dad," he said, swallowed a lump in his throat, and went over the entire story.