A Case of Fictional Reality
By
Carolyne Smythe
"...At his advice, on the afternoon of the fourth we set off together, with the intention of crossing the hills and spending the night at the hamlet of Rosenlaui. We had strict injunctions, however, on no account to pass the falls of Reichenbach, which are about halfway up the hills, without making a small detour to see them. It is, indeed, a fearful place. The torrent, swollen by the melting snow, plunges into a tremendous abyss, from which the spray rolls up like the smoke from a burning house. The shaft into which the river hurls itself is an immense chasm, lined by glistening coal-black rock, and narrowing into a creaming, boiling pit of incalculable depth, which brims over and shoots the stream onward over its jagged lip..."
Marilyn Richards, better known to her admiring public as Miss Fantastic read to herself in a small room as her stepfather's voice boomed from the adjoining laboratory.
"MARY! Put THAT BOOK DOWN, and come over HERE!"
Mary sighed and peered from her rather thick book, entitled The Complete Illustrated Sherlock Holmes to the entrance of the mechanics lab Reed Richards, also known as Mister Fantastic was working in. That particular day was not one of the best days she had ever had in assisting her stepfather. Mary was strangely being quite a klutz, and did not enjoy it one bit. Earlier that morning she had dropped a test-tube containing what was thankfully a harmless substance in the biology lab. But never the less, Reed was indeed peeved with her for causing such a mess. And without hesitance, ordered Mary to immediately clean it up. Even before the accident, he had been in a foul mood. Mary had only begun working for him, when five minutes later she kept thinking on and off.
"Boy, did Father get up on the wrong side of the bed this morning or what?"
Unfortunately, things only went more downhill for Mary after the biology lab incident. And, it had gotten to the point where she knew her stepfather quite possibly preferred to be alone for the rest of the day. Reluctantly, Mary plodded into the mechanics lab still gripping the book her stepfather had demanded she put down earlier. Oddly, Reed apparently did not happen to see the book as he began speaking to his stepdaughter once she entered the room.
"Now Mary, I don't know what is going on with you today. But, if you cause one more accident, I will... how should I put this?"
Reed stood there pondering for a short moment while Mary thought.
"Come on Father, just say it. I will be kicked out of the lab."
"You will be laid off from assisting me the rest of the day. Is that clear?"
"Crystal." Mary said tersely.
As Reed walked over to his tool board, he said to his daughter firmly.
"Now Mary, don't get curt with me. You know very good and well that what you have caused today has been rather unusual for you. You are normally not that clumsy."
Since he did not really appear to have any orders that moment for her, Mary said nothing more as she pulled up a little metal chair, and sat down beside of the space/time apparatus her stepfather had gotten to work on an hour earlier. There, she took the book in her hand, and flipped back to the page she had left off at.
"...The long sweep of green water roaring forever down, and the thick flickering curtain of spray hissing forever upward, turn a man giddy with their constant whirl and clamour. We stood near the edge peering down at the gleam of the breaking water far below us against the black rocks, and listening to the half-human shout which came booming up with the spray out of the abyss..."
She paused as an idea came to her.
"Father usually is proud of me when I read a classic story or novel like this, especially if it happens to be in a book he gave to me, like this! Maybe a little small talk about what I'm reading will lighten him up a little..."
Mary looked up from her book at the bold, middle-aged, slightly irritated man standing before her making adjustment after adjustment to the colossal machine that would eventually help transport her and her four elder friends to not only other centuries and eras in time, but also other dimensions. Gathering up her courage, Mary managed a weak smile upon her face, and said.
"Father, I really adore this book you gave me a few days ago! It's like you said, these stories are indeed timeless and classic!"
Without even glancing up, Reed spoke unenthusiastically.
"Yes, my child, I told you I felt those were some of the best stories ever written in British literature."
Mary continued, hoping Reed would lose his feelings of rage over the morning's petty happenings.
"I'm reading this tale called "The Adventure of The Final Problem". The descriptions of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson's trip in Switzerland are very breathtaking!"
"Yes, I am sure they are." Reed said, in a bit more perturbed voice than his last comment.
Mary decided that maybe she should take a more active approach to combating her stepfather's anger than small talk.
"Father, maybe Sue is right about you working too much lately. Why don't you just take a break from working on that apparatus, and read a few lines of this story?"
"Mary, Sue always feels like I'm working too much." Reed said tartly.
"But Father, if you would take some time out, read a few lines of this, and imagine you are in Switzerland during the Victorian times instead of here, I really think you would feel much better."
Mary opened the book to the very page she wanted Reed to read. Unfortunately, her plan had quite the opposite effect she wanted it to have on her stepfather. He finally brought his head up from concentrating on the contraption, and snapped.
"MARY! NOT NOW! BESIDES, DIDN'T I INDICATE THAT I WANTED THAT LEFT IN THE BREAK ROOM?!"
Startled by Reed's uncharacteristic outburst, Mary suddenly got up from the chair and dropped the huge book. To her and Reed's horror, the book landed on the apparatus' switch, which turned the machine on.
"NOW LOOK AT WHAT YOU HAVE DONE!"
Reed hollered at Mary. She was not paying attention to him, but instead was more focused on what was going on around them. Despite her stepfather's intense rage, she calmly said.
"Father, would you yell at me later, and at least assess this situation right now?"
As soon as she said that, they noticed the wild arrays of colors surrounding them, and realized what was happening. They were being transferred to a different time, and there was nothing they could do about it but watch the wonder of it all.
By
Carolyne Smythe
"...At his advice, on the afternoon of the fourth we set off together, with the intention of crossing the hills and spending the night at the hamlet of Rosenlaui. We had strict injunctions, however, on no account to pass the falls of Reichenbach, which are about halfway up the hills, without making a small detour to see them. It is, indeed, a fearful place. The torrent, swollen by the melting snow, plunges into a tremendous abyss, from which the spray rolls up like the smoke from a burning house. The shaft into which the river hurls itself is an immense chasm, lined by glistening coal-black rock, and narrowing into a creaming, boiling pit of incalculable depth, which brims over and shoots the stream onward over its jagged lip..."
Marilyn Richards, better known to her admiring public as Miss Fantastic read to herself in a small room as her stepfather's voice boomed from the adjoining laboratory.
"MARY! Put THAT BOOK DOWN, and come over HERE!"
Mary sighed and peered from her rather thick book, entitled The Complete Illustrated Sherlock Holmes to the entrance of the mechanics lab Reed Richards, also known as Mister Fantastic was working in. That particular day was not one of the best days she had ever had in assisting her stepfather. Mary was strangely being quite a klutz, and did not enjoy it one bit. Earlier that morning she had dropped a test-tube containing what was thankfully a harmless substance in the biology lab. But never the less, Reed was indeed peeved with her for causing such a mess. And without hesitance, ordered Mary to immediately clean it up. Even before the accident, he had been in a foul mood. Mary had only begun working for him, when five minutes later she kept thinking on and off.
"Boy, did Father get up on the wrong side of the bed this morning or what?"
Unfortunately, things only went more downhill for Mary after the biology lab incident. And, it had gotten to the point where she knew her stepfather quite possibly preferred to be alone for the rest of the day. Reluctantly, Mary plodded into the mechanics lab still gripping the book her stepfather had demanded she put down earlier. Oddly, Reed apparently did not happen to see the book as he began speaking to his stepdaughter once she entered the room.
"Now Mary, I don't know what is going on with you today. But, if you cause one more accident, I will... how should I put this?"
Reed stood there pondering for a short moment while Mary thought.
"Come on Father, just say it. I will be kicked out of the lab."
"You will be laid off from assisting me the rest of the day. Is that clear?"
"Crystal." Mary said tersely.
As Reed walked over to his tool board, he said to his daughter firmly.
"Now Mary, don't get curt with me. You know very good and well that what you have caused today has been rather unusual for you. You are normally not that clumsy."
Since he did not really appear to have any orders that moment for her, Mary said nothing more as she pulled up a little metal chair, and sat down beside of the space/time apparatus her stepfather had gotten to work on an hour earlier. There, she took the book in her hand, and flipped back to the page she had left off at.
"...The long sweep of green water roaring forever down, and the thick flickering curtain of spray hissing forever upward, turn a man giddy with their constant whirl and clamour. We stood near the edge peering down at the gleam of the breaking water far below us against the black rocks, and listening to the half-human shout which came booming up with the spray out of the abyss..."
She paused as an idea came to her.
"Father usually is proud of me when I read a classic story or novel like this, especially if it happens to be in a book he gave to me, like this! Maybe a little small talk about what I'm reading will lighten him up a little..."
Mary looked up from her book at the bold, middle-aged, slightly irritated man standing before her making adjustment after adjustment to the colossal machine that would eventually help transport her and her four elder friends to not only other centuries and eras in time, but also other dimensions. Gathering up her courage, Mary managed a weak smile upon her face, and said.
"Father, I really adore this book you gave me a few days ago! It's like you said, these stories are indeed timeless and classic!"
Without even glancing up, Reed spoke unenthusiastically.
"Yes, my child, I told you I felt those were some of the best stories ever written in British literature."
Mary continued, hoping Reed would lose his feelings of rage over the morning's petty happenings.
"I'm reading this tale called "The Adventure of The Final Problem". The descriptions of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson's trip in Switzerland are very breathtaking!"
"Yes, I am sure they are." Reed said, in a bit more perturbed voice than his last comment.
Mary decided that maybe she should take a more active approach to combating her stepfather's anger than small talk.
"Father, maybe Sue is right about you working too much lately. Why don't you just take a break from working on that apparatus, and read a few lines of this story?"
"Mary, Sue always feels like I'm working too much." Reed said tartly.
"But Father, if you would take some time out, read a few lines of this, and imagine you are in Switzerland during the Victorian times instead of here, I really think you would feel much better."
Mary opened the book to the very page she wanted Reed to read. Unfortunately, her plan had quite the opposite effect she wanted it to have on her stepfather. He finally brought his head up from concentrating on the contraption, and snapped.
"MARY! NOT NOW! BESIDES, DIDN'T I INDICATE THAT I WANTED THAT LEFT IN THE BREAK ROOM?!"
Startled by Reed's uncharacteristic outburst, Mary suddenly got up from the chair and dropped the huge book. To her and Reed's horror, the book landed on the apparatus' switch, which turned the machine on.
"NOW LOOK AT WHAT YOU HAVE DONE!"
Reed hollered at Mary. She was not paying attention to him, but instead was more focused on what was going on around them. Despite her stepfather's intense rage, she calmly said.
"Father, would you yell at me later, and at least assess this situation right now?"
As soon as she said that, they noticed the wild arrays of colors surrounding them, and realized what was happening. They were being transferred to a different time, and there was nothing they could do about it but watch the wonder of it all.