Beyond - Legends Scribblings on a Datapad --A Journal for 2008 Diary Challenge-- AR 9/6

Title: Scribblings on a Datapad
Author: Laine_Snowtrekker
Genre: It's a journal. I think that's a genre of its own.
Timeline: Starts in ABY 19, when Torsy is fourteen
Notes: This is my response to the Dear Diary Challenge 2008. This is also my first time posting in Beyond. PM requests are welcome!

Minichallenges:
January: a storm. See Entry 3-5
February: giving up.

Scribblings on a Datapad

ABY 19

ENTRY 1:

The whole class was assigned to write a journal, so this is an excuse to actually do something I was planning to do. However, I think Ms. Woodson thinks that a bunch of fourteen-year-olds are actually going to divulge their personal lives in a school assignment. HA!!! I'd never do that, not at the school I attend, and not to the teacher I have. So, my solution is simple: write two journals. I'll make deliciously dull entries for the assignments, and then write how I really feel for myself. I mentioned the assignment--and my plan--to the parents at dinner, and Dad thought it was a good idea, anyway. He said, "Torsy, my boy, if you want to engage in subterfuge, go ahead." Now, if anyone knows subterfuge, it's Dad. He was embedded on Coruscant, working for the Rebellion, until just after Endor. He got decommissioned, slipped himself out, and hightailed it home, to the dusty planet that we prisoners on it call Hythrope IV. Now Dad's a holonovelist (he's not famous yet), and now he writes about adventures instead of having them. Still, I wish I could be a famous adventurer, going to faroff places, meeting foreign peoples, fighting various villians, and just plain getting off this rock. More later.

 

Hmmmmm. Interesting start, Laine! I think I'm going to enjoy this!

 

Hmmm...so Torsy is going to keep two journals.

Can't say I blame him! Who would want their teachers reading their innermost thoughts?

Very nice beginning.

Please PM me when you update

Looking forward to more

 

I'd never do that, not at the school I attend, and not to the teacher I have. So, my solution is simple: write two journals. I'll make deliciously dull entries for the assignments, and then write how I really feel for myself. I mentioned the assignment--and my plan--to the parents at dinner, and Dad thought it was a good idea, anyway. He said, "Torsy, my boy, if you want to engage in subterfuge, go ahead."

I can't wait! Please PM me when you update!

 

Excellent, you posted! Can't wait to read more about Torsy

 

Author Replies:

Sis: Thanks! I hope you enjoy all year long.

KELIA: Ooh, someone to PM! That's exciting! This assignment of Torsy's is very loosely based off of classroom experiences I had as a 14-year-old. Glad to have you around.

VaderLVR64: Again, ooh, someone to PM! Thanks. Hope you enjoy.

Jessie: Thanks, and btw, here you go--more about Torsy....


ENTRY 2:

Our assignment was the usual stuff teachers make us write: "Talk about yourself." I suppose it's a good writing starter, if someone needs kickstarting to get writing. I don't. Then again, writing and stuff runs in the blood, Dad says. Mom just says that I'm gifted or whatever, just because I'm bored in this Force-forsaken class. Everyone in the class must be gifted, then. I don't like talking about myself to people I don't trust. Mom says that I'm good at keeping friends close and myself closer. I think she's just mad that I don't tell her or Dad every little detail of my life. Like a teenager wants to do that or something.

So, this is what I wrote for the school journal: 'My name is Torrence S. Reffins, the Third. I am currently fourteen standard years old, and live in Caylanth, a suburb of Mahcappro, the capitol city of Hythrope IV. It is not a very well-known planet to the galaxy-wide community. My father writes novels, and my mother teaches at Mahcappro University. I like to play limmie (yes, it's a real sport!!). My favorite subject is galactic history, and I like to read. I plan to do well in this class.'

However, what I'd really put would be much different (and less boring). My friends call me Tor or Torsy--they think that "Torrence" is too much of a mouthful. Plus, I don't really like all that "the Third" stuff. I'd rather make my own mark on the galaxy, thank you very much. Caylanth's a little town; not much seems to happen here, but my parents prefer it to Mahcappro. Mahcappro's where everything is happening, where history is being made (and taught, by my mom). I think I want to work in Mahcappro someday. Nothing truly adventurous happens in Caylanth OR Mahcappro because they're on what we call the "civilized side" of Hythrope IV. The other side is more famous, galaxy-wide, because it's a haven for smugglers and spacers and organized crime. I mean, the planet's still relatively unknown, but people on the fringes of civilization sometimes know about it. Dad says that the planet's government turns a blind eye to their doings because it makes a profit--but I don't really know that much about politics and economy or those other big words that Mom and Dad toss around during dinner. I wonder what being a spacer or a smuggler would be like--going to deals, getting shot at, wearing disguises, making money, etc. Sometimes I wonder about the kids of spacers and smugglers--do they go to school? Do they have to join the family business? etc. Or do I watch too many holomovies? Mom thinks I do. More later.

 

Love it!

wonder what being a spacer or a smuggler would be like--going to deals, getting shot at, wearing disguises, making money, etc. Sometimes I wonder about the kids of spacers and smugglers--do they go to school? Do they have to join the family business? etc. Or do I watch too many holomovies? Mom thinks I do. More later.

Yeah, moms are the same everywhere!

 

Oh geeze! I'd want to be called Torsy, too, if I had a name like that!

Why is it that nothing ever happens in a small town?

The concept of the 'two sides of Hythrope' boggles my mind. Does the 'smuggler side' ever get invaded by the do-gooders that want to help them out of their 'pit of suffering', or is the 'blind eye' a planetwide thing?

See? You can tell I'm hooked because I'm asking questions!

 

I think Torsy is a much better name than Torrance as well!

I love that he wonders about the smugglers and spacer's kids. I'm sure they are very much alike.

Great update

 

Interesting as always Laine. In fact, I'm so intrigued that I may even try my hand at the challenge. Looking forward to hearing more from Torsy.

 

Whoops, thought I posted in here with the first entry. Sorry Laine.

This is quite good. The personal details flesh out the story very nicely.

 

Great new entry, Laine. I'm really getting a feel for Torsy and where he comes from (and especially how he is when I first 'met' him in the Outcasts)

 

Author Replies

VaderLVR64: Yeah, my mom's like that, too. Figure there has to be at least one mother in the galaxy who is that way, too.

Sel: Oh, you should see what the S stands for in his name. Also a whopper. Poor kid. Just because the author picked his name based on wordplay, he gets a name that is a mouthful! I'm glad you're asking questions, because it helps me think of things that I haven't thought of before.

KELIA: They're more alike than he knows! But maybe one day, he'll find out.

Nat: I'm glad you're looking forward to hearing more. And your fic is moving along quite nicely!!!

Lank: No worries. Thanks for stopping by, friend.

Jessie: Oh, don't worry. I hope that "feel" for Torsy just gets better!


ENTRY 3:

It rained all day yesterday. I mean, ALL DAY! Luckily, I didn't have school, so I could go stomping around the neighborhood and end up in the little restaurant on the corner across from the place we buy groceries. I woke up to the rain splishing and clicking onto the little brick ledge outside of my window. I got up and looked out to see the mountains looking all smudged and blurred like a messy watercolor painting. I threw on my jacket and puddle-stomping boots and went downstairs to get breakfast.

"Oh, Torsy, are you going out into that?" Mom asked as she set the plate of food in front of me.

"Yup," I replied, nodding as I began to dig into the food.

Dad was at the other end of the table, scribbling like a madman onto a pad of flimsi. I think he's close to finishing his next holonovel--it's only the first draft, but that's a step closer to publishing it. He's been writing like crazy for the past few weeks--Mom has to coax him out of his office to eat dinner, and he still writes even while doing that. He pays attention to my stories from the day, and Mom's frenetic busyness from teaching at the University, but his primary target right now is finishing that novel.

I didn't want to hang around the house all day while Dad scribbled and Mom fretted. Even though I've a fondness for holomovies, I'm not one for holovision. Too much junk, not enough good stuff. It's like the writers all disappeared or something. Whatever. I can entertain myself more thoroughly than flashy holos can. So I ventured out into the sopping wet wasteland that is my neighborhood. I cut across the Relliacks' yard and hopped across the stream, which was frothing more than usual, (I figured it would, it was raining.) and hurried over to S'Danno's, a little cafe-style restaurant where there's good, cheap food. I knew that my friends would be gathering there.

Y'see, I don't have many REAL friends, just one or two that I can claim to really trust. Mom says it's because I act standoffish and sometimes I act like an arrogant know-it-all. But I can't tell when I'm doing that!! If people would just tell me instead of getting mad at me, life would be so much better. Anyway, my friends Dar and Jak always go to S'Danno's on rainy days. And this day, with its lightning, thunder, and heavy winds, was definitely a rainy day.

So I pushed open the heavy door to S'Danno's (which is really old-fashioned, if you ask me!) and slipped inside. The two old men who sit at their table by the front window and play their customary game of dejarik looked up and smiled as my jacket dripped onto the floor and my boots squeaked against the tiles. I sat in one of the wrought-metal chairs, getting grinned at by Dar and Jak.

"Stars, Tor, you took forever gettin' here this morning," Jak said, slouching back and tipping his chair, though he knew the restaurant liked him to keep all the feet on the floor.

"Both my parents were home," I replied. "So, what're we gonna do?"

"Well, you've heard 'bout the old Rancorato place, right?" Jak asked. "The place haunted by some dead guy?"

"Yeah," Dar put in. "The place out on the road to Mahcappro? Everybody knows about it, Jak. It's NOT haunted."

"Ghosts aren't real," I said. Jak's sometimes a bit imaginative and

 

A great update! I can't wait to see what the rest of the year holds!

 

"Let's go."

Ooohhh sounds like the boys had an adventure.

What a perfect way to spend a rainy day.

Great update

 

A haunted house, this should be fun! And the one child, Jak I believe, makes it sound like Torsy may already know a spacers kid, or maybe a smugglers?

 

*sigh* There's something about haunted houses and adventurous boys that just can't be separated. I remember my brother trying to convince me to explore the ones up in Kingston, NM....but that's another story.

What does the S. stand for?

Oh yeah...that's an interesting name associated with the haunted house...'Rancor'ato. I shall be prepared for a monster.

 

VaderLVR64: Thanks! And, I think, it's about to get a bit more exciting.

KELIA: Adventure? We don't need no stinkin' adventure. j/k! A fourteen-year-old's version of adventure coming right up!

Mitth: Former spacer/smugglers, long before Jak was born. Just hang around and stuff gets explained some! (Maybe not in this post, but later.) Thanks!

Sel: One of my first original stories is about a "haunted house". Turned out to be aliens trying to take over the world, but that's a different, non-SW story. Um. You'll have to wait to find out Torsy's middle name. Or go digging in the RP and find it. It is out there. Thanks and enjoy this next post.

Here you go:

ENTRY 4

Sorry, Mom made me take out the trash. I hate chores! Okay, back to what happened yesterday.

We were all soaked to the bone by the time we made it all the way to the Rancorato place--not being able to have a speeder license yet is annoying (and I can't get one until I'm seventeen!)--but we didn't care, because we were going to find out, once and for all, if the place was haunted or not.

We stood on the sidewalk outside of the house, staring up at it. Old faded curtains were flying out of an upstairs window; the wind was so strong--and a light was flickering in the room next to it. Many of the windows were broken, and the house was entirely dilapidated. I took a deep breath, then let it out. Then I noticed that Jak and Dar were doing the same. "You guys scared?" I asked (because I knew I was).

"Nope," Jak said.

"Wouldn't admit if you were," Dar said.

"You're probably right," Jak said.

"Okay, let's go," Dar said.

"After you," Jak said.

They both looked at me. I sighed. "All right, I'll go first. But you guys owe me a meal at S'Danno's."

"Done!" they said in unison, laughing a little.

We went up the rickety, rotting stairs and crossed the creaky porch. It took all three of us to shove the door open--and once inside, we discovered that the door had been blocked by a huge bureau of drawers. "Who put that there?" Dar asked. For being the smart one, he sure asks some dumb questions sometimes.

"The ghost," Jak said.

I rolled my eyes. "Of course it was the ghost," I said.

"Could be a pirate hiding out from the law," Dar said.

"Your dad is the law," Jak said.

"Whatever. I'm going upstairs and checking out that flickering light," I said. They nodded. I figured that if I was here, I should expend the energy to actually do what we came to do. That makes sense to me, anyway. I headed up the stairs. One foot went straight through a board.

"Hey, guys," I called. "I think I'm stuck!"

Dar and Jak hurried over; they both looked me up and down, then began laughing.

"This isn't funny," I said.

"Oh, yeah, it is," Jak said, trying to hold back an explosive laugh. "Torsy Reffins, the great explorer, got stuck today on the main staircase of the old Rancorato place!"

"Just help me out," I snapped.

Each one of them took one of my arms and pulled. I came flying out of the hole, and the three of us fell backwards onto the dusty (now slightly muddy, from our wet shoes, pants, and jackets) floor and promptly began laughing.

Which just as quickly ended when a deep voice said, "Who are you, and what are you doing here?"

Oh, great. Dad's calling me this time. More later.

 

"Hey, guys," I called. "I think I'm stuck!"

Dar and Jak hurried over; they both looked me up and down, then began laughing.

"This isn't funny," I said.

"Oh, yeah, it is," Jak said, trying to hold back an explosive laugh. "Torsy Reffins, the great explorer, got stuck today on the main staircase of the old Rancorato place!"


Good to see that teenagers are the same no matter where you go!

 

"Who are you, and what are you doing here?"

Ack - that's where you're leaving off?



Each one of them took one of my arms and pulled. I came flying out of the hole, and the three of us fell backwards onto the dusty floor

Sounds about right

Great update

 

Very nice, I enjoyed it very much. I especially like the spread of the kids here, law, outlaw, and in(side the)law.

I'll be holding out for an alien of fearsome proportions, and a face to compete with a Rancor to fit 'Rancor'ata

 

Oh my! The deep scary voice has spoken already! I bet that's going to cut the 'explore' kinda short!

Hmmmmm. He cuts it off because his Dad is coming. I wonder if perhaps his Dad doesn't know about this little adventure yet.

 

Oh, nice cliffhanger, Laine. Enjoying this story quite a bit.

 

*is on the edge of her seat*

Awesome entries Laine! I look forward to finding out what happens next in their adventure!

 

VaderLVR64: Yep, teenagers are the same everywhere. Used to be one, myself.

KELIA: Yes, that's where I left it. I think it's called a cliffhanger, though there were no cliffs or hanging involved. Thanks for reading!

Mitth: Sort of comes from my life, I think. Dad's a lieutenant at the state prison, I've got friends who write for newspapers, and I've acquaintances from public school who have bullets in their back that doctors refuse to remove because it would paralyze them. Yep.

Sel: You're a smart lady. But you knew that already, didn't you?

Lank: Thanks for dropping by.

Nat: Well, sorry to break the anticipation, but here 'tis:


ENTRY 5:

Had to set the table, then ate dinner. We had dewback ribs and mashed taterroots. Yum! Now I'm writing underneath my sheets, 'cause I'm supposed to be sleeping. But I have to finish writing this story.

We turned to see a tall man with dark hair standing in the doorway between the kitchen and the foyer. I'm the one who noticed the blaster holster on his hip, but we all scrambled to our feet and stood like we were stupid banthas or something, staring at him like he was an apparition made flesh. He repeated himself: "Who are you, and what are you doing here?"

Jak managed to mumble something like, "Wewereonawalkandwantedtagetdry," but that obviously didn't please the man, whose scowl only deepened.

"You kids shouldn't be here," he said.

"No, we shouldn't," Dar said. "I was against it the whole time."

"Liar," Jak whispered.

"We wanted to see if this place was really haunted," I said.

"Ghosts aren't real," the man said. He casually rested his hand on his holster.

"But that's what we were doing!" I said, feeling a little panicky. "And my foot got stuck in the step, and these two pulled me loose."

The man eyed me. "You look like an honest sort," he said. "But don't go mixin' yourselves up here. Boss told me ta get you three to get." He unsnapped the holster and drew out his blaster.

I saw Jak's and Dar's eyes open wide, and I'm sure mine were wide open, too. The man waved the blaster threateningly. "If you boys aren't gone by the time I've counted to three, I'll start shootin'. One..."

We never heard him say two.

Jak, Dar, and I ran as fast as we could down the street, our legs pumping hard and our jackets flying open and spraying messy little arcs of water. Once around the corner, we slumped onto a dry porch and breathed hard.

"Whaddya think they were doin'?" Jak asked between breaths.

"Don't care," Dar forced out.

"Somethin' illegal, that's for sure," I said. I leaned against the doorpost and took a deep breath. "We should find out."

"Are you crazy? Let the cops figure it out," Dar said. "The man said..."

"I heard what he said," I said. "But no one's gonna believe us unless we get proof. Especially your dad, Dar. Isn't he always complaining about the lack of evidence for people he's caught?"

"Yeah," Dar said slowly.

"No frakking way," Jak said, although he knew that I didn't like it when he swore. "My dad may be all respectable now, but I know enough to know that the blaster we had in our faces was a DL-44."

"What type of blaster is that?" I asked.

Jak gave me his look of 'I-can't-believe-you-don't-know-this'. "Standard spacer weapon, Tor. Those guys are from the other side."

"Why would they be over here, then?" I asked.

Jak shrugged. "Dunno. But it can't be good, that's for sure. We'd better keep out of it."

"All right," I agreed. "But you guys still owe me that meal at S'Danno's."

"I've got some coupons," Dar said, fishing them out of his pocket. Jak snatched one of them and read it.

"These expired yesterday!"

We all laughed, got up, and trekked back to S'Danno's. But I was still wondering about who that man was and what he was doing--and I am going to do something about it. More later.