Hibbs, the cub with no clue, here.
I couldn't read Roland's Ides of March story. I started crying. Don't go if you get the sniffles like me.
His cat, Gypsy, liked it though.
Follow me to Miss Jodi's interview THEN to Denise's review of my adventures on the blog READING AT DAWN :
http://jodilhenry.blogspot.com/
http://readingatdawn.blogspot.com/2011/03/bear-with-two-shadows-by-roland-d.html
{"If two people love each other there can be no happy end to it."
— Ernest Hemingway.}
Raymond Chandler's ghost here. You might go to Hart's blogs for other tales in her blogfest :
http://waterytart23.blogspot.com/2011/02/spread-doom.html
Ever see a sniffling bear cub. Ever try to say no to it? Well, I couldn't say no. Call me a sap. Just not to my face.
This tale comes from when Roland died in the Shadowlands. I didn't take it well. He listens. He cares.
When I heard he died because of the ghost of Ernest Hemingway, hiding out in Roland's apartment ...
I didn't listen. I didn't care. I got even.
NO GRAVES IN THE SHADOWLANDS :
If you read GHOST OF A CHANCE, you know Roland was on the run in the Shadowlands, falsely accused of the murder of Hemingway’s ghost.
The same ghost who had been laughing up his sleeve in Roland’s apartment for a week, pontificating on how to write good literature.
Apparently, he forgot how to live a good life or be a good friend.
No, the truth was worse. He was too jealous of how the ghost of Marlene Dietrich felt about Roland.
Today, ironically, is Marlene's birthday.
Hemingway had been rubbing his hands in pure joy as the ghosts closed in for revenge and others in the darkness bayed at the kid’s heels,
seeking to tear the secret of how to kill ghosts from him.
Now, where is Hemingway? On his way to Hell if there's any justice. But there isn't.
Word in the Shadowlands is that he is just walking aimlessly into the darkness, his eyes deep holes into nothingness.
I only have the cold comfort that I knocked him on his arrogant ghost-butt. How did a Hollywood hack like me do that? Easy. I cheated.
I surprised him. I walked into Roland's apartment looking clean, neat, and sober, smiling my best "ain't we chums?" smile.
Then, I let him have it with the blackjack in my fist.
He went down hard. Not hard enough.
"Good news, boxer," I grunted. "Word in the Shadowlands is that Roland's dead. Died in the arms of Marlene."
His eyes fought to focus. "Is she --"
"Yeah, hero. She's dead, too. Killed by the one who poisoned you. I hope you're --"
I didn't get the chance to finish. The most godawful yowling came from the head of Roland's bed. Then, I saw her -
Gypsy, his cat, all covered in sand. I could have sworn she hadn't been there when I first came in.
Her head was reared back, her eyes full of tears. Hell, his cat was crying.
Crying.
And Gypsy howled like her guts were being cut out of her. I can hear it still. It seemed to go on forever.
I pray to God I never hear such a sound again. She stopped abruptly and looked at me with eyes gone sick and insane.
Then she just slowly faded away into the darkness like an old photograph left out too long in the sun. I shivered. And I knew. I knew.
I would never see his cat again.
I turned to Hemingway as he struggled to his feet, and I managed to get out the words. "Roland trusted you."
My grief and anger were battling so inside my heart, it felt as if I was standing outside myself.
"You hid in his apartment, knowing he was being blamed for your murder, knowing he was being hunted by things that would make a pit bull puke."
I realized I was literally shaking with my anger. "You could have stopped this. You should have."
He turned hollow eyes to me. "Right on both counts."
And with that he walked out through Roland's door. And I knew something else. I would never see him again either.
So here I am, sitting in the dark at Roland's laptop.
What do I write that would express just what the kid meant to me? It's all too fresh. I - I can't.
There are no graves in the Shadowlands.
No place where I can lay one black rose. To die there is to disappear utterly both body and spirit.
But I have to do something. Something.
I will sit out on Roland's terrace and look out as the night fog slips away from the bordering bayou.
The rains are over. The fields this far south are still green.
And with my ghost eyes I will look out over the vastness of America to the Hollywood Hills and see snow on the high mountains.
The fur stores will be advertising their annual sales. The call houses that specialize in sixteen year-old virgins will be doing a land-office business.
In Beverly Hills the jacaranda trees will be awakening to spring to bloom.
And none of that will matter ... for my friend is dead.
The French have a saying that to say good-bye is to die a little. They are right. I am a ghost, and I thought I was past feeling dead inside. I was wrong.
I think I will always see him driving down lonely roads, sitting in lonely rooms, saddened but never quite defeated.
Down those mean streets he went who was not himself mean, who was neither tarnished nor afraid ... only mortal.
Good-bye, Roland. I will miss you.
****
Fantastic Four By A.I.
36 minutes ago
Fanbloodytastic
ReplyDeleteah, lily Marlene! And he'd just had his book published, too... who is the mysterious poisoner?!
ReplyDeletegreat work~ :D
Your writing style sucks me and pulls me along so well! Well done, yet again!
ReplyDeleteWould you selfish, princess cat really act that way?
ReplyDeleteI thought she only kept you around to feed her tuna and chicken fingers. LOL
Another heartfelt post. Roland. Well done.
Michael
Hehe. I love your ghost-stories about old authors.
ReplyDelete- Eric
Oh my! What an original entry! I loved it!!
ReplyDeleteAlberta : Your praise is deeply appreciated. I'm off to visit your blog now.
ReplyDeleteLTM : The mysterious poisoner was the undead Hitler from my GHOST OF A CHANCE serial as revealed here :
http://rolandyeomans.blogspot.com/2010/12/ghost-of-chancechapter-43i-always.html
Thanks for liking my entry!
Thanks, Heather. You always make me feel better about my writing. Have a great Tuesday!
Michael : Thanks, Michael. The sand on Gypsy and her reaction are explained in this funny chapter of GHOST OF A CHANCE :
http://rolandyeomans.blogspot.com/2010/12/gypsys-tale-you-call-this-safe.html
If you haven't read it yet, you'll get a few laughs and a better understanding of Gypsy's snarky attitude!
Thanks, Eric. If I'm going to have ghostly buddies, I can't do better than Raymond Chandler and Mark Twain! And Marlene Dietrich makes for a bewitching ghost love interest, too! Gotta love my imagination. Hope the baby is allowing you more time to sleep!
Colene : Thanks. And I think you might find the link to Gypsy's tale in Michael's comment fun to read, too. My cat, Gypsy, goes claw to claw with the gigantic Sphinx of Thebes -- and comes away the victor. Small and feisty wins every time! Thanks again, Roland
Nice. A ghostly great story.
ReplyDeleteWho knew Hemingway was so lethal? I read Denise's review. Way to go, Roland. I did tag you and thanks for tagging me too.
ReplyDeleteNancy
N. R. Williams, The Treasures of Carmelidrium, Special .99 through April 30
Roland: I enjoyed this very much. Chandler is one of my heroes. I like your style. Great humor.
ReplyDeleteHolly : I'm a sucker for ghost stories, too. TOPPER by Thorne Smith was one of my favorite novels as a child -- guess that's why I decided to write my own unique TOPPER with GHOST OF A CHANCE!
ReplyDeleteNancy : Ask all those soldiers he killed while fighting in the Spanish Civil War how keen his appetite for killing was. What was his famous quote used in PREDATORS?
“There is no hunting like the hunting of man, and those who have hunted armed men long enough and liked it, never care for anything else thereafter.”
Wasn't Denise's review of my book great? Thanks for tagging me in return.
Hibbs and I are looking forward to our interview about THE BEAR WITH 2 SHADOWS tomorrow! Roland
Luana : Thanks for the return visit. Chandler is one of my writing heroes, too. That's why I made him ... and Samuel Clemens my ghost companions in GHOST OF A CHANCE.
ReplyDeleteI'm happy that you like my style. Every now and then, I get the humor right. Visit again, Roland
Classic, as always. I love that you abscond with real dead people and make them your own. And who knew you could kill ghosts? One would have thought them already dead.
ReplyDeleteVery nicely done!
I love TOPPER too!
ReplyDeleteMara : Yes, I have fun writing adventures with the likes of Samuel Clemens (and his own brand of humor), Raymond Chandler, H P Lovecraft, and of course, the lovely Marlene Dietrich. Thanks for the kind words.
ReplyDeleteHolly : Really? Then, if you can find a copy, you should read Thorne Smith's THE NIGHT LIFE OF THE GODS (set in the time of TOPPER, it details the adventures of a proper scientist with a tall leprechaun sorceress and statues of the Olympian gods and goddesses) I think you will laugh.
I should have listen to Hibbs (reaching for another tissue). What will the world be like with out Roland? I don't want to think about it.
ReplyDeleteWell at least you died in the arms of Marlene.
I am so impressed with your creativity! Very well executed, very touching.
ReplyDeletebeautiful bit of writing. Am sooooo stalking you...
ReplyDeleteMurdered ghosts. I love it. At least you died in Marlene's arms. Hibbs is uber cute.
ReplyDeleteYou rock, Roland. I love how you always manage to work these blogfests into the grand scheme of your stories.
ReplyDeleteT.x
There's Just Life : Glad you enjoyed my entry. Yes, I died in the arms of Marlene, but I got better - you can do that when you write the script! Don't be a stranger, hear?
ReplyDeleteGina : Thanks for the kind words. It means a lot. My mind is always full of ghosts, so I thought I might as use some of them. LOL.
Laura : Thanks for enjoying my tale. And I'm following you, too. I'll look forward to your future visits.
M Pax : Hey, if ghost move and talk, I figure they could be killed. But the undead Hitler cheated. Big surprise there, right?
Tessa : Like you did in yours. If we are inventive, we can find a way to bring our favorite characters to play with us! Thanks for the kind, kind words, Roland
Oh, that bastard Hemingway NEVER should have been trusted! Man likes a seriously dark prank... (and since his suicide has been looking for some company... hopefully Roland won't give it to him!) Very nice touch with the scaredy bear and the mourning cat!
ReplyDeleteHart : Hemingway certainly had a dark streak all right. Betrayed a trusting, vulnerable friend at the beginning of his writing career to get out of a book contract to a more lucrative one from a larger publisher. He got out of it all right. But his friend never got over the wound Hemingway gave his heart.
ReplyDeleteNo, I didn't give him the satisfaction, Hart. When you write the story, you can do that!
Yes, OLD YELLER taught me how hurting animals tug at the heartstrings! Thanks for liking my entry.
And thanks even more for a great blogfest! Roland
Great story here. So, this comes from a character in your novel? I love the quote from Hemingway. The style is quick and pulls you along, not giving enough time to question its reality. Great post.
ReplyDeleteDraven Ames
http://dravenames.blogspot.com/
Oh, how gripping! That poor, sad cat. :(
ReplyDeleteThanks, Draven : Yes, I wrote a blog serial where I put myself as the protagonist, accompanied by the ghosts of Samuel Clemens and Marlene Dietrich as I go on the run through the worlds of all my past novels -- all for the false charge of murdering the ghost of Ernest Hemingway.
ReplyDeleteMy readers enjoyed it. You can see the first chapter by hitting your cursor over the face of Marlene Dietrich in my sidebar. Thanks for the kind words. I'm off to visit your site now.
Lydia : Your praise means a lot, coming from you. Gypsy, my cat, got her revenge. Felines are like that. Have a great tomorrow, Roland
Awesome. I was sure one of your ghosts would post for this - who knows more about death than a ghost. Unless its the Man With Death in his veins :)
ReplyDeleteI miss the Capt. But I'm so glad Hibbs and Victor are having their moment int the spotlight.
Speaking of, I'm just starting my evening blogging. Lots to read and little time to accomplish it.
See ya later.
......dhole
Thanks for visiting and commenting, Donna. I miss Samuel, too. But he appears in both Victor books.
ReplyDeleteI am considering doing a Kindle book of the Captain's first novel (RITES OF PASSAGE), detailing his first meeting with Meilori, DayStar, Renfield, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Ada Byron (Lord Byron's daughter.) But I do not have the formatting skills required. Sigh, I hate being cyber challenged!
Have a good evening of cyber visits! Roland
I love your ghost tale and how it was filled with so many elements!
ReplyDeletePassion both good n' bad~
If I hadn't read the whole series, this entry would really upset me.
ReplyDeleteI just love Gypsy. And I wouldn't want to make her mad at me, especially considering who her grandmother is!
Monday was busy and I missed the first part of the new tour. Gonna go catch up now!
Tried loading Kindle onto my mac. Owing to dial-up I suspect, I was unable.
ReplyDeleteShame.
Ella : Thanks for enjoying my ghost tale. You might go to my sidebar and look for Marlene Dietrich's face emblazoned with GHOST OF A CHANCE. It has the first chapter of my serial.
ReplyDeleteWordsCrafter : I missed you, too. But I'm glad all is right with you. Yes, Gypsy is feisty all right!
Wendy : I'm sorry you couldn't download Kindle for PC. It may not be the dial-up connection. There are certain requirements :
System Requirements
A PC with a 500MHz Intel or AMD processor or faster
At least 128MB of RAM
Screen resolution of 800x600 or greater
Windows XP Service Pack 2 or later, or Windows Vista or Windows 7
100MB of available disk space
I would have loved to hear your impression of my free first 3 chapters. Sigh. Roland