Night Flight Mike is a novella of twenty short chapters, posted over twenty business days -- by me, your grateful host, Cheeseburger Brown. Readers who may be subject to access surveillance or content filtering please be advised that this work of fiction contains profanity and describes adult situations, but is relatively free of political subversion.
If you experience excessive side effects while reading this story, discontinue use and consult a librarian.
And now, we begin -- small and simple, a coiled spring:
1/20
Two weeks before his first wet dream, Mike Zhang Cuthbertson escaped from the custody of his adoptive parents and became a briefly burning nightclub hero.
The idea had come to him through the television: a pretzel-plot sit-com chosen by his white sister India when her turn came up. On the periphery his black sister Bianca glowered and fretted, anxious to resume televisual control in order to pursue documentaries about things that explode.
On the screen a straitlaced teenager took the opportunity of a family vacation to sneak into the hotel discotheque, ending up drunk and gyrating on tabletop for a rowdy audience when her parents showed up for the third act's retrieval and retribution routine. "That is so not believable," snorted Bianca.
"Why?" asked India listlessly, lolling on the couch.
"Because nerds can't dance."
India considered this, the light of commercials flashing in her eyes. "Even when they're drunk?"
"Especially then," confirmed Bianca. "Now give me the remote."
"There's still more show."
"Just the credits."
"I want to hear the ending music. I like it."
Mike looked up from his homework and adjusted his glasses seriously. He was wondering whether or not he was a nerd, and therefore whether or not he possessed the ability -- or even the desire -- to gyrate on a tabletop. He absently pulled his feet out of the way as his sisters rolled across the rec room carpet, pulling each others' hair and screeching.
A seed had been planted in young Mike's sharp mind, and in those meanders it would find firm root.
Tuesday, 22 August 2006
Night Flight Mike, Part One
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7 comments:
Dear Simon,
You're too kind, sir.
Listen, I know it starts off a bit slow but stick with me -- this is going someplace.
The rhythm starts with a slow build.
Did you remember to warm up and cool down? Remember: exercise safe.
Love,
Cheeseburger Brown
Ooh I am so excited!!
I have been waiting for a new story from you for a long time (or so it seems).
I checked out the new diary site Seems the same (with a few added pictures) :)
Although, I was wondering why the sudden change??
Anyhow, Looking foward to the up comming posts.
smv
i'm so glad you're doing this again, cbb. i can't tell you how much i enjoyed watching simon of space unfold last year and i am so looking forward to going along on this new adventure!
Dear Anonymous,
Yes, it has been a long time. I've had a very thick year (new job, new kid, etc.). I hope to be able to follow up Night Flight Mike with more serial adventures.
Switching up my posting strategy comes from a new sources, such as 1) making it more difficult for people searching for me in my professional capacity to stumble on potentially embarassing Cheeseburger Brown output; 2) it was just time for a clean up and refinement; 3) it was time to focus things a bit differently to try to name a name for myself in fiction, as opposed to diarizing.
Love,
Cheeseburger Brown
Hey CB,
Thanks for popping by to test crash a Jetta.
It made be cruise over here for a drive-by and I was thoroghly excited when I blundered into the 1st installment of 'Night Flight Mike.' I am a little surprised since you went and got 'SoS' published for real, but thrilled to see you are still catering to us blog-surfing voyeurs.
I will now be rushing off to give it some appropriate linky love over t'my place.
later,
Dear Hopelessly Aporetic,
Yes well, I was cleaning up my blogroll and decided to check in with everyone and say something. I'm far too often guilty of reading but not commenting, which is unfair since I like it so much when I get comments on my own blog.
Maybe I'll see more success from "SoS" when the second edition actually makes it to print. Editing the "SoS" MS. has been a slow process, which is entirely my fault because I find it hard to work up the enthusiasm to focus on something that, in my mind, is "done." I'd much rather spend my precious free time making new stories, like "Night Flight Mike."
And there's more to come, twenty days from now.
Love,
Cheeseburger Brown
Hey, I'm happy to see new fiction, too! I can't imagine why you haven't been cranking it out more. It's almost like you've got KIDS or something. Thanks for the visit to my site, too, and the comment. I figured you just saw your stats skyrocket from my recent troll through EVERY archived item on the old blog and wondered who was stalking you. Just me! Ready to read more. :-)
-Erica
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