GO BACK IN TIME with Ringo11: story of the century!!
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Mieke:
HeyHeyJohnny:
Yay! I'm so glad the story's back!! Glad to see you again Ringo.
I'm glad too. Ringo how were your exams? :
nice to know i'm still loved ops: my exams went well. i got B for english, B+ for german, A- for first-year art history and A for third-year art history (go figure!). that tops off last semester when i got A for anthropology, A for linguistics and A+ for art history (which is how i ended up doing a thrid year paper this semester you see). the lecturer for all the best art history papers i did is a guy who was born in the mull of kintyre. he, like you, seems to like my writing. he always gives me As! he was around in london in the swinging 60s and interviewed georgie fame and the blue flamed for a univerrsity magazine at the time. he knows i'm a beatleperson and i occasionally slip a paul song quote or a beatle quote into my essays. in the final exam for the third level paper i slipped strawberry fields in as an example of the nothing is real phillosophy in popular culture, along with shakespeare "there is more in heaven and earth, horatio, than is dreamed of in your phillosophy" etc. i thought john lennon and shakespeare were pretty realiable sources . in another essay i used dear boy lyrics to illustrate a point. these were both in exams so unfortunately no comments back, but i did well in both of them. the lecturer, some of you might be interested to know, also has a PhD in phillosophy which he got in canada. so there you go. things in life seem to link up in unexpected ways.
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THIRTY-EIGHTH INSTALLMENT The next day (as you once again wake up, surprised for an instant, beside, literally, the man of your dreams) the sun is streaming through the little curtain and it?s promising to be a beautiful day. ?Wake up Paul, time for school,? you tease. ?I don?t think so love, I think it?s time for waking up John and George, don?t you? After breakfast anyroad.? ?You sure you aren?t worried about skipping so much school?? you ask seriously. ?It?s our week off,? he lies. ?Okay, fine. I need a bath.? ?No you don?t, I?m first. I smell worse,? he says. ?You do not! Anyway, what happened to ladies first?? ?Ladies don?t wear jeans.? ?You rotter! Then what about guests first?? ?Guests don?t sleep in the same bed as the host.? ?You?re not going first you big bully,? you protest, since you can?t win this one. ?I am you know.? ?Right, well I?ll just have to get in there with you, because I can?t go another five minutes without a bath!? you tell him. ?Right then. Fine.? He suddenly strips back the covers and gets up. He flings the curtain open allowing warm sunlight to flood into the room. He grabs some clothing, pauses to look at you and heads out the door. You quickly get up, grab your clothing and follow him to the bathroom with the bundle in your arms. You catch up with him when he reaches the closed bathroom door. He knocks, and you hear whistling coming from inside. ?Hello?? he enquires. ?Go away! I?m in the bath!? comes Mike?s voice from inside. ?There goes that idea,? you say. He laughs. ?Looks like neither of us get the bath first. You can go next anyway, I was only having you on,? he says. After bathing and breakfast you head out on the same bus as the day before to Menlove Avenue. This time John answers when you knock on the door. Paul is disappointed the he?s already out of bed and has his guitar at his side, ready for a day?s hard labour. ?Come in and get that rice. Have you got a tin?? he asks as you step in the door. You hold up your tin. After you?ve collected the rice and John, you all jump on another bus and head off on this lovely sunny day to George?s house. His mum is the only one who?ll let you practice in her house. Everyone gets out their guitars, George fetches the washboard and some thimbles for your fingers and you fill the tin with just the right amount of rice to make a good maraca. Plastic film canisters work much better but alas! None of those here in 1959. You run through the familiar songs first and then give the new ones a go. Problem is, none of you can really remember what you figured out the day before so you have to go back and listen again, over and over, till you have all the chords and all the words just right. The sun continues to pour through the windows and the room heats up. Occasionally, George or John suggests going outside with a drink to enjoy the nice weather but you and Paul put them in their place, telling them if they want to earn enough to go to Paris they?re going to have to put in the hard yard. The room heats up enormously and you all take off layer after layer. You open windows until an old woman hobbles up and tells you to be quiet. Sweating and playing, you stop for a cold drink every now and again. Paul strips down till he?s just wearing trousers. No shoes, no shirt. John takes off his pants but not his shirt. George goes down to a singlet on top but leaves the rest on, and you do the same. Images of Hamburg enter your brain all the time, and you resist telling John he?d look great with a toilet seat around his neck. In the end, you have a great set list that includes Long Tall Sally, That?s All Right Mama, Roll Over Beethoven, Johnny B. Goode and one for you: Don?t Ever Change. You also rehearse Walk Don?t Run by the Ventures and lots of other great songs to play on your big day at the market, most of them ones you?re familiar with already through your love of the Beatles in your future life, which impresses the lads no end (not the bit about the Beatles because of course you can?t tell them about that). Others you aren?t so familiar with and a couple you?ve never even heard of, but all of them great songs. You rehearse all day, almost without eating or anything, and go home absolutely knackered. You eat a hasty dinner and go to bed early in order to have enough energy for a whole day of playing at the market.
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Bump! I'm now sore from trying not to laugh loudly. It makes people look at you funny, you know. That's brilliant. I'm sorry I didn't read it earlier!
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Yay! Whoo! This is the most reading I do in a day.
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Nice to see you back after some succesful exams! Definitely worth the wait! Will they get to Paris in time for Christmas : J.
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Chica Loca:
Will they get to Paris in time for Christmas : J.
ah! we'll all have to wait and see i think. if they do (and i don't even know yet) it probably won't be before christmas cos there are places to go and people to see more close to home.. and a few hurdles too
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Admittedly, time is a little short for them to get to Paris in time for Christmas. Personally, I need it to be about 3 weeks away to get everything done. However, one more installment to give us our fix and keep us going over the festive season would be great (no pressure of course!) J
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Chica Loca:
Admittedly, time is a little short for them to get to Paris in time for Christmas. Personally, I need it to be about 3 weeks away to get everything done. However, one more installment to give us our fix and keep us going over the festive season would be great (no pressure of course!) J
sorry, i haven't been doing my homework i've been too busy meeting brian wilson's band etc. nice people! in the mean time i've been shunted to page 3. page 3! well now i'm here to put myself back at the top with another belated chapter. no paris yet but stay tuned if you can be bothered with the wait
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THIRTY-NINTH INSTALLMENT The next day when you get on the bus and arrive at John?s house, he and George are waiting there for you. John is wearing a bowler hat. They get on the bus which then takes you to another stop. You then haul all the gear onto the footpath and wait ten minutes for the bus that takes you to the market. When you get there it?s already busy, with people buzzing around like ants? or are they carrying things about like bees? You decide, after a bit of disagreement, on a prime spot by the food stalls where lots of people pass with jingling pockets. You instruct John to put the hat in front upside down, and you begin with the easiest numbers. ?Now then,? you tell them ?keep your eyes open for coppers? and silver! Ha ha ha ha!? You get a few looks but no money after half an hour of playing. Then you have an idea. You make the guys empty their pockets and put all their change in the hat. You?ve seen it done at home. People are more likely to put coins in the hat if someone else has too. After another half an hour one person puts a penny in John?s bowler. You play on, encouraging the lads all the time when they complain that it isn?t working. As you get into the swing of it, you start drawing people in. ?Hey Mister! Any spare change? We?re fundraising to take the band on tour.? ?Thank you Ma?am, and how about you Sir?? You see the hat slowly getting heavier. Some time after about noon, you see the crowds start to part. Through the path that opens you spot two round tall hats with silver badges on them coming towards the band. ?Shit, it?s the coppers!? says John. ?Just keep playing guys, don?t look guilty. I don?t think we?re doing anything wrong here so they can?t be wanting us,? you assure them. The Police men approach you anyway. ?Scuse us lads? and lady,? the higher ranking one says to you when they reach you. You signal the others to stop playing. ?Yes?? you ask as sweetly as possible. ?I?m afraid we?ve had complaints of a group of kids disturbin? the peace. We?re going to have to ask you to stop,? the other plod tells you. ?We?re only buskin? sir,? Paul tells him. ?We?ll ?ave none of that language, son. Now move off quietly and there?ll be no trouble.? ?There?s already trouble mate,? begins John. You frantically try and signal him to shut up but he doesn?t. ?Now don?t make a scene, son, or we?ll have to move you ourselves,? the coppers are obviously trying to avoid making trouble, but John has other plans. ?It?s you lot makin? a scene. Just bugger off and let us make money will you? Go on!? ?Right, that?s enough of that cheek! Any more of that and you?ll all be explainin? yourselves down the station.? ?Go on then, I dare you. You?ll be put on a charge you know, cos we ?aven?t done naught wrong! Bloody razzers!? ?Okay then, ?ave it your way. You and your mates are coming with us.? Without further ado the police men confiscate your guitars and things and usher you off to the police station. From the look John has on his face as you are all led up the stairs of the station, you half expect them to shove you in the door and lock you up in a cold cell, but they don?t. The two coppers show you into the reception area of the station where there?s a man in policeman?s uniform behind a desk. He looks up from what he?s reading and raises his eyebrows at the coppers who brought you in. ?Disturbing the peace, loitering with intent and harassing a police officer,? the Corporal who first spoke to you at the market explains. The Sergeant behind the desk (you notice the three stripes) rolls his eyes. ?Stick ?em over there then,? he instructs, and indicates a bench in the corner with his thumb. You look at the others as you are stuck on the seat. George?s face is white. Paul looks decidedly worried and John just looks defiant, angry even. You can?t help wondering what your face looks like. Probably a combination of the three because that?s how you feel. The two officers leave you and go to talk to the Sergeant at the desk. You hear them say things like ?What shall we do with them?? and ?I know, but the Ted was asking for it.? You whisper to Paul. ?Do I look as scared as you?? ?If they call Dad I?m done for. I?ll never be able to leave the house again!? he whispers in reply. ?Fucking pigs,? says John. He?s as bad as Paul?s grandfather! You look at George. He says nothing, and he?s still white as a sheet. One of the cops comes back over. ?We?re going to need your names, birth dates and addresses. Our secretary will take those down while we go for a cup of tea.? He and the other two coppers leave the room and a girl comes in. She?s a bit older than you but not much. She hovers around the desk and eventually finds some paper and a pen. A terrible thought suddenly occurs to you, causing your whole body to go cold. ?What?s the matter? You?ve suddenly gone as white as a sheet!? Paul says, concerned. ?If she takes down our names and birthdays and stuff?? you manage. ?Shit, you?re right. If you lie, they?ll only check. What the?? Paul shuts up after receiving a nudge from John. The girl is approaching the bench where you are all lined up. She has blondish curly hair, not very long but somehow persuaded into a neat bun behind her head. You decide that despite it all, at least she looks like a nice person. You?ll think of something. ?Okay, I need your names, addresses and dates of birth please. You first,? she says as she indicated John with her pen. ?Hey! She speaks like you,? John points out to you. ?Yeah. Are you from New Zealand?? you ask the girl. ?Yes, Wellington. What about you?? ?I?m from Dunedin. What are you doing here?? ?I could ask you the same thing,? she points out. ?Listen, we weren?t doing anything wrong! We were just busking at this market and these cops came out of nowhere and arrested us or something.? The girl reminds you of someone, someone from your own time. ?I?m here to get away from my family. They are currently living in a bus somewhere in the South Island. I got this job doing the accounts and typing and filing and things through an aunt,? she explains. ?You can?t get us out of this mess can you?? you try your luck. ?Only, we didn?t really do anything and we don?t want to get into trouble.? ?Okay, I?ll see what I can do because you?re a kiwi. No promises though. She brushes her skirt and goes back to the desk where she goes into a drawer and fishes out a biscuit tin. She offers you all a biscuit but none of you have appetites at this point in time. She takes one for herself and puts the tin back in the drawer. She sits down at the desk and starts writing on the paper. When she takes a bite out of the biscuit she shakes the crumbs off absent-mindedly as she writes. ?Er.. what are you writing?? you ask after a while. She shakes her biscuit again. ?Your addresses of course. Don?t worry, no one?ll read them. Is your friend alright?? she asks, indicating George. You look at him and he?s still white as anything. ?George? George!? Paul tries to get him to say something and when that fails he clonks him on the head. ?What did you do that for Paul?!? he snaps, finally turning his head. ?You?d gone soft on us,? says John. ?all white and shaky like. You alright?? ?We?re not in trouble are we? Are they going to put us in the cells? Are we arrested?? he blurts out. ?Nah, don?t worry George,? you reassure him. ?This nice girl is going to get us off the hook.?
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Keep it coming Ringo 11 Cheers Chrissie
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I wasn't expecting that at all! Where will they be next! Keep up the good work! J.
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By the way, is there something significant about this girl who works in the police station? Doe she turn out to be someone you know? Spooky!
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lol! where will they go, what will they do? the girl is a mate of mine who asked if she could be in the story. so i stuck her in and it turned out i needed her! but it's only a cameo appearance. she really does shake her biscuits too want more?
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FORTIETH INSTALLMENT The police men come back after ages and ages, which was probably just twenty minutes, of sitting on the seat with the soon-to-be-most-of-the-Beatles all in a row. It feels like waiting for a death sentence. The secretary girl just sat at the desk that whole time, eating and shaking her biscuit and writing things down. Every now and again she would look in your direction but if you met her eye she just looked down at her paper again. The Corporal starts to come over to you but thinks the better of it half way and goes to the desk with the others. You just sit in nervous silence, watching and trying to listen. They?re speaking too quietly for you to hear anything. The three men in uniform talk to the girl in mumbles. Every now and again one of them looks up in your direction for a moment. After a while they all stop whispering and look at the four of you, sitting there feeling miserable, wondering what they have in mind. The suspense is awful. They just look, contemplating. You look back but they don?t meet your eyes. Then you look at the boys, for that?s what they are when you see them sitting there, scared and vulnerable. Just boys, so young. You know what happens to each of them, whether they live or die, who they marry, how many children they have. But right now they are other people, people in the exact same boat as you. This is about as down-to-earth as it gets. Enjoy it while it lasts, dear boys. You look back at the four by the desk again in time to see one of them break the spell. The Sergeant suddenly stops contemplating and looks at the other three decisively. You see him say something to them, they nod and are suddenly busy again. The girl searches for paper on the desk, the Corporal opens a drawer and pulls out a ticket book and pen, the Constable takes the mugs off the desk and disappears out a door and the Sergeant approaches you. This is it, this is where you find your fate. He walks over, that special policeman walk, and stands in front of you. He looks along the row, at each of you in turn. He says nothing. The girl comes over and hands him a paper, which he looks at and thanks her. She winks at you before she turns to disappear out a door and back into the oblivion out of which she seemed to arrive. Suddenly you feel so much better! The colour returns to the world and you suppress a smile. ?Ahem. Right,? the Sergeant begins. You listen intently. ?It seems you have got away with it this time, ahem, yes, because of a, ahem, a loop hole. Yes. We, ah, we can?t hold you here for any longer, ahem, so on your way please,? he finishes with an air of authority, as though the tone of his voice is the only thing he has left to cling to in order to keep his scraps of respect together. You look at the lads who are a bundle of grins, a mirror of your own relief. All that ladish cockiness has returned and they get up off the bench and strut out the door with you in tow. You get into the fresh air and the clouds part. You turn your face to the sun and spread your arms. ?We?re out!? you exclaim to a chorus of ?alright?s and ?yeah?s. You all fall over each other to get down the few steps which had seemed like the huge assent to the top of a sacrificial pyramid on the way in. You spill onto the footpath in an excited frenzy of relief, and Paul hurtles down the street in front of you, turns, almost falling over his own feet, and hurtles back. ?See?? he says, puffing. ?Nothing to worry about!? ?You great lout! You were the one pissing his pants you were so scared they would tell your dad,? John teases. ?Hey!? you cut in, ?We just got arrested! How cool is that?? ?Yeah, wait till all the birds at the Casbah hear! We?ll ?ave to beat ?em off with a stick,? enthuses the young George. ?What are you talking about? I already do,? jokes John. You look at Paul who hasn?t said anything for a while. ?What?s up Paul?? you ask. ?Eh? Oh, I was just thinking?? ?Mmm?? ?Well, now that we can?t busk any more, how are we going to get enough money to go to Paris?? ?Yeah, I never thought of that,? you reply. ?Maybe you?ll all have to go out and get jobs,? you meet their horrified looks with a grin. ?Okay, maybe not. We should go and buy a Lotto ticket though, just in case,? you decide to pull their legs a little more. ?You what?? ?Huh?? ?Eh?? they say as their puzzled looks appear spontaneously. ?Never mind.? ?Anyone got a quid or two?? asks John after a short pause. ?Er, I have? why?? George replies cautiously. ?Cos I?m gonna turn it into fifty,? John says, oozing confidence and holding out his hand to receive the payment. ?Oh yeah? How?? enquires Paul. ?You?ll see if he gives me the money,? John all but taps the side of his nose. George and Paul look at each other quizzically then shrug and dig in their pockets. Each hands John some change and he stuffs it in his pocket and turns on his heel to stride down the street. ??eh! Where are you going?? Paul stops him but he doesn?t turn around. He looks over his shoulder. ?I?m going to go and get us some money!? and before anyone can say ?cha-ching!? he?s gone. ?I better get home too,? George says after the dismay at John?s sudden madness has passed. He says goodbye and you and Paul watch him wander down the road and turn the corner, out of sight on his way to the bus stop. ?Now what?? you turn to Paul after another pause. He keeps looking down the street for a moment before turning his head to you. He doesn?t say anything, just looks at you with eyebrows raised in that ?well, there you go, now what?? sort of look.
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What a great STORY!!! I seriously can't get enough of it.
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HeyHeyJohnny:
What a great STORY!!! I seriously can't get enough of it.
well i can promise you it's not gonna end any time soon!
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Ringo11:
HeyHeyJohnny:
What a great STORY!!! I seriously can't get enough of it.
well i can promise you it's not gonna end any time soon!
WOOT!WOOT!
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Bravo! Bravo! Can't wait for the next installment!
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When you/they were in the police station, I had a picture in my mind of the police station from the film (AHDN). I could see that station (and the policemen) so clearly! Clever twist - as I said before I didn't see that coming but it all fits! Do you know where it is going for several installments in advance or does it just go where the mood takes you? I know you weren't around at the time this is set and I was born midway during that decade myself so I can't remember much! but I can picture the clothes and houses, vehicles etc so clearly, obviously from seeing films and although I have not been there yet I have seen pictures on the National Trust Website of the kitchen in Paul's house. So, what I am clumsily trying to say is that it all seems very real, and it is such good fun to read! Bumper bump! Julie
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Chica Loca:
When you/they were in the police station, I had a picture in my mind of the police station from the film (AHDN). I could see that station (and the policemen) so clearly! Clever twist - as I said before I didn't see that coming but it all fits! Do you know where it is going for several installments in advance or does it just go where the mood takes you? I know you weren't around at the time this is set and I was born midway during that decade myself so I can't remember much! but I can picture the clothes and houses, vehicles etc so clearly, obviously from seeing films and although I have not been there yet I have seen pictures on the National Trust Website of the kitchen in Paul's house. So, what I am clumsily trying to say is that it all seems very real, and it is such good fun to read! Bumper bump! Julie
i'm so glad you can see what i see! that means i must be doing something right in the writing of the thing. if you remember, this all started out as a fantasy on the ladies only thread. i daydream it all visually, and then write it down. to get the feel or the era i read books and look at photos, cos i'm really interested in life in that time and place. i'm going to read a book called nobody in particular by cherry simmonds. hopefully that'll give me a few more little things to use. i found the book STUART about stu sutcliffe a really good source too. it's a genesis limited edition and it comes in a box with a copy of his sketch book. you'll see what i did with it in later chapters. you were meant to have a picture of the police in ahdn in your mind when you read that! you may have noticed other little things in the story which i have taken from well known beatle books, films, documentaries and that sort of thing. mark lewisohn is a real help. i write it as the mood takes me, but i don't post it until i've written a few more chapters after it, so i can go back (let's go back and get em eh? yeah, let's go back back back back... back in time with ringo11!) if the mood takes me to change bits before you've read it. that's how i know what's going to happen a little way in advance, but i still don't know if they get to paris and what will happen if they do. haven't got that far. but i will, and i'm looking forward to it. i can't wait to see what happens either