Monday Writings - 7th October 2024

[fardell24]

Excerpt from: Long Distance Prank Calls – Jake
“Gah! That’s it! Be thankful that your father won’t send you to Military School!”

“Homer won’t. Principal Skinner though.”

That was enough for Jake. He then slammed down the phone. ‘What am I going to do?’


Excerpt from: Long Distance Prank Calls – Lisa
Lisa Simpson was cleaning her saxophone in the lounge room when she heard the phone ring. No one else was there so she picked it up. “Hello?”

“Lisa?” Daria Morgendorffer asked. “Your brother’s calls need to be stopped.”


Excerpt from: Mysteries of Aurora
“Probably,” Olivia responded as she looked around.


Freya meet up in a group of eight, most of whom were also residents of Sigrun Sigurdottir Hall. “Colorful,” one of the others said.

“Well,” Freya said as she twirled a pink pigtail. “I am an artist. This is one way I express myself.”

“Oh, of course. What’s your name?”

“Freya, and you?”

“Daniela.”

The group them introduced each other.


“The first clue… find a place where plants are abundant and have purpose.”

“That would be a botanical garden, right?” Daniela asked.

“Could be a herbarium,” another girl, Julia, said.

“That too,” Freya considered as she looked at her tablet. The Aurosoka map of the University was then shown. “The Botany department is to the north.”

“Let’s go,” Daniela said.


Olivia and Janara had met up with a small group. “Herbarium, that makes sense,” Olivia said. “We’ll go there.”

“Sure,” one of the other students, Ethan, said.

“North from the Grand Plaza,” Janara said. “Between the Main Library and the History Department. Then through the Art Department.”

“Is there another way?” Olivia asked. “As she looked around at the crowds heading in the same direction.”

“We could go on the elevated walkways,” Janara suggested.


Excerpt from: Spider Quinn
Quinn and Brittany left the school grounds before changing to SpiderGirl and Ninja Talon respectively. They then went in different directions, with SpiderGirl heading southwards, to patrol the downtown.


Daria parked in the parking lot behind the Historia. “I didn’t really know this was here,” Anna said as she got out.

“It’s one of those hidden places that people don’t think about,” Daria said.

“Like in those stories you like, only more mundane,” Ben said.

“That makes sense,” Anna said.

“I’ll show you the backstage area if you want,” Daria said.

“What about the apartments?” Anna asked.

“They’re hardly used, and therefore boring,” Daria responded.

“Oh, right,” Anna said.


Daria and the couple entered the backstage area and saw Quentin measuring something near the stage. “Anna, Ben, this is Quentin Beck, the new special effects person.”

“Hi,” Anna said.

“Hi,” Quentin said.

“What are you doing?” Daria asked.

“What does it look like?” Quentin asked.

“I don’t think anything needs to be done back here,” Daria said.

“I need to know what I’m working with,” Quentin said.

“Draw up a plan for what you want to do, then bring it to Quinn and I before the rehearsal tomorrow,” Daria said.

“Sure thing,” Quentin said.


“A little suspicious,” Anna said as they entered the theatre room.

“I agree,” Daria said. “I’ll tell Quinn later.”


Entering the café, Daria heard Mrs. Rowe call out to her. “Coming,” she said.

“The critic was here in the morning,” Mrs. Rowe said.

“And what did she say?”

“That the integrity of the arts is important.”

“Of course it is,” Daria said.

“And then she talked to Quentin and left.”

“I’m beginning to think Quinn’s misgivings might be right.”

“How so?” Mrs. Rowe asked.

“He was measuring backstage when I came in from the parking lot. He’s doing something.”

“Maybe I could call Joey or Robert?”

“I wouldn’t bother them yet. I will talk to Quinn later,” Daria said. She then ordered a coffee and chips.


As she waited, she showed Anna and Ben the stairs up to the roof. “Thanks, Daria,” Anna said.

Daria nodded. “Just be careful. The edge isn’t that high.”

“No problem.”


Ben looked out as Anna led him out from the stairs. He could see the nearby mountains in the distance. “The northern Appalachians, right?” he asked.

“That’s right, although it is some distance,” Anna said. “Come, you’ll have a better look at the town.”

Ben followed her out and looked around. He could see a lot more of Lawndale, then he usually could. “I didn’t think the Giant Strawberry was that, giant.”

“It is several stories tall,” Anna said.

“That’s right,” someone said.

Ben turned and saw that it was SpiderGirl. “SpiderGirl?”

“That’s me. I usually come here to look and think, often to listen. I know Feli,” SpiderGirl said, using one of Anna’s nicknames.

“Kind of,” Anna said. “I might have vented to you a little when the mentoring with Quinn started.”

“Is that all?” Ben asked.

“I was still wondering if it would be good,” Anna said. “And it was when Gerald was being difficult.”

“He still is,” Ben said.

“I guess so,” Anna said.

“It’s going well?” SpiderGirl asked.

“Mostly,” Anna said. “It’s more that everything else happening sometimes distract, like Groundhog Day.”


SpiderGirl was silent. She had talked to Anna and Ben about it during the mentoring sessions, and thus knew how they were holding up in that regard. She also knew that Anna felt trapped by her ‘weird’ reputation, which was why she was a misfit. ‘One can’t help what they are interested in,’ she thought. Despite everything that had happened, she still had an interest in fashion.


Anna was having similar thoughts. She looked at Ben. She knew he was trying to deal with his hypochondria after his experience with that Copperhead.

“Penny for your thoughts?” Ben asked.

“Change and the desire for it,” Anna responded.

Ben looked out over the town again. “Superheroes and teens running this theatre. Maybe we could come on Friday?”

“That would be good,” SpiderGirl said. “Support the theatre.”

“So you will be there as your secret identity?” Anna asked.

“That would be telling. But I will be at the play at some point,” SpiderGirl responded. “Or maybe multiple points. You can’t deduce my secret identity that way.”

“I have wondered, but I don’t want to know,” Anna said.


Quinn arrived home shortly before dinner, thinking about the conversation with Anna. ‘She’s not likely to find out. Besides, the theatre is likely to be packed for Tempest, despite the critic’s description of it.’ She entered the kitchen, where Daria was writing something. “Hey, Daria.”

“Hi, Quinn,” Daria said. “I found Quentin being suspicious this afternoon.”

“Really?” Quinn asked as she sat down.

Daria then explained what she, Anna and Ben had found.

‘They didn’t mention that to me as SpiderGirl. But maybe they didn’t think it was worth mentioning to a superhero,’ Quinn thought. “It does seem weird,” she said.

“So, I told him to design something and he’ll get back to us tomorrow.”