Saturday 24 March 2012

The Man and the Hound - Preview

A few months ago I had the idea to write a short story. I decided that the genre will be a fusion of steampunk western, romance and thriller genres. I don't remember when it was the first sparkle of this weird idea but what I really recall is the days I spent daydreaming about the setup, the main characters, how they behave, some flashback of their dialogues, the major events of the story, etc. So, I started writing down some of these "revelations". Then, I had something important to carry out so I gave up writing temporarily to focus on the real life. And, once I'd fulfilled my duties, it was a little bit late for me to extract inspiration from thin air. So, here I am today exposing some paragraphs of that aborted project which I wrote down a few months ago. There's no real chronological order hereafter, just what seemed a logical one to me.
Obviously, some elements like the characters names have their roots in the folklore heritage relevant to the meanings I want to underline or foreshadow.

* * *

Wild Bill van Helsing is an arms maker. He blesses Men with the gift of claws and fangs to help them persist in the wilderness. If he had the chance to hear of Darwin, he would have known that he -personally- is boosting the process of natural selection. And, he would have discovered that he was -curiously enough- the wrathful hand of Nature if such thing exists. Unfortunately, people have different perspectives. And among them, few do not disregard his kin -certainly those who have heard of natural selection.

He would have been digging for gold in the southern mines if it wasn't for the left leg he lost in some misadventure. Even though he has a functional replacement for his defunct limb, his life would be threatened if his mechanical leg falls short of power. These replacement limbs are reliable as long as you keep them clean and fairly powered. Otherwise, it would be none but a useless piece of junk. He will not take the high tides for gold.

* * *

It became very common to encounter people with replacement limbs around the place. The world outside has become very insecure. Wherever you go, Danger is lurking in the dark waiting for the first opportunity to rob you one of your limbs or even your very life.
Danger -that sly bastard- has far more forms than the stars an adolescent lover could recognize in a clear summer sky.
Sometimes, Danger is a furious starving wild animal. Some other times, it's a drunk outlaw who winds up a little more motivated to use his firearm when you awkwardly bump into him on your way home. Yet, the best embodiment ever of danger is a gold mine opening its big mouth for the lives of riches-seeking brats like hell pits for the damned souls of sinners.
You decide to pay a visit to your aunt in the nearby town and you end up with your foot chunked to a thousand pieces in the stomach of a vulture.
You undertake the adventure to go out shopping and you come back home after a while with a big ugly hole in your thigh.
The world outdoors has become very dangerous. Only a fool or a sinister bandit would think the opposite.
All of that could not damp the spirit of our brave guy. He was the kind to roam in the town between his workshop and the saloon, risking both life and limb on a daily basis to bring food -and wine- on his table.


* * *

Even though death has become a daily sport around the town, he couldn't afford to make big money out of it. It wasn't his fault. He was doing his best making the finest tools for the crazy people filling the saloons. But, two kids in Massachusetts have been growing their business very fast gathering arms makers to work under their flag. He was offered to work for them. As a response to this call, he pointed a big gun in the clerk's face asking him to leave his property once and for all and never dare to come back. And, the clerk took that for a decline.
It's was due to these two kids that his business's barely surviving... It was Smith and Wesson's fault... At least, that was what he believed.
As for him working for somebody else tastes like slavery. As a worker, he would have a chain of masters to make him feel as puny as he would be. And a couple of nickel pieces at the end of the day to comfort him for his lost freedom. He would lose his free will and be used at will. He couldn't skip a day of work for any reason whatsoever without being summoned the next day to servilely explain the twists of fate behind his unforgivable deed. He wouldn't be allowed to think of a new model of arms with a new type of ammunition... He would only follow the great minds of the masters and suppress his creativity. He would be another brick in the wall. He can't allow himself to accept such nonsense.

* * *

It seems to him like a century has passed since the day they have been forced apart him and his beloved Jane. Her father, Sir Kalamity, won't allow such a relationship to bloom between the only heir of his wealth, his daughter, and a lowly commoner such as Bill. For the last three years, he has been actively trying to find her whereabouts but his efforts were for naught.
He wound up letting the last threads of hope slip away between his fingers. He was trying to move on with his life, burying himself in work by the day and sinking his sorrows in booze by the night. He thought that time would heal his wounds and leave him with none but a reminder scar. He thought that over time his feelings will fade to pale. But he was really naive. He became a shade of his old self and he was turning from the lively young man to a deceased fellow walking among the living.
The decision of the father poisoned two innocent lives.

---
Footnote:

The image posted herein is a modification of this wikimedia-hosted photo and is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported.

13 comments:

Khaoula said...

:) السلام

نهنيك اولا على تمكنك من اللغة ..حاجة تعمل الكيف :) (رغم اني مانيش مهفة ياسر في الانقليزية الا اني عجبني الي قريتو )

و في العادة الانقليزية ما نقراش خاصة كي تبدا حاجة طويلة :p
دونك تشهدلي عالمجهود الي عملتو ههه

اكثر جزء عجبني هو الي تحكي فيه عالخطر..حسيتو ياسر واقعنا ..و عجبني خاصة التعبير هذا
Danger -that sly bastard- has far more forms than the stars an adolescent lover could recognize in a clear summer sky.
فنان :)

بالتوفيق اما ننصحك نظمها و كملها :) ماكش مزروب عالنشر وسع علاها بالك و بعد اتحفنا بقصة كاملة مترابطة الأحداث

:)

Deceazed Fella said...

و عليكم السلام و رحمة الله

هاوكة نجّم نسلّك روحي وين يضيعلي جواز السّفر في الولابات المتّحدة =p

هو من ناحية مجهود ما نجّمش ننقاشك
ديجا مالأوّل قلت باز حدّ ما هو باش يوسّع باله و يقرا هذا الكلّ =D

بالنسبة للفقرة اللي تحكي على الخطر
صحيح الشعب مسيّب على طوله، أما مازلنا ما وصلناش لمستوى الأسلحة النارية و السّباع الضارية.. على الأقلّ في المدن الكبيرة xD

و بالنسبة للقصّة الكاملة، المشكلة أنّي عندي على الأقلّ زوز ولاّ ثلاثة مشاريع أخرى في ذهني منهم واحد كتبت فيه 6 أوراق
و في كلّ مرّة نقول شكون باش يقرا حكايات بالأنجليزية و شكون باش يفكّ الرسائل المشفّرة (برشة رسائل) اللي نحاول نبثّها

تو نحاول نسترجع خيوط القصّة باذن الله

شكرا على القراءة و التعليق
ياخذ بخاطرك و ربّي يبارك فيك ^^

Khaoula said...

و فيك بارك الله و ماعنديش مزيّة

هه ما نحبش نعمل فاها الناصح النصوح :p
آما كيف تكتب اكتب لروحك (جوّك انت يعني مش للناس ) و الي قرا مرجبا سينون هاك مأثّث بيهم المدونة (شكون يعرف تحتاجهم نهار تعمل كتاب :p )

و المشاريع ركّز فكرك في حاجة اكهو ..رتبهم باولوياتهم بش تجي حاجة مزيانة ..الكل مع بعضو تو كل حاجة تجي تعاني من عيوب مش عيب :)

Chimera en mode Dr.Phil (hate him by the way :p )

Deceazed Fella said...

طبعا انصح! اقبل النصائح كما تشرب الاسفنجة الماء =p
اي بطبعي نكتب ديما و اللي نحطّه في المدوّنة تنجّم تقول يجيوا 60-70% ماللي عندي على الأوراق و في الحاسوب

بالنسبة للمشاريع ما عنديش حلّ
مخّي يغلي كيما فيراج الجمعيّة =p
هاوكة نحاول نكتب على أوراق باش ما يضيع شي

Khaoula said...

دونك بالتوفيق :) ، ربي معاك ^^

CHAMS AL ASSIL said...

تعليق سريع جدا قبل أن أقرأ القصة بتمعن أولا شكرا على المجهود ثانيا مصادفة غريبة أنا الآن بصدد قراءة رواية بالانقليزية لأول مرة قررت أن أتحدى نفسي وأحاول الاستمتاع بها بلغتها الأصلية أنا الآن في الفصل الثالث وسعيدة بهذه التجربة أرجو أن نقرأ لك عملا متكاملا وربي يعينك!

Deceazed Fella said...

@شيمار
شكرا ^^

@شمس الأصيل
أوافقك الرّأي بخصوص القراءة باللغة الأصلية للكتاب فالترجمة لا بدّ أن تطمس بعض السّجع أو تحرّف بعض الكلم عن مواضعه
أتذكّر أوّل مرّة قرأت فيها بالأنجليزية، "تقوّيت على بدني" و في نهاية المطاف ما قرأته من أسطر في المعجم تجاوز ما طالعته في الكتاب =D

بارك الله فيك
شكرا على المرور و التعليق ^^

Sarra Jouini said...

Finally , a bit of the short story has been released !! I have been waiting for it since that time you spoke to me about it on the phone ! Of course, what I have just read was beyond what I have imagined at that day !! I have been away these last couple of days and I hope I will tell you about what was going on with me . Be sure you have got a big fan here !! Posting only a part of the story is good for suspense , so WTG !
PS: "Deceased Fellow" from the last line.. and "Deceazed Fella" ..
The hazardous situation at the beginning reminded me of 1984.. and apparently "Mr.Kalamity" or better say "Calamity" .. is but face of that tyrannical "Big Brother" . But this father is taking control over his daughter's life.
I also love the choice of " Van Helsing" =D

I enjoyed the story dear and I am most certainly waiting for the rest to be posted !! These lines are worth sharing and I have already passed them to three of my friends who I know will take the time and read it !!
Inspiring work ~

Deceazed Fella said...

يا مرحبا
هالخطى السعيد =D

الساعة
Thank you for the lengthy and in-depth comment ^^
Et puis, this is a whole different story from the one we talked about. It's my fault though, for I kept the details for myself =p
The other one is a less monochromatic story about a tough guy who doesn't mind chopping heads off..
و ين حكيتلك عليها
I remember relating the main theme to Nietzsche's concepts of overcoming and master slave morality and few other things. Mais, I've already sketched the whole thing (conflicts, characters, POV)
حبّيت نعمل حاجة على قاعدة
au moins this time, with more action and dialogues and less dull description.

PS:
Yep, the use of "Deceased Fellow" was an intended pun.. The same goes for "Wild Bill", "van Helsing", "Jane Kalamity" <-> "Calamity Jane" and even "Smith & Wesson" =p
As for 1984, it wasn't my intention to make a dsyotpian setup.. I don't really intend to speak about politics in any shape or form.
أما علاش لا! يمكن نحافظ على الجو الكئيب

معناها توّة فمّة حارة أشخاص مالنّخبة متاع الأنجليزيّة في البلاد باش يقراوا اللي قاعد نكتب فيه
نحسّ روحي تقولش نعدّي في امتحان
ما نوصّيكش عاد قوللهم يعاونوني في النّوت xD

شكرا على القراءة و التعليق
و بارك الله فيك

Sarra Jouini said...

Hahahaha
لا ماتخافش , ما شاء اللّه علي إنتي تصلّحلنا مش العكس
Juste pour te dire que your blog is not really a deserted land ! You have got followers.. plutot stalkers like myself xDD
مافيباليش بيك عندك أكثر من قصّة في بالك
In fact,
مافي باليش ينجّم يكون لواحد أكثر من قصّة في الذهن و في نفس الوقت
يعطيك الصحّة و اللّه

Deceazed Fella said...

لا العفو
I'm just an amateur and youse people are the real deal =D

It's good to know that I have readers other than my close friends
و زيد ستالكرز جملة وحدة xD

اي نعم مخّي يغلي ببرشة حكايات.. ديجا بدات تظهر عليّا أعراض الآلزهايمر xD

Sarra Jouini said...

اللّطف عليك قالو الآلزهايمر
مانخافش عليك , هاكي آثار العبقريّة و حسب
=D

Deceazed Fella said...

ربّي يلطف بيّا و بيك و بجميع المؤمنين
ربّي يعزّك
أما لا عبقريّة لا شي، عادي.. لامدا ^^'

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