Night of the Living Debt!

I just met your friend from the other site. Daisilou.

:D I debated about posting this site where I did until they did a thread about what other places people participate in. Then it took me a while to post it. Sometimes you never know how people will take things. Not sure how many from there will come here, but I told them what the site was about and all the benefits etc. Glad she came aboard!!

It was nice to read a friendly hello from someone new. I am sure that she will learn alot from all of the knowledgable people on here. I am glad that you recommended her to this this site 2nd

ladybug

She seems like a very nice person and will be a great addition. I wonder if she knows we are talking about her.

Frog - Please take a deep breath. You can get mad at me if you want, but I don't want this to drag on. Goudah

:? :? :?

Yeah, I'm confused too Wulf.

Seems to be a lot of that goin' around....

So it would seem.

Goudah was not referring to this thread! I was a little annoyed about something and in my opinion rightfully so. I made an inappropriate sarcastic comment and it was deleted. I agree with my good friend and severist critic that it should have been. I have foergotten about it and hold no unforgivness and will move on with the story!

cant wait!

Neither can I

At last visit we had met the executive producer of the film and received our itinerary from her. We were to go back to the theater the following evening. If you are interested, the historic Tampa theater really exists and it is a special place. I have added a link for you to visit at you convenience. Go here to enjoy.
tampatheatre.org/photos.html

Lets continue the story?????????????????????.

After a day of leisure we arrived back at the theater early in the evening where we were greeted by the Director who was now wearing a NY Giants shirt. (Just kidding!)
She brought us to a spot backstage where all the others I met along the way were gathered.
???????Listen up everybody,??????? she barked. ???????I need you to listen to me. In about 90 minutes this place is going to be filled with people that are here to see all of you up there on the big screen. Up in the balcony there is a section roped off that is reserved for you. After the movie begins you will quietly take your seats up there where you can watch. As soon as the movie ends while the credits are just beginning to roll an announcer will address the audience telling them to remain seated and greet the cast live on stage. That of course is you. You will have, at that point, left your seats and come down the stairs on the side of the balcony. You will go out the fire exit to the street and back in through the door where you first arrived, I will be here in this spot to meet you. Follow me.???????
We walked out onto the stage in front of the curtain that concealed the screen.
???????Ugly witch, Pug , Weiner Dog and Train Conductor will walk out and take center stage right on these marks. Make a note where they are as the lighting will be a lot different.???????
I looked out into the empty seats and could not believe this place. It was as if I were on the stage outside in an old Mediterranean city. There were building facades with lanterns and stairs and caved details. There was even a sky with twinkling stars.
???????When you get here you will bow to the audience. Ang and Morning, you walkout next. The four of you will part in the middle and you two will take center stage and bow. Fairy lady or whatever you are you are next. You too are last.??????? She pointed to me and the Volley Ball Girl. You do the same as the others. After you take your bow all of you will join hands , raise the them in the air and bow together one final time. At that point the curtain will come down and you walk off. OK lets try it.???????
We walked off stage and walked out in order like she said.
???????I am missing someone.???????
???????That would be Luke and Air Force.??????? I said.
???????Here we are.??????? A voice from off stage said. ???????we missed our ride.???????
She put them in the line after the Roxanne the Fairy Psycho. We went back stage to wait.
Right on schedule we could here people filing in. A Strauss waltz was playing on the PA system. Once full, the lights went down and the place was transformed into a magical scene from the Old World. Glowing windows and balconies and an indigo starlit sky.
We hurried to out seats up in the balcony. A chill came over me as the opening theme began to play.

To be continued?????????????????????soon??????????????..

Oh Wow....how fantastic is that!!! I could picture us all there together....Oh Frog...I really don't want this to end! What will you write for us next???

And I just looked at the Theater...how beautiful, I can almost see us up in the balcony.....

Frog...I have to correct one thing...I would NEVER wear a Giants shirt!!! :D

But the producer would. Go giants

Make it an old Y.A Tittle jersey and that will be good. Never will I support cry-baby Eli. Even Strahan would be ok..Just not Eli. Oh!!! How about an old Frank Gifford? Now that would be cool!

Great . Keep it coming Frog

This story has a real stange ending which is not far off. I wanted to do the whole thing on the weekend but my computer kept locking up on me and I got to annoyed to write anything. When it is going to end I will let everyone know exactly when I am going to post it ahead of time. Did anyone check out the theater? I saw the academy award winning film La Vie en Rose there. It was wonderful. And I sat in the balcony.

Oh I see the link is disabled. Silly rules! Copy and paste it.

I just love reading this story frog...I think you should write children's books :lol: you would be great at it.

ladybug

Uh oh...why do I feel there is more to being late than missing a ride!! Getting anxious as to what is playing on the screen and actually happens at the end of the movie!!! Hurry Frogpatch!!!!

Frog, this story is sooo good. I just can't wait for the next chapter. The theater sounds like one we have here. It is so pretty.

:sun:

Froggy ~ when is the next chapter coming???

I was going to write over the weekend but it looks like I will be shopping for a new computer. Mine crashed and its 10 years old. Early next week I guess.
Thanks again for reading!

Keep it up Frog!! Can't wait to read the end--but sorry it is the end :cry: karen

I will try to get another post done tomorrow OK?
I went out and bought a lap top over the weekend as it was not worth fixing the old desk top. I will be paying this off for a while but it will make my wifes work at home job easier I think. Now we have to wait for the cable company. She is leary of new stuff but I guarantee I will have to pry it from her in a week.

Yeah Frog Prince! I cannot wait!

Wow! This is rally getting good. I can't wait to read what happens next. :)

I really want to move on with this but I have had several deterrents lately. The most recent being my concern for Cannr. Where is the weiner dog that we all love? If you have heard from her please let me know!
Others include the fact that my PC crashed and I got a notebook. I can't type in the darn thing! I hooked a keyboard up to it and it is too far away. Which means I am back to working on my lunch with all the distractions that have been around me lately.
I have not given up if that is what you were thinking. It will be back soon! I am not part of my own writers strike either.

cant wait for the next chapter

We all had taken our seats in the balcony and the movie had begun. Our story continues???????..

The screen was totally black and single violin cried a slow, lonely sounding tune. White letters began to slowly scroll from the bottom.
???????Past the boundaries of human perception, through a slim crevice to another dimension, there exists a small dark slice of hell where the self serving, greed driven unconscionable have the dubious privilege of spending eternity.
Occasionally it is necessary for ordinary people to pass involuntarily through that crack for whatever reason the creator deems necessary. This is the story of some that were chosen.???????

The music stopped, the screen was black and with a loud thud, there I was, flat on my face on the sidewalk. I slowly got up and looked around. There was the dim light I remembered. I looked terrified as I walked slowly toward the light. And then the audience almost jumped out of there collective skin as the witch suddenly appeared, full face on screen.
I thought to myself how strange it was seeing myself in such revealing detail fifteen feet high on a screen. I could hear myself breath and actually saw all the color drain from my face as I beheld the witch for the first time.
The rest of the film was riveting. From the terror on the train to the Cajun party to the part where we laughed at the crazy fairy lady and where we were awed as we watched Morning carry us high in the sky, we could not budge in our seats. There were added effects and scenes that were simply amazing. Then it came down to the part where the fighting began. The exploding dye packs and the blood curdling screams from the zombies, followed by the part that we knew nothing about. Those mean biker ghouls had us cornered in an alley. We never ran through the door. There was no door! We had to stand and fight! This is where all that blue screen special effects session was to be used and was it ever! There were four of us and about seven of them.
I threw the trash can and it landed right in front of one of them. He fell over it causing two of the others to go down. Volleyball girl picked up a discarded sponge mop and whacked the big guy in the neck and his head came right off. Another came toward Sky and he drop kicked him and his chest caved in. A third was right in my face and I shoved the white cat at him and it sunk all four of its claws in the guys face. He screamed. Suddenly cats appeared from everywhere. There were dozens of them and they and pounced on the guy until he was covered with ferocious felines. The some of them went for the ones who were still trying to get up. The headless one was still feeling around for his head. We were safe for now.
Suddenly the sky became blindingly bright. It was so bright that we had to cover our eyes with our hands. We could see nothing. As the brightness faded we found ourselves standing on a dock in a sunny tropical looking location. There was a ferry waiting.
A small ticket booth stood along side the ramp with a sign above the window with a single word, home. We bought our tickets and boarded the boat and embarked. The final theme began to play and the credits stared to roll.

Back in our balcony seats we were so mesmerized by the whole thing that we forgot to get up and head to the stairs.
???????Lets go!??????? the director barked.
An announcer said, ???????Please remain seated folks and get ready to greet our cast live on stage.???????
We hurried down the stairs and through the door onto the street. Down the street and back though the other door to the room that led back stage. Two by two the director ushered everyone out in front of the audience. I could hear the applause and was really getting nervous. Then it was our turn. We held hands and walked to center stage and took our bows. The applause was deafening!
???????I guess this is my 15 minutes of fame they always talk about.??????? I thought to myself.
We all took our final bow together and the curtain came down. I felt like I literally deflated. We walked off stage and out the door directly into a stretch Navigator that took us back to the hotel. A party was waiting in the one of the suites. There was champagne, caviar and fois gras. Anything decadent you could think of was available.
The party lasted a couple of hours. We really bonded during our episode and exchanged names and numbers and swore we would all get together again.
After the party I retired to my room wondering what was next. There was no plan, no instructions. I would get up tomorrow go down and have breakfast and hope there would be a ride home. Who knows? What a long strange trip it????????s been.

To be continued???????.

Next week is the final episode of this story. It will be posted on Wednesday at around 1:00 EST. I hope to see you all reading it at that time. The trip has been a fantastic experience for me and I thank you all so much for your encouragement.
I have spent hours trying to think of the ending to this story and I think I came up with a good one. You can be the judge of that.

Yea! Me and my kitty army kicked their butts! Cats of the world unite! That is actually something my cat would do. He's not white, but orange and spotted. He's an Oci cat. i don't think he's truly domesticated, either. He's still got a lot of his wild cousins in him. He's also about 20 pounds and has extra claws, so scratching into someones face is pretty accurate. Great job with the story! I don't want it to end.

Frog, This has been an awsome "trip" I have enjoyed every sentence and all the comments from the members. I am anxious to see how you ended this yet sad to see it end becuase I have enjoyed it so much......... Until black Wednesday.

IF THIS WAS A TV SHOW THE CLIFFHANGER WOULD GET BETTER RATINGS THAN THE SUPERBOWL. :D 8)

thanks

It has been great reading it and I too am sad to see it come to the end...please write more stories like this for us...it gets our minds off of our troubles..you are great frog :lol:

Brilliant Frog!!! :D (applause)

I hate to see it end also :cry: You really have a great gift Frog!!!!

Absolutely fantastic!! I'm so glad I popped in tonight...thank you frog.....

Great job so far, my friend. Can't wait to see how it wraps up!

kittys kickin butt..cool awesome story!!!

we will miss it

Thank you so much! I really appreciate everyones kind words! I am doing the best I can to get this done by Wednesday. An nasty cold decided to visit me sending me home early. I can't write at home right now as my new lap top did not come with word which is where I write it at work. I will do my best to get it done on my lunch tomorrow and Wednesday. If there is a delay I will be sure to let you know! Thanks again!!

Frog, just take care of yourself. I know there is a nasty cold/flu going around here. I have lost several staff to it last and this week and hubby who never gets sick was down for over a week. There is not story without you.....so work on getting better. :hug:

Asian soup with lemongrass is awesome!

I was able to keep my promise to you all. The final chapter will be posted today!

Welcome to the final episode. As you remember we saw the finished product at the theatre, took our final bows, and returned to a cast party at the hotel. Our story continues??????????????

I awoke very early the following day, having no idea what was next in the scheme of things. I had no bag to pack so I simply showered, dressed in the clothes returned by the valet, and hopped the elevator to the lobby. The lobby was very empty and there was a typical hotel buffet set up. I grabbed a cup of coffee and a bagel.
After I was done eating I walked through the lobby and out the doors to where the guests arrived. I was stunned to see when I got outside there was no driveway. There was nothing but a little league field with one of those old style Good Humor trucks from the 50s and 60s with the freezer on the back. I thought I may have gone out the wrong door. I turned around to go back and there was no hotel. My old grammar school stood in its place but at a distance. It had the massive doors and the neo classical styling with the cupola on the top that I remembered. They used to say that the principal would be up in the cupola watching us on the playground at lunch and gym. I looked back and there was that truck. A man in a white uniform with a white hat stood beside the freezer. He had one of those chrome coin changers on his belt. He gestured to me to walk over. I now recognized the field where I use to play ball and then I would buy ice cream after the game.
???????Hi, I am Mike.??????? he said with a smile. ???????Do you remember me????????
I shook my head. ???????No, I don????????t.??????? I answered.
???????You used to get ice cream from me when you were a kid. That is where your problem started.???????
???????What problem???????? I asked.
???????Paying your bills!??????? he responded. ???????You would not have enough money and I would let you go on credit. To repay me you would pick up all the wrappers that the other kids discarded in the playground.???????
???????You are right! I remember that.???????
???????They would all go home to their TVs to watch Roy Rogers and you would still be here cleaning up.??????? He said. ???????Get in! I will take you home, but first there are a couple of places I want you to see.???????
I climbed in the passenger side of the truck and we drove off. Everything looked familiar.
We pulled into the lot of a small corner luncheonette.
???????Do you recognize this place???????? Mike asked.
???????Yeah this is Danny????????s Place where we used to go in high school????????
???????Right,??????? he replied. ???????All the others were eating in the school cafeteria except you and your friends who broke school rules and left the grounds to come here. Instead of bringing your lunch or buying the cheaper food in the cafeteria you would come here and eat cheeseburgers and drink sodas. You had a tab here too, didn????????t you????????
???????Yes I did!???????.I admitted.
We drove off and arrived at another place.
???????How about this one???????? He asked.
This was the Inn where we would come when I was older and spend many Friday nights. It was a fun place. Good food, good drinks!???????
???????You spent a lot of take home pay here didn????????t you????????
???????Yes I certainly did.???????
???????You ran up a tab here to, right????????
???????Yeah!??????? I admitted reluctantly.
???????Do you recognize the girl pulling in????????
???????That????????s Judy, my first real love!???????
I could not handle this. Here she was right before my eyes, young and prettier than I remembered and driving her Moms Pontiac LeMans.
???????You spent a lot trying to impress her didn????????t you????????
???????Yeah!???????
???????What happened to her????????
???????She dumped me for some low life.???????
???????You see where we are going here! I could take you on the expensive vacations that you charged to your sign and travel 30 years later. The chain is never ending. It started with your allowance and followed you throughout your life.???????
We drove a little more and pulled up in front of a house.
???????That????????s where I grew up!??????? I exclaimed.
???????What is that crude wooden structure at the curb under the tree.????????
???????My lemonade stand!. I used to sit there during the week in the summer and catch the people walking up the hill from the train and buses. I knew that they would be hot and would buy from me and did they ever!???????
???????What did you do with the money????????
???????Spent it.???????
???????On what????????
???????I don????????t know.???????
??????? I think you have learned a valuable lesson here today. Don????????t you???????? he queried.
???????Yes. I certainly have and I really thank you for showing me.??????? I replied.
???????I can only make one promise to you.???????
???????What????????s that????????
???????When you get home after this trip, you are going to be debt free!???????
???????Debt free? You mean that?.???????
???????Yes, debt free! (plug) Now why don????????t you grab that rope and ring the bells and see who comes out of that house!???????
I took the rope and pulled. I heard the bells as I remembered them as a kid! But that was all I remember>

I awoke in my own bed and it was bright outside and the sheets were soaked with sweat. I heard my wife!
???????Are you getting up soon? We have to get ready for the trick or treaters!???????
???????Huh! What time is it????????
???????Around 11. I let you sleep because you did not sleep well last night! You were tossing and turning and saying weird things in your sleep like ???????volleyball??????? and ???????sorry frog ass.??????? You must have been having a nightmare.???????
???????I was here the whole time????????
???????Uh yeah! Were did you think you would go????????
???????I don????????t know. It was just weird.???????
Halloween came and went. The next day was Sunday and I decided too take a ride across the bay down by the theater to try to get some things worked out in my mind! As I drove through the downtown area I spied that vacant lot, just as I remembered it. There was the theater and the side door. I parked the car and walked up to the ticket window.
???????What played here last night???????? I asked the woman selling tickets.
???????Casablanca with Humphrey Bogart, The old classic.??????? She answered .
???????And the night before ????????
???????Same.???????
How strange it was that everything appeared the same right down to the alley with the trash can. I walked down the alley apprehensively and looked around. I heard a tiny sound.
???????Meeeew, meeeeew!??????? It cried.
There by the can was a tiny white kitten. I bent down and picked it up and carried it to the car. It had found a new home. Ours!

I never understood what happened to me that night! Was it some form of bizarre dream or did I really slip through the seam of another dimension?. All I know is that Mikes promise was kept. I never got another collection call or past due bill in the mail. I called Amex and they said, ???????We have no record of you ever having an account with us!???????
I was in fact, yes debt free!


The End!


Like all fairy tales, the story would not be complete without a moral.
The end of this story is autobiographical. I really was in debt to the Good Humor man at age ten. I had a lunch tab at fifteen and a bar tab at twenty one. That was until I found it cheaper to bribe the bartender. Then I began bribing everyone.
It is imperative in this instant self gratification world that we teach our kids, at a very young age, how to handle money responsibly. We do this by teaching them work ethics and also by our own example. If we give our kids an allowance in return for helping with small chores that is all well. However, if we are spending more on gratification then we are giving back to society, church and family this leaves a negative lasting impression that will influence a childs behavior long into adulthood until they hit bottom either financially, emotionally or spiritually. One way or another they will hit bottom. You want your children to have a happy, healthy productive life. If you don????????t have children you still need to be an example for others to admire. Start today, make a change! Make a difference!.
Thank you all!

YOU DID NOT DISAPOINTE.GREAT ENDING TO A GREAT STORY.
8) 8) 8) 8)