The Shed 16

Mornin' Shedizens!

Gordi - have fun on the island! If you get lost, click your heels together three times, down a shot, and say, "There's no drink better than single-malt!"

I think that's how it goes, right?

Gordi, your story was wonderful and reminded me of the old days of the Shed! I do hope you keep writing! Have a fun filled weekend my friend!

Hello Timely! How are things in your part of the world?

Morning Shep!

Morning Sheddites!

Hi Night Star!
Quiet Shed today. Maybe Gordi's story is real?!? *gasp*
Nice hummingbird - love it when they come zipping around our place.


So, today, I took a stand at work about a defect I found in another team's system. I got completely shut down.
"Oh, that system's been there for 10 years."
"There's no way that could be like that. Users would be screaming."
"You need to talk to so-and-so. They can explain the code to you."

*Shep grumbles*
I know what the bloody code does. I verified it. I spent years on this system. It's WRONG!!

Fine, think I, I will accede to your silliness and set up the meeting. So I meet with so-and-so, and the other guy too, and present my findings.

VINDICATION!! Their reactions?

"That can't be right."
"Wow, how is this not a crisis?"
"How did that get so jacked up?"
"You're correct, clearly this is wrong."

YES! This calls for RUM!

Ok, this is rather strange to have it so slow in here both day and night. Did a dark force invade or something? Are people enjoying the nice season and doing things? Are people lost in some sort of sorrow or struggles? Perhaps both.

Mustn't leave a restless Elf alone. She gets into trouble and could spam the pages with music, pics and poems and stuff.

a reply to: PrairieShepherd


Rum? I shall share some with you then...

a reply to: Night Star
LOL - the lovely Mrs. Shepherd's trip was to the Caribbean. She brought me back a bottle of rum!

a reply to: PrairieShepherd

Yum!!! Smart wife! Was Johnny Depp there? I would have brough him home. LOL! Kidding.

BTW, I've got another episode of Falling up. After Gaalen's mother's shocking political maneuver yesterday, we finish out that scene.

OK, I just wanted to write "shocking political maneuver." I have no idea if all y'all readers figured it out ahead of time or expected it, but I sure thought it was shocking. LOL

Alrighty, I'm a little silly today.

ANYWAY, as usual you can follow the link in my signature to get to the beginning of the story or you can use this link to go directly to the new post:
Falling: An Epic Fantasy - The Amaerke's Gambit

a reply to: Night Star
I'm MUCH better than Johnny Depp.

I know, I know, just roll with me here...

Whoops! Double post!

originally posted by: PrairieShepherd
a reply to: Night Star
I'm MUCH better than Johnny Depp.

I know, I know, just roll with me here...

Pics or it didn't happen. LOL I'm silly today too. I'll get to your story when I can Sir Shep of the shedlands.

a reply to: PrairieShepherd
That's definitely worthy of some spirits, for those who imbibe them.

Cheers to you, for sticking to your digital guns and making them listen.

a reply to: PrairieShepherd
If you accidentally double-click while a post is still loading, it can load twice (or more times), especially if you just have one of those moments when pages are slow to load. Don't worry about it; sooner or later it happens to everyone who posts regularly.

a reply to: Gordi The Drummer

The Shed was cold. Shepherd was glad for his heavy woolens, but this troubled his heart. Something was not right.

"Visaera? Gordi? Night Star? Jacy?" He wandered up and down the hallways, calling out names as he passed each person's room. "Sir Palindrome? Lucid? Blue?"

A cold spike of fear stabbed deep into his heart. He felt darkness, a creeping dread that seeped from the floors. There was a horrible emptiness in the Shed, a void he could feel deep inside. The air had a musty stillness to it, almost like...

"...a grave," he finished out loud. But no one was listening.

Quickly he hurried around the rest of the common areas of the Shed. The Kitchen, the Back Patio, the Balcony, the Disco Hall, the Brewery, the Coffee Roasting Room, the Library, and the Barrel Hall. Nothing. No one. Everything was still, and quiet, and empty.

The light was different, too, as if some of the color had been leached out of the world.

"What in the bloody heavens is going on here?" Shepherd muttered to himself.

He hurried back to his room, grabbed his staff, his longbow, and his belt knife. He packed quickly, a satchel of supplies - coffee, rum, beef jerky, and some donuts, yes, that should do it - and headed out of his room.

Just then he saw movement. Immediately he took a defensive posture, and the staff glowed a bright purple, flickering shadows across the hall. The light of power radiated down, illuminating the outline of a figure, a man, or humanoid at least. It looked like a shade, or a wight, but he felt no fear from it, as he would have if it had been one of the horrors of the undead world. In fact, it looked strangely familiar, and it did not seem to notice him at all. He moved closer, bringing the staff aside to keep his vision clear - it seeemed the staff's power is what illuminated the shadow-figure.

The figure seemed to be doing what he was doing - wandering the hall, calling out to each room, but there was no sound. Shepherd focused, and more power flowed crackling from the ends of the staff. He was just able to make out the faintest whispers, thick with a Scottish accent:
"HULLOOO??"
And then, "What on Earth could have happened to everyone? The last thing I remember was.... was.... uhm..."

Shepherd was shocked.
"Gordi?!?!" he said to the figure.

a reply to: JustMike
Mike! Good to see you online, sir!

a reply to: JustMike
It was just irritating, as it involved a system that I know like the back of my hand. I knew it was wrong and that it was an error in the program code, but the skepticism was a little tough to take. Oh well, I did it the right way though - dot your "I"s and cross your "T"s and demonstrate your point clearly, and people will generally listen.

a reply to: JustMike
I've actually been triple-posted before. I think it happens sometimes because of my organization's firewall or proxy. No worries!

I'm multi-replying. All ok with what you wrote and though I'm not an IT expert, I follow what you mean.

Right now I'm worried because my neighbour Alan (a Brit who lives in our village) has not contacted me to pick him up from his bus or train. To explain, he doesn't drive, so when he returns from his work in Prague (usually on Friday pm) he contacts me to let me know what bus/train he's taken so I know where to drive to, pick him up and take him the last few km back to our village.

But today, nothing. I've tried to contact him but no joy. So I contacted our mutual friend that he stays with in Prague on Tues to Thurs nights, and he says Alan left this morning to come back here. So right now, my owrry is he's stuck some km from here maybe with a dead phone and no way to let me know where he is, and (being almost 10 pm) no local buses or trains running.

At least it won't be real cold tonight, so he's in no real danger. But all the same, I'm worried. He's not a young bloke, after all. I'm making what contacts I can but really limited in what I can do. He has to visit me because I'm keeping the key for his place as I keep an eye on it while he's away. I just hope there has not been something untoward with a bus on the highway or something.

a reply to: JustMike

I can see where you would be worried. I'm the praying type, so I will pray this works out and your friend is safe, Mike.

Mike!!!!!!! Hello! I'll pray for your friend as well!

Shep enjoyed your shed story. I should write one of my own perhaps later tonight.

a reply to: Night Star
Sent you a PM, Night.