Prologue

Walden Circle, Clarkson, Ontario, Canada.
Tuesday, May 12th, 2009.

The apartment is quiet. I am nearly asleep. From the window's height, and my own proximity to the window, I can see that the sun is almost up.
        "Dring!" -- "Dring!"
        I admit, I am startled. The day had not begun, and so I was not yet completely into my first nap, curled at his feet. Nevertheless, I was roused; upset even.
        "Dring!" -- "Dring!"
        He sleeps deafly, that smelly rubber in his ears. I rise, stretch, yawn, and set off to do what I know to be my duty.
        "Dring!" -- "Dring!"
        He does not stir.
        "Dring!" -- "Dring!"
        Stepping over his blanketed body, I quickly make my way over to his face. And then, the rhythm breaks. I pause, one paw ready to swat at his stubbly face. I expect another ring to beseech him. In the silence, by instinct, I wait. The ring is a mouse, and it is my prey.
        I hear a muffled sound. Then, unpleasant gases pass by my nose, from beneath the blankets. He's become more flatulent in his old age. It's not like when I was younger. I mean, can't he walk into the box, like I do, and cover it up with that air spray can?
        I'm sitting, front paws on his collar bone. I consider going back to sleep, but the prospect of him rolling over doesn't strike me as desirable. With pride, I must stalk this resounding prey.
        "Dring!" -- "Dring!"
        Left paw, then right paw, I bat at his chin. I wait for him to react, ready to jump off the bed if I need to. He's never pleased with claw marks on the hardwood floor, though. Yet I must remember, it's my abode, not his. After all, who spends more time here? Moi!
        "Dring!" -- "Dring!"
        He's still dozing like a kitten. But I'm not ready to give up.  Time to use my head. Backing up, I crouch. Then comes the pounce, claws backwards and head knelt down to hit. It's now or nothing. If my count is right, our prey will only give one or two more rings.
        "Dring!" -- "Dring!"
        "'Eroff, 'Inny," he dares to scold.
        I can hear it in the tone of his voice. I assume that 'Inny' is some dentureless attempt at my name; Ginny. I also go by Ginevra. I'm not good with language, and I'm too proud for most of his verbal commands.
        There's sleep in his eyes. His fangs are on his nightstand, in a glass of water. And the rubber chunks are still in his ears. Beside the glass, he sees the flat light.
        "Dring!" -- "Dring!"
        As it rings the fourth and final time, he pulls out the rubbers one by one with his left hand. As he does this, I leap onto the stable edge of his bed, digging my claws in enough to keep me from falling off the edge.
        And with his right hand, he picks up the noisemaker that had been hailing him. However, he leaves it on the table while he begins to install his jaws, which he has now removed from the glass of water. His teeth are blunt and flat, nothing to be proud of.
        There are no more rings. And from the noisemaker, I hear a stuttering voice, too faint for my house mate's ears: "D-daddy? Are you there? Dad?"
        As I've said, I'm no good with language. But I've heard one of those words before. That human male, now satisfied with his teeth and putting the noisemaker up to one ear, calls himself thus in my presence. That aging, white-furred human, he is my 'Dad'. My curiosity is peaked.

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Please do not add yet.

The main character is not always the narrator. The prologue was narrated by his pet cat, Ginevra. His name is William Palmer. He's 78 years old, and lives alone, apart from Ginny the cat.

William Palmer, though he is a fictional character, lives in an apartment complex which is a stone's throw from my own back yard. So, I know the setting very well, which is one reason why I'd prefer to write the first three chapters on my own. (The funeral home, the bus routes, etcetera.)

The second, is that I still need to establish the framework of this story.

SPOILERS BEYOND THIS POINT


William Palmer is divorced from his first wife.
With his first wife, he had three children.

Prologue: The phone rings. Because of the train tracks nearby, William has earplugs in. His cat manages to wake him.

Chapter 1: He answers the phone, not knowing the caller is one of his two estranged daughters. All she says is to look at the obituaries, and hangs up.

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CHARACTERS & CHARACTER NOTES

William Palmer: A clairsentient, heterosexual old man with psychic abilities and knowledge that have made him a bit of a recluse. He is estranged from his family. William is best at reading minds, specifically with sensitive or emotional people, and usually when making conversation with them. However, the memories he sees are not vivid. Sometimes they're repressed. Sometimes they're disturbing. Sometimes they lie, as people choose to remember things differently.

Ginevra: She's meant to symbolize a witch or wizard's 'familiar'. She's in the story to offer an alternate point of view that doesn't understand the world, yet which can sometimes reveal more than William's mind-reading.


The rest of these are all characters that need names, and haven't made appearances yet.

Dead Boy/Grandson, Heterosexual, Victim of Homophobic Bullying, Depressed:

Ex-Wife, Homophobe:

Ex-Wife's Husband, Homophobe:

Daughter, Neighbour of Dead Boy, Best Friend of Dead Boy's Mother.

Best Friend of Dead Boy, Homosexual, Grandson:

Son-in-Law, Father of Dead Boy, Homophobe:

Daughter, Single, Lesbian-in-Closet, Caller: (She called William because she figured out that the two families are related.)

Son, Serial Rapist:

Wife of Serial Rapist, Daughter-in-Law:

Son of Rapist, Homophobe:

Rape Victim, Mother of Dead Boy, Lesbian:

Rape Victim's Lesbian Partner, Reverend: (A colleague will perform the funeral instead. She herself will question her faith.):

Boyfriend of Best Friend of Dead Boy, Homosexual:

Ex-Girlfriend of Dead Boy, Homophobe:

Bully, Homophobe:

Psychotherapist: (Clients: rapist, rape victim, dead boy with depression)

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MEGA ULTRA SPOILERS (rough plot outline)


Yes, the character is well established in my mind. I need to flesh out his eccentricities and mysterious psychic abilities a bit. Also, I must get him into the 'investigation' before it's practical for others to add.

A certain photo in the obituaries will draw upon his clairsentience and also upon the striking resemblance to his estranged son. However, the name of the young man in the photograph will not be recognizable to him. (Last name not Palmer? Case of the single parent mother.)

He'll be in a very realistic disguise, making him look years younger. Ginny will have taken a catnap within his burlap sack, and thus accidentally accompanies him on his journey downtown, unbeknown to both characters. He'll be headed for the Turner & Porter Funeral Home, to sneak in early. I know the bus routes necessary.

Reading the minds of various people as they pass him on the bus, he comes across a grieving homosexual young man, with long hair that hides his cheekbones, cheekbones which might otherwise give off that same striking resemblance.

Once he reaches his destination, he sneaks into the open-casket viewing room early, learns a bit more, then the viewing begins and he learns even more, then the service is held, and finally it will end with a party.

Throughout these events, William will read the minds of many as he makes smalltalk to trigger memories. This will unravel several sub-plots, most of which revolve around his own family.

He will come across his ex-wife and estranged children.

She'll come as neighbour of the deceased, and recognize her rapist amongst the guests, the dead boy's uncle.

His one remaining grandson (the guy from the bus) will discover that his childhood best friend and neighbour of nineteen years, is his biological cousin.

A suicide letter will come to light.

A homophobic murder will come to eclipse that theory.

Of his two grandsons, the one dead is straight. The one alive is gay. Yet, the one dead is the victim of homophobic bullying and murder.

updated Nov 8, 2008 by Dysphemism