Date: Sat, 14 Feb 1998 23:10:32 EST From: Into the Breach! Subject: INT: VDC: The Winners (at the outpost) 'Twas Valentine's Day, and all the WRITERS did wobble and groan... [there's a distinct shortage of chocolate, and where's the fluffy read stuff, and why don't you have some cupids or eros or something! and the wordy wanderer did gibe and gabble in the paper... to bring forth...beware the jaws that smile, the words that pun...] In Outer Space did whacked out tink A shining pleasure dome inflate Where Ralph, the sacred spheroid spun Through cubic spaces much too fun for mun All under space-bright stars. (with some apologies to Samuel Taylor Coleridge and Kublai Khan) [Yes, sitting here and there around the world, near and far, they peer into their terminals, little suspecting that... they will be transported in a flash a burst a blast! ] (you blinked! and it happened! and now...) there, on the border between the darkened sphere hanging under us and the color-speckled dark of outer space, just at the moment when the sun starts to edge over that sharp black circle in an outburst, an explosion, a sudden spreading of whiteness too bright for dazzled eyes... there hangs the outpost. It's spun of dreams and hopes, held together with tears and hugs, and tonight it will be the place where WRITERS gather to celebrate each other's work. There will be three chosen to receive tokens of appreciation for participating in the WRITERS' Valentine's Day Contest. But, as is usual in this kind of contest, the participation is the real goal. So let's start there, with recognition that these people wrote, and wrote well, whether they "win" the contest or not. I think they're all winners. [As the writers collect in the outpost, some marvel at the webbing. It's stranger than anyone would have thought, spun by internet spiders given little or no guidance, but it does tie to some interesting--even unique--spots in cyberspace! And in the middle of the WRITERS outpost, there's that odd little bar, extending hither and yonder, before which so many WRITERS have stopped for a while...] "Tonight I have the honor of bringing you the champions and still contenders in the WRITERS' Valentine's Day Contest!" Tink shouts. The crowd quiets. Tink considers remarking on the fine effects that null-G is having on the clothing some people chose to wear, but then decides to just let things float... "If you'll keep your eyes on the monitor, we'll flash up the lists of stories, poems, and essays, along with the authors. You may cheer whenever you like," Tink says. The crowd shifts. Tink waits...and finally there is a feeble attempt at a cheer. "Well, all right...the authors and all winners!", Tink says. Short Stories: Kevin Dyer 1.SUB: VDC: Personal Columns (Short Story) Fred Phillips 2.SUB: VDC: Magic of the Night (short story) Nikki Parker 3.SUB: VDC: For Love (short stories) Mike Barker 4.SUB: VDC: The Gift (short story) Tony Roberts 5.SUB: VDC: The Bridge (short story) Poems: Rex Page 1.SUB: VDC: My Rose to You (poem) Linda C. Straub 2.SUB: VDC: Entirety (Poem) Deborah P. 3.SUB: VDC: If Love (poem) Carol Cross 4.SUB: VDC: Two Hearts Too Young (poem) Dan Biby 5.SUB: VDC: She Is... (poem) Tori W. 6.SUB: VDC: A Valentine Conversation (poem) Audrey F. 7.SUB: VDC: Moving On (poem) Sonya 8.SUB: VDC: DO LEAPS OF FAITH SPRING ETERNAL? (poem) Mike Barker 9.SUB: VDC: Reach Out (poem) Susan Minyard 10.SUB: VDC: Did You Know? (poem) Amanda-Lyn Surkont 11.SUB: VDC: Whiskey Kisses or Jack Daniels & Me (poem) Gary Goldberg 12.SUB: VDC: Riddle Me This (poem) Essays: Tori W. 1.SUB: VDC: "Is the Grass Always Greener?" (essay) Susan Minyard 2.SUB: VDC: On What I Know of Love (essay) The crowd starts to clap and discovers that when they spread their arms and stop, their body has some amazing equal and opposite reactions. And when they clap, wow! Several friendships grow spontaneously closer as the crowd experiments. Turning to look at a participant makes the body spin the opposite direction, with intriguing consequences... Tink waits a while, then brings out ye olde soapbox. For the occasion, it has been cloned into three, and each one has been painted to honor the rank of the person who will be asked to hold it, even if they can't figure out how to stand on it...one bronze, one silver, and one gold. "So, if you are ready?" Tink asks. No one pays attention for a long moment. Tink considers various options, and then begins juggling the soapboxes. The crowd, still struggling to figure out how to get oriented or even move in zero-gee, soon notices the blatantly implausible act that tink is carrying on, and quiets down. "That's better. Now, let's take a look at our third place winners..." tink says, quietly floating the soapboxes beside him now that people are paying attention again. "Do it by category!" one voice screams out, echoing... "Do it...do it...do..." "Okay, since you screamed...the envelope please?" tink says, holding out a hand. The vote counters look thoroughly puzzled, then one reminds tink that he has the whole thing in Excel on his laptop, and probably has a backup copy in his PalmPilot...it takes a moment for Windows95 to boot up, but at least one member of the assembly cheers "Another Bill Gates Fan! Yes!" "All right, then. In the essays class, we only have two competitors. This makes it rather likely that when I announce one, you may be able to guess the other. However, let's not yell out the results, there may be someone who will be surprised..." For Second Place in Essays, the silver soapbox goes to.... SUB: VDC: On What I Know of Love (essay) by Susan Minyard tink presses a few keys, and the lights begin to dim as the haunting strains of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" begin to throb in the background... and for First Place in Essays, the gold soapbox goes to... SUB: VDC: "Is the Grass Always Greener?" (essay) by Tori! The soapboxes orbit Susan and Tori, as the crowd cheers! Several people click up web browsers and link off to http://web.mit.edu/mbarker/www/val98/val.html to take a gander at the fine essays waiting there... tink takes a moment to comfort the bronze soapbox, assuring it that it was not deliberately left out, there simply weren't enough essay entries for it to have a contestant. tink fiddles with his keyboard, and the music fades as the sunshine begins to glow up through the floor under the crowd. Some members of WRITERS start pointing out favorite parts of the rapidly lightening globe, while others start identifying stars...and one looks nervously to see if they are bringing their saucer in to get him... "Next, let us take a look at short stories. There were five contenders here. And the winners are..." For Third Place in Short Stories, the bronze soapbox goes to.... SUB: VDC: For Love (short stories) by Nikki Parker For Second Place in Short Stories, the silver soapbox goes to.... SUB: VDC: The Bridge (short story) by Tony Roberts tink considers, then presses the keys and makes the mirror ball effect lasers start flickering over the crowd. The speakers begin to shake the floor with "Purple Haze..." And for First Place in Short Stories, the gold soapbox goes to.... SUB: VDC: The Gift (short story) by Mike Barker "What? I won? But..." The gold soapbox spins up and threatens to conk tink in the forehead, so he ducks...and it gleefully hovers above his head, waiting for him to straighten up... The other two winners don't seem to be having any trouble, amiably swinging around with their boxes... Tink continues, facing the floor... "And for poetry, with 12 entries, we have:" And for Third Place in Poetry, the bronze soapbox goes to.... SUB: VDC: Whiskey Kisses or Jack Daniels & Me (poem) by Amanda-Lyn Surkont And for Second Place in Poetry, the silver soapbox goes to.... SUB: VDC: My Rose to You (poem) by Rex Page tink diddles around with the keyboard, wondering what to throw in here for a nice dramatic pause...and then simply lets the silence speak... it gathers, in blobs and swatches, across the crowd... And for First Place in Poetry, the gold soapbox goes to.... SUB: VDC: Did You Know? (poem) by Susan Minyard "There you have it, one and all! Please, feel free to join in the interactive celebration of our Valentine's Day Contest, if you like...the outpost awaits your imagineering!" The soapboxes continue to follow the poets for a while, creating a rather unaesthetic stir in the crowd. Finally someone (that rascal certainly does turn up a lot) jogs tink's elbow and points out the problem. Tink writes into his PalmPilot and the soapboxes all fly together, merging into a single chunky box and shedding their party colors before tucking themselves into a corner near the bar, with an almost audible sigh of well-deserved relief...and one last whimper from the bronze clone, that really wanted to chase down three contestants, not just two... The crowd begins to play with the bar, testing out the somewhat odd fixtures. A tap labeled beer seems to discharge into a rubber balloon, and the first few sucking at the beer bubbles look discouraged--it's flat! Someone else discovers that the box labelled "dance bands" has a collection of outsized rubberbands, with various velcro attachments allowing people to fasten themselves together and to the floor. It also has a pamphlet explaining the vocal programming that allows the dancers to select from the large music library available through the web. Then the party really starts... tink [I shan't describe the mountain of chocolate candies, boxed and ready for everyone to take away their fair share...or the delights of the red garters, waiting for the right partners to enjoy putting them and taking them off...please feel free to indulge your imaginations here at the outpost] a few people, tired or simply bored with the party, learn that the return to Earth is simple--just quit reading. some also notice that the Earth is a little narrower, once they've been to the outpost...