The End is the story that started it all.
In the mid-2000s, my dear friend and occasional collaborator to the MetaStructure, Pogo came up with the idea of writing a short story as a group (this was back in the heyday of forums, when there were ten or so of us co-authors): a sort of giant exquisite corpse where anyone could write a paragraph to the story, building up from the previous content, without any consultation or direction agreed in advance.
Of course, it was very messy, went off in all directions, and was never completed.
However, the experiment possessed a euphoric energy that I’ve rarely seen matched during any other act of writing. While most of the co-writers went their separate ways (most of them must have forgotten about it), that story never really left Pogo and me. It was from this little “exercise in style” that The Count and Bond were born, and this “collaborative short story” was the source of “The End” and eventually all the rest of what you can read on this site today.
This is what The End is, a rewriting of that original text. Lots of changes were made, but a few parts remain almost untouched.
I don’t want to call it a novel because it’s not, even if the result may look like one.
So, for your eyes only, here is
The End
In the blog part of the site, texts are in reverse chronological order, and other texts are interspersed in between, so here is a list of what has already been published, in chronological order:
The End Chapter One - Part one It was the last day. The lecture hall was packed. It was not because the students were eager to say goodbye to their teacher. The last class the week before would have been enough for them. He hadn’t given them much of a choice. He had asked for a parting gift in the form of a few pieces of scribbled paper. In a few minutes, their allotted time would be over. Soon, they would be free for a few months. The fastest were already leaving. After three hours, the large auditorium had taken ...
The End Chapter one - Part two (click here if you've missed the beginning) The phone rang. Good. I needed that to bring me back to the café and out of my memories. Marie wanted to know at what time she should expect me to be home. I told her that right away was a great idea. The young woman appeared at the corner of the Rue de Mézières. Same smile. Same purple hair. I pretended not to notice her. A bit ridiculous, I know. Who was I trying to fool? Myself? Not her, that’s for sure. “Mr. Bond?...” “I… ...
The End Chapter 1 - Part 3 "And here you are! A large coffee for my favorite French customer!" "Thank you very much. Have a great day." "Always. You too." The young barista with purple-tipped hair winked at the man, who winked back at her. It was time to get back to things. Quickly. Not easy with a... a glance at the date on the newspaper stand... April 8th, 2005... A gap of four months. Not to mention almost two decades of memories that were now useless and would take too long to fade. Leaving the Java Lounge and going ...
The End Chapter 1 – Part 4 (click here to read from the beginning) Not my kind of place: Too many vain people... Too much show and no substance... Too much money flaunted. It was even less his kind of place. Since he had decided to meet in Florida, why didn't he just go to Gainesville? I guessed he wanted to make sure I'd be ready before he got here. If he met me in Gainesville, he would run the risk of finding me still in my pajamas or hiding among the alligators. I sat at a table on the ...
(If you've missed the beginning of The End, start with this link) She opened her eyes, only to close them again. The daylight hurt. That would teach her to fall asleep with the shutters open. The alarm clock read 10:23. How long would she last if she kept this up? Less than five hours of sleep a night - well, morning. That was not sustainable. She sighed a little too emphatically, pushed back the sheets, and put her feet on the floor. She stood up, stretched again, and noticed that she was wearing her burgundy satin nightgown. She had no ...
Ouch! Da fuck!? Talk about a hangover! What the fuck happened yesterday? I can't remember much of anything. Dancing flies? A sidecar in Manhattan? What the hell was that? Hey, brain, do you think this is a good time to do the riddle thing? The sun is stinging. Of course, the only time the bastard showed up between the clouds this month had to be this morning. A metro station entrance. I rush in. My stomach doesn't like the movement of the escalator. Not at all. I try to hold it back, but nope. When I reach the platform, my ...
It was the most disgusting joint in all of Cambodia. The place was almost empty, occupied only by a handful of half sleepy regulars who had nowhere else to go. They enjoyed the shade and the vaguely cool air that the place offered on this hot afternoon. A skinny Westerner sat alone at a table in the back, under a ceiling fan that would come down sooner or later. He was scribbling something in an old notebook with a thick leather cover. A slight commotion at the entrance to the establishment made him look up from his page. Two children, ...
The phone rings. The phone always rings when twelve of my labours have just disappeared due to a bug and not been saved, and thirty emails from my "boss" are piling up in my inbox! But it is not him on the phone. It is someone else. A voice I have not heard since... since the last time a cryptic phrase like this was thrown in my face. "The Gators are high in the AP rankings this year. They have a good chance of winning the championship. The answer comes out of my mouth without a second thought: "Yes, but ...
On that Sunday afternoon, there was a free concert in the countryside near Poitiers. A very stripped down concert: just a guitar and its amp. Volume at 10. Gain at 6. As for the audience, the few cows in the nearby meadow. They didn't have the luxury of running away like all the wild animals in the area. The musician was in his 1980s hair band revival phase. Unexpected, if you judged him only by his appearance. A white shirt, half open. Cheap glasses. Well-combed short hair. The only thing that disturbed the perfect family man's appearance was a gust of ...
The HQ infirmary was quiet. It was an infirmary in name only. It was a real clinic, equipped with the latest technology available on the market. Some of it was not even on the market yet. After the founder retired, Doc took over. His clones helped him run it with almost no human staff. Over the years, he had delegated more and more tasks to them. Against all odds, they were able to handle the day-to-day tasks. After Doc left, what could be automated had been automated. There wasn't much activity these days. Most of the clones worked in other ...
(if you missed the beginning or any other part, go there first) I felt a twinge in my stomach just before the plane's landing gear hit the runway. I wasn't sure if it was the terrible whisky they had served on the previous flight, the fact that I hadn't had a proper meal in almost two days, or the terrible feeling that I was going to die in less than a month. But I had felt better. I had also felt worse. The private jet stopped on the apron, and soon the door opened. I grabbed my hand luggage. As ...
The limo stopped in front of HQ's main hall. The driver opened the door. I swallowed the last sip of my dirty martini and exited the vehicle with my travel companions. Jules invited us to follow him into the main assembly hall. I remember the scene like it was yesterday. We were the last group to arrive. The large auditorium was filled with... everyone. Was it the first time that all the agents of the Organization were gathered in the same room? As far as I could tell, yes. Besides the usual suspects, there were even a few faces I ...
Mr Id led Bond and me into a small, dimly lit meeting room. I remember preparing some missions there a few years ago. Jules shut the door behind us. He stood near it, silent the whole time. The Taulier spoke. "Sorry to keep you waiting in the main auditorium. I couldn't have your colleagues wondering about your absence when everyone else had been summoned. As you already know, their missions are quite important, but there are even more important matters. And I need you both for them." "More important than stopping the Order from taking over the world? You've got ...
The Count entered the building and walked up the stairs to Guardian Angel's room. Father Dophyl was watching the comatose agent. It had been decided that Angel should be under human (or clone) supervision at all times, in case he woke up or something else happened. "Good afternoon, Father. It has been a long time." "Good afternoon, Your Excellency. Jules told me you were coming. It has indeed been a long time. Isn't Agent Bond supposed to be with you?" "He is with Goulu now. He may come later." "I see. Poor thing. I hope Agent Bond can help him ...
Professor Gravier greeted Bond and showed him to Goulu's room. He had not left it since the incident. Professor Gravier explained that he even had to give him a mild sedative so the poor thing wouldn't have random panic attacks. "It's better if I stay in the room with you," the middle-aged man in the wheelchair added. "No problem, Professor." Gravier opened the door. In the room, a short, skinny man was watching cartoons on a television screen. It was difficult to put an age on him. He had the tired features of an old man, but also a very ...
The Taulier entered the room. The Count and Bond were waiting for him at the table. He listened to what they had to say. "Well, that's not much." "It is not." "What do we do now?" Bond looked at Id. Then he looked at the Count and then back at Id. The Count closed his mouth in a contrived smile and raised his eyebrows. He didn't agree with what his friend had in mind, but he saw no other option. The Taulier interjected. "It's out of the question! We lost Dreamz that way, there's no chance in hell I'm going ...
The current authors would like to thank everyone who took part in this little experiment a long time ago. So, wherever most of you are (I’m still in touch with only two of them) a big thank you to Shaniah, Drago, Fred, Natha, Eltaris, Hengsen, Kibrit, Chiméric, Helkus, Myka, hoping we haven’t forgotten too many people.
