[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
fully rounded characters
the trouble was, for budgetary reasons, the Council of Genres had pursued a
policy of minimum requirements for Generics for more than thirty years.
'They fear rebellion,' he said quietly. 'The C of G wants Generics to stay
stupid; an unsophisticated population is a compliant one but it's at the
cost of the BookWorld.'
'So what do you want me to do?'
'Well,' sighed Fnorp, finishing his coffee, 'have a word with Randolph and see
what you can do try to find out why he is being so intransigent.'
I told him I would and saw him to the door.
I found Randolph asleep in bed. He was clutching his pillow. Lola had gone out
early to meet some friends. A photo of her was on the bedside table next to
him and he snored quietly to himself. I crept back to the door and banged on
it.
'Wshenifyduh,' said a sleepy voice from within.
'I need to run one of the engines,' I told him. 'Can you give me a hand?'
There was a thump as he fell out of bed. I smiled to myself and took my coffee
up to the flight deck.
Mary had told me to run the number-three engine periodically and left
instructions on how to do so in the form of a checklist. I didn't know how to
fly but did know a thing or two about engines and needed an excuse to talk
to Randolph. I sat in the pilot's seat and looked along the wing to the
engine. The cowlings
file:///G|/Program%20Files/eMule/Incoming/Ja...Well%20Of%20Lost%20Plots%20(v1.
1%20htm).html (146 of 212) [10/15/2004 12:52:29 AM]
Jasper Fforde - Thursday Next 03 - The Well of Lost Plots were off and the
large radial was streaked with oil and grime. It never rained here, which was
just as well, although things didn't actually age either so it didn't matter
if it did. I consulted the checklist in front of me. The engine would have to
be turned by hand to begin with and I didn't really fancy this, so got a
slightly annoyed Randolph out on the wing.
'How many times?' he asked, turning the engine by way of a crank inserted
through the cowling.
'Twice should do,' I called back, and ten minutes later he returned, very hot
and sweaty with the exertion.
'What do we do now?' he asked, suddenly a lot more interested. Starting big
radial engines was quite a boy thing, after all.
'You read it out,' I said, handing him the checklist.
Page 146
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
'
Master fuel on, ignition switches off
,' he read.
'Done.'
'Prop controls fully up and throttle open one inch.'
I wrestled with the appropriate levers in a small nest that sprouted from the
centre console.
'Done. I had Mr Fnorp round this morning.'
'
Gills set to open and mixture at idle cut-off
. What did that old fart have to say for himself?'
I set the gills and pulled back the mixture lever.
'He said he thought you could do a lot better than you have been. What's
next?'
'
Switch on fuel booster pump until warning light goes out.'
'Where do you think that is?'
We found the fuel controls in an awkward position above our heads and to the
rear of the flight deck.
Randolph switched on the booster pumps.
'I don't want to be a featured character,' he said. 'I'll be quite happy
working as a mature elder male mentor figure or something; there is call for
one in
Girls Make all the Moves
.'
'Isn't that the novel Lola will be working in?'
'Is it?' he said, feigning ignorance badly. 'I had no idea.'
'Okay,' I said as the fuel pressure warning light went out, 'now what?'
'
Set selector switch to required engine and operate priming pump until delivery
pipes are full.'
I pumped slowly, the faint smell of aviation spirit filling the air.
'What's this love/hate thing between you and Lola?'
'Oh, that's all well over,' he said dismissively. 'She's seeing some guy over
at the Heroes Advanced
Classes.'
I stopped pumping as the handle met with some resistance.
'We have fuel pressure. What's next?'
'Ignition and booster coil both on.'
'Check.'
'
Press starter and when engine is turning, operate primer. Does that make
sense?
'
'Let's see.'
I pressed the starter button and the prop slowly started to move. Randolph
pumped the primer and there was a cough as the engine fired; then another,
this time accompanied by a large puff of black smoke from the exhaust. A few
waders that were poking around in the shallows took flight as the engine
appeared to die, then caught again and started to fire more regularly, the
loud detonations transmitting through the
file:///G|/Program%20Files/eMule/Incoming/Ja...Well%20Of%20Lost%20Plots%20(v1.
1%20htm).html (147 of 212) [10/15/2004 12:52:29 AM]
Jasper Fforde - Thursday Next 03 - The Well of Lost Plots airframe as a series
of rumbles, growls and squeaks. I released the start button and Randolph
stopped priming. The engine smoothed out, I switched to auto-Rich and the oil
pressure started to rise. I throttled back and smiled at Randolph, who grinned
at me.
Page 147
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
'Are you seeing anyone?' I asked him.
'No.'
He looked at me with his large eyes and his face fell. When we first met he
had been an empty husk; a blank face with no personality or features to call
his own. Now he was a man of fifty but with the emotional insecurity of a
fifteen-year-old.
'I can't imagine life without her, Thursday!'
'So tell her.'
'And make myself look an idiot? She'd tell everyone at Tabularasa's I'd be
the laughing stock of them all!'
'Who cares? Dr Fnorp tells me it's affecting your work; do you want to end up
as a walk-on part somewhere?'
'I really don't care,' he said sadly. 'Without Lola there isn't much of a
future.'
'There'll be other Generics!'
'Not like her. Always laughing and joking. When she's around the sun shines
and the birds sing.' He stopped and coughed, embarrassed at his admission.
'You won't tell anyone I said all that stuff, will you?'
He was smitten good and proper.
'Randolph,' I said slowly, 'you have to tell her your feelings, if only for
your own sake. This will prey on your mind for years!'
'What if she laughs at me?' [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl szkicerysunki.xlx.pl
fully rounded characters
the trouble was, for budgetary reasons, the Council of Genres had pursued a
policy of minimum requirements for Generics for more than thirty years.
'They fear rebellion,' he said quietly. 'The C of G wants Generics to stay
stupid; an unsophisticated population is a compliant one but it's at the
cost of the BookWorld.'
'So what do you want me to do?'
'Well,' sighed Fnorp, finishing his coffee, 'have a word with Randolph and see
what you can do try to find out why he is being so intransigent.'
I told him I would and saw him to the door.
I found Randolph asleep in bed. He was clutching his pillow. Lola had gone out
early to meet some friends. A photo of her was on the bedside table next to
him and he snored quietly to himself. I crept back to the door and banged on
it.
'Wshenifyduh,' said a sleepy voice from within.
'I need to run one of the engines,' I told him. 'Can you give me a hand?'
There was a thump as he fell out of bed. I smiled to myself and took my coffee
up to the flight deck.
Mary had told me to run the number-three engine periodically and left
instructions on how to do so in the form of a checklist. I didn't know how to
fly but did know a thing or two about engines and needed an excuse to talk
to Randolph. I sat in the pilot's seat and looked along the wing to the
engine. The cowlings
file:///G|/Program%20Files/eMule/Incoming/Ja...Well%20Of%20Lost%20Plots%20(v1.
1%20htm).html (146 of 212) [10/15/2004 12:52:29 AM]
Jasper Fforde - Thursday Next 03 - The Well of Lost Plots were off and the
large radial was streaked with oil and grime. It never rained here, which was
just as well, although things didn't actually age either so it didn't matter
if it did. I consulted the checklist in front of me. The engine would have to
be turned by hand to begin with and I didn't really fancy this, so got a
slightly annoyed Randolph out on the wing.
'How many times?' he asked, turning the engine by way of a crank inserted
through the cowling.
'Twice should do,' I called back, and ten minutes later he returned, very hot
and sweaty with the exertion.
'What do we do now?' he asked, suddenly a lot more interested. Starting big
radial engines was quite a boy thing, after all.
'You read it out,' I said, handing him the checklist.
Page 146
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
'
Master fuel on, ignition switches off
,' he read.
'Done.'
'Prop controls fully up and throttle open one inch.'
I wrestled with the appropriate levers in a small nest that sprouted from the
centre console.
'Done. I had Mr Fnorp round this morning.'
'
Gills set to open and mixture at idle cut-off
. What did that old fart have to say for himself?'
I set the gills and pulled back the mixture lever.
'He said he thought you could do a lot better than you have been. What's
next?'
'
Switch on fuel booster pump until warning light goes out.'
'Where do you think that is?'
We found the fuel controls in an awkward position above our heads and to the
rear of the flight deck.
Randolph switched on the booster pumps.
'I don't want to be a featured character,' he said. 'I'll be quite happy
working as a mature elder male mentor figure or something; there is call for
one in
Girls Make all the Moves
.'
'Isn't that the novel Lola will be working in?'
'Is it?' he said, feigning ignorance badly. 'I had no idea.'
'Okay,' I said as the fuel pressure warning light went out, 'now what?'
'
Set selector switch to required engine and operate priming pump until delivery
pipes are full.'
I pumped slowly, the faint smell of aviation spirit filling the air.
'What's this love/hate thing between you and Lola?'
'Oh, that's all well over,' he said dismissively. 'She's seeing some guy over
at the Heroes Advanced
Classes.'
I stopped pumping as the handle met with some resistance.
'We have fuel pressure. What's next?'
'Ignition and booster coil both on.'
'Check.'
'
Press starter and when engine is turning, operate primer. Does that make
sense?
'
'Let's see.'
I pressed the starter button and the prop slowly started to move. Randolph
pumped the primer and there was a cough as the engine fired; then another,
this time accompanied by a large puff of black smoke from the exhaust. A few
waders that were poking around in the shallows took flight as the engine
appeared to die, then caught again and started to fire more regularly, the
loud detonations transmitting through the
file:///G|/Program%20Files/eMule/Incoming/Ja...Well%20Of%20Lost%20Plots%20(v1.
1%20htm).html (147 of 212) [10/15/2004 12:52:29 AM]
Jasper Fforde - Thursday Next 03 - The Well of Lost Plots airframe as a series
of rumbles, growls and squeaks. I released the start button and Randolph
stopped priming. The engine smoothed out, I switched to auto-Rich and the oil
pressure started to rise. I throttled back and smiled at Randolph, who grinned
at me.
Page 147
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
'Are you seeing anyone?' I asked him.
'No.'
He looked at me with his large eyes and his face fell. When we first met he
had been an empty husk; a blank face with no personality or features to call
his own. Now he was a man of fifty but with the emotional insecurity of a
fifteen-year-old.
'I can't imagine life without her, Thursday!'
'So tell her.'
'And make myself look an idiot? She'd tell everyone at Tabularasa's I'd be
the laughing stock of them all!'
'Who cares? Dr Fnorp tells me it's affecting your work; do you want to end up
as a walk-on part somewhere?'
'I really don't care,' he said sadly. 'Without Lola there isn't much of a
future.'
'There'll be other Generics!'
'Not like her. Always laughing and joking. When she's around the sun shines
and the birds sing.' He stopped and coughed, embarrassed at his admission.
'You won't tell anyone I said all that stuff, will you?'
He was smitten good and proper.
'Randolph,' I said slowly, 'you have to tell her your feelings, if only for
your own sake. This will prey on your mind for years!'
'What if she laughs at me?' [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]