Minor Characters Read online

completing something. Then after a while I start something new just to complete it."

  Mr. Chamber after seeing the top empty shelf pointed at it and said to Richard.

  "You seem to have an empty shelf there. What's that for?"

  Richard, "Right there is the empty spot that will have from me the greatest mystery book ever written. I have the feeling it's the one that will be completing in 6 weeks. "

  Camry, "In the book. It's about a cult leader, telling the world about an imminent disaster. But still there were only three members of the cult group mention. It seems to me the cult group would have many members."

  Richard, "The cult does have many members. Since they're a cult all the members are alike. There's no reason to mention any more the two or three since their all the same."

  Camry, "But each person is different. That's what makes stories interesting."

  Richard, "For some type of stories. For this story the thing that keeps the reader reading is the idea of an oddball type of person. A cult leader can do that better than any of the followers. He's the one to original think the odd ideas that people like to see. So concentrating on him makes this story work."

  Camry, "Looking at it that way makes sense. But everybody doesn't look at everything in the same way."

  Richard, "When writing a story you don't need to included everything in a story. The amount that sells books is what you need in the story. Everything else is extra."

  Ellen, "All that's true. But in this story. The leader seemed to be the only one doing anything. Like in the scene with the angry mob burning the house. You write of the fires effect on the cult leader only. The three follows are there. They have a reaction when they're in the fire too. Nothing is said about them."

  Richard, "The reader of the book already knows that. You don't what to emphasis something the reader knows already. It's the unusual things that keep their attention."

  Mr. Chamber, "I don't know what's usual for readers or anybody. But for me I usually get to bed before this. It's been a long day for me. Getting here and everything. So I'll be calling it a day."

  Mr. Chambers left the study and went to his room on the second floor."

  A bit later Ellen and Francis excused themselves.

  Ellen and Francis left the study. In the foyer Ellen said, "The Greta character described in the book looks just like Miss Liz Brown. Richard made Greta to be Miss Liz Brown. I read the book. It doesn't seem that Greta and Richard get along well at all. I don't think it worked out very well."

  Francis, "I have noticed."

  Then Camry retired to her room.

  Richard started a conversation with Miss Brown.

  Greta did not want to talk to Richard, so she said, "I had a long day. I think I'll get some sleep also."

  After all were in their rooms, Francis's door opened. Francis quietly walked to Ellen's door.

  Francis, whispers through door, "Are you there?"

  Ellen, opened door, "Yes."

  Ellen and Francis quietly walked to back window at end of hall. The stairway beside them led to the backdoor. The moon was over the lake.

  Ellen, "That was a long flight. It would have been better if we stayed home."

  Francis, "It's the first day. We have the weekend. I made the reservations to go the Nassau on Sunday."

  Ellen, stood closer, "That makes it worth the trip to get here."

  Ellen and Francis looked out window. Then they both entered Ellen's room.

  Greta opened her door, and watched as Ellen's door closed. Greta quietly crept down the stairs, across the foyer, and into the study. She walked to the book on the bottom shelf and thought herself into the book.

  Ellen and Francis were with Camry in the backyard. They kept near the house while watching the night. The air has turned cold. Cold winds, came off the lake. Clouds rapidly soared by the moon as it dimed its light.

  They all listened to the strange swishing noise above as it got louder. Camry looked up and saw a dark unusual shaped object falling from the roof top. Francis grabbed Camry and pulled her out of the way as the tree branch hit the ground.

  Camry being startle did not say or do anything.

  Francis, "We better all get inside."

  All of them returned to the parlor. Richard and Miss Liz Brown were there. As a group they sat around the table in the light of the candles and reflected on what has happen since their arrival for the week end.

  Inside the book, Lang and Sally sat on floor. Miss Liz Brown sat in the metal chair.

  Greta stood and said, "I see everybody here."

  Lang, showed his anger toward Richard, "Yes. We're still here. Richard created us. Put us in a cult house. Burnt the house down. And left us here. We don't have any place to go."

  Greta, "It's not that bad."

  Lang, showed anger towards Greta, "It's that bad. You're the one that can go in on out the book anytime you what. We're stuck in the book. It's that bad."

  Greta, spoke as giving orders, "Your just have to wait. I'll get you both out of here. It just takes time."

  She left the book and stood behind Richard's desk, looking at the computer screen.

  The computer screen was where the words were written and then things happen in the books according to the words. Greta sat at the computer she types the words "The pencil holder moved to the left." She looked at the pencil holder. The pencil holder moved to the left.

  The computer has been causing things to happen inside Richard's books. It also can cause things to happen outside of the books. Greta decided she will cause things to happen to the writers, including Richard. She remembered she didn't like Richard. Richard wasn't her creator. The words on the screen created her. She can deal with Richard now by typing on the screen what will happen to Richard.

  Greta returned to her room and slept comfortable the rest of the night.

  Mr. Herald Chambers awoke at 3 am in the morning. He saw, out his window, the moon light lighting up the lake's waters. He left the house. Once out of the house the cold wind coming of the lake hit him, he got a coat. Outside, he went to the edge of the slope and saw the waters being push over the sand and onto the rocks below he leaned over a bit to see the splashing of the water. He was in the air. He slid down the sandy slope. Ending on the rocks covered with a fine layer of sand.

  After he spent the night in Ellen's room, Francis returned to his room before the house guests awoke. Camry saw Francis leave Ellen's room as she was going down the stairs to take a morning run on the beach.

  After sunrise, Camry ran on the padded sand by the water and saw the writer on the rocks not moving. She called for help. The ambulance arrived. The medics found that Mr. Chambers was serious injured, but still alive. They hurry him into the ambulance. The county Sheriff arrived while the medics put Mr. Chambers into the ambulance. The other writers were on the beach. Richard was on the beach.

  The Sheriff walked across beach to the writers.

  Sheriff, "They said he's alive. Their getting him to the hospital as quick as they can. That's all they know. Were any of you around and seen what happen."

  All guests looked at each other, shrugged to indicate no one seen him.

  Richard, "The last time I saw him he left the study going to his room."

  Sheriff, "Anyone see him after he went into his room."

  Ellen, "I saw him go into his room upstairs later in the evening."

  The Sheriff walked to Camry , "You said you came down the beach stairs early this morning. Was the sun up or was it before dawn."

  Camry, "The sun was just getting up."

  Sheriff, "Did you see Chamber when you came down the stairs?"

  Camry, "He wasn't there when I came down the stairs."

  Sheriff, "What do you mean he wasn't there. Did you look. Over there. He path goes this way at an angle."

  Camry, "He could have been there. I never seen him."

  The sheriff checked the area of the beach. Then said he needed to find the place Mr. Chambers
fell from. He was going to the house and.

  Sheriff, while pointing to top of slope and down the slope to where Chambers was found, "From what I can tell he was at the top of the slope and fell or slid down the slope and ended up on the beach. I'll have to drive to the house and look around the back to see if I can figure out what happen. I would like everyone at the house in case I need to ask about Mr. Chambers."

  The writers walked up the wooded stairs to the yard behind the house. They waited and the sheriff arrived. They all went to the area where Mr. Chambers fell from. It showed someone had fallen. After looking around and asking questions the sheriff figured Mr. Chamber slipped in the dark and fell by accident.

  After the Sheriff left, Camry was with Richard in the parlor.

  Camry, "I had made arrangement to stay the entire weekend. After seeing Mr. Chambers on the beach, I feel I would like to arrange to leave today instead. I hope you don't mine if I left early."

  Richard, "Of course not. There are trains that stop about 18 miles from here. I can drive you over to the station. You can use the computer here in the parlor if you would like to make a reservation."

  Camry brought up the train website and saw that a train was leaving at three that afternoon.

  Camry, "It says a train will leave at three pm. Would that one be ok."

  Richard, "Of course."

  Camry made the reservation for the afternoon train.

  Ellen and Francis joined them in the study. They were talking with Richard about Mr. Chambers.

  Ellen and Francis saw Miss Brown come into the foyer from upstairs and enter the study.

  Richard didn't see her enter the study.