Stories and Poems

In this strawberry jam packed edition of Slams Paper, we have some great new (and old) stories for you to read, as well as a scrumdiddlyumptious poem written by our one and only Jamie. First up, we have two new series for you to sink your teeth into, or something like that. Lordo has written an absolutely marvelous story, entitled Border Wars, set in the far off land of Malador. After that, we have Seclusion, written by our very own Gorillaz fan Adam. Last and certainly least, we have chapters 4 and 5 of Me, My Friends, in I, by yours truly.

Enjoy! Or not, I won't force you.

- Goliath Gob ;)

I Am From - By: jamie6441 I am from a town of love,
its in every person that i can think of.
I am from a loving family that says "you're the oldest",
and from friends that say "man you're the boldest".

I am from making trouble at the arcade,
to in the summer in the backyard drinking lemonade.
I am from snow ball fights,
to cool, calm moonlit nights.

I am from blood, sweat, and tears,
and crazy childhood fears.
I am from the secret tree house in the backyard,
and from that time I fell off it and got scarred.

I am from the time of hit Pokemon rhyme,
to that big old robot Optimums Prime.
I am from shows like Dexter's Lab,
and Eliza Thornberry with the gift of gab.

What connects me to the future is my past,
its seems pretty awesome since the future is vast.
before you know its all gone so whats left of me, its what I become,
but in spite all of this I will never forget where I am from.

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Border Wars - By: Lordo The streets of Malador were bustling with business during the middle of the day. The grey clouds split open, allowing the sun's rays to bathe the village with light. The villagers rejoiced at the sight, as it had been extremely dark the last few days. This seemed a sign that a sense of normality had once again returned, but they were terribly wrong.

In the afternoon, Malador was as busy as it would ever get. The sounds of coins tinkering and children laughing gave the markets a relaxed atmosphere. Farmers would sit down during their breaks to enjoy a fine lamb, and people could haggle for items. Surely, Malador had it all.

It was exactly half passed one when it happened. The southern Maldorian gates were flung open and a band of men came trotting in. Their horses were perfect, well groomed and perfect in posture. The riders on them demanded utmost respect. They were huddled in a tight group, appearing to be surrounding someone on the inside. The man leading the pack was instantly recognizable; he was Elthain, Elven prince of Thrinillin. He was tall and middle-aged. His face had seen many winters, and showed signs of ageing. Even for an Elven lord he seemed extremely old. He had a white beard and cold icy blue eyes that demanded silence.

He pulled his horse to a halt as the Mandalorian guard formed a line in front of his party. The streets had been cleared in a matter of seconds and everyone had returned to their houses.

"There has been no arranged meeting for you to be here," the lead guard said sternly, "you Elven folk aren't welcomed lightly around here." Elthain forced a slight smile "I'm sorry for our sudden appearance," he said, not sounding very apologetic at all, "but there is something I must speak to your king about, and immediately at that."

The guard still did not want to let them any further. "Unless a visit has been scheduled you're not going to be allowed in," he protested. Sanubis climbed off his horse, the guard slowly moved his hand to his hilt, "If you continue to pester me, I will cut you down where you stand. Unless you have some sort of death wish, I will continue riding." The frightened guard swiftly stepped aside, letting the horses through. Elthain trotted past locked eyes with the guard and smiled.

The main keep of Malador had been around some 250 years, built by the early ancestors of the lands. It was made of rough hewn stone and was due for repairs. Elthain dismounted, and gestured for one of the elves to follow him. He quickly conversed with the door guards and was allowed through.

An old woman hurried up to them in shock. "What business do you have here?" she asked. "I have been through this already and don't wish to do it again," Elthain said menacingly.

"And what is so important that you cannot arrange to see me prior to," a voice boomed, making the room suddenly darker. The king of Malador had emerged from his small throne concealed behind a Royal Standard. Elthain ran over to him, his age bearing no hindrance. He bent over, and whispered into the king's ear.

"They are coming."

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Seclusion - By: Adam

Chapter One

The boy sat in the third seat from the right, in the back of the classroom as he always did. His hair was long, and had a nasty habit of covering his eyes. He didn't have any distinguishing features; the only thing that stood out about him was how fast his pencil would move as he drew. He sat hunched over his paper, as he made the pencil scratches transform into art on his paper. His hand worked furiously, pausing every so often, and back to work again as he, like every artist, attempted to bring life into his creation. No one paid attention to this boy, no one usually did. Why should they? He was quiet, weak looking, and appeared to most as unfriendly. Only one person was studying this boy, and it was because of the picture he was creating that caused him to be so interested. The small boy had been working on that piece for many days and, as far as the other boy could tell, he was about finished. As the small boy was still pouring over his artwork, the other boy moved over to him.
The small boy heard him coming, and, trying to be as discreet as possible, slowly placed the picture in his book bag. The other boy saw this, and knew what he had to do. He grabbed the picture from the boy, and hoisted it up into the air, to study it closer and to let everyone else see it as well.
"What's this, Adam, another one of your creations? An artist of your stature should want to share his talent with the world."
Adam didn't look up, he did not respond. His hair fell over his eyes, making eye contact impossible. He attempted to look as helpless as he could. He knew that Mark, who happened to be very strong, liked it when people backed down from him. Perhaps if he tried to play it off like it was no big deal Mark would give it back.
"It's nothing," Adam mumbled.
Mark had something to go on. "Nothing? Look at it. Well, if it is, in fact, nothing." As he started to say this, Adam heard the paper tearing. He did not respond. He was used to this, and confrontation would only lead to consequences. He kept his head bent low as what seemed like a part of him was in pieces on his desk. Members of the class regarded this without much interest. Things such as this happened every week.
"Pathetic," Mark sneered as he turned away. The bell rang and Adam, without looking up, grabbed his bag and headed out the door.

Adam didn't think much of what had just occurred; he was used to it by now. People never seem to like those who prefer seclusion, or people who would rather sketch a tree than play football. At every school he had every gone to, it seems there was always someone who took personal offense to his attending the school. As he walked the same route he always took when he went home, he pondered why people would never just let him be. He turned into the alley he always went through, and suddenly felt a sharp pain in his leg, and fell down, his books flying out onto the ground.
Mark laughed in triumph when he saw the rock had found its mark, and grinned in satisfaction as he heard the grunt of pain and the figure fall to the ground. He walked over to Adam and said, "You know what pisses me off about you most, Adam? You don't seem to have anything to you." He then kicked him square in the chest as Adam struggled to get up.
Adam doubled over and was confused, along with being in a great deal of pain. No one had ever resorted to violence against him. He had been verbally abused, but never physically.
"Haha! Get up and be a man. I'm doing you a favor, Adam. If nobody toughens you up you will never survive in society." With these words he picked Adam up, and then punched him across the face. Adam fell back, and landed hard on gravel. He made no attempt to get up, simply staring at the ground, trying as hard as he could to not show emotion.
"Humph. You are hopeless. That's all for today, but tomorrow, you will be punished much more severely, unless you toughen up. He gave him one last hard kick in the back, which sent Adam's face slamming into rock, and walked away, laughing.
Adam didn't move at first. His body would not allow it. After a few minutes, he regained motor functions, gathered his books, and continued home. When he got home, he was not greeted by any concerned mother or father. Both parents worked. He went to his bedroom as fast as his body would allow him, and felt an emotion he had never experienced before. Pure hatred. He sat at his desk and grabbed a pencil and paper, and did what he did best. Draw. This time, however, his pencil was not a pencil at all, it was a dagger and every time he touched it to the paper, he imagined he was hurting Mark. Causing Mark twice as much pain as he had inflicted on him. The strokes were cuts, and the more he drew, the better he felt. He held the paper up, and decided to finish the voodoo drawing later. He slipped it into his bag, laid back on his bed, and began to recuperate from the beating he had been forced to undergo.

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Me, My Friends, In I - By: Goliath Gob Chapter 4 - Reila

I woke abruptly as a ping-pong ball hit my head. I picked it up from my lap and tossed it back to Jeremy, "Sorry," he said, rushing back to the ping-pong table.
We're approaching Reila said Jess over the intercom.
Reila at last! Reila is the planet where the IEA was founded and the location of the IEA Headquarters.
We all jumped up and headed to the computer console. Amanda reached it first.
"Do you have the artifact?" she asked, we all hoped for the right answer.
Sure do!
Free at last! The puzzle was almost complete. With the Professor and the transformation machine here on Reila and the artifact here on The Oteo we could now be free of this one body and one mind!

We saw The Oteo drop down on the landing pad on the view screen.
We jumped up and down, happy to finally be at the end of our quest. That is, everyone was happy besides me.
Justin was the first one to notice that something was wrong, as always. "What's wrong?" he asked, concerned.
"It's just that," I sighed, "it'll be so sad to see this all go away. This close bond we've all built up. I'm going to miss you guys."
"But we'll still be a team, won't we?"
"I sure hope so, but I'll never hear your voices in my head anymore. I'll never see these black cell walls anymore," I said, "I'm really going to miss this."
"Don't worry, everything will be just--" Justin was cut off by the sound of The Oteo striking solid ground.

We stared at the viewscreen, watching Jess press a button releasing the lock on the exit ramp. He climbed down seeing a silver haired Reilan, the Prime Minister of Reila; and our ety skinned friend, Professor Dyhmaxez.
Zeaez Üimzl Zmômacli said Jess, addressing the Prime Minister, Professor. Is everything in order?
You tell me. He replied
Jess handed over the artifact. The Professor examined it, then simply said, Very well.
Very well? VERY WELL? Did he not realize what we had to go through just to get that relic? The nerve of that guy! He's probably just upset because we found a lawyer good enough to force him to change us back.
Jess followed Prime Minister Üitieaie and the Professor down the corridor. They entered a laboratory, much bigger than the old one. I noticed the machine out of the corner of my eye. They walked toward it, and the Professor inserted the artifact into a slot in the side of the machine. A light flashed green. The Prime Minister looked at us, "Would you like to say your goodbyes?" she said in Môc Yeô.

We all faced to look at each other.
See you guys on the other side Jess was the first to talk.
"Finally, I'll have some peace and quiet!" joked Geoff.
I stepped forward and said, "I'm really going to miss all of your voices. I've really gotten used to your company, and I hope we stay just as close when we get back to normal." Everybody nodded, agreeing with me. The rest of us exchanged our goodbyes, then we finally said in unison, "We're ready," Jess repeated our words to the Professor and the Prime Minister, then stepped into the machine taking his place, covering his ears in advance this time. First came the noise, the exhaustion, the light, and lastly, the fainting.

Chapter 5 - Seven Heads Are Better Than One

I woke with a start, my head aching like crazy. I reached up and touched my forehead, my incredibly huge forehead! Something had gone horribly wrong. I tried sitting up, but the weight of my head was too great. The Professor and his assistant rushed over. "Put your head down! The stress is too much for your neck!" they cried.

I happily put my head down, "What, happened?" I asked, taking long pauses between my words. They explained that there was a miscalculation.
"So basically," the assistant spoke, "you have all of your friend's brains, and your friends have none." I tried to calm down, my breathing becoming heavy.
"Don't worry, we have your friends in stasis. They'll be fine," assured Dhymaxez, fastening something to my head. "There! That should help you sit up."

I sat up and stepped off the table, taking the mirror in my hand, almost too afraid to look. I slowly lifted up the mirror until it was level with my face. The mirror could not even capture the full size of my head. My thick brown hair was no longer visible. I shuddered at the sight, it looked like a great big skin covered ball. I closed my eyes and let go of the mirror, not caring that it would smash into a million pieces.

Eyes still closed, I asked, "If I have seven brains, why can't I just reprogram the machine so it'll work properly?"
"Simple," answered the Professor, "You only have the knowledge of your friends. You will not automatically know things none of you have ever learned about just because you have seven brains. Everything your friends have ever learned, you now know."

I let out an exasperated sigh and walked over to my friends. They simply lay there, lifelessly staring out into nothingness.
"I have to help them."
"I know you do, but before you do that, we have a meeting with the head of the IEA. She wants to know everything that has taken place," he said.
"What about my head?" I asked uneasily.
"Everybody in this building already knows about it. That is the least of your worries. Now please, we mustn't delay any further," he replied, motioning towards the door.
"You're right, it is the least of my worries. My biggest worry right now is getting my head through that door."

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