WEDNESDAY JUNE 29TH, 2011

(Rael's Exodus I: Start With The Pronouns)

7:15 AM
You ready for this, journal? ‘Cause I’m not.

7:32 AM
I’ve got all my stuff, Donnie’s got all hers, we’re heading out now.

7:33 AM
The innkeeper’s asking us to wait for everyone.

7:49 AM
I see Richard and Meredith. Meredith’s carrying some sort of briefcase.
I get the feeling that was the one of Rogers’ that Bill wanted to show me.

8:01 AM
We’re all here. The innkeeper wants everyone to know everyone else before we board.
There’s the Innkeeper (Penelope Judge), Mister and Missus Finchplus thirteen-year-old Omar Finch, Mister and Missus Haggard, Mister Gerome, Miss DeNumante plus five-year-old Brian DeNumante, Mister and Missus Burgandy (Richard and Meredith), Mister and Missus Tickrand plus fifteen-year-old Quinn Tickrand, sixteen-year-old Jordan Dooling and seventeen-year-old Donnivan Rand, as well as Ms. Desmond (currently sick, will be wheeled in after everyone else). And that’s just the passengers.
The crew of the Exodus: Captain Jonathan Fitzgerald, eighteen-year-old Patrick Yates (made into second-in-command), Chef Zachary Gusteau, secondary chef Sarah Virtshire, engineer Carl Rackleberg, and two men who weren’t members of the crew but are now: Doctors Johnson and Jackson.
Twenty-four people. Ms. Desmond, as mentioned above, is currently in her room. She will be wheeled on-board separately.
I wonder what she’s sick with.

8:23 AM
There it is, the R.M.S Exodus. It’s quite large. I mean, not the biggest boat in the world, but then again, I think it’ll do the job well.
The ramp’s set up, and it’s time to board.

9:44 AM
Donnie and I, despite having separate surnames, are classified as a couple. ..I’m fine with that! :3 But so, we’re assigned to the same room. Again, not a single complaint here. .w.

9:51 AM
Apparently, the ship’s intercom works fine. Time for transcriptions!
“Hello, passengers. This is your captain speaking, Captain John Fitzgerald at your service; you are currently aboard the R.M.S Exodus. I’m sure you know that, but I’m just going through these formalities, or at least whatever formalities I can remember. It’s been a while since I last captained a ship.
“Just to reiterate, this will be, at the least, a six-day voyage. The demons and baddies can’t get us out on the ocean, so don’t fret. Your well-trained staff and crew will take extra-good care of you. So just kick back, relax, and enjoy six days of beeeeautiful red sky and blue sea.
“Chef Gusteau will be serving dinner at six in the dining room. I hear today’s meal is a thrilling steak and kidney pie.
“Now, uh.. here’s a formality I don’t normally have to say, but I think you’ll appreciate this. There may or may not be a creature on-board this ship, looks a little like a cross between a man and a feral dog. Don’t look into its eyes, and.. just try to avoid it at all costs. If you spot it, make sure to let a trained crew member know.
“I’d go over all the normal health and safety regulations, but c’mon, I’m fairly sure you ladies and gentlemen know not to jump off the deck. Keep your arms and legs inside the vehicle at all times, stay posted for further announcements, and..
“..stay alive. Fitzgerald out.”
What was that about demons and baddies not being able to get us over the ocean? Have these guys gone over the apocalyptic ocean before? I need to ask them about that.

10:00 AM
Donnie wants to go up to the deck.
I jokingly said “Whatever you want, hun.” Because.. we’re counted as a couple.
She kissed me.
Journal, this is already a wonderful voyage.

10:14 AM
Oh my god, just look at that beautiful sea reflecting the sun’s rays into the sky! ..how does that work, it’s science
We’re finally leaving. We’re leaving England.
There’s not much wind. This is strange.

10:22 AM
Heading back.

10:30 AM
..we’re kinda lost.
This place is huge! So many twists and turns and more twists and rooms left and right and staircases and wow what was this, a cruise ship?

10:35 AM
..we turned a corner and saw that one old lady.
She’s still there. Donnie’s seeing her too.
Donnie called out to her. The lady turned and walked down this hall.
Around a corner. Can’t see her now.
We don’t know where we’re going, so we’ll follow.

10:39 AM
..cargo holds.
This place is quite large, quite dark, and quite cold.

10:40 AM
We’re prolly not gonna stay here l
fuck
leaving

10:41 AM
Slammed door shut behind us, locked.
We need to find the crew.

10:50 AM
Found Carl Rackleberg, the engineer. Told him we saw the Rake. Cargo holds.
Carl says he’ll do something about it.

10:51 AM
I also told him about the lady we saw. He said that’s extremely odd; the only old lady on board is Ms. Desmond, and she’s in a coma.
..wait, coma, I thought she was just sick.

10:53 AM
Carl explained a bit about Ms. Desmond. She was found drowning in a river. She seemed alright, but when the people accompanying her reached Liverpool, she got terribly ill. The people who brought her in wound up dying, so Miss Judge, the innkeeper, started taking care of her.
This morning, Ms. Desmond was found in a comatose state.
So the fact that Donnie and I saw her standing, walking, entering the cargo holds.. well, that’s a little odd.
The fact that I’ve been seeing her a few times before is also a little odd.
Carl advised us to carry weapons with us the next time we wander around the ship.
Duly noted.

11:11 AM
I wish that we can stay safe for this voyage.

12:28 PM
I’m taking a nap.

5:44 PM
I dreamt of water. Of water and prog.
Prog. :3 I like prog.
Then something started to rise out of the water. A giant finger.
The sky was suddenly filled with clouds.
But then the prog turned to punk rock, the clouds dissipated, and the finger submerged.
I woke up to hear the Sex Pistols playing on the ship’s intercom.
I’m not a massive punk fan.

5:47 PM
“Attention, passengers. First of all, we just found a heapload of CDs here, and we’re starting with the Sex Pistols’ studio release. So hopefully, you’ll be able to enjoy a fun voyage with much music.
“In more important news, dinner will be served in the dining room in about ten minutes; I recommend you show up fashionably early, as Chef Gusteau is quite proud of his work and would like to know your opinions as soon as possible.
“Also, we’ve heard reports of that creature being spotted in the cargo holds. Carl’s gone and blocked that door, as none of your cargo is in there anyway. But you’re advised to carry a weapon with you when wandering the ship, just to be on the safe side.
“Once again, this is your captain speaking, advising you to stay alive. Fitzgerald out.”
I guess we should start heading for the dining room now. Taking Tiger Stripes.

6:07 PM
This is fucking delicious, oh my god. My compliments to the chef!
Not a lot of people seem to really be enjoying it, though. Everyone’s tense, some tenser than others.

6:11 PM
Someone’s missing here.
It’s a crew member.

6:12 PM
I brought it up to Carl. He looked around and realized I was right. Patrick Yates, the second-in-command, isn’t here.
He’s talking to the crew about it now.

6:16 PM
Sarah Virtshire, chef’s helper, is asking if anyone would like to form a search party for Yates. I’m in, as is Carl, Mister Finch, Sarah, and Miss DeNumante.

6:24 PM
Yates’ quarters are empty.

6:31 PM
..I heard a splash. Came from the deck.

6:33 PM
Yates is out here.
Fasdj8
oh, sorry, Finch slipped in a puddle. ..cut himself. o_o The water’s helping his wound, though. ..somehow. Does water work like that? ‘Cause it works like that now.
Anyway, yeah, we found Yates, he says he just wanted to look at the sea. He said he’s been to many ponds and rivers and lakes over the years, but he’s never been to the ocean. He can’t seem to take his eyes off it.
Finch can’t, either.
I don’t see what’s so inspiring and riveting about the sea. It’s just water.
A lot of water.

6:36 PM
I asked Sarah about the captain’s assurance that no baddies could get us out here. She took me aside and told me that that’s just to keep the weak-hearted happy. The truth is, we have no idea what’s in the ocean anymore.

6:39 PM
Alright, our reunion’s over. We’re heading back to the dining room now.

6:44 PM
I hear footsteps. Running.
..panting.
Snarling.
Tiger Stripes, give me stHOLY FUCK
RAKE
YATES
fsdha EAT GUITAR CONTROLLER
YEAH YOU’D BETTER RUN
Bastard got Yates. Hard.
It was going for Finch next, but we fought it off and now it’s gone.
Carl says it’s probably heading back to the cargo holds. In the meantime, we’d better clean up what’s left of Yates.
How the hell are we gonna explain this to people?

7:14 PM
Donnie and I are back in our room. I filed her in on what happened, and she’s a little afraid of what might happen over this voyage. Gotta admit, me too.
I mean, anything could h
door
I’ll get it.

7:16 PM
It was Mister Finch. He said, and I quote, “Keep an eye on Ms. Desmond, Rael.” Then he walked off.
The hell.

8:02 PM
“Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. Uh.. I regret to inform you that Patrick Yates.. fell off the ship. As we were looking through his quarters, we found some CDs, so in honour of Mister Yates, we will be playing them.
“This one is called, uh…. Tarkus. Emerson, Lake & Palmer.”
..holy fuck, really? o__o Yates was a prog fan too?
This might be a pretty fun night, actually. I love “Tarkus.”

8:18 PM
FUCK YEAH, AQUATARKUS.
..that is, the.. last movement. Of “Tarkus.” Aquatarkus. One of my all-time favourite melodies. ..of all time.

8:20 PM
THE FUCK WAS THAT NOISE
HOLY FUCK
THAT’S A BIG FISH
It’s gone.
I was just proggasming, right? To Aquatarkus, right? Then I happen to look out the window. BAM, bigass fish out there. I mean big. In the distance, but it was a fucking tower, but I only caught a glimpse of it as it sank into the water.
I have a bad feeling about this.
I’m gonna call that thing the Leviathan, in loving memory of Mastodon’s second album. The one that told the story of Moby Dick.
I just hope we don’t have to see it again.

8:40 PM
“Right, that was Tarkus. Interesting stuff, I guess. Here we have an album called Nursery Rhy—no, sorry, Nursery Cryme. By.. Genesis. Right.”
I’m impressed, Yates. I am impressed.

8:43 PM
“The Return of the Giant Hogweed.” Fuckin’ love this song. God, I fuckin’ love this album.

8:08 PM
I swear I saw the Leviathan again. Maybe not.

9:33 PM
No music’s played for a while.

9:45 PM
“Oh. Right. This is your captain speaking. Uh.. does anyone want to volunteer to take over my duties for the night? That was originally Yates’ job.”

9:53 PM
“Doctor John Jackson here. I’m taking over for the captain as he sleeps. I’ll be playing music of my own, a bit of freeform jazz to help you guys sleep. Hopefully, we’ll have an uneventful night. Doctor John out.”

10:38 PM
Donnie’s going to bed. I think I’ll join her.

11:00 PM
twenty-two

(Attached: “I’ll start with the pronouns. Salmacis prefers a system of ‘it’ and 'her’ but never 'she.’ It’s a creature of pure complexity, pure lethal abstraction. Thinking about her’s like delving to the bottom of the ocean, trudging slowly forward and hoping you can hold your breath for long enough. If you keep on that course for long enough, you might go a little nuts, but you’ll also see some of the most magnificent things the world has to offer. And then you'll lose yourself.”)