Long Form Roleplayers

Previously: Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7, Chapter 8, Chapter 9, Chapter 10, Chapter 11, Chapter 12, Chapter 13

Characters:

You are not logged in. - Lloyd Morgan-Jackson

You are not logged in. - Myster Emmet

You are not logged in. - Bartender Ghost

The Author:
Having concluded their time at the Overlook Hotel, Lloyd and Emmet are able to relax on the BLAINE Express while speaking with the Bartending Ghost about their experiences. This is the conclusion to The Overlook Mystery.

Bartender Ghost:
As the scene fades to white, you find yourself aboard the lovely BLAINE Express with me, your Bartending Ghost, at the bar ready to serve you as always. "It would seem you have managed to figure out a happy ending for those involved. Alas, it was just one potential outcome of the memories of the Welcum Barroom. I'm sure you two have some questions, are you in need of refreshments?"

Lloyd Morgan-Jackson:
I look around, wondering if I have any luggage with me, and if the typewriter might be still there.

Myster Emmet:
"I think....I need...some water." I pant, feeling the effects of dehydration flow into me as the adrenaline fades....

Bartender Ghost:
Any luggage that you had for the sake of this venture remains as it was before arriving. As I serve Mr. Emmet his glass of water, I speak to your clear concerns, Mr. Morgan-Jackson. "I would venture a guess that you are looking for the antique typewriter, Mr. Morgan-Jackson?"

Lloyd Morgan-Jackson:
"You would be correct, Mr. Ghost", I say. "I suppose it's too bad I didn't type that we took the typewriter with us. Or perhaps... it's better that way. Having reality-altering powers would probably be way too tempting."

Myster Emmet:
"Becoming a god, so to speak, is pretty corrupting. I don't think anyone should have access to that typewriter ever again." I speak after gulping down my water.

Lloyd Morgan-Jackson:
I sigh glumly. "Yeah... I guess you're right. It sure felt good typing on it and having everything happen exactly as I wrote it, though. Oh well... best not to dwell on that", I shake my head.

Bartender Ghost:
"You were within a memory of something that happened long ago, a story that continues to be relived and rewritten time and time again. It is why Mr. King was so interested and visited this memory so often, clearly such a device would be of interest to a writer such as him, would it not? Alas, it was never within the power of the memory to take things beyond the story, nothing except the knowledge within the narrative, does that make sense? I would venture a guess that the true takeaway from this, is that the power of a god, as you put it, Mr. Emmet, the ability to create and influence those around you, is not something you need a magic typewriter to do."

Lloyd Morgan-Jackson:
"Are you saying that this typewriter only has this power within this memory, but not beyond it?"

Bartender Ghost:
"The Corona Typewriter did exist in this world, Mr. Morgan-Jackson, and continues to. It is what Mr. King was ultimately searching for, a relic created some time ago, and, as Mr. Grandy explained, he paid a great deal of money to acquire it. It was never within the realm of possibilities to remove it from the memory, but at least for now, you have given those poor souls in the story a happy ending."

Lloyd Morgan-Jackson:
"When you say 'did exist', does this mean it burned and got destroyed in that fire of 1980?"

Myster Emmet:
"I see....I'm glad we saved them...." I mumbled as I blink away a few tears from my now rehydrated ducts.

Bartender Ghost:
"Of the, shall we say, facts of the past... There was indeed a fire that happened in 1983 in a Hotel in the mountains. There was indeed a family who was staying there, whose father went mad and killed the family. Along with all the other things you encountered in that memory, it is difficult to say, though, if it was just another repainting of an older story, or if it now is the definitive truth due to you viewing it. You might recall me mentioning something about Mr. Daniel Bernoulli’s theory of superposition? Well, if reality is fluid, Mr. Morgan-Jackson, and new writers come along and reinterpret the past, then who is to say what is true and what is fiction?"

Lloyd Morgan-Jackson:
"So... what happened to the typewriter? In the original memory or in its latest interpretation."

Bartender Ghost:
"That is difficult for me to determine, I am afraid to say, Mr. King invested a great deal of time searching for it. He would ask me questions when he would visit the barroom attempting to learn more, and he would even visit other memories related to the friends you made at the hotel. In time he would paint his own interpretations of them, and they too would live for others to experience. If this object still exists, Mr. Morgan-Jackson, perhaps it is in his possession. Perhaps he is wise enough to not attempt to change his own story with it. Or perhaps he simply chose to destroy the device."

Myster Emmet:
"Well, what would happen if it's destroyed? Would all those stories just cease to exist? Or will it just lose its godlike ability to shift realities?"

Bartender Ghost:
"Mr. Emmet, the stories can always be altered with or without the use of a mystic typewriter. Surely, you have seen a reinterpretation of a story by a new writer that clashes with your memories of the past? If the typewriter was destroyed, one such avenue of changing these stories would be eliminated, but it is hardly the only means to do so."

Lloyd Morgan-Jackson:
"But reality is more than just a story that exists in someone's mind."

Bartender Ghost:
"How can you be so sure, Mr. Morgan-Jackson? Are you the dream or the dreamer? I am afraid I do not have all the answers, merely my own speculation on the matter from my long life of servitude. Do you have any other questions?"

Lloyd Morgan-Jackson:
"Ugh!", I groan in frustration, seeing how I'm unlikely to get any definitive answers from the ghost. "Well anyways... was Wendy really pregnant? And was Richard really the father?"

Bartender Ghost:
"In this, I can answer more clearly. She was pregnant and fearful of telling her husband given that they were in hard times. She was afraid her husband may push her for an abortion, but the act of hiding the pregnancy caused Mr. Torrance's active mind to wander and draw his own bigoted conclusion on the topic."

Myster Emmet:
"Ah, that's… yeah, I can see how that happened. And I assume Richard and Wendy weren't having an affair at all? Just some paranoid delusion for Jack..."

Bartender Ghost:
"Mrs. Torrance was lonely in those months, and Mr. Hallorann was a friendly person. However, Mr. Hallorann had his own tastes in companions, as evidenced by the picture he kept on his wall of his former wife. As friendly as the two were, the tragedy of the incident would strike before anything between the two would develop that far, and so, Mr. Emmet, the two were not having an affair."

Lloyd Morgan-Jackson:
"Is it actually true that the gift is passed on from a parent to a child, in the sense that, when a child is born, the parent's gift weakens?"

Bartender Ghost:
"It is indeed, though it is worth noting that it isn't always clear what is going on. Some people live their lives never knowing they have the gift, or perhaps find out they had it long after passing it on. There is also the instance of Twins inheriting it, as you learned about in the past involving the ones in the story. Another interesting thing you might not have noticed is that their age was stated to be no more than twelve years old, perhaps eleven and a half. So between the two of them, a curious other number appears, now doesn't it?"

Myster Emmet:
"23?" I add.

Lloyd Morgan-Jackson:
"Eleven and a half times two... equals twenty-three", I smile, saying it almost simultaneously with Emmet.

Bartender Ghost:
"What is clear about the gift, however, is that those who have it possess the means of interpreting these stories. Perhaps there is a reason why the act of having children weakens the gift in people, but that isn't clear. Are there any other dwelling mysteries I can attempt to answer for you, gentlemen? I believe our stop is coming up shortly."

Myster Emmet:
"I....I think I am all good, question-wise."

Lloyd Morgan-Jackson:
"I am still curious about the typewriter. Who made it and how was it imbued with such power?"

Bartender Ghost:
"The Corona Model 3 present in this story was created in 1914. You may be surprised to hear its purpose was an attempt to stop a worldwide war, but its effects seem to have lasted but a single day. Perhaps there is a memory I can dig up for you to experience if you wish to pursue that sometime. As for how it was created, or why Mr. Smith Corona created it, is, at present, beyond my knowledge."

Lloyd Morgan-Jackson:
"And once again we have a date that's 23 years away from 1937... which is 23 years away from 1960...", I trail off.

Bartender Ghost:
"It is intriguing how these things seem to line up, wouldn't you agree?" The conductor of the BLAINE Express announces that their destination will be coming up shortly. "I believe we are out of time, Gentlemen. I do hope you enjoyed this memory of the Welcum Barroom. You have but to ask if you wish to explore another sometime."

Myster Emmet:
"I see...well, this was a...rollercoaster of an experience. I am glad I got to explore it with you, Lloyd." I smile gratefully, while finishing off my glass of water.

Lloyd Morgan-Jackson:
As Emmet makes his comment, I turn to him and smile. "Yeah, same here. I couldn't have asked for a better partner. Well, one last thing, Mr. Ghost.... why do you tempt people to indulge in their base impulses and commit crimes?", I ask, as the train starts slowing down.

Bartender Ghost:
"A very good question indeed, Mr. Morgan-Jackson. There have always been stories of a tempter, have there not? Perhaps I am merely an incarnation of such a thing. I dare say that would fit right in with the things you have seen in that establishment, now, wouldn't you agree? As interesting as it is to tempt people to engage in their dark behaviors, it is always a delight to see when a person truly shines against it."

Myster Emmet:
"Humans are the most susceptible to our emotions, but it's up to the individual whether to channel those emotions into something destructive and horrible, or something like a beautiful masterpiece."

Bartender Ghost:
As the BLAINE Express comes to a stop, the other passengers begin to rise and depart. "Good day, gentlemen. It was a pleasure." With a slight bow, I disappear.

Lloyd Morgan-Jackson:
I look at Emmet. "That Ghost is trouble....." I sigh, before taking my suitcase and standing up.

Myster Emmet:
I blink, before turning around and disembarking from this vessel. "Trouble, at least it wasn't double!" I make the reference and grinned as I turned to Lloyd to see his reaction.

Lloyd Morgan-Jackson:
That reference flies way over my head as I just raise an eyebrow at that, following Emmet out of the train.

Published: 2023-04-11, viewed 6 times.