Alan Tracy, smiled as he breezed into his lounge, clutching a pad of paper
and a handful of pens.
His brother Virgil who was at the piano and his father Jeff, who was
seated, in Alan's opinion where he sat far too often, at his desk, looked
up as he slammed the door behind him.
'ALAN!' Jeff said sharpely, shaking his head at his youngest son,'do you have to slam the door, Virgil and I were enjoying the peace and quiet.'
Alan ignored his father and walked over to where Virgil sat.
'Here Virg, take one of these!'
Virgil, sighed and gave up trying to ignore his brother as he stopped playing. 'My family and me?' he asked Alan frowning as he read the title at the top of the blank page, 'what is this?'
Alan smiled back sweetly, 'it's my new project, you know I've been taking those part time courses at the college?' Virgil nodded, 'well this is my project. I want you all to write down your deepest feelings and memories.'
Virgil stared at his brother incredulously, 'oh that should be easy then!' he retorted sarcastically.
Alan rolled his eyes, 'help me out here please Virg, I want to pass this course.'
'What the hell is this course anyway, creative writing?'
Alan frowned, hurt, 'no it's psychology' he replied handing a paper to Jeff, 'I need all of my family, and unfortunately that includes you Virgil, to write something.'
Jeff looked uneasy, 'Alan, I want to help son, really, but I'm not good with things like that.'
'Dad' Alan said, turning on the puppy-dog eyes that Jeff had never been able to resist, 'please, you don't have to write a lot.'
Jeff did as Virgil had expected and gave in, 'ok' he conceded to his son.
'Oh thanks dad, you're the greatest' Alan said with so much enthausiasm that Jeff couldn't help but grin.
'Now where's Scott and Gordon?'
Virgil smirked, thinking of his brothers' reactions to Alan's request, while both Virgil and John were good at English, Scott and Gordon had hated it, preferring sport to any subject remotely academic. It wasn't that they weren't good at it, they just disliked it. It gave Virgil a sense of satisfaction to know his brothers were going to have to endure the same torture he would have to go through.
'Scott's cleaning Thunderbird One and Gordo's drying off after his swim.'
Alan nodded and breezed off to find them.
**************************************************************************** ******
'You want me to do what?' Scott groaned as he stared at the paper infront of him. He'd barely cleaned any of thunderbird one before his little brother had cornered him.
Alan shook his head in exasperation, 'Please try and keep up Scott', he muttered, 'I need you to write your feelings and memories.'
To Scott this sounded like a fate worse than death.
'Oh Alan.........'
'No excuses Scott, do you want me to fail?'
Scott sighed, he had always done everything he could to help his brothers at school, he wasn't about to fail Alan now.
'Fine, I'll do it!' he said disgruntled.
'Thanks Scott' Alan grinned and hugged his brother, 'I knew you wouldn't let me down. And remember no mention of International rescue ok?'
Scott nodded and frowned as Alan left the room, humming, 2 brothers down 2 to go.
**************************************************************************** ******
'UH....Uh... no way!' Gordon said, wrapping the towel around his neck as he pulled a t-shirt over his still wet hair.
'Pleeeeeease!' Alan whined.
'Al, I never found that endearing...' Gordon responded to his brother's puppy-dog eyes, 'it was just annoying.'
Alan frowned and threw himself down theatrically on his brother's bed, 'Gordo, please, you don't know how important this is to me.'
Gordon continued to shake his head, 'if I'd been good at writing Al, I wouldn't have flunked Mrs Looter 's English Class.'
Alan sighed, 'you didn't flunk because of that, you got suspended for writing a rude limerick about Mrs Looter.' he reminded his brother.
Gordon's smile broke into a devilish grin, 'oh yeah' his eyes glittered as he remembered, 'there once was a woman named Looters, who had a giant pair of hoo....' 'enough, Gordo, we all remember the poem!' Alan said with a smirk, 'please do this for me, I need some of the Gordon wit in there!'
Gordon sighed as he reached out a hand for one of the papers, 'well if you put it like that.....'
Alan smiled slyly to himself as he left Gordon's room, man he was good, now he only needed John.
**************************************************************************** ******
Beep.....beep......beep
John's eyes flashed in his portrait half an hour later.
'Go ahead John' Jeff spoke quickly.
'What the heck is this, you've faxed through to me?' John asked his father holding up Alan's paper.
Alan smiled, 'it's part of my project John, can you fill it in and fax it back to me later?'
'I most certainly will not!' John grumbled, 'I've got a thousand and one jobs to do up here!'
Alan turned to Jeff, 'Dad, tell him , please.'
Jeff looked at his middle son, 'John, can you please do this for your brother.'
John looked annoyed, 'but Dad, I've still got to fix the suction caps and the distress co-ordinater configuration......'
Alan interuppted his brother, 'then the faster you get this done the sooner you can get back to finishing those jobs.'
John frowned, irritated, 'Alan I am going to kick your ass when I next see you.'
'JOHN!' Jeff admonished.
'Sorry Dad!' John mumbled, then when Jeff turned away, he mouthed to his youngest brother, 'I mean it!' before disconnecting.
Alan smirked, he had them all wrapped around his little finger. He was going to get an A for sure!
**************************************************************************** ******
2 hours later Alan smiled as he recieved John's fax, 'thanks John' he said to his brother who seemed unusually subdued.
'That's ok Alan' he responded, far to kindly. Alan was instantly suspiscious.
'Are you alright John.' he asked, a little worried by John's tone.
'Yeah I'm fine, I guess I just remembered things i hadn't thought about in a long time.'
For the first time since he'd been given the project Alan thought how difficult this might have been for his brothers and his father.
'I'm sorry if this has upset you Johnny.' he said softly, feeling guilty then.
'No, I guess it was stuff I needed to remember, that's all.' John replied, 'I hope it's what you're looking for anyway.'
'Thanks Johnny' Alan said, meaning it as his older brother cut off their connection.
He had noticed the same kind of reaction in all the members of his family, even Gordon, had been serious when he'd given his paper back. For the first time Alan wondered if he'd been right to pressure them into this. He sighed as he walked on to the balcony, sat down and looked at the writing infront of him, it was Scott's sprawling script, neat as ever.
Very curious as to what these papers would reveal about his family, Alan began to read.........................
**************************************************************************** ******
'ALAN!' Jeff said sharpely, shaking his head at his youngest son,'do you have to slam the door, Virgil and I were enjoying the peace and quiet.'
Alan ignored his father and walked over to where Virgil sat.
'Here Virg, take one of these!'
Virgil, sighed and gave up trying to ignore his brother as he stopped playing. 'My family and me?' he asked Alan frowning as he read the title at the top of the blank page, 'what is this?'
Alan smiled back sweetly, 'it's my new project, you know I've been taking those part time courses at the college?' Virgil nodded, 'well this is my project. I want you all to write down your deepest feelings and memories.'
Virgil stared at his brother incredulously, 'oh that should be easy then!' he retorted sarcastically.
Alan rolled his eyes, 'help me out here please Virg, I want to pass this course.'
'What the hell is this course anyway, creative writing?'
Alan frowned, hurt, 'no it's psychology' he replied handing a paper to Jeff, 'I need all of my family, and unfortunately that includes you Virgil, to write something.'
Jeff looked uneasy, 'Alan, I want to help son, really, but I'm not good with things like that.'
'Dad' Alan said, turning on the puppy-dog eyes that Jeff had never been able to resist, 'please, you don't have to write a lot.'
Jeff did as Virgil had expected and gave in, 'ok' he conceded to his son.
'Oh thanks dad, you're the greatest' Alan said with so much enthausiasm that Jeff couldn't help but grin.
'Now where's Scott and Gordon?'
Virgil smirked, thinking of his brothers' reactions to Alan's request, while both Virgil and John were good at English, Scott and Gordon had hated it, preferring sport to any subject remotely academic. It wasn't that they weren't good at it, they just disliked it. It gave Virgil a sense of satisfaction to know his brothers were going to have to endure the same torture he would have to go through.
'Scott's cleaning Thunderbird One and Gordo's drying off after his swim.'
Alan nodded and breezed off to find them.
**************************************************************************** ******
'You want me to do what?' Scott groaned as he stared at the paper infront of him. He'd barely cleaned any of thunderbird one before his little brother had cornered him.
Alan shook his head in exasperation, 'Please try and keep up Scott', he muttered, 'I need you to write your feelings and memories.'
To Scott this sounded like a fate worse than death.
'Oh Alan.........'
'No excuses Scott, do you want me to fail?'
Scott sighed, he had always done everything he could to help his brothers at school, he wasn't about to fail Alan now.
'Fine, I'll do it!' he said disgruntled.
'Thanks Scott' Alan grinned and hugged his brother, 'I knew you wouldn't let me down. And remember no mention of International rescue ok?'
Scott nodded and frowned as Alan left the room, humming, 2 brothers down 2 to go.
**************************************************************************** ******
'UH....Uh... no way!' Gordon said, wrapping the towel around his neck as he pulled a t-shirt over his still wet hair.
'Pleeeeeease!' Alan whined.
'Al, I never found that endearing...' Gordon responded to his brother's puppy-dog eyes, 'it was just annoying.'
Alan frowned and threw himself down theatrically on his brother's bed, 'Gordo, please, you don't know how important this is to me.'
Gordon continued to shake his head, 'if I'd been good at writing Al, I wouldn't have flunked Mrs Looter 's English Class.'
Alan sighed, 'you didn't flunk because of that, you got suspended for writing a rude limerick about Mrs Looter.' he reminded his brother.
Gordon's smile broke into a devilish grin, 'oh yeah' his eyes glittered as he remembered, 'there once was a woman named Looters, who had a giant pair of hoo....' 'enough, Gordo, we all remember the poem!' Alan said with a smirk, 'please do this for me, I need some of the Gordon wit in there!'
Gordon sighed as he reached out a hand for one of the papers, 'well if you put it like that.....'
Alan smiled slyly to himself as he left Gordon's room, man he was good, now he only needed John.
**************************************************************************** ******
Beep.....beep......beep
John's eyes flashed in his portrait half an hour later.
'Go ahead John' Jeff spoke quickly.
'What the heck is this, you've faxed through to me?' John asked his father holding up Alan's paper.
Alan smiled, 'it's part of my project John, can you fill it in and fax it back to me later?'
'I most certainly will not!' John grumbled, 'I've got a thousand and one jobs to do up here!'
Alan turned to Jeff, 'Dad, tell him , please.'
Jeff looked at his middle son, 'John, can you please do this for your brother.'
John looked annoyed, 'but Dad, I've still got to fix the suction caps and the distress co-ordinater configuration......'
Alan interuppted his brother, 'then the faster you get this done the sooner you can get back to finishing those jobs.'
John frowned, irritated, 'Alan I am going to kick your ass when I next see you.'
'JOHN!' Jeff admonished.
'Sorry Dad!' John mumbled, then when Jeff turned away, he mouthed to his youngest brother, 'I mean it!' before disconnecting.
Alan smirked, he had them all wrapped around his little finger. He was going to get an A for sure!
**************************************************************************** ******
2 hours later Alan smiled as he recieved John's fax, 'thanks John' he said to his brother who seemed unusually subdued.
'That's ok Alan' he responded, far to kindly. Alan was instantly suspiscious.
'Are you alright John.' he asked, a little worried by John's tone.
'Yeah I'm fine, I guess I just remembered things i hadn't thought about in a long time.'
For the first time since he'd been given the project Alan thought how difficult this might have been for his brothers and his father.
'I'm sorry if this has upset you Johnny.' he said softly, feeling guilty then.
'No, I guess it was stuff I needed to remember, that's all.' John replied, 'I hope it's what you're looking for anyway.'
'Thanks Johnny' Alan said, meaning it as his older brother cut off their connection.
He had noticed the same kind of reaction in all the members of his family, even Gordon, had been serious when he'd given his paper back. For the first time Alan wondered if he'd been right to pressure them into this. He sighed as he walked on to the balcony, sat down and looked at the writing infront of him, it was Scott's sprawling script, neat as ever.
Very curious as to what these papers would reveal about his family, Alan began to read.........................
**************************************************************************** ******