Shadows by Robert Moriyama

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kailhofer
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Shadows by Robert Moriyama

Post by kailhofer »

Nice story, Robert.<br><br>Really, one of the best I've seen from you, and it would have been perfect for Halloween. <br><br>You wrote an endearing character with a conflict, who made a conscious choice, and paid the price. That's aces, in my book.<br><br><br>I have only two quibbles:<br>I thought the story would have been better if the opening had been written in Timmy's vernacular, instead of saying things like "juice, Timmy called it" in those parenthetical phrases.<br><br>Second, I've never read you mentioning being around children much, but as the father of a six, an eight, and a ten year-old, Timmy is a lot more like a five or six than an eight. My eight year-old has spelling words a lot harder than "parasite."<br><br>If you're not around kids of those ages, that kind of thing is hard to know, so I can't fault you much about it.<br><br>Other than that, top marks.<br><br>Nate
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Re: Shadows by Robert Moriyama

Post by Robert_Moriyama »

So ... Nate thinks most 8 year olds could spell 'parasite', while Greg thinks that it could go either way. Meanwhile, in the White House, Dubya is calling Dan Quayle for advice on how to spell 'nucular'.<br><br>Greg's belief that he would be safe from shadows as long as he stuck to his fluorescent-flooded vault is charmingly optimistic. Actually, his situation is worse -- the shadows are still there, they're just harder to see. And in that kind of working environment, it could be days before anyone notices that the ol' Gregger isn't moving about quite as much as usual. (Fluorescent lighting is famous for making everybody look rather corpse-like at the best of times.)<br><br>Robert M.
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Re: Shadows by Robert Moriyama

Post by Robert_Moriyama »

Rob,
... i kept wondering how come we never heard of Timmy's own shadow, or those of his parents? was that intentional?
and why did you decide to kill the parents? why would the shadows want to get rid of them as well?
Lee
<br><br>Y'know, it didn't occur to me that Timmy's shadow was never described. Timmy's dad does see Annie's shadow misbehaving just before he dies ... Timmy's parents' deaths may have represented a kind of housecleaning, eliminating others who would be in a position to know The Secret. Amy Tang, on the other hand, is now in the same position that Timmy was in -- she knows, but may not really believe.<br><br>(Who knows, maybe The Secret will end up being like the video in 'The Ring'. But that would mean -- another series!)<br><br>Robert M.
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Re: Shadows by Robert Moriyama

Post by Robert_Moriyama »

... I also wondered if Amy did understand the true nature of her shadow and somehow dispatched it to take care of Timmy. I thought I detected a knowing smile on her face, but I may have just been reaching for a bit more information on these critters.

Dan E.
<br>There is actually another Shadows story set in prehistory, where an aging shaman trades his life for that of a young boy ...<br><br>I think you're mistaking sweet innocent Amy for the evil Dragon Lady from the old Steve Canyon(?) comic strip, or maybe the villainess from Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow. Anyway, if Amy could talk to her own Shadow, the first thing she'd say was, "Okay, pal. You've had enough for one night. I'm cutting you off."<br><br>Robert M.<br><br>Re: Timmy's parents -- there are some people who shouldn't have children. They are so focused on their own needs and wants that the demands placed on their time, energy, and money by children are constant irritants. Timmy's parents fall into that category. I thought the bits of dialogue and description would get that across, but I guess it wasn't quite clear enough. (The more extreme cases of this personality type would be the protagonist of American Psycho -- or, in the real world, Paul Bernardo and his ilk.)<br><br>
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