Hi all, I would like to put together a group of amature video makers
to do a cartoon video of a short story I have written. Maybe it could
be done under creative commons or GNU ?
The story is below. I wrote it to be illustrated or to be made into
a video. Please read.
The Tic Toc Spring
By
Douglas G.
Pollard Sr.
Master craftsmen working in a back-alley workshop take great pride in
making knives, scissors and fine wood chisels. Using the best steels,
they work, grind, and hone it to the finest cutting edges.
One of them is working on a piece of steel, making a flat spring. He
heats and hammers it, long, narrow and thin. He heats and quenches it in
a bath of certain unnamable elements and water. He heats, hammers and
quenches, many times over and over, heats and hammers.
When it's thin and flexible enough, he puts it in a vise. Held by one
end, he bends the metal over and it springs back as it is supposed to,
but very slowly. Instead of stopping there, it bends all the way in the
opposite direction making a noise not quite, but almost like tic. Then
it slowly springs back. As it goes across center, it makes another
noise, not quite, but almost like toc.
Back and forth, back and forth, and every time it makes the sound almost
like, tic, toc, tic, toc.
All the other craftsmen begin to gather around, watching, some scratch
their heads, other's smile and a few frown, all are fascinated.
Tic, toc, tic, toc on and on, it does not seem to slow.
Gofor Helper says, "Master Forge, you have made something new, A Tic Toc
Spring."
"Yes, Yes!" All the craftsmen shout, "The Tic Toc Spring it goes and
goes. Hurrah! Hurrah! Hurrah! Three cheers for Master Forge Spring Maker."
"Hurrah!" Shouts, Master Hammerer, hammering.
"Hurrah!" Shouts, Master Driller, drilling.
"Hurrah!" Shouts, Master Filer Filing.
They all watch the spring as it goes back and forth tic toc. They cannot
take their eyes off the back and forth spring.
"It goes faster!" Says Gofor Helper.
"It goes faster," they all shout. "Every day it goes faster and faster
and faster."
Every morning they come to work and take a seat and watch the spring.
Day after day, after day, they watch the spring.
The back-alley workshop owner comes in and says, "Get to work all of
you. We have to get the work done." The craftsmen, grumbling, go back to
work.
Master Forge Spring Maker makes springs. Master Hammerer, hammers.
Master Driller, drills. Master Filer, files, and Gofor Helper, helps.
One day Gofor helper says, "I'm tired of this working, lets hook the
tools to the Tic Toc Spring, the work will be done and we can watch the
spring again."
"Hurrah!" They all shout, "Gofor Helper you are dumb, but you say smart
things."
They hook the tools to the Tic Toc Springs and stand back to watch.
Tic toc, tic toc, and the machines go, hammering, drilling and filing.
For days and days, they watch. They take no pride in the parts the tic
toc machines make. It makes no difference to them, that they need not work.
After a time, the factory owner says, "I have machines to do the work. I
cannot pay you to do nothing. You must go home."
"Master Forge Spring Maker, you are no good you are costing us our jobs.
Our families will starve and we will lose our homes."
Master Forge Spring Maker, works and sweats, sweats and works, making
springs. The machines run and run, hammering, drilling and filing, going
faster and faster.
Time passes. The giant industrial complex owner comes to the shop and
says, "You must go home, I cannot pay you any more. The Tic Toc Springs
are making more of everything than any one wants. No person wants
anything. I cannot sell any more Tic Toc Springs. You are a terrible man
you have ruined my business."
Master Forge Spring Maker is walking home and crowds of people come
running after him.
` "Kill the spring maker. His machines do our work," they shout.
Master Forge Spring Maker runs for his life to hide in the woods. Soon
he begins to like this easy new life.
As time goes by the springs going faster and faster, begin to explode,
one after another, boom, boom, boom.
Soon people are calling the back-alley workshop wanting more springs.
The back-alley workshop owner goes looking for Master Forge Spring Maker.
He soon finds him in the woods, lying in a hammock, drinking a cool drink.
"Come back to work," he says.
"No," says Master Forge Spring Maker.
"Why not?" the owner asks?
"Well," Master Forge Spring Maker says, "I invented a spring, it did all
the work, people stopped working. I was the only one who could make
them, so I did all the work there was to do in the world. In all the
world nobody else worked. You were all on vacation."
"I have everything I need here and I am on vacation. Let the world
work." Master Forge Spring Maker took a long drink rolled over and went
to sleep.
The End.
I want nothing for the story except the By line. I have a
college that has some interest but I would rather do it as a project
with a group of video enthusiasts. Somebody to manage it ( not me). I
have had a chance to publish this story in magazines but have held off
as I have had a video in mind. We as a group might want to publish it in
a magazine as a promotion for the video. That would be a decision to
made by the group.
Any who might be interest please post and if there is interest
we would need to go off this list as it will become off topic if it
isn't already.
Thanks Doug
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