"It all came back to me like the hot kiss at the end of a wet fist!"

Chap, your "mark on the back of the neck" on the other board, I assume referred to the '50s flick "Invaders From Mars" ? The image of sand closing up over the Martians' victims haunted my childhood. Still gives me the creeps, but in a nostalgic sort of way!

When I was four there was an open field down the road from my house. An older boy befriended me and we went over to the field. On the far end of it was a makeshift grass hut about three or four feet high and on the near end was a narrow hole about two feet in diameter and about five feet deep with a picket fence sticking out of it. The boy told me that there was a tunnel leading from the hole to the hut. He said that he would go into the hut and that I should go down into the hole and we would meet in the tunnel. Down the hole I went, up came the picket fence and over the top of the hole went a flat rock. No tunnel. I won’t go into the terror and horror of the next five minutes but eventually the rock was removed and the picket fence replaced.

I had some bad nights after that for about two or three years but eventually the nightmares ended. But strangely, that scene in “Invaders From Mars” never bothered me. Should have but never did.

Robot Lincoln,
Nice prose you have over there on the old site for May 19.

Thanks, you too Chapter31!

that sounds so scary! you reminded me of the wrath of khan, the only star trek movie i really remember watching. (must've just been the reference to sand, how sad.) i just HATE watching where khan puts a parasite thingy in that one guy's ear. from so many movies, parasites and slurpy, squirmy animals scare me.

the sound effects made from watermelon (like darth vader choking the captain in the first part of episode IV) are particularly frightening.

i think i'm going to stop making nerdy references now.

any gushy noises you don't like?

Yeah, the parasite thing was bad, all right...

"Not quite domesticated..." (shiver)

The best parts are when Khan quotes Shakespeare, though...

"From hell's heart, I stab at thee...for hate's sake..." etc. Montalban was a bit of a ham, but he knew how to deliver a line.

Speaking of scary, slimy, things!? What about the original chestburster in Alien. The first time I saw that movie, I kicked the chair in front of me, luckily the guy sitting in it had already vacated it! Because he jumped forward at the same time that I kicked the seat! The ultimate Gothic Horror/SciFi movie for me... Ridley Scott rocks...

And that stuff from Melville: “We few, we happy few, we band of brothers. For he today who…”

Something just hit the boat. Pardon me while I ship my oars.

Melville was quoting Shakespeare? He certainly quoted, or at least cited, enough others.

Hey, now that you mention these other things a Snipe Hunt seems pretty maudlin. Anyone ever been on a Snipe Hunt?

Yup, but I did not catch, any Snipe. Just mosquito bites, scuffed knees and a mess kit, that was banged in from trying to catch a Snipe of all things....

Yup Uncle, I hear you. In fact it was our uncle (my brother and I's) that took us across the street to the Ottumwa Cemetary and left us standing with a flashlight and holding a gunny sack open making some weird noise to lure the Snipe into sack. Ooops! I don't want to ruin any future Snipe Hunts for anyone!

I still like Blade Runner the best.

quote:

Originally posted by uncle A.G.:
Speaking of scary, slimy, things!? What about the original chestburster in Alien. The first time I saw that movie, I kicked the chair in front of me, luckily the guy sitting in it had already vacated it! Because he jumped forward at the same time that I kicked the seat! The ultimate Gothic Horror/SciFi movie for me... Ridley Scott rocks...

Snipes do exist, but this isn't the kind usually hunted at night by boy scouts.
(see attached)
This one is related to the phalarope, I believe, which reminds me; anyone read Alan Paton's "Too Late The Phalarope"? I was very moved by his "Cry, The Beloved Country". Both film versions I saw were good too.

Changing the subject...
...does Herman Melville know about this? or Ray Bradbury for that matter? Will carry about 300 passengers in a luxury flying hotel...