Seems like a long time since we've done anything fun.

[Irish Beth]

So lets start a story thread.........you know the rules everyone keeps the story going by adding a few sentences........the twists and turns can be exciting........so I'll start us off........come on new rudies and old hop on the story express.


As the train pulled out of the station, it began to snow. Big downy flakes that kissed the gournd and then melted into nothingness. Carol had never been on train before, but she couldn't afford to fly and the thought of a long bus trip did not appeal. A train seemed like the perfect start to a new beginning. She watched the trees catch snowflakes and thought of the past that seemed to be slipping away as fast as the scenery.

A strange voice interrupted her thoughts, "Excuse me, is this seat taken?" Looking up Carol responded........................

[Randy & Betty in Pa]

Glancing up Carol saw the evil and Vile Redjack... Nearly panicing Carol looked quickly around the rail car and thought.........

[Chet]

"Dang, I must've got on the Rudie train by mistake."

[snakegrl]

I think I would survive the jump if I land on my new big booty now that I've had lyposuction, or even land on my face thanks to Botox.

[Des]

Although jumping ship and landing on my big fat botox arse, being in the company of this evil and vile red jack pirate person, appears a lot more appealing than walking in the snow.

I wait seated, with that feeling of being trapped in a floatation tank and waiting for this dude next to me to say………

[dutchcloggie]

...Excuse me, should this thread not be in The Zoo?


But he never said it. Instead he rummaged around in his bag, pretending he had not just been staring at my wonderful....erhm....guitar.

[Irish Beth]

"How about a song?" he asked. "Well I guess I could sing...."

[DaveM]

"Strange....I should have realized which train I was on when I saw all the guitar cases."

"Does this train still run?"

[marjan]

Never mind, Carol replied. I only took this train just because it's going to Pittsburgh.

[Des]

...Carol takes a train ticket out of her new bag, the one she purchased down at the flee market just the day before. She studies the ticket, wondering if she has made the right decision on buying a one way ticket to Pittsburgh. She ponders for a moment and reflects on the life she has left behind. The silence is broken by a muffled message like sound coming out of a speaker in the arched roof of the carriage, which makes passengers aware that the buffet cart is now open for service....

[Lincoln Imp]

Ah, the buffet cart, the vile and evil Redjack smacked his lips and looked around him. Where is the dolly with the trolley? I need some food if we're going all the way to Pittsburgh. Carol suddenly woke up from her daydream, "Sorry, this seat is taken. Try another car....."

[david uk]

At that very moment a Dar-like voice was heard announcing: "Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen, our buffet car is now open, serving Starbucks Coffee, stroopwaffels, and...well...not much else"

[Eva]

Redjack angrily corrected the voice: "It's stroopwafels, not stroopwaffels, for goodness sake!" Through the speakers came a small voice that stammered: "Oh... stroopwafels... My apologies. Well, whatever they are called, come and get it fast! There is a short, silver haired lady here who eats them by the dozen..."

Carol stood up from her place and...

[david uk]

she said: "wow! Redjack- you can hear a spelling mistake over the intercom- you are soooo clever".... she batted her eyelids and suggested they go to the buffet to try some stropwiffals... stripwoffls... oh, whatever... and they set off down the corridor

[saxman]

and the CHOIR girlS sing., do ta do da do ta do ta ,,,do ta do da do to do do , !

[Eva]

Running in to Jenny and Eva keelhauling PA Randy from one side of the train to the other. They had such fun! This would be the first trainhauling Carol would witness...

Eva

[david uk]

Carol turned to Redjack and asked "who are all these crazy people?" to which he replied " they are rudies, they are crazy, but hey this train still runs, so shut up and have a stripw...stropww... heck now I can't even spell it!l"

They then spotted a cute little doggie in the middle of the corridor *tries desperately to get himself into the story*

[Des]

….as passengers bustle and shuffle into each other trying to get to the buffet cart, to ensure they get a seat in the smoking area.

A strange choice of music Carol thinks to herself. What’s even more strange is how the lady giving out the message over the intercom had heard what redjack said and replied accordingly. There is more to this evil pirate than what meets the patched eye. Carol considers that thought and concludes redjack is a spy for….

[david uk]

....God and the FBI:eek:

[Des]

...Being the ever prepared man that Redjack is, he searches through his pockets and takes out a handful of coins ready to buy some food in the buffet cart. As he fumbles with his change, he accidentally drops some coins on the floor of the carriage. Carol casually glances in the direction of the evil patched eyed pirate and sees him bending over to pick up his spilt coinage, and is shocked to find that this man is wearing a rhinestone thong, which is appearing over his jeans below his crack.

Whatever next Carol thinks...

[sister rose]

"ALLLLL Aboard??????" a voice calls from the conductor's seat....

"Hold on for the Rudie Ride of your life!!!" :D

[hoops]

two women peek out of the engine of the train for a moment. They seem to themselves to be happy go lucky type who enjoy a nice ride across country. They give the pirate redjack a wave and other passengers suddenly realize...

[snakegrl]

Redjack is really Elvis and they aren't on a train. It' a UFO! (scary theramin music here). An eerie green mist permeated the air, oh, that was just the short, silver haired lady farting those stoolwaffelthingys.
There's only one way out of this. Carol knows what she has to do.
Reaching into the secret compartment in her shoe,she...

[DaveM]

The brake squealed and the train drew to a shaky halt. "Acousticville! Welcome to Acousticville!" the conductor cried as Jimi Hendrix played a Martin D-18.

[Eva]

A little cute dog (a certain chihuahua) skipped from the ufo-train and was the first one to land on the platform. Behind him...

[PeteCC]

Ben!!! Defend thyself!!!

[Agnes]

A dragon soars, breathing fire, towards the unsuspecting pirate. But then, out of thin air, his Queen appears and draws her sword...

[Dee]

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d149/danielmarkskelton/Talking%20Tut/ohnopart1.jpg http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d149/danielmarkskelton/Talking%20Tut/ohnopart2.jpg
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d149/danielmarkskelton/Talking%20Tut/ohnopart3.jpg http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d149/danielmarkskelton/Talking%20Tut/ohnopart4.jpg

[david uk]

slowly but surely the effects of the drugged stroopwafels started to wear off and everyone found themselves back on the train as it chugged along, except Dee who was still walking around pretending he was a pharaoh

"We must get Dar!" shouted Pirate Redjack- before she drugs the whole world with these dastardly things....

*the little puppy barked a pirate bark*

[Agnes]

A soft chuckle comes from the Dutch part of the train. A red haired woman clasps her bag tightly and whispers to the Pirate Queen that wants it desperately "I will NOT cooperate unless you promise to save some for that woman with the enchanting voice that has been haunting me for over 30 years!"

[david uk]

noooo! those stroopwafels are drugged d'you hear me??? :eek:

[Eva]

"Oh, come on, people!", says the woman with the enchanting voice, while she reaches for another stripwoffle... "It's just marihuana!" And she...

[RedjackRyan]

said 'don't bogart that stroopwaffel my friend, pass it over to me' as...

[Des]

...the calmness of the fallen snow outside reigns in the fast approaching dusky scent that appears in the sky and nothing outside reflects the horror that is taking place in the buffet car. Carol pauses yet again, in-between gnawing on a stroopwafel. I wonder if it’s just me, but I get the feeling I am someone’s creation. These kinds of thoughts have taunted Carol all her life and don’t appear to be slowing up now.

All of a sudden the train comes to a grinding halt. Stroopwafels and coffee hurtle towards the front the carriage. Someone, down there at the end of the carriage, used to resemble a human being, but for now this person is soaked with lukewarm coffee and covered in stroopwafels.

A gasp is heard. A collection of gasps might be more appropriate as people start to scrape off soggy stroopwafles and unearth….

[DaveM]

Good heavens, it's Janis! And it looks as if she indulged--or at least inhaled.

Get her some fresh air, folks and get those stroopwaffels away from her. She's got the munchies bad, but they aren't likely to do her any good.

Dar is sprawled across a seat, surrounded by sticky crumbs. Pink Floyd on the ear buds and she's humming a perfect E minor.

[david uk]

excuse me but what are Pirates Redjack and Eva doing to sort this mess out.... just sitting round drinkin rum?

the life and sanity of our beloved janis and rudies are at stake here:eek:

[Agnes]

"Here's some chocolate cake, you can use it as sal volatile. She'll come 'round real fast, I'm sure," said a rough man's voice...

[Dee]

Dazed and confused at being keelhauled and thrown overboard by the ghost of King Tut (and fueled by baskets of Stroopwafels), Dee single-handedly pulls the Rudie Express to a grinding halt.

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d149/danielmarkskelton/Photo%20Shoebox/RudieExpress.jpg

Climbing back on board, he called, "Janis! Janis! does this train still run?"

[david uk]

YAY! Dee has saved the Rudie train!

now who can lay their hands on that stroopwafel druggin' Dar???

[gisli]

.. he handed her a plate with chocolate cake. Looking around he asked: "What are all these strange little animals doing here?"
"Strange animals?" asked Janis. "These are not strange animals, they are little dogs"
"Ohhh", said the man with the rough voice, "please forgive me but I thought they where rats on steroids."
Then suddenly from the corner of his good eye he saw a slight movement from the other end and from under a pile of, what seemed to be used clothes came the face of.....

[Eva]

Dar. Her cheeks red with shame. The little chihuahua aka David UK barks loudly at her "stropwiffel drugger! strapwoffil Drugger!" Redjack and Eva burp from their rhum... Dar climbs from the pile of clothes and starts explaining. "I meant no harm! It was just so we could all have fun and a good time. I am from San Francisco! What do you expect!?" Then she turns around and says: "Can I have some of that chocolatecake too?" Agnes...

[hoops]

after getting this train to continue to run, getting a cute pup to rest easy, and making sure all are safely stowed in their overhead bins or under the seats in front of them, sister rose gets a bit of a giggle giving out safety instructions from the airplane safety card she found in the seat pocket in front of her. Laughing out loud as the guest looked nervously( stoned ) for their tray table to put in the upright and locked postition, hoops thought "what fun it is to watch wasted paranoid people who think they are 30,000 feet up.
suddenly the paranoia takes a scarey turn and...

[Eva]

Dee starts shouting: Mayday! Mayday! We have lost an engine from under our left wing. Everyone, brace for impact!!!"

[gisli]

There was a lot of panic, people ran around and screaming and shouting. One lady rather short with white hair was louder then the others and screamed in a very high pitch,: "Where is my ice? Where is my ice? I want my ice!"
But there was no stopping the impact know unless a superhero would come to the rescue. And sure enough out of the used cloths pile there also came Irish Beth and Randy and asked......

[DaveM]

"Where's the bathroom?"

[david uk]

suddenly a white-haired songstress hurled herself through the carriage frantically strumming her guitar and shouting "Danger, Danger!!"

little david uk figures there's no time to go looking for the bathroom, and just cocks his leg over the pile of clothes, before running after the white haired lady, at the same time wondering "where did Carol go- and who is she anyway??":eek:

[RedjackRyan]

Meanwhile, Carol whom everyone had momentarily forgotten, was busy mucking up the works in the only functional icemaker on the train.. It seems Carol was in reality an evil shapeshifting clone of RandyPA and was hellbent on making the life unbearable for the white haired lady in search of ice. Carol made off with the icemaker's condenser just as ......

[Agnes]

the hot breath of a lady dragon flamed through the window in front of her. Carol...

[david uk]

whilst running after the white haired songstress, puppy david bumps into carol and is easily tempted to drink from her gin and tonic.... but all is not as it seems and he is soon transformed into... a CAT:eek: :eek:

while running past with their sharp sabres, redjack and eva shout to him that the only person who has the antidote is.... Songdragon.... but where is she???

woof miaow woof miaow hic!:eek:

[Agnes]

When all but the fierce pirate Redjack panic, a Changeling starts talking...

[folkrocks]

in a strange language. I can't undertand a word its saying.

[snakegrl]

Cause it's mouth is full of stroopwaffles. "Spit it out already", I say.
Obliging my demand, it spews a masticated mess onto the floor, causing Carol to slip and fall, foiling her evil plan.

[marjan]

Oops, there's a guard coming around checking the tickets. Carol now knows she's in big trouble. She payed for a ticket at the self-service ticketbox, but knowing the train was about to leave she didn't pay attention and grabbed what seemed to be the ticket and rushed into the train. When seated she discovered she didn't take a ticket but a paying receipt someone left before her in the box. Aarghh...

[gisli]

She thought things couldnt get any worse but then she remembered about them stupid icelanders that tryed for one hour to buy tickets to Ultrech one friday night not long ago..........but the self service ticketbox did not want to sell them any tickets so they kicked of to the red district where they stumbled into a whole new story that is not for the faint hearted. So Carol thought she was in a good situation with the ticket holder when......

[janisian]

out of nowhere, the train ground to a halt. Everyone crowded to the windows, covered in steam from the hot breath they exuded in their excitement at the thought of eating something other than stroopwaffels.

In the distance, Chet could barely make out a small storefront, almost obscured by the night. A red lantern slowly moved to and fro in the eaves above. Below, a woman dressed in red posed in a straight backed chair, face languid, arms drifting toward the floor. Slowly she looked up. Redjack stared in horror as the woman in red's eyes made contact with Chet's.

"Chet, Chet! Quick, someone, her eyes are beginning to spin!! Somebody DO something!" cried the intrepid Pirate Queen, attempting to rush across the floow and body tackle the tiny Eastern adventuress before something horrible happened to her. Tripping over picks, capos, and old Pete Seeger songbooks, the Queen swore as she found her way barred by the mist. Nevertheless, she soldiered on.

But alas, it was to no avail, as Chet slowly rotated toward the missing door. Moving drunkenly through the crowd, stepping on a guitar case here and there, she almost reached the handle and turned it when...

[hoops]

a young boy with a shirt pulled just over his head enough so that he could see sprung from out of no where and shouted "HAVE NO FEAR EAR DRUM MAN IS HERE!"
in a near frenzy, the once silent scared and frozen crowd that had steamed the windows of the train/plane....

[DaveM]

A woman carrying a penguin under one arm parted the crowd and stepped forward. From the train, someone yelled: "We told you to take him to the Zoo!"

She shouted back "I did--and we had such a great time that tonight we're going to a Living Room Concert."

[sister rose]

Two voices, from out of no where, simutaneously call out "We'll drive you there!"

[DaveM]

And from the night, two vaguely yellow but mostly tie-dyed and delightfully familiar buses emerged, stereos blaring and wild-eyed women at the wheels.

[Chet]

The invitation was met with a flurry from the penguin as he tried to escape from under the arm of his keeper. She looked from the penguin to where the invitation had come from.

"I guess that's a no thanks from us, sister. We'll find our own way to the Living Room Concert."

With that, she ...

[Des]

...took a deep breath. She needed a moment or two to recap on the events that had just taken place. Who was the enigma that is Carol? Will we ever find out? How the heck are we going to get all these Rudies to the LRC and is Carol invited?

Too many questions surrounded her and she paused from taking a pause, only to find out that the…

[david uk]

....evil woman Carol had cut the strings to Janis's guitar!:p

Just then, Janis appeared and said "Do not fret oh rudies about the Living Room Concert... I'll just....."

[Des]

...find some superglue and we'll be alright. Janis however knew that the chances of finding superglue on a train we even more remote than trying to find some in Worcester. But, she wasn’t going to make her Rudies aware of this minor problem, as she knew a miracle would happen.

A loud hiss was heard coming from Carol’s bag, everyone turned there head in amazement to see…

[DaveM]

A very large and angry cat, who, by the look in his eye, could benefit considerably from a few of those "special" stroopwaffels.

[marjan]

So sorry, excuse me, but that cat belongs to me. I'd tried to hide Tommy, but it seems I failed during that strange trainstop. What caused that stop anyway, does anyone figured that out? Who was that woman dressed in red??

[hoops]

super eardrum man took this paused pause to fill in those staring and stinking up the windows with their foul hot breath. He began " breath mint anyone?? Ok then, have no fear , for this woman in red is no other than hoops!" the was a chilling gasp from the newly fresh brethes onlookers and super eardrum man explained, "Yes, it is our hoops, she found this sequined red dress in a cleaning closet somewhere in western texas and though she'd surprise you with way to much lipstick, , her bra straps ahning out and sock on her sandled feet in her new red dress." you could feel the chill run down the spines of the group and one of them shouted out...

[Eva]

"This is the end of the world! We are all going to die a horrible death! Everybody, let's panic, NOW!!!"

[david uk]

"well" said Redjack, ashamed at having brought Carol into this whole affair, "if we are all about to die, let's have a living room concert and go out in style... Janis... are your guitar strings fixed?"

[Agnes]

Softly Janis starts to hum "When you go down on a Monday", but then says "Sorry guys, can't do it, it's not Monday, better keep those thoughts of dying in line"

[Dee]

The crowd began to grow restless. Then into the room came the distant thrumming of drums like a heartbeat, until the cat stood on her hind legs and began to sing: "When the moon is in the seventh house, and Jupiter aligns with Mars, then peace will guide the planets, and love will steer the stars. This is the dawning of the age of Aquarius, age of Aquarius, Aquarius ...."

As the cat sang and danced around the room, clusters of Stroopwaffels began to rain down on Janis and the Rudies and ...

[marjan]

Carol woke up from her daydream and smiled at Redjack. Sure, no problem, the seat is not taken. As Redjack piled his stuff into the upper rack, he asks Carol .. where are you going to?
Just automaticaly Caros smiles back and says I'm heading up north going to Pittsburgh. I'm going to meet some lovely people over there, you know, having a picknick and a chat with old and new friends ... If you're interested you might come as well ..

[Racheldiva]

That sounds like fun thank you.

[gisli]

....said Racheldiva, as she throws her hair backwards in a delicate way.
"Uhmmm", she then asks. "Could we maybe also go to Maidstone? I know of a very nice concert there and really would not like you to miss it."
Here new friends look at her and............

[marjan]

Sorry Racheldiva. If you want to go to Maidstone you are on the wrong train. This train is going to Pittsburgh and all of us are looking forward to have a picknick overthere!

[Racheldiva]

Damn! Trust me to be in the wrong bloody country! Says Rachel.

[Eva]

Suddenly they hear a sound... A loud and sickening thud and a lot of foul swearing. A sound like a bird banging into a window in full flight and not being too happy about it. Both look up and to their surprise Farkle comes staggering in. "Wasn't that parrot already microwaved by PA Randy?" Racheldiva asks. "Yes he was, says Redjack." They both wonder who this colourful figure might be then. "You know perfectly well who I am", the parrot says. "And I know what you are up to. What is this, Carol dear? When will you stop stealing people's identities? I know why you are posing as Racheldiva." Redjack is flabbergasted. "What the %&(*$# is going on here?", he shouts. The parrot says...

[DaveM]

"Arrrgh....Farkle my name. I survived the microwave! Farkle want a stroopwaffel!"

[Racheldiva]

You are welcome to a stroopwaffel, but you'll have to scrape them off us as they got a bit mashed...

[DaveM]

But what will we do when the parrot gets stoned? Better have some brownies ready.

Keep your hands away from that microwave, Randy!

[hoops]

who's got the brownies!" shouts hoops, lipstick still clinging to her teeth and the mascara beginning to run from the moisture of the air on the train. super eardrum man sits down next to farkle and...

[Des]

…rests his tired travelling shoes. He looks up in a daze and sees Rachael holding a score. She is about to break into song – like birds on a brand new morning.

Carol woke from a deep sleep, thinking this time she was awake – only to realise she was trapped in a dream within a dream and constantly…

[Racheldiva]

..getting pins and needles from sleeping funny.
Rachel takes a deep breath ready to sing a deeply involved aria by Verdi to which they all cry...

[Eva]

Is there still a living soul around that understands what is going on here?

[dutchcloggie]

And then it dawns on them: They are already dead. So indeed, there is not a living soul around who still understands what is going on. They are all already on the other side.

[david uk]

I don't know Eva....

My suspicion is that Carol is responsible for all this confusion- all this pretending to have weird dreams and stuff, nah.. I don't buy it at all. As she is the only non- rudie here she must be suspect. I fear she has a plot to sow confusion amongst rudies all over the world:eek:

She will not succeed... let's take advantage of Rachel's musical interlude to grab her from behind and gag her until we get to the next station where we can call the Rudie Police.....:eek:

[Des]

...and get Carol arrested for trying to impersonating Rudies. This sort of thing was nothing new to Carol - she always impersonated others. And this time she was doing a fine job of looking like a pirate crossed with a stroopwafle.

Just as the train went 'choo choo', Eva found a half eaten...

[dutchcloggie]

...Cadbury's Mini Egg.

[DaveM]

Someone still had the munchies....and we weren't in Amsterdam any more. "Hey, if we're dead, this must be Portugal", someone yelled.

[Des]

That same someone was yelling from the toilet. Billy found himself in the tiny surrounds of a train loo. He juggled with one thing and another - trying to take aim the best he could and at the same time thinking that Portugal has some nice golf courses. He pictured himself on the 9th - with the refreshing clubhouse in his sites. 'Oh sweet memories he thought - I wonder if we really are all dead and if not, is this is just some messed up'...

[hoops]

paranoid delsion from the second hand smoke and the loaded brownies. i didn't realize till now you could get second hand smoke from brownies, but it must be true because...

[SongDragon]

"Some messed up version of purgatory."

"Certainly messed up," a new voice chimed from the roof. "And if someone dreamed me into this, tell them I would appreciate it if I hadn't been dreamed in so late in the game, and so small." The little white dragon creature tumbled in through the window. "I wouldn't mind having my human form back either, it's a little chilly, windy, and harrowing for that kind of flight." She shook.

Quick assessment of the situation was taken, and she perched idly on seat. Suddenly someone was heard to be running, their feet pounding in everyone's ears, above the steady roar of the train beneath them.

Looking up to see who was running...

[DaveM]

It was Dar, of course, sated with stroopwaffels and determined to make up for the fact that she hadn't been able to bring her bicycle on the train.

The train plunged into a seemingly endless tunnel, and we began to believe it just might remain there until our sins were indeed purged. But then daylight surrounded us again. And what greeted our eyes--a tie-dyed school bus pacing the train! I think that's Pat in the front seat though I can't tell who's driving. Someone who took Driver's Ed in France, by the look of things.

[marjan]

Pat's driving the bus?????????? Wow, so what's up next, are we supposed to stay on this train heading for Pittsburgh or hop on the bus :D

[DaveM]

I think Pat is giving orders to the driver, who I cannot see....who is it?

[ann]

Carol suddenly realises how hungry she she is. After all, she rushed out of the house so quickly this morning she barely had time to catch her breath. All of a sudden the reality of what she has done hits her like a bolt of lightening. Her heart starts to pound. Can she do this she asks herself...

[Des]

...Can she read that copy of Diva tucked away in that bag, without people thinking it strange. She reminds herself that she's over 18 and it will be ok.:D

Just as she starts to open the magazine, the ticket collector enters the car and says...

[Eva]

Hey! I heard there is an article in there about this singer with interesting hair and an enchanting voice. Move over, so we can read it together... I think I spotted the singer here on this train. Although she was coverded in stroopwafelstuff. I'm not sure if it was her. Maybe it was...

[Racheldiva]

..maybe it wasn't. 'Is this the train back to the USA?' She asked..

[Randy & Betty in Pa]

A man with the flowing white beard, holding a happy small stuffed bear sitting across the isle glanced over with a kindly smile and replied to Carol.... "Yes, as a matter of fact... Were off to Chicago for a concert"... Carol said only "Oh" ...At first glance she thought the man was Santa Claus but suddently realized it was the kind and legendary Saxman Mike & his bear Joy... Now Carol knew wherever this train might be going was the right place....

[DaveM]

Someone grabs the ticket collector's hat and a spirited game of "keepaway" ensues, distracting the fellow so much the he forgets to check out tickets, which is good, because we don't have any.

[Racheldiva]

But soon, Rachel misses a catch and the hat flies out of the window :eek: