Shamrock Open - Darby O'Gill and the revenge of the little people (769 hits)
Category: NoneLabels: fiction
Rating: 1.58 on 25 reviews (Rate this item) (V)
Submitted by scourgeoftheseas (View user info) at 2006-03-15 23:50:06 EST
My name is Darby O' Gill.
Or it was anyway.
Before...
No! No, slice it however you will. And anyway I don't care.
I'm still Darby O'Gill. No matter what the others think, I won't be helping out tonight. I'm still myself, a man, Darby.
No matter what they did to me, I'm still the same. It's the impetus, the drive, the motivation that brings them out you know.
My name is Darby O'Gill.
I was a plain man.
I was a poor and often hungry man.
I blamed the land I lived upon. So harsh. I blamed the land for what I was.
=============
After my change it all got a little strange in my mind. Time does odd things now. It flows backwards, forwards, sometimes it doesn't exist. My memories, my mind, are a construct of the flow of time as much as time is a construct of mind. My memory doesn't go in a straight line anymore. Chronological order was broken for me. It's worse recently.
Sometimes I think I'm just more of the dirt. The others are made of this dirt as well.
I'll try and tell it before it starts tonight.
=============
The pot of gold, top o' the morning to ya, little pipe and a bright green top hat? That's rubbish, all so much foolery and nonsense.
The pot of gold is just symbolism you see, so are they, mostly, but occasionally they, WE, come alive.
No, the pot of gold isn't a pot of gold at all. The pot of gold is desire, and we come out when that desire troubles us, the people, the land. They're all the same anyway.
And me? Darby O' Gill? I'm now one of the things that those desires can make you become.
It doesn't happen often. Every so often a trouble starts brewing in the land and then we, no, I'm not a part of it...THEY, they come out and do what's proper.
I was the last one. Another little victory for them. For us.
=============
About one hundred and fifty years ago I was Darby the human. Darby the man.
I was a plain man.
A poor and hungry man.
I had always thought I was a good man.
I worked hard. I was a steward of the land.
My family's land. A place of stark contrasts. Simultaneously verdant, everything green and bursting at the seams with soft life, and hard and unforgiving.
The stone and the green fought a battle; we'd pull the stone from the ground, make outposts, evidences of our selves as humans on the land. When we went, the green took it back over.
The only thing colder than the stone under the land, the same stone used to build the ruined castle keep standing sentinel behind my farm cottage, was the sky.
The excruciatingly gray sky. How I miss it now, but I hated it then, thought it oppressive and stifling.
It was suffocating to us the sky and the stone.
My grandfather some fifty times removed built the keep and the castle surrounding it as well. To protect our lands, our rights, and our identities.
His name was Darby O'Gill as well.
After ancestor Darby built the castle he assembled the local men men into the courtyard, to prepare them for the defense. Then he went high up the winding gray stone steps into the chamber up atop that keep. To direct them from above.
Once behind the big barred door he head the castle gates thrown open and the men were slaughtered where they stood by the army that stormed form the nearby woods The enemy army that ancestor Darby had reported to the men as being still three days away.
For this simple act of throwing open the gate the plain, hard gray stone castle was filled with a vast amount of precious things.
My dear old relative, Grandfather Darby, was given a governorship over the surrounding lands as well. Just for opening the gates he got this.
He didn't get to enjoy it long, did my ancestor. Just up and disappeared one cold night.
That chamber at the top of the keep? That's where he slept. The big double barred door was triply reinforced after his betrayal. Always bolted tight when he slept. Something of a necessity given the local sentiment towards the old man. Huge big door it is.
It still swung and creaked in the wind in my time. The castle mostly fallen, but that door remained high up atop nothing.
Odd thing was it was still locked the morning of his disappearance.
Not so odd to me anymore. I know what happened to the old bastard. Same as what happened to me.
I look around at the others and wonder which one is him sometimes. Does he question himself? Is he still Darby O' Gill or is he firmly one of them now? One of us...
=============
We all look a lot the same you see.
Keepers of the place and all that makes it up.
We live in the land we keep. Our frames small and dark, we blend in well. The portrayal of us as wearing green is another symbol, for the land and its all encompassing growth. The land and the people who cherish it and live in it until they die to rot and become part of it. By becoming the land they also become part of us.
That green isn't really as accurate as the grey would be really, seeing as how we live in the earth. We're also cold and hard like the stone of this land. We come up out of the land at night when it's time to eat, always at night. I can't bear to see myself when it happens. I haven't eaten with the others yet, I can't bear to. Can't bear to become one of them.
I never eat with them, but I never waste either. I just grow ravenous.
We come from the ground like plants, but fully formed. Like the potatoes...
It's still slipping on me, time is. The time of my relatives and now and when I was Darby O' Gill the man. MY story, not ancestor Darby was the one I was trying to tell. Maybe we're all the same anyway.
=============
I was a plain man.
A man with land and little else. Land my ancestor had betrayed for. A backwater place, the whole spread tucked in between a few hillsides. The whole of it encompassed a huge valley
When it first started people were only vaguely worried. A few gardens here and there. The leaves on the potato plants would suddenly turned black and curl up. Then they would rot. And the plant would rot away with it.
It quickly spread, all the gardens and crops were rotting in the ground they were planted in. People began to go hungry. Others began to leave in droves. Some began to die for want of nourishment.
My crops remained unaffected. The land of ancestor Darby still produced.
All those remaining in the area wanted a share.
As I say, I was a plain man and a poor man.
Why shouldn't I have charged any price they could bear? Anybody would have done the same.
When they began to steal I let loose hounds and hired armed guards to patrol the fields at night. That stopped them for a bit.
Then the authorities demanded that I provide to the locals free of charge, I did what I felt I needed to do.
They'd cut me off at the knee, threatened jail, impossible fines. Every penny of mine was invested in the fields along with my hard work. I was to give it away? I torched the fields, leveling it all in one swoop, saving back enough to sustain myself and my family.
Anyone in a similar situation would have done the same. It was the same as the other option to me, nothing to show but toil and time gone for what I had done.
Rather they all go hungry.
Hungry.
I swear I won't join in when they eat tonight I swear.......
=======
They came the next night. A dark swarm, they smelled of earth and damp. To see them cover my body was paralysis.
They devour you whole, but they start with your soul, after that watching and feeling your body disappear into their gaping mouths isn't so painful. Not so painful at all. It leaves you feeling empty, hungry almost, until you feel nothing. Then you awake as one of them.
One of us. Us.
US.
My name was Darby O' Gill
I was a plain man.
A poor and hungry man.
Tonight I get to feed.
User Reviews
Submitted by ghola (user info) at 2007-05-18 12:57:18 EDT (#)
Ranking: -2
No Comment
Submitted by kaos-king (user info) at 2007-02-18 20:44:16 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by darko (user info) at 2006-10-31 22:33:25 EST (#)
Ranking: 1
I've had it up to here with your shennanigans, I'm going through and +1ing ALL of your posts!
Submitted by UnderOathMeal (user info) at 2006-10-27 14:41:06 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
I LOVE MYSELF!!
SIGNED,
SCOURGEY
Submitted by UnderOathMeal (user info) at 2006-10-27 13:48:05 EDT (#)
Ranking: -2
Submitted by scourge (user info) at 2006-10-27 13:39:58 (#)
Ranking: -2
http://www.ubersite.com/m/95020#2202073
banning attempt
Submitted by scourge (user info) at 2006-03-17 20:58:51 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
Probably not Crystle. Maybe though. I couldn't say. I'm full of anger tonight.
Submitted by Crystle (user info) at 2006-03-17 18:15:12 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
nope, no groupthink here.
Submitted by inion_de_trua (user info) at 2006-03-17 12:10:08 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
mas bueno.
Submitted by Coyote (user info) at 2006-03-17 00:59:43 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Submitted by scourge (user info) at 2006-03-16 19:19:17 (#)
While it certainly looks, upon reviewing it again, that I say you wholeheartedly agree with him, that wasn't really my intent. I was frustrated with the way he jumps on the first person who agrees with anything he offers and trumpets it as a victory. I was saying that those who agree with him aren't necessarily correct. That was the point of the review, not to lump you in with his view point.
Your remark barely put you in a camp of agreement with ETS. To the contrary. I saw that you said he was probably incorrect in his prediction. You almost supported what I said in regards to the ambiguity argument
I wasn't being condescending towards you. I don't see any condescension in what I wrote.
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I appreciate that-- I saw the condescenion based on the way you addressed your comment to me in the same lump as the 'wholehearted' comment, and the misperception remark, along with the 'ambiguity can be intentional' note. Without knowing your intention, and only going by what was there, that's what I came away with. I mentioned your point in particular in my original response precisely because you did seem to have a more nuanced and informed viewpoint than some of the usual kneejerk reactions people have-- and I thought I'd just point out the possibility that someone could make that ambiguity cut either way.
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Oh well. I quit arguing on that post because it isn't worth my time to argue with ETS. Like I said, it's worse than arguing with a wall. Pointless effort. I even stated there that I woulldn't be commenting again. Or ever again on one of his posts for that matter.
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Oh, believe me, I understand the frustration. I honestly appreciate most of his posts because they're much more thought-provoking than most of the shit that people post here, and at least the emotion behind them is genuine and not a variation on peeners or rabbits. But realize there's a certain amount of choosing to be a lightning rod there, and a perspective that demands we always consider the worst-case scenario instead of plausibility arguments. Case in point is the petro-euro thing...
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AND I don't just 'claim' anything. It's a big part of my job. I know the nuts and bolts of how legislation works in real life. I don't need to prove that to ETS, to you or to anyone else. I stated what I know, based off of my life experiences, my work, what I know as well as anyone else in this state who works with legislation and the Legislature. He says I'm wrong.
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Well, technically if you're not going to prove anything then it's a claim, but my remark only applies if you're really saying I wholeheartedly agreed with his post because of my own misperceptions. I don't doubt what you do for a job and I don't particularly suspect you of fabricating a career in state government to impress the hoi polloi of ubersite.
As for what ETS claims, I don't make any claims about that...
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AND, I think your rating is biased. Everyone knows about your little mini-clique with Circe. You can try to prove me wrong as effectively as ETS could on his post.
Just claim it's not so. Because you don't engage in that type of behavior or whatever reason you want to provide, something about the fact you act fairly here. (and for the record, I don't think you do engage in that type of thing) I'll just state what I feel (not really) about your rating again. I'll keep doing it until you throw up your hands in frustrated surrender. Then I'll claim victory.
That's how it worked over on that post, right?
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Dude, I have nothing to do with the way ETS argues or chooses not to. Trust me, I understand the frustration of arguing with someone when you're talking past each other. If you're trying to get me to agree that people on all sides should evaluate the evidence carefully, listen closely to what the other side presents, and articulate their own positions clearly instead of digging in their heels, then what else am I gonna do but say of course you're right?
And, yeah, my rating probably IS biased. It's no state secret that Circe is my favorite author on the site. Part of what makes me prefer her story is that I liked her idea, that I liked the way she tied in the idea of running to the ends of the Earth (because I have a fascination with remote and inaccessible places), and that she uses language in a way that resonates. But obviously a part of the way I form my opinion about her writing has to be informed by the fact that I know she's the one doing the writing. It's unavoidable. Still, if I didn't think I was capable of rating fairly, I wouldn't leave a rating at all.
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Submitted by scourge (user info) at 2006-03-16 19:19:56 (#)
Oh yeah. Please point to the grammatical flaws.
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Very minor-- as I said, under normal circumstances I +2 this post, but in a competition where good entries face off against each other, I get picky as a way to differentiate (and I've voted against perfectly reasonable Ubermadness entries on the basis of spelling mistakes).
If you want an example, this nagged at me:
"A man with land and little else. Land my ancestor had betrayed for. A backwater place, the whole spread tucked in between a few hillsides. The whole of it encompassed a huge valley "
And because it took me a few read throughs to pinpoint the missing word, I was overly sensitized to the next couple sentences and the "would turned".
Then with "To see them cover my body was paralysis." I didn't quite see how 'paralysis' fits there, and "They devour you whole, but they start with your soul, after that watching and feeling your body disappear into their gaping mouths isn't so painful." has to be two sentences or have a semicolon (then again, I'm told I way overuse semicolons).
And the critical sentences where the ancestor throws open the door are a little bit mangled.
So, yeah, there were a few spots. All in all pretty minor, and they don't take away the basic fact that this is an excellent little story-- nor do they take away what looks like a victory for you, and a well-deserved one, barring some random -2 drive-bys. But, they did make for a little bit of a rough read from my perspective, and I spent effort parsing when I should have been paying more attention to the connection between the slaughtered peasantry and the spirits of the land (which I missed through my own fault).
I hope we're cool, it's certainly not my intention to come pick fights with people here, especially not the ones who actually contribute.
Submitted by bonnee (user info) at 2006-03-16 21:25:20 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
i liked it
Submitted by scourge (user info) at 2006-03-16 19:19:56 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
Oh yeah. Please point to the grammatical flaws.
Submitted by scourge (user info) at 2006-03-16 19:19:17 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
While it certainly looks, upon reviewing it again, that I say you wholeheartedly agree with him, that wasn't really my intent. I was frustrated with the way he jumps on the first person who agrees with anything he offers and trumpets it as a victory. I was saying that those who agree with him aren't necessarily correct. That was the point of the review, not to lump you in with his view point.
Your remark barely put you in a camp of agreement with ETS. To the contrary. I saw that you said he was probably incorrect in his prediction. You almost supported what I said in regards to the ambiguity argument
I wasn't being condescending towards you. I don't see any condescension in what I wrote.
Oh well. I quit arguing on that post because it isn't worth my time to argue with ETS. Like I said, it's worse than arguing with a wall. Pointless effort. I even stated there that I woulldn't be commenting again. Or ever again on one of his posts for that matter.
AND I don't just 'claim' anything. It's a big part of my job. I know the nuts and bolts of how legislation works in real life. I don't need to prove that to ETS, to you or to anyone else. I stated what I know, based off of my life experiences, my work, what I know as well as anyone else in this state who works with legislation and the Legislature. He says I'm wrong.
I could sit and write a twenty page dissertation on the drafting and interpretation of law. It wouldn't matter. He'd have a reason why it was wrong.
bah, fuck this.
I'll wager anyone on this site any amount that what he says in that post will NEVER EVER come to pass.
I just won't do it there.
AND, I think your rating is biased. Everyone knows about your little mini-clique with Circe. You can try to prove me wrong as effectively as ETS could on his post.
Just claim it's not so. Because you don't engage in that type of behavior or whatever reason you want to provide, something about the fact you act fairly here. (and for the record, I don't think you do engage in that type of thing) I'll just state what I feel (not really) about your rating again. I'll keep doing it until you throw up your hands in frustrated surrender. Then I'll claim victory.
That's how it worked over on that post, right?
Typing this was a waste of my time. No offense to you. bah
Submitted by Coyote (user info) at 2006-03-16 18:40:01 EST (#)
Ranking: 1
following through on the 1.5...
Submitted by Coyote (user info) at 2006-03-16 18:39:27 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
This is the first half of a 1.5, because this was good but there were some rough sentences and grammatical flaws, and because I never quite saw the link between the betrayal of people in a human conflict and the spirits of the land itself. Normally a +2-caliber post, but in my opinion it comes in a close second to Circe's.
BTW, in case you don't go back to ETS' post on internet legislation-- your condescension is unwarranted, and for someone who claims to analyze written text for a living, you sure miss the mark by a long way when you say that I agree with him wholeheartedly.
Submitted by MyTeeOne (user info) at 2006-03-16 13:46:35 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Me likey. It drew me in right away and told a pretty decent story.
Submitted by Brdn_Nkd (user info) at 2006-03-16 13:31:16 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
good stuff. I'll eat your souls.
Submitted by HighVoltage900 (user info) at 2006-03-16 08:57:01 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
I thought it was pretty good.
What exactly was happening? Should I go see the movie?
Submitted by Stagger_Lee (user info) at 2006-03-16 08:45:22 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
The "poor and hungry man" repetition was smooth. I liked this a lot.
Submitted by CaptainThorns (user info) at 2006-03-16 08:33:34 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Best entry this round, hands down.
Especially for being able to maintain fluidity amidst all the ISAC shit.
Submitted by Crystle (user info) at 2006-03-16 00:18:45 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
<drums fingers on table, waiting for scourge to show up.>
<checks watch for the 12th time>
<sighs, and signals the waiter for another drink>
Submitted by Crystle (user info) at 2006-03-16 00:11:14 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
See you there, scourge!
(I'm ok with rating this a 1.75 or whatever it ends up being)
Submitted by scourge (user info) at 2006-03-16 00:07:38 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
Crystle, not to say that your rating isn't valid, but could you tell me what you didn't like about it? Not here as we may inadvertently fuck the rating, but maybe on the contest post wher I just linked it?
I'd like to know.
Submitted by Crystle (user info) at 2006-03-16 00:02:30 EST (#)
Ranking: 1
1.5
Submitted by Crystle (user info) at 2006-03-16 00:02:17 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
you do deserve SOMETHING for dedication to the title.
I feel your pain.
However, because it's a frikin contest, I can't give it a straight 2
Submitted by scourge (user info) at 2006-03-15 23:59:24 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
This title was a piece of shit. I hated it immensely.
However when I started to write this story I really enjoyed the idea that I had. Not so sure it played out the way I wanted it to.
I was out of my office all day after abouit 11:30.
This post was created by typing a few bits at a time on my Blackberry in between answering questions from the Illinois Senate Appropriations Committee. The I'd email the bit to my office email. Took about twenty emails. Then contents of said emails cut and pasted together, run through a spellcheck and here you have it.
Just for that dedication to the contest I deserve something.