Who’s Jake? Is that Jacob but only to his mates? Or is he the other Jake in the Box that encourages the landlady to do what she’s gotta do every evening… you know… with the thing…

Yes, Jake and Jacob are one and the same. Mrs Sphyx will also be making an appearance in the next Elsewhere story. I can tell you’re excited.

Murray @ Midnight

Who’s Jake? Is that Jacob but only to his mates? Or is he the other Jake in the Box that encourages the landlady to do what she’s gotta do every evening… you know… with the thing…

Elsewhere? Isn’t Holbrook the center of Absolutely Nowhere?

You know, there’s a Midnight’s Fairy Tales in there somewhere. Scary, hide under the bed, Daleks on TV scariness.

How did Hansel and Gretel end up in a house owned by a cannibal? Why was Little Jack Horner sitting in the corner in the first place? Why didn’t Old Mother Hubbard eat the dog rather than trying to find it a bone?

And those Dwarfs and that Snow White, a gang bang if ever I heard of one, and why doesn’t anyone ever speak about the 8th dwarf Bernard?

Funny you should say that. I’ve always thought it was interesting that a lot of well-known children’s folktales were a great deal darker and more sinister in their original forms.

One thing you can give the Brothers Grimm credit for is that they went to obsessive lengths to remove any suggestive sexual content from the folktales they collected — and since these were mostly told in their original form in farming and rural communities, they were usually very ribald — and packed in as much violence as they could, starting a trend that we see played out on our television and movie screens on a daily basis. Show a nipple on prime time television? The shock! The horror! The hastily assembled excuses regarding wardrobe malfunctions! Show a cop drama where a serial killer skins his female victims while they’re still alive? Ratings bonanza time, baby!

It would be fun to go back and look at some classic fairytales and give them a Midnight retelling. Well, it would be fun for me, is all I’m saying.

Murray @ Midnight

Your brilliant and I enjoyed this very much.

Awww, cheers Dude, I’m glad you liked it. The Elsewhere stories are a bit of a departure from the sort of stuff I generally write, but fun to tap out all the same.

Darren Saturday said:

Is Ms Sphyx croation? Is she married?

Not that I’m aware of, does she remind you of a Croation? I think Mrs Sphyx was married (hence the ‘Mrs’), but isn’t anymore.

Darren Saturday said:

How did Jacob come into ‘possession’ of Jack?

I’m going to leave this one unanswered, since I plan to go into that in a future story. You haven’t seen the last of Jack and Jake, even though this story leaves you with the impression that Jake is going to get rid of Jack if it kills him (though which ‘him’ I might be referring to remains to be seen).

Darren Saturday said:

Does Jack miss Jill?

I… think you might be thinking of a different story…

Darren Saturday said:

How far is Elsewhere from Wisdom City?

A little more than a day’s drive. As I think of it, if you were driving from here to Wisdom City, you’d have to go through Elsewhere first. This is because Wisdom City tends to be my outright fantasy / comic book hero locality, while Elsewhere works as a situation for stories (at least, to me) because you’re supposed to experience a subliminal disconnect between what’s happening and what ‘should’ be happening. Once you get to the outskirts of Wisdom City, you’re pretty much expected to check your “What the Hell?” reaction before you head on in to town.

Darren Saturday said:

Why is is the highway so dusty?

Because it goes through a desert. If you’ve ever driven out to Holbrook Arizona from Flagstaff Arizona, you’d have a good idea of what it’s like to get to Elsewhere.

Darren Saturday said:

If you want vile – try butterscotch schnapps.

No thanks, I’m trying to give it up.

Murray @ Midnight

How did Hansel and Gretel end up in a house owned by a cannibal? Why was Little Jack Horner sitting in the corner in the first place? Why didn’t Old Mother Hubbard eat the dog rather than trying to find it a bone?

And those Dwarfs and that Snow White, a gang bang if ever I heard of one, and why doesn’t anyone ever speak about the 8th dwarf Bernard?