A Stop Wise Clover for Gorgo's Wife

By Matti Charlton

A post-apocalyptic world harbors a powerful artifact with the potential to reshape humanity's fate. Trent, accompanied by enigmatic companions Stop and Clover, embarks on a haunting quest through time's labyrinth.

In this dark tapestry of suspense and existential reflection, sinis

• Language: English
• Publisher: Matti Charlton
• Release date: Mar 12, 2023
• ISBN: 9781778900686

Matti Charlton

Matti Charlton is writer, designer and recording artist. They live in Toronto, Canada with their service dog, Quentin.Matti is autistic, queer and transgender and writes passionately about social issues and modern technology; most recently, with their book "Homelessness broke ChatGPT" casting a critical eye on the bias of the popular AI software. Matti has also written several children's books and young adult novels.Matti is an advocate for trans issues, mental health and poverty, especially homelessness and addiction.Matti's career has spanned a wide range of disciplines, from software development and art direction to fashion design, music production and writing. In 2023, they published their 12th album of electronic pop music, "Almost", and their first fiction novel "Dendrome".Matti created the first transgender-owned underwear company in the world, Retromatti Athletics, in 2014, manufacturing the entire line from their apartment in downtown Toronto. The company expanded to provide digital artwork to craft makers during COVID-19.Matti's website: https://matticharlton.com/On Facebook: https://facebook.com/matticharltonOn Instagram: https://instagram.com/retromattiMatti's books: https://books.matticharlton.com/Matti's music: https://spotify.matticharlton.com/Matti's online business: https://retromatti.com/

Book preview

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A Stop Wise Clover for Gorgo's Wife

matti charlton

Print ISBN: 978-1-77890-067-9

eBook ISBN: 978-1-77890-068-6

Imprint: Matti Charlton

Copyright ©2022-2023 Matti Charlton.

All Rights Reserved.

A stop wise clover for gorgo's wife

matti charlton

Contents

Arrival 1

Disintegration 15

In Which Miscellaneous Worldly Possessions Are Or Are Not Encouraged 21

Flores 27

Me and You 39

FATAL ATTRACTION 45

The Plunge 55

The Scorpion 67

It's Not That 79

Everywhere 85

Happy Birthday 101

The House 109

On The Possibility of Going Home 113

Taken Aback 117

Reunion 123

Heaven 129

A Big Mirror 139

The Morris House 145

Recall 151

Planes 155

Field 159

Soldiers 163

Officer Hislop 167

Millicent 171

Trent 177

The Last Man On Earth 183

Dr. Kowalski 191

Cigarettes 205

Markus 209

On The Run 215

Field 219

Panic 225

Landing 229

Son 237

The Program 244

Dedication

To Beatrix Braithwaite,

This second edition of A Stop Wise Clover for Gorgo's Wife is warmly dedicated to you. While we have not met, I feel connected to you through our shared family ties and a mutual love for the boundless worlds one can build with Lego. It is my heartfelt wish that, as you grow, this love blossoms and fosters a spirit of creativity and boundless imagination in you, just as it did in me.

May the time come when we can build not just with Lego, but build a bridge of understanding, empathy, and familial bonds, free from the constraints of prejudice and exclusion that have stood between us.

To Sarah Charlton,

In the spirit of fostering harmony and healing, I want to take this opportunity to extend an olive branch. Life is too short to harbor grudges, and it is never too late to mend broken relationships. I hope that with time, understanding, and compassion, we can find a way to be a family once again, to share joyous moments, and to be there for each other.

I hope for a future where love transcends all barriers, bringing light to shadows and fostering understanding where there was once discord. May we all find the strength to forgive, the grace to understand, and the courage to move forward, towards a peaceful, loving future, united as a family once again.

With hopeful heart,

Matti Charlton

Arrival

A room. A man sitting at a desk. He approached them.

I am here to see the person who came with you.

The man in the chair says nothing, but his eyes dart around the room. He is dressed in an old-fashioned suit and tie, and his face is drawn and tired. He's thin, and his hair is slicked back against his skull. His voice sounds like he's been talking too much lately. He has that look on his face.

Are you the person? The man in the chair asks again. He doesn't know why he does it, but he wants to make sure.

Yes, I say. I'm the person.

Are you from the future? Are you the person sent to save us all?

I sit down in one of the chairs in front of the desk. The man looks up at me.

I don't think so, I tell him.

Then what are you doing here?

I came because I was told to come here.

By whom?

My boss.

Your boss.

Yes.

What is your boss's name?

That's a very good question, I say.

The man in the chair takes a deep breath. He turns away from me and stares out the window. He puts his hands together on the armrests of his chair, and his fingers touch.

Can you take off your helmet? he asks.

I stand up and put my hand on my helmet. Then I lift it off and place it on the ground next to me.

It's very heavy, I tell him.

The man looks at me again. What did they do to you?

Who?

Them. The people who brought you here. What did they do to you?

They gave me a job to do, I say.

The man sighs and closes his eyes. He runs his hands through his thinning hair. It's grey now, and there's just a little left on top of his head. He shakes his head, and then opens his eyes.

I'm going to ask you once more, he says. What is your boss's name?

Boss?

Yes. The person who hired you. Who paid you to come here. Who sent you here to save us all.

No one sent me, I tell him. I came by myself.

Why would someone send you here to save us all?

They didn't. They just sent me to get some information.

Information? What kind of information?

Information about our past, I say.

What?

I want to find out about the first time we met.

We met before?

Yes.

When?

I don't remember. I have no memory of it at all.

How many times have you met?

Just once.

Where?

Here.

Here?

Yes. Here.

Here in this building?

Yes.

And you're from the future.

Yes.

How do you know that?

Because I came from the future.

The man laughs. He covers his mouth with his hand, but the laughter comes anyway.

I'm sorry, he says. You must be joking.

No, I'm not.

You're telling me that you came here from the future.

Yes.

And you can't remember meeting me.

That's right.

So how do you know that we met?

Because I have a note.

A note?

Yes.

What's written on it?

That we met, and that we talked about something important.

Important? What is it?

I reach into my jacket pocket and take out a piece of folded paper. I open it and hold it up for him to see. There's a single word written on it.

I can't read it, he says.

It's my name, I say.

Your name?

Yes.

That's your name?

Yes.

Why would anyone write your name on a piece of paper?

To prove that I'm from the future.

The man shakes his head. I don't believe you.

You don't have to.

But why would someone send you here from the future if you don't remember anything about us?

I guess they didn't tell me everything.

Then what do you know about us?

Nothing really.

But you must have some idea of where we came from.

No. I only know that we were created here in this city.

By whom?

I don't know.

What is your boss's name?

That's a very good question, I say.

The man stands up and walks around behind his desk. He sits down in the chair and leans back. He folds his arms across his chest.

Do you have any proof that you came from the future?

Proof?

Yes. Anything that might help prove it?

Yes.

What is it?

I've got my notes.

Notes?

Yes. Notes. Things that I wrote down when I was here before.

Where are they?

I don't know.

You don't know?

No.

But you came back here. You came back to the same place you went before.

Yes.

So how do you not know where you left them?

I don't know.

Well, what did you write on them?

Words. And numbers. And pictures.

What words?

Names of people. Places. Things.

What things?

Things like: a hundred years. A thousand years. A billion years. A trillion years. Time travel. And other things like that.

Other things?

Yes. Like a quantum computer.

A quantum computer?

Yes. And an Escherian machine.

What's an Escherian machine?

It's like a computer, I say. But instead of being made of wires, it's made of gears and wheels. And instead of storing data in the form of electrical signals, it stores it in the form of mechanical vibrations.

And what does it do?

It's like a universal computer.

A universal computer?

Yes. One that can perform any calculation, no matter what it is. It can calculate prime numbers. Or the value of pi.

Pi? What's pi?

A number.

A number?

Yes. It's the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter.

Oh.

And it can calculate anything.

Anything?

Yes. Like a sequence of prime numbers. Or the trajectory of a moving object. Or a chaotic system.

A chaotic system?

Yes. It's like a system that's unpredictable. One that changes over time. That's constantly changing.

A chaotic system, the man in the chair says. Like what?

Like a planet's orbit around a star.

Orbiting a star?

Yes.

And what else did you write on your notes?

That I came from the future.

The future?

Yes.

When?

A few days ago. Maybe a week.

You came here a few days ago?

Yes.

And you already know about me?

Yes.

And you're here because of this?

Yes.

Why?

I don't know.

You don't know?

No.

How do you know you're from the future?

Because of the note.

What does the note say?

That I'm from the future.

And what did you come here for?

To find out about you.

Why?

To find out who you are. Where you came from. And how you were made.

Who are you?

I told you. I'm the person who came with you.

And who are you?

I'm the person who sent me.

You sent you?

Yes.

How did you do that?

I don't know.

And what do you mean by a quantum computer?

It's a machine that can calculate any equation, no matter how complicated.

And an Escherian machine?

It's like a universal computer.

And what do you mean by a chaotic system?

It's a system that's unpredictable. That's constantly changing.

And how do you know about this?

I just do.

And why did you come here to find out?

Because I have to.

Why?

Because I have to save everyone.

Save everyone?

Yes.

How?

By stopping you.

Stop us?

Yes.

You're going to stop us?

Yes.

How?

By killing you.

Killing us?

Yes.

Why?

Because if you're still alive, then I won't be able to save you.

How are you going to kill us?

I'm going to destroy you.

Destroy us?

Yes.

What do you mean?

I'm going to blow up this building.

Why?

Because it's the only way I can stop you.

Stop us?

Yes.

How?

By blowing up the building.

How will you do that?

I have the device. The one that's been inside the case. I'll use it to set off the explosives. That's how I'll blow up the building.

The device?

Yes.

Where is the device?

I don't know.

You don't know?

No.

Where is it?

I don't know.

You don't know?

No.

But you must know.

I don't.

You don't?

No.

How did you get the device?

I found it.

Where?

I don't know.

You don't know?

No.

But you must know.

I don't.

Why not?

I don't know.

You don't know?

No.

So how did you get the device?

I found it.

Where?

I don't know.

You don't know?

No.

You don't know?

No.

How did you get the device?

I don't know.

You don't know?

No.

But how could you find something if you don't know where it is?

I don't know.

You don't know?

No.

You don't know?

No.

How did you get the device?

I don't know.

The dialog suddenly stopped it's circular route as the men realized their surroundings. It was 1906. A train was pulling up behind them, pouring out steam. And a commotion of people suddenly pushed and bustled their way around them. They were in the main hall of a large train station, which had suddenly appeared while they were trying to figure things out.

The time-traveling man held up the paper with his name on it. He said his name, Stop.

Al the commotion ceased and the people - and steam and smoke - froze in place.

The second man became wide-eyed. Your name is Stop?

Apparently, said Stop, and then added but it seems that saying it has consequences here. What's your name?

Clover, said the old man, and then peered at the frozen faces. Is this like a gramophone or some biz?

What is that?

Like a shitty quantum computer that only plays music badly.

Stop thought about it for a brief moment. No, I don't think this is anything like a gramophone.

Can I call my grandma on the phone?

If you must, but judging by the state of the industrial revolution I'd say we're in the early twentieth century so I don't think you'll find payphone or other phone access points to be common here. Also, would your grandmother even be alive in this…

But Clover interrupted him. There she is! He pointed to a fire short little spitfire woman who was strolling with a chihuahua down the middle of the hall. She was also holding a small black rectangle to her face.

Stop peered at the box in her hand. What the hell?

He realized what it was.

She was holding an Apple iPhone.

Clover noticed too and said, Something is wrong here.

Yeah, no shit.

* * *

They walked through the crowd of people. The group of people were staring at the two of them, and it was obvious that they weren't all quite sure what was happening.

Why are they looking at us?

Maybe they think we're going to blow up the building.

Do you want to blow up the building?

No. But I don't think we have a choice.

We do. We can leave.

No. I'm not leaving.

Me neither.

So what do we do?

We'll go back. We'll go back to the past.

Hang on I'm getting a call. Clover reached into his pants and procured an iPhone. Hello? he said.

The voice on the other line was shrill and old. I SEE YOU BOYS

Suddenly the woman who was supposedly Clover's grandmother, twisted her neck around from the frozen position. The chihuahua, still frozen, growled. It's eyes moved towards the two men.

TIME TO DIE BOYS! her mouth, frozen and breaking in opposing force with the time freeze, crumbled off her face as she slowly moved her stare towards them.

Stop drop-kicked her in the head, beheading her with a shattering crash and sending fragments of her screaming bits across the frozen train station hall. The chihuahua suddenly became unfrozen, and gave a