The Light that Never Dies (short story): Difference between revisions

From Tardis Wiki, the free Doctor Who reference
m (Bot: Replacing category Short stories set in the Braxiatel Collection with Short stories set on the Braxiatel Collection)
No edit summary
 
(7 intermediate revisions by 4 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{title dab away}}
{{title dab away}}
{{real world}}
{{real world}}
{{Infobox Story
{{Infobox Story SMW
|main character = [[Bernice Summerfield]]
|main character = [[Bernice Summerfield]]
|featuring      = [[Irving Braxiatel]]
|featuring      = [[Irving Braxiatel|Braxiatel]]
|setting        = [[Braxiatel Collection]], [[2600]]
|setting        = [[Braxiatel Collection]], [[2600]]
|writer        = [[Eddie Robson]]
|writer        = Eddie Robson
|anthology      = ''[[The Dead Men Diaries (anthology)|The Dead Men Diaries]]''
|anthology      = Professor Bernice Summerfield and the Dead Men Diaries (anthology)
|release date  = [[September (releases)|September]] [[2000 (releases)|2000]]
|release date  = September 2000
|series        = ''[[Bernice Summerfield (series)|Bernice Summerfield]]'' short stories
|series        = ''[[Bernice Summerfield (series)|Bernice Summerfield]]'' short stories
|prev          = Steal from the World (short story)
|prev          = Steal from the World (short story)
|next          = Heart of Glass (short story)
|next          = Heart of Glass (short story)
}}'''''The Light that Never Dies''''' was the third story in the [[Bernice Summerfield]] anthology ''[[The Dead Men Diaries (anthology)|The Dead Men Diaries]]''. It was written by [[Eddie Robson]].
}}
'''''The Light that Never Dies''''' was a [[2000 (releases)|2000]] short story written by [[Eddie Robson]] and released in the ''[[Bernice Summerfield (series)|Bernice Summerfield]]'' anthology ''[[The Dead Men Diaries (anthology)|The Dead Men Diaries]]''.


== Summary ==
== Synopsis ==
At loose ends, Benny is bored. She contacts Irving, and he suggests that she could help him catalogue some old films. Benny works for a while, but gets tired of writing copy. She decides to watch one of the films, one that she has always wanted to see. It is a documentary of a rebellion on [[Delcanto]], in which rebels kill three ambassadors.
''To be added''


As Benny watches the executions, it seems as if one of the ambassadors is looking right at her. She replays the moment, but notices that there are tiny differences. After a third viewing, she informs Irving that this film changes each time she watches it. Irving watches it and the same thing happens.
== Plot ==
Bored, [[Bernice Summerfield|Benny]] contacts [[Irving Braxiatel|Braxiatel]] and agrees to help him catalogue the [[Braxiatel Collection]]'s [[film]] [[library]]. After a while, she gets tired and decides to watch a [[documentary]] on the [[22nd century]] [[rebellion]] on [[Delcanto]] which she had always wanted to see. In the documentary, three [[alien]] [[ambassador]]s are [[execution|executed]] by the rebels and Benny notices that one of the ambassadors seems to be looking right at her.


Irving thinks he's seen the species of the ambassador before. They are the [[Brv'cllnz]]. Their culture has a taboo against allowing their images to be taken.
Benny replays the video twice and notices minor differences in the ambassador's [[behaviour]] and that he seems to be begging her to stop. She shows the documentary to Braxiatel, who pauses it during the ambassador's execution and watches him moving in pain whilst everything else is frozen. After a brief disagreement about Braxiatel's rationality and disbelief in [[ghost]]s, they learn from the [[Anthropology]] department [[database]] that the ambassador is likely a [[Brv'cllnz]], one of an advanced race of [[energy]] beings who never developed image technology as it can trap them.


Benny and Irving watch the film again, and this time they pause it prior to the execution. Everything on the film stops, except for the one alien. He looks around and sees them. They introduce themselves and he gives his name as [[Mrrct'llz]]. He tells them that he died during the executions but that as he is an energy creature, the source of his image is trapped in this film. Benny suggests they keep the film paused, so he wouldn't have to die, but Mrrct'llz would be trapped in the "tiny square of light". He asks them to get rid of the film.
Benny and Braxiatel watch the documentary again and pause it just before the execution. The ambassador identifies himself as [[Mrrct'llz]] and asks them to get rid of the film to release him from his agony. They cut the execution scene out and burn it outside the Mansionhouse in a stone dish, with Braxiatel promising to find any other copies and to check the rest of the film library to make sure that it has not happened to anybody else.
 
Irving cuts out the bit of film with Mrrct'llz' execution and splices the rest back together.


== Characters ==
== Characters ==
Line 29: Line 29:
* [[Mrrct'llz]]
* [[Mrrct'llz]]


== References ==
== Worldbuilding ==
* The film Benny watches is called ''[[And The Sky Turned Blood Red]]''.
* The film Benny watches is called ''[[And The Sky Turned Blood Red]]''.
* Benny expects that one day the [[Holy Grail]] will be found in the [[Braxiatel Collection|Collection]].
* Benny expects that one day the [[Holy Grail]] will be found in the [[Braxiatel Collection|Collection]].
* [[Marc Schultz]] was the [[author]] of an extensive study of the [[Brv'cllnz]].


== Notes ==
== Notes ==
Line 37: Line 38:


== Continuity ==
== Continuity ==
* Benny still has the original of {{wi|The Hay Wain}}. It was a gift from the Martian invaders in [[PROSE]]: ''[[The Dying Days (novel)|The Dying Days]]''.
* Benny still has the original of {{wi|The Hay Wain}}. It was a gift from the Martian invaders in ''[[The Dying Days (novel)|The Dying Days]]''.
* Living beings trapped in celluloid — albeit more sinister ones — were featured in [[TV]]: ''[[From Out of the Rain (TV story)|From Out of the Rain]]''.
* Living beings trapped in celluloid — albeit more sinister ones — were featured in ''[[From Out of the Rain (TV story)|From Out of the Rain]]''.


{{TitleSort}}
{{TitleSort}}


[[Category:Bernice Summerfield stories]]
[[Category:Bernice Summerfield sources]]
[[Category:The Dead Men Diaries short stories]]
[[Category:The Dead Men Diaries short stories]]
[[Category:Irving Braxiatel short stories]]
[[Category:Irving Braxiatel short stories]]
[[Category:Short stories set on the Braxiatel Collection]]
[[Category:Short stories set on the Braxiatel Collection]]
[[Category:Stories set in 2600]]
[[Category:Stories set in 2600]]

Latest revision as of 20:32, 7 March 2024

Error creating thumbnail: Read-only mode

The Light that Never Dies was a 2000 short story written by Eddie Robson and released in the Bernice Summerfield anthology The Dead Men Diaries.

Synopsis[[edit] | [edit source]]

To be added

Plot[[edit] | [edit source]]

Bored, Benny contacts Braxiatel and agrees to help him catalogue the Braxiatel Collection's film library. After a while, she gets tired and decides to watch a documentary on the 22nd century rebellion on Delcanto which she had always wanted to see. In the documentary, three alien ambassadors are executed by the rebels and Benny notices that one of the ambassadors seems to be looking right at her.

Benny replays the video twice and notices minor differences in the ambassador's behaviour and that he seems to be begging her to stop. She shows the documentary to Braxiatel, who pauses it during the ambassador's execution and watches him moving in pain whilst everything else is frozen. After a brief disagreement about Braxiatel's rationality and disbelief in ghosts, they learn from the Anthropology department database that the ambassador is likely a Brv'cllnz, one of an advanced race of energy beings who never developed image technology as it can trap them.

Benny and Braxiatel watch the documentary again and pause it just before the execution. The ambassador identifies himself as Mrrct'llz and asks them to get rid of the film to release him from his agony. They cut the execution scene out and burn it outside the Mansionhouse in a stone dish, with Braxiatel promising to find any other copies and to check the rest of the film library to make sure that it has not happened to anybody else.

Characters[[edit] | [edit source]]

Worldbuilding[[edit] | [edit source]]

Notes[[edit] | [edit source]]

to be added

Continuity[[edit] | [edit source]]

Retrieved from "https://tardis.wiki/w/index.php?title=The_Light_that_Never_Dies_(short_story)&oldid=3729616"