Nicole at Words and Other Things wrote this post about a book she got called Severance – by Pulitzer Prize winning author Robert Olen Butler.
Butler’s book was inspired by two concepts:
1.) “After decapitation, the human head is believed to remain in a state of consciousness for one and one-half minutes.”
2.) “In a heightened state of emotion, people speak at the rate of 160 words per minute.”
The premise of the book is that once each character is presented and their cause of beheaded-ness is explained, their final, headless thoughts are given to us in the form of 160 words. She has some examples over on her blog, including one she wrote for herself as though she had been beheaded. Wow, that sounds gruesome when you write it down.
Anyway, she said: “It would be pretty awesome to see what you guys could come up with. Any takers? Post and link back? Anyone? Is this thing on?” Well THIS thing is on, so I’m giving it a shot.
Edward Hotspur, beheaded 15 minutes after going on stage by a fallen spotlight
The twilight, the sky, they are beautiful as you as I remember as I believe as I have always believed and always will, and it’s turning colder and darker which I have always loved, as I have always loved you, all of you, and this will not be the end, somehow, because somehow I will live on to see you all, to see you grow, to celebrate this, cold and dark and wet, fading but restoreable through your eyes, your hopes that I wanted to fulfill, have I succeeded, tell me you were happy, tell me you felt loved, I wanted us and nothing more
What can you come up with?
Edward Hotspur (and Nicole Marie)
Do you think you would know you were not attached to your body? hmmmm I may take this one on.. tell me would you have inflection ? or is it just flat run on – wait – I get the concept but they couldn;t really talk huh? Ok now I am a little freaked and I might have to do it so I don;t think about it all night long….
I have no idea. I was more or less saying what I would think – Not sure I could say it out loud.
well yea but now I got stuck on that weirdness of what IF heads could talk – do you think they would have stopped beheading people or do you think they would have wagered on the last words
Talking Heads?
in cars..no wait.. hey you didnt answer the question…
Probably stopped beheading people. I mean, they’ve stopped now.
I don’t want to burst anyone’s bubble, but the average person speaks at a rate of 250 words per minute, from what I had heard. I learned this when I was doing dictation from people talking. I can type about 150 wpm, so as long as someone pauses for a breath every 4 or 5 words, I can keep up with them word for word. Give me a laptop & I can keep up & take minutes in a meeting word for word if needed.
I might have to try this challenge too!
No, you sound credible… may be different when your head is severed though. Folks tend to slow down.
You may be right!
Diplomatic of you, ha ha
I can do it right here;
Me… behaeded with an axe… by an axe murdering maniac who was trying to chop up five little children…
———————————–
Ow. That really stings. At least I got the bastard in a choke hold so tight he couldn’t pry my hands off before the cop shot him in the face. I am so proud of myself. Oh, crap… did my head roll into a puddle of dog pee?
That’s probably closer to what everyone would be thinking.
And here I pride myself on my originality. Severance does not pay… well… except for severance pay, I guess.
Severance gets paid – at least, he did when he was bandleader for Carson.
Wasn’t that Doc Severin?
Shhhhhhh….
Oh Edward, I like when you get all emotional and stuff. So good! I like to imagine me saying those final words out loud, while everyone ran away screaming!
I’m a sensitive guy, and crap like that. I haz da emoshunz!
I might have gotten teary reading…..sniff….blow….this!
Don’t cry! I’m not really dead. Or… did you mean something else?
Excuse me sir.. yes you… the one who chopped of my head…please turn me around so I can die looking at those amazing biceps of yours.
LOL!