5 October 2005 Chapter Outline It’s time to start outlining on a chapter by chapter basis or I won’t get past a very long first chapter. So here is a start at what I expect the main action ingredients to be. Chapter 1: Aaron is my protagonist. He is a genealogical researcher collecting stories for an oral history at the local nursing home in a small community. Here he comes across Mad Aunt Hattie who tells him the story of her disappearing boyfriend. He investigates and finds the location where the disappearance is supposed to have occurred. Just as he approaches, he is blinded by a flash of light and drives off the road. Chapter 2: After a brief disorientation, Aaron gets out of his wrecked car and hears voices nearby. When he approaches he finds a “mystically illuminated” scene that reminds him vaguely of some Biblical story. He recognizes one of the people as a prominent citizen with an eye to a political campaign. Just at the point that he is about to interrupt and make his presence known, another voice joins the others that is disembodied. He hears the voice, but can’t understand it, even though it seems to be speaking English. Understanding what is said is just beyond his reach. Then all but the known party begin to disappear. Just at the point that they are about gone, one turns and points at Aaron. There is another bright flash and he passes out. Chapter 3: Aaron wakes up in his car. The politician is rapping on the window to see if he is all right. He opens the door and stumbles out. The politician picks him up and takes him to his own car and drives him to the local hospital. When Aaron gets out, he finds the politician (need a name if I’m going to keep referring to him or her) waiting for him. Says the car was towed to the local service station. Where can he take Aaron? Aaron starts to mention last night, but Pol hushes him saying that anyone would have done the same (good Samaritan routine) so that he never gets to ask about what he saw. Instead we spend the chapter with the two getting to know each other and what they do and it ends with Pol offering Aaron a job on his/her staff for the coming election. Chapter 4: Aaron spends a chapter deciding whether or not to join Pol’s staff. During that time he discovers some of what had happened the night of the accident disappearing from his memory. So being a writer he writes it down. He revisits the site and makes some kind of motivating discovery. Place where the car was parked? Footprints? He decides that something bigger than an election is going on here and decides to take the job so that he can be close to Pol, who has also charmed him with his cause in the election. Chapter 5: We change POV to catch Pol with a visitor to whom he is explaining that he was discovered and that it might pose some risk of exposure. They discuss the situation with the visitor bemoaning the loss of the old days when they’d just have got rid of the interloper. Pol says they haven’t done that in years and the council’s directive that they influence only and not interfere had to be followed. Pol suggests that the visitor’s next contact will be before his, so please keep the council informed. As the visitor gets up to leave, they hear footsteps in the outer office. When they open the door, Aaron is there, intending to take up Pol’s offer on the position. It is unclear whether he has heard anything of their conversation. Pol tells the visitor goodbye and invites Aaron into the inner office.