Chapter Contents

1) Up

2) Debris

3) To Spin a Yarn

4) Nitwits

5) As Snug as a Bug

6) Spiked

7) Tic Tock

8) Pipe Dreams

 

Event's planner for story
 

Story starts mid-process of being 'Vacuumed'.

1 - UP

Byzkit is already within the tornado effect of the ' Up', ripped from the carpet, bumped and battered in a whirlwind of suction and debris going down the ribbed piping to a bagged void of anti-gravity dust-fluff where he's tossed, swirled, rammed and banged. Only when the terrifying whir and vibration stops does everything settle down in a grey candy floss of mess.

With a feeling of sea sickness and swinging, a distant cupboard door is heard opening and everything joggles before re-settling. Byzkit loses consciousness from the trauma and disorientation.

Through bleary eyes Byzkit's vision focuses on the scene around him. He's surpised to see other insects. A woodlouse is helping pull out other survivors from the debris whiles a Silverfish skidaddles around trampling and compressing the dust-fluff that's settled in a mess all around. A wasp is pulled up, second an injured moth (only character who is more of a descriptive object .) Across the way a hyperventillating fly hugs himself into a panic. Noticing that he himself is still submerged up to his head in dust fluff, Byzkit calls out to be rescued along with the others. No one seems to be able to hear him and within seconds he feels his head stepped on and stamped upon. Determined to get his yell out to the rescue team he finally gets noticed and hears "Xxuhh, don't compact that head, its another survivor." The Silverfish stood on Byzkit's head angles himself down to hover over his face with a welcoming grin.

Pulled to safety, while Xxuhh finishes compressing the majority of the surface area, Byzkit properly composes himself in a softly-pompous manner, chest puffed, until he takes in the actual state of the place and then flinches into a cringe. Unsettled dust fills the air space and everything is formed from debris. Ignorant to the other survivors, Byzkit tries to take a moment to process what's happened to him but he's soon bomb-barded by everyone wanting to shake his many hands and introduce themselves. He tries to pay attention to their welcoming hellos as politely as he can, but aware of the dirt he's stood on he subtly raises up onto his foot tips, trying to not touch the place as best he can.

During introductions everything goes from calm to hysteria. Sp'zz the wasp starts to spazz out in crazed alarm when he scrutinises his sect'icles and realises he can't see his zinger through his lower legs. Everyone watches as Sp'zz starts darting about, pulling up fluff and chucking it all over the place, unsettling even more dust to the air. Byzkit's heart starts to race and his vision skits about until it lands on Kippuhh the forgotten, panic-wracken fly. Reality starts to seep in and everyone takes in their settings and situation.

The vaccuum bag is not specified in depth and is left to reader imagination, but there's depth of compacted dust-fluff resided on and a massive height to the escape tubing up the top where they can't reach.

The situation gets chaotic as facts, fears and statements get chucked about all over the place.

Realisation has them asking questions on how to reach the top tubing to freedom. Wings are mentioned and something in Kippuhh spurs him to life. Seeing Kippuhh the Fly take to flight Byzkit dives and grabs at his legs, determined to escape with him, to hell with the other bugs.

Dragging Kippuhh down with his weight he gets flung into a fluff pile only to spring up and make a second attempt. Byzkit's lithe little segmented body gets flung to and thro as he clings to the weighed down Fly. Everyone else just watches the scene until Kippuhh drops from struggle exhaustion.

Byzkit picks himself up from his fallen heap to see all the accusing stares. Knowing he tried to save only himself he guiltily makes up an excuse of 'putting into practise' and 'testing out' an idea he had and was going to share should it have worked.

"To which it didn't." he points out.

There's silence and then everyone starts up with questions all at once.

~What will we eat? / Will the air run out? / How will we get up there? / I need a drink! / Can you get moth balls in your tummy from breathing dusty air? / Are we forming a team? ~

Momopom the Moth tries to calm everyone and get order within the group, but thats not answering any questions so they turn to Soop the Woodlouse for answers, quickly glancing her over and looking expectantly to Byzkit as Soop is 'just' a young female, much to her offense. Byzkit wants to shrug his shoulders to all the directed questions but the role of leadership could prove beneficial.

"What are we supposed to eat?"

"Each other?" Byzkit absentmindly throws out on wary sarcasm with a tut and eyeroll due to short patience after many questions he can't answer. Unbeknownst to any of them a sudden alerted collection of interest-eager eyes begin sparkling from a shadowed fluff mound...all eight of them, with a growing shadow looming its way up the sides of their vacuum bag.

"How about we try scavaging the debris for crumbed food?" Soop puts in.

"Which is exactly what I was going to suggest as an alternative." Byzkit assures. Seeing a handy piece of static-stuck tissue Byzkit runs to grab it and shoulder shawl himself away from all the nasty dirt only to turn and face their unanounced arrival. Byzkit stiffens in fear and the Spider gurns a grin.

"I like that idea!"

Byzkit stammers, "Which one, scarvaging or-"

"Eating eat other."

"Right, well, lets try scavaging first and then reviewing other possibilities ...is that alright?"

"Ok, lets try."

With a gulp and flinch Byzkit swivels on his spot and dashes to the opposite end of the vacuum bag leaving the others to save themselves. Momopom is quickly placed by Soop on a scarpering Silverfish in attempt to get the Month a lift to safety, but Xxuhh instantly gets flattened in his tracks due to weight difference, while Sp'zz is hauled away from zinger searching [by Soop].

Only Kippuhh remains frozen and unmoving and its him the Spider rounds on.

"Scavaged mine already!"

Struggling to drag himself out from under Momopon, Xxuhh pops out with a spring, pin-rolling free and disoriented to giddily collide into the Spider, sinking his teeth into one of its many hairy legs, while Soop runs for Kippuhh and Sp'zz darts away to continue his own ignorant, self obsessed zinger-panic search.
Trying to not feel useless, cowering behind his dust mound, Byzkit starts finger-conducting [out of sync to the actions of everyone else] nodding his head and ending on a spoken apraisal. "You all took your orders excellently to my direction, very good. "

2 - DEBRIS

Frustration and Disorder

With Xxuhh posted on Spider Guard Duty, growling, grinning and talking in gibberish, keeping the 'Creepy' warded from his weirdness and bite snaps, and Sp'zz frantically searching for his missing Zinger, muttering cusses and obscenities, while Kippuhh continues to panic beside the injured Momopom, the remaining bugs, Byzkit and Soop, try their best to gather food from the debris.

The bugs get a small pile of edible snacks in the form of crumbs and making a decision to ration it, all taking a crumb or two each, they intend to manage the rest but it takes one sniff for Xxuhh to be alert to food and before the others can tell him that his few crumbs are ready, he leaves his Spider post and tramples into the rationed pile mouth excitedly open, slobbering up the lot. Soop flails all her limbs in an exasperated whine. Xxuhh, mistaking the ration pile for his share of the food is unaware as to why everyone is suddenly annoyed at him.

"Well that was something of nothing. Not sure that went down too well. ...I'm still thirsty," Xxuhh comments.

In frustration Soop runs to the fabric of the Vacuum bag and tries with all her might to climb it, getting a short way only to fall back down but refusing to give up so easily.

Sp'zz is almost crying [emasculated] manly tears as he trembles and sweats, trying to dig up holes in the compacted down dust-fluff. He has to find his zinger at all costs.

3 - TO SPIN A YARN

　

Byzkit surprises himself with his own intelligence when he comes up with the idea to get everyone sat in a circle making thread from dust-fluff, because even Gourbillib is joining in and if a Spider's mind is contented on a task then all the better for the rest of the bugs and their safety. Xxuhh doesn't know how to yarn his dust-fluff into thread and seeks guidance from a pissed off Byzkit who's already informed everyone that time is of the essence. Soop is short tempered and agitated but pretending she's not, Momopom is talking about days gone past adding to Soop's nerves, Sp'zz has been made to sit and join in with yarning but stroppily flumps to his spot with his arms crossed, while Kippuhh fearfully rattles on unnoticed about how imminent death is upon them all. Xxuhh just cant get 'thread making' to click in his head and Byzkit groans that he shouldn't be there [in their prison], that he's done nothing wrong and he has a life to be getting back to. This strikes a nerve with Soop and she growls, glaring her firey eyes at him. "And 'we' should? We haven't?"
Taken aback, Byzkit is let off with answering that as Kippuhh [shocked himself] whisks off and away from everyone's eye line by a silver lasso'd silk thread, leaving heard a single crunch and swallowed gulp.

"I love it when you bite and the juice squirts out."

Everyone turns to look at Gourbillib the Spider.

"He talked alot of sense and he went to pracitcal use, I dont understand the problem," the Spider defended with spiteful ignorance.

"Oh to hell with this and thread!" At Soop's hand everyone gets grabbed and thrown into a piled bundle allowing Soop to clamber up to the top of them all and try jumping for the upper tubing tunnel. No where near the escape she tumbles and Gourbillib watches amused at the frenzy he's caused. The insects then try to arrange themselves like a climbing ladder (a neater version of the previous bundled pile,) jumping first on an absent minded Sp'zz. Try as they might the bugs can't stretch themselves anywhere near to the top and the second Sp'zz realises he's the 'bottom' their ladder tumbles. Emasculated inseurity.

Everyone looks to Byzkit their Leader.

"Perhaps we're not laddering ourselves on top of each other in the correct order?"

4 - NITWITS

　

The bugs try all sorts of things to get out of the Vacuum bag, but Sp'zz can't fly them up as he's not leaving without his Zinger and he doesnt want to be the only one left with the Spider. Only Xxuhh has the body mass to not fall off when trying to climb up the sides of the bag but hes a bit too mashed and hallucigenic to get to the very top. Not wanting to give up Byzkit uses more of his brain intelligence to think of a plan. He suggests trying to build and shape the dust-fluff into a 'screw-like' coiled tower to the top. The bugs try this but Sp'zz is more concerned with what bits they're taking from where to build with, as he's still looking for his lost Zinger and they're sabotaging his search. Chucking a clump of dust fluff in a temper he hits Xxuhh square in the face who takes up the dust-fluff fight as a game. This is when Byzkit's O.C.D becomes more aparent as they all start to get hyper and join in for a small moment of insanity during their tense ordeal. It becomes funny to gang up on Byzkit and his hate for dirt and the poor Earwig can either get over himself and join in or get in a tizzy over the dirt touching him. Byzkit tries the best he can to get in the fun while using his tissue shawl to cover and defend from dust-fluff attacks.

After a small moment of fun they realise their coil tower starts to corrode, crumbling and drenching them all in a dust fall, refilling the air in a dirty mist.
"I think it was too dry to mould and sculpt." They all jump about in the current of avalanching dust until they fall down to lay and stare up at their escape route through the grey smog . They giggle here and there, cough and talk to each other about themselves and what they were doing before The -Up***, then they start to pose their fears and feel sadness and melancholy. Exhaused, they opt to sleep and snuggle little holes for themselves in the new settled fluff. Perhaps with a good night's sleep they can wake up refreshed with new ideas.

But one by one, they sit up knowing they cant sleep with a Spider about. One insect starts singing and then another, Xxuhh adds his gibberish and many finger clicks, and noise-beats get added in, much like beatboxing. Even the Spider can't resist wanting to get in on the song, though he tries to restrain himself. For a moment they all share a sense of unity. Threat and Fear subdued.

Byzkit has a bit of a cocky brainwave when he thinks he's got the Spider on side and he jumps to his feet buzzing with adrenaline. Apparently he thinks that the Spider can some how run them all up to the top, hitching a lift on it's back, seeing as how Spiders seem to defy gravity.

"How about I wrap you all up and hoist you up the side of the bag?" Gourbillib suggests.

"Perfect idea. Good fellow!"

*** What they were doing before the ' Up'
: Sp'zz was delightfully flitting around the window sill playing a hero in a pretend adventure game inside his head.

Xxuhh had left his under sink chemical cupboard in search for new heights and fixes within his usual life style, "I was rolling some paper with a drop of glue when it came for me." [the vacuum] (why do i read this dialogue line in southern American-yokel accent when it's a british story? He's subtly hinted at being a stoner not an American!)

Kippuhh was Buzzing around the living room, too nervous to land anywhere until he found the 'perfect' place, on a plate of ravioli. Batted away he dropped to the carpet.

Momopom was already in the window sill corner 'void of awareness' when Sp'zz came happily by claiming he was going to fight / save her for his game playing.

Soop and Byzkit got caught along the carpet in different areas. Byzkit hints he had somewhere to go [perhaps the Radiator] and Soop stays quiet. Byzkit wonders how a young female bug doesnt seem to miss her family, and suspects she's a lone-bug.

When Gourbillib had been up he was racing the carpet when a scream resounded and the vacuum soom came.

5 - SNUG AS A BUG

Additional Predicaments

"How about I wrap you all up and hoist you up the side of the bag?" Gourbillib suggests.

"Perfect idea. Good Fellow."

Byzkit only realises where he went wrong when the lot of them are cacooned up and trapped in web sacks, their heads poking out, each one of them stuck in a low forming ring to the side of the vacuum bag. Byzkit has gotten them all in trouble with his cocky suggestions and now everyone is in a predicament.

Byzkit must connect with the Spider and get him on side. Gourbillib has a 'world's made me mean' story and Byzkit knows he's possibly only getting one chance to get Gourbillib on side.

If the whole story takes place in real time and must be kept at a reasonable thrill pace as it is, inside one entire scene of a vacuum bag, then this chapter will also have to prove itself to stand up to 'captivation' as the entire chapter will be nothing but Gourbillib's and Byzkits exchange and connection, consisting mostly of 'gripping' dialogue.

Gourbillib is hinted to of had a son once, a subtle connection to Gourbillib being Eiga-h't's Dad who sadly got vacuumed up at the end of the story - From Nook to Cranny: a story where Dad and Eiga-h't go on an adventure through a cold winter'd unheated house to the unknown for a rumoured dream place called 'The Radiator', where all bugs are said to be making the journey on a hope of its existance. Due to the loose connection of Gourbillib being Eiga-h't's Dad, it can then be speculated that Byzkit had ventured from his Biscuit Jar worktop home also on the journey for the Radiator as he claims he has somewhere to be going, and the two connect with the 'going' of Byzkit's journey in this chapter. This connection of Bugs in a Bag being a 2nd part to 'From Nook to Cranny' will not be officialised in order to keep reader's guessing and enjoying the theory. It is hinted that Gourbillib didn't get up at the same time as the other bugs, that he's been there a short while longer, seeing winter through to summer in his lonesome confinement and growing sadly comfortable. He does imply that he's fine with being where he is and that if the other bugs are stupid enough to get trapped with him then all the more food for him, he doesn't need to help them out, (Spiders like their food fresh as long as possible until they go to eat them and seeing as the bugs are trapped, why not let them live until he eats then one by one?) Byzkit and Gourbillib will connect to eachother through an unspecified subtle understanding which will be enough to kick off the theory but not confirm it yet also be strong enough for new readers, not having read 'From Nook and Cranny', to understand that they come to a mutual truce at least, if only for a fleeting moment.

The 2 story connection will be made uncertain by Gourbillib's and Eiga-h't's Dad's personality difference. Gourbillib seems younger and thrills at being a scary pest while Eiga-h't's Dad is a stern reserved Father who didnt ever want to leave the Nook for silly whims yet went to protect his son. It might be said that being trapped in a vacuum bag can turn one insane, but no connection theory will ever be confirmed or denied within the stories, only hinted and teased as a possibility. Another question to ask, why would Byzkit be going to the Radiator in summer months? Unless for a mission or a meeting that needs to take place there.

　

**Another small connection of all my stories will be the strong hint of Eiga-h't and Dad being in Eric the Window Mog's house from 'Hedgehog and Yoghurt'. As they drop down onto the scruffy grey mog's head in the window sill and get batted away on their silver strings. Readers will remember this was how Eric's chapters in 'Hedgehog & Yoghurt' opened.

　

6 - SPIKED

　

Sp'zz sweats so much he starts to get loose from his webbed shackles, wriggling himself free. Everyone else tries to give him subtle eye contact for his help around the Spider's notice (8-eye'd notice) but he runs straight for the dust-fluff to dig, much to everyone's dissapointment. Yet little do they know, Sp'zz has seen something glimmering and he knows all to well what it is. Pulling out and weilding his Zinger like a small sword Sp'zz squares on Gourbillib, right at the peak of Gourbillib's and Byzkit's connection towards a truce. The two round on each other, Wasp to Spider, Sp'zz slicing through the other bugs cacoon web-sacks, freeing them . As the others dust themselves off, Gourbillib goes to lunge at Sp'zz and Sp'zz stabs him in the foot, making the Spider shrink.

Everyone congradulates Sp'zz and Soop tries to touch the tip of the Zinger in awe, but Sp'zz tells her only he can touch it or she'll be pricked and stung by its immense power. Sp'zz is pleased with himself, he's finally got to be the masculine hero he's always dreamed of being. Byzkit's a bit put out that someone else is getting more attention than him so he gets everyone's attention back by taking order. Sp'zz is to guard Gourbillib beside Xxuhh as he has a weapon, while he, Momopom and Soop look at concucting an escape plan with fresh eyes.

"We dig down deep in the form of steps, carrying the spare dust-fluff back up like ants to surface level, then continue building up."

"But our tower fell down before."

"That's because we built it straight up in the middle with no support, this time we're going to layer steps up and around the sides of the bag in a spiral stair."

"But how shall we mould the dust?"

"With our spit."

"We'll lose moisture and there's no drinks."

"That's why we must do it quick with no possibility of failure. When we can't spit anymore we'll use our hard working sweat drops. We'll be at the top running to drink the fresh air in no time if we all work our hardest."

7 - TIC TOCK

Consequences

Digging down a bit too far, the insects start to feel a tremor beneath them. There's an inner shake somewhere down below. No one knows what's going on but they presume someone on the outside must be moving the vacuum cleaner and that cant be good. Byzkit reminds them they have a long way to go and it's vital they speed up, so they all continue mining their dust-fluff to create their stairway to the escape exit.

None of them were expecting or ready for when an overspill of Dust Mites puffed up in a sprayed erruption from beneath and started running amonk. Dust Mites are as nasty as fleas to insects and no one wants them crawling all over them, their juices. Dust Mites fill the bag and everyone runs all over the place, Momopom carried and rolled around. No one has any defenses against the Dust Mite cloud puffs and itchy covering. Byzkit especially suffers with his OCD being crawled upon. Not even Sp'zz's zinger can do anything against the Dust Mites. Gourbillib is also mortified. The bugs wonder if 'this' is it, their end. But just as all hope seems lost, the ground starts to rumble worse than before and all the Dust Mites seem to fall away and sink back down beneath the dust fluff leaving them alone.

Something feels wrong.

Trepidation fills the juice in their veins.

Its then that something large starts to push up through the ground. Something large, rubbery and white, bulbous like a capsule, containing blood. And it continues to rise up and dawf them all. Four pairs of Arachnid legs and Chelicerae pincing at its mouth.

"ITS A TIC!"

A gigantic Tic that feeds on the blood of others and has obviously been embedded, dormant in the deep dust fluff of the vacuum bag for quite a while as he's larger than any Tic they've ever seen before. Their digging having been the cause of it waking up.

"HE'LL DRINK OUR BLOOD!" Gourbillib screams rather wuss'ily.

Their situation has gone from bad to worse and Byzkit knows they need to get out now, there;s no time left. Even Gorbillib is scared his blood is going to be out of him. The Tic's body mass is much greater than the Spider's as Gourbillib isnt the biggest of his kind by a long way.

It's now or never. Byzkit and Gourbillib form alliances. While everyone does their part to misdirect the hungry Tic, Byzkit tells Xxuhh to "get out and keep running", then Gorbillib chucks Xxuhh, on sheer force alone, up to the top of the vacuum bag to the exit. Clinging up onto to the piping tunnel's rim and dangerously swinging, Xxuhh manages to hoik himself up. Byzkit feels an inner happiness to know one of them made it and he smiles up as Xxuhh's head pokes back through the hole to part on a happy tongue lolling smile before bounding off, his story finished.

Momopom is chucked up next like a rubgy ball, up and out of sight.

The Tic becomes more of a frenzied problem by the second, fury and hunger sharpening it's senses to their misdirection and dodging.

Sp'zz offers himself up to fight to his end on self knowing that he wont make it from losing his Zinger, anyway. Wasps die once they lose their Zingers and Sp'zz was scared of this all along as he frantically searched to retreive it. Knowing it's going to happen anyway and he finally managed to be a Hero like he always dreamed of, he doesn't mind becoming the Hero one last time for his friends. This allows Byzkit and Soop to be thrown / hoisted up to the top exit and Gourbillib to follow soon after on his own lasso'd silk threads, leaving the Tic and Sp'zz to battle out to their end.

　

8 - PIPE DREAMS

Conclusion

Making it up into the vauuum bag's exit, through the relaxed suction motor and into the ribbed piping straight, Xxeuh long gone and Gourbillib carrying Momopom under an elbow, Soop and Bizkit take hands and run like older brother and little sister. Halfway down their piping run they hear a massive booming pop and a deeper inner vibration starts to rattle their piping, tripping them up in their hurdle-hopped, ribbed ridges. They choose to believe that Sp'zz has popped the Tic with his Zinger and Soop hopes so badly he'll make it, flying his way out of the bag to catch them up. Byzkit sadly smiles knowingly of Sp'zz's situation and once the vibration settles and they pick their toppled selves up to run again, Byzkit to the direction of light and Soop dragged from going back for Sp'zz, they realise Gourbillib is no longer carrying Momopom [from eating her. The notice of her gone will be enough to draw conclusion, without the need to say she was eaten.] Nothing is said and Byzkit wonders if the booming pop was actually an exploding Tic or the juice splatter from a Moth'd snack in a sound vibrating tunnel. Pulling Soop back in the right direction and leaving a half smile at the Spider who returns it a bit too eagerly, the two bugs turn back towards the light on the horizon and run with their entire might, knowing that once they reach light and hit real life again, its every bug for themselves and there's a Spider behind them. The story ends as light shines upon the horizon of their near ending piping, their visuals turning to silhouettes as the light engulfs them a quarter of the way from the end. END

The ending is left to imagination of the reader. While some feel knowingly that they escaped, others might believe the engulfing light is their own end as the Spider (who should be able to run faster) caught up with them and had one last snack to fill his tummy before re-entering the real world. The story has no certified 'happy' ending because life isnt always about 'happy endings', its about 'trying and believing', so whether they made it or not the point was made clear - even if you dont succeed, at least you tried and you never gave up on hope. It would be nice to end the story on a feeling of motivation and adrenaline, with a small nervousness of uncertainty [induced due to the uncertified happy ending,] making the reader feel the story is relatable to their own life, confidence and self belief.

The entire story needs to be emphatic while remaining lighthearted. Because of no 'scene movement' the story needs to keep it's pace in event excitement and anticipation. Story intended to be written as a novel for older kids to young adult to the quality of a Pixar/Tim Burton story in order to get adults enjoying make-believe again while also being able to be read to a younger child with parent self-modification.

eg of child/adult make believe books - Alice in Wonderland, Watership Down, Whinnie the Pooh, I hope to create that same age defying quality.