Author hide-outs

The Two Steves

You are at Stonehenge at dawn, standing in the inner circle of the great monument, ready to meet the two Steves. Three towering stones stand upright with two slightly smaller stones lying horizontally on top of them, stretching across like a bridge from one to the other. The stones are many shades of grey with small patches of pale greenish lichen here and there. The upright stones taper a little towards the top. Although their outlines have been softened by hundreds of years at the mercy of the weather, they look rough to the touch.

Behind the stones, the clear blue sky is still pink towards the right. The rising sun casts long shadows, with narrow shafts of light glinting on the short grass here and there. Far across a wide, sunlit stretch of grass between the two central stones is a single standing stone, no more than a tiny silhouette in the distance. Behind it, low down on the horizon, the sky is a misty grey.

On the left of the picture, to one side of the stones and nearer to us, is the first of the two Steves. He is called The Other Steve. He is standing in a patch of sunlight, facing towards you but turned away a little to your right, with the shoulder to your left disappearing out of the picture. He is wearing very dark glasses with black rims. He has short white hair and a short, sandy coloured beard. His black suit, white shirt and black tie make him look very serious as he points past you with one finger.

Even closer to you is another hand. It is holding a black laptop computer. At first it appears to be The Other Steve's hand, but it is the hand of his friend and writing partner, Steve.

Move on. Here are more stones, the sun throwing giant shadows between them making the grass look like grey velvet. First is a single stone, then two more with a lintel stone over the top of them, like the gateway to a giant's den. The sun is faint blurred circle in the sky above them.

Look for the first two Hotspots around here. In the first Hotspot, you will meet Steve for the first time, striding away from you through a forest with The Other Steve beside him. Steve is shorter than the Other Steve and has dark hair. On their white t-shirts are their names printed in black - Steve and The Other Steve.

The next Hotspot is very close. At this Hotspot, the two Steves sit to speak to you. They both wear grey sweaters. Stonehenge is in the background. Purple cartoon notes of music hop and skip across the picture.

Move on along the circle of stones and you will find the two Steves ready for battle. Steve is in front wielding a very long sword. He has a fierce look on his face that wouldn't fool anyone. The Other Steve is close behind him, wearing ordinary glasses and sporting a Viking helmet with big horns. On the chests of their white t-shirts are pictures of the cover of one of their books. They are looking away to the right as if expecting an imaginary foe to appear through the standing stones.

There are two Hotspots here, very close to each other. The first of these Hotspots shows Steve with the Viking helmet on sideways, with one horn sticking up over his forehead like a rhinoceros. He performs a rap from 'The Lost Diary of Eric Bloodaxe: Viking Warrior.'

Search for the second Hotspot close by. At the second Hotspot, Steve is still on his own but wearing the Viking helmet the right way round with the horns sticking out sideways.

Move on just a short distance. Perched on a stone is a tiny, red cartoon harp. Close by is a Hotspot.

Inside the Hotspot, the two Steves sit on a rock with Stonehenge in the distance. As they read from 'Tales of the Dark Forest: Goodknyght' they take a small harp out of a bag. This harp is real, not a cartoon, but it seems to be able to speak.

Just a little way further on, the two Steves peep out from among the stones wearing scientists' white coats and eating bananas, waving them about in the air between munches.

Look around for a Hotspot here. At this Hotspot, the two Steves sit on the rock to read to you from 'Vernon Bright and the Magnetic Banana'.

Move on past a close-up of a huge grey stone to a view where a tiny white building no bigger than a dot stands in the distance, with a faint line of trees like a shadow behind it.

Can you find a Hotspot near here? At this Hotspot, the two Steves sit in a wood to read to you from 'Tales of the Dark Forest: Goodknyght.

Move a little further on and you will find both the Steves in their black suits and dark glasses. Steve peers down intently into the screen of the laptop.

There is a Hotspot not far away. At this Hotspot, the two Steve's stand in front of the stones in their black suits to read to you from 'Outernet: Friend or Foe'.

The Two Steves are standing in front of the standing-stones you saw in the first picture. They are both wearing black suits, white shirts and black ties, looking out through dark glasses and The Other Steve is pointing into the distance as if he is all ready to start again.