280 Stops

A novella for the Internet about the 11 bus.


- eight -

Mr Jonathan Bounds

Outward appearance

Blonde with a face that would be described as young if it wasn't for the stubble and scowl that sometimes drifts across his face. He wears a black shiny jacket that looks a little like a binliner and is either playing with his phone, scribbling in a notebook or fiercely staring out of the window.

Inside information

Jon is a social media gadabout, on the 11 bus for 11 hours on the 11th day of the 11th month for a project. People that know him have been told the jacket is designed by Paul Weller and only the people that know him really well know that the scowls mean nothing more than Jon is thinking.

What they are doing or thinking

Jon is an artist but he won't admit it, his work lies somewhere between the events he creates, the documentation, and the ideas behind them. He's fighting a battle for the soul of the internet. The overwhelming majority of users want to use it for Important and Ernest things, Jon knows this is the way of bleaching everything interesting out of it, and if not killing it, making it not worth being alive in the first place.

Jon sees the world through the window of the bus with a magi's eyes, every symbol, landmark, logo and piece of graffiti is packed with resonance, layers of meaning connecting in a brain saturated in pop culture, history, and local customs. He mentally rides the wave of synchronicity as the bus bobs and swings around corners.

He sends a tweet about a passenger's hair and makes a note to research whether the Knights Templar ever visited Birmingham.