Ariel.of.Narnia: Should we wait to see if anyone else shows up?
Sir-Edward: Dunno
Sir-Edward: You’re in charge after all
Ariel.of.Narnia: *pokepokes Tenny*
Tenethia Brandybuck (Mod): *is showed up!*
Ariel.of.Narnia: Yeah, I know.
Tenethia Brandybuck (Mod): Behold! I am here!
Ariel.of.Narnia: I guess I might as well ask if any of you have anything to share
Tenethia Brandybuck (Mod): *looks skyward*
Sir-Edward: I do!
Tenethia Brandybuck (Mod): Would you like to see my journal...?
Ariel.of.Narnia: Oh, heavens, no! o.O
Ariel.of.Narnia: Unless you've got a funny anecdote in there...
Tenethia Brandybuck (Mod): YESEDWARDHASSOMETHINGTOSHAREEEEEEEE
Tenethia Brandybuck (Mod): No, nothing funny, unfortunately
Ariel.of.Narnia: All I've got is my Christmas fic, so...
Ariel.of.Narnia: *pokes Ed* got anything to share today?
Tenethia Brandybuck (Mod): smiley-razz
Sir-Edward: Ah! Yes!
Ariel.of.Narnia: Okay, share away!
Sir-Edward: I do as a matter of fact!
Tenethia Brandybuck (Mod): Yesssssssssss
Sir-Edward: It's not very long an I have no idea where it's going but here it is
Sir-Edward shares ~
Sir-Edward: My name is Bartholomew wing, and This is a story about my uncle.
My uncle Wing, Jack John Wing that is, was an adventurer, and was constantly disappearing on "trips" as he called them. He was also an inventor and would spend hours and hours in his study tinkering with the seemingly random objects that he procured on his journeys. He was an odd fellow, not to say he was mad, (though in my experience, all genius comes with a bit of madness.) but he was...odd. Distant sometimes, like he could never just stop thinking. Like no matter what was going on, hundreds and thousands of approximations, estimations, and calculations were zooming through his head like a cave full of restless bats. He was also a rather impulsive man, and often made up his mind to perform extensive, (and in my opinion, rather extreme) actions on a whim. Now for most people this would normally end with a lot of wasted effort and quite a lot of wasted money to boot. however my uncle wing was not like most people, when he made one of his "impulse" decisions, it was as if he had already made every single calculation necessary for the idea to work, and therefore, should not give a second thought as to it's sudden and immediate departure from thought to action. a clear example of this occurred not long ago, I was tinkering with a small, bronze gearbox my uncle had given to me as a challenge (he often gave me gifts like these, and was fond of saying to me that a gift wrapped in a puzzle was twice as rewarding as a gift simply handed to you, and I rather agreed.) my uncle had just spent his customary few hours in his study, (which was more of a laboratory then a study.) and just then came marching triumphantly out of the dark room behind him with a gleam in his eyes and a mysterious smile on his face. "Ah, nephew, come, I shall need your help if I am to build my observatory!" he said with an heir of an intrepid explorer about to embark on a new frontier. I had long since learned not to try to talk him out of it, if uncle wing ordained to build an observatory, he would find a way to do so; he always did.
It took us one long year of hard work to complete the observatory but in the end, a beautiful, pristine white tower loomed high over "Wing manor".(though Wing "manor" was not much more then a small villa.)
me and my uncle stood on a high green hill not far away from, and overlooking, the "manor". "a beautiful thing to be sure!" my uncle sighed with great satisfaction. he patted me heartily on the back as if he was looking out upon a newly discovered world and I had done some great part in getting us there. (a thought I that, though I did not realize at the time, was not so fantastic in nature then I first imagined.) uncle wing gave me one last mysterious smile and a pat on the shoulder, then slowly walked down the emerald-green hill toward wing manor.
it was then that the strange happenings that started the adventure of which am writing about now started to occur.
Tenethia Brandybuck (Mod): smiley-lol
Ariel.of.Narnia: Haha, I love it! The cooky old uncle (who's like Uncle Andrew without the creepy) and the air of mystery and tease at discovery!
gypsevedius: smiley-lol
Ariel.of.Narnia: Will this be something like a steampunk world?
Ariel.of.Narnia: (Hi, Gyps!)
Sir-Edward: I have no idea
Sir-Edward: I just wrote it on a whim
gypsevedius: (Hiiiiiiiiiii, Ariel)
Ariel.of.Narnia: I just ask because of the gearbox, mainly, even thought that's by no means exclusively steampunk.
Tenethia Brandybuck (Mod): Edward, I LOVE your usage of similes!
Tenethia Brandybuck (Mod): "calculations were zooming through his head like a cave full of restless bats."
Sir-Edward: Thanks
Ariel.of.Narnia: I really love this build-up. If this were a physical book, I'd definitely have turned the page long before now.
Tenethia Brandybuck (Mod): Oh yeah, DEFINITELY
Sir-Edward: *glows*
Ariel.of.Narnia: And ditto Tenny on the similes.
Tenethia Brandybuck (Mod): Honestly, Ed, right now your main thing is technicalities. Punctuation and stuff like that. You have a specific style that always leaves me wanting to just read what you have written the whole day long. I LOVE reading your work. The characters are so vivid, and the narration is so exciting. I like exciting narration!
Sir-Edward: THANKS!
Ariel.of.Narnia: *dittoes Tenny on that again*
Sir-Edward: Anywho, enough about that, anybody else have cool stuff?
Ariel.of.Narnia: Haha, c'mon, Ed, bask in the praise.
Sir-Edward: LOL
Tenethia Brandybuck (Mod): smiley-razz
Ariel.of.Narnia: Like I said, I've only got a Christmas fic, so unless y'all are okay with reading that half a month after Christmas...
Sir-Edward: Sure!
Ariel.of.Narnia: Okay then. I just have to make this disclaimer: the original character in here is not mine and the fic was written as a Christmas gift to the author who owns said original character. And the story is not a reflection of my thoughts on the subject matter so much as it is meant to fit into her universe.
Sir-Edward: Pray, continue!
Ariel.of.Narnia shares ~
Ariel.of.Narnia: She grasped the paper in her fingers and looked all about her. /This can’t be right./ Despite having lived at Cair Paravel for quite some time and the simplicity of the map she held, the hallway in which Linnet found herself was unfamiliar and did not seem to fit in with the directions she had been given. She would have allowed herself the faint embarrassment of asking someone for assistance – even risked revealing whatever surprise was apparently in store – but there was no sign of anyone in the vicinity. It was Christmas Day, after all, and early, thanks to Edmund having awoken herself and his fellow sovereigns at dawn with that little golden bell of his – a tradition, apparently, from the Other Place.
Linnet retraced her steps until she was sure her surroundings matched the map, but when she tried to follow it again, it was only to return to the same, unfamiliar hallway. This time, however, she realized that the hallway did not lead to a dead end as she had assumed before. She lifted her skirts and trotted to the hallway’s end to the half-hidden opening to a corridor. /I do hope he hasn’t been waiting long./ She quickened her steps as the map led her down the corridor, through an empty guest room, up a few service stairs, and then into a small sitting room.
A warm fire and its almost-sweet smell greeted Linnet the moment she walked in to the quietly furnished room, its only trimmings being a few boughs of holly and a fine, silver tea service upon the table. But for all the contrast of the cheery fire against the snow outside the window or of the holly against the whitewashed stone hearth, her eyes had been immediately drawn to the man who stood by the fire, leaning with his arm against the mantelpiece: for he was magnificence against the humble setting and yet also, equally simply, Peter.
“You made it.”
“I hope you weren’t waiting long, my lord.”
Peter smiled and took her hand. “None of that, Linnet. Right now, right here, I’m just Peter.” She returned his smile and allowed him to lead her to the divan while she tried to think of something to say. “How did you enjoy the book?” he asked.
She turned her eyes on him in surprise but immediately caught the teasing twinkle they held. “Oh, immensely. I cannot wait to finish the story.”
Peter was pouring two cups of tea, but he looked up to feign hurt. “My lady, if your book is as engaging as that, I will not detain you any further.”
She smoothed her wine-red skirts over the creamy cushions. “I rather like the path it has taken.”
“And what path is that?”
Linnet accepted the teacup Peter offered her and took a tentative sip, but Peter had draped an arm over the back of the divan and was searching her eyes with the intensity she knew so well. She leaned back to be closer to him. “I had thought the story would be one of history long past, but a little page fell out and onto my lap and instead revealed a mystery. The journey has been most intriguing.”
A smile played at the corner of his mouth. “Then have you solved the mystery?”
His eyes were only inches away. “You tell me.”
They sat like that a moment longer before he chuckled and produced a box no larger than the palm of his hand from his pocket. “Well, since my note led you here, it’s only fair I give you this in return.”
Surprised, Linnet sat up again, set down her cup, and untied the pale blue ribbon and lifted the lid of the box. Inside, cushioned in folds of forest green velvet, lay the likeness of a lion cast in crystal. In wonder, she gently lifted it from the box to examine it closer, then, having discovered the silver thread that hung from a little ring on the ornament, held it up so the flickering light from the hearth danced in the crystal face. “Oh, Peter, it’s beautiful!” she breathed. He said nothing, but she read the pleasure in his eyes. Once the ornament was safely nestled in its bed again, she gave him a sly glance. “So this was what you wanted to meet in secret for?”
Peter closed the box and took her hand. She noticed that his thumb brushed along her ring. The one he gave her when he proposed. “I might have given it to you this morning with everything else, but I wanted this to be special, just between us.”
She leaned back, nestled against the arm he had stretched behind her. “Another tradition?”
“I hope so. With all the preparations and courtly duties and gifts and feasts – and Edmund waking us all at an unearthly hour with that deuced bell of his –, I just wanted a quiet moment away from it all. Just you and me.”
His eyes were so serious, so clear, and so very blue, especially when he leaned toward her. It was all she could do to meet him halfway and whisper, “I’d like that.”
Ariel.of.Narnia: The end
Sir-Edward: *applause*
Ariel.of.Narnia: Hee, thanks.
Ariel.of.Narnia: Ed, do you happen to have anything else to share or shall we move on to something else?
Sir-Edward: Nope
Sir-Edward: Now what?
Ariel.of.Narnia: Haha, well, unless Tenny has any ideas, I've got a couple prompt sites pulled up.
Sir-Edward: Okay
Ariel.of.Narnia: *pokepokes Tenny*
Tenethia Brandybuck (Mod): o.o
Tenethia Brandybuck (Mod): Um...
Tenethia Brandybuck (Mod): Hiiiiiiiii
Tenethia Brandybuck (Mod): smiley-razz
Tenethia Brandybuck (Mod): If you'd email me that segment, family stuff happened -- I'll have to comment after a bit...
Tenethia Brandybuck (Mod): I should be here more now
Ariel.of.Narnia: Yeah, sure.
Tenethia Brandybuck (Mod): Sorry.
Ariel.of.Narnia: Nah, that's fine
Ariel.of.Narnia: Any ideas to spruce up this session of writers' or should we go with prompts?
Sir-Edward: Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuumm
Sir-Edward: Nope
Ariel.of.Narnia: Hopefully these sites will have a couple things to pique your interest, Ed.
Tenethia Brandybuck (Mod): Prompts!
Ariel.of.Narnia: Lol, okay
Sir-Edward: Shoot
Ariel.of.Narnia: *randomly picks a few*
Ariel.of.Narnia: Option 1: write a mini-story (100-250 words) beginning with "they had nothing to say to each other
option 2: Cook up your own "get-rich-quick scheme"
option 3: Write about the only time you hosted Thanksgiving. Start with the line, "For my first Thanksgiving as host, I bought the biggest turkey they had in the store," and end your story with "And that's why we all ate hamburgers."
option 4: You are renting a room in someone’s house as you transition to living in a new city. The owner tells you that basement is absolutely, 100% off limits. You don’t bat an eye at this request, until you start hearing noises from the basement at night. After several week of this, you sneak downstairs to see what’s going on. Finish the scene.
option 5: Write a story about letting go, using a factory worker and a locket as the key object
Tenethia Brandybuck (Mod): Ooh
Tenethia Brandybuck (Mod): Those are really good ones
Sir-Edward: Hmmmm...
Ariel.of.Narnia: Any of them interest you, Ed?
Sir-Edward: I like them but I can't think of a story to go with them.
elanorelle: *wanders in*
Sir-Edward: Hey!
Ariel.of.Narnia: Hi, Ela! We're just discussing possible prompts. Unless you've got something to share first?
Tenethia Brandybuck (Mod): Hey, Ela!
Tenethia Brandybuck (Mod): *is considering option 4*
elanorelle: Hello! I've got nothing to share this session.
Ariel.of.Narnia: Okay
Ariel.of.Narnia: @Ed: would it help to think of certain characters in these situations? Or perhaps a couple of these could work with the idea of the bit that you shared earlier?
Sir-Edward: Characters I can create easily, storyline is always the hard bit
Ariel.of.Narnia: Oh, haha!
Ariel.of.Narnia: Perhaps it'd help if you make titles for these options? You seem to do that pretty well too!
Sir-Edward: Okay, I'll have a go
Ariel.of.Narnia: Okay. We good to go for a 30-min time limit?
Sir-Edward: Only the cellar one really has a theme clear enough to give a name to
Tenethia Brandybuck (Mod): *will probably have to slip out and share next week* >.>
Ariel.of.Narnia: Aw, okay, Tenny. Looking forward to what you'll cook up!
Tenethia Brandybuck (Mod): *writes what she can anyway*
elanorelle: How long do you expect this to go? I've got to leave for a bit, hoping to get back.
Ariel.of.Narnia: *inserts playback on Will and Ed's teasings about how long I take*
Ariel.of.Narnia: I don't know, to be honest
Ariel.of.Narnia: @Ed: you good to start?
Sir-Edward: Maaaaybeee?
Ariel.of.Narnia: Okay. Well, I've set a timer for myself, so I'll start on my end.
Tenethia Brandybuck (Mod): smiley-lol
Tenethia Brandybuck (Mod): *hugs everyone and dashes out*
Ariel.of.Narnia: Okey-dokey!
Ariel.of.Narnia: Bye, Tenny!
Sir-Edward: *waves!*
elanorelle: See you!
Ariel.of.Narnia: Yikes, 25 minutes and I'm only winding up!
elanorelle: I've been stuck for 15 minutes now. I have the "required" word count, (I chose the 1st option), but I can't get past the last part.
Ariel.of.Narnia: Oh dear. What do you mean "can't get past the last part"?
Sir-Edward: I can't get past the first part
Sir-Edward: What comes after "once upon a time?"
Ariel.of.Narnia: And I can't seem to reach my ending.
Ariel.of.Narnia: Haha. Often "once upon a time", comes "there lived a girl named _____" or "there lived a king and queen" or "a single drop of sunlight fell to the ground".
elanorelle: Well, I can't think of anything that will have it at 250 and not over. Granted, I'm putting a story idea I've had to words, so that is one reason it will likely go over.
Ariel.of.Narnia: @Ela: max word limits are so hard!
elanorelle: *nods*
Ariel.of.Narnia: I'll forgive you going over the limit if that helps.
elanorelle: Good, 'cause I'm already over the limit.
Ariel.of.Narnia: Haha!
Ariel.of.Narnia: Aaaaaaand now that I've reached the ending, I don't know where to go with it
elanorelle: I think I'm done.
elanorelle: Might go back to check things.
Ariel.of.Narnia: Okay. Just shout when you're ready to share.
Ariel.of.Narnia: How are you coming along, Ed?
Sir-Edward shares ~
Sir-Edward: So far I got: There once was an author who ran out of ideas.
Sir-Edward: The End
Ariel.of.Narnia: Aww. I'll have to find more plot-centric prompts from here on.
Sir-Edward:'tis fine smiley-razz
elanorelle: I think I'm ready.
Ariel.of.Narnia: Share away!
elanorelle: Okay, here goes.
Elanorelle shares ~
elanorelle: They had nothing to say to each other, nothing that could make a difference or change the situation: every argument for and against had been gone over with raised voices and held-back tears. Now all that was heard around the table were the clinking of utensils against the dishes and an occasional sniffle coming from Mrs. Kirke.
Digory looked up to see his mother's face downcast and her hands below the table, grasping a handkerchief no doubt. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but the words he formed in his mind could not form on his lips. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “Can I not have one good word? That's all I ask. Just one good word.”
His voice cut through the room and she looked up, there were tears welling in her eyes again. “My dear boy, say you won't go. There are others out there more suited for this type of thing, you shouldn't have to go. You have your fellowship at the university - your pupils to tutor. If not me, think of them.”
“Mother, I gave you my reasons: the halls are empty. There is no one for me to teach. And, by now, it's too late.” He looked over to his father who had not uttered a word in either of their favour throughout the duration of the evening. “You would know better than either of us, please tell mother there's nothing I can do.”
His father brought his glass down from his lips and nodded. “The boy's right, Mable, my darling. At this stage, he's practically on the shores of France.” He took her hand in his own and stroked it with his thumb as he whispered, “Our boy, he's a second lieutenant. Is that not reason to be proud? Can you not be proud of him as you were of me those years ago?”
elanorelle: Annnd, that's all.
Sir-Edward: *Applause!*
Ariel.of.Narnia: Awwwww!
Ariel.of.Narnia: Not exactly of the cute variety, but awwwww just the same
Tenethia Brandybuck (Mod): *Rushes back in and applauds*
Sir-Edward: *waves!*
elanorelle: Thanks, guys.
elanorelle: Hey, Tenny. ^_^
Ariel.of.Narnia: I kinda felt this had something do with a war as soon as Diggs asked for a good word.
elanorelle: Yeah? I guess that's good.
Ariel.of.Narnia: Might just be because I know you like that sort of thing. But even with that, this is a good little moment between the Kirkes
Ariel.of.Narnia: I feel for both sides, honestly.
Ariel.of.Narnia: I'm with Mabel on the whole, "no, don't go!" thing. And I'm also with Diggs on the whole, "buuuut, I have to, don't you see?" bit
Ariel.of.Narnia: But then, I also have reader's knowledge that Diggs obviously makes it back out okay.
Tenethia Brandybuck (Mod): *writes as fast as she possibly can*
Ariel.of.Narnia: *does the same*
elanorelle: @Ariel: Very true. Well, I'm glad you think that. I've been wanting to write a story like this for a while. Never got around to it till now.
Ariel.of.Narnia: Glad to have given you that opportunity!
Ariel.of.Narnia: *write-write-writes*
Sir-Edward: I should probably get some sleep before it turns midnight.
Ariel.of.Narnia: Okay. Sorry I don't have anything for you before you go, Ed.
Ariel.of.Narnia: Good night and hopefully see you next week!
Sir-Edward: I'll be there!
Ariel.of.Narnia: (hopefully with more of that story you started? )
Sir-Edward: I hope!
Tenethia Brandybuck (Mod): *almost done!*
Tenethia Brandybuck (Mod): Night, Edward! Thanks for sharing!!
elanorelle: Night, Ed!
Ariel.of.Narnia: How you doing there, Tenny?
Tenethia Brandybuck (Mod): Allllmost done
Tenethia Brandybuck (Mod): Like two more sentences and a read-over
Ariel.of.Narnia: Okay
Tenethia Brandybuck (Mod): Ready!
Ariel.of.Narnia: Ready and go!
Tenethia Brandybuck (Mod): *took the first prompt, she thinks*
Tenethia Brandybuck (Mod) shares ~
Tenethia Brandybuck (Mod): She stood glaring at the boy in the mirror, one eyebrow raised imperiously. She held one hand to her hip and tapped her fingers impatiently against her side.
The boy behind her glared back, crossing his arms defiantly. It was her fault after all -- why need he apologize? /She asked what I thought. I told her. If she thinks I'm wrong -- well. That's her problem, then isn't it? Well... isn't it?/
/If he thinks he can just say that to me, he is wrong. Ugh! I've had enough of his foolery./ The girl tossed her black locks over her shoulder and huffed.
A moment of silence passed. The boy sighed, uncrossing his arms. He ducked his head a little, and reached up to rub the back of his neck.
The girl's face softened as well, and, brushing back a wayward curl, turned away from the mirror to face the boy.
He half-smiled at her, abashed. "Look, I'm sorry. That wasn't the kindest thing to say."
She shook her head. "I'm sorry I took that so personally. And what I said wasn't very kind either.
Forgive me, Cor?"
Relief crossed his face, and he smiled. "Of course. Forgive me, Aravis?"
Tenethia Brandybuck (Mod): The end.
Tenethia Brandybuck (Mod): smiley
Ariel.of.Narnia: I knew it was Cor and Aravis!
Tenethia Brandybuck (Mod): *hides behind her laptop self-consciously*
elanorelle: Hehee!
Tenethia Brandybuck (Mod): Did you?
Ariel.of.Narnia: You handled that very nicely. I haven't attempted a fight scene between them yet because I'm still trying to figure out how to fashion that all out.
Ariel.of.Narnia: Yeah. Who else could it be?
Tenethia Brandybuck (Mod): smiley-razz
Tenethia Brandybuck (Mod): It was harder than I anticipated.
Tenethia Brandybuck (Mod): I... don't even know what they were fighting over
Ariel.of.Narnia: *grins*
Ariel.of.Narnia: Personally, I don't care. Not at the moment anyway. Later tonight, I might want to know.
Tenethia Brandybuck (Mod): smiley-razz
Tenethia Brandybuck (Mod): What can I work on?
Ariel.of.Narnia: Well, I did really like the body language. Crossed arms, tapping fingers, neck-rubbing, moving hair
Ariel.of.Narnia: I wonder if you tried a bit more of that instead of giving us their thoughts?
Ariel.of.Narnia: Keep us observers in the room, like what Corin would pick up on if he was in there instead of us?
Tenethia Brandybuck (Mod): Oooh
Tenethia Brandybuck (Mod): *leans forward and thinks about this*
Ariel.of.Narnia: What do you think, Ela?
Tenethia Brandybuck (Mod): I'm not exactly sure /how/ to do that, but I think... if I think about it hard enough and try some stuff, I could get it
Ariel.of.Narnia: It's something to play around with, at any rate
Tenethia Brandybuck (Mod): *nodnodnods*
Tenethia Brandybuck (Mod): *looks at Ela*
elanorelle: Agreed with Ariel on what she mentioned. I might also add that you could use more descriptive nouns and verbs instead of adverbs.
Tenethia Brandybuck (Mod): *nods*
Tenethia Brandybuck (Mod): *glances over her piece and nods again* Yeah.
Tenethia Brandybuck (Mod): Cool ^.^ thanks, Ela, and Ariel
Ariel.of.Narnia: Welcome!
Tenethia Brandybuck (Mod): *glances over Ariel's shoulder at what she's writing*
Ariel.of.Narnia: I'm almost done. *is embarrassed both by the amount of time she took and of what junk she produced*
Tenethia Brandybuck (Mod): smiley-razz
Tenethia Brandybuck (Mod): *will be right back*
Ariel.of.Narnia: So... I've got something. It's super rough and might contradict itself and is absolute garbage…
Tenethia Brandybuck (Mod): Back
Tenethia Brandybuck (Mod): And it's absolutely not garbage
Ariel.of.Narnia: Iiiiiiiii beg to differ
Tenethia Brandybuck (Mod): smiley-razz
Tenethia Brandybuck (Mod): Well
Tenethia Brandybuck (Mod): Share with us!
Ariel.of.Narnia: Ela disappeared. *just noticed*
Ariel.of.Narnia shares ~
Ariel.of.Narnia: Okay. You asked for it. *sheepishly holds it out for inspection*
Ariel.of.Narnia: I knew there were all sorts of types in the big city. I just didn’t realize exactly how diverse it all could be until I rented a room in the house of a little old lady. It wasn’t the ideal living situation, but as someone struggling to get even student loans coming my way, it was the best I could do. Not that it was bad. The room was of comfortable size and, oh my, did Mrs G----- know how to select a good mattress! And a definite bonus was that if I paid a little extra to help with groceries, she’d turn anything into a masterpiece for the palette.
Of the many types in the big city, Mrs G----- was of the average, normal sort. She had curly, silver-white hair and watery blue-grey eyes. Her face was an absolute labyrinth of wrinkles when she smiled and, my, was she ever cordial! The only thing unusual about her was that she was awfully spry for a lady of her age. Even her house had that smell – you know the one I’m talking about – and decorated very neatly with soft colours and elegant trimmings and mementos of the past.
All that to say, that with all that going for her, I’d was ready for a pleasant stay while I pursued my schooling.
That was a few weeks ago. Now, I’m lucky to get my full eight hours’ sleep in a night, and by no fault of my schooling or my discipline. Almost every night, and at no consistent time, I awaken to sounds coming from downstairs. I can’t describe them, for while I hear something, the house’s insulation is good enough to greatly muffle the noise. And before you ask, it isn’t the furnace, for that I can hear through the vents; nor is it the sound of water, for that always comes from the only bathroom in this house, on the other side of the wall that my bed faces. No, it’s definitely from the basement.
I’ve tried to surprise an answer out of Mrs G-----, but to no avail. You see, before I officially moved in, she had expressly told me that I had the run of the house except for the basement. I’d been fine with that – I’m the one renting from her after all – but she never gave me a straight answer about the noises I heard. I’ve even tried to catch her on contradictory answers, but even that doesn’t work. The only thing I haven’t done is threaten to find other housing or go down and find out for myself.
Well, it’s 4 am now and that noise – whatever it is – has been going on almost constantly since about 8. Mrs G----- may have denied it when I muted the news earlier, just after supper, but I know that’s when I heard it. All through my homework session – comprised of working to the bone to prep a demonstration for Mr K----‘s class, of all things! – the noises went on and on. Between that difficult assignment, that infernal, muted racket downstairs, and my utter inability to fall asleep, I’ve contracted a pounding headache to rival a techno beat.
Finally – at 4:13, so my phone says – I whip off my covers and throw my leather jacket over my pajamas. Quietly, so as not to wake Mrs G---- in her room across the hall, I slip out of my room and ghost down the hall the way I’ve done since childhood until I reach the forbidden door to the basement. The sounds seem a little less prevalent here, but I know better than to be deceived by that, for all that means is that the source of my discomfort is directly under my room, not by the stairs. I open the door carefully and suddenly wonder why it is not locked if it’s off-limits. But no matter, I must press on.
Now I know that the sounds were not undecipherable only because they were muffled, but because they are strange. I’ve never heard anything like it and I’m not sure I can just say that it’s part of the whole diversity-in-the-big-city thing. And, whoa, what a smell! How the upstairs is unaffected is completely beyond me. There is literally no explanation for this contrast. The scent isn’t entirely – or perhaps even necessarily – bad. Just weird.
But it isn’t until I reach the basement floor and open that door – again, unlocked despite being off-limits – that I realize that the sounds and smells were only the beginning. The basement is completely unassuming but for what looks like a gaping hole in one wall and unusual, strobing lights of unknown origin. A woman dressed in light armour over some outlandish garb let out a wild cry and beat down against her opponent with a massive and totally impractical jewelled sword that gleamed white. Her opponent, meanwhile, was some sort of bipedal monster that barely fit between the floor and ceiling, armed with… well, goodness knew what that thing was. Somewhere between a crossbow and a two-headed axe and a spiked bludgeon of some sort.
I stare, transfixed, until the creature suddenly counter-attacks the woman with a savage blow and a bellow. She cries out as she falls, her sword flying from her grasp and landing with a clang just two feet from me, then its light dies. The woman presses a hand to her wound and tries to crawl away from the monster as it approaches her.
I’m trembling and my knees are ready to give out at any moment, but I can’t just stay here, I know that. So I force my legs to move, then my arms, then my fingers. The woman’s white sword is surprisingly light considering its size and general bulkiness. I creep along the wall until I’m roughly behind the monster. The woman has finally backed herself against the wall and the shadows are shifting. I swallow a rush of panic and run at the creature. I realize at the last second that I have no idea what I’m doing, but I take a leap and drive the blindingly-white sword between its shoulder blades – so I hope, at any rate. At the moment of contact, I’m assailed by an even brighter flash of white and a sweet smell, followed immediately after by a pungent odour and a frightful clatter of the monster’s weapon upon the concrete. The monster reels and knocks me into the ceiling. I drop to the floor and very much in the wrong way. I try to scramble away from the massive feet about to crush me, but the creature trips over me, topples, thrashes and bellows a little, and then lies still, the sword’s white point gleaming pure as a diamond in its chest.
I’m about ready to let my limbs liquefy in relief, but I pull myself to the wounded woman. Her face, which I was sure was quite different just a few seconds ago, crinkled with the creases I’d come to know so well, even through her pain. I take a quick look at the ugly gash in her side and know there’s nothing I can do. “Mrs G-----,” I rasp out.
Her smile grows a little more and she grips my hand, not with the frailty of age that I see before me, but with the strength of the warrior into whose battle I’d walked into. “Take the sword,” she gasps out, “and tell Mr K----- that I’ve chosen my successor.”
Ariel.of.Narnia: And that's that. *buries the second half of this story six feet under*
Tenethia Brandybuck (Mod): o.O O.O
Tenethia Brandybuck (Mod): Uh uh
Tenethia Brandybuck (Mod): Nope
Tenethia Brandybuck (Mod): *jumps on top of you to get the second half*
Tenethia Brandybuck (Mod): You can email it to me if you want
Tenethia Brandybuck (Mod): And I won't share it with anyone
Tenethia Brandybuck (Mod): But I /have/ to read it
Ariel.of.Narnia: *dangles story out of your reach* o.o
Ariel.of.Narnia: Wait, but why?
elanorelle: Not what I expected. At all.
Ariel.of.Narnia: @Ela: how do you think I feel?!
elanorelle: It must be a rather large basement...
Ariel.of.Narnia: I... guess so?
Ariel.of.Narnia: I dunno.
Ariel.of.Narnia: so, Tenny, you didn't answer my question
Tenethia Brandybuck (Mod): Why?
Tenethia Brandybuck (Mod): Because I kinda really was interested in what was going on!
Ariel.of.Narnia: But... it's icky! it's like she walked into a fantasy MMORPG!
Tenethia Brandybuck (Mod): smiley-razz
Tenethia Brandybuck (Mod): Maybe
Tenethia Brandybuck (Mod): But it was still interesting
Ariel.of.Narnia: Anyway. Suggestions?
Ariel.of.Narnia: I will say that I like the first half. Just not the second.
Tenethia Brandybuck (Mod): *considers*
Tenethia Brandybuck (Mod): I LOVED your main character
Tenethia Brandybuck (Mod): Reminded me of me.
Tenethia Brandybuck (Mod): Made me happy.
Tenethia Brandybuck (Mod): The action was great in the second half of the first half
Tenethia Brandybuck (Mod): But I was definitely entertained.
Ariel.of.Narnia: Hee, really?
Tenethia Brandybuck (Mod): *nodsnods*
Ariel.of.Narnia: Well, if that's it, then we'll call it a night
Elanorelle: ‘kay. Nice reading all your writing.
Ariel.of.Narnia: Thanks, both of ya, for coming. And, of course, you're welcome to play with the other prompts during the week if you so choose. I might if I have time (and hopefully would come up with something better...). Anyway. Writers' dismissed!
Writer's Group dismissed ~
