Wednesday July 23rd, 2014

The exercise:

Having reached the second to last day of Baseball Theme Week, our writing today shall involve: angels.

I feel like I've left myself a lot of territory to cover in tomorrow's post, so there's a good chance it will be a long one for me. My story has not gone along with the plan I'd originally hatched while picking the baseball team names I'd use this week, which I think has made the whole thing more interesting for me.

Also: I think by this point it should be abundantly clear which team name we'll be finishing on tomorrow, so I hope that helps you plan your final two days of writing.

Had a mostly sunny morning here, which allowed for a good amount of weeding to get done. The thunder and lightning storms arrived this afternoon though, so Becky and I stuck close to the house after dinner while we cleaned garlic.

Might be more of that tomorrow morning, if the forecast is accurate.

Mine:

In a room deep below the royal city three figures waited with growing impatience. Illuminated by a soft white light with no apparent source, the crowded space was filled with wooden crates stacked three or four tall, dust covered furniture, and a single stone pedestal which bore some resemblance to a bird bath.

Gathered around this last item, the three stood with their eyes locked on the still, silvery liquid contained in its bowl. Two females and a male, they wore tattered white robes that ended just below their knees in ragged, singed lines. Black smoke curled around their legs and arms but did not dissipate.

This was not the agreement. The words were more breathed than spoken by the male.

The two females nodded in solemn unison. Somewhere far above a door groaned open before slamming closed again with enough force to knock dirt off the walls.

There will be consequences.

Silence returned as they continued their study of the liquid. Another hour passed before one of the females raised her gaze to the wooden door at the far end of the room.

He comes at last.

The others could hear faint footsteps not long afterward and soon the door swung inward, allowing a heavyset man in coarse brown robes to enter.

Padre Diego, a voice sighed. We have much to discuss.

2 comments:

Greg said...

I love thunder and lightning! I hope it's not too disruptive for you though :)
I also have no idea what teams are left to choose what might be tomorrow's theme, but I'm going with Dodgers as it's one of the few that I know. That, and Padre Diego seems likely to have to start dodging things himself now that your angels have entered the scene.
I like the setting and the time it takes for things to happen down there, which seems suitably inhuman, and I'm intrigued that the good Padre doesn't seem at all bothered about keeping the angels waiting or breaking agreements with them. That bespeaks a definite boldness! I am having a little trouble keeping all the different elements in my head now, so I'm hoping that tomorrow ties everything together with the niceties I've come to expect from you! :)

Angels
As soon as the coins struck the water they fizzed and the water around them began to bubble and swell as though it were boiling. A jet of bright water shot skywards, then another and another. From both sides of the ship the water jetted up and arced over, forming something that might be ribs of a gigantic, near-invisible beast. As the sun shone down rainbows exploded from the jets of water creating dozens of achingly beautiful arcs that intersected each other and the watery ribs, shimmering as the crew watched. Behind him, Heinrich heard von Trabihand swore, and sympathised. He'd only seen a summoning of sea angels twice before, and it sent cold shivers up and down his spine as well to see it again.
The water crashed down on the deck as two figures manifested in the midst of it, and everyone watching was abruptly soaked in cold, salty water. The chef swore again and stomped off to the galley, presumably to watch through the portholes. Heinrich considered following him, but decided in the end that it was better to know what his class was up to rather than hiding away. He studied the sea-angels that had arrived.
They were tall and bony, angular rather than rounded, and had pieces of chitin attached to their skin at strategic points. They looked like 6-foot lobsters that someone had crudely attached human faces too, and they smelled like they'd been dead and under the waves for at least six weeks. Their wings were made of tattered seaweed, and each carried a three-tined spear that was tinted green and made of some metal that looked glassy in the sunlight. Their eyes were jet black from edge to edge and seemed to bulge slightly from their heads as though usually held in check by the pressures deep beneath the ocean.
"You summoned us," said one of them, his voice a toadlike croak, and Heinrich shivered before he could stop himself.

Marc said...

Greg - ah yes, dodgers could have worked next as well, couldn't it?

Fantastic descriptions in yours. I especially liked the details of the summoning and how you presented your angels. Very nice work here!