Sunday March 25th, 2018

The exercise:

Write about: the calm.

3 comments:

morganna said...

I did it, I called
For help. Nothing to do now
Except wait calmly.


===========
Yes, this is part of the ongoing escape story, and so was the garden shop prompt.

Greg said...

@Morganna: I'm really enjoying this ongoing tale; I think it gains power from the brevity of each entry and the careful word choice you make. It's excellent stuff!

@Marc: I'm going to be struggling to keep up again this week, at least until Friday when it's a holiday over here. Sometimes I think I attract work....

The calm
A second exam paper appeared on another desk in the circle of light. The child, who was still staring at the questions on the paper and hadn't written anything yet, looked up and frowned. They started to rise to their feet, then stopped and sat back down again. A heavy-set man in a suit, shoulders like those of a cart-horse, limped into the circle and looked around. His gaze was vacant, and there was the distinctive lines of a boot-print stamped in black across his face. His nose looked broken, and there was reddish bruising running down his neck. He didn't seem to see the child, but he saw the desk and the paper, and he looked at them. Then he took his suit jacket off, revealing only a sleeveless undershirt, and sat down. He turned the paper over, and read the questions. He picked up the pencil and wrote briefly. He set it down again with a click.

Verbloek started the engine of the car but let it idle, waiting while Janvar and Martz checked out the inside of the car and then ran back to their own.
"You'll be in the dormitory tonight," said Verbloek. "After that your old suite will be available to you." He nudged the car forwards, following his men slowly.
"Who are they kicking out for that to happen?"
"No-one. It was closed up when you... left. It's just being aired out."
"Is Margrave Aloysius still Warden of Block B?"
Verbloek sighed, his fingers drumming lightly on the steering wheel. Ahead of them Janvar pulled the other car round and led the way. They accelerated smoothly.
"I." He sighed again, a terse, annoyed exhale of breath. "No. He ordered your rooms locked up and refused to let anyone in. Three weeks later orders came through transferring him to Ringsheim. A week after that we learned that he'd taken the keys to your rooms with him. There was a lot of fuss–" Verbloek looked sidelong at Slakoiné, who stared obdurately out of the windscreen, "–and not enough explanation for anyone's liking."
"I see."
"I don't. Everyone knows you two didn't get along, and we got plenty of stories back from Ringsheim about what he said about you when he thought he was among friends. So fine, we're not airing your rooms, we're having to get a locksmith in to change the bloody locks. Can you tell me what all this is about?" The car jerked forward as though the accelerator had been accidentally depressed in anger.
"No," said Slakoiné. "When I said 'I see' I was just being polite."
"And when I'm not stopping the car, dragging you out, and punching you in the face, so am I."

Marc said...

Morganna - what Greg said. All that. So good.

Greg - I am quite convinced that you are a work magnet. You need to... reverse polarities? Is that... eh, I could Google it but I'm not going to.

And yes, it's Easter weekend coming up for us here as well. I hope you're able to escape work for a few days at least.

Ah man, this is also so good. I'm really enjoying see everyone flesh out a bit as the tale moves onward. And I am so terribly anxious to see where it's going...