The exercise:
Let's see what happens with: the exit.
Bit of a cloudy, dreary day. I did manage to get some good resting done though. The first set of deck stairs were begun, hopefully to be completed tomorrow night.
Weather permitting, all of a sudden. I'd like my sunshine back now, please and thank you.
Weather permitting, all of a sudden. I'd like my sunshine back now, please and thank you.
Mine:
Although it obviously had not been thought all the way through, at least its location had been clearly marked. Large red letters, four signs pointing in its direction - including one on the ceiling - and black bootprints on the floorboards leading to it.
You could hardly miss the damned thing.
The problem was that it opened out directly into the dispensing area of a gas station. One that, it was loudly whispered, was always on the verge of being shuttered by the city for a laundry list of safety violations.
Well, I think you should ask Kat about the trampoline and let us know what she says :-P Good luck with getting the sunshine back; it's disappeared here in the UK as well, though I'm slightly happier about that.
ReplyDeleteHeh, I was reading your story thinking that I couldn't see why the bootprints were there, or what the problem was right up until the last line when it all made sudden, hilarious sense! Nicely set up!
The exit
Egg frowned. The door had closed behind her as she entered, and she'd heard the little snick as the lock engaged, but she'd not been worried. Not only did she have a large bunch of keys, taken from a guard who'd not been doing her job at all well, but she had her athletic prowess, her steely intellect, and her Chronojanissary training. Why should a lock inconvenience her?
And yet. The keys were somehow all the wrong key, and the exit from the room... was located in the middle of the ceiling. There it was, a simple square hole, smack in the middle of the ceiling, where if she was only twelve feet tall she could simply stretch up and pull herself through. What kind of people built rooms with one-way doors and exits in the ceiling?
Someone knocked on the door.
"We know you're in there!" yelled a voice, a little muffled by the door in the way. They were speaking mid-27th century Asianic, from probably shortly after the planet renamed itself 'China'. "We've gone to find the key, so we'll be in there with you soon!"
Well wasn't that nice, thought Egg. They don't know what bloody key works with this door, either.
She stared at the exit again, and hoped for inspiration before the door unlocked.
exit
ReplyDeletethe circle turns -
as I exercise patience
o'er the rate things are going;
I don't like the customs here
so it's time to crossover;
it hasn't been a waste,
I have come full circle
- home again, as I exit outta here
( - no, i'm not leaving dwp :)
I have been busy and my internet has been down, i caught up with the prompts)
It seems writing on the weekend is no longer in my stars. Especially not this past weekend. Not only was my mother in town, but both my daughter and I were in a dance recital. I think she knew what she was doing better than me. Still I managed to sneak out with the hubby to catch a late night showing of The Avengers.
ReplyDeleteOh yes. We’ve adopted a puppy and I’ve been reminded why I’m glad we stopped at 2 kids.
Exit
It never bothered her, not knowing right from left, but now, she was utterly confused. Exit stage right was to the left and stage left was to the right... unless you were facing away from the audience?
By the time the rehearsal was over, she noticed the director had taken to pointing. It was definitely more effective, given she wasn’t the foot confused theater novice about.
Yogi bear, Boo Boo and Snagglepuss were emptying the contents of the ranger’s larder when they heard the screen door creak open.
ReplyDelete“Heaven’s to Murgatroyd!” Snagglepuss exclaimed.
Boo Boo’s eyes grew wide “Uh Oh Yogi!”
“It’s the ranger!” Yogi said as he gobbled up the last of the blueberry pie.
“Exit stage left.” Snagglepuss announced as he dashed out the back door with Yogi and Boo Boo hot on his heels.
Have been reading this blog by means of rss for fairly sometime now, i wanted to finally make a comment and say hello. I really should put in some effort because you definitly do.
ReplyDeleteKiera walked across the grassy slope slowly while juggling two hot coffees and a bag holding two doughnuts. Albert lay on the ground arms behind his head and knees swaying back and forth to the music he was listening to through his ear buds. “Hey Al,” Kiera called out.
ReplyDeleteAlbert jumped as his eyes flew open. “Gees, you scared the shit out of me. And don’t call me Al, my name is Albert,” he reached up and took one of the hot cups from her. “Thanks.”
Kiera lowered herself to the ground holding the cup out in front of her. “So Bert, anything happen while I was gone?”
“No. And don’t call me Bert, or Bertie, or anything else either. My name is Albert.”
“Sorry but that’s lame dude,” Kiera said. “It’s like old and stuff. Like my grandpa could be named Albert.”
Albert looked at her and raised one eyebrow. “Shut up and drink your coffee,” he said.
“So have you figured it out yet?” Kiera said after a couple of minutes of silence. “Do you know why that guy is paying the two of us to sit here and watch the exit?”
Albert shook his head took a bite of the honey crueller, and a sip of the bitter coffee. “Nope. What about you?”
“Beats the hell out of me,” Kiera said. Five days ago she had gone into the temp agency looking for a summer job and had ended up sitting on this grassy slope watching traffic coming off the I90 on exit fourteen and being paid twenty dollars an hour. All the guy said was that her and Albert were to sit here for as long as they wanted to each day and see if anything strange happened. He hadn’t wanted them to write anything down, he didn’t tell them to watch the traffic, or the hill, or the road, or the sky. He just said to call him if anything strange happened. So far nothing had happened, and he had paid both of them cash every day without raising an eyebrow when they had told him how long they had been at their posts. They had called the second day about the car accident they witnessed but he hadn’t been very interested.
“Well I’m not going to complain,” Albert said. “Twenty bucks an hour to do fuck all is okay with me.” He lay back down on the grass and closed his eyes.
Kiera sighed, she was loving the money but somehow felt that having a job should bring a little more job satisfaction then this. Eventually she pulled out her book and started to read. Two hours went by before they decided to pull out a pack of cards and play Crib. At one point they both turned to watch an old man peddle by on his bike looking for beer cans on the side of the road. Another hour went by and Kiera’s phone rang, it was their employer.
“Hey,” she said. “Nothing interesting, just a bum picking up beer cans.” The line went dead quiet on the other end. “Hello? Are you still there?”
Finally his voice, strained and wheezy, asked. “What did he look like?”
“Just a bum. He was riding a red bike, he had dirty coveralls and a matted grey beard. No too interesting.”
“Oh my god.” Kiera could hear him breathing hard on the other end. “If you value your lives whatever you do, do not move. I will be there in five minutes.”
Greg - thanks! I was tempted to call them scorched bootprints but I didn't want to give anything away too soon.
ReplyDeleteIs this our first introduction to Egg? I am definitely intrigued by her and the setting.
Writebite - that's an efficient, fun way to make up for lost days :)
Cathryn - hah, I think I'd need the director to point as well :)
Morrigan - ah, Snagglepuss. Always one of my favs :D
Anon - hello, and thanks for letting us know you're out there reading! I hope you share some of your writing with us at some point :)
Iron Bess - fascinating setup. I'd love to know what's going on, and what happens next!