The exercise:
Time to do some more continuations.
Carry on the story from where the last person left it, and then try to leave it in a reasonably interesting spot for the next person to deal with. Click the label at the bottom of this post to see how previous attempts turned out, if you're new to this or just wish to reminisce.
We had a quiet one here today, enjoying another warm September afternoon by spending it at the beach. Back to the local harvest tomorrow.
Mine:
On a crisp fall evening many years ago, two men sat in silence outside a mutual friend's home, awaiting his return. The building was a simple, one storey affair located in a large clearing hewn out of the surrounding woods. The porch attached to its front was adorned with naught but two rocking chairs, which the two men occupied.
Their silence was not one which I would describe as comfortable. Disgruntled, perhaps. A necessity, if arguments were to be avoided.
Each accepted the other's presence as a requirement for their purpose there. Their shared goal could not be accomplished by a single man, and awareness of that fact sabotaged any potential friendship between them.
They believed that they knew where their friend was and when he would return.
As it turned out, they were mistaken on both accounts.
Sounds like a very nice way to finish the weekend to me! It was raining here... all day :) Oh, and the stir-fry you did yesterday sounds delicious, especially the broccoli!
ReplyDeleteHmm, interesting scene you've set, and now we have two men waiting on a third... let's see where that takes us!
Continued...
There was a cracking sound, which they, and I from my vantage point hidden in the shadows of the chimney on the roof of the dwelling, assumed came from the woods and was their mutual friend returning home. We all looked up, scanning the trees for signs of the wandered, but everything was still. Whatever it was cracked again.
Then, with a creak like the earth groaning in pain and then a crash like the drums that herald the apocalypse, the entire house, porch, chairs, chimney, and all of us descended into the earth, walls of earth seemingly rising up around us. It was slow enough at first that if any of us had thought to react we could have jumped out and remained on the surface, but as the ground vanished a pit was revealed, and we fell fast enough to take my breath away.
The crash when we landed seemed louder than the one that plunged us into the chthonic depths, and rattled the teeth in my jaw. As I peered out from the now askew chimney I could see the two men who were waiting for their mutual friend stirring themselves from the wreckage of their chairs and starting to blame each other.
Nothing inspiring me to continue this, sad to say, but I did do a four liner for yesterday instead... Still I"m commenting so I can (hopefully) watch this grow. :}
ReplyDeleteGreg - I left it open to the narrator actually being there and I'm glad you decided to go with it!
ReplyDeleteFascinating development, I'm quite sad that nobody came along to continue it!
Cathryn - no worries! Perhaps someone will still come along to tell us what comes next :)