The exercise:
Write about: the chasm.
Now that Max has nearly outgrown his 12 month old sleepers we had to order the next size up, which is 18 months. I picked them up from across the border (since the company we ordered from doesn't deliver to Canada) this afternoon and... well, he'll grow into them eventually.
Tomorrow is market harvest day. Not that there's much left in the garden to pick - carrots, beets, potatoes, leeks, and celeriac will be the only additions to what we've already collected.
Looking forward to the second last market of the year this Saturday, though I'm not totally sure where the rest of this week went in such a hurry.
Mine:
"It's one of a kind, surely! Don't you think so, Francis?"
That's great. Such splendid news. Exactly what I wanted to hear.
"I've never seen anything like it Timothy... and trust me, I have seen a lot of chasms in my time."
Fantastic. I am just so pleased for you. Let's get a plaque made up, shall we?
"And it's so deep! I can't even see the bottom from here."
Well, jump in then!
"Simply marvelous, truly. Perhaps we should send the new kid down to have a look about?"
I have a better idea: why don't you all go down there together. I'll stay up here and start shoveling dirt in after you.
"What do you think, good sir? It is exceptional, don't you agree?"
Me? I don't care about any of this nonsense... I just wish it hadn't opened up in the middle of my bedroom.
4 comments:
What a place for a chasm to open up as well! This made me laugh as I was reading it, I completely enjoyed it :) Thank-you!
Heh, I'm pretty certain Max will grow into (and out of) them faster than you'd like!
The chasm
He stormed out, slamming the door. The rain was pouring down, heavy enough that there was a small river in the middle of the road, and she'd heard the guttering creaking as it tried to cope with the water. But the rain was nothing compared with her tears, with the chasm that opened in her heart.
Door slam. Was he back? Hope fluttered, a soft-winged moth trying to fly out of the chasm, find the light. A touch, a connection, anything for a moment to unsay what had been said.
The rattle of umbrellas in the stand, and then the slam of the door again. The chasm yawned wider, and she was almost grateful to fall into it.
The world was divided. It broke into two – when I came here and you stayed there. I’m not worth the distance, you thought aloud. And there, on the Mason Dixon line, a chasm was born. You can’t go over it. You can’t go under it. You can’t go around it. Yet here I am going through it.
Marc, I'm going to be starting NaNoWriMo next month and plan to use your prompt "Invisible" for my novel. Now if I can use your prompts to set up some of the scenes, I may actually finish my second one.
The Chasm
Clyde pulled his hat low over his eyes to shield them from the sinking sun. He’d been crouching on this ledge for hours watching the chasm below for any indication of the intruders. Fighting Indians had never been this tiresome or difficult - at least you could see them when they were coming.
He bit into a pine nut and savored the sharp tang of the cracking shell followed by the sweetness of the meat. Suddenly he tensed as a puff of dust swirled near the entrance of the narrow canyon. The leaves on nearby trees didn’t seem to be disturbed by any breezes, so this might be the first hint of an attack. He looked across at Jed who was poised to trigger an avalanche at his signal. It seemed barbaric, but this was the only effective weapon that they’d found yet.
As he focussed every sense on the unseen enemy below, he began to raise his hand, then heard the quiet movement beside him.
Salifrans lowered his club and considered the broken body of the man lying next to him. After sitting next to him all day, he almost felt sorry his enemy. Almost.
Greg - glad to hear that :)
Fantastic imagery in yours. Gut wrenching in its details as well.
Mo - 'not worth the distance' is such a harsh, cruel thing to say about someone. Even if it happens to be true, that's just something that doesn't need to be said.
Aholiab - that's awesome! Best of luck to you, and I look forward to getting a few glimpses of your novel in progress :)
Ooh, that's wonderfully creepy. Excellent scene setting... and now I definitely want to read more from this world!
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