Moose was... unexpected. But you were right, I did end up using it as a nickname; the question is, is why would Ben and Red be expecting to see Moose down in New Mexico? And is Moose, in fact, there? ;-)
Talk of the town Two of the burros were grey, and one was a patchy grey-brown. That turned out to be Jimmy's, so Ben and I perched ourselves on our steeds and let them plod steadily across the scrub landscape. The rocks of the foothill gradually sank away into the soil which started off sandy and abrasive and gradually darkened and thickened as we got closer to the town and the waterway it was built along of. Jimmy pointed north, where we could see the water glittering again. "That's Hollenback creek," he said. "Elizabethtown itself sits along Pine creek. The two are probably connected somehow, but I've not figured it out yet. Obviously it's underground-" "Obviously," said Ben. He looked relaxed, which is impressive for a man his height on a burro that short. "You brought us all the way out here for a lesson in rock-ology?" "Geology," said Jimmy, who'd clearly forgotten the lesson that it doesn't do to correct Ben and try and sound smarter than him. "No, what I--" "So this Gee-whizz-ology of yours," said Ben, his voice effortlessly drowning Jimmy's out, "what does it tell you about the metals in the dirt then? 'Cos I can see as how we're riding out from the mine and all, and when you think about water... I mean, when you learned folks do your wet-stuff-ology, what does that tell you. All ology-ogical like?" Jimmy looked at Ben, his face twisting up, and then looked at me, his eyes pleading with me. I shrugged. "You started it," I said. "You can make amends." "Sorry Ben," said Jimmy. "I didn't mean--"
"Ah, an apology-ology," said Ben sagely. He gazed off into the distance, and I could his fingers twitch just a little as he thought about getting a cigar out. I was also pretty sure he'd smoked most of them though, so he was probably making himself save them. "How nice. Those are some right pretty manners you have there, Jimmy-ology. Thank-you rightly." Jimmy's lips pressed tightly together and he swiveled in the saddle on his burro and stared off in the direction of Elizabethtown. I let the silence linger for a couple of minutes, listening to the softening pad of the burros hooves as the ground slowly got more fertile, and then I looked over at Ben. "What did you mean, exactly, about the water?" I said. Jimmy's shoulders stiffened, but he didn't turn round. "Well," said Ben. "Not that I've got any ology-ogics to back me up," "Stop it," I said, completely unable to keep the grin off my face. Ben can be a bastard when he feels like it, but usually someone's done something to deserve it. "Yeah, right. Well, that's a mine and mines use water," he said. "But I didn't see no lakes around about, which means that either the mine water goes into the Hollenback, and heads out towards the town, or it goes underground somewhere." "And probably ends up back at the town," I said. "Since it's downstream and downhill of the mine." "Doesn't sound healthy," said Ben. "But I'm not a rockologist, or waterologist, or whatever you call those people with the bits of paper that say they don't need experience or nothing to do their jobs." Jimmy's shoulder shook, but I couldn't see if he was laughing or just still furious. "So... how stupid are the townsfolk, Jimmy?" I asked. "They’re all the talk of the town, Red," he said, and I was just a little relieved to hear amusement in his voice. "As in, all they ever talk about is each other. And thank-you Ben, for a timely reminder. I shall work on my manners until they're the prettiest you've ever seen." "Now there's an offer a man can't refuse," said Ben. He sounded a little contemplative, and I wondered which of his many encounters he was remembering this time. "But you were telling us why you brought us out here, when you got all confuse-ologied." "Gold, Ben." said Jimmy. "I think I know where there's a city of gold."
3 comments:
Moose was... unexpected. But you were right, I did end up using it as a nickname; the question is, is why would Ben and Red be expecting to see Moose down in New Mexico? And is Moose, in fact, there? ;-)
Talk of the town
Two of the burros were grey, and one was a patchy grey-brown. That turned out to be Jimmy's, so Ben and I perched ourselves on our steeds and let them plod steadily across the scrub landscape. The rocks of the foothill gradually sank away into the soil which started off sandy and abrasive and gradually darkened and thickened as we got closer to the town and the waterway it was built along of.
Jimmy pointed north, where we could see the water glittering again. "That's Hollenback creek," he said. "Elizabethtown itself sits along Pine creek. The two are probably connected somehow, but I've not figured it out yet. Obviously it's underground-"
"Obviously," said Ben. He looked relaxed, which is impressive for a man his height on a burro that short. "You brought us all the way out here for a lesson in rock-ology?"
"Geology," said Jimmy, who'd clearly forgotten the lesson that it doesn't do to correct Ben and try and sound smarter than him. "No, what I--"
"So this Gee-whizz-ology of yours," said Ben, his voice effortlessly drowning Jimmy's out, "what does it tell you about the metals in the dirt then? 'Cos I can see as how we're riding out from the mine and all, and when you think about water... I mean, when you learned folks do your wet-stuff-ology, what does that tell you. All ology-ogical like?"
Jimmy looked at Ben, his face twisting up, and then looked at me, his eyes pleading with me. I shrugged.
"You started it," I said. "You can make amends."
"Sorry Ben," said Jimmy. "I didn't mean--"
"Ah, an apology-ology," said Ben sagely. He gazed off into the distance, and I could his fingers twitch just a little as he thought about getting a cigar out. I was also pretty sure he'd smoked most of them though, so he was probably making himself save them. "How nice. Those are some right pretty manners you have there, Jimmy-ology. Thank-you rightly."
Jimmy's lips pressed tightly together and he swiveled in the saddle on his burro and stared off in the direction of Elizabethtown. I let the silence linger for a couple of minutes, listening to the softening pad of the burros hooves as the ground slowly got more fertile, and then I looked over at Ben.
"What did you mean, exactly, about the water?" I said. Jimmy's shoulders stiffened, but he didn't turn round.
"Well," said Ben. "Not that I've got any ology-ogics to back me up,"
"Stop it," I said, completely unable to keep the grin off my face. Ben can be a bastard when he feels like it, but usually someone's done something to deserve it.
"Yeah, right. Well, that's a mine and mines use water," he said. "But I didn't see no lakes around about, which means that either the mine water goes into the Hollenback, and heads out towards the town, or it goes underground somewhere."
"And probably ends up back at the town," I said. "Since it's downstream and downhill of the mine."
"Doesn't sound healthy," said Ben. "But I'm not a rockologist, or waterologist, or whatever you call those people with the bits of paper that say they don't need experience or nothing to do their jobs."
Jimmy's shoulder shook, but I couldn't see if he was laughing or just still furious.
"So... how stupid are the townsfolk, Jimmy?" I asked.
"They’re all the talk of the town, Red," he said, and I was just a little relieved to hear amusement in his voice. "As in, all they ever talk about is each other. And thank-you Ben, for a timely reminder. I shall work on my manners until they're the prettiest you've ever seen."
"Now there's an offer a man can't refuse," said Ben. He sounded a little contemplative, and I wondered which of his many encounters he was remembering this time. "But you were telling us why you brought us out here, when you got all confuse-ologied."
"Gold, Ben." said Jimmy. "I think I know where there's a city of gold."
Greg - ah, Ben. At his finest here. Or worst, depending on one's point of view.
And a city of gold? Well, that makes Sunday's prompt an easy one!
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