Heh, either you're reading before you post the next prompt, or you're a mind-reader. I'm not sure which I'd prefer....
Such great heights When I hauled myself over the top of the steps, my arms burning and my chest heaving, and my legs feeling leaden and wobbly, it was a relief to lean against a convenient wall and just catch my breath. Obviously I looked around, pretending as though that was the real reason for stopping, and I saw that Ben was casually leaning against another wall with one arm, with fatigue written on his face, and that Jimmy was sat down on the floor, white and sweating. The steps cut into the rock were probably better than squeezing through passages and under overhangs, but only slightly. We were in a dry, spacious cave with natural light coming from a hole a little way up in the wall on the opposite side. The air was fresh and cool and welcome after the climb. There were piles of bones on the floor, seemingly randomly arranged, and some longer bones were scattered around as though something -- or someone -- had walked through them carelessly. "Well," I said, keeping my words short to hide that I was out of breath. Who'd have thought climbing could be so hard? "They didn't bring all that stuff down there through here then." Ben shook his head, and after a moment said, "Must have brought it by boat." I thought about this for a minute and was slightly amused by the silence; something so unusual with us that it was glaringly obvious. As my heart rate dropped and my breathing got easier I walked across to the other wall, avoiding the bones on the floor, and realised that it was an easy climb to the hole: grab here, pull here, and I was up. Peering out I could see Elizabethtown across the gulch. "Elizabethtown's out there," I said. "We're still somewhere up the mountain, we've just gone round in a half-circle I'd say." Ben grunted. "I reckon the river probably flows away from it." I thought about that for a minute too. "That makes sense," I said. "If the City of Gold is on the other side of the mountain you'd want to find a quick way there, and the river would do it. But why is there a wharf down there then? You're not going to bring any cargo out either way we've seen." "River's fast flowing," said Ben. "Maybe this is as far as you can get along it before it's too fast?" "Or the ceiling's too low," said Jimmy. He was looking better, but his gaze was firmly on the piles of bones. "I guess," I said. "I still don't see how you'd get gold up that shaft, or through those narrow passages." Jimmy shivered. "I think there's still something else we haven't found yet." "What time is it?" said Ben abruptly. I squinted at the sky. "Late afternoon?" "Best get after that balloon then," said Ben. "Don't want the locals thinking we found anything, after all."
Greg - reading along before choosing prompts. At least I was. This is the last comment I read before choosing the next prompt, so Sunday and Monday were blind picks. I'm curious to see how that turned out :)
Love the reactions from all three after reaching the top, with varying degrees of success in managing to hide their fatigue. God forbid any of them admit to being tired by that climb :P
2 comments:
Heh, either you're reading before you post the next prompt, or you're a mind-reader. I'm not sure which I'd prefer....
Such great heights
When I hauled myself over the top of the steps, my arms burning and my chest heaving, and my legs feeling leaden and wobbly, it was a relief to lean against a convenient wall and just catch my breath. Obviously I looked around, pretending as though that was the real reason for stopping, and I saw that Ben was casually leaning against another wall with one arm, with fatigue written on his face, and that Jimmy was sat down on the floor, white and sweating. The steps cut into the rock were probably better than squeezing through passages and under overhangs, but only slightly.
We were in a dry, spacious cave with natural light coming from a hole a little way up in the wall on the opposite side. The air was fresh and cool and welcome after the climb. There were piles of bones on the floor, seemingly randomly arranged, and some longer bones were scattered around as though something -- or someone -- had walked through them carelessly.
"Well," I said, keeping my words short to hide that I was out of breath. Who'd have thought climbing could be so hard? "They didn't bring all that stuff down there through here then."
Ben shook his head, and after a moment said, "Must have brought it by boat."
I thought about this for a minute and was slightly amused by the silence; something so unusual with us that it was glaringly obvious. As my heart rate dropped and my breathing got easier I walked across to the other wall, avoiding the bones on the floor, and realised that it was an easy climb to the hole: grab here, pull here, and I was up. Peering out I could see Elizabethtown across the gulch.
"Elizabethtown's out there," I said. "We're still somewhere up the mountain, we've just gone round in a half-circle I'd say."
Ben grunted. "I reckon the river probably flows away from it."
I thought about that for a minute too. "That makes sense," I said. "If the City of Gold is on the other side of the mountain you'd want to find a quick way there, and the river would do it. But why is there a wharf down there then? You're not going to bring any cargo out either way we've seen."
"River's fast flowing," said Ben. "Maybe this is as far as you can get along it before it's too fast?"
"Or the ceiling's too low," said Jimmy. He was looking better, but his gaze was firmly on the piles of bones.
"I guess," I said. "I still don't see how you'd get gold up that shaft, or through those narrow passages." Jimmy shivered. "I think there's still something else we haven't found yet."
"What time is it?" said Ben abruptly. I squinted at the sky.
"Late afternoon?"
"Best get after that balloon then," said Ben. "Don't want the locals thinking we found anything, after all."
Greg - reading along before choosing prompts. At least I was. This is the last comment I read before choosing the next prompt, so Sunday and Monday were blind picks. I'm curious to see how that turned out :)
Love the reactions from all three after reaching the top, with varying degrees of success in managing to hide their fatigue. God forbid any of them admit to being tired by that climb :P
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