I guess the boys have been lucky -- they've found a chupacapra after all! Now they don't have to go hunting for gold.... :)
The creature After that had dragged out for about thirty heartbeats -- better to count them than seconds, because you rush the count when you're scared. You can tell your heart's beating faster than normal too, but that's why you count to thirty and not ten -- I opened my mouth, intending to see who else was awake, when there was a thump and the whole lean-to shook. "It's on the roof," said Jimmy, very quietly. I lifted my head and saw he'd lifted his too, so I nodded. Ben was still, and after a moment, he started snoring. Whatever it was that was outside walked across the roof, then the lean-to shuddered again and there was a more distant thump -- it had jumped off. After that it was silent again, but it still took me at least a half-hour to get back to sleep. Ben came out of the lean-to next morning looking for us. Jimmy and I were round the back of the lean-to, staring at the depth of the gouges in the wood. "Where did they come from?" asked Ben. "Looks like a bear." "Last night," I said. "Something came and sniffed around our shack." "Didn't hear anything," said Ben. He scrunched his face up and stared around, puzzled. "I'm a light sleeper too." I didn't argue. Ben thinks he's a light sleeper despite the fact that he's slept through: a fire in a bakery next to where we staying in Louisville while the bakers were there; a shipwreck while we were sailing around Rhode Island; two train-crashes, one of which wasn't our fault; a storm that woke up the entire town with the loudness of the thunder, and half-flooded it -- Ben still woke up in the morning despite sleeping on a floating bed for half the night; and a police raid on a brothel (we weren't actually there on "business" so to say, but we were hiding in wardrobe carrying a medical bag and a bonesaw). Jimmy jumped down from the roof. "Scratches up there too," he said. "Too many though, it looks like whatever it was comes round here regular-like." "Odd," said Ben. "Normally a bear would look the place over, take what it wanted, and leave. Wouldn't keep coming back unless there was something here for it." I shivered. "Maybe there's something put out for it then." "Like what?" "People who poke their noses too far into other people's business?" Jimmy punched me lightly. "You keep acting like you think the locals have brought us here for no good," he said. "We haven't seen that." "I'm seeing more and more signs that I don't like," I retorted. "I say we eat and get exploring that cave. I want to find the City of Gold and get out of here before anyone finds us."
Greg - well, that is a rather worrying nighttime visit from... something. I'm curious to see what it actually turns out to be. Though, for the boys' sake, I suppose it would be better if it's not heard from again.
Also: that list of things Ben has slept through is both hilarious and seemingly realistic :)
2 comments:
I guess the boys have been lucky -- they've found a chupacapra after all! Now they don't have to go hunting for gold.... :)
The creature
After that had dragged out for about thirty heartbeats -- better to count them than seconds, because you rush the count when you're scared. You can tell your heart's beating faster than normal too, but that's why you count to thirty and not ten -- I opened my mouth, intending to see who else was awake, when there was a thump and the whole lean-to shook.
"It's on the roof," said Jimmy, very quietly. I lifted my head and saw he'd lifted his too, so I nodded. Ben was still, and after a moment, he started snoring.
Whatever it was that was outside walked across the roof, then the lean-to shuddered again and there was a more distant thump -- it had jumped off. After that it was silent again, but it still took me at least a half-hour to get back to sleep.
Ben came out of the lean-to next morning looking for us. Jimmy and I were round the back of the lean-to, staring at the depth of the gouges in the wood.
"Where did they come from?" asked Ben. "Looks like a bear."
"Last night," I said. "Something came and sniffed around our shack."
"Didn't hear anything," said Ben. He scrunched his face up and stared around, puzzled. "I'm a light sleeper too."
I didn't argue. Ben thinks he's a light sleeper despite the fact that he's slept through: a fire in a bakery next to where we staying in Louisville while the bakers were there; a shipwreck while we were sailing around Rhode Island; two train-crashes, one of which wasn't our fault; a storm that woke up the entire town with the loudness of the thunder, and half-flooded it -- Ben still woke up in the morning despite sleeping on a floating bed for half the night; and a police raid on a brothel (we weren't actually there on "business" so to say, but we were hiding in wardrobe carrying a medical bag and a bonesaw).
Jimmy jumped down from the roof. "Scratches up there too," he said. "Too many though, it looks like whatever it was comes round here regular-like."
"Odd," said Ben. "Normally a bear would look the place over, take what it wanted, and leave. Wouldn't keep coming back unless there was something here for it."
I shivered. "Maybe there's something put out for it then."
"Like what?"
"People who poke their noses too far into other people's business?"
Jimmy punched me lightly. "You keep acting like you think the locals have brought us here for no good," he said. "We haven't seen that."
"I'm seeing more and more signs that I don't like," I retorted. "I say we eat and get exploring that cave. I want to find the City of Gold and get out of here before anyone finds us."
Greg - well, that is a rather worrying nighttime visit from... something. I'm curious to see what it actually turns out to be. Though, for the boys' sake, I suppose it would be better if it's not heard from again.
Also: that list of things Ben has slept through is both hilarious and seemingly realistic :)
Post a Comment