The exercise:
Write about: the watchers in the woods.
The Canucks did it again tonight. The deciding game 7 goes tomorrow night.
The exercise:
Write about: the watchers in the woods.
The Canucks did it again tonight. The deciding game 7 goes tomorrow night.
2 comments:
I hope the Canucks continue their winning streak -- seems like they're making an impressive comeback!
The watchers in the woods
We walked further along the river towards the caves it was flowing into, keeping to the bank with the most trees. If anyone came sailing out they'd likely see us first, but we were trying to stay reasonably-well hidden, and if the river was treacherous there then maybe they'd all be too busy managing the boat to worry about three figures disappearing on the banks. There was a strong smell of pine in the air; somewhere beyond the trees I could see there were clearly pines, and the insects buzzed and flitted around our heads, attracted I think by our sweat. We swatted them away now and then, though Jimmy swatted more than either of me and Ben. Skin clearly hadn't toughened up enough yet. The ground was slightly soft underfoot, which said to me that the river was undercutting its banks. Likely that meant it was trying to get wider, and I wondered how much of the work on it here had been out of necessity and not just to make it easier to sail down.
We splashed through rocky pools as we reached the cave. Just inside the river roar intensified until it sounded like a starving mountain lion, but there was a grey sandy beach running along the side of it. It went back as far as the eye could see, and then presumably carried on where the eye couldn't.
"No campfires," shouted Ben, looking around. "They don't stop here then."
"They'd tie up at the jetty," I shouted back. "No point stopping here when you've got fresh air and sunlight outside."
"I meant they've not stopped here in a long time," shouted Ben. He gestured outside, and we left to where we didn't need to go hoarse just discussing our situation. "Looks like this set-up's been going for a while. Maybe the whole city is made of gold."
"Who would build a city out of gold though?" I said. I pointed back into the treeline. "Let's go over there and work out where we can see that hut from, and it can't see us. I fancy me a fried egg anyhow."
"People with more gold than anything else," said Ben. "I'd like to be one of them."
"King Midas," said Jimmy, who'd been silent for so long I was starting to think he'd lost his voice.
"King Midas," I said, mulling the idea over. "You know, a city with a treasury full of gold... that might make more sense you know." I stopped, and stopped walking, staring at the ground. The other two went on a ways before noticing and coming back. Then they too stared at the ground.
"What animal has tracks like that?" I said, noting a four-toed print the size of my palm, with dots stretched out from it, where the tips of claws had dug into the soft earth for purchase.
"Chupacapra?" said Jimmy, but any humour in his voice was washed out by how much we all thought he might be right. The woods around us seemed suddenly much less appealing now it seemed we might be being watched.
Greg - well, they were :P
Hmm, the animal track is worrying, isn't it? I wonder if they'll find the owner of the lean-to or the owner of the track first? Both at the same time maybe?
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