Hmm, screams in the night. It could be a very long night, you're right....
A long night "We should go and see what's happening," I said, without a trace of enthusiasm. "No we shouldn't," said Ben, equally deadpan. "This is a time for appropriate caution." "Did someone scream?" said Jimmy behind us, sounding sleepy. "Appropriate caution?" I glanced at Ben and then turned back to the docks. There might be no light there, but I was still fatalistically curious about what might be happening. "Since when do you any kind of caution? Remember that time we were on the Texas Riviera and we'd been hired to catch a bunch of seabirds and you went running pantsless across the beach in front of a pack of schoolchildren?" "Just the once," said Ben. "Go back to sleep, Jimmy. Was that the time at Baffin Bay? I thought we were alligator hunting out there?" "We did that after we lost the seabird job," I said. "On account of you not being cautious enough about who you were sharing intimate details with." There was a second scream from the docks, higher pitch, with a note of terror in it that seemed to cut right through me and leave me momentarily light-headed as though it had transmitted fear itself. "Yes," said Ben, "but I was pantless because I'd been trying to use the toilet only it turned out there was an alligator in it. Running away from a slightly soiled, snapping alligator is perfectly cautious thing to do." "Was that another scream?" "Yes Jimmy, you might as well get up if you want. There's probably going to be more." I didn't much like hearing myself say those words, but there was no chance there were only two people at the docks. "You could have pulled your pants up as you were running. Or at least apologised to the children." "Alligators move damn fast," said Ben. "As you should remember from the alligator hunt. Anyway, the kids just saw what they could aspire to be; it's good for them at that age." Whatever I might have said to that was wiped from my mind by two quick screams in succession, and Jimmy coming up and standing next to us. "Shouldn't we be doing something?" he said. "Like what?" said Ben. "We don't know what's going on, but it's probably the hooting things. There are already more people at the docks than we are, and they don't seem to be winning. We'd be going into a gunfight blindfold and drunk if we go running over there right now." "If we can see what's happening we'd have an idea what we're up against," said Jimmy. "Might be up against," I said. "I've no intention of picking a fight we don't have to have. I mean, it's not a bad idea, but I don't know how long we've got to get close enough to see what’s happening and I don't want to still be in the streets when those things finish what they're doing." "So we just stand here," and another scream broke the silence of the city, "and listen to people die?" "Listen to them scream," said Ben. "They might not be dead. We'll go over when the hooting things are gone and see what we can do to help." Jimmy snorted and turned to go back inside. "This time we're the paramedics," I said. "Next time we'll be the paladins." Even so, I knew it’d be a long night.
Greg - that's a rough night, listening to distant screams. I don't imagine they'll be getting any more sleep. And I'm sure they're as unexcited about finding what's left behind as I am...
2 comments:
Hmm, screams in the night. It could be a very long night, you're right....
A long night
"We should go and see what's happening," I said, without a trace of enthusiasm.
"No we shouldn't," said Ben, equally deadpan. "This is a time for appropriate caution."
"Did someone scream?" said Jimmy behind us, sounding sleepy.
"Appropriate caution?" I glanced at Ben and then turned back to the docks. There might be no light there, but I was still fatalistically curious about what might be happening. "Since when do you any kind of caution? Remember that time we were on the Texas Riviera and we'd been hired to catch a bunch of seabirds and you went running pantsless across the beach in front of a pack of schoolchildren?"
"Just the once," said Ben. "Go back to sleep, Jimmy. Was that the time at Baffin Bay? I thought we were alligator hunting out there?"
"We did that after we lost the seabird job," I said. "On account of you not being cautious enough about who you were sharing intimate details with."
There was a second scream from the docks, higher pitch, with a note of terror in it that seemed to cut right through me and leave me momentarily light-headed as though it had transmitted fear itself. "Yes," said Ben, "but I was pantless because I'd been trying to use the toilet only it turned out there was an alligator in it. Running away from a slightly soiled, snapping alligator is perfectly cautious thing to do."
"Was that another scream?"
"Yes Jimmy, you might as well get up if you want. There's probably going to be more." I didn't much like hearing myself say those words, but there was no chance there were only two people at the docks. "You could have pulled your pants up as you were running. Or at least apologised to the children."
"Alligators move damn fast," said Ben. "As you should remember from the alligator hunt. Anyway, the kids just saw what they could aspire to be; it's good for them at that age."
Whatever I might have said to that was wiped from my mind by two quick screams in succession, and Jimmy coming up and standing next to us.
"Shouldn't we be doing something?" he said.
"Like what?" said Ben. "We don't know what's going on, but it's probably the hooting things. There are already more people at the docks than we are, and they don't seem to be winning. We'd be going into a gunfight blindfold and drunk if we go running over there right now."
"If we can see what's happening we'd have an idea what we're up against," said Jimmy.
"Might be up against," I said. "I've no intention of picking a fight we don't have to have. I mean, it's not a bad idea, but I don't know how long we've got to get close enough to see what’s happening and I don't want to still be in the streets when those things finish what they're doing."
"So we just stand here," and another scream broke the silence of the city, "and listen to people die?"
"Listen to them scream," said Ben. "They might not be dead. We'll go over when the hooting things are gone and see what we can do to help."
Jimmy snorted and turned to go back inside.
"This time we're the paramedics," I said. "Next time we'll be the paladins." Even so, I knew it’d be a long night.
Greg - that's a rough night, listening to distant screams. I don't imagine they'll be getting any more sleep. And I'm sure they're as unexcited about finding what's left behind as I am...
Post a Comment