I have this image of the guys struggling out of Eldorado with sacks of loot only to have to abandon them when Suzie finds them.... :-D
The collection "That seems to have collected everything," said Ben, sounding disappointed. "Maybe we should search for secret panels or something? Maybe there's a safe hidden in here somewhere." "Elizabethtown would have found it first," I said. "It'd be open and obvious; they've been in here, we know that from the key. And they've been looting the furniture out there." "True," said Ben. "Lucky they left us the jewelry I guess." "Not worth as much," said Jimmy. "You can melt a chair down into bars of gold and tell people you mined them. These necklaces need a bit more explanation." "Not for guys we know," said Ben with a chuckle, and Jimmy grinned. From time to time I forgot that his father had been Sheriff for nearly twenty years and so Jimmy tended to look on the law-enforcement side of things rather than the real-world side. Though it was also true that his father had been corrupt for a lot of those years too, so some of it had to be just naivety. When we closed the door it swung shut really easily and there was a distant hollow clunking sound, and then a few seconds later a rushing noise like strong wind through the leaves of densely grown-together trees. Ben looked at me, I looked at Jimmy, who turned out also to be looking at me, and I shrugged. "Maybe it's windy outside?" We all jumped when water started pouring into the pool again, but as we relaxed I realised it made sense. You wouldn't want to have to fill it by hand -- especially since it probably meant a bucket chain to and from the river. Ben dipped his hand into the stream of water and pulled it back in surprise. "This is hot!" "How hot?" Jimmy sounded interested, and also dipped his hand. "Ah, perfect!" "What?" I said, but the pair of them were already sitting down and pulling their boots off. "We're in here till sunrise, right?" said Ben. "Then I'm having a bath in this fresh, clean hot water that I've not had to wait a half-hour for or draw myself." Everything he said made sense, but still I went to the doorway and looked up. By my estimation it was midnight, maybe even slightly earlier. "Fine," I said, returning to the room and starting to pull my boots off too. The leather was supple and old and still felt like it was moulded to my foot. "But when we're done we sleep outside. If the doors out there close and trap us in here, we're in here until the moon rises right again, and while that might be tomorrow, it could be a month." They both paused at that, and then nodded. And so it was we had the most peaceful, relaxing bath I'd had in a year, despite being in a city haunted by hooting monsters and having just encountered a slaughter bad enough to make a man swear off wars and battles for life.
2 comments:
I have this image of the guys struggling out of Eldorado with sacks of loot only to have to abandon them when Suzie finds them.... :-D
The collection
"That seems to have collected everything," said Ben, sounding disappointed. "Maybe we should search for secret panels or something? Maybe there's a safe hidden in here somewhere."
"Elizabethtown would have found it first," I said. "It'd be open and obvious; they've been in here, we know that from the key. And they've been looting the furniture out there."
"True," said Ben. "Lucky they left us the jewelry I guess."
"Not worth as much," said Jimmy. "You can melt a chair down into bars of gold and tell people you mined them. These necklaces need a bit more explanation."
"Not for guys we know," said Ben with a chuckle, and Jimmy grinned. From time to time I forgot that his father had been Sheriff for nearly twenty years and so Jimmy tended to look on the law-enforcement side of things rather than the real-world side. Though it was also true that his father had been corrupt for a lot of those years too, so some of it had to be just naivety.
When we closed the door it swung shut really easily and there was a distant hollow clunking sound, and then a few seconds later a rushing noise like strong wind through the leaves of densely grown-together trees. Ben looked at me, I looked at Jimmy, who turned out also to be looking at me, and I shrugged. "Maybe it's windy outside?"
We all jumped when water started pouring into the pool again, but as we relaxed I realised it made sense. You wouldn't want to have to fill it by hand -- especially since it probably meant a bucket chain to and from the river. Ben dipped his hand into the stream of water and pulled it back in surprise. "This is hot!"
"How hot?" Jimmy sounded interested, and also dipped his hand. "Ah, perfect!"
"What?" I said, but the pair of them were already sitting down and pulling their boots off.
"We're in here till sunrise, right?" said Ben. "Then I'm having a bath in this fresh, clean hot water that I've not had to wait a half-hour for or draw myself."
Everything he said made sense, but still I went to the doorway and looked up. By my estimation it was midnight, maybe even slightly earlier.
"Fine," I said, returning to the room and starting to pull my boots off too. The leather was supple and old and still felt like it was moulded to my foot. "But when we're done we sleep outside. If the doors out there close and trap us in here, we're in here until the moon rises right again, and while that might be tomorrow, it could be a month."
They both paused at that, and then nodded. And so it was we had the most peaceful, relaxing bath I'd had in a year, despite being in a city haunted by hooting monsters and having just encountered a slaughter bad enough to make a man swear off wars and battles for life.
Greg - hah, well that's still a distinct possibility!
I am pleased that they've earned themselves a little respite. Hopefully it will serve them well as they make their escape.
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