Daily writing prompts from June 9th, 2008 to December 31st, 2022
Thursday January 7th, 2021
The exercise:
Soooo... just noticed the last two days got labelled 2020. Yesterday I think was understandable, considering how distracted I was. But the day before... I got nothing.
I was enjoying pretending I was in last year. I was going to point it out before you had too many to correct though, if you didn't catch it when replying to comments :)
The wilderness? Who might be lurking in a wilderness?
The wilderness "Team building," said Charles Asciugimento, Head of Building Security. He paused for a moment, looking around him at the wilderness the minibuses had dropped them off into. "The aim of today is to build camaraderie and trust amongst you all. We're outside of the building because there will be times, even in our own building, when things turn against us and become almost foreign in their behaviour." "Does he mean the kindergarten on level 8 again?" whispered a voice in the group wearing red bandannas, but they were shushed. "So this is a new environment for most of you, and has distinctly different challenges and threats to the one that you are used to--" "No sniper posts or landmined corridors," came a mutter from the Blue team. "-- and I am sure that you -- we will rise up and meet these difficulties head on." "Why did he say 'we'?" came a new whisper from the Red team. "I'm glad you asked that," said Charles, smiling as pleasantly as he knew how. "The organisers of this event were adamant that I should be on one of the teams." There was a generally shuffling of feet as the teams considered this, and wondered how to ensure that the one person certain to win would be on their team. "And not as a captain." More shuffling, and a low murmur of worry. "So, for the first event, I have to sit this out and you have to determine captains, and then the captains toss a coin to see who has to try and fit me on to their team." "That sounds -- fair?" said Natasha, a heavy-set woman with orthopedic shoes, a sensible skirt and an air of a Soviet-era torturer about her. Charles considered her to a promotion prospect. "But can't we just vote on a captain?" "That does meet some of the requirements for team-building," said a new voice, and a young-ish man appeared to bounce up from the ground. The teams all took a step back and reached for their truncheons, tasers and throwing knives -- and then remembered that that was part of their standard equipment and so back at the Building. "My, that was an impressive response to a potential threat!" "Look behind you," said Charles, and the young-ish man turned, revealing that he was wearing a ghillie suit to blend in with the wilderness, and found Annelief, Charles's second-in-command behind him holding a makeshift garotte fashioned from the grasses. "Very impressive," said the young-ish man weakly. "Er, rejoin your team, please, miss. Er, requirements, yada-yada-yada, but we want you to know that you can trust your captain, not just that you've elected him. Or her. Or them. Or xe. Or--" "Enough with the pronoun lists," said Charles, sitting down on a hassock of grass. "Everyone here will respond to 'oy you' if need be. Including me." There was a ripple of disbelieving noises from the team that damped down when Charles looked over at them. "First task then," said the young-ish man, who was trying not to sweat. "Is to catch a rabbit. There are plenty in the wilderness, and if you catch a good one, it will be lunch." He stared as every team-member picked up a freshly-dead rabbit from where it lay at their feet and tossed it forwards. "We were concerned they might be spies," said Natasha. "So we secured the area."
Greg - of course you'd noticed... bah. Anyway. 2020 was a very easy year to type but a much more difficult year to experience. I'm hoping the opposite will prove true for 2021.
Hah, I would not have expected Charles to arrive from a wilderness prompt but you absolutely made it work :)
2 comments:
I was enjoying pretending I was in last year. I was going to point it out before you had too many to correct though, if you didn't catch it when replying to comments :)
The wilderness? Who might be lurking in a wilderness?
The wilderness
"Team building," said Charles Asciugimento, Head of Building Security. He paused for a moment, looking around him at the wilderness the minibuses had dropped them off into. "The aim of today is to build camaraderie and trust amongst you all. We're outside of the building because there will be times, even in our own building, when things turn against us and become almost foreign in their behaviour."
"Does he mean the kindergarten on level 8 again?" whispered a voice in the group wearing red bandannas, but they were shushed.
"So this is a new environment for most of you, and has distinctly different challenges and threats to the one that you are used to--"
"No sniper posts or landmined corridors," came a mutter from the Blue team.
"-- and I am sure that you -- we will rise up and meet these difficulties head on."
"Why did he say 'we'?" came a new whisper from the Red team.
"I'm glad you asked that," said Charles, smiling as pleasantly as he knew how. "The organisers of this event were adamant that I should be on one of the teams." There was a generally shuffling of feet as the teams considered this, and wondered how to ensure that the one person certain to win would be on their team. "And not as a captain." More shuffling, and a low murmur of worry. "So, for the first event, I have to sit this out and you have to determine captains, and then the captains toss a coin to see who has to try and fit me on to their team."
"That sounds -- fair?" said Natasha, a heavy-set woman with orthopedic shoes, a sensible skirt and an air of a Soviet-era torturer about her. Charles considered her to a promotion prospect. "But can't we just vote on a captain?"
"That does meet some of the requirements for team-building," said a new voice, and a young-ish man appeared to bounce up from the ground. The teams all took a step back and reached for their truncheons, tasers and throwing knives -- and then remembered that that was part of their standard equipment and so back at the Building. "My, that was an impressive response to a potential threat!"
"Look behind you," said Charles, and the young-ish man turned, revealing that he was wearing a ghillie suit to blend in with the wilderness, and found Annelief, Charles's second-in-command behind him holding a makeshift garotte fashioned from the grasses.
"Very impressive," said the young-ish man weakly. "Er, rejoin your team, please, miss. Er, requirements, yada-yada-yada, but we want you to know that you can trust your captain, not just that you've elected him. Or her. Or them. Or xe. Or--"
"Enough with the pronoun lists," said Charles, sitting down on a hassock of grass. "Everyone here will respond to 'oy you' if need be. Including me."
There was a ripple of disbelieving noises from the team that damped down when Charles looked over at them.
"First task then," said the young-ish man, who was trying not to sweat. "Is to catch a rabbit. There are plenty in the wilderness, and if you catch a good one, it will be lunch."
He stared as every team-member picked up a freshly-dead rabbit from where it lay at their feet and tossed it forwards.
"We were concerned they might be spies," said Natasha. "So we secured the area."
Greg - of course you'd noticed... bah. Anyway. 2020 was a very easy year to type but a much more difficult year to experience. I'm hoping the opposite will prove true for 2021.
Hah, I would not have expected Charles to arrive from a wilderness prompt but you absolutely made it work :)
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