I hope this prompt means you've had a spot of luck today :) And I'm sorry that your trip to Science World got postponed -- but Stan is interesting enough to keep watching for a little longer I hope!
Luck Stan's walk up from the beach through a lightly wooded area of the Prince's estates was just enough to get him out of breath and wondering if perhaps he should spend a little more time walking each day. The sand turned to soft soil, then to thicker loam beneath his feet, and as the trees started to get a little taller and better separated they suddenly gave way altogether to a meadow of waist-high grass. On the far side of it Stan could see the manicured and landscaped lawns of the palace and the dark shapes of the gardeners moving around. They were, to his certain knowledge, all French as the Prince believed that they had superior knowledge of where earth, trees and shrubs should go. "The archimandrites are arriving tomorrow at noon," said a voice, making Stan jump. He looked around, and there was no-one visible. Sighing very softly he reminded himself that science involved taking everything as presented and understanding how it happened, and he looked about him until he found a long stick. Then he started to poke the undergrowth with it systematically, starting at a random point and moving round in a circle. "Ok, ok!" A short, ugly man with bow-legs leapt out from behind a bush not far from the next poke of the stick and brushed some leaf-mould of his velvet jacket. It was a dark green and, Stan noted, blended in quite well with the bushes. His trousers were an orangey-brown that also blended well with the leaf-strewn earth. "Fine, you can find a man when you want to. Did you think that I might not want to be found?" "Why are you talking to me if you don't want me to talk back?" Stan tended to be blunt. "I might want to pass information on to that you can plausibly deny knowing later." Maxim brushed at his jacket some more. "Though in this case it was more to see how you'd react. I was hoping you might think it was ghosts for at least a few minutes." His accent was coarse, suggesting that he came from the local villages, and Stan was sure that he was deliberately bowing his legs out to give the impression of both shortness and inagility. "Ghosts? The Prince has shown an interest in them," said Stan, straightening up and looking just above Maxim's head to see if he would react. "I hear that Blavatasky in London has been talking about them too." "Pah." Maxim spat on the ground, and then again. "Theosophy and all that rubbish. They'll be turning luck into a religion next. Honestly, why do you interest yourself in that?" "Because the occultists and the scientists in London don't seem to be exclusive groups?" Maxim frowned as though having to think that through and Stan watched him carefully. He was certain that the man was an actor and wanted to know how good he was. Still, he hadn't straightened even a centimetre so far, so perhaps there was some truth hiding in there too. "That's not a bad answer," Maxim said, sounding thoughtful. "You're in contact with these people then? Tell me more...."
I shrank back towards the filthy wall of the gambling den. Showing weakness could get me killed, but I couldn't help it. I whimpered, "You don't know that."
"The hell I don't," slamming down his hand of cards, freshly dealt, utterly worthless, next to my cards on the table, a royal flush. "That's the third hand in a row I've been dealt that's utterly worthless from the get go, not even a measly pair in it, and you've been dealt a royal flush every time. How do you explain that if you're not cheating?!"
I willed myself to fade out slowly, and then moved through the wall to the alley on the other side. I could hear the big man's yells through the wall, and I knew I didn't have much time. Olly popped up next to me and I glared at vir.
"How dare you do that to me?"
Olly whimpered, like I had a few moments ago. "I just wanted to make us some money."
"Well, I'm lucky not to be dead, and now we have to skip town again. Let's see if there's a ship that needs a sailor leaving port in the morning." I knew it was unlikely any ship would let us on board to talk to the captain or mate, seeing as how it was pitch black and almost midnight, but Olly was too pitiful to be mad at for long. Olly hopped on my shoulder and we hurried down to the harbor.
3 comments:
I hope this prompt means you've had a spot of luck today :) And I'm sorry that your trip to Science World got postponed -- but Stan is interesting enough to keep watching for a little longer I hope!
Luck
Stan's walk up from the beach through a lightly wooded area of the Prince's estates was just enough to get him out of breath and wondering if perhaps he should spend a little more time walking each day. The sand turned to soft soil, then to thicker loam beneath his feet, and as the trees started to get a little taller and better separated they suddenly gave way altogether to a meadow of waist-high grass. On the far side of it Stan could see the manicured and landscaped lawns of the palace and the dark shapes of the gardeners moving around. They were, to his certain knowledge, all French as the Prince believed that they had superior knowledge of where earth, trees and shrubs should go.
"The archimandrites are arriving tomorrow at noon," said a voice, making Stan jump. He looked around, and there was no-one visible. Sighing very softly he reminded himself that science involved taking everything as presented and understanding how it happened, and he looked about him until he found a long stick. Then he started to poke the undergrowth with it systematically, starting at a random point and moving round in a circle.
"Ok, ok!" A short, ugly man with bow-legs leapt out from behind a bush not far from the next poke of the stick and brushed some leaf-mould of his velvet jacket. It was a dark green and, Stan noted, blended in quite well with the bushes. His trousers were an orangey-brown that also blended well with the leaf-strewn earth. "Fine, you can find a man when you want to. Did you think that I might not want to be found?"
"Why are you talking to me if you don't want me to talk back?" Stan tended to be blunt.
"I might want to pass information on to that you can plausibly deny knowing later." Maxim brushed at his jacket some more. "Though in this case it was more to see how you'd react. I was hoping you might think it was ghosts for at least a few minutes." His accent was coarse, suggesting that he came from the local villages, and Stan was sure that he was deliberately bowing his legs out to give the impression of both shortness and inagility.
"Ghosts? The Prince has shown an interest in them," said Stan, straightening up and looking just above Maxim's head to see if he would react. "I hear that Blavatasky in London has been talking about them too."
"Pah." Maxim spat on the ground, and then again. "Theosophy and all that rubbish. They'll be turning luck into a religion next. Honestly, why do you interest yourself in that?"
"Because the occultists and the scientists in London don't seem to be exclusive groups?"
Maxim frowned as though having to think that through and Stan watched him carefully. He was certain that the man was an actor and wanted to know how good he was. Still, he hadn't straightened even a centimetre so far, so perhaps there was some truth hiding in there too.
"That's not a bad answer," Maxim said, sounding thoughtful. "You're in contact with these people then? Tell me more...."
"You make your own luck," he snarled.
I shrank back towards the filthy wall of the gambling den. Showing weakness could get me killed, but I couldn't help it. I whimpered, "You don't know that."
"The hell I don't," slamming down his hand of cards, freshly dealt, utterly worthless, next to my cards on the table, a royal flush. "That's the third hand in a row I've been dealt that's utterly worthless from the get go, not even a measly pair in it, and you've been dealt a royal flush every time. How do you explain that if you're not cheating?!"
I willed myself to fade out slowly, and then moved through the wall to the alley on the other side. I could hear the big man's yells through the wall, and I knew I didn't have much time. Olly popped up next to me and I glared at vir.
"How dare you do that to me?"
Olly whimpered, like I had a few moments ago. "I just wanted to make us some money."
"Well, I'm lucky not to be dead, and now we have to skip town again. Let's see if there's a ship that needs a sailor leaving port in the morning." I knew it was unlikely any ship would let us on board to talk to the captain or mate, seeing as how it was pitch black and almost midnight, but Olly was too pitiful to be mad at for long. Olly hopped on my shoulder and we hurried down to the harbor.
Greg - can't recall the inspiration for this prompt, sadly.
And yes, I am more than happy to continue following Stan's adventures for a while longer :)
Morganna - this is a fun little taste you've given us here! The cheating and the fading through walls and skipping town again? Tell us more, please :)
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