Dec 2, 2003
CONTINUED FROM DREAM (now a story) [note- the two secondary characters now have names- Saryn or Ser, and Finder. the main character is yet unnamed.]
CHAPTER (currently) 2
There was something on the ceiling.
It resembled a huge pyramid shaped shell, made out of bits of rock and bone, with a five-foot projection sticking out of the point, which was towards us. The projection had a huge gray-white eye on the end with a tiny, round pupil. It looked a little like a snake or a caterpillar, and it reminded me of the caterpillars that make "shells" out of bits of reed and leaves. It's shell was the same sandy color of the rocks, and it was almost the size of a 3/4 ton-pickup. Some of the bones looked fossilized.
I don't think we would have noticed it- except its eye was the source of all the extra light.
I grabbed my head- the giggling felt like it was scraping out the insides of my skull.
Suddenly I was afraid.
It blinked, and the light cut for a fraction of a second. and words forced themselves from my mouth.
"When I say close your eyes, do it, right then."
Saryn had apparently cut her eye-trick out, because the light of the ghastly sunset was completely gone. Her eyes had returned to their "normal" golden-yellow glow, and I almost couldn't see their glow in the white-yellow filled room.
The finder looked at me, but didn't ask the question forming in his mind.
"Thats how it kills, it emits a huge burst of light that overloads the optic nerve and puts you into a comatose state," I explained quietly. I just knew.
The thing blinked at me, as if trying to comprehend my words.
You can't understand me, I thought at it. It jerked back, as if slapped, and its eye widened. Had it heard me? I had never been able to cast before, only hear things in my own head.
A shrieked seemed to fill the room, but I knew the other two couldn't hear it. My face twitched.
"Close your eyes!" I said forcefully. A blast of light so strong that I could almost see through my eyelids filled the room. I could feel my flesh sear, and I thought I hear Ser moan off to my right. The blast of light died off, but it left sunspots on my eyelids.
"It's right above you, Finder," I said. I could hear him rummaging through his backpack. I hoped he had something useful.
The creature made an audible click, and the noise filling my head became a dull roar.
"Close!" I shouted.
Another blast of light filled the room, impatient, demanding. I couldn't hear over the noise in my own head.
"Whatever you are going to do, make sure you aren't under it!" I yelled, knowing Finder could have heard me had I whispered.
"There isn't a need to shout," Finder said calmly. "I can hear you just fine."
"But I can't," I muttered.
I could feel it building, like some unstoppable force. Yield, Yield! it demanded of me, slamming against my barriers in a language anyone could understand.
"Again!" I made sure not to say it as loudly this time.
I was looking at Finder as the light went off. through my eyelids, I could see his outline, kneeling, his arm thrown up, as if pleading with some god. I could feel my skin burn. The noises in my head dissapeared abruptly. Then there was a loud crash.
I opened my eyes, but I couldn't see very well. The image of Finder with his upstretched arm obscured a good part of my vision. Finder turned his head towards me, and I knew that he was wearing some dark goggles.
"It's allright," Finder said softly.
"What did you do?" I asked, as the information of what he had done filled me.
"I used a mirror that amplifies light," he said. "It seemed like a good idea."
I sighed. "Did the goggles help? I can't see very well."
He didn't reply for a moment. I got the image of a man stirring his coffee slowly. "I only got minor sunspots. I can't even imagine how it is for Saryn."
On the floor next to us, Ser twitched once, twice. I crawled towards her, concern chasing determination through what was left of my scraped out head. I turned her over, and all I could see was the yellow-white glow of the creature, drooling out of her eyes. The image of Finder was momentarily banished. She was hardly breathing.
"It's time to go," I said, looking at the still form of the shell behind me. "It isn't dead, in fact, I don't think we can kill it."
Finder looked at me. I picked up Saryn, and started to crawl out of the hole I couldn't see but knew was there. behind me I could hear Finder moving towards the fallen creature. I turned my head towards him. He had a chunk of the creature's shell in his hand. It looked like a dagger of bone, and I wondered how it had broken off armor that looked like it could stop an arrow easily.
"Seems like a good idea, he said, putting it in his bag.
"That's why they call you the Finder," I said, turning back around.
I could feel him smile. His kneeling outline still filled my vision in the pitch black.
I broke out into the cool night air, the toxic sunset surrounding me. I didn't care. The forest seemed to lend me some strength.
We walked aways, Ser twitching gently on my shoulder every once in awhile. I looked around. the constant sunset seemed to be fading, being replaced with a purplish sky of night. "Let's camp here," I said. "It should be safe."
I started digging through Finder's seeming bottomless sack, and pulled out a tent I knew was too big to fit into it. I started to set it up, as Finder built a fire. I handed him the sack, and he pulled out a square lighter, a large pot, and two cans of soup. I didn't even ask where he had gotten the lighter, I hadn't seen any technology in months. He flicked it open, and the flame whispered things to me softly as he started the fire. The image of Finder burned onto my eyelids was starting to fade.
I turned, lost in my own thoughts. behind me Finder stirred some soup. The aroma of chicken broth floated towards me. "What are we having? I asked.
"Well, we're having rabbit stew," he said. I could feel him hold up a sack of stew ingredients he had. "but I'm cooking chicken noodle for her."
I laughed.
"You know what my momma always used to say about chicken noodle," Finder continued." "It's good for the soul."
That's why they call you the finder, I thought.
"Yep."
This time I wasn't startled, I didn't even look back.
Staring into the forest, I could feel the peace, however temporary, as Finder stirred gently away behind me.
To be continued, of course.
CHAPTER (currently) 2
There was something on the ceiling.
It resembled a huge pyramid shaped shell, made out of bits of rock and bone, with a five-foot projection sticking out of the point, which was towards us. The projection had a huge gray-white eye on the end with a tiny, round pupil. It looked a little like a snake or a caterpillar, and it reminded me of the caterpillars that make "shells" out of bits of reed and leaves. It's shell was the same sandy color of the rocks, and it was almost the size of a 3/4 ton-pickup. Some of the bones looked fossilized.
I don't think we would have noticed it- except its eye was the source of all the extra light.
I grabbed my head- the giggling felt like it was scraping out the insides of my skull.
Suddenly I was afraid.
It blinked, and the light cut for a fraction of a second. and words forced themselves from my mouth.
"When I say close your eyes, do it, right then."
Saryn had apparently cut her eye-trick out, because the light of the ghastly sunset was completely gone. Her eyes had returned to their "normal" golden-yellow glow, and I almost couldn't see their glow in the white-yellow filled room.
The finder looked at me, but didn't ask the question forming in his mind.
"Thats how it kills, it emits a huge burst of light that overloads the optic nerve and puts you into a comatose state," I explained quietly. I just knew.
The thing blinked at me, as if trying to comprehend my words.
You can't understand me, I thought at it. It jerked back, as if slapped, and its eye widened. Had it heard me? I had never been able to cast before, only hear things in my own head.
A shrieked seemed to fill the room, but I knew the other two couldn't hear it. My face twitched.
"Close your eyes!" I said forcefully. A blast of light so strong that I could almost see through my eyelids filled the room. I could feel my flesh sear, and I thought I hear Ser moan off to my right. The blast of light died off, but it left sunspots on my eyelids.
"It's right above you, Finder," I said. I could hear him rummaging through his backpack. I hoped he had something useful.
The creature made an audible click, and the noise filling my head became a dull roar.
"Close!" I shouted.
Another blast of light filled the room, impatient, demanding. I couldn't hear over the noise in my own head.
"Whatever you are going to do, make sure you aren't under it!" I yelled, knowing Finder could have heard me had I whispered.
"There isn't a need to shout," Finder said calmly. "I can hear you just fine."
"But I can't," I muttered.
I could feel it building, like some unstoppable force. Yield, Yield! it demanded of me, slamming against my barriers in a language anyone could understand.
"Again!" I made sure not to say it as loudly this time.
I was looking at Finder as the light went off. through my eyelids, I could see his outline, kneeling, his arm thrown up, as if pleading with some god. I could feel my skin burn. The noises in my head dissapeared abruptly. Then there was a loud crash.
I opened my eyes, but I couldn't see very well. The image of Finder with his upstretched arm obscured a good part of my vision. Finder turned his head towards me, and I knew that he was wearing some dark goggles.
"It's allright," Finder said softly.
"What did you do?" I asked, as the information of what he had done filled me.
"I used a mirror that amplifies light," he said. "It seemed like a good idea."
I sighed. "Did the goggles help? I can't see very well."
He didn't reply for a moment. I got the image of a man stirring his coffee slowly. "I only got minor sunspots. I can't even imagine how it is for Saryn."
On the floor next to us, Ser twitched once, twice. I crawled towards her, concern chasing determination through what was left of my scraped out head. I turned her over, and all I could see was the yellow-white glow of the creature, drooling out of her eyes. The image of Finder was momentarily banished. She was hardly breathing.
"It's time to go," I said, looking at the still form of the shell behind me. "It isn't dead, in fact, I don't think we can kill it."
Finder looked at me. I picked up Saryn, and started to crawl out of the hole I couldn't see but knew was there. behind me I could hear Finder moving towards the fallen creature. I turned my head towards him. He had a chunk of the creature's shell in his hand. It looked like a dagger of bone, and I wondered how it had broken off armor that looked like it could stop an arrow easily.
"Seems like a good idea, he said, putting it in his bag.
"That's why they call you the Finder," I said, turning back around.
I could feel him smile. His kneeling outline still filled my vision in the pitch black.
I broke out into the cool night air, the toxic sunset surrounding me. I didn't care. The forest seemed to lend me some strength.
We walked aways, Ser twitching gently on my shoulder every once in awhile. I looked around. the constant sunset seemed to be fading, being replaced with a purplish sky of night. "Let's camp here," I said. "It should be safe."
I started digging through Finder's seeming bottomless sack, and pulled out a tent I knew was too big to fit into it. I started to set it up, as Finder built a fire. I handed him the sack, and he pulled out a square lighter, a large pot, and two cans of soup. I didn't even ask where he had gotten the lighter, I hadn't seen any technology in months. He flicked it open, and the flame whispered things to me softly as he started the fire. The image of Finder burned onto my eyelids was starting to fade.
I turned, lost in my own thoughts. behind me Finder stirred some soup. The aroma of chicken broth floated towards me. "What are we having? I asked.
"Well, we're having rabbit stew," he said. I could feel him hold up a sack of stew ingredients he had. "but I'm cooking chicken noodle for her."
I laughed.
"You know what my momma always used to say about chicken noodle," Finder continued." "It's good for the soul."
That's why they call you the finder, I thought.
"Yep."
This time I wasn't startled, I didn't even look back.
Staring into the forest, I could feel the peace, however temporary, as Finder stirred gently away behind me.
To be continued, of course.
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