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Forty Days of Flash Fic: Day Two
Jun. 21st, 2012 06:27 amMaria began chucking the boat's supplies through the hole, gate, portal, whatever you wanted to call it, as fast as she could, while the boat rolled and lurched through the sea, the ice growing thicker on the deck and mast. She'd managed to toss the last barrel of hardtack though when the boat rolled again, and kept rolling, making her tumble between the beams of the ceiling as icy salt water poured in, soaking her to the bone.
"Maria! Get out of there!" Tez shouted, leaning back into the hole and making a grab for her wrist.
She nearly yanked him through all the way before she managed to get her feet under herself, made a grab for the edges of the hatch, and pulled herself through. She flopped down in the tall grass that filled the center of the stone circle, panting and spitting dank water out of her mouth. "Pleh!"
Tez sat on a barrel, looking down at her as she lay, arms outstretched. "Are you all right?" he asked in concern.
"I'm all right. Just wet." She sat up, plucking at the soaked sleeve of her tunic. "Where are we?" Glancing around gave her no clues. The stone circle appeared to sit on a low hill in the middle of a field of grass. A hundred paces down the hill was the remains of a road built with stones, long since fallen into disrepair, which led to a forest about a mile or so away to the west, and disappearing into a series of low hills in the other direction.
"In the middle of nowhere," Tez replied. At her withering look he added, "Well, obviously we're in a temperate zone now. It's spring or summer here, so we're likely in the northern hemisphere. Where exactly will have to wait until sunset, when I can get a look at the stars. Judging from the condition of the road below, this area doesn't see much traffic anymore, so its likely not near a current center of civilization."
"Do the stones look familiar?" she asked. There were an even dozen of them, ranging six to ten feet tall, with no markings upon them that she could see.
He shook his head. "Too primitive to make any judgments. Any hundred of religions might have come up with them."
Maria stood up, stretching. The hole through which they had escaped, marked by a square stone lined opening at this end, was filled with black water now. "Well, we're not going back that way," she noted.
"Indeed."
"Start setting up a shelter," she said, pulling her tunic over her head and working at the buttons of her shirt.
"In an exhibitionist mood today?" he teased
"If these are the only clothes I've got, I want to get them dried out." She looked around. No creatures were visible for miles. "And it isn't likely that we're going to be snuck up on."
They were wrong, of course.
"Maria! Get out of there!" Tez shouted, leaning back into the hole and making a grab for her wrist.
She nearly yanked him through all the way before she managed to get her feet under herself, made a grab for the edges of the hatch, and pulled herself through. She flopped down in the tall grass that filled the center of the stone circle, panting and spitting dank water out of her mouth. "Pleh!"
Tez sat on a barrel, looking down at her as she lay, arms outstretched. "Are you all right?" he asked in concern.
"I'm all right. Just wet." She sat up, plucking at the soaked sleeve of her tunic. "Where are we?" Glancing around gave her no clues. The stone circle appeared to sit on a low hill in the middle of a field of grass. A hundred paces down the hill was the remains of a road built with stones, long since fallen into disrepair, which led to a forest about a mile or so away to the west, and disappearing into a series of low hills in the other direction.
"In the middle of nowhere," Tez replied. At her withering look he added, "Well, obviously we're in a temperate zone now. It's spring or summer here, so we're likely in the northern hemisphere. Where exactly will have to wait until sunset, when I can get a look at the stars. Judging from the condition of the road below, this area doesn't see much traffic anymore, so its likely not near a current center of civilization."
"Do the stones look familiar?" she asked. There were an even dozen of them, ranging six to ten feet tall, with no markings upon them that she could see.
He shook his head. "Too primitive to make any judgments. Any hundred of religions might have come up with them."
Maria stood up, stretching. The hole through which they had escaped, marked by a square stone lined opening at this end, was filled with black water now. "Well, we're not going back that way," she noted.
"Indeed."
"Start setting up a shelter," she said, pulling her tunic over her head and working at the buttons of her shirt.
"In an exhibitionist mood today?" he teased
"If these are the only clothes I've got, I want to get them dried out." She looked around. No creatures were visible for miles. "And it isn't likely that we're going to be snuck up on."
They were wrong, of course.
