All posts tagged hole in the sky

Moving Forwards part 20

Rodger looked at his watch. One and a half hours. He paced back and forth. Looked again. Two hours. They were not coming back.

‘Shit,’ Rodger circled around the tree. What now? He could not possibly reach the hole on his own. ‘Shit,’ he covered his face in his hands.

No, wait. Perhaps he was overreacting. Perhaps they would be back in the morning. Yes, that was more likely. They just did not think that it was necessary with the seaweed. And he really should be grateful that he was not going to be drenched in cold seawater for once. So there was nothing else to do than get some sleep and wait for the morning.

He sat down on his rucksack with his back against the tree. Closed his eyes. Took a deep breath. Shifted his position. Took several more deep breaths. The praying mantis seemed to be attracted by the flute music. No, not just ‘seemed’, the Spiral had made it clear that it was attracted by the flute music. And they had been playing the flute all day.

Who was he kidding? They had left him here to die. And perhaps that was best. In this dimension they just wanted to get rid of him. And in his own dimension no one cared if he was there or not. Except Frederick. Frederick had been… Frederick. Almost like a big brother. Sometimes he had been annoying, but mostly he had been the best friend Rodger had ever had. Frederick would probably blame himself the rest of his life if he came home without Rodger.

That was no good. Rodger rose to his feet. He could not give up without trying. But he had tried. And he had found a way. And the way out had slipped between his fingers. Or thrown a rock at him and gone back to the ocean.

And why had they done that? Because he got a little impatient? He paced up and down the path staring at the place where they had disappeared into the waves. Would they not have done the same in his position? It was not as if he hurt the Spiral. That damned Flute Bearer just overreacted to every little thing. And the Spiral just tagged along.

Had he not saved them both when the praying mantis attacked? They should be thankful. Was a little help to much to ask in return? Ungrateful little bastards. He picked up a stone and threw it into the waves.

‘I hope it knocks you cold!’ he shouted at the sea and tossed another. And one more. He went back to the tree breathing heavily.

He squatted down beside the tree resting one hand on the bark. He could feel a beginning headache. Probably his body telling him he was exhausted. And this shouting and tossing stones was not helping. He settled down with his back against the tree. He had to rest. At least until morning. He checked his watch. At least without them tagging along he should be able to reach the place much faster.

Rodger woke with a start and looked at his watch. But he could just as well have looked at the sky. The sun had only just crept over the horizon revealing a sky completely devoid of clouds. Rodger sighed. Was the weather taunting him as well now? He rummaged through his rucksack. He still had plenty of food left. He tossed a packet of biscuits to the ground. And what did that matter if he did not get back? He massaged his temples. Tossing biscuits did not help either.

After a light breakfast he took one last look at the tree and moved on towards the hole in the sky.

 

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Read part one here: 
http://abolg.wordpress.com/2012/02/22/moving-forwards-part-1/

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by W. R. Woolf on May 16, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Short Story, Stories
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Posted by W. R. Woolf on May 16, 2012

http://abolg.wordpress.com/2012/05/16/moving-forwards-part-20/

Moving Forwards part 18

‘Oh, come on,’ said Rodger. In three strides he was behind the Flute Bearer and snatched the flute from its hand. ‘I won’t let you ruin my only chance.’ He gave the flute back to the Spiral and glared at the Flute Bearer. The Flute Bearer glared back, but did nothing more to stop the Spiral.

The music made all the trees react at once. They uncurled and stretched towards them. Rodger’s heart beat faster. As they went to the path again, Rodger kept an eye on the Flute Bearer. The Flute Bearer ignored him and instead kept glancing into the sky.

When they reached the border between the stones and the earth, they paused to cut the net holding the earth and one of the trees swam out to them. Ever so slowly.

‘Can’t you make it go any faster?’ Rodger pointed at the tree and jerked his hand towards the hole in the sky. The Spiral saw him, but kept playing its slow tune, and the tree continued at the same pace.

‘You could make the branches move quickly,’ Rodger pointed at the tree and reached out in front of him as if trying to catch some invisible insect. ‘Why not the roots?’ He mimed wading through water with slow dragging steps. The Flute Bearer was studying him intently and with… amusement? It made a small chortling sound and gurgled something to the Spiral. The Spiral stopped playing to cover its face in its hands. The spluttering that followed might very well be laughter.

‘Hey,’ said Rodger, ‘stop it!’

The Flute Bearer looked very smug.

‘And you,’ Rodger pointed at the Flute Bearer, ‘I don’t see you trying to make yourself understood.’

The Flute Bearer looked away.

‘Argh, look,’ Rodger stepped in front of the Flute Bearer, ‘It seems what you want most is to get rid of me. So,’ Rodger picked up a small stone, ‘imagine this is me,’ Rodger pointed to himself then the stone, ‘If you get me up there,’ he pointed to the hole in the sky, ‘I’ll be gone,’ he closed his hand around the stone, let it disappear into his jacket sleeve and opened his hand. ‘Gone.’

The Flute Bearer studied his empty hand.

‘Do you get it?’ Rodger flipped his hand over to show there was nothing there. ‘Gone. I’ll be out of your hair.’

The Flute Bearer turned away from him.

‘If you had any hair.’

It slithered closer to the island, cut some more of the net and loosened the earth with its hands. While the Spiral was still laughing, it began to play.

The tree moved a little faster now, but not much. Rodger waited for the tree to reach the stones then strode off in front. When the music seemed to grow distant, he stopped and looked back. The tree was about halfway between him and the island. He put a hand to his forehead. This could not be happening. He finally found life. He finally found help. He finally found the solution to his problem. Was everything going to be ruined just because his ‘solution’ was too slow?

 

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Read part one here: 
http://abolg.wordpress.com/2012/02/22/moving-forwards-part-1/

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by W. R. Woolf on May 9, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Short Story, Stories
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Posted by W. R. Woolf on May 9, 2012

http://abolg.wordpress.com/2012/05/09/moving-forwards-part-18/

Moving forwards part 12

Rodger spun around. At the edge of the water was another mermaid creature. Its build and face looked exactly like the first one, but the markings on its head were different. Where the first mermaid had a spiral in the middle of its forehead, this one had what might resemble a vine, creeping across the forehead and down one cheek. Also, this one was wearing a necklace with a flute.

It bent down and picked up another stone. Rodger sprang behind the mermaid with the spiral and pulled it close. The other mermaid lowered the stone. Rodger felt a twinge of guilt. He had to make them understand somehow.

The one with the flute said something; a series of gurgling sounds accompanied by violent gesticulation with the hand not holding a stone. The one Rodger had captured replied with more gurgling and much gentler gestures, but still with one hand on the safety harness around its throat.

The Flute Bearer slithered a bit closer, gurgling again, but with less violent gestures. Rodger looked from one to the other.

‘Look,’ he said, ‘I’m sorry it had to be like this.’ He took half a step away from the Spiral. ‘I never meant any harm.’ He showed his empty left hand and turned the palm up in what he hoped was a welcoming gesture.

The Flute Bearer stopped gurgling and stared at him with those pitch black eyes. Rodger swallowed.

‘But please try to understand,’ he said, ‘I just want to get back to the machine,’ he pointed to the sky. The Flute Bearer started and turned its head this way and that as if searching for something in the sky. Rodger looked up.

The clouds still had a little colour from the fading light, but there was nothing else up there. The Flute Bearer seemed to have reached the same conclusion for he turned his eyes on Rodger and gurgled while making curt gestures at him with one hand.

‘It’s not here,’ Rodger shook his head, ‘it’s back there.’ He pointed back to where he had left the hole in the sky and the machine behind. The Flute Bearer stared at him for another couple of seconds then it raised the stone.

‘Don’t throw those at me!’ Rodger jumped back behind the Spiral. Its target in cover, the Flute Bearer said something to the Spiral instead. The Spiral replied and the Flute Bearer dropped the stone on the path.

‘Phew,’ said Rodger, ‘thanks.’

The Flute Bearer slithered over the stones going in the opposite direction of where Rodger had pointed. It paused to gurgle something at the Spiral then slithered on.

‘Hey,’ said Rodger, ‘where are you going?’

There was no reply.

‘Please, you’ve got to help me. Hey!’ Rodger moved to follow then remembered his captive. ‘Err… could you just follow in front,’ he pointed after the Flute Bearer and pushed the Spiral gently in that direction. It did not need any more encouragement than that. It slithered off after the Flute Bearer and Rodger strode behind it trying his best not to let the leash grow taut. His conscience was bad enough already.

 

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Read part 1 here: 
http://abolg.wordpress.com/2012/02/22/moving-forwards-part-1/

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by W. R. Woolf on April 18, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Short Story, Stories
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Posted by W. R. Woolf on April 18, 2012

http://abolg.wordpress.com/2012/04/18/moving-forwards-part-12/

Moving Forwards part 10

There was no point in going further from the dimension machine. He would not be able to make it back in time if he did. Still, it felt like someone was laughing at him when he turned his back on the next island and began the long walk back to the hole in the sky.

He reminded himself to breathe regularly when he had to cross the first island. He crossed it with brisk steps, pausing only to check the pile of stones he had left last time he passed. It seemed untouched. Just like his rucksack had, even though he had seen the trees moving while he had left his rucksack on the island. Just like his ankle had when he had been so sure that someone or something had grabbed it. He kicked the pile and threw one of the stones at a tree.

‘Come on!’ he shouted, ‘move!’

The tree remained motionless.

‘Are you digging on my nerves on purpose or can you only move at night?’ he said, ‘or when it’s misty…’

He turned, motioning with his hand as if he were throwing something away. He walked away shaking his head.

‘Speaking to a tree, that’s one thing I thought I’d never do.’

Hopefully the plan he had for tonight would be more successful.

 

As soon as the light dimmed, he placed himself between two islands as much in the middle of the path as he could. As he took off his jacket, he peered out over the waves. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. He slipped his safety harness out of his rucksack and hid it under his jacket. Then he made himself as comfortable as possible on the stones with his rucksack as a pillow which was not comfortable at all. However, somehow he was glad it was uncomfortable; it would be easier to stay awake.

The wind picked up as the sun set. Rodger crossed his fingers that it would not rain and tried to look relaxed. He clutched the safety harness with one hand, perhaps too tightly. He focused on his breathing to seem relaxed and asleep. He focused on the stone his hip was being squashed against to keep himself awake. He kept his right hand free and ready.

He had to wait for it to come very close, and he might not get a second chance. Even if it touched his leg, it might not be close enough. He would have to seem asleep, until the very moment he grabbed for it.

His hip ached. He felt like he had been lying there for hours. Perhaps he had. He dared not open his eyes to look at his watch.

Something touched his trouser leg. He forced himself to lie still. Keep breathing, he thought, keep breathing. You are sleeping, just sleeping. Something touched his leg again. Was it a bit more insistent? Was it testing to see if he was really asleep? Were his shoulders relaxed enough?

Something poked him in the back. He only shifted slightly, making what he hoped was a convincing sleep-grunt. He took several deep breaths without feeling anything new. Was it still there? Perhaps it noticed he was awake. Perhaps it had gone to fetch more. He felt his heart sinking. Perhaps he should just open his eyes to see if it was there?

A drop fell on his face. He thrust himself up, grabbed it with his right hand, threw the safety harness over its head and held on tight.

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This is part 10 read part 1 here: 
http://abolg.wordpress.com/2012/02/22/moving-forwards-part-1/

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by W. R. Woolf on March 30, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Short Story, Stories
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Posted by W. R. Woolf on March 30, 2012

http://abolg.wordpress.com/2012/03/30/moving-forwards-part-10/

Moving Forwards part 1

‘Almost,’ Rodger shouted against the wind, his cold fingers clutching the aluminium rungs of the rope ladder growing numb.

Frederick cupped his ear with one hand. He looked so small all the way up there.

‘Never mind,’ said Rodger, but the wind drowned his voice. He looked down on the white stones below. They looked like a path, about three or four metres wide and on each side, water, as far as the eye could see.

From the dimension machine where Frederick still sat, they had been able to see more. Further down the path there seemed to be more land, perhaps a string of islands. His safety harness was uncomfortably tight. He craned his neck to look down the path, as he clicked himself out of the safety line. 

A strong gust made the rope ladder buckle like a rodeo bull. Rodger’s fingers slipped. And he fell. He twisted in the air, reached the stones below thigh first and cried out as the pain shot up his leg.

He did not know if he was better or worse off having landed on the stones. Perhaps better, he could not see what was below the water. He lay still on his side and felt his leg carefully with one hand. It was sore, but there did not seem to be any broken bones.

Gingerly he rose to his feet and looked up. The rope ladder was thrashing about in the wind.Frederickwas waving at him, his face paler than usual. Rodger gave him the thumbs up. Frederick shouted something. Rodger pointed to his ears and shrugged his shoulders. Frederick made the wait sign and disappeared into the dimension machine.

The machine looked like a hole in the sky and was equally impossible to manoeuvre. This would have been so much easier if they had just been able to land the thing.

Frederick came back with a whiteboard. In large letters he wrote:

‘Are you still up to exploring?’

Rodger gave another thumbs up.

‘You sure I shouldn’t see your leg?’

‘Sometimes you sound like my mother,’ muttered Rodger as he gave an exaggerated nod. Then he pointed down the path. ‘I’ll just go down to the first island,’ he said.

‘I’ll lower down some provisions,’ wrote Frederick, ‘wait there.’

Rodger tapped his foot as Frederick disappeared from view again. It wasn’t as if he was going out on a large expedition. He would be back before dark and sleep in the machine, no worries.

Frederick reappeared with a basket clipped onto a steel wire. He put it over the edge and sat back to lower it down slowly. When the basket neared him, Rodger placed himself underneath and reached up his arms to receive it.

The hole in the sky flickered out of existence for a split-second and the basket plumped onto Rodger’s head. Then forty metres of rope ladder added its weight to the basket and Rodger’s legs buckled underneath him.

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by W. R. Woolf on February 22, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Short Story, Stories
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Posted by W. R. Woolf on February 22, 2012

http://abolg.wordpress.com/2012/02/22/moving-forwards-part-1/

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