![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
naughty-bangles.livejournal.com posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
tamingthemuseTitle: Boulder
Word Count: 654
Prompt #481 Boulder
The brakes screeched and the car stopped a couple of inches in front of the giant piece of rock that was blocking the road.
“What the - ?”, I cursed, still grasping the wheel like a lifeline.
On the seat beside me, Jo stretched lazily and opened an eye.
“What’s happening?”, she asked, straightening herself up. Her eyes were still sleepily half-shut, another sign of the carelessness her luxuriant lifestyle had brought her. If we had been attacked, she would already be toast.
“Have a look yourself”, I replied. “You can’t miss it.”
Indeed, the rock that had fallen on the road - just behind a turn, because, of course - was hard to miss, if only because it took the entire width of the way. With a cliff on one side, and an abyss on the other, it was really inconvenient.
“It is quite inconvenient”, Joanna echoed, her voice even. She hadn’t been up long enough to let annoyance filtered in her voice.
“Would you happen to have a spell or a mantra that could be useful for that?”, I asked. I wasn’t convinced I would get a positive answer, but it was worth a try. Jo had some nasty tricks up her sleeve.
“Not a spell, no”, she replied, “but with the right ingredients, I could blow the whole thing up in not time”. She was getting moody. She didn’t like it when she couldn’t show off her magic and save the day.
“Regular humans can do that too, you know”, I replied, eyeing her sideways to judge her reaction. “They are even pretty good at it.”
She stiffened in her seat. “Well, good for them. Now, are you going to turn around and make us actually move, or are we to stay here and stare at the Mighty Big Boulder for all day?”
I chuckled at her vexed tone, but didn’t add anything as I moved the car. There wasn’t much space to turn over, but after a long, long moment, I managed to get us moving toward the place we had just left. All we could hope was that Gemma would be able to house us while the road was being deblocked, or better, that she would have a solution to have us live the place quickly. As much as I liked the mountains, Joanna and I had work to do that couldn’t be delayed for too long. And, unlike me, Jo hated the mountains and was very vocal about it. Being stuck up here would be an unpleasant adventure for both of us.
After half an hour of ascending and descending turns, I stopped the car before Gemma’s front porch, as she was going out, holding her cardigan shut with her crossed arms.
“I’ve heard about the rock sliding”, she said, while Joanna and I exited the car. “That’s the kind of things that happens, up here.”
Joanna winced but refrained from commenting.
“You often have a single big rock blocking the entire path?”, I asked, a bit surprised. I had imagined several rocks falling on the road would be quite common, but I had never seen such a big single piece.
Gemma frowned.
“Only one? Kerry didn’t say anything about that. That’s curious.”
“If you want my opinion, it looks like someone doesn’t want us to leave the mountain”, Joanna said then, more seriously than I had expected.
“I don’t see any player in this game that would go as far as move a giant piece of mountain to stop us”, I replied, even if I was beginning to feel the same way.
“Maybe there is a player we haven’t heard of yet”, Jo commented, somewhat defeated. I winced. That idea didn’t make me happy at all. Gemma looked at us with a hint of pity.
“I’m getting tired to be chased around by psycho”, Joanna finally said, and she walked toward the house. I didn’t even need to mutter my agreement.
Word Count: 654
Prompt #481 Boulder
The brakes screeched and the car stopped a couple of inches in front of the giant piece of rock that was blocking the road.
“What the - ?”, I cursed, still grasping the wheel like a lifeline.
On the seat beside me, Jo stretched lazily and opened an eye.
“What’s happening?”, she asked, straightening herself up. Her eyes were still sleepily half-shut, another sign of the carelessness her luxuriant lifestyle had brought her. If we had been attacked, she would already be toast.
“Have a look yourself”, I replied. “You can’t miss it.”
Indeed, the rock that had fallen on the road - just behind a turn, because, of course - was hard to miss, if only because it took the entire width of the way. With a cliff on one side, and an abyss on the other, it was really inconvenient.
“It is quite inconvenient”, Joanna echoed, her voice even. She hadn’t been up long enough to let annoyance filtered in her voice.
“Would you happen to have a spell or a mantra that could be useful for that?”, I asked. I wasn’t convinced I would get a positive answer, but it was worth a try. Jo had some nasty tricks up her sleeve.
“Not a spell, no”, she replied, “but with the right ingredients, I could blow the whole thing up in not time”. She was getting moody. She didn’t like it when she couldn’t show off her magic and save the day.
“Regular humans can do that too, you know”, I replied, eyeing her sideways to judge her reaction. “They are even pretty good at it.”
She stiffened in her seat. “Well, good for them. Now, are you going to turn around and make us actually move, or are we to stay here and stare at the Mighty Big Boulder for all day?”
I chuckled at her vexed tone, but didn’t add anything as I moved the car. There wasn’t much space to turn over, but after a long, long moment, I managed to get us moving toward the place we had just left. All we could hope was that Gemma would be able to house us while the road was being deblocked, or better, that she would have a solution to have us live the place quickly. As much as I liked the mountains, Joanna and I had work to do that couldn’t be delayed for too long. And, unlike me, Jo hated the mountains and was very vocal about it. Being stuck up here would be an unpleasant adventure for both of us.
After half an hour of ascending and descending turns, I stopped the car before Gemma’s front porch, as she was going out, holding her cardigan shut with her crossed arms.
“I’ve heard about the rock sliding”, she said, while Joanna and I exited the car. “That’s the kind of things that happens, up here.”
Joanna winced but refrained from commenting.
“You often have a single big rock blocking the entire path?”, I asked, a bit surprised. I had imagined several rocks falling on the road would be quite common, but I had never seen such a big single piece.
Gemma frowned.
“Only one? Kerry didn’t say anything about that. That’s curious.”
“If you want my opinion, it looks like someone doesn’t want us to leave the mountain”, Joanna said then, more seriously than I had expected.
“I don’t see any player in this game that would go as far as move a giant piece of mountain to stop us”, I replied, even if I was beginning to feel the same way.
“Maybe there is a player we haven’t heard of yet”, Jo commented, somewhat defeated. I winced. That idea didn’t make me happy at all. Gemma looked at us with a hint of pity.
“I’m getting tired to be chased around by psycho”, Joanna finally said, and she walked toward the house. I didn’t even need to mutter my agreement.
