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September 8, 2008
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Creative Challenge Response -- Silverbow Pt. !
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Creative Challenge Response -- Silverbow Pt. !
http://www.aarp.org/community/groups/displayTopic.bt?groupId=11001&topicId=4322342
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snuz said:
on September 20, 2009 10:27 PM ET
edited on September 20, 2009 11:19 PM ET Hi Dee, I accept your challenge from Aug 9. But this is not an entire story--just a teaser. Enjoy! Snuz Silverbow
Part 1
The lizard basked, eyes partly closed, on a granite boulder near the logging road. The air smelled of nettles growing a few yards away along the damp margins lining the rutted roadbed. The morning had been cool, and here at the bottom of a steep hill water still pooled from rain the day before. But the boulder was absorbing warmth from the sun that finally reappeared, providing a perfect place for the lizard to digest his breakfast.
An iridescent green beetle clattered by, landing with a snap of its carapace on the other side of the rock. The lizard opened one eye. The beetle was almost a third of his size, and the lizard was not particularly hungry, but he repositioned himself to take advantage of the opportunity, facing toward the beetle slightly. The beetle took flight and whirred away toward the trees.
The sound of an engine revving, gears grinding and the growl of gravel spitting out from under tires could be heard approaching from the top of the hill. A battered Subaru came shimmying down the slope. Apparently the driver had been surprised by the steepness of the slope and was having trouble controlling his descent. The car came down the rutted road too fast, careening to avoid the deeper holes and larger rocks, but failing to slow enough to maneuver the sharp curve and dip at the bottom of the hill. The lizard sensed the impending collision and scurried to safety as the car fishtailed to strike the boulder, smacking hard along the passenger door and rear quarter.
For a moment the car, boulder and surrounding brush were all covered by the dust cloud that had followed the vehicle. The dust settled into silence, as if the surrounding forest were holding its breath, waiting to see what would happen next.
A grinding complaint of metal accompanied the slow opening of the driver’s door. Then a tennis-shoed foot and length of faded denim emerged to brace against the solid ground. “Whoo hoo! What a ride!”
The young man, barely more than a boy, stood carefully and shook dust from his straight dark hair, and brushed it off his t-shirt. “Come on out this way,” he called to his passenger still inside. A girl, about nine or ten years old, crawled across the front seats and gingerly turned around to step backward out of the driver’s door. She was also in tennis shoes and jeans, wearing a pink hoody. She had straight dark hair similar to the driver’s, and when she stood next to him looking at the car their stances were almost identical.
“That hill was kind of a surprise, huh?” The young man, clearly her older brother, nudged her playfully. She nodded, silent, serious. Then she pointed to a dark stain oozing from under the car. “Jake, look. There’s something dripping.”
Her brother squatted down for a better look. “Musta put a hole in the oil pan. That’s not good.” Jake started to walk around the car as well as he could, noting a bent wheel, crushed parts of the rear door and door frame.
“Does that mean we’re stuck here?”
“No. Well, yeah, kinda. I mean, there are lots of people out this way on weekends. I’m sure someone will come along.”
“I thought you said we were taking a short cut. I don’t think anyone else comes this way. I think you got us stranded.”
“Well, you have your cell phone, don’t you? Why don’t you see if you can get a signal?”
“What good will that do? Who could we call? We don’t know where we are?”
“I know where we are. I think we’re close to Silverbow. We can get there and see if someone can come give us a tow.”
“I thought Silverbow was a ghost town.”
“Everyone calls it a ghost town, but it’s not really. People live there now. I guess it was abandoned for a while. But when I was there with Uncle Nate a few years ago it had a restaurant and a hotel and stuff. And there’s some hunting lodge around here. Uncle Nate said there’s still some prospectors out here looking for gold and silver. We’ll find some help in no time.
“Why don’t you get your stuff out of the car? Hand me my jacket. We’ll just take a walk up road and see what we find.”
The girl hesitated. She looked around, taking in the apparent isolation of this place, the thick border of stinging nettles lining the dirt road, the dark and forbidding evergreens beyond.
“C’mon Squirt, we’ll be okay. We’ll be home by dinner time.”
She climbed into the car, retrieving her small back pack and a crocheted hat. Reaching behind the seat, she yanked a denim jacket out from where it was wedged between the seats and then backed out through the open driver’s door.
Squirt watched as Jake shrugged into his jacket. Suddenly she felt something whiz past her shoulder and ducked instinctively. Bits of rock exploded off the boulder as a bullet slammed into it.
Jake put one hand on her back and pulled her down to the dirt as he flung himself face down next to her.
After a few moments of silence, Jake looked up. Then he put a brave grin on his face for his sister's benefit. “Now, that was strange…”
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4
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Post #4
on September 22, 2009 04:26 AM ET
That sounds very encurageing and if you like that I will post more world list and hope it catches on.
Dee
Reply to Post
Post #3
on September 21, 2009 10:29 AM ET
Just realized that I logged in as a different member than I did in prior posts a few months ago.
"Snuz" and "Snuzcook" are the same ME. I just misplaced my current log in. Oops!
A rose by any other name....?
Post #2
on September 21, 2009 10:23 AM ET
edited on September 21, 2009 10:34 AM ET
edited on September 21, 2009 10:34 AM ET
I'm sorry you need to ask if I wrote this. Yes. I wrote it in response to your post yesterday--that is, I wrote it yesterday in response to your post from August 9 giving us some words to write a story around.
I haven't written any more of it yet. And I actually have no idea how the story will proceed. But when I do I will post it.
Thanks for giving me some words to write around--it was fun!
Snuz
Post #1
dw6831
said:
on September 21, 2009 12:35 AM ET
Did you write this or is it from someone else.
Either way it is still a good start and may we see the rest of the story?
Dee
