Post by Linda Rhaldeen on Dec 31, 2008 20:32:26 GMT -5
Hey, Songbird. Here’s the story I promised you. The first part, anyway; it’ll be multiple chapters. I actually came up with the idea for it months ago, but being your secret santa gave me the motivation I needed to quit procrastinating and actually start to write this thing. Disclaimer: I borrowed heavily from the plot of a popular book/movie, the title of which I’m not going to mention just yet because I hope to diverge from it quite a bit as the story progresses.
DONG.
The bell tolled loudly, proclaiming its message for all to hear. It went silent for a few seconds, as if taking a deep breath, and then renewed its brassy peal. DONG. DONG. DONG.
Songbird looked up from her work, smiling slightly as she heard the bell’s deep bass voice. She knew that it signaled the last call for passengers aboard the ferry for that day, and that soon the great machine would take to the skies and soar away to destinations unknown. One day she would hear that bell from inside the walls of the ferry and be gone from this place. But not today. She bent down again and renewed her work, scrubbing the large wooden countertop till it shone.
A few seconds later, a thundering of frantic feet could be heard, and two guests appeared panting at the foot of the stairs. One was shoeless and was pulling on some socks, and the other had lather all over his face. “That wasn’t the ferry bell, was it?” The soapy one asked. “Only we were hoping to catch it this morning…oh no…”
“I’m afraid you’ll have to wait until tomorrow and catch the next one,” Songbird’s aunt, Dear Dairy, said from the kitchen. She came into the room, concern on her face, and began to wipe the soapy one’s face with her apron. “It’s Sixteen, isn’t it?” she asked. “And…” turning to the other, whose feet were now fully clad, “…Willis. I’m sorry, lads.”
In this remote town, the only real way out was by the ferry. The rocky cliffsides that made up the surrounding area were far too dangerous to cross by land. And sure, the occasional merchant vessel would come, but they were too unpredictable to count on. The ferry departed every day without fail at 8 am.
Not that many people came in on the ferry. Visitors were few and far between, and it was all the two of them could do to get enough money to pay the bills at the inn they ran. As Songbird watched Dear Dairy fuss over the two young men and get them their breakfast, she saw sympathy in her aunt’s eyes, but also thinly disguised relief that they would be paying for another night’s lodgings.
After breakfast, Songbird watched the two guests curiously. They had come in late the evening before, soaked and shivering from the thunderstorm that had raged on through the night. Their eyes had darted around wildly, as though they were being hunted by unseen creatures. This morning they were calmer and more cheerful, though it was obvious they were upset at missing the ferry, and Willis kept jumping at sudden noises.
“So, where are you two from?” she asked Sixteen, always eager to learn about the outside world.
“Um, nowhere special,” he said vaguely. “We’re just a couple of boring people going to a boring destination and carrying nothing of consequence. Just forget about us.”
Songbird frowned. “No, really, you can’t be that boring. If you want to talk about boring, look at me. I’ve spent my whole life here. You’ve been out traveling, exploring, you know, adventurous stuff.”
Willis laughed uneasily. “You make it sound a lot more glamorous than it really is. But you know, I feel like I can trust you to keep a secret. Here’s what we’re really doing.” He quickly scanned the room to make sure no one else was there, then bent down close to Songbird’s ear and dropped his voice to a whisper. “We’re on the run.”
“Wow! Seriously?” Songbird exclaimed, and Sixteen hissed at her to be quiet. “Sorry,” she said more quietly. “What for, though?”
“Oh, you’re better off not knowing,” Willis said cryptically. “The people who’re after us…really nasty lot, them. No, tomorrow we’ll be out of here and you’ll forget all about us.”
“Well, isn’t there anything I can do to help?”
“The best thing you can do is to wake us up early tomorrow so we can be on our way. Still…” he hesitated, as if making up his mind, and then shrugged and continued. “If for some reason the, the people turn up at your doorstep looking for us, we were never here. And here,” he said, taking a small wrapped box out of his coat pocket. “Maybe you better take this. It’s important that this doesn’t fall into the wrong hands.”
Sixteen gasped and tried to take the box away. “You idiot! We barely know this girl, and you’re trusting her with that? Why don’t we just quit now, then, while we’re at it?”
“That’s exactly what they’ll be thinking though, don’t you see?” Willis asked, putting the box in Songbird’s hands. “They’ll never suspect her, they’ll assume we’ll want to keep it on our person at all times…”
“Yeah, because we DO want to keep it with us at all times!” Sixteen interjected.
“You know what, this is mine, I’m going to do what I want with it,” Willis said angrily. He turned back to Songbird. “Keep it safe for us. I’ll take it back before we leave tomorrow morning.”
Songbird nodded and went to her room. She pulled a wooden chest out from under her bed and unlocked it. Then she wrapped the small box in one of her blankets and locked it all up inside the chest. It would be safe there.
Soon it was time to do chores again, and Songbird was so busy she completely forgot about the box. She weeded the garden, did the laundry, fixed a clock, and was just finishing some stew for supper when there was a loud knocking at the door.
“Visitors two days in a row?” Dear Dairy asked, bustling over to the door. “All right, all right! I hear you, I’m coming!” she shouted, because the knocking had become more violent, as though the visitors would rather break down the door than request an entrance. She did not notice that Sixteen and Willis had frozen with fear. Songbird did, though, and motioned silently for them to come into the kitchen and out the back door. As they stood up to come, though, one exceptionally violent slam burst the door off its hinges, leaving the crowd of angry visitors in plain view.
“Well, well, well,” the leader of the group said, smiling nastily. “Fancy meeting you here, Sixteen and Willis.”
The two of them gulped.
DONG.
The bell tolled loudly, proclaiming its message for all to hear. It went silent for a few seconds, as if taking a deep breath, and then renewed its brassy peal. DONG. DONG. DONG.
Songbird looked up from her work, smiling slightly as she heard the bell’s deep bass voice. She knew that it signaled the last call for passengers aboard the ferry for that day, and that soon the great machine would take to the skies and soar away to destinations unknown. One day she would hear that bell from inside the walls of the ferry and be gone from this place. But not today. She bent down again and renewed her work, scrubbing the large wooden countertop till it shone.
A few seconds later, a thundering of frantic feet could be heard, and two guests appeared panting at the foot of the stairs. One was shoeless and was pulling on some socks, and the other had lather all over his face. “That wasn’t the ferry bell, was it?” The soapy one asked. “Only we were hoping to catch it this morning…oh no…”
“I’m afraid you’ll have to wait until tomorrow and catch the next one,” Songbird’s aunt, Dear Dairy, said from the kitchen. She came into the room, concern on her face, and began to wipe the soapy one’s face with her apron. “It’s Sixteen, isn’t it?” she asked. “And…” turning to the other, whose feet were now fully clad, “…Willis. I’m sorry, lads.”
In this remote town, the only real way out was by the ferry. The rocky cliffsides that made up the surrounding area were far too dangerous to cross by land. And sure, the occasional merchant vessel would come, but they were too unpredictable to count on. The ferry departed every day without fail at 8 am.
Not that many people came in on the ferry. Visitors were few and far between, and it was all the two of them could do to get enough money to pay the bills at the inn they ran. As Songbird watched Dear Dairy fuss over the two young men and get them their breakfast, she saw sympathy in her aunt’s eyes, but also thinly disguised relief that they would be paying for another night’s lodgings.
After breakfast, Songbird watched the two guests curiously. They had come in late the evening before, soaked and shivering from the thunderstorm that had raged on through the night. Their eyes had darted around wildly, as though they were being hunted by unseen creatures. This morning they were calmer and more cheerful, though it was obvious they were upset at missing the ferry, and Willis kept jumping at sudden noises.
“So, where are you two from?” she asked Sixteen, always eager to learn about the outside world.
“Um, nowhere special,” he said vaguely. “We’re just a couple of boring people going to a boring destination and carrying nothing of consequence. Just forget about us.”
Songbird frowned. “No, really, you can’t be that boring. If you want to talk about boring, look at me. I’ve spent my whole life here. You’ve been out traveling, exploring, you know, adventurous stuff.”
Willis laughed uneasily. “You make it sound a lot more glamorous than it really is. But you know, I feel like I can trust you to keep a secret. Here’s what we’re really doing.” He quickly scanned the room to make sure no one else was there, then bent down close to Songbird’s ear and dropped his voice to a whisper. “We’re on the run.”
“Wow! Seriously?” Songbird exclaimed, and Sixteen hissed at her to be quiet. “Sorry,” she said more quietly. “What for, though?”
“Oh, you’re better off not knowing,” Willis said cryptically. “The people who’re after us…really nasty lot, them. No, tomorrow we’ll be out of here and you’ll forget all about us.”
“Well, isn’t there anything I can do to help?”
“The best thing you can do is to wake us up early tomorrow so we can be on our way. Still…” he hesitated, as if making up his mind, and then shrugged and continued. “If for some reason the, the people turn up at your doorstep looking for us, we were never here. And here,” he said, taking a small wrapped box out of his coat pocket. “Maybe you better take this. It’s important that this doesn’t fall into the wrong hands.”
Sixteen gasped and tried to take the box away. “You idiot! We barely know this girl, and you’re trusting her with that? Why don’t we just quit now, then, while we’re at it?”
“That’s exactly what they’ll be thinking though, don’t you see?” Willis asked, putting the box in Songbird’s hands. “They’ll never suspect her, they’ll assume we’ll want to keep it on our person at all times…”
“Yeah, because we DO want to keep it with us at all times!” Sixteen interjected.
“You know what, this is mine, I’m going to do what I want with it,” Willis said angrily. He turned back to Songbird. “Keep it safe for us. I’ll take it back before we leave tomorrow morning.”
Songbird nodded and went to her room. She pulled a wooden chest out from under her bed and unlocked it. Then she wrapped the small box in one of her blankets and locked it all up inside the chest. It would be safe there.
Soon it was time to do chores again, and Songbird was so busy she completely forgot about the box. She weeded the garden, did the laundry, fixed a clock, and was just finishing some stew for supper when there was a loud knocking at the door.
“Visitors two days in a row?” Dear Dairy asked, bustling over to the door. “All right, all right! I hear you, I’m coming!” she shouted, because the knocking had become more violent, as though the visitors would rather break down the door than request an entrance. She did not notice that Sixteen and Willis had frozen with fear. Songbird did, though, and motioned silently for them to come into the kitchen and out the back door. As they stood up to come, though, one exceptionally violent slam burst the door off its hinges, leaving the crowd of angry visitors in plain view.
“Well, well, well,” the leader of the group said, smiling nastily. “Fancy meeting you here, Sixteen and Willis.”
The two of them gulped.