Monday, May 27, 2013

Prompt: Cobra, rifle, blue, harp, pteranodon (use at least 3 of these)


Sandra slowly pulled her pad from her knapsack, thumbing to the music and flicking into the classical selections. She tapped into one without looking and recognized Carlos Salzedo’s harp concerto. She slid the pad slowly onto the leaf litter, then pulled her hand back to her side. The king cobra hadn’t moved from its initial coiled striking pose, but as the harp tones filled the air, it began to sway, first its head bobbing up and down, then undulations down its neck and body, until it lost its coil form and lay writhing in pleasure on the ground.

Sandra stood and stepped back, then pulled the pad towards her with the toe of her boot. She took a couple of steps farther away before she bent to retrieve it. The cobra was still moving in time to the music, and she briefly wondered whether it would follow the sound, but it didn’t seem to notice as she continued backing away.

Sandra turned and almost walked into the man standing in the center of the trail, his rifle still pointed at the cobra. She shoved him away in irritation. “Honestly, Jason! I have it under control, thank you. Now get the hell out of my jungle, will you?”

He grinned and slung the rifle behind his back, turning to walk next to her. “Well, technically, it’s not a jungle,” was his only comment.

She growled and he laughed. She tried not to notice his flashing blue eyes or the dimple she used to kiss on his cheek. “I was quoting Livingston. And you know damn well that according to the Chief Minister of Karnataka, the Nilgiri Reserve is, in effect, mine. What are you doing here, anyway?”

“You mean other than watching you charm king cobras? Nicely done, by the way. I remember taking you to that Salzedo anniversary concert.”

Sandra shook her head. She remembered it too, and she didn’t want to. “Jason,” she growled again. “What are you doing here?”

He stopped suddenly, and she swung around to face him. All the humor was gone from his face. She felt a shiver of unease.

“They’re going to do it, Sandy. They’re going to activate the protocol.”

Sandra felt her heart constrict. She took a slow, deep breath to keep the panic at bay. “Where?” she whispered.

Aldabra.”

She paled but didn’t say a word, just turned and started walking back to her camp. He didn’t follow right away.

“What are you doing, Sandy?” he called.

“What do you think? I’m going,” she said without slowing her stride.

“I have a plane ready to go,” he offered. She did stop this time and looked back at him, considering. She nodded once and continued walking away.

Jason smiled grimly and tapped the comm button on his watch. “Mission accomplished. I’m bringing her in.”

Dogs in house:
Houdini, Brindle


Music:
Sarah Chang: Selections


Time writing:
~40 minutes, including Google time


May word count:
16,851

1 comment:

  1. Prompt: Cobra, rifle, blue, harp, pteranodon (use at least 3 of these)


    The blue plastic pteranodon rattled on the shelf, then fell. I squinted into the darkened lab. Was someone in there? I could hear the rest of my unit behind me, going through the front offices, but I was alone. Barney's unit should have been ahead of us, but there was no sign of them.

    I gripped by plasma rifle tighter. "Corporal Stenner, checking in," I subvocalized. "There might be someone in the labs."

    "Barney and his lads are back there, Georgia," Chief Comerland said.

    "No sign of them," I replied.

    "What?"

    I could go back, but that had never been my style. I siddled to the door, aiming my rifle into the room, and patted for a light switch to the right of the frame. The lights flickered on, old fashioned florescents.

    Huddled in the centre of the room was someone in a white lab coat. He turned to face me. "Please," he said, in a tone far meeker than I would expect from a mad scientist.

    A head peered around from behind his legs. Then another. And another. Children?


    Time writing: 15 minutes

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