The Man in the Tree (PL)
Title: The Man in the Tree
Fandom: Professor Layton
Rating: PG
Word Count: 646
Genre: Humor, Crossover
Disclaimer: I don't own Professor Layton. Or his top-hat of awesome.
Teaser: Luke couldn’t believe it. There was no way that he really saw that. Was there?
Trailing after his mentor into the jungle was, as always, a very interesting endeavor. Luke enjoyed both aspects of his apprentice status with the good Professor: the puzzle solving detective work, and the archaeological detective work. The boy had a very strong love of putting different pieces and clues together to find that elusive answer, whether it be a simple riddle or a sweeping mystery of some ancient, long dead civilization.
It was for this reason that he was now tromping after Layton through the thick foliage of the rain forest in search of an excavation site. They had found something there, and wanted the expert’s opinion on all of it. So off they went into the unknown, hacking their way through trees that seemed determined to actively grab onto them and pull them back and halt their progress.
Fortunately, Professor Layton was proving to be no slouch with a machete.
After a while and a victory over a particularly stubborn branch, Luke couldn’t keep himself from chuckling, though it actually came out more like a giggle. “You show that tree who’s boss, Professor.”
It was official, he decided: the heat was finally getting to him.
Layton glanced back over his shoulder at his apprentice, giving him an odd look. His next words unknowingly gave credence to one of Luke’s private suspicions regarding his mentor and said mentor’s potential ability to read minds. “Luke, are you feeling all right, my boy?” He turned back completely. “Perhaps we should stop for a moment?”
“If you say so,” Luke said, examining a nearby rock carefully before taking a seat on it. He looked around at the surrounding scenery. “It’s really pretty out here. Except for all the mosquitos,” he was forced to amend with a slight yelp as he swatted one of the aforementioned insects on his arm.
“There are plenty of things in this world that you will never see sitting around in an office, Luke,” Layton said knowingly. “And you will never learn as much by studying in a classroom as you will by going out and seeing all these things.”
Luke smiled. “This is definitely better than school!”
But as he was looking around, up towards the dense jungle canopy, he thought he saw something move. Luke frowned and studied the spot carefully. There! There it was again! Someone, or rather something, was up there watching them from the high branches in the trees.
He stood up, barely hearing Layton’s inquisitive, “Luke?” And he kept his eyes on that spot.
…was that…
…a person?
For a moment, Luke would have sworn up and down that he saw a man in the tree, bent and stooped over, with his weight resting on his hands like gorillas did in pictures the boy had seen, and studying them with a curious intent identical to Luke’s from behind very long hair.
A hand clapped down on Luke’s shoulder, and he instinctively jumped and turned to face Layton. “Luke, what in the world are you staring at?” the professor asked.
“I saw something up there!” Luke said, pointing towards the spot where he had seen the strange man. But unsurprisingly, there was nothing there. There was no sign that anyone or anything had been there at all. “But…I saw it, Professor. Honest, I did. It looked like a man!”
“I’m sure you did see something, my boy,” Layton said. “It was probably a monkey or some such thing. There are plenty of them out here. Now come, I’m sure we’re almost to the site.”
Luke glanced back up at the treetops one more time before he sighed and followed Layton as they blazed a trail through the dense greenery. Strange, though. As they walked away, he could have sworn he heard a loud yell that sounded nothing like a monkey. Almost like a yodel, except not quite.
How very odd.
PS. Yes, I stuck Tarzan into a Layton story. I BLAME maskalade BECAUSE SHE ENABLED THIS.
Fandom: Professor Layton
Rating: PG
Word Count: 646
Genre: Humor, Crossover
Disclaimer: I don't own Professor Layton. Or his top-hat of awesome.
Teaser: Luke couldn’t believe it. There was no way that he really saw that. Was there?
Trailing after his mentor into the jungle was, as always, a very interesting endeavor. Luke enjoyed both aspects of his apprentice status with the good Professor: the puzzle solving detective work, and the archaeological detective work. The boy had a very strong love of putting different pieces and clues together to find that elusive answer, whether it be a simple riddle or a sweeping mystery of some ancient, long dead civilization.
It was for this reason that he was now tromping after Layton through the thick foliage of the rain forest in search of an excavation site. They had found something there, and wanted the expert’s opinion on all of it. So off they went into the unknown, hacking their way through trees that seemed determined to actively grab onto them and pull them back and halt their progress.
Fortunately, Professor Layton was proving to be no slouch with a machete.
After a while and a victory over a particularly stubborn branch, Luke couldn’t keep himself from chuckling, though it actually came out more like a giggle. “You show that tree who’s boss, Professor.”
It was official, he decided: the heat was finally getting to him.
Layton glanced back over his shoulder at his apprentice, giving him an odd look. His next words unknowingly gave credence to one of Luke’s private suspicions regarding his mentor and said mentor’s potential ability to read minds. “Luke, are you feeling all right, my boy?” He turned back completely. “Perhaps we should stop for a moment?”
“If you say so,” Luke said, examining a nearby rock carefully before taking a seat on it. He looked around at the surrounding scenery. “It’s really pretty out here. Except for all the mosquitos,” he was forced to amend with a slight yelp as he swatted one of the aforementioned insects on his arm.
“There are plenty of things in this world that you will never see sitting around in an office, Luke,” Layton said knowingly. “And you will never learn as much by studying in a classroom as you will by going out and seeing all these things.”
Luke smiled. “This is definitely better than school!”
But as he was looking around, up towards the dense jungle canopy, he thought he saw something move. Luke frowned and studied the spot carefully. There! There it was again! Someone, or rather something, was up there watching them from the high branches in the trees.
He stood up, barely hearing Layton’s inquisitive, “Luke?” And he kept his eyes on that spot.
…was that…
…a person?
For a moment, Luke would have sworn up and down that he saw a man in the tree, bent and stooped over, with his weight resting on his hands like gorillas did in pictures the boy had seen, and studying them with a curious intent identical to Luke’s from behind very long hair.
A hand clapped down on Luke’s shoulder, and he instinctively jumped and turned to face Layton. “Luke, what in the world are you staring at?” the professor asked.
“I saw something up there!” Luke said, pointing towards the spot where he had seen the strange man. But unsurprisingly, there was nothing there. There was no sign that anyone or anything had been there at all. “But…I saw it, Professor. Honest, I did. It looked like a man!”
“I’m sure you did see something, my boy,” Layton said. “It was probably a monkey or some such thing. There are plenty of them out here. Now come, I’m sure we’re almost to the site.”
Luke glanced back up at the treetops one more time before he sighed and followed Layton as they blazed a trail through the dense greenery. Strange, though. As they walked away, he could have sworn he heard a loud yell that sounded nothing like a monkey. Almost like a yodel, except not quite.
How very odd.
PS. Yes, I stuck Tarzan into a Layton story. I BLAME maskalade BECAUSE SHE ENABLED THIS.