Myshuno! 2012 - piece 19
Title: A Hero's Reward.
Prompt: Stanley's first kiss (peasant007)
Rating: PG.
Spoiler rating: 0/10.
Summary: Stanley plays the hero..
Notes: I don't really have anything to say apart from I'd forgotten how much fun it is to write young Stanley.
Word Count:828.
It was a lazy summer day and twelve year old Stanley Legacy had spent most of it fishing in the river that passed on the northern side of the village. He had invited both Theo and Eddie along too, but they had been both been busy and so he had shouldered his rod and headed off on his own. Not that he had minded of course; he quite liked to spend time on this own, thinking about this and that and just what he wanted to do with his life. That had been a line of thought that was taking up quite a bit of his time lately. He was fast approaching his thirteenth birthday, and the teachers at the Board School, not to mention his parents, had started telling him that he would soon have to give thought to whether or not he wanted to continue his education. So he was mulling it over and how disappointed his father would be if he decided to jack in school, when he heard a scream, followed by a splash.
Throwing his rod down, he sprang to his feet and searched frantically for the source of the noise. He found it when he spotted splashing about fifty feet downriver. He set off at a run, leaping over tangles of tree roots as he rushed to the unfortunate’s aid. When he drew close, he looked first for a downed branch to reach out towards them, but he soon realised that there was none long enough nearby. Without pausing to think more, he wrenched off his boots and slid down the bank into the water. As he got closer, and into the deeper water, he realised that the person he was swimming towards was a girl, not much older than himself, and that she was being weighed down by her sodden clothes. She was barely keeping her head above water when he reached her, and so he grabbed hold of her under her arms (only narrowly missing being struck by her flailing limbs) and set off to the nearest bank with strong confident strokes. He slipped as he struggled to pull the exhausted girl up the bank, but once he was sure she was not going to slide back into the water, he too collapsed as he tried to get his breath back.
Eventually his panting subsided enough for him to be able to sit up and take a good look at the girl he had rescued. His initial estimates as to her age looked to be correct and she had long russet hair, a cure upturned nose, delicate cheekbones and full red lips. Her eyes fluttered open, and when she turned her pale green gaze on him, he felt acutely embarrassed that he had been staring at her, taking stock of her features. “What the bloody hell were you playing at?” he shouted, partly to detract from that embarrassment. “Can you even swim?”
She blinked at him, taken aback and struggled to sit up. “I was picking the early berries and never expected to fall in. It was not something I was planning you know.”
“So you cannot swim?”
The girl paused. “No.”
Stanley shook his head. “Then you are bloody lucky that I was nearby, otherwise you could have drowned.”
The girl seemed to deflate in front of him. “I know,” she whispered. “You saved my life.”
Stanley gave a soft snort. He supposed he had. He couldn’t wait to tell Theo and Eddie about it.
“I could be dead now if it wasn’t for you.”
“You could. Perhaps next time you will think about that before you…” He didn’t get chance to finish his sentence. Before he knew what was happening, the girl had leant across and planted a kiss on his lips.
“What was that for!” cried Stanley leaning back.
“A thank you,” stated the girl very matter of factly. “We have just established that you saved my life. A kiss is the only thing I can give you to show my gratitude.”
“But, but it is not seemly for a girl to go around kissing people she does not know!” Even as Stanley stuttered at her impropriety, he couldn’t stop thinking about how, although the two of them were soaking wet, her lips had been warm and soft and their contact had made his heart beat faster.
The girl blinked rapidly and looked away from him. “I am sorry you think so poorly of me. I wished only to convey my gratitude for your kind…” She broke off in a sob. Stanley looked at her in consternation. He hated to see anyone in distress, and seeing a pretty girl so distressed because of him, was almost more than he could bear. He swallowed and moved closer to her, putting his arms around her. She turned into his embrace and before he knew what she was doing, her lips found his again. This time, he didn’t pull back.
Prompt: Stanley's first kiss (peasant007)
Rating: PG.
Spoiler rating: 0/10.
Summary: Stanley plays the hero..
Notes: I don't really have anything to say apart from I'd forgotten how much fun it is to write young Stanley.
Word Count:828.
It was a lazy summer day and twelve year old Stanley Legacy had spent most of it fishing in the river that passed on the northern side of the village. He had invited both Theo and Eddie along too, but they had been both been busy and so he had shouldered his rod and headed off on his own. Not that he had minded of course; he quite liked to spend time on this own, thinking about this and that and just what he wanted to do with his life. That had been a line of thought that was taking up quite a bit of his time lately. He was fast approaching his thirteenth birthday, and the teachers at the Board School, not to mention his parents, had started telling him that he would soon have to give thought to whether or not he wanted to continue his education. So he was mulling it over and how disappointed his father would be if he decided to jack in school, when he heard a scream, followed by a splash.
Throwing his rod down, he sprang to his feet and searched frantically for the source of the noise. He found it when he spotted splashing about fifty feet downriver. He set off at a run, leaping over tangles of tree roots as he rushed to the unfortunate’s aid. When he drew close, he looked first for a downed branch to reach out towards them, but he soon realised that there was none long enough nearby. Without pausing to think more, he wrenched off his boots and slid down the bank into the water. As he got closer, and into the deeper water, he realised that the person he was swimming towards was a girl, not much older than himself, and that she was being weighed down by her sodden clothes. She was barely keeping her head above water when he reached her, and so he grabbed hold of her under her arms (only narrowly missing being struck by her flailing limbs) and set off to the nearest bank with strong confident strokes. He slipped as he struggled to pull the exhausted girl up the bank, but once he was sure she was not going to slide back into the water, he too collapsed as he tried to get his breath back.
Eventually his panting subsided enough for him to be able to sit up and take a good look at the girl he had rescued. His initial estimates as to her age looked to be correct and she had long russet hair, a cure upturned nose, delicate cheekbones and full red lips. Her eyes fluttered open, and when she turned her pale green gaze on him, he felt acutely embarrassed that he had been staring at her, taking stock of her features. “What the bloody hell were you playing at?” he shouted, partly to detract from that embarrassment. “Can you even swim?”
She blinked at him, taken aback and struggled to sit up. “I was picking the early berries and never expected to fall in. It was not something I was planning you know.”
“So you cannot swim?”
The girl paused. “No.”
Stanley shook his head. “Then you are bloody lucky that I was nearby, otherwise you could have drowned.”
The girl seemed to deflate in front of him. “I know,” she whispered. “You saved my life.”
Stanley gave a soft snort. He supposed he had. He couldn’t wait to tell Theo and Eddie about it.
“I could be dead now if it wasn’t for you.”
“You could. Perhaps next time you will think about that before you…” He didn’t get chance to finish his sentence. Before he knew what was happening, the girl had leant across and planted a kiss on his lips.
“What was that for!” cried Stanley leaning back.
“A thank you,” stated the girl very matter of factly. “We have just established that you saved my life. A kiss is the only thing I can give you to show my gratitude.”
“But, but it is not seemly for a girl to go around kissing people she does not know!” Even as Stanley stuttered at her impropriety, he couldn’t stop thinking about how, although the two of them were soaking wet, her lips had been warm and soft and their contact had made his heart beat faster.
The girl blinked rapidly and looked away from him. “I am sorry you think so poorly of me. I wished only to convey my gratitude for your kind…” She broke off in a sob. Stanley looked at her in consternation. He hated to see anyone in distress, and seeing a pretty girl so distressed because of him, was almost more than he could bear. He swallowed and moved closer to her, putting his arms around her. She turned into his embrace and before he knew what she was doing, her lips found his again. This time, he didn’t pull back.