A Strange Little Desert Town - Chapter 11 (6/7)
A Strange Little Desert Town
Chapter Eleven - There & Back Again
Part Six of Seven.
| Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four | Part Five |
A Strange Little Desert Town
Chapter 11 - There & Back Again
Part 6 of 7
~*~
Ash had awoken refreshed on their last day at Ko Samui. She had risen earlier than Corey and watched the waves crashing through the window in their chalet. They had spent four wondrous days on the island and she had been sad to say goodbye. But she missed her boys.
She looked out the small window of the aeroplane. Nothing but white, fluffy clouds below greeted her vision. They were somewhere over the Indian Ocean at the moment. Corey put his hand over hers on the arm of the chair. These ones at least weren’t as narrow as the airbus they’d had for the last flight. Corey’s knees had nearly been touching his ears for 6 hours. He hadn’t even been able to get up and stretch because the flight attendants had the shopping carts in the aisles constantly, trying to sell drinks or airline souvenirs.
"What was your favourite part of the trip?" Ash asked Corey.
He laughed, a full bodied laugh that made a few heads turn their way. He gingerly rubbed his hand.
"Not that crab," he laughed. "That’s for certain."
Ash joined his laughter. She and Corey had been building a sandcastle on the beach below their chalet and Corey had disturbed a large red shelled crab. Unimpressed with the interruption, the crab had nearly taken one of Corey’s fingers. They had been lucky that a local fisherman had been nearby who knew how to disengage the creature without the loss of Corey’s digit. Corey had never been so happy to be married to a surgeon though. Ash’s ministrations had the wound healing nicely.
"The second ruins we went to were rather strange though," Corey continued.
"The food was good though," Ash interrupted.
Corey looked pensive for a moment. The food had indeed been good, but the scare that evacuated the place had not. There had been a similar waterfall as had been in the first site they’d been to. But when Ash approached it, the water flow had suddenly stopped. As all the tourists and guides had stopped to wonder at the abrupt cessation of a 980 year old aqueduct it had altered further. Where once had been water, now was molten rock, spewing slowly from the idol’s mouth.
They had, at first, believed it to be a joke. A piece of light entertainment for the visiting Westerners. But when the guides had dropped to their knees in the dirt to pray in their own tongue to the Gods and others had shooed everyone not of Thai descent from the area, it had stopped seeming a prank.
He looked at Ash. Her shoulders looked tight and her brow was furrowed. Corey knew his wife too well. It was obvious to him that she was thinking of her Grandfather’s and her twin brother’s deaths, as well as her own experience with fire. While Daniel’s death had only been short-lived, it had still been a harrowing experience to the 16 year old Ash.
"The hot springs were possibly my favourite," Corey changed the subject quickly.
Ash nodded, visibly relaxing.
"The campfire last night was great too," she said. "Those crabs tasted great!"
Corey laughed. They certainly had. He wondered if it was the same crab that he had disturbed. He decided he didn’t want to know.
"Thank you, Corey," Ash said, lightly squeezing his hand.
"What?" he asked, shocked. "What for?"
"For such a lovely holiday," Ash answered. "You were the one who organised for Dad to look after Kerryc and Vlad, and you pushed me to take time off work. You chose that island and you booked everything."
Corey smiled back at his wife.
"Thank you for taking the time off," he said. "Your dad and I were worried you’d find an excuse. But you look great for the time away from the hospital; totally relaxed and glowing."
Ash blushed. He was right though. She’d been close to finding an excuse to stay at work. They needed her there. She looked out the window again. They wouldn’t be home until tomorrow afternoon.
"I wonder how Dad is coping with the boys," she said, pondering out loud.
~*~
Chapter Eleven - There & Back Again
Part Six of Seven.
| Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four | Part Five |
A Strange Little Desert Town
Chapter 11 - There & Back Again
Part 6 of 7
~*~
Ash had awoken refreshed on their last day at Ko Samui. She had risen earlier than Corey and watched the waves crashing through the window in their chalet. They had spent four wondrous days on the island and she had been sad to say goodbye. But she missed her boys.
She looked out the small window of the aeroplane. Nothing but white, fluffy clouds below greeted her vision. They were somewhere over the Indian Ocean at the moment. Corey put his hand over hers on the arm of the chair. These ones at least weren’t as narrow as the airbus they’d had for the last flight. Corey’s knees had nearly been touching his ears for 6 hours. He hadn’t even been able to get up and stretch because the flight attendants had the shopping carts in the aisles constantly, trying to sell drinks or airline souvenirs.
"What was your favourite part of the trip?" Ash asked Corey.
He laughed, a full bodied laugh that made a few heads turn their way. He gingerly rubbed his hand.
"Not that crab," he laughed. "That’s for certain."
Ash joined his laughter. She and Corey had been building a sandcastle on the beach below their chalet and Corey had disturbed a large red shelled crab. Unimpressed with the interruption, the crab had nearly taken one of Corey’s fingers. They had been lucky that a local fisherman had been nearby who knew how to disengage the creature without the loss of Corey’s digit. Corey had never been so happy to be married to a surgeon though. Ash’s ministrations had the wound healing nicely.
"The second ruins we went to were rather strange though," Corey continued.
"The food was good though," Ash interrupted.
Corey looked pensive for a moment. The food had indeed been good, but the scare that evacuated the place had not. There had been a similar waterfall as had been in the first site they’d been to. But when Ash approached it, the water flow had suddenly stopped. As all the tourists and guides had stopped to wonder at the abrupt cessation of a 980 year old aqueduct it had altered further. Where once had been water, now was molten rock, spewing slowly from the idol’s mouth.
They had, at first, believed it to be a joke. A piece of light entertainment for the visiting Westerners. But when the guides had dropped to their knees in the dirt to pray in their own tongue to the Gods and others had shooed everyone not of Thai descent from the area, it had stopped seeming a prank.
He looked at Ash. Her shoulders looked tight and her brow was furrowed. Corey knew his wife too well. It was obvious to him that she was thinking of her Grandfather’s and her twin brother’s deaths, as well as her own experience with fire. While Daniel’s death had only been short-lived, it had still been a harrowing experience to the 16 year old Ash.
"The hot springs were possibly my favourite," Corey changed the subject quickly.
Ash nodded, visibly relaxing.
"The campfire last night was great too," she said. "Those crabs tasted great!"
Corey laughed. They certainly had. He wondered if it was the same crab that he had disturbed. He decided he didn’t want to know.
"Thank you, Corey," Ash said, lightly squeezing his hand.
"What?" he asked, shocked. "What for?"
"For such a lovely holiday," Ash answered. "You were the one who organised for Dad to look after Kerryc and Vlad, and you pushed me to take time off work. You chose that island and you booked everything."
Corey smiled back at his wife.
"Thank you for taking the time off," he said. "Your dad and I were worried you’d find an excuse. But you look great for the time away from the hospital; totally relaxed and glowing."
Ash blushed. He was right though. She’d been close to finding an excuse to stay at work. They needed her there. She looked out the window again. They wouldn’t be home until tomorrow afternoon.
"I wonder how Dad is coping with the boys," she said, pondering out loud.
~*~