Eerie Indiana Quadruple Drabble: Sea Bell
The sea bell was old, pitted from years of exposure to salt spray and ocean gales, and blue-green with oxidisation. It felt both incredibly heavy and as though she was holding nothing at all, and Janet had to focus on the reality of it to keep it from slipping through her fingers.
The swan-shaped pedalo bobbed in the swell of the waves that broke around the ghost reef, anchored there by a single strand of spider silk and Janet's own fierce belief that this would work. She slid back the white canopy of her little craft, took a deep breath, and put one rubber-soled foot on the semi-translucent rock.
It held, and she stepped from the boat onto the slimy stone, the huge, half-visible bell clanking softly in her hands. Here and there, ghost shrimp swam in puddles of ghost ocean, their white shrouds drifting dramatically around them. The rising ghost-tide would carry them home, if the seagulls didn't get to them first, and they seemed happy enough where they were.
The protruding spire of rock that she'd picked as her makeshift bell tower was jagged, twisted, and black as those tiny sea serpents Simon erroneously thought he was keeping secret in the tank behind his parent's house. It radiated malice, and streaks of waterproof paint along it's sharp edges told of all the vessels it had gleefully dragged beneath the waves.
Janet wrapped the coarse, heavy rope around one jutting angle, looped it seven times while humming the sea shanty that the Jenny Haniver had taught her. The stone vibrated with outrage beneath her cold-numbed fingers, and she ignored it as it deserved. Murder-rocks with shitty attitudes forfeited her consideration.
The sea bell's clapper was suspended in a protective sheath of blessed lambswool, and it glistened new-penny bright when she slipped it free. Resting one hand on the bell's curved lip, she pushed gently, relishing the rich, deep sound that echoed over the water as it swung on it's makeshift headstock.
"That's what you get," she told the reef that snarled faintly beneath her feet. "Maybe if you'd behaved yourself, I wouldn't have had to bell you."
She returned to her swan boat, ready both for dry land and an end to the sad waterlogged ghosts who kept showing up at the restaurant, soaking the floor. A hungry mermaid grabbed for her and she kicked it in the face.
Ongoing Verse: Janet
A Ghost in Pink by ; Janet's family during the year she was Lost
Jogging by , in which Janet Donner adapts to life in regular Eerie
Maybe, Even, in which Tod has a dream
Cooking Class, in which there is baking
Cake Day, in which it is Marshall's birthday
Dishonoured, in which Dash makes a choice, and Tod and Janet pay the price
Plans by , in which Janet Donner deals with Daylight Savings Time yet again
DST by , in which there is a lighthouse
Figurehead by , in which Lake Eerie's ghost pirates encounter the lighthouse
At the Seaside, in which Simon and Marshall stake out the Eerie Baitshop and Sushi Bar.
Tempest, in which the Sea Hag makes an appearance
The Listener, in which Melanie and Devon talk, and Melanie makes a decision
Food Hygiene, in which Simon takes on some after-school activities, and meets Melanie and Janet doing the same
In the Bleak Midwinter, in which there is activity on the shores of Lake Eerie
The Lake at Night, in which there are pleasure boats
Night Diving, in which Janet and Melanie investigate the world beneath the waves
Promotional Materials, in which Lake Eerie's mermaids prepare for summer
Equivocate, in which Eerie's golf course becomes waterlogged
Golf Course, in which the re-seeding does not take as well as hoped
Artisanal, in which Janet prepares for the days trade
Kitchen Prep, in which Janet's hard work is foiled by vicious seabirds
Populace, in which Eerie's citizens experience a completely normal day
Slow Day, in which the Baitshop and Sushi Bar is unusually quiet
Worker Engagement, in which Janet works on a new sculpture
DST2, in which Janet and Marshall wait for midnight
Poetry Slam, in which Janet tries her hand at performance art.
Similar Interests, in which Tod encounters Devon's mother, and is almost crushed by a door.
Dessert, in which Tod and his parents get ice-cream
Milestone, in which Mars helps Tod to prepare for his 21st
License to Serve, in which Tod has his birthday
Civic Duty, in which the Ladies Society for the Beautification of Eerie gather to protect the town
The Craft, in which the Ladies encounter the all-female werewolf pack from Trick 'r Treat
Freelancing, in which Sara Sue takes on some work for Things Incorporated
Presentation, in which Simon gives a chupacabra a massage
Homecoming, in which Janet and Marshall return to the Teller house
The swan-shaped pedalo bobbed in the swell of the waves that broke around the ghost reef, anchored there by a single strand of spider silk and Janet's own fierce belief that this would work. She slid back the white canopy of her little craft, took a deep breath, and put one rubber-soled foot on the semi-translucent rock.
It held, and she stepped from the boat onto the slimy stone, the huge, half-visible bell clanking softly in her hands. Here and there, ghost shrimp swam in puddles of ghost ocean, their white shrouds drifting dramatically around them. The rising ghost-tide would carry them home, if the seagulls didn't get to them first, and they seemed happy enough where they were.
The protruding spire of rock that she'd picked as her makeshift bell tower was jagged, twisted, and black as those tiny sea serpents Simon erroneously thought he was keeping secret in the tank behind his parent's house. It radiated malice, and streaks of waterproof paint along it's sharp edges told of all the vessels it had gleefully dragged beneath the waves.
Janet wrapped the coarse, heavy rope around one jutting angle, looped it seven times while humming the sea shanty that the Jenny Haniver had taught her. The stone vibrated with outrage beneath her cold-numbed fingers, and she ignored it as it deserved. Murder-rocks with shitty attitudes forfeited her consideration.
The sea bell's clapper was suspended in a protective sheath of blessed lambswool, and it glistened new-penny bright when she slipped it free. Resting one hand on the bell's curved lip, she pushed gently, relishing the rich, deep sound that echoed over the water as it swung on it's makeshift headstock.
"That's what you get," she told the reef that snarled faintly beneath her feet. "Maybe if you'd behaved yourself, I wouldn't have had to bell you."
She returned to her swan boat, ready both for dry land and an end to the sad waterlogged ghosts who kept showing up at the restaurant, soaking the floor. A hungry mermaid grabbed for her and she kicked it in the face.
Ongoing Verse: Janet
A Ghost in Pink by ; Janet's family during the year she was Lost
Jogging by , in which Janet Donner adapts to life in regular Eerie
Maybe, Even, in which Tod has a dream
Cooking Class, in which there is baking
Cake Day, in which it is Marshall's birthday
Dishonoured, in which Dash makes a choice, and Tod and Janet pay the price
Plans by , in which Janet Donner deals with Daylight Savings Time yet again
DST by , in which there is a lighthouse
Figurehead by , in which Lake Eerie's ghost pirates encounter the lighthouse
At the Seaside, in which Simon and Marshall stake out the Eerie Baitshop and Sushi Bar.
Tempest, in which the Sea Hag makes an appearance
The Listener, in which Melanie and Devon talk, and Melanie makes a decision
Food Hygiene, in which Simon takes on some after-school activities, and meets Melanie and Janet doing the same
In the Bleak Midwinter, in which there is activity on the shores of Lake Eerie
The Lake at Night, in which there are pleasure boats
Night Diving, in which Janet and Melanie investigate the world beneath the waves
Promotional Materials, in which Lake Eerie's mermaids prepare for summer
Equivocate, in which Eerie's golf course becomes waterlogged
Golf Course, in which the re-seeding does not take as well as hoped
Artisanal, in which Janet prepares for the days trade
Kitchen Prep, in which Janet's hard work is foiled by vicious seabirds
Populace, in which Eerie's citizens experience a completely normal day
Slow Day, in which the Baitshop and Sushi Bar is unusually quiet
Worker Engagement, in which Janet works on a new sculpture
DST2, in which Janet and Marshall wait for midnight
Poetry Slam, in which Janet tries her hand at performance art.
Similar Interests, in which Tod encounters Devon's mother, and is almost crushed by a door.
Dessert, in which Tod and his parents get ice-cream
Milestone, in which Mars helps Tod to prepare for his 21st
License to Serve, in which Tod has his birthday
Civic Duty, in which the Ladies Society for the Beautification of Eerie gather to protect the town
The Craft, in which the Ladies encounter the all-female werewolf pack from Trick 'r Treat
Freelancing, in which Sara Sue takes on some work for Things Incorporated
Presentation, in which Simon gives a chupacabra a massage
Homecoming, in which Janet and Marshall return to the Teller house