Pumpkin Pie. (Horizon Tales)
AUTHOR: Shrimp
CHALLENGE: Pumpkin Pie 7. special effects
WORD COUNT: 1046
RATING: PG
NOTES: This is a piece leading up to one of the important things that happens to Vala while she's working as a smuggler after she runs away. I'm not super thrilled with it. The tension I think isn't there.
Vala opened her tired eyes slowly, all too ready for another exhausting day. She turned over on her side and hugged her pillow closer. Maybe she could sleep for a little longer. She wasn’t in a rush. Was she? She had awoken with the sense that there was work to be done, that she couldn’t dawdle in dreams. When pressed to think of what the work was she couldn’t remember. It flitted at the edge of her consciousness and with mild relief Vala realized that the work must have been a part of her dream. What work was there for her at Shore Shine? Exhaling a sleepy sigh she closed her eyes again eager to sleep just a little more.
When she opened her eyes again she could tell by the slant of sun against the far wall that hours had passed. She had slept well into the afternoon. Pushing herself up, she rubbed at a knotted muscle along the juncture of her neck and shoulder. Had she trained too hard yesterday? Her mind felt fuzzy for a brief moment, too short for panic to set in but too long to be ignored. She had dueled with Broderick Fenerrs. It had been friendly but now she could feel the ache in her shoulder and the swollen bump on the back of her head. He had given her good but she had given back just as well. Old Nevins had separated them before a real victor could be decided. The memories fell into place neatly but Vala felt a sliver of unease settled in her stomach.
“Vala, are you awake?” Her mother’s voice jarred her and Vala had her feet on the ground in an instant.
“I’m awake,” she called back through the door. Her skin was crawling as if her mother would punish her for sleeping in. It was ridiculous. She stood, sweating in her sleeping clothes and watching the door with wide, edgy eyes. What was wrong with her?
“Are you feeling all right?” Vala watched the knob turn and swallowed her alarm. Her mother opened the door and looked in, her face warm with concern. She was beautiful as the afternoon sun struck her dark hair and glittered along her jewelry. Vala felt herself shiver, a shake like something that preceded hysterics. Her eyes were wet and her chest hurt. She felt an unexplained but poignant sense of missing her mother.
“Fine,” she breathed on an unsteady breath. With the door open she could hear the sounds of the castle. Familiar voices of servants and guards. Somewhere not too far she could hear Elisa hoping down the stars singing some inane rhyme. Her heart pounded heavy and full to bursting. She must have been sick. Very sick. Maybe Broderick had slammed her head harder against the ground than she had realized.
“You look flushed,” her mother said, her voice piqued with worry. She crossed the threshold into Vala’s bedroom and a moment later Vala found herself in her mother’s arms. She cried against the soft fabric of her mother’s dress, the sharp cloying scent of her perfume. Her mother’s hand was cold against her forehead and the tiny gesture shook her to her core.
“Ma,” she murmured. She closed her eyes and felt like she was spinning. “I feel sick.” Her mother pushed her back and looked at her with stern eyes. With her eyes closed Vala felt like she could feel familiar hands on her shoulders. Her father’s? But how…?
“Do you have the ring your father gave you?” Her mother’s tone was strained and strange and Vala went to open her eyes but felt an uncomfortable wet pressure holding them shut. Elisa’s steps echoed hollowly and pushed a sick feeling into her guts.
“Yes…” The hands on her shoulders were steady, strong, reassuring. She wanted to turn and see him. Ask him how he had gotten behind her even though she really didn’t care. It was just nice to be home. Why ha she ever left? …when had she eve left? Her thoughts were a jumble, crawling over one another and making not a lick of sense. “I wear it on a chain around my neck now because…” Her brain pulsed. She could feel the cold wetness on her face even more clearly. Her fingers rubbed along the fabric of her mother’s dress and felt coarse, splintery wood instead.
“Why?” Her father’s voice in her ear. “You promised you would always wear it.” She nodded guilty and eager to make amends.
“I didn’t want it to get stolen or fall off while I was washing the deck,” she explained quickly despite the nonsense that the words seemed. Her father’s hands were fainter and she couldn’t smell her mother anymore. The only thing that continued was the sound of Elisa’s damned shoes slapping against the stairs, even her voice had disappeared into the noise of her mind.
“Wake up, Vala,” her father and mother and Elisa all seemed to order. She screwed her eyes shut tighter. She was scared. She could hear water against the hull of a ship, the creak of rolling and tilting wood. The more she thought the less she could breath. Her lungs felt like they were full. What was happening? She opened her mouth to cry out to her family and instead tasted stagnant water, rushing in and filling her.
Vala pulled her head from the bucket, pushing it aside with the force. She coughed and sputtered out what she had pulled in. Her chest pinched as she tried to force it all out. She was shaking and as she looked around with eyes burning from the water and the tears she saw that it was night time. She shook her head and got to her feet shakily. The memories of the dream were bright in her mind and her whole heart ached with the desire to be home and safe. Why had she fallen asleep? And why was the ship so quiet? Dread built at the base of her spine. Something was wrong. Tentatively she walked towards the door that led to the upper decks barely even realizing that she had taken her family ring from its place around her neck and worked it onto her finger.
CHALLENGE: Pumpkin Pie 7. special effects
WORD COUNT: 1046
RATING: PG
NOTES: This is a piece leading up to one of the important things that happens to Vala while she's working as a smuggler after she runs away. I'm not super thrilled with it. The tension I think isn't there.
Vala opened her tired eyes slowly, all too ready for another exhausting day. She turned over on her side and hugged her pillow closer. Maybe she could sleep for a little longer. She wasn’t in a rush. Was she? She had awoken with the sense that there was work to be done, that she couldn’t dawdle in dreams. When pressed to think of what the work was she couldn’t remember. It flitted at the edge of her consciousness and with mild relief Vala realized that the work must have been a part of her dream. What work was there for her at Shore Shine? Exhaling a sleepy sigh she closed her eyes again eager to sleep just a little more.
When she opened her eyes again she could tell by the slant of sun against the far wall that hours had passed. She had slept well into the afternoon. Pushing herself up, she rubbed at a knotted muscle along the juncture of her neck and shoulder. Had she trained too hard yesterday? Her mind felt fuzzy for a brief moment, too short for panic to set in but too long to be ignored. She had dueled with Broderick Fenerrs. It had been friendly but now she could feel the ache in her shoulder and the swollen bump on the back of her head. He had given her good but she had given back just as well. Old Nevins had separated them before a real victor could be decided. The memories fell into place neatly but Vala felt a sliver of unease settled in her stomach.
“Vala, are you awake?” Her mother’s voice jarred her and Vala had her feet on the ground in an instant.
“I’m awake,” she called back through the door. Her skin was crawling as if her mother would punish her for sleeping in. It was ridiculous. She stood, sweating in her sleeping clothes and watching the door with wide, edgy eyes. What was wrong with her?
“Are you feeling all right?” Vala watched the knob turn and swallowed her alarm. Her mother opened the door and looked in, her face warm with concern. She was beautiful as the afternoon sun struck her dark hair and glittered along her jewelry. Vala felt herself shiver, a shake like something that preceded hysterics. Her eyes were wet and her chest hurt. She felt an unexplained but poignant sense of missing her mother.
“Fine,” she breathed on an unsteady breath. With the door open she could hear the sounds of the castle. Familiar voices of servants and guards. Somewhere not too far she could hear Elisa hoping down the stars singing some inane rhyme. Her heart pounded heavy and full to bursting. She must have been sick. Very sick. Maybe Broderick had slammed her head harder against the ground than she had realized.
“You look flushed,” her mother said, her voice piqued with worry. She crossed the threshold into Vala’s bedroom and a moment later Vala found herself in her mother’s arms. She cried against the soft fabric of her mother’s dress, the sharp cloying scent of her perfume. Her mother’s hand was cold against her forehead and the tiny gesture shook her to her core.
“Ma,” she murmured. She closed her eyes and felt like she was spinning. “I feel sick.” Her mother pushed her back and looked at her with stern eyes. With her eyes closed Vala felt like she could feel familiar hands on her shoulders. Her father’s? But how…?
“Do you have the ring your father gave you?” Her mother’s tone was strained and strange and Vala went to open her eyes but felt an uncomfortable wet pressure holding them shut. Elisa’s steps echoed hollowly and pushed a sick feeling into her guts.
“Yes…” The hands on her shoulders were steady, strong, reassuring. She wanted to turn and see him. Ask him how he had gotten behind her even though she really didn’t care. It was just nice to be home. Why ha she ever left? …when had she eve left? Her thoughts were a jumble, crawling over one another and making not a lick of sense. “I wear it on a chain around my neck now because…” Her brain pulsed. She could feel the cold wetness on her face even more clearly. Her fingers rubbed along the fabric of her mother’s dress and felt coarse, splintery wood instead.
“Why?” Her father’s voice in her ear. “You promised you would always wear it.” She nodded guilty and eager to make amends.
“I didn’t want it to get stolen or fall off while I was washing the deck,” she explained quickly despite the nonsense that the words seemed. Her father’s hands were fainter and she couldn’t smell her mother anymore. The only thing that continued was the sound of Elisa’s damned shoes slapping against the stairs, even her voice had disappeared into the noise of her mind.
“Wake up, Vala,” her father and mother and Elisa all seemed to order. She screwed her eyes shut tighter. She was scared. She could hear water against the hull of a ship, the creak of rolling and tilting wood. The more she thought the less she could breath. Her lungs felt like they were full. What was happening? She opened her mouth to cry out to her family and instead tasted stagnant water, rushing in and filling her.
Vala pulled her head from the bucket, pushing it aside with the force. She coughed and sputtered out what she had pulled in. Her chest pinched as she tried to force it all out. She was shaking and as she looked around with eyes burning from the water and the tears she saw that it was night time. She shook her head and got to her feet shakily. The memories of the dream were bright in her mind and her whole heart ached with the desire to be home and safe. Why had she fallen asleep? And why was the ship so quiet? Dread built at the base of her spine. Something was wrong. Tentatively she walked towards the door that led to the upper decks barely even realizing that she had taken her family ring from its place around her neck and worked it onto her finger.