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Halloween Challenge: Theseus Redux by Ea
Medium: Story
Title: Theseus Redux
Author: Ea
Author's email address: ea.calendula@gmail.com
Author's web page: http://ea.calendula.googlepages.com/
Slash or Gen: I think it’s gen with slash undertones.
Rating: G
Archived at: My website, Me and Thee Archive
Hutch had wandered around in the huge labyrinth for what felt like hours. Dusk had fallen and the shadows were growing darker. It hadn’t been too hard to follow Starsky’s map to this place, but actually finding him in the labyrinth hadn’t been quite as easy.
This was going to be the last time-the absolutely last time-he would let Starsky talk him into some game of hide and seek. For one thing, he’d been certain he’d find Starsky quickly, not wandering around alone in the dark like now without a flashlight. Secondly, it had somehow slipped his mind that it was the Halloween night. How that could have happened he had no idea; pumpkin heads grinned maniacally at him wherever he went. He’d never admitted it to anyone, not even Starsky, but Halloween nights always made him feel a little nervous. Rationally, he knew there was nothing to worry about, but it didn’t stop him preferring to stay where there were other people around. And lights.
Instead, he was now wandering around in the near dark, searching for Starsky alone in an old maze made of bamboo walls. It had been put up some years ago in one of the valleys through the hills, as a summer attraction, but had since been abandoned, and was now in a state of disrepair.
Hutch stopped and let his fingertips glide along the wall beside him. He had to think. Starsky had left small pieces of string bound to the bamboo, or stuffed them in, here and there. But he’d used two different colors, red and green, and Hutch couldn’t figure out what that meant. Maybe he should just tear the whole place down, ought to be easy enough as dilapidated as it was. He was tired of being led through the maze like another Theseus.
He hadn’t actually met any people when he first wandered inside, but now, as night was falling, the background noise of the day was quieting down, and he began to hear what he thought were murmurs and faint, whispered sounds. He took a few steps, but felt strangely nervous about taking a peek around the next corner. Suddenly, he felt something touch his cheek gently, and a soft, female laughter floated through the air, passing him and disappearing round the corner. Startled, he hurried after it, but all he found was a light mist that shone a little in the darkness.
Now Hutch was feeling distinctly uncomfortable. He didn’t dare look over his shoulder to find out what gave him that cold feeling running up his spine. He didn’t want to go further-and he couldn’t go back either. Where was Starsky? He had to be scared, being alone in the dark.
Hutch gave up worrying about what the green and red strings meant and just tried to follow his instincts. It was dark now and in the moonlight it was not possible to distinguish the colors anyway. He walked briskly around the corner to his right, when he heard strange shuffling and snuffling sounds right behind the wall on his left. The wall shook, and Hutch heard a rumbling noise that sounded like it came from a large animal. Then, as suddenly as the disturbance began, it stopped.
With a hammering heart, Hutch reached out, tentatively, to touch the wall. It felt quite firm, and he didn’t dare imagine what had made it bulge and move like it had, just a moment ago. With senses alert, he moved forward again, almost running, trying not to think too much about the direction, but quickly choosing whatever felt right.
He was near the center, and he was certain he would find Starsky there. He turned yet another corner, coming to a small, square enclosure lit by the moonlight and stopped, leaning with one hand on the entrance. A dark figure appeared to be sitting on the grass in the middle, huddled over. Hah! Starsky had fallen asleep, waiting for him, Hutch thought.
He sneaked over to the figure as quietly as possible; Starsky deserved a good scare after putting him through all this, but before he got near enough, the figure started to rise. Impossibly, it was at least three feet taller than Hutch, and wider at the shoulders, too. It started slowly to turn.
This can’t be right, I’m dreaming.
Hutch was feeling lightheaded and unable to move, as the creature came closer and closer. He heard a deep, rumbling sound, and a whiff of animal smell wafted towards him. From somewhere near, he heard the soft laughter from before. Then the creature bowed over him and the world went black...
~~~
“Hutch! Wake up.” Starsky shook Hutch’s shoulders, and felt very relieved when he finally heard a low groan.
After waiting for hours in the old “haunted” mansion up the road, that he’d shown Hutch some weeks ago, he’d finally given up and had gone searching. Apparently his partner was too dense to figure out the “treasure map” Starsky had drawn, or connect it correctly with the little clues he’d given in the last weeks.
It was almost by chance Starsky noticed Hutch’s car parked by the roadside. What had made Hutch go into the old labyrinth, he couldn’t imagine-no one went here anymore. He’d found Hutch on the ground, unconscious, just outside the entrance. It looked like he’d half dragged himself, half been dragged. His hands and knees were dirty and grass-stained, and he had a smear of blood on his right temple.
Starsky relaxed as he leaned down over Hutch, who was starting to come to. “Hey buddy,” he said softly, “are you all right?”
Hutch mumbled and opened his eyes. He screamed. Too quickly for Starsky to react, Hutch pushed him away, violently, and ran a few steps before he stumbled and fell.
“Hutch, it’s me! What happened?” Starsky hurried over, and knelt beside Hutch, who was shivering and looking at him with fear and confusion in his eyes.
“I’m not sure,” Hutch finally got out. “It was getting dark, and I couldn’t find you, and… I just wanted to find you and go home.”
“It’s okay, babe, it’s okay. We’re going home now.” Starsky was holding Hutch, and running his hand in circles over Hutch’s back. Hutch was alive and okay and needed to get home. He could hear the rest of the story later.
“Do you think you can get up if I help you?” Starsky asked.
Hutch nodded and, leaning on Starsky, they made it down the path to their cars.
~~
Home. Light. Warmth. And Starsky. Always Starsky, even when he talked Hutch into doing stupid things like playing hide and seek on Halloween.
Hutch still wasn’t sure what had happened to him in the old labyrinth. He didn’t remember much, and right now he preferred to keep it that way. Whatever it had been, he wasn’t sure if what he’d seen and heard was real, and right now, the less said about it the better-no matter how much Starsky might ask.
Hutch burrowed further down in the pillows on the couch. The lights were on and the curtains drawn, and Starsky was warming up some of that mulled wine he’d talked so much about. Hutch could already smell it.
Next Halloween, Hutch was staying home. Definitely.
Medium: Story
Title: Theseus Redux
Author: Ea
Author's email address: ea.calendula@gmail.com
Author's web page: http://ea.calendula.googlepages.com/
Slash or Gen: I think it’s gen with slash undertones.
Rating: G
Archived at: My website, Me and Thee Archive
Hutch had wandered around in the huge labyrinth for what felt like hours. Dusk had fallen and the shadows were growing darker. It hadn’t been too hard to follow Starsky’s map to this place, but actually finding him in the labyrinth hadn’t been quite as easy.
This was going to be the last time-the absolutely last time-he would let Starsky talk him into some game of hide and seek. For one thing, he’d been certain he’d find Starsky quickly, not wandering around alone in the dark like now without a flashlight. Secondly, it had somehow slipped his mind that it was the Halloween night. How that could have happened he had no idea; pumpkin heads grinned maniacally at him wherever he went. He’d never admitted it to anyone, not even Starsky, but Halloween nights always made him feel a little nervous. Rationally, he knew there was nothing to worry about, but it didn’t stop him preferring to stay where there were other people around. And lights.
Instead, he was now wandering around in the near dark, searching for Starsky alone in an old maze made of bamboo walls. It had been put up some years ago in one of the valleys through the hills, as a summer attraction, but had since been abandoned, and was now in a state of disrepair.
Hutch stopped and let his fingertips glide along the wall beside him. He had to think. Starsky had left small pieces of string bound to the bamboo, or stuffed them in, here and there. But he’d used two different colors, red and green, and Hutch couldn’t figure out what that meant. Maybe he should just tear the whole place down, ought to be easy enough as dilapidated as it was. He was tired of being led through the maze like another Theseus.
He hadn’t actually met any people when he first wandered inside, but now, as night was falling, the background noise of the day was quieting down, and he began to hear what he thought were murmurs and faint, whispered sounds. He took a few steps, but felt strangely nervous about taking a peek around the next corner. Suddenly, he felt something touch his cheek gently, and a soft, female laughter floated through the air, passing him and disappearing round the corner. Startled, he hurried after it, but all he found was a light mist that shone a little in the darkness.
Now Hutch was feeling distinctly uncomfortable. He didn’t dare look over his shoulder to find out what gave him that cold feeling running up his spine. He didn’t want to go further-and he couldn’t go back either. Where was Starsky? He had to be scared, being alone in the dark.
Hutch gave up worrying about what the green and red strings meant and just tried to follow his instincts. It was dark now and in the moonlight it was not possible to distinguish the colors anyway. He walked briskly around the corner to his right, when he heard strange shuffling and snuffling sounds right behind the wall on his left. The wall shook, and Hutch heard a rumbling noise that sounded like it came from a large animal. Then, as suddenly as the disturbance began, it stopped.
With a hammering heart, Hutch reached out, tentatively, to touch the wall. It felt quite firm, and he didn’t dare imagine what had made it bulge and move like it had, just a moment ago. With senses alert, he moved forward again, almost running, trying not to think too much about the direction, but quickly choosing whatever felt right.
He was near the center, and he was certain he would find Starsky there. He turned yet another corner, coming to a small, square enclosure lit by the moonlight and stopped, leaning with one hand on the entrance. A dark figure appeared to be sitting on the grass in the middle, huddled over. Hah! Starsky had fallen asleep, waiting for him, Hutch thought.
He sneaked over to the figure as quietly as possible; Starsky deserved a good scare after putting him through all this, but before he got near enough, the figure started to rise. Impossibly, it was at least three feet taller than Hutch, and wider at the shoulders, too. It started slowly to turn.
This can’t be right, I’m dreaming.
Hutch was feeling lightheaded and unable to move, as the creature came closer and closer. He heard a deep, rumbling sound, and a whiff of animal smell wafted towards him. From somewhere near, he heard the soft laughter from before. Then the creature bowed over him and the world went black...
~~~
“Hutch! Wake up.” Starsky shook Hutch’s shoulders, and felt very relieved when he finally heard a low groan.
After waiting for hours in the old “haunted” mansion up the road, that he’d shown Hutch some weeks ago, he’d finally given up and had gone searching. Apparently his partner was too dense to figure out the “treasure map” Starsky had drawn, or connect it correctly with the little clues he’d given in the last weeks.
It was almost by chance Starsky noticed Hutch’s car parked by the roadside. What had made Hutch go into the old labyrinth, he couldn’t imagine-no one went here anymore. He’d found Hutch on the ground, unconscious, just outside the entrance. It looked like he’d half dragged himself, half been dragged. His hands and knees were dirty and grass-stained, and he had a smear of blood on his right temple.
Starsky relaxed as he leaned down over Hutch, who was starting to come to. “Hey buddy,” he said softly, “are you all right?”
Hutch mumbled and opened his eyes. He screamed. Too quickly for Starsky to react, Hutch pushed him away, violently, and ran a few steps before he stumbled and fell.
“Hutch, it’s me! What happened?” Starsky hurried over, and knelt beside Hutch, who was shivering and looking at him with fear and confusion in his eyes.
“I’m not sure,” Hutch finally got out. “It was getting dark, and I couldn’t find you, and… I just wanted to find you and go home.”
“It’s okay, babe, it’s okay. We’re going home now.” Starsky was holding Hutch, and running his hand in circles over Hutch’s back. Hutch was alive and okay and needed to get home. He could hear the rest of the story later.
“Do you think you can get up if I help you?” Starsky asked.
Hutch nodded and, leaning on Starsky, they made it down the path to their cars.
~~
Home. Light. Warmth. And Starsky. Always Starsky, even when he talked Hutch into doing stupid things like playing hide and seek on Halloween.
Hutch still wasn’t sure what had happened to him in the old labyrinth. He didn’t remember much, and right now he preferred to keep it that way. Whatever it had been, he wasn’t sure if what he’d seen and heard was real, and right now, the less said about it the better-no matter how much Starsky might ask.
Hutch burrowed further down in the pillows on the couch. The lights were on and the curtains drawn, and Starsky was warming up some of that mulled wine he’d talked so much about. Hutch could already smell it.
Next Halloween, Hutch was staying home. Definitely.