The Birth and Death of Clouds
A writing exercise for worldofscribble
(With apologies to the gamers on my Flist.) *smirk*
When Barry reached the top of the ridgeline, he turned back, and surveyed the valley laid out beneath him. He was high enough that the trees below resembled green dots more than anything else, and the stream he had followed for a while before beginning the climb which had ended here was just a barely discernable line. His tent, pitched at the edge of a copse of trees, near enough to the stream so that he could hear its soothing gurgle at night, was, of course, completely invisible from this height.
He regretted leaving it behind, a decision he had made on the spur of the moment that morning, a defiant gesture that now seemed rather childish at this distance. True, he wouldn't need anything he had left inside its fabric walls where he was planning on going, but when or if it was found, what was its discoverer likely to think and feel? Would they marvel at his determination and resolute purpose, or just be pissed at having to clean up the mess he had left behind? Either way, it was too late now.
Shrugging resignedly, he swiveled to face the goal he had been hiking towards all morning. The terrain in front of him was in sharp contrast to the lush green growth of the valley he had come from, bare dirt and large boulders replacing trees and grassy meadows, with the bluff he stood on as a dividing line between the two different land types. Centered in his vision, the largest stone of all, a gray monolith of tremendous size, swept inexorably skyward. His eyes tracked slowly up the grainy exterior, and noticed that its peak was indistinct, sheathed in a mass of swirling clouds.
Moving cautiously, he threaded his way through the numerous boulders and sharp cacti, the only plant which seemed at home here, towards the base of the giant stone.
"Good morning, Barry," a voice said from his left.
Even though he had been expecting some sort of challenge ever since he reached the top of the trail from the valley, he still jumped, and whirled to face the speaker.
"Go easy," the small gray-haired woman said. "You're going to twist an ankle if you keep leaping around like that."
"Sorry," he muttered, dropping his eyes in shame.
She chuckled derisively, "You look as though you were expecting to fight a dragon, or something just as sinister."
Summoning his courage, he lifted his eyes, and retorted, "So what, I got a dragon lady instead?"
She laughed again. "Probably just as bad, from your perspective at least." Sliding gracefully down from her perch, she extended a hand, and said, "I'm Maya, health avatar for Cornelias Cloud Cimulations."
"Health avatar?" he growled, ignoring the proffered hand.
"You got it," she chortled, waving the hand he had so recently refused to shake at the monolith to his right, "And here are your stats."
He turned his head, and saw that the stone pillar was now overlayed with a display of cascading numbers.
"Aw, come on," he whined.
"No dice, hot shot," Maya said. "You've exceeded all the standard gaming safety parameters by significant margins, not to mention ignoring all of our built-in pop-up warnings. So, I'm afraid it's time to pull the plug on your little adventure."
"But," he objected hotly as the scenery began fading out around him, "nothing's even happened yet!"
"No worries," Maya's voice soothed, echoing in the void which now surrounded him, "all of your settings have been saved. Get something to eat, take a nap, and come on back." And then, as the CCC logo flashed across his vision, her sardonic voice advised, "And call your mother too, would ya?"
(With apologies to the gamers on my Flist.) *smirk*
When Barry reached the top of the ridgeline, he turned back, and surveyed the valley laid out beneath him. He was high enough that the trees below resembled green dots more than anything else, and the stream he had followed for a while before beginning the climb which had ended here was just a barely discernable line. His tent, pitched at the edge of a copse of trees, near enough to the stream so that he could hear its soothing gurgle at night, was, of course, completely invisible from this height.
He regretted leaving it behind, a decision he had made on the spur of the moment that morning, a defiant gesture that now seemed rather childish at this distance. True, he wouldn't need anything he had left inside its fabric walls where he was planning on going, but when or if it was found, what was its discoverer likely to think and feel? Would they marvel at his determination and resolute purpose, or just be pissed at having to clean up the mess he had left behind? Either way, it was too late now.
Shrugging resignedly, he swiveled to face the goal he had been hiking towards all morning. The terrain in front of him was in sharp contrast to the lush green growth of the valley he had come from, bare dirt and large boulders replacing trees and grassy meadows, with the bluff he stood on as a dividing line between the two different land types. Centered in his vision, the largest stone of all, a gray monolith of tremendous size, swept inexorably skyward. His eyes tracked slowly up the grainy exterior, and noticed that its peak was indistinct, sheathed in a mass of swirling clouds.
Moving cautiously, he threaded his way through the numerous boulders and sharp cacti, the only plant which seemed at home here, towards the base of the giant stone.
"Good morning, Barry," a voice said from his left.
Even though he had been expecting some sort of challenge ever since he reached the top of the trail from the valley, he still jumped, and whirled to face the speaker.
"Go easy," the small gray-haired woman said. "You're going to twist an ankle if you keep leaping around like that."
"Sorry," he muttered, dropping his eyes in shame.
She chuckled derisively, "You look as though you were expecting to fight a dragon, or something just as sinister."
Summoning his courage, he lifted his eyes, and retorted, "So what, I got a dragon lady instead?"
She laughed again. "Probably just as bad, from your perspective at least." Sliding gracefully down from her perch, she extended a hand, and said, "I'm Maya, health avatar for Cornelias Cloud Cimulations."
"Health avatar?" he growled, ignoring the proffered hand.
"You got it," she chortled, waving the hand he had so recently refused to shake at the monolith to his right, "And here are your stats."
He turned his head, and saw that the stone pillar was now overlayed with a display of cascading numbers.
"Aw, come on," he whined.
"No dice, hot shot," Maya said. "You've exceeded all the standard gaming safety parameters by significant margins, not to mention ignoring all of our built-in pop-up warnings. So, I'm afraid it's time to pull the plug on your little adventure."
"But," he objected hotly as the scenery began fading out around him, "nothing's even happened yet!"
"No worries," Maya's voice soothed, echoing in the void which now surrounded him, "all of your settings have been saved. Get something to eat, take a nap, and come on back." And then, as the CCC logo flashed across his vision, her sardonic voice advised, "And call your mother too, would ya?"