(no subject)
Cotton Candy #30. Are we there yet? with Hot Fudge and Whipped Cream
Rating : PG-13 (there's some grossness)
Timeframe : 1250
Word Count : 1075
“Just where are we going?” Kairn asked, as he shuffled along the dusty path, the sturdy handle of the shovel bobbing against his shoulder with every step.
“You will see,” said Sethan, as he always did.
Kairn frowned and continued to drag his feet across the dirt, eyes on his friend’s back as he weaved his way back and forth across the road with long, easy strides, a shifting mass of black against a landscape nearly as dark. “And what,” he asked, with a glance at the broad head of the shovel, “do I need this for?”
“You will see,” Sethan repeated, his tone a bit too chipper for Kairn‘s liking. The hatchet hung from his belt did little to improve matters.
“I’m not going to have to hit something with it, am I?”
There was laughter from the dark shape before him. “No.”
Twilight descended into the slightest moonlight as they made their way down one winding road after another. More than once, Kairn bit back the desire to ask again just where they were headed, as he lost track of the number and direction of turns their journey had taken.
The manor had long since left their sight, to be replaced by hills blanketed in thick, green crops and spotted, here and there, with simple farm houses. It was at the base of one of these hills, a patch lined with only grass and surrounded by a low fence, that Sethan finally stopped.
“Here we are.” Sethan laid a hand on top of one of the sturdy, wooden posts.
“Great,” said Kairn, straining to make out any details in the darkness. “Just where is here?” There was no answer from Sethan, who already had one leg over the fence. “Sethan?” Kairn followed, rows of slabs laid in the grass coming into view.
He propped the shovel against the fence and planted a foot on the top beam. “Sethan?” he called again, once he was safely on the other side. He picked up the shovel and cast a slow, sweeping look over what was clearly a graveyard.
Sethan wandered from stone to stone, stooping now and then to read the inscriptions, while Kairn watched him with a frown. Sethan paused, poking thoughtfully at the fresh soil piled loosely on top of one of the graves with the toe of his boot. “This looks like a good one.”
“A good what?” Kairn’s jaw fell open. “You’re not-”
Sethan flashed him a grin. “Not what?”
“But Sethan, that’s someone’s body!”
He jabbed the dirt again. “He’s not using it anymore, is he?”
“Well, no, but-”
A hand reached for the shovel and Kairn’s knuckles tightened around the handle as he swept it out of the way. “Are you going to help me dig or not?” said Sethan.
“Not,” Kairn answered firmly.
The hand made a swipe for the tool. “Then give me the shovel.”
“But-”
Sethan’s eyes narrowed, his jaw set. His stomach turning, Kairn relinquished the shovel. “Go,” said Sethan, hauling the thing up onto his shoulder with one hand, as the other waved Kairn away. “Stand watch or something, if you’re not going to be any use here.”
Kairn looked from his friend and the shovel to the grave with a grimace, his stomach slowly twisting itself into a painful knot, and stepped aside. Sethan turned back to the grave with a grin.
He wandered across the grass, every muscle tensing as the soft thud of metal into dirt sounded behind him. There was a soft splash of dirt, thrown and rolling across the ground, a grunt, and then another thud. Kairn stuffed his fingers into his ears and kept walking.
He found a tree at the edge of the yard, a sturdy thing with low hanging branches, that took him only a moment to scale. “This isn’t right,” he called, once securely perched.
“A body is a body.” The thump of the shovel and spray of the soil continued beneath Sethan’s voice. “I don’t hear you defending the rats‘ rights to their furry little corpses.”
“They’re rats,” said Kairn. “This is a man!”
“So this body had a name.” The shovel smacked against something solid, and Kairn fought the urge to plug his ears again. “So what? Master Berwyk does it.”
“And that’s supposed to make it alright? Half the things Berwyk does-”
“Aha!“ Kairn shuddered at the shrill creak of hinges being pried open. “Beautiful,” said Sethan. “All still here. Yes, this should work well. Hopefully should last through more than a few uses.” A sickening thud echoed from the vicinity of the hole. “You see, the trouble with humans is there are so many focal points. Not like rats where it’s all in the gut and the head, but that’s what makes them interesting-”
Kairn swallowed hard, clutching at the branch beneath him. “You want to spare me the lecture?”
“It is amazing, really, the way energy flows through the human body. Not like any other creature. Especially when all the organs are still intact-”
“Do you mind?” said Kairn, turning without thinking.
Sethen popped up out of the hole, the remains of an arm in one hand, freshly severed tissue still dangling from the shoulder, and a broad grin on his face. Kairn threw a hand to his mouth, nearly falling from his perch. “You know,” said Sethan, “sometimes you’re no fun.”
“Don’t show me that!” Kairn floundered among the branches, fighting to shield his eyes and still keep his balance. “Gods! What is wrong with you?” Laughter was Sethan’s only response while Kairn huddled in the tree, shivering.
Something he was sure he’d rather not put a name to thudded against the ground, and Kairn pulled his cloak up around his ears. Another soft thump followed and another. Kairn stared across the broad hills of crops, one dark slope much like another, and wondered which of the slender roads that snaked their way over them it was that they‘d taken and if he could pick it out well enough to make it on his own. He shuddered at the sound of another thump. “Are you about done?”
“No.”
“Well, hurry up. I want to go home.”
“This would go much faster if I had help. “
Kairn’s stomach gave a painful twist. “On second thought,“ he said, “I can wait.” Pulling his cloak tight about him, he shut his eyes and braced himself against the trunk of the tree.
Rating : PG-13 (there's some grossness)
Timeframe : 1250
Word Count : 1075
“Just where are we going?” Kairn asked, as he shuffled along the dusty path, the sturdy handle of the shovel bobbing against his shoulder with every step.
“You will see,” said Sethan, as he always did.
Kairn frowned and continued to drag his feet across the dirt, eyes on his friend’s back as he weaved his way back and forth across the road with long, easy strides, a shifting mass of black against a landscape nearly as dark. “And what,” he asked, with a glance at the broad head of the shovel, “do I need this for?”
“You will see,” Sethan repeated, his tone a bit too chipper for Kairn‘s liking. The hatchet hung from his belt did little to improve matters.
“I’m not going to have to hit something with it, am I?”
There was laughter from the dark shape before him. “No.”
Twilight descended into the slightest moonlight as they made their way down one winding road after another. More than once, Kairn bit back the desire to ask again just where they were headed, as he lost track of the number and direction of turns their journey had taken.
The manor had long since left their sight, to be replaced by hills blanketed in thick, green crops and spotted, here and there, with simple farm houses. It was at the base of one of these hills, a patch lined with only grass and surrounded by a low fence, that Sethan finally stopped.
“Here we are.” Sethan laid a hand on top of one of the sturdy, wooden posts.
“Great,” said Kairn, straining to make out any details in the darkness. “Just where is here?” There was no answer from Sethan, who already had one leg over the fence. “Sethan?” Kairn followed, rows of slabs laid in the grass coming into view.
He propped the shovel against the fence and planted a foot on the top beam. “Sethan?” he called again, once he was safely on the other side. He picked up the shovel and cast a slow, sweeping look over what was clearly a graveyard.
Sethan wandered from stone to stone, stooping now and then to read the inscriptions, while Kairn watched him with a frown. Sethan paused, poking thoughtfully at the fresh soil piled loosely on top of one of the graves with the toe of his boot. “This looks like a good one.”
“A good what?” Kairn’s jaw fell open. “You’re not-”
Sethan flashed him a grin. “Not what?”
“But Sethan, that’s someone’s body!”
He jabbed the dirt again. “He’s not using it anymore, is he?”
“Well, no, but-”
A hand reached for the shovel and Kairn’s knuckles tightened around the handle as he swept it out of the way. “Are you going to help me dig or not?” said Sethan.
“Not,” Kairn answered firmly.
The hand made a swipe for the tool. “Then give me the shovel.”
“But-”
Sethan’s eyes narrowed, his jaw set. His stomach turning, Kairn relinquished the shovel. “Go,” said Sethan, hauling the thing up onto his shoulder with one hand, as the other waved Kairn away. “Stand watch or something, if you’re not going to be any use here.”
Kairn looked from his friend and the shovel to the grave with a grimace, his stomach slowly twisting itself into a painful knot, and stepped aside. Sethan turned back to the grave with a grin.
He wandered across the grass, every muscle tensing as the soft thud of metal into dirt sounded behind him. There was a soft splash of dirt, thrown and rolling across the ground, a grunt, and then another thud. Kairn stuffed his fingers into his ears and kept walking.
He found a tree at the edge of the yard, a sturdy thing with low hanging branches, that took him only a moment to scale. “This isn’t right,” he called, once securely perched.
“A body is a body.” The thump of the shovel and spray of the soil continued beneath Sethan’s voice. “I don’t hear you defending the rats‘ rights to their furry little corpses.”
“They’re rats,” said Kairn. “This is a man!”
“So this body had a name.” The shovel smacked against something solid, and Kairn fought the urge to plug his ears again. “So what? Master Berwyk does it.”
“And that’s supposed to make it alright? Half the things Berwyk does-”
“Aha!“ Kairn shuddered at the shrill creak of hinges being pried open. “Beautiful,” said Sethan. “All still here. Yes, this should work well. Hopefully should last through more than a few uses.” A sickening thud echoed from the vicinity of the hole. “You see, the trouble with humans is there are so many focal points. Not like rats where it’s all in the gut and the head, but that’s what makes them interesting-”
Kairn swallowed hard, clutching at the branch beneath him. “You want to spare me the lecture?”
“It is amazing, really, the way energy flows through the human body. Not like any other creature. Especially when all the organs are still intact-”
“Do you mind?” said Kairn, turning without thinking.
Sethen popped up out of the hole, the remains of an arm in one hand, freshly severed tissue still dangling from the shoulder, and a broad grin on his face. Kairn threw a hand to his mouth, nearly falling from his perch. “You know,” said Sethan, “sometimes you’re no fun.”
“Don’t show me that!” Kairn floundered among the branches, fighting to shield his eyes and still keep his balance. “Gods! What is wrong with you?” Laughter was Sethan’s only response while Kairn huddled in the tree, shivering.
Something he was sure he’d rather not put a name to thudded against the ground, and Kairn pulled his cloak up around his ears. Another soft thump followed and another. Kairn stared across the broad hills of crops, one dark slope much like another, and wondered which of the slender roads that snaked their way over them it was that they‘d taken and if he could pick it out well enough to make it on his own. He shuddered at the sound of another thump. “Are you about done?”
“No.”
“Well, hurry up. I want to go home.”
“This would go much faster if I had help. “
Kairn’s stomach gave a painful twist. “On second thought,“ he said, “I can wait.” Pulling his cloak tight about him, he shut his eyes and braced himself against the trunk of the tree.