marg

oh no - it's probably broken..

marg

well, for some of you'se..

Hazer

Jack pulled the map from his pocket and ran his finger along the path he had just come. He knew his time was running out, his strength was waning and his water would not last much longer. He had covered a lot of ground since he had set out that morning but according to his calculations he had at least another five miles to go. He knew that if he could just reach the tunnel before nightfall, the rest would be easy by comparison. There was no time to waste, no time to look back. Press forward. Ignore the burning pain in the legs….one foot in front of the other, that’s it.

He knew his escape would have been discovered by now. The months of careful planning, the cunning web of deception he had so skillfully woven….not one detail had been overlooked. Whether it was a stroke of pure genius or just sheer dumb luck, Jack wasn’t sure. What he did know for certain was that whatever force of nature brought him this far, there would be no turning back now. He had looked through steel bars for the last time.

Finally he was at the embankment. Panting heavily he scrambled down the steep crooked little path leading to the tunnel. Heart pounding, he tried to shake of the sensation of being watched. Focus…almost there.

He emerged from the tunnel just as dusk was falling. He would see her soon...only a few more yards. He topped the ridge and there she was, a beautiful sight to behold, standing stately and elegant, silhouetted against the rising moon, her arms reaching out to him. Impulsively, he kissed her, and then bent on his knees to sweep the fallen leaves away from her marble feet, gently tugging a small leather pouch out from under them. He pressed it to his lips….freedom.

Doug

Nice submission Hazer.

mum23

Yes, a VERY nice submission, Hazer! I found myself getting caught up in it, and loved the surprise in the ending.

mum23

My apologies, folks, for neglecting this challenge for the last little while. There's been a lot happening... real life... y'know?

Apologies too, to chelydra... I couldn't find words (though I tried many times) to respond to your 'sermon', or rather, your character's sermon. There have been a few deaths close to me too, recently, and I'd found myself coming to opposite conclusions to those of your character's... anyway, it was all a bit too close and personal for anything coherent to come out when I tried to respond.

So... time to pass on the baton. Thank you all for your contributions... they were all wonderful. As there's only one 'legal' contribution (ie 286 words), I'll ignore that criterion, and hand the baton over to Doug, because it's good to see you back, and because right now I'd like to believe in a world where one could take such a leap of faith as he described, and land unharmed at the bottom.

Congrats, and looking forward to seeing what you come up with!

Hazer

Congratulations Doug! I look forward to your word list.

Thank you Doug and mum for your words of encouragement....I did struggle with that word list for awhile. As with you mum...there's been a lot happening.

marg

That was a brilliant contribution, Hazer.. in fact, I loved the whole thread ..

Thanks very much, mum, and go for it, Doug !

Doug

Thank you very much for the honor! I've been super busy with work. I'll come up with a list today or tomorrow. Stay tuned....