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Jul. 31st, 2012 11:27 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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literenMarvel, Thor/Loki, PG, 131w
It's late in the afternoon and the playground is slowly emptying. A couple of girls dressed in pink run back to their mothers, asking if they can please please please stay for five more minutes.
Loki rocks back and forth on the wooden horse, clasping the handles tightly with his little hands and staring down. He doesn't look up, not even when a pair of battered trainers and grass-stained jeans appear in his field of jeans.
"Loki," his older brother says, holding out his hand. "Let's go home. Mum is worried." A moment of pause. "And dad too."
That's a lie, Loki thinks, chewing on his lower lip, but he gets up anyway. The old rocking horse wobbles and squeaks in protest at the sudden movement. "Let's go home," Loki says, taking Thor's hand.
Original, Gail, PG, 723w
Gail stood in the darkness clutching the handle of her parasol, which suddenly seemed like a very silly thing to carry around for this expedition. She hung the handle from her arm, which wasn't very proper and would have earned her a stern look from Mother, had there been enough light in this cave to see by. "I really don't want to do this," she called over her shoulder, towards the faint light of the exit, but she got no answer. Instead she thought she could hear a voice just on the cusp of hearing, further into the cave.
She walked a couple more steps and she felt her boots squelch on the muddy floor, and she sighed mournfully at the thought of the hem of her dress which would no doubt soon be ruined beyond repair. "Matches, Gail, matches," she muttered to herself. "We should have brought some, and then we'd have some light to see by." It seemed rather silly to talk when nobody else was there, and yet it was so much better than listen to the faint noises and echoes from far-off parts of the cave. Besides, she wasn't talking to herself, not exactly.
The darkness grew with each step, until the exit was nothing more than a pinpoint of light, and then it vanished completely after a bend. She couldn't see in front of her nose now, and she didn't want to slip and fall, or worse get lost in some twist of the passage. After some hesitation she took off her gloves and put them in her handbag, fumbling with the clasp. It was easier to walk with one hand trailing over the walls of the cave, even though it was cold and damp and slimy. Gail set her lips into a stern line and marched on. "It's just water, don't be silly now," she said.
There was an answer to her words, something that didn't sound like an echo, or dripping water, or footsteps. Gail froze, feeling her heart jump in her throat, and for a moment everything was silent. She thought she heard something once again, but the blood rushing in her ears was drowning out every other sound. "Hello?" she said. She'd meant to call out loudly and it came out sounding more like a squeak, but that was fine because she didn't really care for someone to reply. However, as always, nothing seemed to go as she would have liked. She did get a reply, still faint as a whisper, but this time she was able to hear the words. "Help me!"
It wasn't a very charitable thought, but Gail's first instinct was to turn her back to the whisperer and run for the exit as if the Devil herself was on her heels. And, for all that she knew, that very well might be. Much to her chagrin, that wasn't an option. She started walking again, more slowly now, with the whispered pleas now making a counterpoint to the sound of her steps. She couldn't say whether the voice was male or female, or whether it was human at all. In the depths of the cave it was easy to remember about all those legends that she'd always smiled at, all those superstitions that seemed so silly in the light of day.
"Help me," the voice said again. It was still further ahead, maybe a tad to her left. The passage where Gail was walking seemed straight enough, but she had no idea whether it would lead her to her destination. She could only pray and keep walking. Now that Gail knew for sure that there was someone else in there with her, she didn't feel like talking to herself any more. She thought about asking something, anything, just to break the stream of whispers, but she couldn't think of anything. "Where are you?" seemed like a silly question when she herself had no idea of where she was going. "Are you all right?" was equally silly, because the cave was not an all right place to be, not at all. "Who are you?" might have been a good one to ask, but Gail wasn't sure that she wanted to hear the answer to that. Instead Gail clenched the handle of her purse tightly as if it was a shield. "I'm coming," she said to the darkness.
It's late in the afternoon and the playground is slowly emptying. A couple of girls dressed in pink run back to their mothers, asking if they can please please please stay for five more minutes.
Loki rocks back and forth on the wooden horse, clasping the handles tightly with his little hands and staring down. He doesn't look up, not even when a pair of battered trainers and grass-stained jeans appear in his field of jeans.
"Loki," his older brother says, holding out his hand. "Let's go home. Mum is worried." A moment of pause. "And dad too."
That's a lie, Loki thinks, chewing on his lower lip, but he gets up anyway. The old rocking horse wobbles and squeaks in protest at the sudden movement. "Let's go home," Loki says, taking Thor's hand.
Original, Gail, PG, 723w
Gail stood in the darkness clutching the handle of her parasol, which suddenly seemed like a very silly thing to carry around for this expedition. She hung the handle from her arm, which wasn't very proper and would have earned her a stern look from Mother, had there been enough light in this cave to see by. "I really don't want to do this," she called over her shoulder, towards the faint light of the exit, but she got no answer. Instead she thought she could hear a voice just on the cusp of hearing, further into the cave.
She walked a couple more steps and she felt her boots squelch on the muddy floor, and she sighed mournfully at the thought of the hem of her dress which would no doubt soon be ruined beyond repair. "Matches, Gail, matches," she muttered to herself. "We should have brought some, and then we'd have some light to see by." It seemed rather silly to talk when nobody else was there, and yet it was so much better than listen to the faint noises and echoes from far-off parts of the cave. Besides, she wasn't talking to herself, not exactly.
The darkness grew with each step, until the exit was nothing more than a pinpoint of light, and then it vanished completely after a bend. She couldn't see in front of her nose now, and she didn't want to slip and fall, or worse get lost in some twist of the passage. After some hesitation she took off her gloves and put them in her handbag, fumbling with the clasp. It was easier to walk with one hand trailing over the walls of the cave, even though it was cold and damp and slimy. Gail set her lips into a stern line and marched on. "It's just water, don't be silly now," she said.
There was an answer to her words, something that didn't sound like an echo, or dripping water, or footsteps. Gail froze, feeling her heart jump in her throat, and for a moment everything was silent. She thought she heard something once again, but the blood rushing in her ears was drowning out every other sound. "Hello?" she said. She'd meant to call out loudly and it came out sounding more like a squeak, but that was fine because she didn't really care for someone to reply. However, as always, nothing seemed to go as she would have liked. She did get a reply, still faint as a whisper, but this time she was able to hear the words. "Help me!"
It wasn't a very charitable thought, but Gail's first instinct was to turn her back to the whisperer and run for the exit as if the Devil herself was on her heels. And, for all that she knew, that very well might be. Much to her chagrin, that wasn't an option. She started walking again, more slowly now, with the whispered pleas now making a counterpoint to the sound of her steps. She couldn't say whether the voice was male or female, or whether it was human at all. In the depths of the cave it was easy to remember about all those legends that she'd always smiled at, all those superstitions that seemed so silly in the light of day.
"Help me," the voice said again. It was still further ahead, maybe a tad to her left. The passage where Gail was walking seemed straight enough, but she had no idea whether it would lead her to her destination. She could only pray and keep walking. Now that Gail knew for sure that there was someone else in there with her, she didn't feel like talking to herself any more. She thought about asking something, anything, just to break the stream of whispers, but she couldn't think of anything. "Where are you?" seemed like a silly question when she herself had no idea of where she was going. "Are you all right?" was equally silly, because the cave was not an all right place to be, not at all. "Who are you?" might have been a good one to ask, but Gail wasn't sure that she wanted to hear the answer to that. Instead Gail clenched the handle of her purse tightly as if it was a shield. "I'm coming," she said to the darkness.
