Captain Nowhere (Part 2) (581 hits)
Category: Quotes & StoriesRating: 2 on 13 reviews (Rate this item) (V)
Submitted by Yes (View user info) at 2005-06-09 11:24:12 EDT
Captain Nowhere (Part 2)
Part 1: http://www.ubersite.com/m/68067
That day, I found the end of the woods. I didn't believe it at first. As I approached the end, I saw that after a point, there didn't seem to be any trees, but I thought maybe it was an optical illusion. It wasn't, though, and at the end of the forest, there was a vertiginous drop. The cliff went down for a considerable distance—there were clouds down there in the distance. "What in the goddamn hell is going on here?" I muttered to myself as I stared out into the valley. The clouds thinned out farther away from the cliff, and I swore once again—there seemed to be cities down there—something.
I shook my head in disbelief. "No. No cities, no towns, no. No, no, no, no, no." This was not right at all. I knew that cities didn't necessarily mean people, but I was reminded again that my schooner was gone, and so was the sea—I'd come so far inland that there was no point in going back—and maybe the forest had fixed itself. Maybe it was endless now. I wasn't so sure, though. And if it wasn't, then what was I going to call it? I shouldn't even have to consider that question, I realized. I shouldn't have to wonder what to call a finite forest because there shouldn't be one. There shouldn't be any forests at all because there should be only water. Water and my boat, and me. That was it.
And now I had to know what was really in the valley. I didn't want to wait for the clouds to thin, so I decided to head up the cliff a ways and see what I came to.
My spirits lifted as I went on for a few days, walking non stop, and found no break in the cliff—it went on forever, just like things were supposed to. The sun didn't bother itself with setting, either. I called that interval of time "a few days" because it was my right, and if that was how long I decided it was, then it was so.
But finally, the sun did set. And after leaving the tent the next morning, I walked for a few miles and came to a waterfall. It was vast. It was the biggest waterfall I'd ever seen, although it was the only one. Looking at it, it came to me for the first time to question the events of my life. Was this where I'd come from? Had I left the valley below and gone out to sea in my schooner? It was possible, but I just didn't think it had happened that way. I'd just been out at sea, and I'd been out there until the storm, and then I'd come to the beach, and I was seeing all of this for the first time.
The Empty Sea had been so much better than this place. I had no use for trees and waterfalls and valleys—and I certainly had no use for an irritating girl that stared at me without speaking. At least she'd gotten the idea and left me alone. How dare she disturb my solitude in the first place?
And now the falls. I looked back up the river that ran over the cliff and saw that there was a boat sitting farther up on the banks. Finally, I walked over to it, pushed it out into the river and got in. It didn't take long at all for me to go over the falls, and the drop was exhilarating. I held on to the sides of the boat as I went down and down and down for what must have been miles, and finally, the boat hit the water. I supposed I could have just jumped from the cliff in the first place, but the thought hadn't really crossed my mind. For a moment, I considered following the cliff until I was reasonably certain that it went on forever, but in the end, I decided that it was more important to investigate the valley. (Which would be properly endless if it knew what was good for it.)
I set out to the North, prepared to walk for days or weeks, but I came to a tent almost right away. I frowned, wondering when I'd eaten last and if maybe there was food for me in there. I decided that I didn't care and continued on.
The grass of the valley was high—higher than my head. It didn't surprise me at all, though, to catch sight of brown hair a few yards ahead. I scowled as I reached her and she stood there serenely, just watching me. I decided right then that two could play at her idiotic game, and this time I wasn't going to be the first one to speak.
"Do you really think my feet are too big?" she asked right away.
I didn't know what to say.
"How dare you call me ugly. You're a total bastard."
"Look, I don't think you're ugly, but you made me mad," I explained. "You're not supposed to be here at all. You're... there's no such thing as people, okay? There's not. And you're not supposed to be here. You're breaking the rules."
"How do you know there's no such thing as people?" she asked. "I'm people. And a month ago, you didn't believe in dry land, either."
"That's not the point," I told her, and trailed off.
She smiled. "Your logic isn't very good," she told me. "You're not as smart as you think you are."
I laughed. "Who the fuck do you think you are, anyway? What are you doing here?"
She smiled again. "Wouldn't you like to know?"
"Are you always this difficult?" I asked.
She turned away, then, looking off into the distance. "It's beautiful out here," she told me. The mountains and the cliffs, and the river... and the grass. The grass is beautiful."
I didn't know what to say. I stood there watching her as she turned in slow circles, her arms spread. I couldn't believe I'd called her ugly. Her face had a beautiful austerity and the shining intelligence in her eyes was something I didn't remember seeing since... ever.
As she slowly revolved, there was a crack of thunder in the suddenly clouded sky. "Jesus!" I exclaimed and looked up at the sky. The same cold fear I'd known when I'd awakened to the only storm I'd ever seen eclipsed my heart once more and made my stomach clench. The girl turned her face to the sky and suddenly it was raining... it was raining flower petals.
She began to dance, laughing, and I stared at her in awe. I'd never seen anything quite like this, and I couldn't help feeling that I should do something about it. Finally, she stopped her dance and looked at me archly, her hips cocked. The flower petals were still falling from the sky, and her arms were still outstretched. I didn't trust her. I didn't trust her at all.
As I watched her, I wanted to pull her into my arms, but it seemed as if that would be at odds with everything I believed in. There was an electricity coming from her that I couldn't quite understand, and when our eyes met, a chill ran down my spine.
"Who are you?" I asked softly.
She reached out and grabbed my wrist. "Let's go to the circus," she said softly.
"...There is no circus," I answered uncertainly. I wasn't sure of anything anymore.
She pulled me to her roughly and wrapped her arms around my neck as our lips met. I wasn't surprised, but I thought I should be. We kissed harder and harder, and the need in me perplexed me again. My heart pounded as our tongues dueled, and we fought to devour each other. I felt her pelvis grinding against me, and I felt as if I was in over my head. As if I was going to drown.
She laughed and kissed my neck as I stood there, breathing heavily, and holding her as tightly as I could.
"Of course there's a circus," she told me playfully, and kissed my neck again. She sounded as if she thought I was being silly—maybe I was. "Come with me," she said finally, and pulled away to give me a wicked smile. She turned and began walking, her hips swaying seductively, and my erection felt like a railroad spike.
"With you?" I stammered awkwardly. "Aren't you going to disappear again?"
"I don't plan on it," she answered over her shoulder, still walking.
"You didn't plan on it in the first place, did you?"
She turned and looked at me for a space, smiling enigmatically. "Wouldn't you like to know?" she asked.
Yeah, I admitted. Yeah, I would.
User Reviews
Submitted by Yes (user info) at 2005-06-15 13:03:52 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Part 1: http://www.ubersite.com/m/68067
Part 2: http://www.ubersite.com/m/68145
Part 3: http://www.ubersite.com/m/68277
Part 4: http://www.ubersite.com/m/68439
Part 5: http://www.ubersite.com/m/68502
part 6: http://www.ubersite.com/m/68598
Submitted by Phinch (user info) at 2005-06-10 18:04:37 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
I'd do you...
with my railroad spike.
Submitted by LadyPlural (user info) at 2005-06-09 20:52:31 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Freooooow.
Submitted by Yes (user info) at 2005-06-09 15:41:06 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
have you read ahead somehow snark?
thanks for reading ya'll, more to come in the days ahead...
Submitted by munkeypants (user info) at 2005-06-09 15:13:06 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by JonnyX (user info) at 2005-06-09 14:50:43 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
this is some heavy-ass stuff!
Submitted by Snark (user info) at 2005-06-09 13:55:30 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
You're a better man than I.
I would have had to kill or fuck someone by now to keep the story interesting.
Very cool concept.
Submitted by SkyLaR (user info) at 2005-06-09 13:35:52 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by strwbryfanatic (user info) at 2005-06-09 13:31:47 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
+2 BRAVO!!!
http://www.ubersite.com/m/68156
Submitted by funk_boy (user info) at 2005-06-09 12:17:18 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by Brdn_Nkd (user info) at 2005-06-09 11:54:51 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by wookie (user info) at 2005-06-09 11:44:27 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by loki (user info) at 2005-06-09 11:41:16 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
only one post per day asshole