Just because I haven't shared anything lately, here's a pair of excerpts from Chapter Three. (Yes, I really should do some more work on Chapter One...) First off, the presentation of a new song effect:
"Somebody want to tell me why we trusted Ayerton?"
M. Doug seemed upset. I was upset, as well; thanks to M. Ayerton, we had been overpowered, bound, and tied to a stake, around which the villagers were piling dry wood. This was a new experience for me, and not at all incredible. I was beginning to think that M. Ayerton didn't have the skills that he claimed to have.
"Please address me with the respect due my station. I am a count, you know."
"I'll address you with the respect you've earned, Ayerton. And I'd give you something else to count, if we weren't tied up! How about you count how many people are about to die because of your incompetence?"
M. Ayerton didn't offer any answer to M. Doug's question.
"I say, Sangnoir," asked M. Samson, "don't you have something under your hat that could help us here?"
"Yeah! Doug can get us out of this, Samson! Can't you, Doug?" added Marie.
M. Doug didn't answer immediately. He finally said "Maybe. But I hope our 'Africa expert' realizes the consequences of his boasts, if I get us out of this." He continued in English. ""
The villagers, surprised when music began to come out of M. Doug's helmet, backed away from us.
""
The air around us became chill, which was a pleasant change from the heat of the African coast.
""
Then the rain began to pour down. I wasn't sure, because the ropes kept me from making proper observations, but from the sound of the rain falling on the Gra-tan parked behind us and the edge of the downpour that I could see in front of us, I believe the rain was centered on M. Doug.
"Doug, it's cold, and it hurts! I don't like this."
"I'm sorry, Marie, but you're going to have to get a bit more wet. I need to be sure the wood won't catch fire."
That was an odd choice of words from M. Doug. I would have to remember to offer to teach him some colliquial French, if we survived our current predicament.
""
One of the villagers pointed at us and started yelling. I looked at the person he was looking at, and saw that one of us still had dry hair and clothes. "Incredible! You aren't getting wet at all, Nadia!"
The villagers started talking amongst themselves after I said that. I heard the name "Nadia" spoken many times. Then I heard the words "Blue Water", which puzzled me because none of us had mentioned Nadia's gem since we crashed.
The villager who had said "Blue Water" walked to us slowly, bowing as he neared us, and slowly drew a long knife from his belt. He then cut Samson's ropes and presented the knife to him, bowing again.
"Call it a hunch, chaps, but I think they might know who Nadia is. Sangnoir, would you mind turning off the rain?" He cut Mme. Grandis loose, then turned to Marie and Nadia.
"" The music and the chill wind ceased, but the rain didn't. "This is the best I can do, Samson."
"It'll do," he replied while cutting M. Doug's bonds. "Should I let Ayerton loose?"
"I'm tempted to say no, but that wouldn't be the gentlemanly thing to do. Cut him free while I do what we should have done in the first place." M. Doug turned to the villagers. "Do any of you speak French? "
(Yes, I chose the Moby song.)
Then, a few scenes later, the consequences...
I knew I couldn't trust Doug.
I walked up to the hut he was staying in and pushed the door open. "Marie's ill, and it's your fault!"
"Knock before you enter, please, Nadia."
I couldn't believe him! I just told him that Marie was ill, and he's worried about his privacy! "Why?"
"I think we'd both be embarassed if you walked in while I was changing clothes."
"Oh." I hate it when he's right.
"What's wrong with Marie, and why is it my fault?"
"She's running a fever, she's shivering, and there are a lot of little bruises all over her arms. That rain you called into existence made Marie sick! She even told you at the time that it was hurting her!"
"You're probably right, Nadia." I never expected to hear him say that. "Please get everyone together, and I'll do something to help her."
"Why does everyone need to be together?"
"They don't, but somebody else might be ill as well. I can only do this once a day, but I can help everyone at the same time if they're close enough."
"I guess that makes sense." I really hate it when he's right.
As I went off to get the others, I noticed him picking up his helmet and talking to it while walking to the hut that Marie and I shared. I don't know as much English as the men do, so I'm not sure, but I think he told it "
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."
- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012
"Somebody want to tell me why we trusted Ayerton?"
M. Doug seemed upset. I was upset, as well; thanks to M. Ayerton, we had been overpowered, bound, and tied to a stake, around which the villagers were piling dry wood. This was a new experience for me, and not at all incredible. I was beginning to think that M. Ayerton didn't have the skills that he claimed to have.
"Please address me with the respect due my station. I am a count, you know."
"I'll address you with the respect you've earned, Ayerton. And I'd give you something else to count, if we weren't tied up! How about you count how many people are about to die because of your incompetence?"
M. Ayerton didn't offer any answer to M. Doug's question.
"I say, Sangnoir," asked M. Samson, "don't you have something under your hat that could help us here?"
"Yeah! Doug can get us out of this, Samson! Can't you, Doug?" added Marie.
M. Doug didn't answer immediately. He finally said "Maybe. But I hope our 'Africa expert' realizes the consequences of his boasts, if I get us out of this." He continued in English. ""
The villagers, surprised when music began to come out of M. Doug's helmet, backed away from us.
""
The air around us became chill, which was a pleasant change from the heat of the African coast.
""
Then the rain began to pour down. I wasn't sure, because the ropes kept me from making proper observations, but from the sound of the rain falling on the Gra-tan parked behind us and the edge of the downpour that I could see in front of us, I believe the rain was centered on M. Doug.
"Doug, it's cold, and it hurts! I don't like this."
"I'm sorry, Marie, but you're going to have to get a bit more wet. I need to be sure the wood won't catch fire."
That was an odd choice of words from M. Doug. I would have to remember to offer to teach him some colliquial French, if we survived our current predicament.
""
One of the villagers pointed at us and started yelling. I looked at the person he was looking at, and saw that one of us still had dry hair and clothes. "Incredible! You aren't getting wet at all, Nadia!"
The villagers started talking amongst themselves after I said that. I heard the name "Nadia" spoken many times. Then I heard the words "Blue Water", which puzzled me because none of us had mentioned Nadia's gem since we crashed.
The villager who had said "Blue Water" walked to us slowly, bowing as he neared us, and slowly drew a long knife from his belt. He then cut Samson's ropes and presented the knife to him, bowing again.
"Call it a hunch, chaps, but I think they might know who Nadia is. Sangnoir, would you mind turning off the rain?" He cut Mme. Grandis loose, then turned to Marie and Nadia.
"" The music and the chill wind ceased, but the rain didn't. "This is the best I can do, Samson."
"It'll do," he replied while cutting M. Doug's bonds. "Should I let Ayerton loose?"
"I'm tempted to say no, but that wouldn't be the gentlemanly thing to do. Cut him free while I do what we should have done in the first place." M. Doug turned to the villagers. "Do any of you speak French? "
(Yes, I chose the Moby song.)
Then, a few scenes later, the consequences...
I knew I couldn't trust Doug.
I walked up to the hut he was staying in and pushed the door open. "Marie's ill, and it's your fault!"
"Knock before you enter, please, Nadia."
I couldn't believe him! I just told him that Marie was ill, and he's worried about his privacy! "Why?"
"I think we'd both be embarassed if you walked in while I was changing clothes."
"Oh." I hate it when he's right.
"What's wrong with Marie, and why is it my fault?"
"She's running a fever, she's shivering, and there are a lot of little bruises all over her arms. That rain you called into existence made Marie sick! She even told you at the time that it was hurting her!"
"You're probably right, Nadia." I never expected to hear him say that. "Please get everyone together, and I'll do something to help her."
"Why does everyone need to be together?"
"They don't, but somebody else might be ill as well. I can only do this once a day, but I can help everyone at the same time if they're close enough."
"I guess that makes sense." I really hate it when he's right.
As I went off to get the others, I noticed him picking up his helmet and talking to it while walking to the hut that Marie and I shared. I don't know as much English as the men do, so I'm not sure, but I think he told it "
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."
- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012