Cresting the ridge of low hills, earth opened before us. Dropping deep and wide, the canyon was long and verdant, where the earth behind us was scorched and barren.
A serpentine silver river snaked the miles of the secret valley. Hawks soared below us.
āYou said we were going somewhere special, this is not !ā
āWe are, just keep driving - youāll see...ā
She put her foot down, angrily heading towards the shimmering, golden veil, she looked at him, her eyes betraying her fear but certain he wouldnāt betray her....
Beyond the hills stretched an abyss. She sensed the emptiness and it made her nervous.He had insisted she take the wheel, despite the cataracts that blinded her. She heard him yawn and without a second thought, she jammed her foot hard on the gas and over the final hill.
āNow youāre really scaring meā she said. āIf weāre almost there, why not tell me where where is?ā āItās a secret, youāll know when we get thereā he said with a sly devilish grin she couldnāt help but notice!ā Watch out, she screamed and before they knew it, kaboom kaboom!
My 50 Words :
His āalmost thereā totalled exactly 136 minutes last time. Not that sheād been counting. Sheād promised herself sheād forget the last time.
Feeling tired, exhausted and at this point done with mundane travel āsurprisesā, she pulled over, with tears rolling down her face.
It was beautiful, butā¦
āNearly there, huh?ā
My 50 words:
Cresting the ridge of low hills, earth opened before us. Dropping deep and wide, the canyon was long and verdant, where the earth behind us was scorched and barren.
A serpentine silver river snaked the miles of the secret valley. Hawks soared below us.
āThe end of the world. Homeā
[MY 50 WORDS]
They crested the final ridge and looked into the valley. There were trees bleached as bone and a bulbous minaret of sun-baked brick.
āDoesnāt look good,ā she said as they slalomed down the track.
āWeāve failed,ā he said. A single tear snailed down his cheek.
The well was dry.
[My 50 words]
āWhere?ā
āThe end of the world. You know what the wizard saidā¦ā
āOh, cut it out! That wasnāt a wizard!ā
āHe said, go to the end of the world. Then youāll find it.ā
āFind what?ā
āErm. He didnāt say.ā
Both fell silent as they stared at the empty, shifting sands.
Your 50 plus my 50 result in this:
āAre you sure this is the way? Weāre, quite literally, in the middle of nowhere?ā she said, gripping the steering wheel of their camper van.
āWould you say weāve reached the end of the world?ā
āYouād have to be blind not to think so!ā
He smiled. āWeāre almost there then.ā
She stared out the windshield, watching the dust blow across the Texas landscape.
āYou still havenāt told me whatās out here.ā
āSee it for yourself.ā He got out.
āWhat is there to see in the dark?ā She followed.
āLook up.ā
She looked up, awestruck by the bright universe above her.
[My 50 words]
Her hand trails across the inside of the dusty windshield and she looks down at the grit between her fingertips.
āThey knowā¦ā
āWeāll be okayāweāre almost at the perimeterātheyāre expecting us.ā
One of her trembling hands bunches the shirt that covers her protruding stomach.
āThey have to knowā¦ā
āWeāre almost where ?ā
āYou said we were going somewhere special, this is not !ā
āWe are, just keep driving - youāll see...ā
She put her foot down, angrily heading towards the shimmering, golden veil, she looked at him, her eyes betraying her fear but certain he wouldnāt betray her....
Or would he?
50 words, straight up, no edit!
[My 50 words]
She looked to him. āNow what?ā
āFloor it.ā
āAre you sure?ā
He nodded.
Ever obedient, she did as was told.
The van picked up speed, then crashed through the invisible wall. Both unharmed, they marveled at the breathtaking view.
āThe clouds.ā She gasped. āProfessor!ā
āYes,ā he said. āWe found Hyperborea.ā
50 words (per google doc word count)
Beyond the hills stretched an abyss. She sensed the emptiness and it made her nervous.He had insisted she take the wheel, despite the cataracts that blinded her. She heard him yawn and without a second thought, she jammed her foot hard on the gas and over the final hill.
(My 50 words)
āNow youāre really scaring meā she said. āIf weāre almost there, why not tell me where where is?ā āItās a secret, youāll know when we get thereā he said with a sly devilish grin she couldnāt help but notice!ā Watch out, she screamed and before they knew it, kaboom kaboom!
[MY 50 WORDS]
The hills bent towards them before she could respond. The road climbed to vertical and then overhead. The van did not fall.
"You're scaring me!" she cried, her hair vertical beneath her.
"Good, that means we'll break out of this loop."
"wha--?" the sky shattered.
"Welcome back to the beginning."
I even counted by hand and I think this is 49 words. Not 50. We could uncontract a contraction? Is that even a word? Uncontract?
I thought it was 49 but then OpenOffice told me 50. I don't know what it's counting as a word that isn't a word. I will uncontract something š
[my 50 words]
āWhat?ā she said. āYouāre not making sense-ā
Then the car crossed the Line. The hills vanished. In their place stretched a yawning void. Absolute empty nothingness.
āHow do we go there?ā she asked.
āNot us,ā he said. āIt just wants you.ā
He pushed her in before she could ask why.
Love this idea!!
I hope to see an entry š