Good morning. The Daylight savings is sitting a little easier today and I feel less logy. Coffee will still play a huge roll in my morning but I no longer want to press charges against the time thief. So lets go ahead and get this morning started with our morning prompt. Are you ready? Good.
This one I was slow to get into, but I think I like it. I think it could make for an interesting story. Not sure where it is going yet, but an interesting story. And for those following along with the listed prompts from the Friday, I did accidentally do Wednesday’s prompt instead of Tuesdays. So I will do Tuesday’s tomorrow. Not that it really matters since they were randomly chosen, but my eyes just skipped Tuesday and went straight to Wednesday. Perhaps it is time for coffee.
Tuesday, March 15th: He recognized none of the plant species.
He recognized none of the plant species. Carl bent down next to the small sprout near him. He stared. Leaf shape. Bark Texture. Flower formation. None of it was something he recognized. The leaves had small nodules attached to them. He pulled out his tweezers and delicately squeezed one of them. He didn’t want to use his fingers let the oily surface be some sort of toxin. The small nodule felt like squeezing jelly. He squeezed too hard and a red liquid spilled out, dripping down over the leaf.
‘Extraordinary,” He said more to himself than anyone else. He looked around. The others were off …doing something. He couldn’t remember at the moment what they told him when they left. He was left to man base camp.
Karl shook his head. “Base Camp,” he repeated. He was fairly certain several of those in his party had seen too many movies. He wasn’t sure if they were military based movies or action adventure ones. He had never been a fan of the movies.
Carl retrieved his notebook and pulled out a pencil and his gum eraser. He massaged his eraser until it was a soft gray mass. He then took his pencil and began sketching out the plant to the best of his ability. He had friends who were artists and they always mocked his drawings. It bothered him when he was younger, but in the end he realized he wasn’t an artist, not in the traditional sense, and never would be.
Others drew what their imaginations showed them. He drew what was there. He knew that while it lacked artistic value, it would be an accurate representation of what was before him.
Carl looked up and saw so many plants around him that would need to be cataloged. A thought skimmed though his brain. He ignored it to finish his drawing and add his notes to the margin. Once complete, the thought returned. This time he let it come.
One unknown plant species was unusual but well within the realm of possibilities. All of the plant species being different was something else. The things here looked like they normally would if looked at in a general sense. But when they were looked at in detail, up close, nothing was right.
His excitement about potentially finding a new plant species faded. Thoughts of glory and having a species names after him dimmed. This wasn’t right. He sat back on his heels. They weren’t that far from home. All they did was take the road further than usual. Carl turned back to the road. Their vehicles and camping gear were still in place. The jeep parked at the end of the road where it petered out into an open area. Behind it was the rest of the road, long and winding, heading back the way they came.
Carl looked at the jeep and tried to recall who owned it. One of the others but he couldn’t remember their names, couldn’t in fact remember much about them. ‘and no one I know owns a vehicle like that.’
Carl frowned and stood, his eyes searching to woods for the others. As if his thoughts summoned them, they returned from their hike. They had strings with fish attached, a successful fishing trip. As they approached carl studied their faces . He didn’t know them. Not really. They were the people he came out here with, but they were, in their way as strange to him as the plants.
Ten til Midnight 