Morning all and welcome to not only Friday but the last day of July. I always get a little thrill when the last day of the month is on a Friday. Admittedly I also get a little thrill when the first day of the month is on a Monday. I know, I’m a little odd like that. But it makes me happy. And you really have to enjoy the little things sometimes. So I am going to enjoy that all day today. And speaking of today, let’s kick it off with the last prompt of July. Timers set for fifteen minutes and lets see what comes out.
Hmm, this is a situation I need to think about but I will certainly put this scene away for later use even if it doesn’t start a story of it’s own.
Friday, July 31st: It was a feeble light.
It was a feeble light, but after being underground for so long, it was like a beacon on the night. He paused, knowing he needed rest. He settled on a rocky outcropping, his eyes staring at the sliver of light. He pulled his water bottle from the clip on his bag and opened the top. The bottle was lighter than he liked and the water was warm despite the insulated bottles’ best efforts, but it was water. He was surprised it lasted this long. He expected it to have run out a long time ago.
‘Still, it might not be as long as I thought,’ he reminded himself.
Traveling through the dark tunnels tended to shift time for him in ways he didn’t care for. It made minutes drag on like hours. And feet seem like miles. He wasn’t certain how long he had been in the tunnels or how far he travelled. He did know that this was the first light he had seen and he was eager to emerge and leave the darkness behind.
He held the mouthful of water in his mouth as he carefully closed the water bottle tightly and clipped it back into place. He let his mouth absorb some of the moisture and then slowly he let it trickle down his throat in short swallows, making the water last and seem like more than it was. He had a climb ahead of him to reach the light and he knew he would want a drink then.
‘Two mouthfuls at least,’ he promised himself. He blinked and finally tore his gaze away from the light. As his body rested, he let his gaze trace the rough ascension ahead. He let his eyes wander picking different paths, spotting obstacles it would be hard to move around and cracks where the rocks might break from his weight and send him skidding back down. By the time he felt ready to go on, he identified what he thought would be the best path.
‘Once more into the breach,’ he thought as he heaved his tired body off it’s resting spot. Slowly he began to climb. It was slow, hard work and periodically he had to stop, wedging himself against the rock to give his tired limbs a break from climbing.
Inch by slow inch the light came closer. Finally, he could reach out and touch it. The opening was large enough that he could escape, he just had to push the smaller rocks blocking his bath away. He did, feeling desperate for the light and refreshed by the scent of the clean fresh breeze that drifted in.
He tore at the rocks, eager to be free and when it was finally big enough to let him out, he pushed himself through. It was a tight fit and, in the end, he had to remove his pack and send it out first. He scrambled out of the hole, scarping off a layer of skin in places to do so. But finally, he was free. He sat on the mountain instead of being buried under it.
His breath was ragged and his skin raw. Remembering his promise, he pulled his back close and took up his water bottle. This time he allowed himself two measured mouthfuls. As he swallowed, he looked around.
The day was waning. The sun was easing down the horizon. ‘At least I know which way is west.’ He thought. ‘And the sun lasted until I could escape.’
He thought it was closer to mid-day. He tried to remember what time the initial rockslide occurred to send him off the path and into the depths of the mountain. It seemed like a lifetime ago.
Ten til Midnight 