Monday, January 10, 2011

The Seeker

He moves carefully across the ice, the surface rippled with the motion of waves, caught in the moment when it froze for the last time. The snow eddies and catches in tiny drifts before being scoured away by the endless wind. The ice is dark, a greenish blue. There are air bubbles. It is solid.

At a point well out of sight of any land, he stops. He kneels, brushes away the powdery snow. The ice here is measured in fathoms. There is nothing below him but shadows.

He retrieves an ice axe from his pack and begins to dig.

6 comments:

Gerald said...

Nice beginning to a longer story. I am curious as to what he is up to.

The Words Crafter said...

I agree, it's fantastic. I want to know what he's seeking!

Scattercat said...

Hypothermia, at a guess.

Gerald said...

Taku cut into the ice with deliberate strokes. Soon he exposed the top of the Wisest Stone.

"Ahhhh" Said the Wisest Stone. "That was bracing. But I think a few days in a sunnier climate would be better."

Taku sighed and kept digging.

Scattercat said...

I am simultaneously awash with mirth and fearful that you nailed it so well.

Gerald said...

*Grin*