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clare_dragonflyTitle: Aresha
Word count: 563
Rating: PG-13
Prompt: Daughters of Clio: abandoned factory
Notes: none
When the bombs started to hit her neighborhood, Aresha knew where she needed to go.
Of course, it was dangerous to travel, and she had no protection. But her house would be no protection against the bombs, either. It was just as dangerous to stay as it was to go. And if she stayed in her house with all the windows and doors locked up, like they said she would, Puru would have no chance.
She’d tried to let her go, tried to get her to escape and be somewhere wild with other dogs. But she’d had no success. Puru wanted to stay by her side, and much as it frustrated Aresha to think she couldn’t keep her safe, it comforted her to have her there too.
When Aresha started packing her backpack, Puru watched her, wagging her tail. She knew they were going somewhere. Aresha smiled and patted her affectionately on the head. Then they walked out the back door.
Aresha’s neighborhood was really at the edge of the city; at least, the edge of the city the way it was now. Once it had extended farther in this direction. Now, that area was overgrown with trees and weeds, but Aresha had lived here all her life—she’d spent enough time in those woods as a teenager to know exactly what awaited her there. She didn’t think much could have changed. In fact, with the neighborhood gentrifying and the average age going up, there probably hadn’t been any teenagers hanging out there to smoke and defy their parents in years.
Puru didn’t know the woods, but she was interested just the same. She bounded ahead of Aresha, never getting too far away, but she could see the path better than her mistress could. Aresha smiled, then hurried her pace as she felt more than heard a bomb hit the ground somewhere behind her. Maybe it had even hit her house. She pushed the thought out of her mind. She couldn’t stay attached to a building, not if she wanted to stay attached to her life.
She was panting by the time they reached the factory, though Puru was still full of energy. Aresha wasn’t as young as she once was, and she sat down beside the door with relief, enjoying the sunlight that filtered greenly through the trees and the kudzu. “Go on,” she told her dog, gesturing at the dark, yawning cavity of the entrance. “Check it out for me.”
Puru understood. She seemed to understand better than Aresha’s students, sometimes. Not that she had any students anymore. The dog gave a little yip and bounded into the building. Her yips echoed off the walls inside. Once Aresha had her breath back properly, she heaved herself to her feet—the backpack, full of everything she thought she might be able to use, was quite heavy—and went inside herself.
It took a moment for her eyes to adjust, but everything was as she remembered it, except maybe for another layer of dust and another covering of vines. She followed Puru’s paw prints. They led her further into the building, to inner rooms that had no windows. It was almost pitch-dark here, but this was what she’d wanted. No one would find her here. She could still here Puru’s joyful yips as she selected a room and put her backpack down.
Word count: 563
Rating: PG-13
Prompt: Daughters of Clio: abandoned factory
Notes: none
When the bombs started to hit her neighborhood, Aresha knew where she needed to go.
Of course, it was dangerous to travel, and she had no protection. But her house would be no protection against the bombs, either. It was just as dangerous to stay as it was to go. And if she stayed in her house with all the windows and doors locked up, like they said she would, Puru would have no chance.
She’d tried to let her go, tried to get her to escape and be somewhere wild with other dogs. But she’d had no success. Puru wanted to stay by her side, and much as it frustrated Aresha to think she couldn’t keep her safe, it comforted her to have her there too.
When Aresha started packing her backpack, Puru watched her, wagging her tail. She knew they were going somewhere. Aresha smiled and patted her affectionately on the head. Then they walked out the back door.
Aresha’s neighborhood was really at the edge of the city; at least, the edge of the city the way it was now. Once it had extended farther in this direction. Now, that area was overgrown with trees and weeds, but Aresha had lived here all her life—she’d spent enough time in those woods as a teenager to know exactly what awaited her there. She didn’t think much could have changed. In fact, with the neighborhood gentrifying and the average age going up, there probably hadn’t been any teenagers hanging out there to smoke and defy their parents in years.
Puru didn’t know the woods, but she was interested just the same. She bounded ahead of Aresha, never getting too far away, but she could see the path better than her mistress could. Aresha smiled, then hurried her pace as she felt more than heard a bomb hit the ground somewhere behind her. Maybe it had even hit her house. She pushed the thought out of her mind. She couldn’t stay attached to a building, not if she wanted to stay attached to her life.
She was panting by the time they reached the factory, though Puru was still full of energy. Aresha wasn’t as young as she once was, and she sat down beside the door with relief, enjoying the sunlight that filtered greenly through the trees and the kudzu. “Go on,” she told her dog, gesturing at the dark, yawning cavity of the entrance. “Check it out for me.”
Puru understood. She seemed to understand better than Aresha’s students, sometimes. Not that she had any students anymore. The dog gave a little yip and bounded into the building. Her yips echoed off the walls inside. Once Aresha had her breath back properly, she heaved herself to her feet—the backpack, full of everything she thought she might be able to use, was quite heavy—and went inside herself.
It took a moment for her eyes to adjust, but everything was as she remembered it, except maybe for another layer of dust and another covering of vines. She followed Puru’s paw prints. They led her further into the building, to inner rooms that had no windows. It was almost pitch-dark here, but this was what she’d wanted. No one would find her here. She could still here Puru’s joyful yips as she selected a room and put her backpack down.
no subject
Date: 2011-02-10 03:04 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-02-10 05:42 pm (UTC)I might continue this. I did have some ideas for stuff to happen in the factory.
no subject
Date: 2011-02-10 05:44 pm (UTC)That's a vote for continue, yes please.
no subject
Date: 2011-02-10 05:53 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-02-10 05:54 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-02-10 05:55 pm (UTC)