RoustWriter: Blog

This week with Arlene and Jeff:

...They were now out of sight of the castle and into an area of numerous trees with smaller brush and shrubs. The path was no longer gravel, having changed into a simple, barely noticeable footpath with several turns. Being a seasoned backpacker, she could have returned to the castle, but she would have had to make her own way, having lost track of the multiple turns in the now barely-noticeable path. Her husband had stopped twice as he decided which turn to take.

She could hear water running as Philip pushed through a thick shrub and held some of the limbs back so she could pass with less difficulty. Dessie froze as soon as she stepped through.

"Oh, my," she whispered as her eyes sought out the source of the happy, gurgling sound. "Someone spent an enormous amount of time constructing all this. Surely, this is landscaped. It is sooo perfect in here. Look at the stones in the stream as it goes down the hill. They're positioned so perfectly that they seem to magnify the sound of the water as it flows around and over them."

"Karl says that we can swim in the pool there, and it has a sandy bottom. Mia's husband built this for her."

"Oh," Dessie said, "are you sure we can be here? He must have spent months building this."...

Have a goodun;

Roust

This week with Arlene and Jeff:

..."What distance are you considering for your backpacking?" Glenda asked.

Dessie and Phillip smiled at each other, each waiting for the other to answer. When Phillip didn't, Dessie said, "Probably within two day's hard walking from here," I think. "Does that sound okay with you, Phil?"

"Yeah. Two days away from civilization, though. We don't want to waste time walking the advertised backpacking trail, nor anywhere near any of the villages. Neither do we want something that's practically impossible to do. We're not trying to prove anything, just be by ourselves in beautiful country - maybe with streams and waterfalls, thus our comments about heading toward the mountains."

"Something entirely secluded, though," Dessie added. "We want to be completely on our own."

Glenda and Karl stared at each other for a couple of seconds before Glenda reached for Dessie's map. Karl got up to come around the table and look over her shoulder. "Here," she said after glancing at her husband.

"Yes, there, and the other little lake, too, I think."

"That second one is a bit far for novices, don't you think."

"They aren't novices, just new to the area. They're in good shape, so they can make it," Karl insisted.

Moments later, Karl had marked Phillip's map too, and both Phillip and Dessie were trying to calculate how far from the castle the area Phillip had marked actually was.

"Two hard days' walk," Glenda injected. "At our age, three," she said wistfully.

"Oh, come on. Both of you look to be in great shape, and you're certainly not old."

"Thanks," Glenda said, then hesitated for a few seconds while she and her husband exchanged glances. Something must have been agreed between them because Glenda went on. "Three of our colleagues, one a close friend, died of heart attacks within two years. Two were in their fifties and the other at sixty-one. They literally worked themselves to death."...

Have a goodun;

Roust

This week with Arlene and Jeff:

...Dessie stared out the window as the rolling hills and valleys glided smoothly below their craft. As they turned more toward the mountains, the wind picked up, causing the helicopter to bump and sway.

Dessie's stomach didn't like the effect as she gripped her armrests and hoped the ride would smooth out before her stomach utterly rebelled.

"Looks as if we might have some weather moving in," her husband said as he also peered out the window. "If we hike any today, we had better keep our rain gear accessible."

Dessie hoped the weather wouldn't get any worse. She would hate for the pilots to turn back after the long ride.

A few minutes later, the speaker came on as the pilot said in perfect English, although he didn't use any contractions, "That is our destination at your five o'clock. I am going to circle to line up facing into the wind, but we will be down soon."

The lower they got, the less the wind, which Dessie heartedly approved of. The landing was slow but gentle. A moment later, the big engines began spooling down. The pilot had already cautioned them to remain in their seats until the craft was down, the wheels were chocked, and he had opened the door for them.

As soon as the door was open and the steps were down, Dessie was ready. The pilot or the copilot, she didn't know who did what, offered his hand and helped her to the ground with Phillip right behind her.

It's definitely a castle, Phillip thought as he eyed the aged building. The walls were made of what appeared to be hand-hewn stones set in some type of mortar. The building wasn't that large as far as castles went, he supposed, but it was definitely big enough to be inspiring. It consisted of what appeared to be three floors - at least there were three levels of sparse windows set in the thick wall that faced them. Each wall of the building segued into round protrusions some twenty feet in diameter that made up the corners. These round areas extended some fifteen feet above the wall and had slots all around, which he assumed were used for ports while firing arrows or whatever other projectiles they used when the castle was built...

Have a goodun;

Roust

This week with Arlene and Jeff:

...Later, Diana got her husband aside while being careful to be out of Selina's sight after they had learned that she could read lips, and said, "You didn't have to mention that about evil people being attracted to disasters. Selina has enough worries without adding that to her list."

"And we build her hopes up only to find out that her parents have been robbed and killed. She's far too intelligent for us to blow smoke up her ass. I don't want her coming back to me and asking why I lied to her. She needs to be made aware so her whole life isn't tied up in finding her parents, only to find out that they've been dead for weeks."

"Maybe, maybe not. She's still just a seven-year-old…"

"Eight, day after tomorrow," he corrected.

Diana sighed. "Yeah, and I hope what we got her is what she really wants. It just seems…"

"That will expand her lab's capabilities greatly. Trust me; she'll be on cloud nine."...

Have a goodun;

Roust

This week with Arlene and Jeff:

...She got there in time to see the little sexpot she had mentioned before, hurry to catch up to Phillip, then stumble on the few steps down from the hotel entrance to the sidewalk. As a high heel came off, she grabbed Phillip to "break her fall," or so it might have seemed. Dessie had to admit that only a woman would see it for what it was. Phillip, of course, turned to grab the woman to keep her from falling as she managed to give him an up-close view of her neckline that contained two oversized melons that were all but falling out of her top as a result of the collision. Dessie had to admit that the act was well orchestrated, but the bitch was going after her husband.

By the time the little sex kitten was beginning her fake apology, Dessie was beside her and leaned to whisper into her ear. "Well done, but you had best tuck those tits in and go after someone else, or we are going to have a problem. Capiche?" To be sure the other understood, Dessie repeated her comments in German.

The woman glared at Dessie, but grabbed her shoe, slipped it on, turned and hurried the few steps back into the hotel.

"Dessie," Phillip hissed out, "that was rude. She just stumbled…"

"Phillip, pulease," she mispronounced the word while drawing it out. "Even a man should pick up on how contrived that was. I've already told you that she had set her sights on you. A few weeks ago, I would have told you to go after her, but we have an agreement. After all these years, do I have to escort you when you're only going a block down the street?" At his blank look, "Then again, maybe I should."...

Have a goodun;

Roust