Google+ A Tangled Rope: Sue and the Portal

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Sue and the Portal

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So there it was. We did not know why or where we were, not any more. All we had was this unknown land spread out before us, and neither of us knew what to do.

Looking back, there was no way to tell how we got there. Worse than that though, we could see no sign at all of how we could get back.

Home suddenly seemed so far away.

I laughed and Sue turned.

'What?'

I could see the panic in her eyes... and the hope that my laugh was a sign I had discovered something redeemable about our situation.

'No, it's just that I've read so many SF and Fantasy stories that all begin with someone stepping through a portal.' I looked back to where the portal wasn't. 'I just can't believe I just did it.' I laughed again.

'This is no fuckin' joke.' Sue glared around at the landscape with her look that always suggested I take a quick trip to the pub. When she found out who was to blame for all this, I knew there would be hell to pay. I just hoped it didn't turn out to be me who was to blame. Although, according to Sue, it was all usually my fault – whatever it was.

I looked around and smiled.

'What now?' Sue stared at me, arms akimbo.

'Usually in the stories, just about now, the adventure begins,' I said.

'This is no fuckin’ story though, is it?' She glared.

'Oh, I don't know.' I pointed towards the horizon behind her.

She turned just in time to see the growing dust cloud I'd noticed resolve itself into a group of horsemen galloping towards us. 'Oh, shit,' she said. This can't be happening to me!'

'Why not?'

She turned back to me. 'Because I don't like bloody science fiction.'

‘But this is more like fantasy than SF,’ I said.

Sue glared at me.

I shut up.

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