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| PHOTO PROMPT © Dale Rogerson |
LAST LAUGH
The
glacier oozed like discoloured toothpaste from mountains topped with
snow like crumpled bedlinen.
With
Andy droning on about “moraines”, we climbed up beside the
glacier before stepping onto the jagged ice. 'Glacier formation is
fascinating.'
'Yeah.'
I yawned.
Andy
found a minty-blue ice cave. 'Come and look at these stalactites.'
'They're
icicles, not stalactites. And I'm not entering a cave that could
collapse without warning.'
'You
think icicles are dangerous?' Sarcasm splintered his laugh.
With
an ear-shattering boom ice pinnacles lifted and toppled.
Andy
squealed and leapt clear as the glacier swallowed the cave.
I returned his sarcastic laugh.
I hope you enjoyed my story and look forward to reading your comments.
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I didn't warm to Andy. I do like the sound of that cave though.
ReplyDeleteNo, Andy is a bit of a know-all. (I really saw that cave on a glacier. It was small and beautiful - and I didn't enter it!)
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't enter it either!
ReplyDeleteNo, not a good idea.
DeleteHe's lucky to be alive. I've heard of people walking under the icicles from their own roofs that got killed when one dropped. Those suckers are like dangling swords.
ReplyDeleteA pity for laughter to ruin a mint blue cave.
Snow and ice environments can be fragile.
DeleteVery well done. He who laughs last, and all that. I'm like your narrator: never venture into unknown or insecure spaces!
ReplyDeleteCaution usually pays!
DeleteAt least the trip became a bit more dramatic! :-)
ReplyDeleteVery true! :)
DeleteOh no... Glacier caves are treacherous... quite a lesson in common sense I think
ReplyDeleteYes, you don't mess with glaciers.
DeleteI hope Andy realizes how lucky -- and how foolish -- he is. But... probably not.
ReplyDeleteThese posts have been very enjoyable, regardless of the fact that they're relatively quick reads, not like my long-winded posts.
I doubt if Andy will learn his lesson.
DeleteThank you for your feedback - much appreciated!
Your descriptions are poetic. And I'm glad Andy survived, even if he was a bit of a jerk.
ReplyDeleteHe he, thanks Linda.
DeleteDear Susan,
ReplyDeleteI'd say Andy's lucky he didn't get run through with a sharp icicle. Good one.
Shalom,
Rochelle
Yes, he shouldn't be such a show-off.
DeleteLoved the word-smithey.
ReplyDeleteThank you.
DeleteHa, there's the difference between knowledge and wisdom/common sense right there. Nice one!
ReplyDeleteExactly! Haven't we all seen foolish know-alls?
DeleteIcicles and Stalactites both seem to be weapons with no one to wield them....till mother nature takes matters into her own hands :-)
ReplyDeleteYes, you have to treat both with respect. :)
DeleteStalactites - unpredictably dangerous. Sounds as thought the narrator has a better instinct for danger.
ReplyDeleteYes, ice is dangerous - and, unlike Andy, she wasn't trying to show off!
DeleteYou usually travel to warmer climes, Susan - and I wouldn't have trusted that cave either!
ReplyDeleteHe he - my personal glacier experience was in New Zealand. I'm glad to say I didn't have a character like Andy to contend with!
ReplyDeleteI loved little things - like the descriptions and the snarky ending...
ReplyDeleteand you know, the alliteration or just the use of some words gave this a fun bantering flow...
like this:
"'You think icicles are dangerous?' Sarcasm splintered his laugh."
all those s's flowed....
peace
prior from priorhouse
Thank you for the feedback. It's always good to know when my word choices work.
Deletei think he should pay more attention to what she's saying from now on. and learn to say the magic words, "yes, dear." :)
ReplyDeleteHa ha - you might be right - although I don't think they're married!
DeleteI like how you used the word splintered in context. Good writing!
ReplyDeleteGlad that Andy was taught a lesson in humility!
Thank you. I do give my word choices some thought, so it's nice to know when they're appreciated.
DeleteNice story. I loved your opening sentence - great description of the glacier and the mountain snow.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Penny. I put writing descriptively down to my experience as a travel writer. :)
DeleteDoesn't seem like these two are a good match, uh-oh! Andy sounds like a bit of a blowhard, droning on like he knows something but then not even realizing the danger he's putting them in. Sarcasm is too good for him, lol!
ReplyDeleteYes, I think she'll dump him after they've climbed down from that glacier!
DeleteHow cocky of him! Glad she gets the last laugh. Nice take on the prompt.
ReplyDeleteYes, he deserved to be laughed at, Magarisa.
ReplyDeleteUh-oh! Andy nearly paid the price for not listening. Loved the descriptions. Nice one.
ReplyDeletegreat description of the glacier and mountains. Having seen both I think your words describe them acurately. Andy might know a lot but she has more sense than he.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Irene. I took those descriptions from a travel article I wrote about New Zealand some years ago.
DeleteAndy was a poor glacier guide plus being an idiot. That would be terrifying as well as awe-inspiring. Good writing with great description Susan. :) --- Suzanne
ReplyDeleteThanks, Suzanne. Yes, he was an idiot - but I quite enjoyed creating the Andy character. Glad you liked the imagery. :)
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your story - especially like the phrase 'the minty blue ice cave'.
ReplyDeleteThank you! It's always so nice to know that someone has enjoyed one of my stories.
ReplyDelete