Sun, sea and salty tears - all audiences

Heya guys and gals.

Here's the second of my "just for fun" and completely "out of time" stories based on the Writer's Weekly 24-hour contest prompt, kindly provided by Susie.

I am wishing I had known about this contest sooner, because these prompts are absolutely awesome.
Remember, the story doesn't have to copy/use/mention the entire prompt, it just has to be obvious the story was written based on that prompt.

I hope you'll enjoy the read.

TODAY'S TOPIC!

With blistered, salty skin and matted hair, they were down to their last sips of fresh water. A recreational day at sea had turned into a fight for continued existence. Slumped on the bow, searching for any hint of a breeze to sooth her burning face, her eyes widened when she noticed something fast approaching in the distance...

WORD COUNT: Stories for today's topic must not exceed 875

words. (Your story's title is *not* included in the word

count.)

Sun, sea and salty tears.

A lovely day announced itself on a warm breeze and the soft rustle of spring leaves. The smell of summer was in the air and she opened the bay window to let it into her house and into her soul. Finally winter had left. Finally summer was on the way. Today had been announced to be the warmest day of the week and she got an early start. Preparing sandwiches and a few bottles of water, she hummed along with the tune playing on the radio. She couldn’t remember the name of the band, but it was a catchy tune and she really liked it.

Twenty minutes later, a rebellious hairdo walked into the kitchen, the young teenager below it much less awake than she had been when she opened her eyes.

“Hey, brighten up, summer is coming.” she said cheerfully, hoping to coax him out of the lingering sleep.

“Hey, mom.” he replied flatly, “How come you’re up so early?”

“Your uncle called, we’re going on a boating trip. Everything is ready. Well, everything except you.”

She gave him a meaningful look.

“Eat your breakfast, we’re going in 20 minutes.”

“Do I have to come?”

“Yes, Adam, you have to come.”

With a sigh, he dropped onto the kitchen stool and poured some cereal into the bowl his mother had prepared. Moments later, he was munching on the crunchy hoops, trying to come up with an excuse not to go on that boating trip. It would have to be a good one, his mom wouldn’t let him get off the hook with a lame excuse.

Problem was, he didn’t have one. And he was too tired to come up with one. With another sigh, he got up and put his empty bowl in the sink. Leaning over, he gave his mother a wet kiss on the cheek.

“Morning, mom.”

It put a smile on her face and she ruffled through his rebellious hair.

“You need a haircut.”

“I know.” he replied, running his right hand through it as well.

Ten minutes later, he was ready, a bag with his swimming trunk, diving gear and a small towel thrown over his shoulder.

“Are you ready?” he asked.

She gave him another smile, picked up the cooling box and waved her hand towards the front door.

It meant she was.

 ~~~

How long had it been?

She couldn’t remember.

The sun was ablaze high above their heads, the skies a stark blue, cloudless stretch. There wasn’t a hint of a breeze to soothe her burned face.

They were down to their last sips of fresh water. Thankfully, her brother still had some clarity of mind and they were keeping the bottles on a rope under the boat. It was the only way to keep it something resembling cool. She couldn’t think straight. Not after what had happened this morning.

Desperate to find help, Adam had taken it upon himself to swim to shore. She hadn’t been awake yet and her brother hadn’t been able to summon the strength to stop him.

She was devastated, desperate for a sign and mad as hell at both her brother and her son.

Why did the men in her family have to be so damned stubborn?

It was that same stubbornness that had gotten them in this predicament.

It had started out so well. A quiet day with her brother and her son, the 2 men who meant most to her, much more than her estranged husband. It was supposed to be a relaxing day. It had been, until disaster had struck and their engine had failed. For hours, her brother had tried to get it to work again. Hours during which they had drifted, further and further away.

Now, they were close to exhaustion with no hope of a rescue.

Her thoughts were of Adam. Of the horrors of drowning, exhausted after long hours of fighting against the same currents that had carried them out to sea.

A single tear formed in her eye, she had no more moisture left.

She couldn’t cry any more than this over her loss and she had no tears left to cry over her own misfortune.

Squinting against the glare of the sun, she strained to focus her vision.

Something was at the horizon and it appeared to be coming in their direction.

Fast.

Her eyes widened in surprise as it drew nearer.

It took only minutes to arrive, the waves causing their boat to dance on the water.

“You look like you could use some help.”

The booming voice was warm and comforting.

“Yes,” she croaked, “our engine died.”

“Here.” he handed her a bottle, “Drink.”

The milky white liquid soothed her throat and gave her instant energy. Enough to find her brother and give him some as well.

Meanwhile, a rope was attached to their bow and she felt the sudden shock as the boat started to move, towed by the other vessel.

“My son.” she said, a quiver in her voice.

“Is safe.”

The sigh of relief made her weary body shudder.

“Thank you.” she said in a half whisper, “Thank you so much, Neptune, for saving my family.”

Instincts - all audiences

Hello friends.

This post is based on one of the prompts given by Writer's Weekly for one of their previous 24-hour writing contests. I saw the link to that posted on my Facebook wall the other day and decided to join in. The friend who posted it is going to share the prompts for the other contests she participated in, and I'll see if I can come up with something that could've been submitted.

This is the first one.
I hope you'll enjoy the read.

Prompt:

Blue ice stretched to the horizon, fading into the blinding rays of another waning winter sun. She shivered violently as the shifting mass groaned under her feet. She instinctively glanced down, looking for cracks under the transparent sheen. Suddenly, she tensed and dropped to her knees. Desperately clawing at the ice, she screamed...

Word count: Stories for today's topic must not exceed 850 words.

  

Instincts.

Blue ice stretched to the horizon, fading into the blinding rays of another waning winter sun. She shivered violently as the shifting mass groaned under her feet. She instinctively glanced down, looking for cracks under the transparent sheen. Suddenly, she tensed and dropped to her knees. Desperately clawing at the ice, she screamed.

Her voice carried over the white plains, unstopped and unhindered by nature's obstacles. It was a heartbreaking, heart wrenching scream, cutting through bone and marrow. Well, it would if it encountered those on its path, but it didn't. There was no echo, nothing to bounce the sound of her voice back at her. There was nothing. No one. No one who could help her. No one who could save her. If the ice beneath her feet broke, she would fall to her doom in the icy waters below, a certain and near-sudden death awaiting her. A horrible death too, or so she had been told by the elders.

If only the elders could be there now. If only they were with her, to help and guide, to protect and comfort. But they were nowhere to be seen. She was very much left to her own device and that scared her more than what she saw before her eyes. No one would help, for no one was near.

The ice suddenly cracked, making her jump and scream in surprise, the sound of her voice now completely different. Her surprise turned to anguish as the crack shot outward, zigzagging away from its point of origin. She jumped back, away from the danger, away from the looming threat of an unwanted swim. She realized with a pang she herself had caused the crack in her fear and surprise, clawing at the shiny surface the way she had. She stepped back even more, slowly now, carefully. Hopefully, the ice would hold.

Her feet slipped somewhat and she looked down, finding the ice wet beneath her feet. In shock, she raised her eyes and scanned the area immediately around her. More cracks were appearing, the jagged lines crisscrossing in a diabolical pattern. She jumped a first, trying to stay light on her feet. Then, she jumped another. This time, she slipped and nearly fell. An almost unnatural reflex kept her from going flat on her belly on the slippery ice and she steadied herself before moving on. The ice kept moaning as she moved on, complaining about the weight it had to carry, disapproving of her constant movements.

She had to get away from the edge as fast as she could, find thicker ice and more stable ground under her feet, preferably with a thick layer of snow. It would absorb the energy, hers as well as the ice’s and she wouldn't see the cracks any longer. It was never smart to tread blindly, but she preferred to be blind rather than scared. The cracked ice frightened her, so she preferred not to know it was there. Even if the ice gave way, she wouldn't see it coming. She wouldn't have time to anticipate and her fear would have no chance to paralyze her. And so she moved on as quickly as she could and dared on the slippery, treacherous surface, jumping more cracks to avoid stepping on them. Thankfully, her feet were light and her progression swift, leaving no opportunity for the breaking ice to swallow her whole.

She did not want to die frozen.

Her foot sank away in the soft snow and she breathed a sigh of relief, then quickly joined her other. The snow gave her a feeling of safety, of serenity. Of security. She ran more quickly now, the snow a welcome cushion beneath her feet, hiding the dangers and allowing for much better grip. Her feet were still light, kicking up puffs of snow as she ran, feeling the cushion thicken and the safety grow. When she reached the top of a small incline, she knew she was safe.

Finally.

Looking back, she saw large chunks of ice drifting away on the waves, driven by the currents.

She shivered again, thinking she could have been trapped on one of them had she not taken to a run so quickly.

One last look at the treacherous ice below, then she turned her nose to the wind and started down the other side, taking to a trot to cover the rest of the distance separating her from the camp.

She was greeted with enthusiasm, as always.

They were always happy to see her return.

She stopped, surrounded by those she loved most, and looked around the group, seeing admiration and concern in their eyes. She smiled and shook the snow off, then she threw her head back and howled at the moon, her cry echoed by every single member of her group.