Use images above as inspiration.
Persons: You must have two main characters and they must both be women. You may have other characters of varying genders in supporting roles.
Places: Your setting(s) must include both the suburbs and the sea.
Things: Explore what happens "when the sun goes down" and using non-traditional adjectives.
Use the Words: Vestigial, Fugacious, Furtive, Gambol, Imbroglio, Lagniappe, Lagoon.
Write for 45 minutes. Edit/re-write for 15 minutes. Be sure to include your title and name, then e-mail to andiebottrell(at)yahoo(dot)com and watch for it to be posted here.
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“Suburb City in Maritime”
by Andie Bottrell
Chilly, iceberg Adrianne was adroit in getting what she wanted and as of 10:32pm East Anchor Time what she wanted most now was to be introduced to Ceru, the aquatically calm and seemingly amatory new resident of Suburb City. Ceru Parama was a fugacious character- never found where last you saw her- least of all where you’d expect her. This unpredictability and mystery intrigued Adrianne no end and she felt she simply must master her.
The year was 2452 and rain had fallen from the sky for 5,032 days. Reports were coming in; in any way they could, from all over the world, that city after city, country after country had submerged. The rain had fallen slow and the tragic torrents- called “The End of Times Storm”- had been adequately predicted to allow for technology to come up with options for the world to adapt to an underwater submergence.
In the pre-maritime world (as it is now called), Adrianne lived in a shabby abode next to a polluted lagoon. She was married to Ted Felix, one of the first to predict the “End of Times Storm.” While this prediction was later verified by sources the world over and picked up as a nightly news story and eventually bought into by the masses- at the time Ted Felix predicted it, there wasn’t even a vestigial of people who thought that he was anything but bonkers, bonkers, bonkers. And as his public position as local weatherman availed him to the masses on the regular, he became a literal punching bag and his home and wife targets of the most unfortunate of furtive folks.
Ultimately, all the mockery and beatings led to his death when one particularly minatory and mordant man shot him in the head, effectively widowing poor Adrianne. While this event was without question tragic, by comparison, Adrianne’s life in Maritime was now at least ten-fold improved. After Ted Felix’s death and the stunning confirmation that he had been right all along, Adrianne was awarded a gasp-worthy sum from the city for all her hardship endured. Now, in Maritime, she was one of the wealthiest and most respected citizens. In short, what Adrianne wanted, Adrianne got.
On Tuesday, a full week after her first eyeful of Ceru, Adrianne got her second view. Ceru was dressed in turquoise that blended in with the serene aquatic seascape and her breather-head sparkled in the sunbeams. She looked as if the sea itself had manifested into womanly form- all mystic, magic, and uncapturable majestic. Adrianne discreetly stalked Ceru throughout the day, making sure to never once take her eyes off her, least she disappear again.
At sun-down this quest became more challenging without turning on her breather-head light, so Adrianne decided it was time to make her move. While Ceru approached a homestead, Adrianne tapped ever so light and tingly upon her arm.
“Pardon, allow me to introduce myself. I’m Adrianne.”
Ceru looked at her a bit shocked, but then smiled slowly as if she’d been expecting her all along.
“Yes,” Ceru answered, cupping her hand over Adrianne’s, “You are. Aren’t you? Wont you come in?”
Ceru lead Adrianne into her home. “How was your commute?”
Adrianne looked at her puzzled, “I’m sorry…?”
“You must be exhausted. I had a hellish amount of errands today.”
Adrianne suddenly blushed the color scarlet and felt like throwing up. She was accustomed to being in control and now she felt too much like the poor, teased and bullied wife of Ted Felix than she ever wanted to feel again.
“Oh,” she muttered, “oh…”
Ceru sat them both down on the seafa and nuzzled into her neck. “You don’t have to feel bad, Adrianne. I’ve been watching you too. In fact, I even prepared a bit of a lagniappe to give you for when you screwed up your courage to approach-“
Suddenly defensive, Adrianne burst out, “Well, why didn’t you approach then?”
Ceru just laughed and leapt to grab the lagniappe. When she returned she resumed her place in the crevasse of Adrianne’s neck and handed her the gift. Adrianne’s mouth opened wide again as if to protest but was stopped short by Ceru’s finger.
“Now, now, Adrianne. Let’s not have us an imbroglio shall we?”
Adrianne swallowed her discomfort, pride and expectations and decided things could be worse. She leaned in and quickly began undoing Ceru’s breather-head and with fast response, Ceru began to undo Adrianne’s. As soon as flesh was freed, their lips were intertwined in a passionate gambol of movement and joy.
(time's up! so, the end?)