Suppose We by Geoff Nelder

Author:Geoff Nelder [Nelder, Geoff]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: LL-Publications
Published: 2019-05-19T16:00:00+00:00

Gaston, in shock from finding himself underground when all his senses told him he had mounted a two-hundred metres tall tower, turned to face where they’d come from. “We should mark this exit.”

They’d stepped into the large chamber—all silvery curves.

“Don’t look at me as if I’d pack lipstick,” Em said, her eyebrows dancing.

“Lipstick? Non, I would be grateful if you extricate the Band-Aids from my backpack.”

As Gaston stuck a blue plaster on the tower entrance arch, Penn stomped around muttering, “I don’t like this. It’s the antithesis of where a marine, or in our case, explorer, should be. We’ve no obvious escape route.”

Gaston stood, looking back at the tower exit with his blue plaster showing. “I would like to think that if we went in there and climbed up for say, five minutes we would be able to make a hole in the wall and if at ground level, widen it to extricate ourselves.”

Penn slapped him on his backpack. The butterfly escaped just in time. “Well said. You toughening up, Gas? And you know we have the tools to make our own door.” He reached for his belt.

“No! Not your laser,” Em called out, but Penn pulled out his knife.

“Hey,” Penn said, “did you hear an echo when you yelled ‘No’?”

Papillon keeping pace, Gaston paced around the chamber the size of a tennis court and illuminated through the peach-coloured stone. The walls and ceiling had no flat surfaces although the floor came close. He sniffed at a honeydew melon aroma coming from one of the three tunnels.

He teased Penn. “I vote we explore this one. Perhaps the fragrance will lead to a fruit market.”

Penn looked back. “I still can’t believe that we trudged all the damned way up the tower to end up below ground. Assuming we are subterranean and this isn’t some giant room on the top, invisible from below.”

Twenty metres into the aromatic corridor that twisted like an intestine, the colour lighting inside the walls changed to primrose. Gaston couldn’t resist touching it. “Em, you’ll like this. It’s like velvet. Ah, je comprends, you are allowing Penn and myself to go before. After your quicksand experience.”

“Yeah, well, I was kinda hoping not to spend too much time in tunnels after that. The bug is in here, isn’t it?”

Gaston had seen dark patches in the wall and where it curves into the floor. When sufficiently close he smelt a yeasty aroma from those areas. He’d steered the trio away from what might have been the bacteria although it might just be damp patches. “My apologies, Em, I was hoping not to worry you. Ah, something must be around the corner. Do you hear clicking noises?”

Penn raised his laser pistol. “I fucking do and no one’s walking through me!”

“Put your gun away, Penn, Sir. Remember we are here as visitors. We are the intruders and we need to be friendly.”

“Besides which,” Em added, “they have our ship. Be nice. Let’s flatten ourselves against the wall. There’s a clean bit here.”

Gaston bravely opted to be the first in line followed by Em.

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