An Extract from This Month's Release: Rubbish Opal
Rubbish Opal
Written on October 17,2015, for the March 7 entry of 366 Days of Flash Fiction, this story explores more of the steampunk outback that makes up Tescher’s world.
Tescher did not know what woke him in the pre-dawn light, but he woke with a pounding heart, and sudden fear energizing every limb.
“Mandu,” he whispered, grabbing up his rifle as he rolled to his feet, but the hunter was already awake and moving.
They had scrambled into the branches overlooking their riverbed campsite, when the sharp acidic stench rolled through the campsite. For an instance, their gazes met, Tescher as horrified as Mandu to be stuck up a tree when giant ants were on the move. There was little hope the creatures wouldn’t scent their hiding places.
The men inched higher, scanning the ground below, and cursing their own stupidity. Why they’d allowed Yardley to convince them to meet him in known ant country was… okay, it was easy to understand—even the raptors gave the ants wide berth.
“Got yourselves in a bit of a pickle?” Yardley asked, his voice ringing clear, overhead, as weighted ropes crashed through the leaves nearby.
Tescher didn’t bother with the response he wanted. Time enough to tell Yardley exactly what he thought of the scheme, when they were safe.
They watched the ants from the safety of Yardley’s ship, New Horizons.
“So,” the man asked, “what do you think?”
Tescher wanted to tell the man he was crazy, but couldn’t. Yardley was right. The ants’ rubbish heap did have opal chunks the size of barrels. They would make a fortune. He looked at Mandu, and the hunter rolled his eyes.
They descended together, however, when the New Horizon was in position. The weapons and supplies Yardley promised in return for their insane drop to the heap, was more than compensation enough.
Cover art is by Jake at JCaleb Design, and links to 366 Days of Flash Fiction can be found on Books2 Read at: https://books2read.com/u/b6MrN0
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