It was torrential, falling from the sky like a waterfall, hammering on the windows and smashing into the ground. Whilst all the other children were playing inside with board games and basic toys, Francesca and I had managed to sneak outside without anyone realising. The sky was uncharacteristically dark for midday and the rain was pouring in thick sheets. Each drop of water was heavy as if they were laden with lead. A prolonged sensation was imbedded into my skin from where they struck my face.
It was a foreboding atmosphere, but we had concerns greater than the weather... the treasure that lay wrapped under the tree’s roots. With great urgency and haste we moved away from the doorway, in an effort to ensure that no one would see us. We passed through the ghostly, lake-like playground towards the great oak. It was completely void of activity, with the exception of the raindrops which sprung inches off the ground, obediently following Newton’s laws of motion.
It was difficult to see... the rain was driven into my eyes and blurred my vision. I just kept on running after the figure that belonged to Francesca. Soon enough we were by and beneath the branches of the treasure tree. The oak was naturally the biggest tree on the school grounds, thick branches hung out of its broad trunk. Despite its size it didn’t provide much shelter from the rain that day. The big beads of glassy water pierced into the earth leaving a momentary crater behind in their wake.
I saw a few short twigs by the trunk, I picked up two and handed one to Francesca. We crouched down to the boggy soil and stabbed the sticks into the earth to baptise our dig. The twigs were unpleasantly damp and weakened by the shower of rain, and so unsurprisingly they snapped. We picked up more but they were also too weak.
To this moment I don’t know why it seemed so important, but Francesca and I knew that the treasure must be found that day. So we dropped to our knees, muddy water splashed outwards from the impact. I felt the coldness of the wet ground seeping through my trousers and sticking to my knees. I thrust my open hands into the ground and tore out pieces of earth.
We dug and we dug. It was soft like clay, usually it was so hard but the gushing rainfall had loosened it considerably. We could not be any soggier. My uniform was heavy, my ears were ringing with the white noise of the hissing rain, and my bones were aching with the sheer cold. The mud covered my skin and washed into my clothes. Roots from grasses and weeds wrapped around my fingers and dirt clung beneath my nails. I did not care and neither did Francesca. We made more progress with each handful of dirt than we did in a day. The treasure was looming.
It seemed as if we had been digging for hours but finally Francesca claimed she had found the treasure. We were overjoyed. Still on our knees, she held up the treasure between her fingers and thumb. I can remember looking at it in awe. I recommended that we continue our excavation as there might be more treasure. Sure enough there was. Then the trouble came.
* * *
This is a piece from the novel I'm currently working on. It's undergoing what I hope is its final edit before I upload it for all to view. It should be a week, maybe two before I get the first half of it online, and then a few weeks more before the rest is uploaded.
I wish I could say it has a name, but so far that aspect has been the most difficult part of creating this novel. I've gone through numerous potential names, and remain undecided.
So if you like what you've read.. either watch out for it, or drop me a line and I'll let you know when it's uploaded.
Here's the short pitch of the whole story:
It's the story of a man nearing his death. He is burdened by the misdeeds, heavy emotions and impetuous decisions of his life. Ultimately, they caused the collapse of the lives of his friends and family, and that of his own.
Posted: 07/02/2012 20:59:11
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