Sorry everyone but starting from the 23rd of June (Australian time), I will be away for 6 weeks (I'm going overseas; YAY!!!). Anyway so obviously I won't be able to write any more chapters in that time. SORRY! I'll make up for it when I get back, I promise. :)
ChickFlick Chapter 14
One by one they climbed the rope, hand over hand until they could pull themselves up through the hole in the roof. They were now in a tiny triangular room; an 'in-between room' thought Pan, for there was nothing in it except for a ladder in one corner.
As soon as they climbed this ladder, the reason for the 'in-between' room was made clear. The ladder went up through the sloping wall and leant against another platform. Below this platform was a small lake. Another sign on the wall told them what to do.
'LAKE OF NIGHTMARES'
"After you have climbed onto the platform, jump onto the first of the swinging tyres and swing across from one to the next until you reach the end. The water below you contains parahnas, crocodiles, sharks, giant octopuses, killer eels and other things unknown...Swing onto the platform quickly and climb up onto the next one."
"Oh no." said Eighteen nervously. She looked down at the murky water and shivered. In answer to the other's curious looks, she said in a small voice
"W...water has always been my greatest fear. It's an old android characteristic. Of course, once I was complete I could come in contact with water without any harm, but in the early stages when Docter Gero first started to build me, one drop of water would make my circuits go haywire."
Into the silence, she looked down at the water again, and her breath suddenly quickened. Bulma, seeing the look of near-panic on Eighteen's face, said quickly
"What is it?"
"Th...There's something in there!" Silent ripples were spreading across the surface from an unseen source. Eighteen was transfixed. Pan shot a sideways glance at her and moved forward so that she was the first in line.
Pan squared her shoulders and looked ahead. Above the surface was a row of large truck tyres, suspended from the roof by strong chains. The room was longer than the 'Log of Peril'. Pan reminded herself that it was probably the only room on that level. She glanced down and saw dark murky shapes moving through the deep water, circling restlessly... Pan tore her eyes away, took a step back, then ran and leapt towards the first tyre. It swung wildly as she landed with both feet inside it, but she gripped the chain tightly and kept it swinging to keep up the momentum. She swung it forward again and grabbed the chain of the next tyre, then stepped onto it. Pan continued in this way, trying to avoid looking down, until she reached the platform at the end. She turned around to face the others and showed them her hands, grimacing.
"Blisters." She said.
Next went Bulma, swinging quickly to prevent herself from thinking. The water rippled ominously below her, but eventually she made it safely across to Pan on the other platform. They looked back at Videl and Eighteen.
Videl looked at Eighteen expectantly but she hung back, a nervous look on her face. So Videl stepped forward determinedly, trying hard to forget her unpleasant experience back at the Log of Peril.
"C'mon Mum, you can do it!" Shouted Pan for encouragement. Videl flashed her a small, grateful smile and jumped onto the first tyre. To her relief, she made it to the other side without any problems, and she was rewarded with a sweet little kiss on the cheek from Pan.
Now Eighteen stepped nervously forward, trying not to look down at the stirring water. Completely unlike her ususal graceful self, she leapt jerkily onto the first tyre. Still not moving smoothly, she latched onto the chain of the next tyre. Her fear was impeding her co-ordination.
Suddenly, when she was almost at the end, and everybody was about to breathe a sigh of relief, Eighteen froze. She pulled herself in toward the chain and gripped it so tightly that her knuckles turned white. She clenched her eyes shut and didn't move except for her uncontrolled shaking. Something moved again in the water below her. A phrase from the sign drifted through her mind; '...other things unknown...' She shuddered and gripped the chain even tighter, her eyes still firmly closed.
"Eighteen, what's wrong?" Bulma exclaimed, "You were going fine!"
"I... I can't... I can't do it!!"
"Yes you can!"
"You CAN do it Eighteen!"
"Think of Krillin!"
She latched onto that last thought and kept it firmly in her mind. Slowly, carefully and determinedly, she unclenched her fingers and flexed them, trying to get some feeling back into them.
"Ok," she said softly, "for Krillin."
And with that, she slowly joined the others on the platform.
* * * * *
From the platform, they climbed up a ladder into what they immediately recognised as another 'in-between' room, consisting of the sloping roof, a solid brick wall, a ladder over the wall, and the usual signpost. As they had come to expect, a power cube was their only source of light, by which they could read the sign.
"WALK OF FLAMES"
The flames are prevented from reaching the ladder by the thick stone wall. Climb the ladder and step up onto the platform. Carefully walk across the balance beam. The flames on either side of you will burn you to the core in seconds. Climb up onto the other platform and up the ladder into the final room of the Temple.
"Good," said Videl, sighing gratefully, "We're almost at the end." She moved forward to the base of the ladder and started climbing. As her head came up over the top of the wall she gasped, more in wonder than in fear.
"Wow..." Hot air blasted into her face and she broke into an instant sweat. Parallel to the walls, running the whole length of the room, and raised to the same height as the wall, was a sort of stone balance beam. But it was a little thinner than any normal balance beam.
And on either side of this skinny, precarious walkway, were flames. They reached up to lick hungrily at the blackened stone. They didn't burn high enough to scorch your toes, but they were high enough, thought Videl, gazing at them round-eyed. Heat waves made the air so hazy that she could only just make out a platform with a ladder at the other end of the room.
Gulping to swallow her fears, Videl hauled herself up to stand on the wall. She heard Pan climbing up behind her. The stone was warm under her feet. She heard the others wish her luck as she placed one foot forward onto the balance beam. The heat kept radiating up through the soles of her feet; she would have to make this quick, or she would be burned to a cinder. It was a delicate balance, and not just physically; she could walk slowly and be burned, or walk fast and lose her balance. She settled for a medium pace. As she neared the centre of the walkway she couldn't help but look at the flames. They burned regularly, and their tips were all at an even height. It was obviously a gas fire; a normal wood fire would never burn so evenly, thought Videl.
With a deep sense of relief, she reached the end of the walkway. 'Well, that was easier than I thought it would be.' thought Videl as she scrambled up onto the platform. Her feet were still warm as she turned to see how the others were going. Seeing that Pan was about to step forward, Videl spoke up.
"Be careful," she warned, "don't go too slowly, or you'll get burnt."
Hearing this, Pan stepped forward and walked as quickly as she dared across to the platform to join her mother. Eighteen and Bulma, who had also heard Videl's warning, followed respectively.
Again, like in the Room of a Thousand Spikes, none of them had a particular problem with this room. And now they were up to the last room. After that... who knows...
* * * * *
ChickFlick Chapter 14
One by one they climbed the rope, hand over hand until they could pull themselves up through the hole in the roof. They were now in a tiny triangular room; an 'in-between room' thought Pan, for there was nothing in it except for a ladder in one corner.
As soon as they climbed this ladder, the reason for the 'in-between' room was made clear. The ladder went up through the sloping wall and leant against another platform. Below this platform was a small lake. Another sign on the wall told them what to do.
'LAKE OF NIGHTMARES'
"After you have climbed onto the platform, jump onto the first of the swinging tyres and swing across from one to the next until you reach the end. The water below you contains parahnas, crocodiles, sharks, giant octopuses, killer eels and other things unknown...Swing onto the platform quickly and climb up onto the next one."
"Oh no." said Eighteen nervously. She looked down at the murky water and shivered. In answer to the other's curious looks, she said in a small voice
"W...water has always been my greatest fear. It's an old android characteristic. Of course, once I was complete I could come in contact with water without any harm, but in the early stages when Docter Gero first started to build me, one drop of water would make my circuits go haywire."
Into the silence, she looked down at the water again, and her breath suddenly quickened. Bulma, seeing the look of near-panic on Eighteen's face, said quickly
"What is it?"
"Th...There's something in there!" Silent ripples were spreading across the surface from an unseen source. Eighteen was transfixed. Pan shot a sideways glance at her and moved forward so that she was the first in line.
Pan squared her shoulders and looked ahead. Above the surface was a row of large truck tyres, suspended from the roof by strong chains. The room was longer than the 'Log of Peril'. Pan reminded herself that it was probably the only room on that level. She glanced down and saw dark murky shapes moving through the deep water, circling restlessly... Pan tore her eyes away, took a step back, then ran and leapt towards the first tyre. It swung wildly as she landed with both feet inside it, but she gripped the chain tightly and kept it swinging to keep up the momentum. She swung it forward again and grabbed the chain of the next tyre, then stepped onto it. Pan continued in this way, trying to avoid looking down, until she reached the platform at the end. She turned around to face the others and showed them her hands, grimacing.
"Blisters." She said.
Next went Bulma, swinging quickly to prevent herself from thinking. The water rippled ominously below her, but eventually she made it safely across to Pan on the other platform. They looked back at Videl and Eighteen.
Videl looked at Eighteen expectantly but she hung back, a nervous look on her face. So Videl stepped forward determinedly, trying hard to forget her unpleasant experience back at the Log of Peril.
"C'mon Mum, you can do it!" Shouted Pan for encouragement. Videl flashed her a small, grateful smile and jumped onto the first tyre. To her relief, she made it to the other side without any problems, and she was rewarded with a sweet little kiss on the cheek from Pan.
Now Eighteen stepped nervously forward, trying not to look down at the stirring water. Completely unlike her ususal graceful self, she leapt jerkily onto the first tyre. Still not moving smoothly, she latched onto the chain of the next tyre. Her fear was impeding her co-ordination.
Suddenly, when she was almost at the end, and everybody was about to breathe a sigh of relief, Eighteen froze. She pulled herself in toward the chain and gripped it so tightly that her knuckles turned white. She clenched her eyes shut and didn't move except for her uncontrolled shaking. Something moved again in the water below her. A phrase from the sign drifted through her mind; '...other things unknown...' She shuddered and gripped the chain even tighter, her eyes still firmly closed.
"Eighteen, what's wrong?" Bulma exclaimed, "You were going fine!"
"I... I can't... I can't do it!!"
"Yes you can!"
"You CAN do it Eighteen!"
"Think of Krillin!"
She latched onto that last thought and kept it firmly in her mind. Slowly, carefully and determinedly, she unclenched her fingers and flexed them, trying to get some feeling back into them.
"Ok," she said softly, "for Krillin."
And with that, she slowly joined the others on the platform.
* * * * *
From the platform, they climbed up a ladder into what they immediately recognised as another 'in-between' room, consisting of the sloping roof, a solid brick wall, a ladder over the wall, and the usual signpost. As they had come to expect, a power cube was their only source of light, by which they could read the sign.
"WALK OF FLAMES"
The flames are prevented from reaching the ladder by the thick stone wall. Climb the ladder and step up onto the platform. Carefully walk across the balance beam. The flames on either side of you will burn you to the core in seconds. Climb up onto the other platform and up the ladder into the final room of the Temple.
"Good," said Videl, sighing gratefully, "We're almost at the end." She moved forward to the base of the ladder and started climbing. As her head came up over the top of the wall she gasped, more in wonder than in fear.
"Wow..." Hot air blasted into her face and she broke into an instant sweat. Parallel to the walls, running the whole length of the room, and raised to the same height as the wall, was a sort of stone balance beam. But it was a little thinner than any normal balance beam.
And on either side of this skinny, precarious walkway, were flames. They reached up to lick hungrily at the blackened stone. They didn't burn high enough to scorch your toes, but they were high enough, thought Videl, gazing at them round-eyed. Heat waves made the air so hazy that she could only just make out a platform with a ladder at the other end of the room.
Gulping to swallow her fears, Videl hauled herself up to stand on the wall. She heard Pan climbing up behind her. The stone was warm under her feet. She heard the others wish her luck as she placed one foot forward onto the balance beam. The heat kept radiating up through the soles of her feet; she would have to make this quick, or she would be burned to a cinder. It was a delicate balance, and not just physically; she could walk slowly and be burned, or walk fast and lose her balance. She settled for a medium pace. As she neared the centre of the walkway she couldn't help but look at the flames. They burned regularly, and their tips were all at an even height. It was obviously a gas fire; a normal wood fire would never burn so evenly, thought Videl.
With a deep sense of relief, she reached the end of the walkway. 'Well, that was easier than I thought it would be.' thought Videl as she scrambled up onto the platform. Her feet were still warm as she turned to see how the others were going. Seeing that Pan was about to step forward, Videl spoke up.
"Be careful," she warned, "don't go too slowly, or you'll get burnt."
Hearing this, Pan stepped forward and walked as quickly as she dared across to the platform to join her mother. Eighteen and Bulma, who had also heard Videl's warning, followed respectively.
Again, like in the Room of a Thousand Spikes, none of them had a particular problem with this room. And now they were up to the last room. After that... who knows...
* * * * *