Story Of A Girl
Chapter 14: The Disastrous Cave Exploration! No Need For Apples!
"Hey Rae!" Rae blinked her eyes open at a call from the window. Rae tumbled out of bed and looked outside. Karen was standing on snow-covered ground. Blearily, Rae tore the page off her calendar. Fall was definitely over. "Look, Rae, it's snowed! Winter came last night!" Rae looked as Karen danced around in the snow covered field. "Come play with us!" She suddenly got hit by a snowball.
"Down in a few, Karen." Rae called back.
"HURRY UP, THE BOYS ARE WINNING!" Karen yelled.
Rae moaned, and staggered into the bathroom, throwing up again. "Third-" She hurled- "time-" She spit a few times to clear the taste- "this week." She sighed, and washed her mouth out. "And it's only the third day in this week, so..." Sighing miserably again, she walked downstairs. Cliff was waiting at the table, reading the mail.
"Good morning. Did you get sick again?" Smiling, he pushed a mug of warm milk towards her.
"Yeah." She sipped on the milk slowly.
"Alright. You're not going out and playing today."
"What?!" Rae cried indignantly.
"Well, you're obviously sick!" He folded his arms.
"Cliff, I was planning on going to the mine today. Please..."
"Okay, okay, you can go to the mine... AFTER you get yourself some medicine." Rae jumped up excitedly. "Be a good girl, run down to Andrew's. Just say you've got stomach problems. And don't forget your coat!"
Happily, Rae bounced outside and to Andrew's house and store. It had been built with two stories, and he lived on the top floor with Elli. They were getting married in just a few weeks, but via marriage certificate and not an actual wedding. They didn't want anything big, after viewing the insanity at Cliff and Rae's wedding. Rae bounced in.
"Halloo!" She chirped, trying to hide her languidity.
"Hi Rae!" Elli looked up from the desk. "What are you looking for?"
"Nausea medicine, something to prevent puking."
"Hm, I know you've been sick..." She put a hand on Rae's forehead. "No fever, but... sure, gimme a sec." Elli went into the storage. Rae eyed the shelves, when a small box caught her eye. She grabbed it.
"What's the harm?" Elli came back with a box of medicine. Rae made her purchase, and left.
"Okay, everyone, I'm getting a team together to explore the caves up in the mountains!" Rae called enthusiastically. Everyone was covered from head to toe in snow. Cliff was trying to get it out of his hair. Karen was picking it out of her shirt. Maria and Popuri were shaking out their skirts. "Who wants to come?!" Karen, Cliff, Kai, Gray, and Ann all raised their hands. "Okay... I'll take... Kai, Karen, and Gray!" Gray did an awkward happy dance, while Kai and Karen high-fived. Cliff looked hurt.
"Rae, why not me?"
"Silly, so I can have you come rescue me if I get in trouble!"
"Good point." Cliff smiled. "Don't get in trouble, please!" He hugged her.
"Nobody's been up in those mines in years. Exercise utmost caution." Maria smiled.
"We will!" Karen grinned. "Let's go!"
They each grabbed a hoe and a helmet with a light on it. "Bye! We'll be back by sundown!" The four left.
Karen and Rae walked a little ahead. Rae was obviously deep in thought. "Hey Karen... why did Cliff become a criminal? Is it that wrong to break a girl's heart?"
"No, but it is against the law to intentionally impregnate a girl before marriage here, and Cliff found out the hard way. Ann got pregnant, and had to have an abortion. The Mayor cleared his name recently when they found out he had used protection. Ann did it intentionally. She wanted a baby." Rae slightly blanched. "Ann's father still blames him."
"I see." She nodded.
"Ann had some problems. She missed her mother a lot, and her father was depressed. Ann's on depression medicine, and she really needs it. I'm glad she's found Rick to remain attached to, because she really needs someone to lean on..."
Kai and Gray walked behind the two girls. "So, Kai... " Gray looked at him. "... I know your secret."
"... How'd you find out?" Kai replied.
"I overheard you and Karen talking about it. Didn't the Midwife say that..."
"We dealt with that... but we're not sure yet... Listen, man, PLEASE don't tell anyone. Nobody was supposed to find out about it yet... "
"You can trust me." They reached the mountains.
"Wow, they're so BIG!" Karen cried excitedly. Rae was babbling in another language.
"Waku-waku, waku-waku, waku-waku..."
"I think that means she's excited." Kai snickered.
"Who wouldn't be? They're.... awe-inspiring." Gray looked up at the great black mountains.
"THEY'RE AWESOME!" Rae squealed. "Let's go!"
"Wait, there's some safety rules. Cave Exploring 101!" Gray took a calm breath. "One, the ladders set in the higher chambers are so you can get to deeper chambers. Don't jump down a hole, always bring a ladder. Two, don't overwork yourself. You need the strength to climb out. Three, if it starts getting hard to breathe, get out. Four, tread lightly. You never know when the floor will break under you. Five, if you're in trouble, yell for help. Someone will come. Echoes are good in this cave."
"Okay!" Karen, Rae, and Kai nodded. The four split up, and began to wander the great caves, using the hoe to break out every rare stone they saw.
The mining was exciting for a first time. Karen found a room practically made out of iron. She couldn't fit all of it into her pack, but picked the nicest pieces. Gray and Kai found a lake at the bottom of the mine, and fished for an hour. They caught a few catfish. Rae managed to collect a little of everything. The entire group made it to the bottom, and went back up.
Rae, Kai, Karen, and Gray met at an intersection after five hours of work.
"It's getting close to sundown. Let's start heading back." Gray turned around. Karen looked behind her one last time. She saw a huge block of metal.
"Wow..." Karen walked towards it.
"Karen, don't!" Rae ran towards her. Karen tried to hoe the metal out. The floor broke beneath Rae and Karen's feet.
"RAE! KAREN!" Kai shouted as they fell down about ten feet. Gray gasped.
"The ladders don't reach that far!" Kai's eyes filled with tears.
"Karen!" Rae shook her head, recovering from the fall. Karen moaned; her leg was twisted in a strange direction. "We're going to go for help." Gray grabbed Kai. "We'll get a longer ladder. Don't move."
"I can't leave Karen alone!" Kai cried.
"Kai, please, go! The sooner you go, the sooner she can get out." Rae yelled.
"Fine..." Kai murmured, and he and Gray ran. Rae looked at Karen as she got out of her daze.
"Rae, I'm sorry..." Karen hugged Rae.
"..."
"Are you okay?"
"..." Rae nuzzled against Karen. "I want my Cliff."
"I know."
"If we die down here, there's something I'll never be able to tell him."
"Don't say die... What won't you be able to tell him?"
"I got this strange idea this morning, when I was getting nausea medicine... and so I got this." Rae took a little box out of her pack. "See?"
"... Oh, jeez." Karen sighed. "I got that same funny idea a few days ago."
"Well, /shit/." Rae sighed. They curled up against one another. "It's so cold..."
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, in the most literal sense...
Cliff was throttling Kai. "HOWCOULDYOULETRAEANDKARENGETINTOTHISMESSYOUIIIIJOT!" He shouted. Gray and Harris were looking for a ladder.
"It's not my fault! Karen thought she could get that rock, Rae was trying to-"
"You could have saved Rae!"
"I didn't see it happen!" Kai whimpered.
"Bad news." Gray cut in. "There's no 10 foot ladder."
"WELL, /SHIT/!" Cliff yelled. He stormed off. "I'll go save them myself!"
"Gray, what do we do?"
"We'll make a rope ladder. Go get some rope, I'll get started with what we have here." Gray held up a coil of rope.
In the caves, 3 hours in the hole, literally...
"RAE! KAREN!" Rae was almost asleep when she heard the echoes. "CALL BACK!"
"Karen, someone..."
"RAE! KAREN!"
"I hear it..." Karen yelled back. "WE'RE DOWN HERE!"
"DAMMIT, WHICH WAY IS THAT?!" Rae and Karen both laughed.
"It's Cliff, alright! CLIFF, WE'RE DOWN VERY FAR!" Rae giggled.
"THAT DOESN'T HELP!"
"JUST GO DOWN!" Karen yelled.
"FINE!"
"Cliff... keep talking!" Rae called.
"Why?"
"So we'll know when you're getting closer! Plus, it'll keep us awake, we don't want to fall asleep!"
"Alright!"
"Rae, you do realize he's not really going to talk, right?"
"Then what will he do?"
"I long to see the sunlight in your hair... and tell you time and time again... how much I care..." His voice echoed.
"Oh wow, he's singing!" Karen sighed dreamily.
"That's enough to keep anyone awake!" Rae giggled.
"Rae... it just started to get harder to breathe..."
"Oh crap..."
One hour later...
"... and the boy says, 'No, I'm just trying to figure out the price!'" Rae and Karen laughed. Cliff's voice had gradually grown louder. "You girls still okay?"
"We're fine, Cliff, the air's just... thinning a little... hurry, please!" Suddenly, footsteps sounded.
"Dead end..." Cliff looked around the section he had reached.
"NO, CLIFF, YOU'RE CLOSE!" Rae cried.
"Rae!" Cliff ran to the edge of the pit. "Karen!"
"Cliff!" Both girls cried.
"RAE, KAREN!" Kai and Gray ran in with a rope ladder. They accidentally knocked Cliff in.
"Ow... guys, hurry, the air down here is empty!" Cliff coughed a little. He latched onto Rae.
"Cliff, carry Karen up, her leg is messed up." Cliff grumbled, and carried Karen up the ladder. Kai hugged her. Rae climbed up the ladder. Cliff reattached himself to her.
"Come on... let's get out of here." Gray smiled. They followed Gray out of the cave. Whereas it took Cliff two hours, it took Gray about ten minutes.
Late that night, Rae, Cliff, and Kai were sitting on Cliff's roof. They were covered with a blanket.
"Brisk night, eh Rae?" Cliff looked at the smaller blonde.
"Mm?" Rae was munching on an apple.
"Haha, enjoy your fruit. You look hungry." Cliff turned to Kai. "Next time... what're we gonna do?"
"Well, your birthday needs to be celebrated." Kai smirked.
"Yeah, and maybe we could get a greenhouse." Cliff smiled. "We'll play around in there."
"Or there could be some sort of funny crime streak that we'll inevitably solve." Kai nodded.
"Yeah, that sounds good."
"I better go check on Karen. By the way, Rae, wasn't there something you wanted to tell Cliff? Good night." He went off the roof and to his house.
"Rae?" Cliff looked at her. Rae swallowed her bite of apple.
"Well... let's see... we made 10000 G today, I ordered a chicken yesterday, we're getting it tomorrow, I'm pregnant, and I figured out how to make apple cider. Would you like a bite of my apple?"
"... repeat that third one?"
"Try the apple!"
"No, what did you say?"
"Apples are good for you..."
"Did you say you were-"
"Yes." Rae smiled widely. "How 'bout them apples?" She kissed a shocked Cliff on the forehead, and slid inside.
"Well... /SHIT/." Cliff stood to chase Rae inside. "We'll see you next time, in the only story where someone can get away with something like THAT, STORY OF A GIRL!" Cliff dashed inside.
TO BE CONTINUED...
Nayru: Your choices for next time's episode are:
1) Cliff's Birthday! 2) The Greenhouse! 3) The Masked Bandit!
Xiao: Review and vote!
Chapter 14: The Disastrous Cave Exploration! No Need For Apples!
"Hey Rae!" Rae blinked her eyes open at a call from the window. Rae tumbled out of bed and looked outside. Karen was standing on snow-covered ground. Blearily, Rae tore the page off her calendar. Fall was definitely over. "Look, Rae, it's snowed! Winter came last night!" Rae looked as Karen danced around in the snow covered field. "Come play with us!" She suddenly got hit by a snowball.
"Down in a few, Karen." Rae called back.
"HURRY UP, THE BOYS ARE WINNING!" Karen yelled.
Rae moaned, and staggered into the bathroom, throwing up again. "Third-" She hurled- "time-" She spit a few times to clear the taste- "this week." She sighed, and washed her mouth out. "And it's only the third day in this week, so..." Sighing miserably again, she walked downstairs. Cliff was waiting at the table, reading the mail.
"Good morning. Did you get sick again?" Smiling, he pushed a mug of warm milk towards her.
"Yeah." She sipped on the milk slowly.
"Alright. You're not going out and playing today."
"What?!" Rae cried indignantly.
"Well, you're obviously sick!" He folded his arms.
"Cliff, I was planning on going to the mine today. Please..."
"Okay, okay, you can go to the mine... AFTER you get yourself some medicine." Rae jumped up excitedly. "Be a good girl, run down to Andrew's. Just say you've got stomach problems. And don't forget your coat!"
Happily, Rae bounced outside and to Andrew's house and store. It had been built with two stories, and he lived on the top floor with Elli. They were getting married in just a few weeks, but via marriage certificate and not an actual wedding. They didn't want anything big, after viewing the insanity at Cliff and Rae's wedding. Rae bounced in.
"Halloo!" She chirped, trying to hide her languidity.
"Hi Rae!" Elli looked up from the desk. "What are you looking for?"
"Nausea medicine, something to prevent puking."
"Hm, I know you've been sick..." She put a hand on Rae's forehead. "No fever, but... sure, gimme a sec." Elli went into the storage. Rae eyed the shelves, when a small box caught her eye. She grabbed it.
"What's the harm?" Elli came back with a box of medicine. Rae made her purchase, and left.
"Okay, everyone, I'm getting a team together to explore the caves up in the mountains!" Rae called enthusiastically. Everyone was covered from head to toe in snow. Cliff was trying to get it out of his hair. Karen was picking it out of her shirt. Maria and Popuri were shaking out their skirts. "Who wants to come?!" Karen, Cliff, Kai, Gray, and Ann all raised their hands. "Okay... I'll take... Kai, Karen, and Gray!" Gray did an awkward happy dance, while Kai and Karen high-fived. Cliff looked hurt.
"Rae, why not me?"
"Silly, so I can have you come rescue me if I get in trouble!"
"Good point." Cliff smiled. "Don't get in trouble, please!" He hugged her.
"Nobody's been up in those mines in years. Exercise utmost caution." Maria smiled.
"We will!" Karen grinned. "Let's go!"
They each grabbed a hoe and a helmet with a light on it. "Bye! We'll be back by sundown!" The four left.
Karen and Rae walked a little ahead. Rae was obviously deep in thought. "Hey Karen... why did Cliff become a criminal? Is it that wrong to break a girl's heart?"
"No, but it is against the law to intentionally impregnate a girl before marriage here, and Cliff found out the hard way. Ann got pregnant, and had to have an abortion. The Mayor cleared his name recently when they found out he had used protection. Ann did it intentionally. She wanted a baby." Rae slightly blanched. "Ann's father still blames him."
"I see." She nodded.
"Ann had some problems. She missed her mother a lot, and her father was depressed. Ann's on depression medicine, and she really needs it. I'm glad she's found Rick to remain attached to, because she really needs someone to lean on..."
Kai and Gray walked behind the two girls. "So, Kai... " Gray looked at him. "... I know your secret."
"... How'd you find out?" Kai replied.
"I overheard you and Karen talking about it. Didn't the Midwife say that..."
"We dealt with that... but we're not sure yet... Listen, man, PLEASE don't tell anyone. Nobody was supposed to find out about it yet... "
"You can trust me." They reached the mountains.
"Wow, they're so BIG!" Karen cried excitedly. Rae was babbling in another language.
"Waku-waku, waku-waku, waku-waku..."
"I think that means she's excited." Kai snickered.
"Who wouldn't be? They're.... awe-inspiring." Gray looked up at the great black mountains.
"THEY'RE AWESOME!" Rae squealed. "Let's go!"
"Wait, there's some safety rules. Cave Exploring 101!" Gray took a calm breath. "One, the ladders set in the higher chambers are so you can get to deeper chambers. Don't jump down a hole, always bring a ladder. Two, don't overwork yourself. You need the strength to climb out. Three, if it starts getting hard to breathe, get out. Four, tread lightly. You never know when the floor will break under you. Five, if you're in trouble, yell for help. Someone will come. Echoes are good in this cave."
"Okay!" Karen, Rae, and Kai nodded. The four split up, and began to wander the great caves, using the hoe to break out every rare stone they saw.
The mining was exciting for a first time. Karen found a room practically made out of iron. She couldn't fit all of it into her pack, but picked the nicest pieces. Gray and Kai found a lake at the bottom of the mine, and fished for an hour. They caught a few catfish. Rae managed to collect a little of everything. The entire group made it to the bottom, and went back up.
Rae, Kai, Karen, and Gray met at an intersection after five hours of work.
"It's getting close to sundown. Let's start heading back." Gray turned around. Karen looked behind her one last time. She saw a huge block of metal.
"Wow..." Karen walked towards it.
"Karen, don't!" Rae ran towards her. Karen tried to hoe the metal out. The floor broke beneath Rae and Karen's feet.
"RAE! KAREN!" Kai shouted as they fell down about ten feet. Gray gasped.
"The ladders don't reach that far!" Kai's eyes filled with tears.
"Karen!" Rae shook her head, recovering from the fall. Karen moaned; her leg was twisted in a strange direction. "We're going to go for help." Gray grabbed Kai. "We'll get a longer ladder. Don't move."
"I can't leave Karen alone!" Kai cried.
"Kai, please, go! The sooner you go, the sooner she can get out." Rae yelled.
"Fine..." Kai murmured, and he and Gray ran. Rae looked at Karen as she got out of her daze.
"Rae, I'm sorry..." Karen hugged Rae.
"..."
"Are you okay?"
"..." Rae nuzzled against Karen. "I want my Cliff."
"I know."
"If we die down here, there's something I'll never be able to tell him."
"Don't say die... What won't you be able to tell him?"
"I got this strange idea this morning, when I was getting nausea medicine... and so I got this." Rae took a little box out of her pack. "See?"
"... Oh, jeez." Karen sighed. "I got that same funny idea a few days ago."
"Well, /shit/." Rae sighed. They curled up against one another. "It's so cold..."
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, in the most literal sense...
Cliff was throttling Kai. "HOWCOULDYOULETRAEANDKARENGETINTOTHISMESSYOUIIIIJOT!" He shouted. Gray and Harris were looking for a ladder.
"It's not my fault! Karen thought she could get that rock, Rae was trying to-"
"You could have saved Rae!"
"I didn't see it happen!" Kai whimpered.
"Bad news." Gray cut in. "There's no 10 foot ladder."
"WELL, /SHIT/!" Cliff yelled. He stormed off. "I'll go save them myself!"
"Gray, what do we do?"
"We'll make a rope ladder. Go get some rope, I'll get started with what we have here." Gray held up a coil of rope.
In the caves, 3 hours in the hole, literally...
"RAE! KAREN!" Rae was almost asleep when she heard the echoes. "CALL BACK!"
"Karen, someone..."
"RAE! KAREN!"
"I hear it..." Karen yelled back. "WE'RE DOWN HERE!"
"DAMMIT, WHICH WAY IS THAT?!" Rae and Karen both laughed.
"It's Cliff, alright! CLIFF, WE'RE DOWN VERY FAR!" Rae giggled.
"THAT DOESN'T HELP!"
"JUST GO DOWN!" Karen yelled.
"FINE!"
"Cliff... keep talking!" Rae called.
"Why?"
"So we'll know when you're getting closer! Plus, it'll keep us awake, we don't want to fall asleep!"
"Alright!"
"Rae, you do realize he's not really going to talk, right?"
"Then what will he do?"
"I long to see the sunlight in your hair... and tell you time and time again... how much I care..." His voice echoed.
"Oh wow, he's singing!" Karen sighed dreamily.
"That's enough to keep anyone awake!" Rae giggled.
"Rae... it just started to get harder to breathe..."
"Oh crap..."
One hour later...
"... and the boy says, 'No, I'm just trying to figure out the price!'" Rae and Karen laughed. Cliff's voice had gradually grown louder. "You girls still okay?"
"We're fine, Cliff, the air's just... thinning a little... hurry, please!" Suddenly, footsteps sounded.
"Dead end..." Cliff looked around the section he had reached.
"NO, CLIFF, YOU'RE CLOSE!" Rae cried.
"Rae!" Cliff ran to the edge of the pit. "Karen!"
"Cliff!" Both girls cried.
"RAE, KAREN!" Kai and Gray ran in with a rope ladder. They accidentally knocked Cliff in.
"Ow... guys, hurry, the air down here is empty!" Cliff coughed a little. He latched onto Rae.
"Cliff, carry Karen up, her leg is messed up." Cliff grumbled, and carried Karen up the ladder. Kai hugged her. Rae climbed up the ladder. Cliff reattached himself to her.
"Come on... let's get out of here." Gray smiled. They followed Gray out of the cave. Whereas it took Cliff two hours, it took Gray about ten minutes.
Late that night, Rae, Cliff, and Kai were sitting on Cliff's roof. They were covered with a blanket.
"Brisk night, eh Rae?" Cliff looked at the smaller blonde.
"Mm?" Rae was munching on an apple.
"Haha, enjoy your fruit. You look hungry." Cliff turned to Kai. "Next time... what're we gonna do?"
"Well, your birthday needs to be celebrated." Kai smirked.
"Yeah, and maybe we could get a greenhouse." Cliff smiled. "We'll play around in there."
"Or there could be some sort of funny crime streak that we'll inevitably solve." Kai nodded.
"Yeah, that sounds good."
"I better go check on Karen. By the way, Rae, wasn't there something you wanted to tell Cliff? Good night." He went off the roof and to his house.
"Rae?" Cliff looked at her. Rae swallowed her bite of apple.
"Well... let's see... we made 10000 G today, I ordered a chicken yesterday, we're getting it tomorrow, I'm pregnant, and I figured out how to make apple cider. Would you like a bite of my apple?"
"... repeat that third one?"
"Try the apple!"
"No, what did you say?"
"Apples are good for you..."
"Did you say you were-"
"Yes." Rae smiled widely. "How 'bout them apples?" She kissed a shocked Cliff on the forehead, and slid inside.
"Well... /SHIT/." Cliff stood to chase Rae inside. "We'll see you next time, in the only story where someone can get away with something like THAT, STORY OF A GIRL!" Cliff dashed inside.
TO BE CONTINUED...
Nayru: Your choices for next time's episode are:
1) Cliff's Birthday! 2) The Greenhouse! 3) The Masked Bandit!
Xiao: Review and vote!