Erastus: Replacing a lost story

2011-07-25T00:44:44Z

Replacing a lost story

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{{title|name= Serving the Sentence - Part 2/14|author=Erastus Centaur|user=Erastus}}

Professor made sure that Piet and Taki trained David in how to use
the rope ladders safely and how to do some simple rock climbing.
Taki tried to assure David that they did not survey the steepest
cliffs. David tried to tell Taki that it didn't matter as David
wasn't going to be the one doing the surveying then.

Two weeks later, it was David's turn, his protests having been
completely ignored. They -- David, Zane, Jack, and Amos -- were at
the edge of a ravine. It was steep but not deep, though it would
still hurt if you fell over the edge. It wasn't very wide either.
There was just enough space at the bottom to walk on either side of
the stream, which was currently dry.

The side of the ravine looked a lot steeper than David liked. Amos
ignored the complaints as did Zane. Jack said, "Come on, ya wimp! A
real man ain't afraid of a little height. A real man would even use
the rock climbing rope, not this sissy ladder!"

So much for David not being the one to survey steep cliffs.

Zane and Jack lowered the rope ladder over the edge of the canyon.
David watched carefully to make sure it was anchored firmly. Jack
saw David's gaze and said in mock horror, "What? You don't trust
me?" David rolled his eyes but said nothing.

David put the two-way radio over his head and said, "Testing."

Amos, wearing the radio's mate, responded with, "Roger."

David nodded. He also checked that his digital camera and GPS
receiver were clipped to his belt and were working. Amos tapped at his computer to record David's commentary of the rock layers. Amos would transcribe it later.

Jack said, "Come on, kid, quit your dawdling." David glared at him
for a moment, then eased himself over the edge and started down.

At each change in the rock formation, David paused to report on the
color and type of the stone, whether it had visible fossils, how
many rungs on the ladder he was from the top, and what the GPS gave
as his altitude. He also took a few pictures. It didn't take long
for the GPS to indicate that there were no satellites "visible."

An hour later, David was describing the lowest visible layer of
stone. "The top of this stratum is still ten feet, uh, three meters
above the ravine floor. It is sandstone, pink in color, and seems to
be AAAAAaaaaaa..."

Amos winced as pulled the headphones away from his ears for a moment
because of volume. He quickly recovered. "Dave!" Both Zane and Jack
stared at Amos. "David! Are you there?"

Jack muttered, "The kid can't even manage a ladder."

"Quiet!" said Amos. "David! Answer me!" After a pause, Amos turned
to Zane, "Can you see anything?"

"No," said Zane, peering over the edge. "There's an outcrop in the
way." He tugged on the ladder. "I don't feel his weight on the
ladder at all."

"David! Answer me!" cried Amos. Still nothing. "Should someone else
start down?"

Before anyone could answer, Amos held up his hand for silence. "I
heard a groan," Amos said softly. "David!"

Amos heard another groan, then faintly, "Yeah." After another short
pause, "I'm here Amos."

"David, what happened?" Zane relaxed a bit on hearing that question.
It wasn't filled with alarm. David had responded, at least.

"Just a sec -- the radio got knocked off." For a moment Amos heard
rustling, then David's voice was clear. "I fell," said David. "Um.
Since I'm still holding onto the ladder, it looks like the ladder
broke."

Amos relayed the information to Zane and Jack. Jack muttered,
"Little twerp," under his breath.

Zane glared at Jack. "And who was in charge of inspecting the
ladder?"

Jack glared back. "I inspected it! Who knows what the fool kid did?"

"Are you hurt?" said Amos into the radio.

"Well," David paused, doing a physical inventory, "I think I have a
bruise or two and I definitely have a headache from the bump on the
back of my head. I also had the wind knocked out of me. I only fell
a couple meters."

"Can you reach the end of the ladder?"

"Since I'm buried under about ten meters of my end of it, no, I
can't."

"What does your end of the break look like," asked Amos. "Does it
look frayed or cut?"

"Just a sec. Let me find it." A pause. "It looks cut."

When Amos relayed the news, Jack said, "Stupid kid can't even use a
ladder right." He caught Zane's glare. "I mean, look! Get someone
who can't stand still and the ropes rub against a rock outcrop which
acts like a knife."

"Let's save the pieces to verify all that," said Zane.

"How about climbing on the rocks up to the end of the ladder?" Amos
said to David.

"It looks pretty sheer and I don't have a rock-climbing rope. Didn't
need one with the ladder."

"And where is that rock-climbing rope, Jack?" Zane asked pointedly.

"Back in camp," Jack said with a scowl. "Didn't need it with the
ladder. Besides, the kid's no good with the rope."

"It looks like you're stuck down there for now," Amos said to David.
"We'll have to send someone back to camp and get another ladder.
Hold on. I'll stay up here and keep the radio on."

Hold on, he says, thought David. Holding on to my end of the ladder
isn't going to do a thing for me. He felt recovered enough to first
sit, and then stand, letting his end of the ladder fall in a heap.

Zane hauled up the top part of the ladder and inspected the broken
end as he went to the jeep. Jack grabbed it out of Zane's hand to
study it himself, then waved it Zane's face. "Yep, rubbed against an
outcrop. Stupid kid." The ladder was stashed in the jeep and Zane
and Jack took off for camp after yelling to Amos, "We'll be back as
soon as possible." Amos waived after them.

After several minutes of silence, Amos said, "You OK, kid?"

"Yeah, I'm OK. It can't be too bad if I'm able to walk around. The
headache is fading."

"Perhaps you should keep talking," said Amos. "Head injuries can do
strange things."

"Yeah, I suppose. What should I talk... sshhh." David's voice
dropped to a whisper. "I hear something coming."

David turned to the approaching sound. He was sure his yelp had
attracted whomever it was that was coming. The locals in the area
didn't seem to care for the research team. Would they try to take it
out on him? He didn't have anywhere he could go except farther up
the ravine. There weren't even good places to hide.

By the time he decided he could do nothing, the noise came around
the last bend. It was a horse. Much to David's surprise, it was a
horse without a rider, a horse without a halter. In this horse
culture, a horse without a halter of some sort was strange.

The horse came up to David and looked him over. It went over to the
broken ladder, still where David had left it, studied it a moment,
pawed the broken ropes, then looked up the ravine wall. How does a
horse know about rope ladders?

The horse was far enough away and standing at an angle so that David
could tell it was female. He might be a city boy, but he knew enough
to tell mare from stallion. She was a beautiful animal with dark
brown fur and black legs, mane, and tail. She had a white stripe
from between her ears almost to her nose.

David studied her studying the ladder. If a horse got into the
ravine then someone as small as himself could certainly get out.

Well, no. He should wait for Zane to return.

The horse completed her inspection of the ladder and came back to
David, again looking him over carefully. He reached out a hand to
pet her, which she allowed. He said, "That's a good girl."

Amos spoke over the radio, "Who ya talkin' to?"

I forgot all about the radio, thought David. "That thing that was
approaching turned out to be a horse."

"Just a horse? No rider?"

"Yeah, that's the strange part. This is a beautiful mare and there
is no halter or anything. I thought all Mongolian horses were tamed
and owned, but this one doesn't appear to be."

"I thought so too," said Amos.

The horse stood beside David for a moment and let him pet and admire
her. She then put her nose against his chest and pushed, just enough
for him to take a step backward.

"Whoa girl! What's that all about?"

"What's what all about?" said Amos.

"This horse stuck her nose on my chest and pushed me!"

David stroked her nose a while longer and idly thinking about horses
in general, when she gave him another firm push in the chest.
"Whoa!" He managed to avoid falling by grabbing the part of her mane
that hung between her ears. She didn't move until he had a chance to
steady himself. Then she pushed at him again. This time he was ready
and sidestepped her. "Are you trying to tell me something?"

She pushed at him again, more gently but more persistently. David
took a couple steps back, then he looped his arm around her neck and
stepped beside her. "I think this will work better."

That seemed to satisfy the horse. She proceeded to walk towards the
direction from which she had appeared.

David followed for a bit, then stopped, pointed upward, and said, "I
can't go with you. I'm supposed to wait for my friends."

Amos chuckled through the radio. "Good luck arguing with a horse,
kid. What is she doing?"

"I guess she's guiding me out the way she came in."

"David, I wonder if that bump on the head didn't scramble your
brains?"

"My head's fine, Amos."

"You sure?"

The horse gave David another determined push with her nose. He
caught his balance, then circled around her back to the broken
ladder. She ambled over and pushed with her nose again. Definitely
determined, though in no hurry.

"Amos? I gotta feeling she won't take no for an answer."

"David, please stay put! Zane called on the cell phone and said they
have a flat tire. He said he called Piet, who is going to grab the
other ladder and walk out to them. They're only a kilometer from
camp. It will take some time for Piet to get there and to get the
tire changed."

"Zane and Jack can't change a tire themselves?"

Amos chuckled. "They probably can, but Piet will get there before
they finish."

The horse pushed again. David stepped back and found his foot
blocked by a large boulder, causing him to sit on it. The horse
turned so that her flank was in front of his face. He didn't have
room to stand up. He swatted at her. She didn't move. He pulled his
legs up and scrambled to stand on the boulder. He stepped to the
side. She moved to stay in front of him. He stepped again; she still
barred the way.

"Amos? I just figured out what his horse wants. She wants me to ride
her."

"She may want it David, but you're the human. Just stay put."

David sat on the boulder with his feet pulled up. The horse waited a
moment, then swung her head around to face him. She blew air through
her lips, making a sound that sounded exactly like an exasperated
parent. She then pushed him in the chest again. He grabbed onto the
boulder to hang on, then swatted her on the nose. She didn't move
away. She pushed again.

"Amos, this crazy horse in being awfully persistent. She won't let
me just sit here. She keeps pushing me with her nose. I'm going to
have to ride her."

"Have you ever ridden a horse before?"

"No. There aren't many horses in Cincinnati."

"I haven't ridden one either," said Amos, "so I can't give any
pointers. Look David, your story is getting way too weird. I'm
wondering if that bump has you seeing things. A horse insists you
ride it? That's crazy."

"I'm not seeing things Amos! This horse is actually pushing me."

"Perhaps I should tell the guys to bring Lily along."

"No, Amos. I'm fine."

"It sure doesn't sound like it."

David looked the situation over for a moment. He realized why the
horse guided him to the boulder. He was up just high enough so all
he had to do was turn around and sit on her back.

He did so. He was amazed that the horse stood patiently until he was
well settled with legs on either side and a good grip on the mane.
As soon as he was settled, the horse ambled in the direction she had
come.

"Well, Amos, I'm off. I don't know where I'm going."

"David! Every so often I think Jack is right about you. Either that
or that bump knocked all sense out of your head. I'll personally
make sure Lily has a good look at that noggin of yours when we get
you back to camp."

"My head's fine! There really is a horse down here and she insists
that I ride her. I can't just sit down here with a horse this
pushy."

Amos sighed, "At least you can keep in contact, David. Give me your
GPS when you can."

The horse didn't move very fast, which was just fine with David. It
gave him time to study the sides of the ravine. He reported his
general direction and some interesting features to Amos as long as
he was in radio range.

Even though the radio was silent, David didn't dare turn it off.
"Well, old girl, I guess we're on our own."

[[User:Erastus/Serving the Sentence - Part 1|Part 1]] * Part 2 *
[[User:Erastus/Serving the Sentence - Part 3|Part 3]]

User:Erastus/Serving the Sentence - Part 2 - Revision history

Erastus: Replacing a lost story