I’m still posting from War’s End. Coralie has just suggested that they delay conversing with the Maung until they rig a shelter – she is sure rain is coming.
A rumble of thunder punctuated [Coralie’s] words.
“Under the branches, but stay away from the biggest trunks,” Kelty agreed. “Audi, tell it we need shelter from the rain and possible lightning. Give me a hand with the medical kit—you can pile the other stuff on it.” He managed to lift Ginger’s levitation-equipped medical kit clear of the ground, and he and Audi began pushing it toward the edge of the clearing. The others gathered their own belongings and followed him, the Maung seeming as eager as the Humans to find shelter.
They had weather sheets, Coralie saw when Kelty turned out the contents of the emergency kit, but nothing to prop them up with. “String some of that light rope between two trees and drape the sheets over it,” she suggested, but Michelle was demanding to be fed again, so she could only watch as they fumbled the job.
Ah, the frustration of knowing how something should be done and being forced to stand by and watch others make a mess of it.
Next week will be a free day for Horse Power, a short story that bridges the gap between Homecoming and Tourist Trap and the trilogy that will finish with War’s End, so I’ll be posting a snippet from that. We’ll get back to War’s End, though. If you download Horse Power, I ‘d really appreciate a review.
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Nice description of how they begin to get organised to weather the storm. I can understand Coralie’s frustration at having to stand by and watch.
Among other things, she’s the only one who knows how to improvise a tent. But she can’t do it while nursing Michelle.
I bet the others wish Coralie could help too, since she knows what she’s doing! I feel the cold and the rain – really a terrific excerpt!
If you felt cold, I need to rework this–it’s still steamy and hot.
Yes, having to stand by while others do something you know you can do better is incredibly frustrating! The weather is certainly making life difficult for them. Great excerpt.
Typical equatorial weather, made worse by the fact that this planet’s warm to start with.
No matter how much technology evolves, we’re still subject to the power of Mother Nature, eh? Love that aspect of this snippet.
We certainly are, especially when stranded on an unfamiliar planet!
Oh, yes, the frustration in that last sentence is probably something we all feel at one time or another. Good way to connect with your reader!
So true.
I like this…yes it’s frustrating when one has to sit by and watch someone make a mess of things. If you don’t do it yourself, it never gets done. Nice 8.
Stand by in this case, but no one else can nurse the baby.
Michelle is irritating to them, isn’t she? There’s one like her in every crowd.
She has reason to be so hungry! And she’s only a month old.
At least something has turned out well. They have weather sheets and something to hang them on. Now the question is will they listen to Coralie’s advice while she tends to the little one?
Well, They’re trying.
Oh, the frustration of knowing how something should be done and being forced to stand by and watch others make a mess of it.
I think you’ve just described 89% of parenthood.
Excellent passage—I’m loving the Maug!
Wait a few weeks.
Desperate times give insight into these characters and what’s happening. Great snippet.
They’re a group that works pretty well together.
Uh, hello? Yeah, no one is listening to her. I totally understand her frustration. Without communication what good does all that technology do? They can’t even get it organized. Really great excerpt. Can’t wait for more 🙂
They’re trying to listen, but without having her hands free to show them what to do, she can only communicate so much.
I like that this snippet shows a similarity in two very different type creatures–the human and the Maung: their desire for shelter when weather threatens.
Good snippet, Sue Ann 🙂
Just caught yours in the spam filter–probably a side effect of trying to get wordpress to accept photos again. I had to clear all cookies and caches, and I bet it’s forgotten who I’ve approved before. Of course the definition of inclement weather can vary from species to species, but it happens that heavy rain and lightning are unpleasant to both Maungs and Humans.
I love the pacing of this. It’s fantastic. 🙂
Thanks. Coralie is just hoping they can get some kind of shelter up before the rain starts.
Clear, concise descriptions. Excellent job! And I’ve downloaded HORSE POWER. It will be a while before I can read it because I have a tight deadline that requires a lot of research (to that end, my reading time is currently dedicated to nonfiction), but it’s on my Kindle waiting for me. I’m looking forward to it!
Know what you mean. I’m on about chapter 2 of Last Call and can’t find time to get to it.