Wednesday, August 27, 2014

The Daughters of Teelan contest


Contest rules. At the end of the excerpt I have asked a multiple choice question. The answer is in the excerpt. Post you answer in a comment to be entered in contest. The contest will run from Wednesday 8/27/14 to Tuesday 9/2/14. The winner will be chosen by my friends at random and announced here and on my facebook page on 9/3/14. The prize will be a lighted key chain. Simple as that. Good luck to all.
Gina's rude welcome
Excerpt from The Daughters of Teelan
(Gina and Becky)  
She took another bite from the tasteless ration stick and chased it with a swig of water. She frowned at it. These may sustain life but they sure as hell wouldn’t qualify as fine cuisine.
An earsplitting roar assaulted her ears. Something struck the side of the life pod and sent it tumbling over and over. Gina tossed around in the interior like a rag doll in a dryer. When the craft stopped rolling, it was upside down. Again, a tooth-rattling roar came from outside and something struck the side of the pod, sending it rolling once more. This time she managed to grab hold of a chair and controlled her tumble.
The ship ceased its wild rotations with the hatch on top. Gina opened it and stormed out like an angry hornet defending its disturbed nest. The creature she faced was the most horrible sight she had seen in her entire young life. She estimated its head was thirty feet above the ground. Its open jaws revealed row upon row of sharp teeth. Two eyes, each half the size of her body, glared at her. The beast had green, tough looking hide. It had a long tail, two powerful looking legs and smaller arms midway up its torso with deadly appearing talons.
She splayed her legs slightly to brace herself on the slopped hull. Brushing a lock of disheveled hair from her eyes, Gina glared at the animal. Anger and frustration took control. "You will not destroy my ship you damned ugly brute!" she screamed. "Ever since the Men-gar I’ve been spoiling for a fight. Something to take my aggressions out on. You’re fuckin it!"
She pointed her digits at the beast. Flames streaked across the distance to explode in the creature’s face. It roared in surprise and pain. Its head darted forward with jaws opened wide. The creature's putrid breath made her gag and sent her hair swirling. More fire burst from her fingers. This time flames reached deep in the beast's open maw. The roar cut short when the creature’s jaws snapped shut to extinguish the fire in its mouth.
"Take that asshole. I may be little but I have a vicious deadly bite."
The beast took two steps back. She launched more fire. It screamed in anguish vanishing for a moment in a shroud of an intensely raging inferno. The acrid smell of burning flesh filled the air. With its entire body engulfed in flames, the creature voiced a final shriek of agony. It toppled to the side creating a huge splash of muddy water that drenched her. The creature lay still.
Gina remained stiffly erect for some time waiting for it to rise. She pulled her drenched hair back from her face. With one hand, she wiped the mud from her eyes. The sudden silence was eerie.
"I think it's dead Gina."
"I guess that answers the question of life existing on this planet."
The pod shifted under her. She gazed down and saw the creature had ripped a huge gash in the side. The craft had come to rest in deeper water which poured into the gaping hole. She leaped back inside and in dismay, saw water already sloshed across the floor. Grabbing the four packs, she climbed out, slid down the side of the rapidly sinking ship and swam to shore.
She sat in the sand breathing hard from exertion and the energy expended from casting her flame. The pod settled deeper and finally sank beneath the surface. "So much for my home." Turning to the side, she glared at the dead animal. "Grant we need to find shelter." She glanced up at the sinking sun. "Soon," she added. "I don’t fancy sleeping here on the beach and having my slumber interrupted by one of those." She pointed at the dead beast.
"If you wake up before it eats you," Grant teased.
Gina was in no mood for her AI’s humor. "I’m assuming you’ll remain alert and warn me before something like that occurs. I’ll remind you that if I perish so do you."
"I’m aware of that and will remain vigilant while you sleep."
"Thank you," she said sarcastically.
She gathered the packs, two to an arm. "Something above the ground in the trees for tonight I think."
"I agree. I will help you search."
To add to her discomfort, the rain that had been threatening all day, began to fall in earnest. In no time, she was drenched. She settled into the branches of the selected tree surrounded by dripping leaves and soaked to the bone. Her nightshirt was a shambles after tumbling and rolling inside the pod. The rain tapered and quit shortly after dark.
"While I’m trying to sleep I want you to access your archives and look for the methods of tanning and curing hide. I’m going to need clothes soon and that beast out there has a lot of hide I can use."
"I will do so. You need sleep. It has been a big day."
"Goodnight. Talk to you in the morning. Remember to wake me if danger threatens."
"I will."
She spent a miserable night tossing and turning, trying to stay warm and get comfortable in her wet clothes.
 Question: Gina has the ability to
1.      Levitate
2.      Cast fire
3.      Teleport
4.      Cast a web

Enter your answer in a comment. 

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