Sharpness of Wit (Choose your own..)

This is a fun writing experiment created by AmyBeth Inverness. Based on the old Choose Your Own Adventure books, she has formulated a blog version: Choose Your Own Romance or Choose Your Own Science Fiction storyline. For the full rules and instructions, please click on AmyBeth’s name (above) or the pic (if I did it right). Basic rules: At the end of your piece (no longer then 500 words or so), have at least TWO paths someone can take the story in. Let me know here, and I’ll print that you are continuing that path. As I said, full instructions on her page. OK? Here we go…

Story Prompt:

Read from the POV of Frank, a 20 something man in 21^st Century Ontario, CA.

You have known since you were a small child that the odd people your parents help out of their cabin on the Lost Channel are supernatural beings. You just never expected one might be so alluring.

To Read The Previous Chapter…

The path I chose: Go out to the woods and walk, hoping you can figure out the particular pattern of paths that will lead you to them.

Frank was lost. Not in the woods so much. Over the years he had trampled through the various trees and rock outcroppings,  finding new hidey holes or plowing through brush that grew big from the past seasons rains. This was “his” woods.  Frank was lost in the dream of that one Visitor he had espied from his window the week before.

Silver in the moonlight, she turned as her small group was wending it’s way into the wood. Frank had made no noise, just looking at them leave, like he normally did. His silent vigil was shocked when she stopped and looked right at him. The light of the night was strong, and it illuminated everything about her, but more so her eyes. They pierced. She was the most alluring woman (woman?) he had ever, ever seen. Captivating.  His heart throbbed, blood rushing through him as it beat faster. He wasn’t really sure how long this went on, but she did leave, eventually, entering the forest. Frank had not seen her again since that night.

Every night a Visitor came, he looked. He stood by his window and searched. He walked alone, looking for any hint. Her image was present with him every waking moment, and in his dreams. The long glistening hair, the sharp angles of her lithe body, the slenderest of feet, her unblemished face, her eyes..man..the eyes like beacons. “Follow me home” he felt they cried to him.

Today Frank took the path towards the north end of Lost Channel. He’d been here in the ten days since, but so had he been in all directions looking for her, them, a sign. Thunder threatened about nine miles away (he counted the “one-one thousand; two-two thousand” and so on) and the sky turned murky. In the oncoming gloom, against a large grouping of trees, he caught a flash of light.

Running without looking down, Frank raced forward. “Hey,” he yelled. “Stop! I want…” and down he went, foot caught in a dip in the earth, and sending him into a tree. Slightly shaken, he started to get up, rolling over on his hands and knees. Two  feet were in front of his eyes. Following them up, and up, he saw it was one of the Visitors. A male.

“Frank. You never are part of the gathering when we visit your parents. What do you want of the Razor people now?”

The smooth words cut through him, hurting his ears. He never had gotten used to the sound, stayed upstairs as much as he could, though he dreamt about them often.

Getting to his feet, he said: “I saw…”

“Yes. She saw, too. Let it go, Frank. No good will come of this.”

Before Frank could answer, the Visitor was off, running. He tried to give chase but lost any trace in a matter of moments.

“Razor people?” he mumbled. Frank had never heard them call themselves that, nor his parents. To him, they had always been the Visitors.  A huge lightning bolt struck down. “Three miles, ” he said, looking at the approaching storm.

DO YOU:

Head back to the cabin to talk to your parents? (Link coming soon from….)
Search for shelter from the storm? (Link coming soon from…)
Damn the storm and continue searching? (Jessica Mokrzyki link)

So..now it’s your turn to continue the story. Choose one of the above links, let ME know you are taking this on (by the comments on this page). I will put your link up in the appropriate line when you tell me it’s ready.

I’m assuming that more than one person can continue a path; different variations on the same theme to me is cool. AmyBeth will have to chime in on that one. Enjoy!