Choose Your Own Story Part One
Nov. 2nd, 2008 12:12 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
girlyswotWell, I haven't written quite as much as I planned to, but I think there's enough here to get us going. Poll at the end!
The ground was still damp from yesterday’s rain and the air was cool, despite the clear blue of the morning sky. Prudence pulled her scarf more tightly around her neck and was grateful that she’d decided to put on her woollen mittens after all. It didn’t matter that they made it tricky to open the gates: she could climb over the top and Caleb could squeeze underneath.
She whistled to Caleb who had run off to examine some very exciting rabbit holes under the hawthorn hedge. He had no chance of ever catching one and Prudence was very sure he wouldn’t know what to do with it if he did. But the hunting instinct was just as strong in him as in any other dog, even if the legs were shorter. Poor Caleb spent a lot of his life tripping over his own enthusiasm.
Prudence whistled again, putting two fingers in her mouth to make the sound travel further. Caleb’s ears pricked and, with just one regretful glance down at the rabbit hole, he turned to come bounding back across the ploughed ridges of the field as quickly as he could manage. Prudence couldn’t help but laugh as she watched his ears flying and his whole body bouncing. She knelt, heedless of the mud, and ruffled her hands through the little dog’s fur.
‘He’s a cute one, all right,’ drawled a deep voice with an American accent.
Prudence looked up in surprise and promptly fell back on her bottom. Caleb, the traitor, immediately abandoned her to go and befriend the stranger. The American was tall and the dog couldn’t reach much above his knees but Caleb didn’t let that stop him from slobbering and sniffing all over a pair of very expensive looking wool trousers. Serve him right, thought Prudence, casting a resigned look over her own wet and muddy jeans.
‘You need a hand?’ The man had extricated himself from Caleb’s affections and was holding his arm out towards Prudence.
‘Thanks,’ she muttered. It was jolly difficult getting up without sinking further into the muddy puddle. Especially when you were desperately trying to make sure that the man helping you wasn’t pulled down by the the full force of your weight. Both of them crawling in the mud would not be an improvement.
‘I guess you hadn’t seen me coming.’
He was still holding her hand. Prudence pulled away, wiping her mitten pointlessly against her jeans.
‘Er, no.’
‘Jake Gillespie.’
Jake held out his hand again. She looked at it and then up at him in some confusion. Did he think she needed his help again?
‘You don’t wanna say hello?’ There was that drawl again. And the smile that she’d barely registered the first time, when she’d been too busy landing arse over tit.
Prudence cleared her throat. ‘Sorry. Um, hello.’ She let him take her hand again briefly, glad of the thick layer of cabled wool that encased it.
There was an uncomfortable pause. Prudence tried wiping her hands again and succeeded only in wiping the mud further round.
‘You didn’t tell me your name,’ Jake observed. ‘Or the dog’s.’
Prudence flushed. ‘Caleb. He’s Caleb.’
‘Hmm.’ He knelt and solemnly took one of Caleb’s paws in his hand. ‘Pleased to make your acquaintance, Caleb. You want to tell me the lady’s name, now? No? Guess I’ll have to ask her again myself.’ Jake looked up and winked.
She crossed her arms. ‘Look, I just don’t normally introduce myself to strange men.’
‘Oh.’ He stood up slowly. Prudence squirmed inwardly. This was why she’d moved out into the countryside in the first place. So that she didn’t have to deal with awkward introductions to gorgeous American men who sprang up out of nowhere.
‘What are you doing out here anyway?’ She looked around pointedly at the empty fields that stretched out around them. The nearest outpost of civilisation was over the other side of the small hill, where Prudence’s own cottage lay in between two larger, neater houses. In any other direction, it was several miles before you came to a road or a building. She’d never met anyone on her morning walks before and she was somewhat put out by the whole encounter.
‘I could ask you the same thing,’ he replied with a casual smile that just wasn’t fair.
‘I’m walking my dog,’ Prudence pointed out tartly. ‘Besides, I live here.’
Jake laughed. ‘Doesn’t it get a bit damp out here?’
She ignored him. ‘Anyway, I have to be going now. Come on, Caleb.’
‘Shouldn’t he be on a leash?’ Apparently the American had decided to accompany her.
‘No. I know which fields the cattle are in and we avoid them. Not that Caleb can do much damage anyway.’
Caleb looked up, ears swinging, as if to hotly deny this. Prudence took a pinecone out of her pocket and threw it for him. Stubby legs bounded as fast as they could to chase the new toy.
‘What kind of dog is that, anyway?’
‘Springer spaniel crossed with basset hound.’
He laughed. ‘Poor thing. His dreams are always going to be too big for him.’
There was something faintly insulting about this, but Prudence was in no mood to stand around analysing it. The cold was creeping in through her wet trousers and she could feel the denim shrinking around her legs. She’d be peeling them off with a shoe horn at this rate.
They’d reached the bottom of the field and Prudence was about to reach for the top rung of the gate to hoist herself over.
‘Allow me.’
Prudence waited, hands on hips, while Jake struggled with the bit of twine that held the gate closed. It would certainly have been quicker to climb over. Though at least this way he wouldn’t get an eye-level view of her mud-encrusted backside. Caleb was covered in dirt too, she noticed. Baths all round when they got home, then. At least Caleb wouldn’t mind if she took off her jeans first. It was amazing how much he enjoyed rolling around in cold, dirty water outside, and how much he loathed being washed with hot, soapy water inside.
‘Got it!’ Jake announced, triumphantly pulling the orange string away and pushing the gate open.
Prudence thanked him civilly and even went so far as to give him a brief smile. Hopefully, by the time he’d fastened the stupid thing, she and Caleb would be practically home. And if she’d been rude to him, well, that just made it even less likely that she’d ever have to see him again. Besides, he was the one who’d sneaked up on her and landed her in the puddle. She didn’t have to be polite to him after that.
So it was annoying that she seemed to have slowed down and even more irritating that Caleb was still running back and forth between her and the American. Prudence sighed, expecting that the breeze would carry the sound away before it could be heard.
‘So, you walk out here often, ma’am?’
‘Ma’am?’ Prudence couldn’t help the giggle. No one had ever addressed her as if she were the Queen before.
He winked at her again. His eyes were the colour of bluebells. ‘You won’t tell me your name, I gotta call you something.’
Prudence bit her lip. She didn’t know if she was more irritated with herself for noticing the colour of his eyes or with him for having a smooth answer and an even smoother smile.
‘Fine. Yes, I often walk here.’
Jake nodded. ‘Next time, I’ll be careful not to sneak up on you like that.’
Prudence blinked. ‘Next time?’
‘Sure. I guess I’ll be out here quite a bit myself.’
She stopped in the track and stared at him. ‘Oh God, it’s you, isn’t it? You’re him.’
[Poll #1289503]
The ground was still damp from yesterday’s rain and the air was cool, despite the clear blue of the morning sky. Prudence pulled her scarf more tightly around her neck and was grateful that she’d decided to put on her woollen mittens after all. It didn’t matter that they made it tricky to open the gates: she could climb over the top and Caleb could squeeze underneath.
She whistled to Caleb who had run off to examine some very exciting rabbit holes under the hawthorn hedge. He had no chance of ever catching one and Prudence was very sure he wouldn’t know what to do with it if he did. But the hunting instinct was just as strong in him as in any other dog, even if the legs were shorter. Poor Caleb spent a lot of his life tripping over his own enthusiasm.
Prudence whistled again, putting two fingers in her mouth to make the sound travel further. Caleb’s ears pricked and, with just one regretful glance down at the rabbit hole, he turned to come bounding back across the ploughed ridges of the field as quickly as he could manage. Prudence couldn’t help but laugh as she watched his ears flying and his whole body bouncing. She knelt, heedless of the mud, and ruffled her hands through the little dog’s fur.
‘He’s a cute one, all right,’ drawled a deep voice with an American accent.
Prudence looked up in surprise and promptly fell back on her bottom. Caleb, the traitor, immediately abandoned her to go and befriend the stranger. The American was tall and the dog couldn’t reach much above his knees but Caleb didn’t let that stop him from slobbering and sniffing all over a pair of very expensive looking wool trousers. Serve him right, thought Prudence, casting a resigned look over her own wet and muddy jeans.
‘You need a hand?’ The man had extricated himself from Caleb’s affections and was holding his arm out towards Prudence.
‘Thanks,’ she muttered. It was jolly difficult getting up without sinking further into the muddy puddle. Especially when you were desperately trying to make sure that the man helping you wasn’t pulled down by the the full force of your weight. Both of them crawling in the mud would not be an improvement.
‘I guess you hadn’t seen me coming.’
He was still holding her hand. Prudence pulled away, wiping her mitten pointlessly against her jeans.
‘Er, no.’
‘Jake Gillespie.’
Jake held out his hand again. She looked at it and then up at him in some confusion. Did he think she needed his help again?
‘You don’t wanna say hello?’ There was that drawl again. And the smile that she’d barely registered the first time, when she’d been too busy landing arse over tit.
Prudence cleared her throat. ‘Sorry. Um, hello.’ She let him take her hand again briefly, glad of the thick layer of cabled wool that encased it.
There was an uncomfortable pause. Prudence tried wiping her hands again and succeeded only in wiping the mud further round.
‘You didn’t tell me your name,’ Jake observed. ‘Or the dog’s.’
Prudence flushed. ‘Caleb. He’s Caleb.’
‘Hmm.’ He knelt and solemnly took one of Caleb’s paws in his hand. ‘Pleased to make your acquaintance, Caleb. You want to tell me the lady’s name, now? No? Guess I’ll have to ask her again myself.’ Jake looked up and winked.
She crossed her arms. ‘Look, I just don’t normally introduce myself to strange men.’
‘Oh.’ He stood up slowly. Prudence squirmed inwardly. This was why she’d moved out into the countryside in the first place. So that she didn’t have to deal with awkward introductions to gorgeous American men who sprang up out of nowhere.
‘What are you doing out here anyway?’ She looked around pointedly at the empty fields that stretched out around them. The nearest outpost of civilisation was over the other side of the small hill, where Prudence’s own cottage lay in between two larger, neater houses. In any other direction, it was several miles before you came to a road or a building. She’d never met anyone on her morning walks before and she was somewhat put out by the whole encounter.
‘I could ask you the same thing,’ he replied with a casual smile that just wasn’t fair.
‘I’m walking my dog,’ Prudence pointed out tartly. ‘Besides, I live here.’
Jake laughed. ‘Doesn’t it get a bit damp out here?’
She ignored him. ‘Anyway, I have to be going now. Come on, Caleb.’
‘Shouldn’t he be on a leash?’ Apparently the American had decided to accompany her.
‘No. I know which fields the cattle are in and we avoid them. Not that Caleb can do much damage anyway.’
Caleb looked up, ears swinging, as if to hotly deny this. Prudence took a pinecone out of her pocket and threw it for him. Stubby legs bounded as fast as they could to chase the new toy.
‘What kind of dog is that, anyway?’
‘Springer spaniel crossed with basset hound.’
He laughed. ‘Poor thing. His dreams are always going to be too big for him.’
There was something faintly insulting about this, but Prudence was in no mood to stand around analysing it. The cold was creeping in through her wet trousers and she could feel the denim shrinking around her legs. She’d be peeling them off with a shoe horn at this rate.
They’d reached the bottom of the field and Prudence was about to reach for the top rung of the gate to hoist herself over.
‘Allow me.’
Prudence waited, hands on hips, while Jake struggled with the bit of twine that held the gate closed. It would certainly have been quicker to climb over. Though at least this way he wouldn’t get an eye-level view of her mud-encrusted backside. Caleb was covered in dirt too, she noticed. Baths all round when they got home, then. At least Caleb wouldn’t mind if she took off her jeans first. It was amazing how much he enjoyed rolling around in cold, dirty water outside, and how much he loathed being washed with hot, soapy water inside.
‘Got it!’ Jake announced, triumphantly pulling the orange string away and pushing the gate open.
Prudence thanked him civilly and even went so far as to give him a brief smile. Hopefully, by the time he’d fastened the stupid thing, she and Caleb would be practically home. And if she’d been rude to him, well, that just made it even less likely that she’d ever have to see him again. Besides, he was the one who’d sneaked up on her and landed her in the puddle. She didn’t have to be polite to him after that.
So it was annoying that she seemed to have slowed down and even more irritating that Caleb was still running back and forth between her and the American. Prudence sighed, expecting that the breeze would carry the sound away before it could be heard.
‘So, you walk out here often, ma’am?’
‘Ma’am?’ Prudence couldn’t help the giggle. No one had ever addressed her as if she were the Queen before.
He winked at her again. His eyes were the colour of bluebells. ‘You won’t tell me your name, I gotta call you something.’
Prudence bit her lip. She didn’t know if she was more irritated with herself for noticing the colour of his eyes or with him for having a smooth answer and an even smoother smile.
‘Fine. Yes, I often walk here.’
Jake nodded. ‘Next time, I’ll be careful not to sneak up on you like that.’
Prudence blinked. ‘Next time?’
‘Sure. I guess I’ll be out here quite a bit myself.’
She stopped in the track and stared at him. ‘Oh God, it’s you, isn’t it? You’re him.’
[Poll #1289503]