Icon Drabble

[kiwisue]

From an idea promulgated by moth2fic: The instruction is to write a drabble, exactly
100 words, based on your default icon. No cheating and switching icons for the purpose!



He watched the water flow across stones weathered smooth over millennia of unrelenting cold and ice, between stream banks tinged with the russet of the bog iron that long-ago sailors had smelted into nails to mend their vessels. He could almost feel their presence, imagine the boats hauled up, over on the rocky strand, wool and skin-clad men working doggedly while the wind blew in freezing gusts off the Labrador Straits.

He shivered, then his companion wrapped an arm around his shoulders and he leant towards him, finding comfort. Here, at this cold end of the earth, there was warmth.



The picture is one I took in June 2004, on a trip to Newfoundland. We travelled up the peninsula to the only known Viking settlement in North America, at L'Anse Aux Meadows. It was bloody cold :-)

The drabble is fandom neutral *g*. Imagine away! being me, I imagine Bodie & Doyle... although what they're doing there, who knows.

Facts: the settlement was discovered in 1961. It was declared a National Historic Site in 1977. The Visitors Centre opened in 1984.

ETA I've decided to dedicate this drabble to a certain NFLD Pros fan who has been making me happy lately with her story discussion contributions on Pros-Lit. *waves to MaDonna*

ETAMinor word adjustment :-)

Comments

[0ftgx]

Oh, wonderfully evocative imagery in the drabble! I can feel it, see it; scent the water and hear the echoing ghosts of times long past. No wonder he shivers. :)

[kiwisue.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I have this other icon from my trip - stones on the sea shore, somewhere halfway up the peninsula. It amazed me, how large, how perfectly smoothed they were by the actions of ice and tides.

Hoping to see the West Coast next time around!

[0ftgx]

I saw a show about the Labrador Viking settlement; utterly fascinating. The trip across the North Atlantic in their boats must've been like sailing endlessly into a vast water world without end.

Hoping to see the West Coast next time around!

We have a quite different kind of beauty out here. Be interesting to hear if you find it more or less appealing!

[nakeisha.livejournal.com]

*Blows on hands to get warm*

Very realistic.

[kiwisue.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I imagine you experience some very cold conditions where you are. The coldest places I've been were the north of Newfoundland in June, and parts of St Petersburg in April, both due to a significant wind chill factor.

[nakeisha.livejournal.com]

Since we've been up here, it hasn't been that bad, actually.

Mind you I'm indoors most of the time and we do have excellent insulation. But it the wind chill factor that can make all the difference.

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Oh very nice, atmospheric and evocative (and a tad chilly). Being me I imagined the lads too, and that made it even better *g*

[kiwisue.livejournal.com]

*g* back. Glad it seemed vivid to you (you cold climes girl).

Now why would they be there? That has me wondering *g*.

[byslantedlight.livejournal.com]

Oh, well...

I'm immediately writing a sequel in my head to Sally Fell's Secrets Beneath (and god, I wish she would!)

Or... they're accompanying someone being extradicted to Canada but the plane is hijacked and they're dumped off at the nearest piece of land... (well, the hijackers aren't murderers...)

Or... Bodie saw "L'Anse aux Meadows", was in a hurry, and thought it'd be a pretty place to go on holiday...

Or... that's what Doyle's been wondering too, why are they chasing home-grown terrorists across the Atlantic in a fishing smack?

Or... No! Too many plot bunnies! *Phd vs Plot Bunny death*

[moth2fic.livejournal.com]

Beautiful! And I had wondered where that icon came from. It reminds me strongly of parts of the Pennine area in northern England.
I'm considering trying to make a collaborative fic out of all the drabbles I see on my flist. Especially fandom neutral ones! Will let you know ...

[kiwisue.livejournal.com]

That would be fine with me - sounds like an interesting experiment.

[msmoat.livejournal.com]

Oh, very nice! Wonderfully evocative, as others have said. What a great idea moth2fic had! (Hmm...I can't exactly do a fandom-neutral one with my default icon. Ah, well. *g*) Thank you for taking up the challenge.

[kiwisue.livejournal.com]

After your post about your hair freezing to your face mask, I wondered if I'd made it chilly enough!

[crimson-37.livejournal.com]

I have to admit that I read with the lads in mind, as I do with just about everything.

Oh, I love this, so evocative. It draws us into the picture you are painting with your words. I could hear the running water, see the grey skies, feel the chill on the wind. Beautiful. You have such a wonderful way with words. Thank you.

[kiwisue.livejournal.com]

Thank you - also I read yours and really liked it - the rose, the blood, them together.

Beautiful!

[(Anonymous)]

As I said in my message to you last week, Sue, this was simply beautiful. To think that this quiet yet evocative little scene was dedicated to.. sniff... moi.. just means the world to me. It warmed me cockles, it did;) And I needed my cockles warmed, especially after having to shovel my car out again this weekend - five snow storms in eight days. Thank you again. Lovely. MaDonna

Re: Beautiful!

[kiwisue.livejournal.com]

You're welcome! I have just looked at the webcam, and St John's looks amazing - a few brightly glowing lights, and everything else is fog and ice. Brrrr!