The Water Guardian (part 1 of 3)

in Scholar and Scribe2 years ago (edited)

Dave's voice crackled over the 2-way radio.

We got another one, incoming. Over!

Todd sighed and rose from under the glorious shade of one of the nine Giant Sequoias that encircled the small oasis in the middle of the outer realms. He shook his head, contemplating, giving voice to frustrated utterances under his breath. He banged his hand a few times gently on the edge of the receiver, hoping to resolve any dodgy loose wires that might be causing the issue.

You would have thought they'd perfected the darn things by now. Good communication was so essential...and yet... hm!

He huffed... just a little. He wasn't supposed to be on duty, but Angel was busy, yet again, and he had been summoned at short notice to cover the graveyard watch. Not that he minded helping out in the least, in fact, it was always his pleasure to be of service, it was just that he had never performed this particular duty before and, given the time constraints, there had not been much in the way of instruction.

It will be easy...

Dave had said. The tourists never arrived in their droves and most were sojourners, just passing through, in transit for the briefest of time... His job? To ensure their experience went smoothly! Kind of like a tour guide, but without the tour, and... without the guide... that part was already taken care of... The Guardians just had to ensure that nothing broke the sense of peace and connection. So, keep the fires burning with the hope that a little of that light would ignite within each visitor and guide them to return in time.

The plan was simple. Dave would message him on the radio when someone was arriving. All he had to do was check in on them and make sure they were ok. If everything looked good, leave well alone. If things looked like they were going pear-shaped, call it in for an intervention. But, he pondered, what was the norm and how would he know if it was being transcended; if a deviation was indeed in progress?

You'll know,

Dave had assured him,

you'll just know... and if you get stuck... there's always the manual!

Being the new guy, wasn't always easy, but he had a tender spirit and wanted to share himself with others. If he could just create the type of meaningful connections that he had failed at, most of his natural life, he would be happy. His journey had taken many twists and turns and he wasn't entirely certain after all this time, how he had managed to arrive in such an incredibly beautiful place, where the community worked as one, with such tireless energy and devotion. Being assigned to the Water Guardians had been a blessing. It was one of the most important roles in the establishment and he was determined to play his part to perfection.

He reached for the manual, a thick leather dossier that lay pristine on the small table beneath the largest of the trees, and ran his fingers gently over its spine, the pages between its covers seemingly untouched, a testament perhaps to how well-oiled the machinery was and how smoothly things actually did run. Next to the manual was a large red button and a sign that simply read: Use Only In Case of Emergency.

He released the hardcover back onto the table, strode to the water's edge, and peered in, eager to see if his intervention was required. Beyond his own reflection, he passed the time watching human beings emerging momentarily, creating ripples across the surface as their souls delighted in the pure joy of the moment, before disappearing once again into the still quiet waters that resided below. The Guardians worked in 24-hour cycles to ensure they matched the pattern of life on Earth... catching every possible visitor; not leaving a single one behind. It was quite the otherworldly experience to behold.

Dave had been right. The day had passed by seemingly with little disturbance to the fabric of time. He gazed down at the little gilded carriage clock that adorned the table next to the manual and the big red button. Fifteen minutes left. His shift would soon be over and then things would quieten down for a while. It wasn't as necessary to have personal attendance at the oasis all the time and it was during this downtime that the Water Guardians celebrated the fruits of their labour.

Todd considered that he might as well take a quick walk amongst the trees, and make sure everything was ready for when the next Guardian took over.

Staring up into the far reaches of the towering canopies above him he marveled at their sheer magnitude. These nine were definitely the finest specimens he had ever come across outside of the western slopes of the Sierra Nevadas. They weren't perfect in the traditional sense. They were battle-scarred, ravaged by fire, and marked by the trials and tribulations endured over millennia. It always amazed him how counter-intuitive life could be: that the Giant Sequoia needed fire to strip away from its trunk and branches, to sustain damage, and suffer a period of death and rebirth in order to release new life. The fires would burn a clearing around the trees for the next generation of seeds to take root, and have space to grow and flourish. He bent down and picked up a few small cones from the ground, cracked open by the heat from the recent fires, to reveal mature seeds ripe for germination. The wonders of creation never ceased to amaze him.


Sarah opened her eyes, but instead of seeing Pastor Mike at her side, she saw the sky, an iridescent burst of Bahamian blue, shimmering, sparkling in the incandescent sunlight, not a cloud in sight. She moved gently feeling the soft ground giving way beneath her... Delicate emerald blades tickled her bare shoulders as she turned over in the grass and inhaled the sweet scent of lavender and petunias, lilacs, and cornflower, singing in endless fields of scattered beauty. She sat up... leaning back on her hands and looked around... the flowers turned in unison towards her, silencing their voices. The cool breeze that had been tenderly brushing against her delicate skin, quickly hushed, as if suddenly becoming aware of her presence. In that moment, a monarch butterfly alighted on her hand and simply watched.

She stood up, not in the least perturbed by the unfolding dreamlike events, and walked towards the gorgeous copse of trees nearby, nine giants seemingly inviting her in. She swept through the long grass leaving wet footprints behind her, constantly fed by the water running down from her drenched attire.


Hello? Can you help me, please?

In his quiet reverie, the question startled him somewhat, so much so that the cones fell involuntarily from his hands to his feet as he looked up in the direction of the softly spoken voice.

Todd froze. He looked around him... slightly perplexed... he had not expected to see a human being carving a path between the conifers, let alone one as beautiful as the one immediately before him. How had she managed to stumble into his space unannounced?

And then it hit him... damn those dodgy radio sets! The oasis... of course! The water... and anxious he turned heel and ran back to the table where the large manual still sat, taunting him with its virgin appearance.

He grappled with the leather binding and flung it open, wide-eyed, searching frantically within its pages for a solution to what was clearly a deviation from the plan! Then he panicked... for the pages were empty... one after the other... blank... except for one handwritten note on the first one which read:

Warning:
Whatever happens, NEVER EVER press the big red button!

Excuse me, I don't mean to be rude but...

He looked up again.

She had followed him into the clearing and was now just a few feet away... and closing.

There was no time to think. It appeared that he might as well throw out the rulebook because there was no manual for what was to come next... he clenched his eyes tight and, summoning all of his courage, folded one hand over the other and pressed down on the red button, offering a silent prayer as he did so,

Dear Lord, please forgive me...

Part 2/3 can be read here


This was my entry for the Dreemport - Scholar and Scribe Challenge 3-part serial fiction challenge.


Sequoiadendron giganteums

Header image Oasis Waterfall Forest by Alexanderfriedrichmsc from Pixabay on Canva Pro Library

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The one rule he had to follow... Typical dude, don't RTFM and if he does ignores the bloody thing. He should have teased her closer to the pool and thrown her back in. I wonder how confounded that pastor is though, pretty sure unless he is the leader of a cult people are going to want to know what happened to the girlie. He should plea insanity by holy water maybe. !PIZZA !LOLZ

!LOLZ yep typical dude, doesn't bother to read the instructions until the thing is broke! (although even then my hubby pulls stuff apart first without looking at the manual - something about guys - they gotta see if they can fix it without any external help 🤷🤦‍♀️ - me I just head straight for the online forums and YT... ) back to the story...but if he'd thrown her back in, she might have drowned 😏🤣 The pastor... I wonder if he even knows she left? !LUV !PIZZA (let's see if I can work it all out)😂❣️

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Insanity by holy water 😂😂

When I am here thinking he had been going against religious practices and the girl is supposed to end up in hell for being in a relationship with a man of God... It's crazy how I am judging @samsmith1971's characters already... I better go 😅😅

hahaha... well... I wonder how right or wrong you will turn out to be hehe !LOLZ Thank you for reading my part 1 @edystringz and dropping an amusing comment 😂

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Poor Todd. He almost got to the end of his shift unscathed. Lol!

I did wonder when he'd hit that red emergency button though. I mean, it was just there waiting for him, wasn't it?! But, the reason was totally unexpected. Hahaha!

Loving your story already. I want more! Now...but I guess I'll have to wait.
Just have to remind myself - patience is a virtue. 😶

hahaha... funny these things take the writer and reader by surprise 😂😂😂 !LOLZ

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Now I remember why I didn't leave a comment. The story is amazing, but maybe, somewhere between the language barrier I got lost. A perfectly created purgatory, the water represents the portal to the next life or the cleansing of the soul, from all sins. Like baptism. Todd, I guess it's your version of an angel. The maiden is the personification of sin, which puts us to the test, and once we succumb, all the teachings of the Bible disappear (like the manual).

A very interesting perspective, Darth hehe... you are quite perceptive... you may have hit upon some truths in your analysis of my story... I have since shared with you in DM which elements of your commentary tied in with my creative intention. Shhhh... don't tell anyone what I said... 😂... and I'm still working some of it out. Thank you for reading and engaging so well - this was a really refreshing and interesting comment. !LOLZ !PIMP


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They can't see the red flags.

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Hi @samsmith1971,
Thank you for participating in the #teamuk curated tag. We have upvoted your quality content.
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Thank you @teamuksupport for your support. !PIZZA

That rippling thread of mystery has me standing upright (at 1:30 AM in the morning), just dying to know what comes next. Fabulous intro, can’t wait for more. ❤️🤗💕

hahaha...

just dying to know what comes next.

That makes two of us 😜😂🤣

I have the general idea in mind... just got to work out why Todd had to go and have a boyish moment about the human...aargh... spanner...works !LOLZ

Thanks for the support,my friend !LUV !ALIVE

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We're a cover band.

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Yay! 🤗
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A lively and mysterious tale. I enjoy how you engage the senses with your prose. I look forward to finding out what the red button does. 😄

Thank you, my friend!

I look forward to finding out what the red button does. 😄

So do I!!! ROFLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL

!LUV !ALIVE !PIZZA

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How beautiful! Delightful! Such imagery, and description. Carrying us through the words like an adventure; almost like a film! Oh you motivate me so much Sam and now, I'm eager to see what comes next! Do I get a tiny peek? Pretty please with the cherry on top? Oh! I know! I'll trade you a delicious dairy free cookie in exchange...or perhaps I'll just turn into a bug and infest your computer 😩...
This is so beautiful! I love it and Good Morning my friend!

hahaha good morning Deraaa❣️... thank you for enjoying it... you know when you try something completely different?...you just never know how it will be received... hahaha... I had the idea and had sketched a bit out but really broke the back of it in one evening and finished it the next day. That... is like record time for me !LOLZ... and nope... no advance glances... I don't have anything to show anyway ROFLLLL ... I still have to write the next piece... goodness only knows what happened once that red button got pushed! I think I need to dip my hand back into the Lake of Imagination... 💗

I threw a boomarang a few years ago that never came back.
I now live in constant fear.

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Ahhhhhh... 😩😩😩❤️❤️❤️

Wow, you really built up the suspense nice and smoothly. Didn't realize how hooked I was until there was no more text to read and I went "nooooo..... don't stop now"

So mysterious and intriguing.

!Love

hehehe thank you Hannes, nothing like a bit of Dreemport Challenge pressure to force something creative to emerge out of left field 😂😜 I was saying to @itsostylish earlier, that Todd went rogue on me and expressed a teeny ounce of boyish attraction for Sarah... and I was like Eish!!! now you've gone and done it... the story was clear-ish in my head before that thought ran through his mind! And now... I have to regroup ROFLLLLLLLLL !PIZZA - part 2 coming up next week hehe

PIZZA! PIZZA! PIZZA! PIZZA! PIZZA! PIZZA! PIZZA! PIZZA! PIZZA! PIZZA! PIZZA! PIZZA! PIZZA! PIZZA!

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Please vote for pizza.witness!

I chewed my finger the whole way through... the tension is palpable... and in all honesty it takes a lot for me to "drop" in to things these days, Sam! Sam!!! 😁

You're really, really good!

Wowza. I would read a novel for sure... and get lost in it for sure!

You have the gift. Yep. You got it! 😊 👏

  • waiting impatiently for the next one...

You just made me laugh... hahaha... Todd may not know the consequence of his actions... but.. .shhhhh... neither do I!!! 😂😂😂 I mean I have a few options...but I haven't explored any of them far enough to know how they turn out yet so beyond perhaps another paragraph or two...it's all a little fuzzy hehe. I would also have loved to have had another day to tighten and edit more, but c'est la vie!

Thank you for taking the time to give it a whirl, Nicky, and to share some thoughts 💗

I always appreciate feedback on my short stories... the good, the bad, and the ugly hahaha... everything helps ❣️

LOLZ !PIZZA

Sister. Honestly. You've got a book in you for sure.

If that was first go well... I'd be super keen to read the final edit.

Yes! It's amazing to have those stories and options rolling around in your mind, huh?

I'll wait to see what happens next 😁

... I'm watching the days ticking by... maybe when time gets critical and it sits in the urgent pile, creative thoughts may strike haha

Hmmm.... see what you did there??

Maybe you just need some encouragement and a prod every now and then 😁😈

hahaha... maybe! A big stick... eek !LOLZ

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Hmmmm... if it's candy cane. Or we'll just reward you with treats for chapters. Good treats! Really good ones!

Yeah... I'm on to you 😁

I have to know what happens next 🤣 Does the button take them to Heaven???

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hahaha... is the suspense killing you? It's certainly killing me!!! !LOLZ

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Oh, you're good. That cliffhanger is perfectly frustrating and I need part 2. Well done! I love your worldbuilding and pacing. The linking to the Latin name of the tree species was a bit jarring, however.

!PIZZA

You know I toyed back and forth on that link... and by the end of part 1 I have to confess that I am not sure anymore why I ended up set on having the Latin word there... I love this feedback, thank you so much❣️I think perhaps because I was trying to give the trees a special significance but I agree... I have read it a few times back to myself and it will flow a lot better if I change the name of the link. On it! I really appreciate the visit and the advice! !ALIVE !PIZZA

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O. M. Gosh!!!!!!!!!!!

WOW, Just WOW!

I can not wait to see what happens, Truly I can not.

haha, thank you Snook... I am going to get back to the story writing tonight... I have thoughts ruminating !LOLZ !LUV !PIZZA

Oh no what happens next???? I love the imagery that you use in your writing. Can't wait to read the next part...

hey thanks for dropping by, Simgirl. I guess I'll find out tonight 😂💗 thank you for the encouragement, I appreciate it, truly❣️ - tonight I need to read a few more entries myself and get stuck into part 2 before it becomes mission critical on Friday hehe !ALIVE

That's funny. I am thinking the same thing. Bingo is gonna be hard this week. I did get 3 of them doing the Dreemport curation today. Yours being the first :D

Reading other stories helps me envision what I could be writing. I NEED that. <3

I like this, and need to know what is the next!! The ambient, the strange world, and the mistery you created... Good work, Sam, you're a great writer. 👏👏😍😘

!LOLZ I jumped a wee bit outside of my comfort zone... but still sufficiently inside it with my overall idea 🤭 Not sure if I'll pull it off... but I can certainly have a good go! !PIZZA

The attempt is the goal, so you will do it. 😘

Dave should at least go with the new guy a few times to train him, but I guess if that happened there wouldn't be a story. !LOL

Learned about the Giant Sequoia from this story, so thanks a lot @samsmith1971 ...Do these trees need fire in their life cycle even in real life?

I'm excited to see what will happen between Todd and the Woman... Poor guardian~


Found on Dreemport

!PIZZA !CTP !LUV

Well... given the short notice, I guess Dave gave him just enough info to get by hahaha... and yes the Giant Sequoia needs fire... they are incredible trees...magnificent truly - seen in person... actual giants !PIZZA

That's amazing~

they are incredible trees...magnificent truly - seen in person... actual giants

Thanks for the !PIZZA

Damn, Sam, so this is the draft you told iska about the other day? This is mind-blowing.

I am sure if she reads this, she will be feeling oppressed... Lol. That girl likes feeling oppressed over nothing even when she is a good writer too.... Hehehehe.

I love this piece, Sam, it's incredible how you spine the scenes, c'mon you have to teach me how to write as good as you do 😉

I wonder what happened when he touched the button... I guess I have to wait till weekend to find out.

Let me tell you again... This was an amazing read. ❤️❤️

Aw thank you edystringz, that is very kind feedback... I am reimagining something... it may become clearer as the story develops🤗 I hope I can pull it off... we'll see... the pages of part 2 are still blank !LOLZ !LUV How is your part 2 going? x

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Wonderful piece
Doing the exact opposite of the one rule!!
Hoping to see what happens next.

Great Post
With love from @dreemport

Thank you ksam, appreciate the visit... and yeah...one rule, right!!! lets see !LOLZ

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It's a funny thing for me, Whenever I read or hear of a character named Dave, two things ALWAYS pop into my head:

  • "Dave's Not Here Man"
  • "I'm Sorry Dave, I cannot do that!"

I loved this beginning. I cannot wait to see more growth, more of the garden and paradise here. But what? WAIT... NOOOOOOOO not the Big Red Butto....

haha... my Dave is is definitely not one of these hehe... but let's see what kinda grit he is made of! Thanks for visiting my story, Blue - I wonder what the big red button did??? !LUV !ALIVE !PIZZA

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I wonder what the big red button did?
Or Does?
Or, is it a done deal?
Dave Done Did It?

Dave might have done did it !LOLS? Have you yet? 🤞 !LUV !ALIVE

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I do love short stories. The characters musing on the beauty of nature caught my attention. Thank you for sharing your writing talents with us on #PYPT today!

aw thank you Sarg! !PIZZA

hehehe ok this is a short comment - because I'm heading to the next post right now hahahaa

i didn't get to read this in this last week and now i'm catching up and dying to know who this shimmery drenched water being is hehehe and what is gonna happen when he does what he's not supposed to do! hehehe

and I wonder how she got there hehehe
and where the notes went from the manual... and and and running!

hahaha... this is a different piece of writing for me... trying something newish... and yet... not... hehe... but maybe once part 3 is done... things will seem clearer... I hope I can pull it off and tie it all together. If you know what you are looking for... you will find it !LOLZ ...

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Done with this part, finally ... lol!

Now heading to the 2nd.

Shouldn't he look into the manual earlier so he didn't have to take a hasty decision

hmm ... let's see his name is Todd... enough clues haha !LOLZ

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