Thread: Short story
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Doubble Dutch

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Oct 23, 2006, 06:43 AM
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Short story

I wrote a short story based on a school journal I read when I was, oooh, must've been about 8 at the time. Though I'd post it here, just to see what everyone thinks of it. [I want to enter it in the school SS competition this year]


Fair trade


It was late afternoon when the ship arrived, its shadow pitch black by contrast as it skimmed low over the parched terrain. Jayt watched its approach from the horizon, growing increasingly worried as it drew closer to his farmstead, who could possibly want to land all the way out here in the middle of nowhere, and so close when there was so much expanse around. As he feared the ship set down not a hundred meters from his house. Jayt was worried now, he'd farmed the barren land all his life and had never seen a ship pass by, let alone land. There was nothing he had anyone could want, but you heard stories...

The creature that emerged from it was truly hideous; bloated green and amphibian, it took Jayt some time to recall his exobiology lectures and identify the creature as a Muckamcuk toad. It stared at him with two eyes like poached eggs, eyeing up the rabbit in a disconcerting manner. Finally it made up its mind and approached him, with the awkward shambling gait of something used to trudging through muck now finding itself standing on stones almost too hot to touch. Jayt noticed a movement by his side; his wife had come out investigating the noise the ship had made when it landed. He clasped her hand tightly and whispered under his breath "If anything happens, run; don't look back, save the children."

When the toad spoke it was as if he had dragged each word out of a muddy ditch, the voice gurgled and croaked, but was legible with some effort. "You are a farmer are you not? I wish to make a trade with you. If you would be so kind as to accompany me to my ship I would like to show you what I have to offer." Jayt paused, weighing up his options; it was hard to tell what choice he had. He nodded assent and shoed his wife away with a nervous glance, he could hear his children laughing and running from the house, curious at the noise and unexpected visitor. "Very well, but please make it brief, it is a busy time of year." A lie, but nonetheless... The toad nodded and headed toward his ship, Jayt followed, still clutching the pickaxe he was using to break the stones out of the new field, not a great choice of defense, but all he had right now.

The toad's ship was squat and bulbous, like its owner, it was definitely a cargo ship of some kind, but that said precious little about its owner's occupation. Inside was cool enough to make Jayt gasp; probably only ninety, ninety five degrees tops, and it smelt like the waste recycle inlet tank. It was dark too, at least, darker than outside, Jayt's family had been farming here for almost seven generations and their eyes had adjusted well to the burning glare that filled their days, for his part the Toad must have felt quite at home here, the brief sojourn outside had made him sweat horribly, not improving his odor one bit.

The toad sat down at a low table ad gestured for Jayt to do the same. The furniture was uncomfortable, made of some strange hard plastic, but for all Jayt knew this was what all furniture was made out of now, out here you only got supplies once, twice a year and spent the rest of the time living off the land. Apart from the waste resyk and the biodomes, there was hardly a scrap of high tech anywhere to be got for almost five hundred miles. The toad made a noise like a strangled cat; probably clearing his throat, then spoke. "As I said, I wish to make a trade with you; I am in possession of a quantity of something you may be rather interested in." The toad gestured tot he back of the craft and Jayt gasped.

For a few seconds all he could do was stare, then he got up and approached the tanks carefully, listening for the click of a cocked weapon or the sounds of other toads, there were none. The tanks were solid, made of some strong glassy material, and inside...yes, yes it looked real, it could still be a trick of course, holograms, imagery, a distraction, nobody could possibly have so much wealth...

When he next spoke his voice was a strangled whisper, he tried to disguise his amazement and eagerness by thinking of how unlikely this whole situation was. "Is... is it real?" The toad smiled, exposing a grin like the inside of a sawmill, walked over to one of the tanks and turned a tap slightly, several drops of the thick semifluid trickled out, Jayt caught them, the stuff felt real, smelt real and certainly tasted genuine. It could still be a trick of course; the tanks could be empty, or hollow, with only a few drops of the stuff in them, but even so...

"I don't see what I could possibly offer you for this sir, we have nothing at all of value here, we've always just survived as best we can, we grow for the city downhills and buy supplies, that's about it, we barely squeak by." The toad smiled at this, as if relishing some private joke. "It depends my good sir, different perspectives and such. I am willing to trade you all of this for something I can get almost nowhere else. I would like to trade with you for a double handful of skystones."

Jayt couldn't believe his ears. "Sir? Skystones sir? Granted they're pretty and all, but no more than child’s curiosities, you'd do better trading for broken glass or tinfoil!" Still the toad smiled, so widely now it looked as if the top of his head were about to fall off. "Nevertheless, that is my offer; you may take or leave it sir. If you are unsure you may return to your wife and three children to discuss the matter." That settled it Jayt knew, he probably wasn't going to get out of this alive and the toad knew how many there were, perhaps if playing along would be better than fighting. "And... is that all you want sir?" The toad nodded "If you want you could make it a big double handful?" he suggested. Jayt paused, his heart pounding in his ears, then extended a hand and had it shook. "Very well, when will you want err, payment, it will take me some time to gather the stones." The toad sat down on a nearby bench "Shall we say two, three days hence? I shall be here for the intern and you can report to me when you have payment."

Jayt left the ship feeling a mixture of sickening fear, confusion and amazement. Could they run? Or perhaps try and contact the others downhill, if they stormed the ship and the rewards... no, it was too far. His wife greeted him at the door with a relieved hug and the family listened in amazement as he described the impossible bargain he'd been offered. The children were all to eager to start gathering immediately and he sent them off, they were not to know at how impossible it was, and they'd be a fair distance away if things went badly.

He spent the next hour in worried discussion, punctuated with fervent glances out the window at the hulking dark shape of the toad's ship, brooding over the landscape. Finally they reached a decision, they'd collect the stones; even if it was a farce, acting trusting might give them an edge against whatever the stranger had planned. It took a long time, almost three days of searching, skystones were hard to find at the best of times and it was considered good luck to find one and toss it over your shoulder. By the third day, dusty and tired they approached the ship again. Again Jayt went in alone, the ship had lain open all the while, its air-conditioning system buzzing furiously as it cooled the superheated external atmosphere. When he entered the toad was just finishing some unidentifiable meal that crunched disturbingly when he chewed. He smiled when he saw Jayt approach.

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