Old Man River
The sun was beating down on Dirk. It was hotter that day than any other since
they had come down to this planet. He was no longer bleeding, but the he had
already lost a good amount of blood. Plus, the sun was making things a little
more difficult. He had had to leave the river side after coming upon cliffs too
steep for him to climb. The ususal quiet of this jungle was gone. There were
more noises now(due to the fact that all the monsters had chased after the away
team over the mountain). The journey was hard and tiresome. Dirk's legs,
especially his injured one, were becoming all wobbely making it hard to walk.
A small clearing broke the line after line of trees. In the center of the
clearing sat a little man. He had brown, curly hair, big furry feet, and was
smoking a pipe. "Good day to you, sir," it said to Dirk.
"Uh..... good day?" the delirious scientist said.
"Would you care to sit with me and chat? I have some very good pipe weed and an
extra pipe, if you need it."
"No..., thank you. I... don't smoke," Dirk's tone was in a constant state of
doubt that the thing he was talking to even existed.
"Very well. Suit yourself. But don't say that I never offered." He began to
blow smoke rings above his head. "I've never seen you around here before. What
brings you to these parts."
"I... was part of... an away team and... got split up from my group.... I'm
trying to make it back to the....um...um... the...um...whatchamacallit....
STARBUG! But it's all the way over there." He pointed north. Then, not being
sure if that was the right direction, he pointed south, then east, then west.
"Somewhere around here."
The little man laughed. "Well, this is much too dangerous a place to be
wandering around in without knowing where you're going. Admittedly, not as
dangerous as ususal, but dangerous none the less. Especially when one is in
such as state as you are now." He pointed to Dirk's leg and forehead. "I would
say that you are in need of a little assistance."
Dirk stood up fast, too fast. His head and body weren't quite ready to support
him. "I'll have you know that I don't need no-damn-bod...." He passed out.
When Dirk awoke, he was sitting at the foot of the hill where the Starbug was
landed. He lay just beyond the treeline. Pulling himself up, slowly, he
looked around puzzled. "How in the smeg did I get here?" The memory of the
little man in the clearing poured into his mind. "Could it have...? Was
there...?" He looked around once more. "Nah!"
Picking himself up, the befuddled scientist made his way into the Star Bug.
"I've never piloted one of these before. Can't be too much difference between
one of these and a hovercar."
OOC- maybe in the next post, dirk will try his luck behind the wheel.
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