My Board

Every week I'll be posting a new picture here. The exercise is to write a story based on the picture-it is your starting point as well as your environment. Each reply one of you makes will advance the story. You don't need to write whole chapters, just a paragraph or two will suffice, but please keep the story flowing.
Forum guidelines apply to story content. This exercise will lead to a bigger project eventually, but let's warm up with this and see where it goes. Whomever starts the post each week gets to set the tone of the tale <img src=\'http://www.killanet.net/forum3/public/s ... igwink.gif\' class=\'bbc_emoticon\' alt=\';)\' />

This week's picture is courtesy of us3rX (thank you) <img src=\'http://www.killanet.net/forum3/public/s ... iggrin.gif\' class=\'bbc_emoticon\' alt=\':D\' />

[color=\"teal\"]She was cold, so cold. Her only remaining paddle was broken. She had to find her way back to the ship, but every ice berg looked the same. The ice cold water seeping into the kayak lapped against legs that no longer could feel. Imobilizing fear and a determination to survive fought a constant battle for control of her mind.[/color]

Gasping. Jane woke up. Terrified, she was sweating, and a cold shiver ran down her spine. That dream, the cold, it felt all so real, but why there, why that same dream, over and over again? Pinned with fear, Jane gently lifted her duvet off her goose-bumped body, and stood up...

[color=\"green\"]...to a dark room around her, one she did not immediately recognise..then it struck her, she was in the lounge room, and had been on the floor, had she went to bed and sleepwalked?? had she passed out in the lounge room and fallen into a false state of sleep? the answer to these questions came not to her, the night was still at hand, she thought it best to make her way back towards her room, when an eerie feeling came over her... [/color]

...she felt like she was being watched. As she trudged up the creaky stairs to her bedroom the goosebumps returned to the back of her neck. She swiveled round but couldn't see anything through the thick darkness that engulfed her. She eased herself into the bed, shivering under the cool covers. She closed her eyes and tried to get to sleep, but to her horror she heard deep breathing - and it wasn't her own...

she again awoke in her sweaty sheets full of fear... "What Is Happning To Me&#33;" she shouted, getting out of her bed she noticed Water Every where Freezing Cold water, Freaked out so much she ran out of her room and ran towards the stairs and saw a Girl standing at the end of the stairs, the girl Looked frozen solid but she was not, Jane Noticed that the girl was moving Slowly Coming up the stairs she stared in horror..... The girl Glared at Jane.........

The young girl stopped dead in her tracks, Jane was frozen in fear, literally the water inwhich was on the ground had frozen&#33; Lips trembling, Jane tried to scream, using all her energy she tried to move. Pain severed through her body, as if she had ripped her muscles to shreds.....

...an icy blast blew through the room, as cold as the icebergs of her dreams. It seemed to Jane that everything was frozen, everything except her mind, which was doing its best to deceive her at every turn. Was she awake? Was she still sleeping? Who was this girl before her-was she even really there? Her mind moved at lightning speed; thoughts tumbled through her head and she tried to grasp one of them, anything that seemed lucid but nothing made any sense. Again she tried to cry out as the girl moved towards her, close enough now that Jane could see the icy hatred in her eyes....

[font=\"Courier\"][color=\"teal\"]The girl slowly and manacingly walks closer, and closer... and CLOSER to Jane, who by now has lost her voice completely, with only gasps of air identifying her from an inanimate object...
Janes entire body now numb, from both the cold and the fear, with only her eyes as her portal to the evil which is slowly engulfing her.[/color][/font]

Jane, yet again woke up, but the surroundings were different, a bright white light shone above her. Still in a state of delirium, she went to talk, but nothing came out. Frightened from what she could remeber, she pushed herself up. Nurses, doctors, paitents. "How the hell did i get here" she thought as she grabbed the attention buzzer and pushed frantically. A young nurse with long blonde, wavey hair came rushing in, looking shocked, her face curved to a smile, "Your away Ms. Bradshaw&#33; We really thought you wouldnt be coming out of that coma anytime soon, you werent showing any signs of life&#33;" Yet again Jane tried to speak, but nothing would come out, she tapped loudly on the side bench to get the nurse's attention, and pointed to her mouth...

[color=\"teal\"]''ahhh yes,'' sighed the nurse, ''you have some damage to your throat and vocal cords, please don't try to speak, I'll have the Dr. come talk to you now that you're awake. He'll be very impressed that you've come round. Oh, yes, I'll get some one to bring you some paper and a pen right away. I imagine you'll be wanting a bit of water or some such right? I'll see if the Doc will authorize some ice chips as soon as he's checked you.'' The bubbly nurse went on and on with mindless chatter as she plumped pillows, adjusted her blankets and checked a myriad of other things....
Damage to my throat? coma? oh my god, what has happened to me? Panic threatened to take over her mind, it seemed fear was the only thing she had felt in forever. That and the vague memory of water, ice, and cold...deep numbing cold...so cold....so cold....she faded off into a troubled sleep.[/color]

It would appear yet remain almost invisible, its form taking on the icy whites and blues of the terrain. She knew it was there, following her. It had been there since she'd left the Outpost. She supposed it was too late to regret not paying more attention to the time, but it was seldom that so many of the surrounding residents managed to show up at the supply store at the same time and she had enjoyed the company. Especially after such a long hard winter and the upheaval it had brought into her life..........

....She rounded on last ice floe and could see her landing dock. The small cabin a short distance up the snow covered trail was dark, a heavy reminder that her mother and father were no longer there to greet her upon her return. Jane eased the small power boat up against the dock and carefull reached over for the lines to secure the boat. It wouldn't do for her to fall into the icy waters, unless she wanted to join her parents which at times didn't seem like such a bad idea. Jane sighed as she offloaded her supplies; not everything she needed but all she could afford right now, at least until she could get more money coming in. The loss of her father's ferry boat in the accident had put a severe dent in what had been the family budget and her funds were slowly depleting while waiting on the insurance company. Her father had been a very experience captain, she still couldn't believe the insurance company was hesitate to settle any claims because they felt it might not have been an accident. She knew her father better than any insurance investigator, and she knew he would never do anything to jeopardize the lives he was responsible for ferrying around the outlying areas. Then again, she supposed they were only doing their jobs, but that didn't stop her from wishing they would do it faster......

She sighed again as she hauled the heavey supplies up the walk towards the cabin and dumped them with a solid thump on the porch. Suddenly she froze. Had she heard something? She wasn't quite sure....but there was something.....a feeling...something close by had all her senses on a nervous alert. Was that a movement? ...no, nothing was moving. Again&#33; There&#33; Just past the edge of her eyesight. A sound&#33;...no, her imagination?
CREAAAAAK&#33; the door swung open&#33;
Jane's heart froze....in the doorway was the girl, the one she's been dreaming about.....

Jane stood frozen where she was as the girl walked out of the doorway. Although terrified, not sure if this was real, a ghost or another dream, Jane realized the anger she had seen in the dream girl's eyes was not present. As the girl stepped out into the day's fading light, Jane noticed her matted hair and torn clothes. Her coat....where was her coat? She must be freezing, Jane realized. Finally she found her voice, and asked the girl in a halting voice who she was.........