curiously_cora | (no subject)

There had been a newly forged path, leading away from civilisation. There had been a grumpy, grizzly boar minding it's own business. There had been a beautiful, smooth Artefact lurking innocently in the jungle. And there had been a teenage girl not minding hers, poking things she shouldn't have poked. That was how it began but not how it ended. At least Coraline hoped that was not how it ended.

She was hungry, she was thirsty. She hadn't died, that much was clear but she was starting to fade not in appearance but in energy. She couldn't touch anything which meant she couldn't eat anything or drink anything either. She was tired, really tired and she just wanted to go home. She didn't care if that made her sound childish because she was afraid, she was scared and she didn't know how much longer she could last like this. She didn't think very much longer.

She licked her lips, sitting on the floor in the corner. Maybe they could fix this, maybe they couldn't. She didn't know. All she knew was...

"Can you- if this doesn't work can you tell everyone that I loved being here?" Coraline asked, feeling more like a child than she had in years. "I just- I don't want them thinking that I didn't."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"You'll be fine, kiddo. You can tell 'em yourself once we get you out of this mess."

Hunting around for parts had taken longer than I would've liked, but now that it's all here, the thing goes together easily enough -- like a super scientific jigsaw puzzle. The tech's not familiar, but the problem -- once I realized what was the problem -- is. The device -- and it's still not immediately clear what it is -- pushed Coraline out of phase with the rest of the Island, and only exposure to the low levels of the same radiation are allowing a select few of us to see her at all. It's a neat trick, I'll give it that, but it lost its shine a while ago, even if the tech is gonna need further observation once this is all over.

After a couple of false starts, I'm positive that we've got all the components together, and get ready to push the big (if metaphorical) red button.

"Maybe over a sandwich."

"Ugh, no what if Miss Delirium made it. It would have weird things in it," Coraline said, making a face though she honestly would've eaten anything by now. She was so thirsty and hungry and tired. She just wanted to go to sleep, curl up in her bed but she didn't even have the energy to go to the Homestead. "I'm hungry, I don't think I'm that hungry. Is it ready?"

"Should be," I say, with a nod. Even as I'm saying it, though, I'm giving it another once-over, checking my own pockets this time to make sure I'm not forgetting anything. With the way she looks, I don't want to get her hopes up for nothing again. Poor kid.

"Tell you what: this works, I'll make you the sandwich. I'm a mean sandwich maker. I'll even cut off the crusts if you're not keen on crusts. Sound good?"

Edited 2012-12-05 05:40 (UTC)

"You will?" Coraline asked curiously, her face lighting up a little at that. It was tired though, a tired smile for her favourite superhero. She wanted to feel a rush of excitement or something but all she felt was... tired. "That sounds really good Mister Parker. And I like crusts. Just not recipes. Do you need me to do anything?"

"Pro-crusts, that's good, crusts are good," I say, and maybe I'm babbling a little. This will work. I'm not about to condemn a little girl to an eternity of ghostdom. (Which isn't even accurate, because she isn't, strictly speaking, a ghost, she's still alive. Being alive is good. And I'm good at this kind of stuff. Weird science with adverse effects? C'mon, that's my bread and butter. This will work.)

"Just hang tight. I'm about to flip this sucker on, okay? We'll be eating sandwiches in no time, promise."

I flash her a smile and take a deep breath. "Here we go."

I press the button.

It wasn't that Coraline didn't trust Mister Parker. He was Peter Parker, he was her hero but it was kind of different reading or watching something about someone else or even about yourself to actually living it then and there. And it kind of sucked having to be rescued, being reliant upon someone else even if that person was Peter Parker.

"Okay," Coraline said squeezing her eyes tight. Coraline kept her eyes closed the whole time, covering her hands with her face before she finally peeked out from behind them. "Did it work? Can we have a sandwich yet?"