Writing Championships #6

Sapphire Simps

Grian stared out the windows with a content smile playing on his face.

The hermits were aboard the train that gets them to their new section that they would call home for a year or two. Everyone was buzzing with excitement as they chatted away to each other, talking about what projects they had planned.

"So I was thinking, maybe I should make my starter base a cottage! Like a hobbit!" Mumbo exclaimed beside the blonde as he explained what he'll be doing once they got there " And I'd make a small garden with flowers while underneath everything, there could be tiny contraptions!"

"That sounds like a good idea but are you sure you know how to make a cottage? Last time you tried to, you somehow made it look like some kind of sentient being!" Grian snickered while Iskall burst out laughing his infectious laugh. Mumbo pouted at the both of them with a fake offended look.

"I'll have you know that that was well over three years ago! I've improved, just you wait and see!"

Hours later, the excited chatter had died down slightly as some were now staring out of the windows, deep in thought.

Grian himself was among the ones deep in thought.

Perhaps he'll start in the snowy biome. It'll be a challenge to build anything with snow falling everywhere every 2 minutes. It would also be fun to build an ice skating area to just slip and slide across every once in a while.

There was a loud crash outside the architechs' compartment.

Quickly, the three hermits jumped up and opened the door only to find Stress on the floor.

"Are you alright Stress? You look like you took quite the fall." Iskall asked as he helped Stress back up.

"Yeah I'm fine," Stress smiled to show that she was ok " I just slipped, that's all."

"Huh weird, what could have possibly made you slip?" Mumbo questioned with a raised eyebrow but Stress just shrugged.

Back in the compartment, conversations started up again, mostly just idle talk. Grian once again zoned out and went back to staring out the windows and watched as the world whizzed past. It was relaxing, watching the landscape change.

"Huh weird, there isn't supposed to be snow and ice at this time of year." Mumbo said out loud as the other three hermits in the compartment turned their heads to look outside.

It was... snowing? And there was ice on the rails?!

This wasn't good, if there was ice on the rails then that would mean that the train could slip off at any moment.

And just as he thought that, Grian started to feel himself fall.

The train twisted and turned through the sky, and hermits screamed as they were lifted from their seats.

Grian hit his head against the ceiling, and the screams turned into ringing. Everything seemed so blurry and floating. His stomach flipped with panic, but his head was moving slowly.

Split seconds of pure panic raced through his mind, thoughts of going back, thoughts of saving himself, adrenaline.

They stopped when Grian realized there was nowhere else to go but down.

And he realized that everyone would die one day.

And that day for him was today.

And he realized a lot of things too.

It's funny what you realize on a falling train.

People who die suddenly never get to say the goodbyes they want to.

But when you're falling to your death with everyone you love, you get to say the goodbyes you want to. 

But you've got to count the seconds, because you don't have nearly enough.

"MUMBO!" Grian mustered up as much roar in his tiny body as he could.

Mumbo's frightened eyes met his, his black hair whipping in the wind. Grian reached out his hand, shaking.

And even though he seemed frozen stiff with fear, he took it.

"I LOVE YOU!"

Grian inhaled in shakily, overcome with feelings of endings.

He didn't feel embarrassed about crying in front of Mumbo this time, because Mumbo was crying too.

He thought he could see him mouth "I love you too," but he couldn't hear him over the wind.

"ISKALL!"

Iskall's ear was bleeding, his eyes lidded, but he nodded at his name distantly in the wind. Grian reached over with difficulty, taking his hand.

Mumbo reached over, taking an unconscious Stress's hand. Her flower crown was crushed on her head.

Grian hoped she didn't feel any pain.

The wind rushed towards their faces, the mist at the bottom of the long way down was nearing.

Grian looked at his friend's faces.

And he smiled bigger than he ever had, tears streaming down his cheeks, falling down with him. He squeezed their hands tighter.

"I LOVE YOU GUYS!" Grian's voice was raspy as he shouted over the wind. "I LOVE YOU GUYS SO MUCH!"

Grian smiled, overcome with love, overflowing with love, more than he thought his soul could take.

"AND MUMBO?"

Mumbo looked over at him a split second before they hit the mist.

"I think you would've made a great hobbit."

Score: 9.5