Friday, August 6, 2010

Stone Story part 14



Without any warning the sky darkened and great thunder-burst of rain started cascading down on the rocky slopes. Large volumes of surging water churned down the footpaths and crags, down towards the base of Lingmore and into the Wasdale Head. It turned into a torrential downpour. Some of the looser areas on the scree slopes began sliding down the mountainside gathering momentum and dragging more material with it. In many places stampeding herds of rocks scrambled downwards as the deluge of water continued unabated, scouring away anything that didn't have a secure footing.

"Here we go again." the round stone called out as she and other rocks with her were swooped away in a broth of runoff and rubble.

The landslide carried them far down the mountain.

Myron, the pyramid shaped stone, got split up from the others.
Poor Michael was split up from himself.
The Squire and Rhonda found themselves near the top of a pile of rocks and debris which had slid down and 'taken out' a whole section of farm wall.
Michael who had suffered a serious fracture lay in two pieces beside them.

"Where are we" ? he moaned, speaking in the first person plural.
"Oh dear Michael, Im afraid you are two."
"Too... what?"
"Uh, too... many,"
"More than one." offered the Squire, more positively.
"Ah yes, you mean a multiple?" said the two Michaels.
"Congratulations " said the squire, still trying to make the best of the situation, "You've become twins."

Generally when rocks become divided (naturally or through human intervention) the larger of the two keeps his or her identity. The smaller half takes on a new identity and a new name shortly after separation. The name which is decided upon conjointly is usually some conglomerate of the geological family name combined with the action that split them up. For reasons which would take too much time to explain, Michael's smaller half became Hannah.

Michael and Hannah stared at one another, studying each other's shiny new surface, marveling at their own mineral image.
Often at these times, one or the other is almost bound to say.." I'm seeing a side of you I've never seen before."