Steampunk Family

Fighting the Yeti

By Madame vonHedwig on Friday, January 22nd, 2010

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In which violence ensues.

The Man and the Beast by iAes

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While Adolphus steered them towards the cave, Claire confronted Annabelle in hissing whispers, pointing, horrified, at Mirabelle, who had her hands deep in the fur of the yeti’s neck.

“It’s going to EAT her!”

“It’ll be sorry if it does.” Annabelle would not take her eyes off the Yeti, even to argue. Her mouth was set in a grim line.

“We’ve got to stop her!”

“Don’t make any sudden moves! You’ll get her eaten for sure.”

“What is she doing?”

“If you’ve made a weapon there, get ready to use it,” was Annabelle’s reply.

Adolphus spun the wheel, yanking the little ship into a sharp turn, heading for the yawning blackness ahead.

“Light!” shouted the Count. “Where is there light?”

“I don’t know, it’s not my ship.” Adolphus said. “Look for yourself, why don’t you!”

The kidnapper swatted at him, but he ducked out of reach. He scanned the controls, looking for a light switch. He didn’t like the look of the cave. The mouth of it was huge, more than big enough for the launch, but from their approach he could see no floor to it.

The sun was setting behind the western peaks, leaving the valley floor, where poor Ulrik and the boiler crew were marooned, already in darkness. High above them the fading sunlight shone pale on the wild, snowy cliffs without brightening the cave at all. It yawned black and menacing before them.

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Fighting the Count

By Madame vonHedwig on Saturday, January 16th, 2010

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In which Adolphus argues, Mirabelle takes a risk, and Bettina enters the fray.

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Bettina fretted. All her older siblings were actively engaged in fighting the mustache man, while she watched. Adolphus struggled to control the ship, Claire had built a trebuchet, and the twins and Gerhardt were trying to remove the mysterious moss from the neck of the yeti. The youngest vonHedwig cast about her for something, anything she could do to help. What could be of use that the other children had discarded?

Bettina was drawn, as she so often was, to the flammable. There was a small oilcan tossed into the corner behind Claire, and some pieces of the twins’ string. She grabbed them, and crawled around the floor, collecting dust bunnies and clumps of shed hair. When she had a big enough bundle, she started to bind it together, leaving the longest bit of string as a wick. Regretfully, she bound in the moss she had pulled from the yeti’s head. This was no time to be sentimental. Indeed, this was a crisis. Bettina felt in her pinafore pocket. Four firecrackers. She judged their need to be great, and sacrificed one of her meager horde to the cause.

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