I wrote this story a while back as an intro to one of my Geocaches.
I never cared for the typical "You are looking for a tupperware under a stump."
Therefore my caches tend to be "different."
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Wind whipped across the sleigh, rocking it back and forth. Soon the turbulence worsened and the sled plunged toward the earth. Now, completely out of control, the red vehicle shuddered, until a small sack tumbled into the forest below. Clipping the trees the sleigh dumped its passenger, just before crashing to earth. The large man in the red and white suit found himself unharmed but caught high in the branches of a very tall tree. Down on the forest floor nine majestic beasts of burden gathered around the mighty oak and stared upward.
"Sorry fellas, I'm stuck but good.” The man shifted his position and the branch he was sitting on swayed precariously. “I don't know how I'm going to get down. It looks like these last deliveries might be a little late."
Just then a light cut through the gloom, shining up at the man. "Can I be of some assistance?" a voice asked.
He squinted in the glare of the light, barely able to discern a woman standing at the base of the tree. "I'm not sure what you're doing out here young lady, but I'm not going to turn down a helping hand," the man replied.
A rope arced up into the tree, quickly followed by the most agile person the man had ever seen. "Hang on, I'm stronger than I look," she said. Within a minute she appeared on a branch beneath the stranded traveler. Despite the darkness she wore sunglasses. A tight black bodysuit hugged her shape leaving little to the imagination and the cool night air highlighted her figure in such a way that the man didn’t even notice the pair of pistols strapped to her hips.
She deftly tied a series of knots and dropped a length of rope to the forest below. Grabbing the branch above her, she pulled herself upward to face the man. “You’re going to have to trust me. Climb on my back and I’ll lower us to the ground.”
The man latched onto the mysterious rescuer and they descended to the earth. Upon reaching the ground she snapped the rope and it tumbled from the sky. She coiled it quickly and placed it in the small leather pack on her back. Without hesitating she brushed herself off and turned back towards the forest. "Sorry to run, I must be going. There's adventure afoot and I hadn't counted on this tonight."
The man look puzzled as he stroked his white beard and then the light of recognition shone in his eyes. "Hey wait, I know you. The year all the little girls asked for a Barbie dream house, you wanted a fancy compass."
The woman reached into her pocket and removed a well-worn brass disk, hanging on a length of nylon cord. She glanced at the instrument, smiled and pocketed it before turning once again towards the forest. "Thanks for understanding. This fancy toy has saved me more than once." As she entered the gloom, the woman stopped, turned and winked, before disappearing into the dark.
The man climbed aboard the unusual vehicle, positioning himself on the red leather seat and with a wave of his hand the large beasts rose into the air pulling the sleigh after them. "Hey Rudy, wasn't her name Lara?"
'til Rudy comes to my house
Keep the Adventure Alive
AT