Panglossian
adjective
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Ted signed contentedly as he leaned back slightly. The water lapped at the side of the boat, and the bobber of his fishing pole caused tiny ripples to spread out in the otherwise calm lake.
“This is the life.” He said quietly.
Mary slowly turned to him. Her expression was less peaceful than his. “This? This is the life? This right now? What we’re experiencing right this moment? You consider this to be good?”
“Yup. I mean, what’s not to love? The tranquil lake, the quiet, the sun and warm breeze. It’s perfect.”
“Oh yes. The tranquil lake that’s surrounded by zombies.” She said, pointing at the shambling, half rotten bodies that ambled along the shore. “And don’t forget that it’s only warm now. Remember last night, when we damn near froze? And what happens when it rains, huh? We don’t exactly have a boat sized umbrella, now do we?”
“Mary, you’re focusing on the negative. We’re here, safe, with plenty of food and fresh water. And the zombies will move away eventually. Look, there’s less than there were yesterday.”
Mary stared at him with an unhinged jaw. “You are ridiculous. Utterly ridiculous. Fresh food? Water? Sure, we have those things. We have raw fish and unfiltered water. And no bathroom. None. Do you know what that does to a girl?”
“I thought you liked sushi?”
“Su…Sushi is a fine dish made by skilled chefs. Not taking a bite out a fish that’s still wriggling. We’re lucky we haven’t gotten sick yet. Hell, we might be teaming with parasites right now.”
“I once read an article that says those can actually help strengthen your immune system.” Ted said while leaning back just enough that he could see her.
Mary resisted the urge to punch him. Or push him into the water. Hell, she would’ve been fine with getting the zombies to eat him while she ran. It would improve her sanity, that was for sure. But no, she still needed him. She lacked the upper body strength he did, so he served as an fine pack mule. He’d be perfect if he was as silent as the animal as well.
Mary signed and looked over the lake. “This might not be so bad if we had something other than fish to eat. Or hell, just a way to cook the things would be great. You know what’s worse? There’s a cherry tree right there. Fresh, ripe, delicious cherries, right there for the taking. And a couple dozen zombies standing right in front of it.”
“Oh, they’ll go away eventually. Like I said, there’s less today than there were.”
“Uh huh. And how long will it take for there to be few enough that we can safely go ashore?”
“Oh, maybe two weeks or so? Not too long. We’ll be on dry land again in no time.”
Ted’s fishing line began to move erratically. He cheered as he began to fight the fish. When he reeled it in, he revealed a six-inch-long fish, thrashing and twisting.
“And look, here’s lunch.” He said proudly.
Mary groaned and cradled her head in her hand. “I really hate you sometimes, you know that?”
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Remember, don't eat raw fish. They may have some unwanted passengers that can be hazardous to your health. Although, it might be more forgivable in an emergency like the zombie apocalypse.
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