lj idol season nine | week eight | 2560 words (total)
Yes, and
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Around the corner of the last street out of town is a little brick building you've probably heard of. If you go down the stairs, there will be a sign on the door that says, "The Other Way."
It is the place where people go when they're searching for something like adventure.
It is the beginning of May, and you've filed your taxes and rotated the flannel sheets into storage. Spring has made an appearance, and while you could prune the yard into submission or plant vegetables for the garden, the feverish restlessness of the season makes you want to do something else. Something bigger. But what?
In the past, you've thought about taking up a new hobby. There's rowing (zzzZZZZZzzzz), or barrel-racing (ridiculous!), or amateur theater (not the best choice for someone who suffers from runaway stage fright). There's mountain biking, but both you and your doctor know how that would probably go.
You want fun and excitement, but let's face it, you don’t want to do a lot of practicing or planning to get there. Because how is that fun? If there's work involved, you might as well go back to messing around with the laundry.
You decide to go on an adventure, instead.
It takes ten minutes to drive to the edge of town, through the business district and the old city neighborhoods to the scant stretch of bars and warehouses two stoplights short of the old highway. You turn left on Mystery Drive and park next to the little brick building. Taking a deep breath, you go down the stairs and enter through the door of The Other Way.
"Hello!" A pretty, dark-haired woman greets you from behind a counter. The room looks like an informal lobby, with chairs and a sofa to the right and a large chalkboard to the left. The board has "Today's Specials" written on it, a listing of offerings and prices. A few other people are sitting around waiting, presumably other adventurers or guides.
"You're lucky it's the weekend," the woman says. "The selection is pretty good."
You decided on the drive over that you would say "Yes" to new things today, and see where that led. You have the whole day free, and the answering machine is on at home, so why not? You look at the board and consider your options. Which one will you choose?
1. A four-winery bus trip. ($60)
2. Expertly-guided white-water rafting. ($125)
3. An air-tour of the local region by plane. ($200)
Or maybe these are all too rich for your blood, and you decide to just go home?
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