The windscreen was covered in air bubbles. Frank watched Gemma from the driving seat, through his mask, holding his fingers into the underwater OK? She nodded. She hoped she was.
After an age Frank broke eye contact and felt alongside his seat. Nothing was where you left it, under water. After a while he brought out a small placard, blue capitals scrawled on cardboard, the letters slowly disintegrating as she watched… “Will you marry me?”
Gemma hadn’t checked how much air was in the cylinders. She’d left that to Frank, and needed to bring this conversation to a close. How much would it cost to clean out the filters? Would they need to do a complete change of water, like when you add a new fish to an established tank? If Frank could drive into her family pool to propose, just because she said he was predictable, what might he do when she said no way?
Frank was grinning hopefully round his air pipe, trying not to lose connection. The placard was washed clean. He couldn’t see how blank it was. How the question, however originally put, had become nothing.
She waited, wondering if fish can hear themselves breathing.
Thanks, Vanessa, for this! I really am glad to see you all finding inspiration in the prompts. I am away from regular internet now, but will try to catch up with this wonderful conversation when I can. Also, the great car-in-pool photo was found by my Philip. So he gets credit for such a stimulating prompt.
May 25, 2013: Sometimes things go wrong …
Patricia Ann McNair 
This one surprised mehttp://judithlindenau.wordpress.com/2013/05/26/may-25-2013-sometimes-things-go-wrong/
Chlorine
The windscreen was covered in air bubbles. Frank watched Gemma from the driving seat, through his mask, holding his fingers into the underwater OK? She nodded. She hoped she was.
After an age Frank broke eye contact and felt alongside his seat. Nothing was where you left it, under water. After a while he brought out a small placard, blue capitals scrawled on cardboard, the letters slowly disintegrating as she watched… “Will you marry me?”
Gemma hadn’t checked how much air was in the cylinders. She’d left that to Frank, and needed to bring this conversation to a close. How much would it cost to clean out the filters? Would they need to do a complete change of water, like when you add a new fish to an established tank? If Frank could drive into her family pool to propose, just because she said he was predictable, what might he do when she said no way?
Frank was grinning hopefully round his air pipe, trying not to lose connection. The placard was washed clean. He couldn’t see how blank it was. How the question, however originally put, had become nothing.
She waited, wondering if fish can hear themselves breathing.
Now that’s delightful…
Ho! Thank you. I enjoyed yours too.
Thanks, Vanessa, for this! I really am glad to see you all finding inspiration in the prompts. I am away from regular internet now, but will try to catch up with this wonderful conversation when I can. Also, the great car-in-pool photo was found by my Philip. So he gets credit for such a stimulating prompt.
Brilliant prompt!