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Old 07-01-2006, 05:46 PM   #109
Celuien
Riveting Ribbiter
 
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Join Date: May 2005
Location: Assigned to Mordor
Posts: 1,795
Celuien has just left Hobbiton.
Climb the ladder? Anything but that! Primrose sucked in her breath. She had never climbed so high in her life, kitchen work only requiring her to stand on a chair to reach a high shelf at the most.

But Will's tone told her that he had returned her joke seriously, or at least was daring her to come up. She would go. She wasn't about to give anyone, especially Will, an excuse to tease her. It was just a little ladder. Nothing to be frightened about.

Primrose stooped to pick up the tarring brush. Clutching it in her hand, she looked skyward, steadying her nerves for the climb.

"Here I come, Will," she called, trying to keep a cheerful tone. She took a rung in her free hand, holding Will's basket and the brush in the other, and put one foot on the lowest step.

You're in for it now, Primrose.

Climbing was difficult with only one hand to steady her ascent. Primrose swayed unsteadily on the ladder, precariously inching her way up one rung at a time.

Will called out from above, "Doing alright there?"

"Oh, fine. Be up in half a minute." Primrose lied.

Her hand came to the fifth step. As she grasped it, the rung moved. She hesitated. With all the trouble she'd been having with steady rungs, could she trust one that seemed as uncertain about being on a ladder as she was?

Primrose decided she could. She would hurry over the loose step and there would be an end of it. Besides, if she turned back now, she would feel like a fool. She moved up the ladder and placed her weight on the loose rung. It shifted under her feet, and Primrose lost her balance. With a sudden cry, she fell to the ground.
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