Theme week s77

[ClapbombsRus 42]

The Miami Marauders were on a trip to Mexico to study some ruins. The coaching staff thought this would help the team focus for the rest of the season, and would also be a great chance for the team to get some extra exercise as there was a lot of walking involved as well as having to navigate cliff edges, rope bridges that tested your balance and the like. It was also a chance to work their teamwork as they were forced to decipher clues in order to progress through the ruins.

 

They had a large amount of fun and grew closer as a team by the end of the journey. The coaching staff was elated by the success of the endeavour and were excited to see what this would bring for the rest of the season

 

Little did the team and the coaching staff know that on the return plane ride home everything would change for them.... They caught some turbulence on their way back to Miami and were blown off course by a sudden and random storm. The plane crashed off the coast of Miami and landed in the water. Following management's instructions they were able to make it off the plane safely and without a single casualty. They then proceeded their way to a nearby island for some refuge.

 

They made shelter, and were able to find some food in the form of coconuts and crabs that were on the island. Unfortunately there communication devices were at the bottom of the ocean with the rest of the plane after the crash. The island was as far as they could tell, was uninhabited by any humans but, looked as if several ships had crashed into it over the years, decades and centuries. They quickly realized they were trapped somewhere in the Bermuda Triangle and aside from some supplies from ships that had crashed they were with out, they had some oil in a barrel that had washed up on shore. Which they used to keep a fire going. They realized they were going to have to search the island to find a way to either get themselves off of it, or find some equipment that would allow them to send an SOS and get rescued.

 

Fear gripped the team as they moved by light of their torches, which they fashioned out of some wood they found that they then wrapped strips of clothing around and drenched in some oil from the barrels. As they pushed inland they started finding trails of other people moving up into the higher regions of the island, we broke into two groups to cover more ground, one group heading up the peaks, and another heading down into the base of the mountain. I was in the group heading deeper into the mountains. It was strange here. We felt a presence around us as if we were being watched. And signs of long dead shipwrecked survivors were showing up, one sorry soul was trapped in a tree by his parachute. He never did make it to ground.

 

We pushed on past and entered a waterfall cave that was dug in the cliff face and entered a chamber we never expected to find on an island this old and abandoned. It was like a shrine to a hockey God, we couldn't believe our eyes as we saw old time hockey gear strung up around the place in memorial fashion, we decided to rendezvous with the rest of the team and explore this tomb together. This was something we couldn't explore without them.

 

As we pushed deeper into the cave we came across a room that was lined with a strange moss and things started to twist and distort. We started hearing things that weren't possibly there, visions and sounds of a hockey arena full of fans that were urging us to move forward. As we did we pushed into a hollow in the cave where each of our skills were put to the test. When we completed each challenge we were aloud to move on to the next section, they tested our skills in defence, puck shot accuracy and even the goalies skills. The teamwork skills were put to the challenge as we had to set up plays and overcome a steep opposition. Almost like we were playing ourselves even!

 

Finally we entered a chamber and we waited as a swirling mist formed before us and out of the mist came the hockey God himself! He stood before us eyeing each individual player. Sizing up his contenders. After a short time he looked at us all and asked, “Why are you here?” We all looked at each other and answered “We were in a plane crash.” He pondered for a moment. And exclaimed “That is not why you are here, you are here because you desire something. Again I ask, why are you here?”

 

It was then that we realized we weren't here because of some accident. We were called here by some force! This was a test! He was testing us to see if we were worthy!

 

The answer we then had was. “ We are here to win!” he then replied with “At what cost will you pay to win. Would you give your soul to me for Fame and Glory, I could make it so, I alone could give you the power to be guaranteed victory but it comes with a price!” To this we all fell silent each team member answering this question for themselves. Finally the answer came to us. We were not here to achieve absolute victory and fame. We were here to help better each other and motivate each other through the good times and the bad. It would not due to sell our souls for a false god. We would earn this together, or fall short as a team. The game meant more to all of us than fame and glory could ever bring! So we answered “That is not a price we are willing to pay. It's just not worth it to give away our souls so easily. There are greater things in life than just fame and glory. And we will work towards those goals every day!”

 

The hockey God looked at them and seemed at first displeased with their answers. Then a smile cracked over his face. He then said “Very well if that is your answer I will then give you what you want. The way off this island.” and in his hand was a radio receiver. Upon touching the receiver the team saw a flash of light and felt as if they were being sucked through a vortex. Before they knew it they were back in their bodies, on the plane. but it was before the storm. We looked around at each other not really sure if what we saw was real or not, but everyone had the same look in their eye, as if they had been somewhere else for awhile. The plane did actually land in Miami without the storm, or the Bermuda Triangle ever happening, but we all knew that we felt something on that trip, it brought us closer together and we knew that we did not succumb to greed. Somehow when we hit practice the next week we were all a little bit more careful about doing our drills correctly.

 

 

WORD COUNT=1233

[ClapbombsRus 42]

Claiming 1/2

[animal74 1,871]

Review: Hey @ClapbombsRus, this was cool! I like that you took the theme to a story form that included your team to make it VHL related. Having the Bermuda Triangle in there added a "Twilight Zone" vibe. I though this was well-written.

 

A couple of suggestions perhaps for next time: Add a title, some color or graphics (Bermuda Triangle map?!) to make the "block of text" more enjoyable to read. Placing some of your teammates by name in the story/article with tags would help the story stand out more and give you some more views/visibility. Also, quick grammatical note: you switched POV ("they" to "we") in the middle of your fifth paragraph. 

 

Overall, I enjoyed what you did with the theme and where you took the story. Good job! 8/10

[ClapbombsRus 42]

Claiming 2/2