Don't Say a Word

Flash Fiction

“Don't say a word.”

“That's what it translates to? This is so stupid! I feel like Gandalf outside of Moria”

“Don't blow a gasket, we'll figure it out.”

“Why were Russians so weird? That cave could be jam packed with all kinds of goodies and were stuck trying to solve a riddle. Maybe it makes sense if you're Russian, but we're not. How are we going to fix this?”

“Hold on, I'm reading the rest. Hush.”

Marion picked up a rock and threw it. He knew that Garret could figure out the riddle but Marion had been cursed with an overabundance of nervous energy from birth. If he wasn't talking ninety miles a minute, he was trying to move that fast and standing still left him antsy.

“Up, down, Left, left, right, right, X, Y.” Garret stood straight from reading the panel and scratched his head.

“What was all that?” Marion wanted to know.

“The rest of the procedure to open the door.”

“Directions and letters? Are we supposed to activate something in those directions? Maybe there's buttons?”

Garret looked around the entrance to the shallow cave that sheltered the Locked door.

A closer examination of the rock wall revealed…rock.

“I don't see any buttons.”

Marion began pacing, kicking small pebbles and stones as he marched and chattered.

“This is ridiculous. This was supposed to be an easy run. Now we're out in the middle of the desert with those creepy Cen-Lizards and the stupid door won't open!”

Garret grinned at his anxious friend, “All that worry is gonna eat you alive you know.”

Marion stopped and considered throwing something at his friend. How could he be so calm right now? They were under the gun, the day was quickly becoming unbearably hot, they might end up as lizard food, and the stupid door was no closer to being open!

“You got any ideas, or are you just going to stand there and mock me?”

Garret grinned wider, “I have an idea, but you're not going to like it. It requires patience, you see.”

Marion just about exploded, “I am being patient! I'm the most patient person you ever met, but when things need to happen, and they don't, I get a tad riled up!”

Garret laughed, “You remember that old ship we found last year? The one with the weird airlock?”

Marion didn't like where this was going. “Yes. What of it?”

“I think this door is similar.”

Marion threw his hands up in frustration. “Not again!”

He moved to the panel, “Let me look. Maybe you read it wrong.”

Garret chuckled and moved back, “You can't read Cyrillic, though.”

“But I can read Greek and Cyrillic is practically just electrocuted Greek.”

Marion stared at the stupid symbols incomprehensibly while Garret tried to hide his snickers.

Marion slapped the panel in frustration and stepped back.

“Fine! But I don't see a footpad anywhere.”

Garret pointed above the door, where a lense was barely visible.

“This whole space is a foot pad, or rather an eye pad. The lense is watching us. Just make the motions.”

Marion rolled his eyes so hard he thought they might get stuck facing into his head. He walked to the middle of the cave mouth and stood still.

“What were they all again?”

“Up, down…”

Marion used his whole arm to point up, then down.

“Left, left…”

Marion pointed left with his arm twice.

“Right, right…”

He did the same thing, pointing right twice.

“X…”

Marion stood spread eagle.

“Y…”

Marion put his feet together and held both arms at a 45 degree angle above his head.

There was a heavy clunk as age old locks retracted and the door slid apart.

Marion looked at Garret in exasperated relief and saw his friend grinning from ear to ear.

“Not one word of this to anyone.”

Garret held his hands up, “I swear I won't tell anyone.”

“You better not. Don't say a word.”