Sands
2542 Words
A line of men stood from the border. They paced back and forth with precise synchronization. They held long-nosed guns as they marched repetitively. Beyond them was nothingness. Thick powders of dust blew from below the pointed edge of earth.
I need to find a way to get past them. Suddenly, a gust of wind blew strongly behind them. They did not quiver from their routine. The sun on that side was not so kind. Then I saw a girl selling water bottles. I offered to help her sell them to the guards and explained the situation to her.
“Okay mister, but I could not share my money with you,” she reluctantly handed to me her basket of bottled water.
“I do not need a share of your money. Hey, can you do something for me instead?”
“Sure.”
I whispered to her the plan. She smiled at me and rushed to the men in line.
“Hey, mister, mister! Someone stole my basket!” She cried to them.
“You guys continue patrolling, I can handle this,” one of them broke off from the line.
“But mister they are with that guy on the poster! I saw him run away in that direction.”
“What did the men he was with look like?”
“They had big mean eyes with stinky old feet. Please, help me sirs. I need my basket back so I can afford my mother’s medicine. She is oh so gravely sick.”
“Here is your reward, little one, two sacks of gold. When we catch the culprits, the stronghold shall grant you with some bonus.”
“T-thank you, sir! I hope you find him quickly.”
“Let’s go, men! He must be close.”
I hid in the dark gap between the two houses. I saw the line of men run past me. I managed to sell her bottled water at double the profit. Luckily, no one noticed my resemblance from the papers haphazardly posted on the walls. I gave her the basket filled with money and waved her goodbye.
I walked up the ledge and looked on the powdery ground below. It seems to be a castle-high drop from here. With the line of men in sight, I jumped off the ledge and hoped that I fall on the soft pillow of the sands. A strong wind gently aided my descent.
I heard the synchronized steps above me. Thankfully, no one heard my footfalls as I walked along the sands. The straw hat was my only protection against the thick blow of powder. I stopped behind one of the mounds and took a breather. The image of Darleen came to mind.
Maybe I should see Darleen, but she might not want to see me after vanishing on her. I could at least ask her how she’s been, right? I think I could start with that. Then what? Will she forgive me for abandoning her back at the beach?
“What am I so nervous about? I’m only going to ask her how gramps is doing! Yeah, that’s it,” I assured myself.
Suddenly, I heard a croaky low-pitched voice, “Hey, Golan.”
“What is it, Bolan?” Asked another.
“What was that commotion over at the beach borders? I saw a flash of night while I was watching my favorite evening show.”
“Daddy said that Darleen went rogue again and went to Hurvala.”
“Is that so? Who was she up against?”
“He said it was against the human king.”
“Did she win?”
“Nah, he said she got defeated in a second.”
“Boo, I cannot believe that. You are lying, Darleen is my goddess. Nobody can beat her.”
“But daddy insisted that it was true. He saw her square off with that crowned human.”
“I still cannot believe you. Darleen is the strongest! Where is your golem pride? Get lost, you liar!”
“Wah! M-my daddy could not be lying. I swear it’s true. I will come back and prove it to you.”
“Whatever Bolan, I do not want to play with you again.”
“Wah! Golan, come back. Do not leave me here. Daddy! Where are you? Wah!”
The sounds of sloshing footsteps vanished. I looked up from the mound to make sure they no presence remained. With a deep sigh, I resumed my search for Darleen. The sun beamed angrily, evaporating clouds that crossed its path. The heat wave soaked my shirt with sweat.
It felt like I was walking inside a microwave oven set on the maximum. My neck itched for moisture as I walked another mile. It seemed like the sun was not planning on resting anytime soon. I hid behind the tall mounds whenever I saw sand people pass me by.
Soon, the mounds of sand decreased only to be replaced by clay houses. They were shaped like an igloo with a single window above the door. The sight of the structure dried my neck even more. No human would want to live in that death trap.
At this point, my vision blurred, and I fell to the ground. I crawled to the darkest space I could find before I lost consciousness. Then a few drops of moisture touched my lips. It tasted salty, but it eased my thirst for a fraction of consciousness.
“Can you stand on your feet?” A man wearing neon summer clothing asked.
“Where… am… I?” When I looked at him, my consciousness drifted.
I dreamed of a burning red sky. Aging leaves on the trees had dried branches. The sun shone its darkest orange as it rested on the horizon. Needles traveled down my throat the more air I breathed. Then I saw a vast hole in my chest. I got up, screaming from the bed.
“Ah, you are now awake. How are you feeling?” the same man I saw at the market sat on a hard chair beside me.
“Where am I? Who are you?” My heart wanted to break through my rib cage.
“Hey, relax, little human. I saw you nearly dying like a leaf at the city’s center. Don’t worry, I carried you to my home unseen. It took me a lot of effort to bring you here. Man, concealing you was hard.”
“Sorry for the trouble, but I must be going now.”
“Hey, sit down and let’s talk for a bit. You do not want anybody seeing you looking like that.”
“What do you suggest I do?”
“If you really want to walk out of here, I have some clothes you could borrow. I’m sorry that I could not do more than that.”
“Why are you suddenly being nice to me? Shouldn’t you be sending me off like the others?”
“I am not like the others, human. Unlike them, you are more than welcome to enter my home. You can stay here longer if you like.”
“I dislike the humans I have encountered here. They treated me like trash, like the ones you see floating on the beach.”
“I believe not all humans are like that. What do you plan to do now?”
“Do you happen to know where Darleen is? I need to talk to her.”
“You cannot speak of her so lightly in this land. She is at the prime seat below the elders.”
“But I really need to talk to her.”
“Is this highly important?”
“Yes, and she is the reason why I am stuck here.”
“You do not mean… Darleen brought you here from the outside world?”
“You make it sound like I’m an alien accidentally landing here from outer space.”
“No, I mean, why did she bring you here? Who are you?”
“Now you ask me the most essential questions. Darleen can answer that for you, as I have no idea as to what her plans are with me. That is why I need to reach her.”
“I will see what I can do. I can’t believe this,” he walked out of the room shaking his head.
I helped myself with the light grainy chips beside the bed. It’s a bit dusty, maybe a little salt was all it needed. A glass of warm water was filled to the brim. How am I supposed to drink that? Ugh, whatever. I placed my lips on the rounded edge without lifting it with my hands.
“I’m sorry, I could not reach her. Do you have a message for her instead?” The sandy man suddenly stormed in.
The glass flew out of the table. Some good amount of water filled my nose. I wheezed like a dying man. I could hear my heart screaming within my chest.
“What the hell was that for? You could have knocked!” I screamed at him.
“Are you alright?” He patted my back with some force.
“Do I look like it? Why would you fill the glass to the brim? I almost drowned trying to drink that.”
“I apologize. I’m used to drink it that way, I should have brought a straw with it.”
“Anyway, I have to go now,” I composed myself.
He handed out some flashy clothes to me. The soft cotton hugged my skin in a snuggly fit. A bit too snuggly to be exact. The sandy man stood some feet taller than me as he stood by my side. He had hollow eyes. I would like to think he was empty inside, like my soul.
He placed an arm over my shoulder, “I knew this was a perfect fit. I wore this set of clothing when I was your age. Ah, the striking charm of youth.”
“Uh, thanks, I guess.”
“You take care now. I do not want to see you drying out there again,” he fixed my collar and lightly tapped my face. “Hey, wait! I forgot to give you something.”
“What?” I stopped from my tracks.
“Take this with you, it is my guardian stone. It already used its protection on me. Now, I think it’s time I give this to someone else.”
“Why are you giving me this?” I raised the angel totem with a topaz crystallized at the center.
“You remind me too much of myself back then. I figured you needed this.”
“I will not forget this. Thank you,” I bowed and left the household.
When I went out the door, a calming breeze covered my body. I brought the straw hat with me, just in case. The threat of the sun’s rays was negligible as I walked the sandy streets. Children of solid sand, soft clay and fleshy human forms played and chattered among themselves.
“They do not seem like children at all. They are more like my height and age. Are they even children at all?” I mumbled to myself.
“Daddy! Golan told me you were lying. You were telling me the truth, right?” A kid about my size spoke to a man almost twice his size.
“Of course, my child. Why would I lie to you? Do you doubt daddy?”
“No, but why won’t Golan believe me? He would not even play with me anymore.”
“Is that so? Where is this Golan kid, son? I will teach him a lesson!”
“He lives at the next block. Go get him daddy.”
“Compadre? Compadre!” He punched on the solid sand structure.
“Why are you shaking my house, compadre?” A shallow male voice answered the door.
“Your kid is telling my kid that I’m a liar, so I came here to explain myself.”
“What is this about, compadre?”
“I knew what I said Darleen losing to the human king, compadre. I really saw her lose to him with a single flash of light. She returned home as soon as the human king made threats.”
“Darleen? Losing to a human king? That’s nonsense, compadre! Humans are always weak and they would not issue an attack against us, right? The must have wet their panties upon seeing Darleen.”
“But it’s true. I saw the disappointment in her eyes.”
“Aw, maybe she was having a bad day,” he placed a solid arm over him.
He flicked away the gesture, “Are you doubting me, compadre?”
“Naw, I just think you are full of crap, compadre.”
“I dare you to say that again to my face, compadre.”
“I hope you are not picking a fight with me, compadre.”
Soon, two men of sand and clay squared off at the center of the street. People cheered on their best bet. The two men clashed heads with each other, followed by a massive throwing of hard elements. I would not standby to watch who wins. I might not even be able to see the winner if the attacks hit me.
As I looked back at the path, a thick block of sand people obscured the way and pushed me back towards the fight. The spectators formed a circle around the two brawlers. Each of them lost some parts of their bodies, but neither one conceded defeat.
Children cried among the crowd. “Daddy, stop it! Golan already said sorry!”
“Stay out of this, son. This is a fight between men.”
“But I do not want to see you like this, daddy.”
“Then go home and help your mom clean the house,” the other fighter retorted.
“Hey, you can’t talk to my son like that!” He pushed the other father.
“You punch like a wuss! This is how a man should fight,” his hand formed into a solidified hammer.
“You are a man? You could not even find a woman for yourself! That child is not even yours to begin with!”
“What’s mine is mine. Mind your own business, you lowly gossiper.”
“Why, you forty-year-old virgin! Take some of this, and that and that!” He continuously punched the sense of that guy using a sharp and spiky flail hand. Then the crowd split into half and they all went silent.
“What is all the commotion about?” A clay man holding a book revealed himself from the split path.
The two brawlers straightened up, “Uh, we were only having a conversation, elder.”
“A conversation involving a mass of people? This must have been a heck of a conversation. We have distancing measures implemented, remember?”
“And you young man, what are you doing here? I sense that you are not from this area, let alone our kind,” he pointed at thick finger at me.
“Uh, I was just passing by. Do not mind me,” I wrestled my way out of the crowd until I saw an enormous lump of sand.
“Well… Shall we continue? You all know the protocol, distancia amigo!”
The crowd of sand people scattered like roaches. Dense powdery mist covered my line of sight momentarily until the thick rows of people cleared the path.
“Bacundo, where is my glass of wine?” He motioned to one of his clay servants wearing a tight formal summer uniform.
“Here you are, elder,” he handed him a wine glass filling quarter of it.
“Bacundo, would you kindly clean up this mess? The people here have no manners. Get to it this instant!”
“Understood, elder.”
“Where could Darleen be at this time, again? Her punctuality amazes me so.”
“I heard from the market center that she lost to the human king.”
“Oh, it’s just a rumor. We could not lose to mere humans. Besides, they have always been the weakest and slimiest race among all of Draconia. Come now, I could not take the sun anymore. Ugh, when can we leave this continent?”
“What about that suspicious fellow, elder?”
“He will find his way back to where he belongs. I do not have the time to deal with such matters. Move along now, Bacundo.”
“But elder, I have just started.”
“I’m not paying you to slack around. Move it!” He kicked his servant from his squatting position.
“I’m so sorry, elder! I will do better next time.”
“You had better! The last Bacundo I had went swimming with the sharks. I never heard from him since.”
“No elder, not the sharks! Anything but that.”
“Then work you butt. One more complaint and you might be swimming with them tonight,” he laughed like a maniac.
“Understood, elder.”
- Writer
