Approach
2550 Words
“What is the deal with that guy? I think I am safe here for a while,” I sighed.
I sat behind the mounds of sand until the blanket of night took over the sky. I gazed at the stars. They seemed to twinkle happily, seeing each other after the great deal of light. I formed Darleen’s face like a new constellation I had invented. On the other side was Cyrille’s face.
“I guess I should not see the stars, after all. Sigh, I miss you two. Where could you be now? Couldn’t we all just be friends?” I wondered.
As I thought of that, my heart stammered against the edges of my ribs. I wish we all could always stay as friends, but my heart is betraying me. I wanted to hear Darleen’s cheerful voice again, but I also wanted to hear Cyrille’s careful, but frosty voice.
“Ugh, you girls drive me crazy!” I scratched my head.
“Hey, did you hear that?” Asked a croaky voice.
“Yeah, what was that?” Asked another.
“I think it came from that direction.”
“We should check it out.”
“What if it’s the ice dragons?”
“Do not chicken out on me now. It could just be a stray human.”
“Or a ghost… a dead body… what else?”
“Stop scaring yourself. We would not know unless we see it. Bring a light with you.”
Dang it, I have been discovered! I dragged my feet out of there, stomping against the sands. The moon guided my path towards a tall rock structure. I hid myself behind this slightly tilted structure. Its exterior was as black as night. I could not feel my legs anymore.
“Halt Bolan, I think we should not proceed any further.”
“What do you mean, Golan?”
“Remember what the elders said? We should never approach the Tilting Obelisk.”
“I must have been sleeping when the elders announced that. What was it about again?”
“Ugh, you are unbelievable, Bolan! Fine, I will tell you the story, but only this one time. You owe me big for this.”
“Ooh, story time.”
“The elders said that we must not come near the Tilting Obelisk, for a spirit might come out from its walls. It can kick our souls out of our bodies and feast on it. We must not invoke the Tilting Obelisk or else you will anger the Oblivion Cordina.”
“What is this Oblivion Cordona? It sounds tasty.”
“Ugh, you owe me twice as much this time when we get back home. He is the master of dark arts who will take over your body. If you happen touch the Tilting Obelisk, he might take your soul with him.”
“So, basically we are dead once we meet him, right?”
“What are you doing, Bolan?”
“Relax, Golan. I want to see if what they are saying is true! Jeez, this part of the wall feels cold.”
“Do not touch it! It might take your body!”
“Bwakana!” It sounded like a groaning truck stuck in mud.
“Gah! B-Bolan, is that you? Has Oblivion Cordona taken over your body?”
“Ha! How can you face Darleen when you are peeing in your pants?” Bolan chuckled.
“I-I am not! I will prove it to you.”
“See? Nothing happened. It was a hoax. I knew the elders were lying to us.”
“Bolan, you are such a genius! I wonder how the Oblivion Cordona sounds like.”
I cleared my throat and spoke from the depths of my diaphragm, “Who dares awaken the great Oblivion Cordona?” The solid wall echoed my voice and made it a few times deeper.
“Wah! I told you not to mess with it, Bolan.”
“Wh-wh-what are we going to do now, Golan?” I heard a loud gulp.
“Ah, Bolan and Golan, lend me your ears, for I must say this once. Today, I feel merciful. Take your feet with you and never look back. The second you stare back at the Tilting Obelisk, your soul will be mine.”
“L-let’s get out of here, Golan!”
“Wah! I want my daddy! Wait for me Bolan!”
“Well, that has been taken care of.”
“Ah, you mirror my voice well. I shall take you with me,” a rich, deep chuckle sounded nearby.
“Wh-wh-who was that?”
“Well, of course, it is no one else but I, the Oblivion Cordona.”
“Oh, okay. I am taking my leave now. See yah later.”
“Hahaha, you make me laugh, human. I was not kidding, though.”
“Right, I’m walking away now.”
“Hold up my friend, didn’t you hear what the sand children said about me?”
“I’m pretty sure it was all made up by their elders. I have no time for crazies like you, bye.”
Suddenly, the sands shook. I looked at the tilting structure and it vibrated like our washing machine set to thirty minutes back home. I stood there with my feet frozen to the ground. As it made its advance, a heap of sand blew into my mouth. My lungs constricted as my feet sunk into the sand.
“Give your body to me. That tasteful flesh of yours shall be mine!”
“No! Somebody help!” I threw handfuls of sand at the approaching structure.
“Such futile attempts won’t stop me! Here comes Cordie!”
“Aah! No! Please have mercy!” I flailed against the sands.
Behind me, a deep, loud roar reverberated from the distance. It shook the sands, which pushed the Tilting Obelisk back in its place. The voice coming from the structure hissed and groaned. It cursed at me repeatedly. The direction of the wind returned to its normal course.
“I might not get you today, but I will have you someday,” he laughed like a deranged person.
My heart still rattled like crazy, as if I rode a continuously looping rollercoaster. Some burning liquid traveled up my throat. I swallowed back the rancid fluid, leaving a bitter and sour aftertaste. I took some heaped breaths until my lungs stabilized.
What was that sound? Whatever it was, it sure saved my life. But where the heck is Darleen? What could she be doing at this time? I wonder what she thinks about me. Is she thinking of me at all? What am I thinking? We are only friends, nothing more.
Are we really just friends? Is that how I really feel? As I wondered about her, my heart beat picked up the pace. Her smile reminded me of the bright morning sun. I know I felt something when she touched my arm. It was like fireworks on the fourth of July.
“Focus, Luke, focus! You got to survive the night, ugh!” I slapped myself a couple of times.
I decided to walk back to town while keeping a wary eye at the Tilting Obelisk. It glowed vibrantly at me with its metallic shade. It captured my eyes, but I forced my head to look away. I kept nagging myself to keep my eyes on the road.
Finally, I got back to the golem’s territory. Lights from each window showed dust particles dancing in the air. Sweet yeasty aroma took me to a low hanging roof. Breads of different shapes and colors showcased themselves inside the long glass case.
“What can I get you, good sir?” A round man wearing a baker’s attire leaned over the glass.
“No, I was just looking. Boy, do these look and smell amazing.”
“Ah, would you like to taste our best seller?” He handed out a tray of fresh muffins with strawberry filling.
“A-are you sure?”
“Yeah, take one. I want you to tell me how it tastes. I am improvising my recipe. Please give me an honest opinion.”
“Mmh… It tastes like an abundance of flowers in spring. Among them sat some shrubs of strawberries. They seem to blend in with the flowers surrounding it. The sweet fragrance of flowers fills up my palette.”
“Uhm, I did not expect such a detailed response,” he chuckled. “Well, you can have this whole batch as thanks.”
“Th-this is too much. I can’t have these.”
“Aw, do not sweat it. I still have another batch coming out,” he put the batch of muffins inside a securely sealed transparent container.
“Th-thank you,” my hands shook as I received it.
“Tell your friends about it. It would mean a lot to me.”
“I will! I hope your shop gains a lot of attention,” I smiled at him.
“Take care now!” He waved me goodbye.
My eyes dripped as I took another bite of the moist bread. I wish gramps was here to make me dinner. I wonder how he is doing right now. Is he worried that I’m gone? Does he still think that I’m with Darleen? I wonder if he sent me away to get rid of me. Yeah, maybe that’s one of the reasons.
After all, who would want me? My parents left me. I won’t be surprised if gramps did, too. Everyone close to me had left me. I hope the stars could lead me where I should go. I wrapped up the rest of the muffins and laid myself under the shine of the stars.
As I drifted to unconsciousness, I dreamed of white sands blowing at my feet. Crystal clear skies guided my wake as I walked over the mirroring water. Ahead of me, I could see a girl about my age sitting on a chair above the water. Her head slumped down between her chests.
When I reached the personal proximity, her light brown hair raised to reveal her ocean eyes reflecting the clear water under our feet. She smiled at me and opened her arms towards me. It felt like there was something resisting my feet from proceeding any further.
When I looked down, I saw a blue slimy claw clinging to my feet. I tried grabbing the girl, but the chair inched away in every attempt. I growled at her. She kept on smiling and her lips extended towards her ears. I cried for her name, but no sound came out of my throat.
Finally, I slumped onto the ground. I saw gramps standing next to her. He glared at me with his disapproving eyes. He had lamb chops on one hand and Darleen’s shoulder on the other. Soon, they zoomed out into the distance, never to be seen again.
When I laid on my back, the slimy thing still clung to my feet. As I looked down, a girl with blue hair emerged from the water. She crept towards me like a cat asking for attention. Then she got to my chest and grabbed my neck.
She plunged my head into the reflecting water. Her cold eyes wanted me dead. I could hear cracking sounds coming out of her mouth. I struggled to free myself from her grasp, but her grip was not that of an ordinary girl. Bubbles escaped from my mouth and all went black.
I gasped for air when I opened my eyes. My face slumped on the surface of sand. Luckily, I did not choke from the powdery substance. Salty and slightly fishy taste covered my mouth. There was no sight of water from where I was sitting. I tried to wash off the taste with muffins, but it did no better.
Vibrant, sonorous and startling sounds flared above the morning sky. Strangely harmonious, whole and indistinct music accompanied the sounds. I looked from behind the mound of sand and saw people bustling at the city center. Needles won’t even fit in between them.
“What’s this, a festival?” I looked intently ahead of the crowd.
“Make way for Daupha Darleen, Daughter of the Drab!” A man in tight summer uniform announced. “Praise be the Daupha, praise be the Drab! May she conquer all!”
“Praise be the Daupha, praise be the Drab! May she conquer all! Grah! Grah! Grah!” The crowd cheered as they raised their arms towards the drab throne.
A group of beach bods paraded the solid sandy throne. Beside the throne were three men in short capes of orange. Sitting at the center was a girl with brown hair wearing a ceremonial summer gown. She waved like a queen at the increasing number of crowds.
“Aah! Darleen, you are the best!” a girl closest to me shouted with glee.
“D-Darleen, p-please be my wife! Marry me, aah!” a guy full of muscles rolled his head back. The girl behind him suffered the burden of his weight in the process. They were both out of commission. The crowd just stared at them and continued cheering towards Darleen.
I attempted to pull the man out of the maddening sounds, “Hey, a-are you still alive?”
“Ah, Darleen! My beautiful Darleen, please be mine. I can’t hide my feelings from you any longer,” he softly touched my skin.
“I’m flattered, but I do not think I’m that pretty.”
He slapped my face, “How dare you take my sight off Darleen?”
“Ow! I just saved your butt from being crushed by these vicious people. At least be thankful!”
“If I die with the crowd, so be it. I only wanted Darleen to notice me. After that, I could die in peace.”
“So she is a goddess now? I should have known.”
“Hmph, with that puny body of yours, Darleen would not take her sights on you,” he kissed his biceps.
“Oh, really? She took me on a cruise ship recently. We had so much fun having the ship to ourselves. It was an intense night if I must say. She knows how to please a man like me. Oh right, you were not there because she did not invite you.”
“Y-you must be dreaming. That can’t be true. How can a puny guy like you take on Darleen like that?”
“Ah, but did I also mention that she is a good kisser, too? How could a guy like me manage that? Well, let’s just say I was lucky.”
“How dare you mock me, little guy?” He grabbed the collar of my shirt. Suddenly, he grunted, then fell back to the ground. A thick layered stone sat next to him.
“You hunk of trash! How dare you ruin my beautiful skin? I cannot present myself in front of Darleen looking like a mess,” A girl in cute summer clothing huffed. She jabbed the muscled man on his chest with the stone next to his unmoving body.
“H-hey, calm down. I think he got the message already,” I spoke to her softly.
“Hmph, that should teach him. Too bad, I think I took a liking on you,” her body jumped at the sight of me. “Ah, you heard nothing! Do not tell him what I just said, you hear?”
“U-understood, ma’am.”
“Good. Let’s go watch the show,” she pulled my arm towards the crowd.
I was inches from Darleen’s seat as she passed by me. I flailed my arms in the air. It did not seem like she saw me. I removed the clutches of the dangerous woman and sifted through the crowd. I shouted her name. She roamed her eyes among the crowd. The edge of her lips dipped towards her chin.
I continued brushing through the crowd and followed her floating throne. Three men gazed down at the crowd, one of them looked familiar to me. He was the same guy I saw disbanding the crowd the day before. I ducked my head down, waiting for him to look away.
The men carrying the throne groaned through the vast crowd. They sounded like creaking machines being forced into labor. Some straight lines of different hue ran down their bodies. Is that sweat I see? I thought they were made of sand. Maybe they are still human on the inside.
As I followed the throne, the road narrowed until the line straightened into a passage. The sun already descended towards the horizon. The crowds of people decreased, so did the noise. I could hear my footsteps and tried to match the pace of these muscled men.
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