S.O.S.

By Autumn Win-Dow

(AoGA House Cup. Words: 757)

You were often the one who could make everything from anything—while everyone else around you stood there, clueless of what to do, you had already created something which gave you an advantage above all else.

But why, you often asked yourself, why weren't they the ones stranded in a wide desert composed of anything but excitement, where there really was nothing?

Why was it you?

Even though you were evidently the most constructive and logical, all you could do was crawl your way up these imaginary sand dunes, hoping that your efforts in doing so were worth it.

And of course, they weren't. They never were.

All you found on the other side of the steep dune was a sea of even more sand.

It was a routine. Hill after hill, disappointment after disappointment.

You often wondered if your eyes would be blessed with the presence of tears, but they never came—it was too dry.

You imagined how everyone else was doing—most likely in a haven rich with nature and cool air, where they laughed their hearts out and indulged in things which Hotaru in fact longed for. What they had wasn't something she could make for herself—both in the desert and back home—but it was something which she longed for the most.

Sand was naturally too weak to cling together as some sort of building material, and even if it was strong enough, you didn't have anything else—there wasn't even an incentive for starting at one.

Despite all, you continued to climb the steep dunes—hoping to find the end of it all. Even an oasis would please you wholeheartedly, even when you yourself knew that they were false and non-existent. And after you climbed what seemed to be your thousandth dune, you realised that what they had and what you wanted couldn't be made from tools and man-made materials—it was ephemeral, something which could only be found.

It was then when you gave up searching despite your realisation. You were gradually growing tired and absolutely sick of it all, and you finally chose to no longer fight on.

What you were looking for was obviously not going to be in the wide lands of the desert—it wasn't even a real desert, after all—but every night, you felt like you were climbing a slippery dune. The sand beneath your feet would often become loose, and you would fall towards the bottom of the dune—having to start again. But even after all of your efforts, you found nothing.

With the only tool you still had in your possession—your hands—you used them for the last time to mark three large letters in the sand.

It was your final creation.

S. O. S.

You wanted to be saved from this nightmare. You didn't want to climb the dunes repeatedly every day, only to find nothing. It was a pointless exploration of the most lifeless place on Earth, and you didn't enjoy it even a bit.

All you could hope for was a plane to fly over and save you from this imaginary plain of nothing.

You wanted someone to save your soul.

And one day, your pleas were finally answered—not in the way in which you hoped, but you were blessed, nonetheless.

He was someone also stranded in the expansive space of the desert. His clothes were as dirty as yours, and he had climbed as many dunes as you had before you gave up. The man turned his head to see the three letters you had marked in the sand, and his cracked lips parted to murmur four reassuring words.

"You're not alone, Hotaru."

He pulled you towards his chest and squeezed you as tightly as he could in his weak state. You felt yourself relax in his arms—not only because you were growing even weaker from the fatigue in your dreams, but the thought of having someone there who understood was something which she could smile about.

You allowed him to have his arms around you, only because you had absolutely nothing to attack him with.

Not that you wanted to attack.

He had just saved your soul from drowning in a sea of empty sand, even though he was in danger of being swallowed as well.

"…You know you're going to get hit during class, right Ruka?" You muttered, but you couldn't prevent the smile which crept along your lips.

You could hear the smile in his voice, too. "I know, Hotaru."

A/N: I've been writing a lot of poetry and imagery lately. So why not add another to the collection? :)