Chapter Four:
Sandbox
Archaeology is the peeping Tom of the sciences. It is the sandbox of men who care not where they are going; they merely want to know where everyone else has been.
— Jim Bishop
The sky was overcast, and wet, with sand, that caused many repeated slips, trips, and falls followed by laughs and the occasional impromptu sand creation.
Kagome stared, awed by the beautiful landscape, never before seeing such a sight in her travels.
Her thoughts were wrenched away from her reverie upon seeing Eri, Yuka and Ayumi staring at her with various expressions of impatience and worry as they stood in line to get a ride on a camel as part of a tour.
"Are you coming?" Yuka asked.
"Erm, no thanks I think I'll walk around for a bit, maybe hunt for seashells."
"Fine, but be careful, remember your weak constitution." Eri chided.
"Don't worry." Kagome sighed, did they really buy the nonsense she and her family were always spouting?
"We'll meet up at the food stands for lunch, okay?" Yuka said sympathetically.
"Sure." Kagome agreed and gave the beast a pat, and smiled to his handler. Waving goodbye, they went their separate ways.
Shielding her eyes from the windblown sand, Kagome reached the precipice. Where she should've seen the Sea of Japan, she saw a ruined city, vast desert, not a cloud in the sky or soul to be seen.
