Chapter 2- The Field
Note: I would like to apologize for the number of times you will read the word "nothing" in this chapter.
Zera watched the tube intently. It was like black water rising into the ceiling. She turned to share this observation with Pyrus, to find he had his hand inside the tube.
"Pyrus! Get your arm out of there!" She whispered. Pyrus was annoyed. "Will you stop trying to boss me? It's really irritating so lay off!"
Zera was about to retort when suddenly Pyrus disappeared. This was such an unexpected happening that she nearly started to yell, when she realized he must have gone in the tube. Where else would he go? But why?
"Pyrus! Get out of there!" She heard nothing. He was probably just mad at her.
"Pyrus!" There was still nothing.
What if he was stuck? Zera thought about what she should do. If she went to get help, and this was just some kind of joke, he would have license to laugh at her. She reached into the tube to grab his arm and felt nothing.
Suddenly, it was as if someone grabbed her arm, and she was pulled into the tube all together in one second. Inside, it was as if the floor disappeared and she was falling, and everything was black. Then the ground was under her feet again as if it had always been there, and she sat down hard.
It was still black, but Zera was unquestionably outside now. "Pyrus?"
Zera got to her feet and looked around. The air was mild, slightly breezy. There was no moon or stars. Zera stumbled around, trying to get her bearings. She walked into nothing, and she heard nothing. There were leaves underfoot so there was something.
"Well," She thought to herself, "I guess I'd better wait for morning." She lay down on the ground and tried to sleep.
***
Zera lay awake all night, nervous. She had no idea where she was, or what or who was here. Eventually the night turned to dusk and she was able to look around her.
The land that Zera was occupying was a large field. It went on over hills and the horizon, as far as she could see. That wasn't what really interested her, however.
Some distance away, about a five minute walk, was a small group of people, just sitting there. Pyrus was not among them.
Zera walked over to them. "Hello," She said politely.
The people included one person from the planet Ice, one from Bone, four from Rock and three from Fire, which Zera found an interesting coincidence that it should be those planets. None of them acknowledged her.
Zera tried again. "Hello, can anyone tell me where I am?"
Nothing.
"I came through in a black tube."
This got a few looks but for the most part, interest was not high.
"What are you all waiting for?"
"Not for you." Zera was taken surprise by this rude response.
"Well, I'm sorry I'm not who you're waiting for. I'm looking for Prince Pyrus. He's from the planet Fire. Did he pass this way?"
There were several uninterested hums.
"Wait," A lady from Ice spoke up. The emotion in her voice surprised Zera. "A young fire kid? I saw one. He passed by a couple of weeks ago. He was looking for you, too. Gave a description."
Zera sighed. "That can't be him; he wasn't here a couple of weeks ago."
The man from Bone spoke up. "We remember everyone who passes through here. Now leave. We might miss the tube."
"Are you trying to go back home?" Zera asked.
A man from Rock laughed. "This is our home. Now beat it."
The lady from Ice spoke up. "I remember which way that kid went. He went that way." The gesture was so vague it could have been skywards. She sighed. "Okay, follow me."
The Bone man questioned her, "Linne, what are you doing?"
Linne suddenly and inexplicably got angry. "I'm leading her. She needs help."
"If He comes, you may miss it."
"So I'll miss it." Linne replied. "We've been waiting for goodness knows how many centuries- or hours, I'm not even sure anymore. I'm sick of it. Come with me." She commanded Zera.
The Bone man's face filled with rage. "If you leave, you are not coming back."
Linne ignored him, and led the way over the hill.
They walked across the hills until the sun was high overhead.
Zera finally had to ask her, "Why did you leave? Who were you waiting for anyway?"
Linne seemed to answer the second question first. "Someone who left us in the lurch for way too long. I've been waiting all my life and I've been looking for an excuse to leave lately."
"Won't you get in trouble?"
"Probably."
They walked in silence for a few minutes before Linne spoke up again.
"I guess I should tell you the real reason why I went with you. I wanted to talk to you."
"Oh," Zera said uncomfortably. "What about?"
Linne told her, "It's just that you seem to be my kind of people. I've been told for so long that I've lived here all my life but I keep having dreams about this other place. It's blue, and cold. It's often slippery too. Very beautiful."
"Yes, that's my home, Ice."
Linne looked at her and changed the subject. "I have to tell you, this kid came by such a long time ago, I can't even guess how long it'll take to find him. We might have to walk a couple of months…or maybe he'll be over the next hill."
Zera was puzzled. "Are you sure it was a couple of weeks that you saw him?"
"No. It was a long time before you showed up, that's for sure."
"I don't get it. Why did we come separately?"
"Because time is messed up here. Yesterday, we had daylight for six minutes. Some of us were pretty mad, too."
"So what's with the tubes? When do they come? What do they do?"
"The tubes…" Linne looked troubled. "They…do what they…do. They bring people here. They're supposed to bring this one guy here, but they never have."
"So…" Zera started. "Do they work the other way? After I find Pyrus, I have to get back because we're having a big battle in a couple of days."
Linne laughed. "I told you, time is messed here. If you do get back, you may be disappointed."
Zera looked at her in confusion. "Why?"
"Because when you get back you may be surprised to find that you've been gone five minutes…or five hundred years. Who knows? Everyone you know may be long dead by now."
Zera couldn't believe it. "How can you talk like that? That's awful!"
Linne shrugged. "It's the truth."
Zera was so angry she couldn't speak. Running ahead, she went over the hill and ran until she was out of sight of Linne and was astonished to see a small shack ahead of her.
Zera ran and ran until she reached the shack's door and charged in. A man at the counter looked at her. "Water?"
Zera, overwrought with exhaustion, confusion and hunger, collapsed.
***
She was lying in a bed…where was she? Zera remembered. She was still in this strange place that the tube had brought her. She closed her eyes and thought about her friends and her father back home.
"Is she awake?"
"I don't know what happened, she suddenly got angry and ran."
Zera opened her eyes. "Pyrus?"
Linne looked at her. "No, it's me, and you better not run like that in this heat again."
"Where am I?" Zera asked sadly.
Linne answered. "You're on the lovely planet of Lito, isn't that right, Jack?"
Jack laughed. "Well, that's the general answer, of course. Specifically, you're in my daughter's bedroom, in her bed. How are you feeling?"
Zera closed her eyes and went back to sleep.
***
Note: I would like to apologize for the number of times you will read the word "nothing" in this chapter.
Zera watched the tube intently. It was like black water rising into the ceiling. She turned to share this observation with Pyrus, to find he had his hand inside the tube.
"Pyrus! Get your arm out of there!" She whispered. Pyrus was annoyed. "Will you stop trying to boss me? It's really irritating so lay off!"
Zera was about to retort when suddenly Pyrus disappeared. This was such an unexpected happening that she nearly started to yell, when she realized he must have gone in the tube. Where else would he go? But why?
"Pyrus! Get out of there!" She heard nothing. He was probably just mad at her.
"Pyrus!" There was still nothing.
What if he was stuck? Zera thought about what she should do. If she went to get help, and this was just some kind of joke, he would have license to laugh at her. She reached into the tube to grab his arm and felt nothing.
Suddenly, it was as if someone grabbed her arm, and she was pulled into the tube all together in one second. Inside, it was as if the floor disappeared and she was falling, and everything was black. Then the ground was under her feet again as if it had always been there, and she sat down hard.
It was still black, but Zera was unquestionably outside now. "Pyrus?"
Zera got to her feet and looked around. The air was mild, slightly breezy. There was no moon or stars. Zera stumbled around, trying to get her bearings. She walked into nothing, and she heard nothing. There were leaves underfoot so there was something.
"Well," She thought to herself, "I guess I'd better wait for morning." She lay down on the ground and tried to sleep.
***
Zera lay awake all night, nervous. She had no idea where she was, or what or who was here. Eventually the night turned to dusk and she was able to look around her.
The land that Zera was occupying was a large field. It went on over hills and the horizon, as far as she could see. That wasn't what really interested her, however.
Some distance away, about a five minute walk, was a small group of people, just sitting there. Pyrus was not among them.
Zera walked over to them. "Hello," She said politely.
The people included one person from the planet Ice, one from Bone, four from Rock and three from Fire, which Zera found an interesting coincidence that it should be those planets. None of them acknowledged her.
Zera tried again. "Hello, can anyone tell me where I am?"
Nothing.
"I came through in a black tube."
This got a few looks but for the most part, interest was not high.
"What are you all waiting for?"
"Not for you." Zera was taken surprise by this rude response.
"Well, I'm sorry I'm not who you're waiting for. I'm looking for Prince Pyrus. He's from the planet Fire. Did he pass this way?"
There were several uninterested hums.
"Wait," A lady from Ice spoke up. The emotion in her voice surprised Zera. "A young fire kid? I saw one. He passed by a couple of weeks ago. He was looking for you, too. Gave a description."
Zera sighed. "That can't be him; he wasn't here a couple of weeks ago."
The man from Bone spoke up. "We remember everyone who passes through here. Now leave. We might miss the tube."
"Are you trying to go back home?" Zera asked.
A man from Rock laughed. "This is our home. Now beat it."
The lady from Ice spoke up. "I remember which way that kid went. He went that way." The gesture was so vague it could have been skywards. She sighed. "Okay, follow me."
The Bone man questioned her, "Linne, what are you doing?"
Linne suddenly and inexplicably got angry. "I'm leading her. She needs help."
"If He comes, you may miss it."
"So I'll miss it." Linne replied. "We've been waiting for goodness knows how many centuries- or hours, I'm not even sure anymore. I'm sick of it. Come with me." She commanded Zera.
The Bone man's face filled with rage. "If you leave, you are not coming back."
Linne ignored him, and led the way over the hill.
They walked across the hills until the sun was high overhead.
Zera finally had to ask her, "Why did you leave? Who were you waiting for anyway?"
Linne seemed to answer the second question first. "Someone who left us in the lurch for way too long. I've been waiting all my life and I've been looking for an excuse to leave lately."
"Won't you get in trouble?"
"Probably."
They walked in silence for a few minutes before Linne spoke up again.
"I guess I should tell you the real reason why I went with you. I wanted to talk to you."
"Oh," Zera said uncomfortably. "What about?"
Linne told her, "It's just that you seem to be my kind of people. I've been told for so long that I've lived here all my life but I keep having dreams about this other place. It's blue, and cold. It's often slippery too. Very beautiful."
"Yes, that's my home, Ice."
Linne looked at her and changed the subject. "I have to tell you, this kid came by such a long time ago, I can't even guess how long it'll take to find him. We might have to walk a couple of months…or maybe he'll be over the next hill."
Zera was puzzled. "Are you sure it was a couple of weeks that you saw him?"
"No. It was a long time before you showed up, that's for sure."
"I don't get it. Why did we come separately?"
"Because time is messed up here. Yesterday, we had daylight for six minutes. Some of us were pretty mad, too."
"So what's with the tubes? When do they come? What do they do?"
"The tubes…" Linne looked troubled. "They…do what they…do. They bring people here. They're supposed to bring this one guy here, but they never have."
"So…" Zera started. "Do they work the other way? After I find Pyrus, I have to get back because we're having a big battle in a couple of days."
Linne laughed. "I told you, time is messed here. If you do get back, you may be disappointed."
Zera looked at her in confusion. "Why?"
"Because when you get back you may be surprised to find that you've been gone five minutes…or five hundred years. Who knows? Everyone you know may be long dead by now."
Zera couldn't believe it. "How can you talk like that? That's awful!"
Linne shrugged. "It's the truth."
Zera was so angry she couldn't speak. Running ahead, she went over the hill and ran until she was out of sight of Linne and was astonished to see a small shack ahead of her.
Zera ran and ran until she reached the shack's door and charged in. A man at the counter looked at her. "Water?"
Zera, overwrought with exhaustion, confusion and hunger, collapsed.
***
She was lying in a bed…where was she? Zera remembered. She was still in this strange place that the tube had brought her. She closed her eyes and thought about her friends and her father back home.
"Is she awake?"
"I don't know what happened, she suddenly got angry and ran."
Zera opened her eyes. "Pyrus?"
Linne looked at her. "No, it's me, and you better not run like that in this heat again."
"Where am I?" Zera asked sadly.
Linne answered. "You're on the lovely planet of Lito, isn't that right, Jack?"
Jack laughed. "Well, that's the general answer, of course. Specifically, you're in my daughter's bedroom, in her bed. How are you feeling?"
Zera closed her eyes and went back to sleep.
***