Queen of the Sandworms
Chapter 7: Delusions in Black and White
...
The striped clad ghost stared up at the young goth girl in excitement. There she was. Right in front of him; in the flesh! Alive! She actually survived Sandwormland! His wide, excited eyes ran up and down her Sandworm disguise.
Underneath the dead Sandworm carcass, she wore her red spider web poncho, but it was tattered from the elements. A skirt made out of some of the huge leaves from the strange purple plants were fastened around her waist with some twine, which also was stung with small skulls from small creatures of Saturn. She was adorned with round stones, dried berries, and strange nuts around her neck. She was barefoot, and her arms were bare as well.
Beetlejuice took in every detail that he saw of her. He even noticed that her raven black hair was longer the last time they were together. Beetlejuice stared up at her with a stupid grin on his face. Lydia glared down at the striped clad ghost with her dark mascara eyes. Beetlejuice didn't seem to notice. He was just so thrilled to see her.
"Lyds! Babes! I am so happy to see you alive!" he said. He tried reaching out toward her for a hug from where he laid, but was stopped when he felt the tip of the spear dig into his shoulder. His smile disappeared as he lowered his arms and looked down at the spear. He laughed nervously.
"L-Lyds?...it's me. Your friend...Don't you remember?" he asked as he tried reaching up toward her again.
Just then, the Sandworm from behind Lydia hissed, revealing its sharp teeth. Beetlejuice almost forgot all about the other Sandworm-the real Sandworm- and tried to scoot away, but Lydia was still sitting on his chest, keeping him pinned down.
Beetlejuice struggled where he laid, kicking his legs again.
"W-watch out, Lydia! Th-there's a S-Sandworm behind you!" he shouted as he pointed to the looming alien snake creature behind the girl.
Lydia didn't seem bothered. She silently got up off of Beetlejuice's chest and took a couple steps backward, still glaring at Beetlejuice as if he were a threat. Then, she simply turned her head to the side. She hissed in a strange way to the huge Sandworm.
The Sandworm stopped hissing and lowered its enormous striped head down next to her. Beetlejuice sat upright and watched in total shock as his best friend began to stroke the top of the creature's head. The Sandworm's red eyes on the sides of its head closed and instantly started to act docile.
Beetlejuice's emerald green eyes flickered from the Sandworm and back over to Lydia again. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. Lydia, his best friend, getting along with one of the creatures he hated the most! His mortal enemy?! This had to be another delusion. "L-Lydia? I-is it really you?" he asked as he slowly got to his feet.
The Sandworm opened its' red eyes again. It lifted its head up over Lydia's head and curled its green lips back to reveal its sharp, striped teeth. Lydia turned her head back to Beetlejuice and glared at him as well.
"Yes, Beetlejuice. It really is me..." she said in her cold, serious tone. Beetlejuice took a step back as if he got slapped in the face. Her tone was harsh and cold. It was not the same sweet Lydia he remembered. He felt as though he was talking to a complete stranger.
The two were silent for a moment. Finally, Beetlejuice couldn't take it anymore, he took a couple steps forward. The Sandworm growled deeper as Beetlejuice came forward. Lydia silently placed her arm out to her side, gesturing to the Sandworm to hold its ground.
Beetlejuice forced himself to ignore the growling beast as he wrapped his arms around Lydia and hugged her. Even though she changed, she was still his best friend. His Lydia.
Beetlejuice felt Lydia's body stiffen, but he didn't care and just hugged her tighter. Tears began to form in his eyes and ran down his face. "Oh, Lydia...what happened to you...?" he whispered before closing his eyes and burying his face into her shoulder.
Lydia pulled away from him and stared up at him with her glaring look. "Why are you here?" she asked, changing the subject. Beetlejuice opened his eyes and pulled away to look at his friend. "Wha-...? What are you saying?" he asked her as he gripped her shoulders.
"I came to save you from this horrible place! If you haven't noticed there is a hideous beast with sharp teeth and the hunger for ghosts and little girls! so lets go before it decides to swallow us whole!" he said, looking up at the Sandworm with disgust. Then he began to pull Lydia away.
Lydia snarled and flicked her wrist out of Beetlejuice's grasp.
Beetlejuice stopped and turned his head back with confusion. "Babes...?" Lydia took a step backwards, closer to the Sandworm, glaring at the striped clad ghost. The Sandworm's lowered its head close to hers and glared its red eyes at Beetlejuice as well. Lydia placed her hand on top of its black and white striped snout.
"I did not ask to be rescued. I did not ask you to come and save me... Go back to your world, Beetlejuice." Beetlejuice took a step back as if he got stabbed in the chest. "L-Lydia..." he said, hurt. She didn't want to be rescued? Worst of all...she didn't want him...?
"L-Lydia...I-I'm your friend...I came to make things right...I...I felt so horrible when you came here instead of me...I am so sorry! I don't know how many times I can say that, but I will keep saying it until you forgive me!...Please, Lydia...Please come back with me..." he said as he stretched his pale hand out to her.
Lydia stared down at it, not moving. Beetlejuice stretched it out as far as he could toward her. He desperately wished he had his powers. He could just turn himself into an airplane, scoop Lydia up, and fly away from the Sandworm infested place.
Finally, Lydia turned her face back up to the Ghost with the Most. Beetlejuice stared back at her with sadness. His hand straining to reach for hers.
She didn't say anything. Instead, she turned around and made a strange noise to the Sandworm. The Sandworm obediently lowered its head for her. She climbed up onto its back, close to its head. Beetlejuice's eyes widened and pulled his arm back.
"Lydia! Wait!" he cried as the Sandworm lifted its head out of the ghost's reach. The Sandworm arched forward, over the ghost, and slithered through the jungle. Beetlejuice ran right behind the Sandworm.
"Lydia! Come back! Come back!" he cried as he sprinted through the jungle. The plants slapped against his face as he jumped over rocks and maneuvered around bushes and turned over tentacle trees.
Lydia rode the Sandworm out of the oasis and out into the desert realm. Beetlejuice slowed to a stop and watched as Lydia pressed her body against the Sandworm. The Sandworm screeched, then arched forward and dived into the sand.
"Lydia!" Beetlejuice screamed as he watched her disappear from him again. She went with the Sandworm into the sands. The winds whipped Beetlejuice's dirty blonde hair as he stood there, catatonic.
He felt as though he was going to pass out right there. He lost Lydia...again. Beetlejuice felt as though his legs were made of Jell-O, but he forced himself to walk forward toward where Lydia and the Sandworm disappeared.
Beetlejuice stopped just on the outer part of a huge hole. The whole was ten feet around and went straight down miles and miles into the depths of Saturn. Beetlejuice instantly felt sick looking down into the darkness and moved away from it.
Beetlejuice fell to his knees and covered his head with his hands. He needed to go after Lydia...but where did she go? She went with a Sandworm into the sands! Could she breathe down there? How far down did they go? So many fearful questions swam around in Beetlejuice's head.
He gritted his teeth in frustration and began pulling his hair. He screamed angrily as he got up and kicked the sand a couple times. The warm winds blew at his hair again, almost teasing him. Gradually, he calmed down and turned his head toward the direction of the hole.
Beetlejuice walked back to the hole and looked down. Even with the sun in the middle of the sky, the hole went too far down to see if there even was a bottom. Beetlejuice began to feel scared. He knew that down there was possibly a whole nest full of Sandworms. The worst thing that could ever happen in Beetlejuice's afterlife.
But he needed to get Lydia out of Sandwormland. She was already acting crazy. The longer she stayed on the desert-like planet, the more she was going to believe that she was a Sandworm.
With that, Beetlejuice took a couple steps back. He took a deep breath, then ran toward the hole. He screamed as he jumped and free fell straight down into the darkness...