Read Online Redemption: Supernatural Time-Traveling Romance with Sci-fi and Metaphysics by Jacklyn A. Lo - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Jacklyn A. Lo
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terrain of sand stretching away into
the distance. She stands and looks at it, the Sky God blazing down overhead,
and wonders what to do.
“Bad land!” she whispers. She has
heard of such country in the stories of her tribe, a land so barren that
nothing can grow on it or live in it. A land that blinds you with light, burns
you with heat, freezes you in the darkness and drives you mad with hunger and
thirst. “Bad, bad land.”
Could she really expect to cross
this desert land? Wouldn’t it be better to return and take her chances back
with the tribe? But Mi knows she cannot return and, shielding her eyes from the
glare and bracing herself against the heat, starts out across the sand.
“Bad land make hurt,” she says, as her head and shoulders
begin to feel the searing pain of the Sky God’s gaze and her feet ache from
walking across the constantly shifting ground. “Hurt and hungry.” Her hand goes
increasingly to the food in her bag, and while the pieces of fruit give her the
energy to continue, they are already beginning to dry out and fail to satisfy
her growing thirst. As night approaches, she is glad of the relief from the
heat, but it is not long before the cold sets in, seeming to reach deep into
her body. She tries to dig another hole, but it is too difficult for her
shaking fingers and instead she lies down in a shallow depression and draws the
sand up over her body. Despite the chill, her exhaustion finally gets the
better of her and, resting her head on her bag, she drifts into a deep sleep.
When she wakes, it is already
light and she can feel the coming heat of the day.
Quick, she thinks. Go now. Sky God burn soon. Weary and
aching, she climbs to her feet and, ignoring the sand clinging to every part of
her body, she continues her journey across the wilderness. It is not long
before the heat becomes almost unbearable and, reaching a hand into her bag,
she discovers it is empty. Her lips are cracked and her head aches horribly. In
her desperation for water she begins to dream about waterfalls and rivers
filled with fresh water, about her lake and the refreshing summer rains.
“Water!” she says, almost
shouting with excitement as she begins to run towards the horizon. “Bad land
make trick!” she says, when she eventually arrives at the place and there is
nothing there but the endless sand. She looks again to the horizon and spots
what appears to be a distant lake. “Water!” she cries, all thought of the trick
forgotten at this new promise of water. Keeping her eyes fixed on the lake, she
doesn’t spot the thing sticking up from the sand and trips over it, falling
heavily to the ground. With a great effort she turns her head to see what it
was and spies the skull of some large animal, the bone bleached white by the
Sky God. Death, thinks Mi, staring at
the eyeless holes. Bad land bring death!
She tries to get back up to her
feet, but she simply doesn’t have the strength. Instead, she begins to crawl
across the dunes, but it is not long before even this is too much.
“No move. Hurt.” Her body feels
so heavy and sleep seems such a beautiful escape from the pain and the thirst.
The last thing she sees, as she
finally gives in to the darkness, is the vast lake shimmering on the horizon. “Water,”
she whispers. “Water.”
Chapter Six
I n Mi’s dream, she is swimming in the lake outside her cave. Lu is
with her and together they are enjoying playing in the water with their son.
She holds Wu in her arms as he splashes happily and she laughs as the spray gets
in Lu’s eyes. He splashes them back and, thirsty, Mi tries to catch the water
in her mouth, but somehow none goes in. The thirst grows and Mi ducks down
under the surface to drink, but still she cannot catch any in her mouth. She
breaks the surface of the water and is alarmed to see that Lu has vanished.
Looking down she finds that her son has also disappeared, and in his place she
clutches her empty bag. The thirst is
the distance. She stands and looks at it, the Sky God blazing down overhead,
and wonders what to do.
“Bad land!” she whispers. She has
heard of such country in the stories of her tribe, a land so barren that
nothing can grow on it or live in it. A land that blinds you with light, burns
you with heat, freezes you in the darkness and drives you mad with hunger and
thirst. “Bad, bad land.”
Could she really expect to cross
this desert land? Wouldn’t it be better to return and take her chances back
with the tribe? But Mi knows she cannot return and, shielding her eyes from the
glare and bracing herself against the heat, starts out across the sand.
“Bad land make hurt,” she says, as her head and shoulders
begin to feel the searing pain of the Sky God’s gaze and her feet ache from
walking across the constantly shifting ground. “Hurt and hungry.” Her hand goes
increasingly to the food in her bag, and while the pieces of fruit give her the
energy to continue, they are already beginning to dry out and fail to satisfy
her growing thirst. As night approaches, she is glad of the relief from the
heat, but it is not long before the cold sets in, seeming to reach deep into
her body. She tries to dig another hole, but it is too difficult for her
shaking fingers and instead she lies down in a shallow depression and draws the
sand up over her body. Despite the chill, her exhaustion finally gets the
better of her and, resting her head on her bag, she drifts into a deep sleep.
When she wakes, it is already
light and she can feel the coming heat of the day.
Quick, she thinks. Go now. Sky God burn soon. Weary and
aching, she climbs to her feet and, ignoring the sand clinging to every part of
her body, she continues her journey across the wilderness. It is not long
before the heat becomes almost unbearable and, reaching a hand into her bag,
she discovers it is empty. Her lips are cracked and her head aches horribly. In
her desperation for water she begins to dream about waterfalls and rivers
filled with fresh water, about her lake and the refreshing summer rains.
“Water!” she says, almost
shouting with excitement as she begins to run towards the horizon. “Bad land
make trick!” she says, when she eventually arrives at the place and there is
nothing there but the endless sand. She looks again to the horizon and spots
what appears to be a distant lake. “Water!” she cries, all thought of the trick
forgotten at this new promise of water. Keeping her eyes fixed on the lake, she
doesn’t spot the thing sticking up from the sand and trips over it, falling
heavily to the ground. With a great effort she turns her head to see what it
was and spies the skull of some large animal, the bone bleached white by the
Sky God. Death, thinks Mi, staring at
the eyeless holes. Bad land bring death!
She tries to get back up to her
feet, but she simply doesn’t have the strength. Instead, she begins to crawl
across the dunes, but it is not long before even this is too much.
“No move. Hurt.” Her body feels
so heavy and sleep seems such a beautiful escape from the pain and the thirst.
The last thing she sees, as she
finally gives in to the darkness, is the vast lake shimmering on the horizon. “Water,”
she whispers. “Water.”
Chapter Six
I n Mi’s dream, she is swimming in the lake outside her cave. Lu is
with her and together they are enjoying playing in the water with their son.
She holds Wu in her arms as he splashes happily and she laughs as the spray gets
in Lu’s eyes. He splashes them back and, thirsty, Mi tries to catch the water
in her mouth, but somehow none goes in. The thirst grows and Mi ducks down
under the surface to drink, but still she cannot catch any in her mouth. She
breaks the surface of the water and is alarmed to see that Lu has vanished.
Looking down she finds that her son has also disappeared, and in his place she
clutches her empty bag. The thirst is
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