The Unusual Guardian

Chapter 16: Something Special Gained

"I miss my brush," Tiffany croaks. I hear her, but I don't turn my neck to look because it hurts to move, so I can only imagine the bush that is Tiffany's hair.

"Don't you have it in your bag?"

"Yeah, but it's not like I reach for it."

We all hurt.

"Who gives a crap about the brush! I want a martini or a Sex on the Beach." Sam clears her groggy throat.

Lee sighs. She is the only one who hasn't seemed to have freaked out about all the recent happenings. The worst part is that I haven't told them that I know where and when we are. I woke up soon after I passed out, and I was able to talk to the man who told me about my surroundings. He explained to me that he and his daughter were travelling to Persia to perform at their music festival. They were riding in their cart when they found us, and because they weren't too far from town, they decided to set up their reasonably sized tent and help us. That's all he said. While I have not yet asked for his name, I do remember that his daughter's name is Christine, who he sometimes calls Little Lotte-whatever that means. I also remember him expressing his delight that I understood Swedish. He said it has been lonely and tough for him and his daughter, who only have a limited knowledge of Farsi-the Persian language. There is something about all this that brings a strange sense of déjà-vu, but I can't put my finger on it. I know he has his questions, too. I mean, one man and three women are travelling together, that is barely heard of at the time. Despite his curiosity, he promised that he'll wait to be relieved of his queries once we're better.

It was only yesterday when all of us were awake; however, most of us wish we were still asleep, as we are severely sunburnt, flaking and peeling, and in serious pain. I've tried to convince myself that this has to be nothing but a dream...

A dream...that all of us are having.

Simultaneously...

But that's not possible. I must accept reality-as crazy as it sounds!

"I hate getting sunburned," Sam adds, groaning in pain.

"Well, maybe you'll get that tan you've been complaining about."

"Friends, haven't any of you considered that this is a weird hospital?" Lee finally perks up. Her voice sounds just as bad as ours, which is sad because her voice is normally sleek.

Sam and Tiffany remain silent.

"Rick?" Lee directs her question at me. "You've been more silent than me. What do you know?"

I sigh. "Too much."

The silence is deafening.

"Do you know anything about Crystal, yet?" Tiffany pitches in, her voice subdued with worry.

"No," I swallow hard. "I-I do know where we are though."

"Where?" Sam perks up.

"We are in Persia."

Sam chuckles sardonically. "I don't think we are in a joking mood right now, Rick."

"I'm not joking." And there is more.

"But-" stutters Tiffany, "-Persia doesn't-"

"We are-" I scoff, interrupting her from my still-existent disbelief, "-in the year 1851."

I wish I could provide some kind of verb, adjective, noun, any kind of word to describe the silence that penetrated the room, but there simply isn't anything I could give to describe it.

"Rick..." Sam's tone is derisive and pensive. "Has that sunburn of yours gone to your head?"

I roll my eyes. "No. We are not in a hospital, we are in a tent being inhabited by two people: a father and his daughter. They have been nursing us."