Timeless

Chapter Nine

     I am catapulted against the firm ground, not even a mere second after I first touched the portal. To my surprise, I spit out sand from my mouth and gag at the displeasing taste. I lift myself off the terrain and surmise that I am in the desert. The dry ground seems to be endless, while both the sand and sun emit a scorching feeling to my body and feet. Sweat leaks down from my forehead and I need a drink of water to quench my thirst. However, there is most likely no time for these things, although they appear necessary to my staying alive right now. I am on a mission for not just myself, but for others as well. I will need to make selfless, well-thought-out, and beneficial decisions. Water doesn't seem to make the cut.

"What just happened?" Daisy questions. "How did I end up in this horrific place?"

"Zelda brought us here, remember?" I respond. I pray that she does not have another outburst, for I do not currently have the zapping gadget Zelda did.

"Uh, I really hate that woman. I thought it was another dream anyway..." Her voice fades away. I lock up my interest in what she is referring to, although the words are already forming in my mouth. I really have to fight to keep them from fleeing.

Young Daisy looks much better from the last time I saw her, right before we jumped in. The sparkle in her face is back again, and she scans the setting with thoughts of adventure visible in her eyes. It sends me waves of consolation, which I gratefully absorb.

"Let's start walking around and try to find something that seems important," I suggest. Hopefully, it will get my mind off of my parched throat.

"We don't even know what to look for! This is the most pointless and stupid thing in the world!" Daisy spits out.

"Would you rather be here or at home right now?" I blurt out, but immediately regret the question. I should know better than to bring up her home situation. There's a difference between asking for reasonable requests and completely knocking down the boundaries. Of course, Daisy does not answer, and I am somewhat relieved by this.

The three of us begin to meander about the desert, uncertain of the confidential information it holds. I begin to lose hope, for everything just seems meaningless. However, I do not stop. The three of us continue to search throughout the desert, walking until our feet feel like they will pop off of our legs and shrivel away. The passion I feel is sufficient to keep me going. On the contrary, the same thing does not apply to the other Daisies.

"I'm so... tired. I can't... even walk... another step," youthful Daisy pants, sounding like a sick dog.

"I give up!" the other Daisy shrieks. "I'm not doing this. I don't know about you two, but I'm getting some water." With that, she twirls around and limps away.

"Wait!" I call after her. "You don't understand how important this is!" It is of no use, for Daisy is already out of earshot.

I turn to face the young girl and pray that she will not relinquish as well. "Daisy, you're still in this with me, right?" I beseech.

She licks her withered lips and forms what I hope is a wrinkly, imperfect smile. "Of course! Let's go over there, to those cactuses. I'm not sure what, but there's just something about them that seems noteworthy. Come on!" she gesticulates. For a moment, I forget about the other Daisy, unaware of the consequences this can cause.

We head over to the prickly vegetation and discover two boulders adjacent to them. They just seemed to appear out of thin air. I slowly move my palm toward the structure until I can feel the rough, scratchy surface of the rock. It is real.

Daisy just giggles, takes off her shiny magenta and violet sneakers, and begins climbing the enormous obstacle.

"Daisy!" I yelp. "You'll get hurt!"