Once upon an orbit of planet Fait, a playful young girl and her flustered yet resourceful single father must endure sickness, encounter exotic creatures, escape a predatory government, and outwit a wicked wizard to survive just one more day. Having...
When Nariah woke, it was still night, and her father was gently, yet urgently, shaking her shoulder. "Sweetie, up, up. We've got to play another game."
"Quick-Kick-Keep-Up again?" Nariah wiped the used-up, expelled sylva dust from the corners of her eyes as she sat up.
"Nope, different game. This one's called Jumpy-Jump-Don't-You-Dare-Don't-Fall." Nariah laughed. Well, that game sounded fun, she thought. Nariah looked and saw that their obelisk on which they rode was fast approaching another obelisk that was sideways stopped in their path.
"We're going to need to jump onto that next obelisk. You see that one, right there? Right when we bump into it, we need to 'jumpy-jump' at the same time and, most important of all, not fall off, okay?"
"Okay, but what if we do fall off?" Nariah noticed the river of blue lava swirling around the second obelisk. It was blue lava. On fire. It looked like death.
Rene gulped and replied, "We lose ten points."
"Oh, well, ten points is not so much." The blue fire around them churned and hissed louder.
Nariah and Rene looked back at each other. She bit her lip, furled her brow.
"Yes, Nariah, yes, it is. Ten points is most definitely a big deal. We can not fall off, we can not go into the flaming blue lava, neither one of us."
"Because why?" Nariah asked, her eyes wide, worried. "Big hurt so big no bouncing back?"
All at once she was looking very scared, and Rene had to assure her. "Don't think about big hurt, think about, uh, math. It's just simple math is all. We'll never be able to get enough points to win the game if we lose ten points now at Round 1, okay? Are you with me, daughter?"
"Woot," Nariah cheered.
"We going to win this, daughter?" Rene flailed his arms out in a goofy expectant gesture.
"Woot-zoo-boot," Nariah did a wacky pose with her tongue out the side of her mouth.
"Like we won Quick-Kick-Keep-Up and totally reigned victorious?"
"Boot-zoo-woot," Nariah struck another pose with her tongue out the other side of her mouth.
"All right," Rene took a deep breath. "You ready?"
"I'm ready," Nariah said, taking a deep breath like her father did. "Let's beat this, Daddy. You and me. And remember, do not go into the flaming blue lava."
Rene gulped. "Exactly. I won't. And you don't, either." Her father took her hand. "Three, two, one... jumpy-jump!"
Their obelisk smashed into the end of the second obelisk and they jumped at the same time and touched down on the second obelisk.
"Yay! Ten points!" Nariah said and began jumping up and down atop the second obelisk. At her rapid, repeated jumping, the obelisk started to rotate beneath their feet. Rene went, "Whoaaa," and balanced himself, leaning far back. The burning blue lava river beneath them popped three bubbles, the stench of sulfur so dizzying.
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