The Nibiru Effect

Memory 80

The irony of the situation isn't lost on me. No sooner did I accept my destiny than fate chose to intervene. Now here I am, inexorably sinking deeper and deeper into a pool of quicksand.

I've seen enough movies to know the worst possible thing I can do is struggle. Unfortunately, panic has gained me, and that's precisely what I do. I claw at the edges of the pool in a desperate attempt to free myself, but every lunge, every kick, every movement, no matter how small, quickens the sinking process.

It takes a while, but I manage to calm myself. The sinking slows but persists. I close my eyes and take a few deep breaths. Once my heartbeats have slowed to a relatively normal rhythm, I open my eyes and study my surroundings.

The pool is small. From the looks of it, it's no more than two metres in diameter. Unfortunately, I'm smack dab in the middle of it, which means reaching the edges is impossible. As worrisome as this is, what frightens me the most is the fact this sandpit should not be here. I travelled across this very patch of earth twice before. Once on my way to Avalon's tower and once on my way back. Jonn and Arko also trudged across it, and neither of them sank. That means the sinkhole that caused this natural trap formed quite recently.

I think back to my conversation with my older self and comprehension dawns on me. Shortly after the older Will appeared, the ground shook. At the time I didn't pay much attention to it, but now I regret my obliviousness. Had I been more attentive, I may have noticed the ground behind my older self giving out and filling with sand. Unfortunately, I didn't, and now I'm paying the price.

As I float there, trying to make myself as light as a feather, I can't help wondering if the tremor that led to my current predicament had anything to do with Avalon's story. What if the Nibiran energy contained within the Mountain of Fire is reaching critical mass? What if the long-dormant volcano is preparing to erupt? I guess it doesn't matter because I'm going to die long before that happens. Or am I?

I think about what Will 2.0 said, and I realize something.

I can't die.

If I die, my older self will die along with me, thus keeping him from returning to the past—my present—to warn me of impending dangers. Since he did, in fact, return, it means I somehow survive this seemingly deadly natural trap.

I'm no longer afraid. Nor am I worried. In fact, I'm smiling. And I continue to beam as centimetre after centimetre of my body is swallowed up. It's not until the sand reaches my shoulders that I start having doubts.

What if I'm wrong? What if no one saves me? What if this is what my older self warned me about? I think back to everything I learned about time travel and I realize the future—or the past, depending on how you look at it—is not set in stone. If it were, Avalon wouldn't be going to such extents to change it. I suddenly realize my entire theory is utterly unsound.

I can die. In fact, I probably will. That's my final thought before the sand reaches my mouth. Tilting my head back, I inhale deeply. I barely have time to close my eyes before my entire head sinks beneath the surface. In a final, desperate attempt at survival, I outstretch my hands. If someone is going to save me, now would be a great time.

I'm not sure how long I'm trapped in this sand coffin, but it feels like an eternity. The sand presses against my body, making it impossible for me to move. It also blocks out all light, leaving me in pitch darkness. My air supply quickly runs out, and it feels like my lungs are going to explode. I try to exhale, but the sand won't let me. It has now reached my elbow. A few more seconds and it will arrive at my wrists. When that happens, all hope of rescue will—

I stop mid-thought. Something just brushed against my arm. I'm not sure what it is, but it feels like a rope. I desperately start fumbling around, but there's no sign of whatever it is that slithered across my skin. I begin to wonder if perhaps I imagined it when it happens again. This time the rope lands squarely in my palm.

I clamp my fingers around the cord and squeeze. Moments later, the rope is pulled taught. I grasp it with my free hand just as whoever threw it starts pulling. It takes a while, but I slowly start rising. I'm just about to run out of air when my head breaks the surface.

I inhale deeply. It feels heavenly. Eyes still closed to keep from being blinded by the cloud of sand that envelops me, I hold on to the rope for dear life as more and more of my body is pulled free. I eventually reach the edge of the pool and multiple pairs of small hands grab hold of me. They pull and drag me to safety.

As I lay there, struggling to recover from my near-death experience, a thought floats around in my mind. Is this what my older self meant by "help will come when you least expect it?" I honestly don't know. Nor do I much care at the moment. I'm alive, and that's all that matters.

It takes a while, but I finally find the strength to sit. My eyes flutter open, and I find myself face to face with one of my saviours. He's a lava korrigan. But that's not what lures the stunned gasp from my mouth.

"Oh my god!" I yelp."Korri!"