I’m dying.
“What!” Mina shouted. Or kind of shouted. It was louder but is it fair to call her telepathy a shout?
I didn’t mean that literally Mina I am just not used to walking with this much stuff on me. I was kind of a wimp. My brothers could easily handle this. Heck even my sisters could. Considering my youngest sis was only eleven, I felt a bit embarrassed by that. I was her big brother after all.
The only thing I was really good at was drawing. Which wasn’t exactly anything to brag about. The cliche is a starving artist for a reason after all.
“Should we take a break?” Mina asked.
No, I thought. If I stopped I was going to have trouble starting back up and we were near a hillside. Once up there we would hopefully have a much greater understanding of the local topography. After that we could make a more informed decision.
Part of me knew I was being dumb. Working past your limits wasn’t a good idea in this situation but I didn’t care. I cared more about the information. The fleeting hope that on the other side of that hill was going to be a town and I would make it there, get a phone and all this would be over.
It was a naive hope, but it was mine.
As I was leaning against a tree, I couldn’t help but notice how everything was just wrong. I didn’t recognize any of the flora. It was green but what should have been American beak grain grass was less smooth than it should have been. The red columbine had a more jagged point like a paradise.
I wasn’t a plant expert by any means. I only know some of the stuff my dad told me. I also remembered formal names more since it made it easier to look up references for drawing but I just couldn’t help but conclude that this was one heck of a red flag. All the moral reason I wanted to reach the top of the hill.
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My body was drenched in sweat, my feet hurt and my breath was ragged but I did it. Looking down, I saw the glow of flames. Campfires! Yes! Humans.
“Wait! Theodore,” Mina said. “You need rest. Allow me to go in your place. I am a detective after all.”
I was struggling to breathe. I could hardly fault her. “Okay. Be careful.”
“I know. It seems we are hardly in Kansas anymore.”
My eyes shot open. That’s right. I looked around. Hills and mountains could be seen to the north. Kansas was known for its flatness. I guess I didn’t notice before because of the forest. I clenched my firsts and tried to steady my breathing. I can’t panic. It is too early to panic, I told myself. I could just be in another state.
Mina ran off and I silently wished her luck as I collapsed into the ground. Then the tears filled my eyes at what I saw. Moonlight.
More than just any moonlight though. Three different shades of it. A large red one that was full. A smaller blue one that was a crescent and finally a yellow one that was gibbous. Can’t fake that. Can’t see that in just another state. Only two options remained. Either I wasn’t on Earth anymore or I was officially losing my mind.
I couldn’t actually tell you which I preferred to be the truth. In either case, the ultimate conclusion was incredibly depressing. If there was any sort of redeeming factor to all this. It was the mix of light among the clouds. So beautiful, especially with the slowly darkening skies as the sun dropped further beyond the horizon.
I wanted to draw it, but my muscle fatigue stopped me. Probably for the best, the only thing I had to draw on was the special book and last time I drew on it, the thing I drew came out of it. A moon coming out of it sounded like a nightmare scenario. Though maybe it would be a moon the size of a baseball. Not worth the risk.
Mom, I thought. I tried to remember the last time I saw her. Everything was so fuzzy still but I remember it was autumn. She was taking my brother’s to their game. I was the only one that didn’t go. Sports weren’t really my thing. I was home alone. I remembered I wanted to draw something.
Then I was here. How long has it been since then? Were you worried about me? I am sorry mom.