A Short story; no chapters.

Mirage

Banto and his twin sister, Lyra waited patiently in the small kitchen of their home, a hand-made hut in the middle of the Sunfire desert built by their father, who had passed away when the twins were only toddlers. 

Their mother, at the moment, was preparing a meal for the three of them. 

It was their average day, but the air was tense, like a bomb waiting to go off. 

Banto heard a faint, humming sound and instinctively peeked out the curtain to see a massive floating ship with Crimson masts with white crossed sword emblems painted onto them. It seemed like they were only passing by, until they slowed to a stop in front of the oasis.

“Pirates!” Lyra exclaimed.

Her suspicions were confirmed as the captain exited the hovership followed by armed bodyguards. The way he walked meant he was not here to make friends.

Selene appeared at their sides and peered out the opening. “What is going on?” she questioned.

“We are about to find out,” Banto answered.

Selene gazed over at the captain and her eyes went wide with understanding.

“You’re long overdue, woman!” The captain was less than a dune away from them.

Selene turned to her children. “Kids, I need you to go inside; hide in the cellar.”

“And leave you here to be killed by pirates?” Banto argued. A stubborn, but acceptable choice.

Selene knew she couldn’t argue back. “Perhaps we settle this inside?” she proposed.

“Whatever gets this over with sooner,” the captain grunted.

He followed them in and took a seat at the table, looking around in disapproval. “You call this a house?” 

“A home,” Selene corrected. “At least give us some privacy,” she added quietly to the twins.

They obediently left for the living room. They patiently sat down and waited for the argument to end.

Soon enough, the captain’s barking voice came near. “One week! You hear me? One!”

And with that he was gone.

Lyra and Banto started over to their mother to offer comfort, when a small metallic object whizzed past Banto and hit a wall. He immediately knew what it was.

“Lyra, no!” he screamed, but it was too late. It exploded, setting the house aflame, destroying their precious memories, sparing Banto, but knocking him out.

Banto and Lyra were determined as ever, setting their fears aside.

Their father had gifted Selene an enchantment: as long as Selene lived, the oasis would never dry, which was why their home was built in the location. After the bomb incident, the oasis had drained into the sand; the enchantment was broken.

“We need to find water,” Lyra observed, as if it wasn’t the most obvious objective known to mankind. “How much is in your pouch, Banto?”

“No more than a few drops,” he answered. “You?”

“It is less than half full,” she replied.

“Try not to drink much,” Banto said, “we have many more dunes to travel.”

“We must also move faster. We will die of thirst before we get to the Great Rock,” Lyra added.

The twins reached the top of a dune.

Banto blocked the sun from his eyes and gazed into the distance. “Oasis!” he exclaimed.

Lyra narrowed her eyes. “So it is!”

Banto wiped the sweat from his face. “We will make a quick detour to get a drink and refill our pouches.”

“We will sleep tonight!”

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The two of them hurriedly slid down the dune toward the oasis.

“I will race you there!” Banto challenged.

“You lose every race!” Lyra bragged. She ran off.

“They are never fair!” Banto complained, then chased after her.

As they raced on, the oasis didn’t come nearer. Banto realized and slowed to a stop. “Lyra!” he shouted. “Do not be fooled!”

Lyra stopped mid-track and turned her head questioningly. “I do not understand!” she called back.

“It is a mirage!” Banto answered.

She turned back and rubbed her eyes and blinked hard “I see… the oasis is now gone.”

“Do not be discouraged, Lyra. The dune is right…” He turned around and his mouth closed slowly.

“We are lost, Banto.”

They stood in silence.

“Let us not waste any time, Banto. We can head westward from here. There is still hope.”

“You are right.”

So the twins resumed their trek toward the setting sun.

“What do you think they will tell us?” Lyra asked.

It had been two hours since the fateful mirage. The stars glimmered down at them while the moon illuminated the desert landscape.

“I do not know, Lyra.” Banto replied. “But is that not why we are in search of the Memory Stone? For Mother and Father’s wisdom?”

Lyra sighed. “I am tired, Banto. We must rest.”

“Not now, Lyra. We have almost arrived.”

“We are lost…” she groaned tiredly.

“You mustn't talk that way!” Banto ordered.

“We are… We… are lost.” Lyra fainted and fell to the sand.

Banto rushed to her side. “You can not do that, either!”

He examined his sister’s face. Her cheeks were flushed, her windswept hair was tangled, and her lips cracked.

“You must be dehydrated,” Banto muttered half to himself. He took the water pouch and pressed it to her lips. “Here. Drink.”

She slightly opened her eyes and submissively took a sip. Soon enough, they were out of water.

“Stand up, Lyra,” Banto urged calmly.

He helped his sister off the ground.

“I am better now, Banto. Thank you.”

A few dunes later, they saw it: the Great Rock. The giant red stone was the size of three basic huts with a pointed top and emitted a mysterious, ancient aura.

“Here we are, Lyra. This is what we came for.

They approached the Great Rock and examined the ancient carvings embedded in its side.

“Can you translate?” Banto requested.

Lyra answered, “Only those who carry a guiding spirit may open the chamber.”

Lyra slowly reached her arm out and fitted her palm in a handprint.

The markings began to glow emerald green and the stone began shifting as dust fell to the ground. But everything paused. No movement, no sound, nothing.

They waited expectantly, but the door wouldn’t budge. Banto kicked the sand furiously and walked away. “I do not understand! Why did the door stop? Come, Lyra. we must leave and find an oasis. Mother and Father have abandoned us.”

“Banto! You can not give up! This is our only hope. You will not find an oasis.”

“Well then, I’ll leave you to–”

Lyra turned around. The markings shone bright as the door scraped against the rough surface.

Lyra wasted no time marveling at the sight. She stepped into the chamber and took the green Memory Stone in her hand. A blinding flash of green as she stood motionless in the sand.

Banto blocked his eyes and waited for the tension to settle.

Silence.

The light slowly died out as the chamber closed. Lyra turned to her brother.

“What did Mother tell you, Lyra?”

“She said our only chance is to go to Cricket’s place. It is about seventy-five dunes north and we should arrive at our cousin’s home by morning.

“I will race you there! And I’ll win this time!” Banto said.

“Try me!” Lyra answered, and took after her brother.