47. At the Edge of the Horizon
"Are we close yet? It is roasting out here," I complained to Sean. "It should be just over the next hill," he enthusiastically told me. Sean has said that 3 times already, and it was hotter than hot out here. I was enough of a fool to let him drag me miles out in the badlands. There was hardly much out here only sheer rock and a few scraggily bushes. He didn't even tell me what we were out here for. I chugged down some more water to replenish the sweat pooling on my face.
"Dude if you don't slow down. You are gonna pass out, and I am gonna vom. And if you think I am gonna drag your sorry butt around you got another thing coming," I reprimanded him. "Fine, but I could swear it is so close," Sean begrudgingly agreed to my demands. We took a seat on a nearby rock or a breather. "So what kind of place is this supposed to be? It isn't going to be something stupid is it?" I asked him a little worried about us being in the middle of the desert. He never answered me. Instead, he shot up and started staring at something out in the distance. "Is that somebody out there?" He asked avoiding my question. I got up as well and squinted into the rocks. "I don't see anything." "It's just over there," he said pointing to the top of a hill. There was something up there, but no more than a blob of a shadow. "That ain't anything," I assured him. "Nah, it is. Let's go see what it is," Sean sprung at me. I decided to go along. Even if it was nothing. It would be a good spot to find what we were looking for in the first place.
It took a lot more effort than I bargained for, but we made it to the top. Strangely, enough there was nothing up there large enough to cause the shadow. Not even large boulders. I passed it off as nothing, but Sean wouldn't. "HELLO!" He called out across the desert. Sure enough there was not a sound in response. Nothing but the blaring sun. "Hey, I see it out there, and that figure is out there too," he said as he pointed at a strip of black out on the desert. I was just a bit unnerved that the strange blob of a shadow was out there between us and whatever that thing we were heading to. I don't know how, but that odd shadow kept just out of reach. If only I could get a little closer I could tell what it was, but it just stood out there. As we went on, I felt as though it was watching us from the distance. "What do you suppose that thing out there could be?" I had to ask Sean. "Nothing much you have to be worrying about," he eerily responded.
"What do you mean by that?" I continued questioning. "Only that you could drive us out of here if we need to. You brought us out here after all," Sean's answers were becoming more and more worrisome. "Drive? I didn't drive us out here, and even if I did how far away is it?" I shot at him. I could tell he was getting a little worried too. "Are you sure? I surely didn't take us out here, but I'm sure we can get back, when we get there," he half worriedly said. "Sean where are we going?" I half shouted at him. "I don't remember ok! I just remember it was someplace cool," Sean angrily told me. I looked up at the sky and started wondering, as the tough dry ground patted against my shoes. "How long have we been out here?" I asked again. "Geez, man. All with the questions today. We just started from before that other hill right?" Sean half questioning himself. "I know we crossed at least 3 hills already. I'm having a hard time remembering before that," I explained. Sean was deeply quiet for a while.
I had to break the silence it was bothering me too much. "Sean, I think there is something wrong. Neither of us can remember much of today." "Oh, come on. I remember loads of things. Like I remember telling you about some place out here," Sean said filling back up with confidence. "Oh, yeah? What's my name?" I asked Sean. "I remember your name. It's.... it's. Well I remember my name is Sean," he tried covering up the issue. "Sean? Now I'm really scared. We don't know how we got here. You don't even remember who I am," I started panicking. "Don't worry. We just have to get to that cool place just over the next hill," Sean said trying to ease me up. I could almost see that strange shadow out in the distance almost too far to see. I felt like I've seen it before. "Are we close yet? It is roasting out here," I complained to Sean. "It should be just over the next hill," he enthusiastically told me. Sean has said that 3 times already.