Exiting the safety of the tunnel, Lily and Sam saw the volcano’s old cinder cone looming up ahead. That’s where they needed to be, to find the Elder Blue Monkeys. Lily and Sam didn’t have that far to go on the volcanic rock path. But they were unprotected, out in the open. They hustled up the hill as fast as they could, slipping and sliding sideways on the slippery rocks. There was no one else in sight, but off in the distance Lily could hear nasty howling sounds, which could be the insane dogs or just the sound of evil itself.
Lily looked down at her shaking hands and quickly tried to hide them from Sam. She didn’t want him to know she was scared out of her wits. She didn’t even want to admit it to herself, at least out loud, making it real by putting a voice to it. Lily knew she was way beyond simple panic attacks. The constant tightening in her chest was a reminder of the dangers around them, any one of which freaked her out. The ground might turn into a sea of boiling lava. Mort or his henchmen might re-appear and attack. She and Sam might be too late to save the Time Portal and the world will be destroyed.
Sam must know the truth—that the deck is stacked against us. But so what—even if it’s the truth—Sam will never accept defeat. Neither will I. Lily remembered her father saying “confidence is a state of mind you need to hang onto while looking for a solution.” She wondered what he would say to her now. It would probably be something about the need to lie to yourself about danger so you can conquer your fears.
Taking a deep breath, Lily said, “We’re getting out of this alive.”
“Of course we are, Lily. But why are you talking out loud?” Sam asked.
Lily tried to sound casual. “Sometimes I like to hear myself talk. So I talk to myself. Sometimes I just do that…it’s my OCD thing. You know, I’m obsessive about being compulsive about being brave. It makes me feel better to hear my voice telling me everything is going to be okay….”
Then Sam threw his head back and barked loudly, in three long rhythmic stanzas. Lowering his head back down, Sam looked over at Lily. “Even though I can’t speak out loud, I also can tell the world I am not afraid of anything,” Sam said, his collar now glowing a soft green.
“You’ve got me convinced,” Lily laughed a bit nervously, while thinking to herself: Now who’s telling the biggest lie?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Really terrific tension in this one! You put us in Lily's body, make us feel her fear. And you put us inside her mind, showing us exactly how she making herself more frightened, and how she's trying not to. Nice humor in this one as well. Terrific job!
ReplyDelete