Questmyre

by HaaJar Johnson

  “Oh, thank you…” Robin whimpered. She kept her eyes shut but sighed in relief; happy to have that particular torture end.

  “It’s okay Robin! It’s okay, I’m here…” Roami held Robin’s limp body in his arms and rocked her back and forth. They both knelt on the ground near the large flower which was quickly withering into dust. Within seconds it was nothing more than silver dirt which blew in the wind. Each speck held a seedling which would spread across the ground and create ever more of the same flower.

  Roami saw this and frowned, “Stupid Sad Sally Flowers…I’ve never understood why they even exist…” He muttered to himself then looked down at Robin who still lay in the crux of his arms with her eyes shut and her cheeks glistening wet with tears.

  “It’s okay, you’re safe. You can open your eyes now Robin.” He said softly while wiping the tears from her face with his hand.

  Robin sniffled and opened her brown eyes to look up at Roami. She swallowed hard and shuttered as she forced herself to breathe in deeply. She felt lightheaded and as if she were floating. His arms around her seemed to help her to stay grounded.

  “What happened?” She asked as she stood up and moved out of his embrace a bit defensively. Her arms made their way around her middle as she hugged herself where he once had.

  “You found a Sad Sally Flower. That’s what they are called here in Source One. They hypnotize you and show you all the sadness in your life. My Bearer says they were created to help purify people of their old sadness but I never truly understood the need for them. It seems like they just make things worse...”

  He looked at her swollen eyes and wet cheeks and grimaced at the thought of the pain she had just gone through. “I should have been here for you. I was so busy speaking to my parents, I did not realize what-“

  Before he could blame himself Robin shook her head and said, “No, it’s my fault. I started…exploring and at first it was fine. I saw those blue bushes and they started cracking jokes and-”

  Roami glanced at the blue bushes and said, “Yes, those are Wildo Bushes. They collect the funniest jokes from all the worlds and whisper them to keep travelers entertained. They are pretty harmless.” He said.

  “Yes, they were fun but…that flower…” Robin looked a bit traumatized. “I tried so hard to forget so much…but it brought it all back and…” She looked down at her feet.

  “I’m so sorry Robin. I know that must have been horrible for you. We can only hope that what my Bearer says about the Sad Sally’s effects is true…that maybe it helped purge you of some of your old sadness…” Roami sighed heavily as if he too held part of Robin’s pain in an effort to unburden his new friend.

  Needing to change the subject, Robin wiped away the last vestiges of her tears and said, “So, um… what happened with your parents?”

  Roami cleared his throat, “Yes, I told them about you and everything… While they are angry with me for messing with the order of things, they have no ill feelings towards you. They say they will gladly accept you into our home during your stay here in Source One.” Roami walked back towards the Nommo tree and sat down near the base its purple trunk on a mound of tiny sky blue rocks which appeared to encircle the tree.

  Robin returned to Roami’s side quickly, still feeling a bit uneasy after her ordeal with the Sad Sally. While she stood over Roami near the tree trunk she could not help but look at a few other strange organisms near the base of the tree.

  There were odd red and yellow striped heart shaped mushrooms that emitted a beautiful harp-like sound. The sound was so soft she would need to put her head to the ground in order to hear it properly.

  After her last experience Robin had no desire to do so. She let the mushrooms’ song forever remain a mystery. Near the mushrooms were a few pink colored berries that were translucent and had green juice swirling within their circular encasements. They reminded her of her favorite starburst candies and she had to stop herself from popping one into her mouth.

  “Remember, this is not New York City, or even Earth. Those berries could be dangerous.” She whispered to herself.

  Robin returned her focus to Roami, “Great, I can’t wait to see your parents and your people. Now will you answer my question now? Are all the people of your tribe, blue like you?” She asked as she sat down cross-legged on the sky blue ground besides Roami.

  Sighing and leaning against the Nommo trunk. Roami glanced over at Robin and finally answered her question. “You definitely are obsessed about color. It must be very important on Earth, I suppose... Well, in answer to your question, my people are not all blue like me. We come in every color ever created and we even get some new colors here and there.”

  When Roami heard Robin’s gasp of surprise he continued on, “In my village… my village is called Ryt by the way. Well, in my village we Tinktus are all born without color. And by that I mean we are the color of... of a space where all color has been sucked out. We are like... your hair, the color of your hair...” He said excitedly when he found an example they both could understand.

  Robin ran a hand over her braids, her hand stopping on the shock of hair she had dyed purple during one of her more rebellious periods, “Purple?” She asked in shock.

  Roami laughed, “No. Black.” He laughed again when he noticed the shocked expression on her face.

  Continuing, he said “Yes. You see, we are all born that color so that there is no difference between us and we can see each other for what is on the inside. We play together, we learn together and there is no difference that our eyes may see, which could turn us against one another or make it hard to see the person beneath... you understand?” He asked, looking at her with his penetrating golden eyes.

  “Yeah, go on. I mean… Continue please.” She prodded.

  “Well... uh... that is the way it is until our ‘Going On’ ceremony. This ceremony usually occurs after nine cycles of the planet Pur. At that time we are old enough to decide what color we feel fits our personality and also, how we want the world to view us.

  On my ‘Going On’ day, I thought about which color I would pick, for the longest time and I... well, I had always been interested in the House of Intrigues. I had heard all the stories about Earth, from people who had left it naturally and came into Source One. One of the things I loved the most about it was the night sky and I realized I would love to be that mysterious deep blue color. And that is why you see me as I am today.” Roami smiled at Robin.

  “Wow. That’s… without a doubt…the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard…” Robin said staring at him as if he had completely lost his mind.

  Roami looked perplexed and somewhat hurt by Robin’s abrupt words. “Huh? What do you mean by that?” he asked.

  “Exactly what I said! I think that was a really stupid choice. I mean… you seriously just threw a great opportunity down the drain. So, is there any way to change your color after you’ve set it? Sort of like an in-store return?” Robin looked both confused and angry. She did not look directly at Roami but stared at her feet while she spoke to him.

  Roami however, glared straight at Robin, “How dare you!” he asked with a hurt expression.

  “I dare because I can! It’s stupid; plain stupid. I can say how I feel.” Robin said with conviction. She once again turned defensive, opting for a pre-emptive attack rather than be anyone’s victim.

  Roami fumed and brought his face to hers and spoke slowly, “Take it back Robin.”

  “No.” Robin said incredulously and stood up to walk around the circumference of the Nommo tree. She was a native New Yorker; an inner city kid. If he thought she was going to back down, she was about to school him on a couple of things.

  Roami followed her with an exasperated look on his face. “You know you’re totally ungrateful. I can’t believe-” He began to dive into a full blown tirade, but she cut him off.

  Turning to face him, she marched towards him, “I’m ungrateful? Me?! You are the one who is ungrateful and didn’t see a blessing whe
n you had it right in your hands!” She was so angry she was near to crying right there in front of him. She, Robin; the girl who never let anyone have the satisfaction of seeing her cry, had done so too many times in front of this particular boy. She was not about to let it happen again if she could help it.

  Seeing her eyes glisten as tears began to form, Roami decided to back down and let her win this one.

  “Robin… Please, I don’t want to fight with you. Tell me... What is really the matter?” he asked softly.

  “I am... sorry Roami. That was wrong. I shouldn’t have said that… the problem is that you and your people are given such a wonderful gift; the ability to change your color and then you just threw it all away and it just makes me so angry because I know that… if I had been given that opportunity I would cherish it. I would have made the right decision...” She said sadly.

  Roami was confused by Robin’s admission. “I honestly don’t understand Robin… What is it you think I did wrong and what would have been the right decision?” he asked softly. His hands itched to take her in his arms and hug away all the sadness he saw within her. He fought the urge knowing that such an action would definitely scare her away.

  Glaring at Roami again Robin looked at him as if he were absolutely insane, “You threw it away because you had the choice of any color. Any color! You could have had it all and yet you picked such a dark, dreary color. If I had a choice I would have been…light… I would have been…white...” Robin closed her eyes and sighed blissfully at the thought.

  Now Roami stared at Robin as if she had lost her mind. “White? There’s nothing wrong with white… but out of the whole rainbow spectrum… why would that color have been the right one to pick?” He asked gently.

  Sucking her teeth, Robin opened her eyes and stared at Roami. “If not white, I would have been a nice light color... a beautiful pastel or something. Then, maybe the world would love me; would smile at me when I walked by and my life would be so much lighter and brighter and... just… good.” Robin looked delighted by the thought and Roami grew even more confused by her odd logic.

  Upset by Roami’s inability to see why his choice had been the wrong one, Robin placed her head against the trunk of the tree as if the sight of him was too much to bear at the moment.

  “I just wish that... sometimes I just wish that--” Robin grew quiet as if making a soulful wish.

  “Oh no!” Roami had been so intent on their conversation he had not been paying any attention to their surroundings. To his dismay, he now realized that clouds of dark blue mists had been steadily circling them for some time unnoticed. It had grown so thick they could barely see the sky or even the rest of the forest clearly.

  Grabbing Robin’s shoulder, Roami yelled, “Stop it Robin! You must be careful of your words and your wishes, I told you-”

  Before he could finish his sentence it was, without a doubt…

  Too late.

  CHAPTER 5

  Robin opened her eyes and was about to tell Roami he could not give her orders. He was not her boss and she had some pretty creative ideas about what he could do with his commands... Before she could even form the words in her head she saw that she had; indeed made a huge mistake.

  The trees that surrounded them were slowly disintegrating, turning into just swirls of color. It was as if they had been nothing more than water-colored drawings someone just doused with a bucket of water. An odd crunching and crumbling sound blared so loud it seemed to shake Robin’s very insides. It was the sound of a world breaking apart and collapsing in on itself, or so she surmised.

  The sky too, was changing from green into a deep reddish brown and the blue grass was rapidly flooding with cool salty smelling sea water. Gallons of gray, murky liquid poured in from some invisible source and began to cover their feet, their legs and eventually reached just below their chins. Mere seconds later the ground beneath them disappeared altogether.

  “Roami! Oh no! Roami what’s happening?!” Robin screamed and began to grab at both him and the Nommo trunk for support as the ground fell away and left them floating in a watery abyss. What little trees that were left quickly sunk beneath the water’s surface with apocalyptic speed. Her fear was so intense; Robin had no idea how to react to the incredible events transpiring in real-time around her.

  “Oh no...” Was all Roami could say as he too fought to find something to clasp on to for support. The two teens thrashed around frantically and were soon completely drenched from head to toe. Robin’s sneakers and jeans were soaked and their weight seemed to drag her down with each passing second.

  Mere moments later, the changing environment stilled and they found themselves suspended in a foreign water world. The only thing that remained familiar was the huge Nommo tree. They grasped onto its purple trunk as if their lives depended on it. Both ignored its rough texture and errant splinters as the tree was their only support at the moment.

  Other than that all they could see was dark red sky above and miles of gray sea spreading far into the distance. Water surrounded them for what appeared to be eternities.

  “Roami... please... tell me I didn’t just do what I think I did…” Robin hugged at the tree trunk and let her head fall limply against it as she sighed and shivered in fear.

  Roami looked at her to determine her emotional state. He could not be sure if it was sea water or tears that fell unbidden down her cheeks. Given what he already knew about the tough New York City girl he assumed it was the former.

  He fought to find the right words to help her calm down even though he himself was just seconds from losing his own composure. Nothing like this had ever happened directly to him. Roami could only hope they would be able to meet this challenge victoriously or at the very least; alive. He breathed in slowly and deeply to compose himself. Taking yet another moment, he cleared his throat to ensure his voice was strong and would not crack when he spoke to her.

  “Do not worry. It is not your fault. We both did this... It is my fault as well. We will find a way out of this world if we just work together, use our brains and be patient.” He said as he tried his best to stay afloat.

  “But Roami... you don’t understand.” Robin said with terror in her voice. “There is water all around us and I can’t... I’ve never had the chance to learn… I mean… I can’t… swim.”

  Roami now stared at her with open fear in his eyes. “Oh, please don’t say that Robin. You can swim… I mean, you have to know how to swim!” He said with force; as if by saying it adamantly, it would become fact. He knew without a doubt that there were large bodies of water on Earth. In fact, the planet was comprised mostly of that particular element… How on Earth could she not know how to swim? Roami could not help but wonder about this. Knowing they were currently in dire straits he decided not to worry about the how or play the blame game at a time like this. They had to figure out the best way out of this situation and fast.

  “No. I can’t! I can’t!” She screamed emphatically while pushing her wet braids back from her face and gulping down air in an effort to calm herself down. Robin’s voice was filled with intense fear. Her hands grabbed desperately at the Nommo trunk and she saw they were beginning to bleed slightly as they scraped against the rough purple wood.

  “Stop it! Just stop it. Do not panic. You can do anything you want to. You can swim, I promise you.” Roami said as he moved closer to her. He used his body to push her up against the tree trunk to ensure she would have the added support she needed.

  “Thank you…” Robin said breathlessly. She huddled against the tree trunk in a near fetal position while trying to control her breathing. Her supple lips pursed as she took long, deep breaths to calm herself.

  Roami’s broad shoulders at her back and the strong beating of his heart helped her get her emotions in check. She turned a little to look up at her new friend. His blue face was drenched and his curly black hair lay plastered to his angular face. She was amazed at how quickly she had gotten used to his seemingly odd ph
ysique. In fact, she marveled how she could have thought his blue skin was bizarre. Looking up at Roami, she wondered if she had ever seen anything more beautiful. Or more controlled. He did not seem to be freaking out half as much as she was. If he could handle this then so would she, Robin forcefully told herself.

  The water which had at first felt slightly cool was now becoming uncomfortably cold. Robin looked at her pruned fingers and shivered in Roami’s embrace. She did not voice the obvious; that they would die of hyperthermia if they did not quickly figure a way out of their predicament. She was sure he was thinking the same thing from the look of gloom on his face.

  “Robin, look at me…” he waited until she did just that then continued, “I won’t let anything happen to you. I promise. We’re in this together and together we’ll figure a way out of here. Now… we must remember what was said and thought before we were sucked into this world. It could hold our clue to this world’s riddle.” He said as he searched his brain for what they had said and what significance it may have on their current situation.

  Robin wracked her brain, what should have been a simple request seemed harder under their current duress. She was an inner-city teen who like so many others had never had the chance or need to learn how to swim. Now, through an odd twist of fate, she was now suspended in a water world on some godforsaken planet. How could anyone problem-solve while under such unreal circumstances, she wondered frantically.