A Strange Encounter in the Lost Desert

     She found none.

     Anuya wanted to cry. Her delicate paws hurt from walking on the hot, rough sand. How had she ended up like this? She thought about her morning.

     Anuya had woken up exceptionally early, excited and ready for adventure. It was the weekend, which meant it was time for her weekly excursion to explore different areas around Sakhmet. She never ventured too far, as the weather in the desert was harsh and unforgiving.

     This morning, however, had been different. The weather in the morning had been unusually mild, so Anuya had decided to make the long trek from Sakhmet to Qasala. She would pass Coltzan’s Shrine along the way, as well as Sutek’s Tomb.

     Not long after passing Coltzan’s Shrine, the mild weather had turned for the worse, and strong gales had caught Anuya by surprise. Tiny grains of sand pelted her, and formed a large, looming cloud. Before she knew it, a massive sandstorm had formed. With no shelter in sight, Anuya had no choice but to simply cover her face with her headdress and crouch down until it passed. When it was over, her surroundings had changed completely, and Anuya had lost her bearings.

     Now, the sun had come out, and shone with great vengeance. Anuya tried to stay calm. If she wanted to get back home to Sakhmet alive, she had to conserve her energy. She took deep breaths, until the lump in her throat subsided somewhat. Anuya looked around. Wherever she looked, everything looked the same. She had no idea which direction she had come from, and Coltzan’s Shrine was nowhere in sight to serve as a landmark. Anuya took more deep breaths and squinted into the horizon.

     “Oh!” Anuya exclaimed. She had spotted movement. Was she imagining it? The desert had a habit of playing with your senses. Anuya rubbed her eyes and looked again. It was indeed not a mirage.

     Anuya watched as the tiny speck snaked its way towards her. She had half a mind to run away, but she lacked the energy to attempt anything other than a slow walk. The speck grew larger and a soft breeze picked up. Anuya felt the grains tickling her ankles, and she feared yet another sandstorm. Anuya shook her head. This felt different.

     Straining her eyes, Anuya finally could make out what it was. She let out an astonished cry. It was…a Rock?

     The sand beneath her feet had disappeared, revealing parched earth beneath. The Rock was gliding towards her, leaving a trail along the dry, cracked ground. Anuya eyed the Rock with uncertainty, as it stopped right in front of her left paw.

     “Why are you here?” Anuya asked nervously. The Rock did not respond. The Desert Aisha stared at the Rock; the Rock stared at the Desert Aisha.

     Then, the Rock burped. A strange, shiny object fell out of the mouth of the Rock. Anuya stooped to pick it up and examine it. The object glimmered in the sun. It was some sort of a die. Twelve sides, Anuya counted. Strange symbols were etched into each face of the die.

     Dehydrated, lost and confused, Anuya’s frustration boiled over, and she tossed the die onto the dusty earth with the vestige of energy that she had left. She was exhausted. This could not be real; she must have been hallucinating.

     *RUMBLE*

     The ground shook violently, tearing Anuya from her thoughts. Anuya could barely sit up. With wide-eyed terror, Anuya watched as the cracks in the ground widened. A sharp peak emerged from the ground and rose higher and higher, until a pyramid obscured the harsh rays of the sun, casting a dark shadow over Anuya.

     Despite Anuya’s terror, the shade provided immediate relief. Anuya relished the cool air that now soothed her skin. The ground stopped shaking, and Anuya lay in the shade for a few moments before collecting herself to examine the latest mystery.

     Was this Sutek’s Tomb? No, it couldn’t be. Sutek’s Tomb was closer to Qasala, and Anuya believed she could not have gotten too far from Coltzan’s Shrine. Besides, Sutek’s Tomb was always filled with tourists and avatar seekers. She herself had gotten the avatar a very long time ago, and had never felt the need to visit again. This pyramid looked decidedly different.

     Anuya tentatively approached the pyramid. The entrance looked ominous. There was no door, yet Anuya could see absolutely nothing as she peered in. It was pitch black. Anuya stopped. What was she to do? She turned around and made eye contact with the Rock.

     “What do you suggest?” she mused. Again, the Rock did not respond. Its eyes darted to Anuya’s paws. Anuya followed its gaze. There, glinting in the sun, was the die. Anuya pulled the die out of the crack that it had gotten wedged in.

     “I’m lost in the Lost Desert”, Anuya sighed. “I guess I might as well explore.”

     Hesitantly, Anuya entered the mysterious pyramid. The darkness engulfed her the moment she stepped past the entrance. It felt as though the darkness was sucking up the sunlight from outside, as not even a hint of light seemed to stream in, despite there not being a door. Anuya waited for her eyes to adjust to the dark, but they did not.

     For what seemed like forever, Anuya stood, not knowing what to do next. She reached into her pocket and toyed with the die. The die felt warm. Puzzled, Anuya pulled the die out. Like a beacon, the die, now glowing brightly, lit up the interior of the pyramid. The strange symbols on the die were faintly visible on the pyramid walls.

     A bridge lay before Anuya. Tentatively, Anuya peered over the edge to see what was below. Despite the die’s brilliant glow, Anuya could only see darkness. Neither could Anuya make out what was at the end of the bridge, but it looked like there was yet another pyramid. How strange, she thought.

     The Desert Aisha stepped foot on the bridge. It was a suspended bridge, and it swayed slightly as she moved. She moved slowly across the bridge, careful not to rock the bridge too much.

     *CREAK*

     Suddenly, Anuya felt herself falling through the air. The sound of wind rushed by her ears. Her life flashed before her as she writhed in the air. She had lost her bearings. She did not know what was up or down. Then, at the last moment, Anuya caught herself and landed squarely on her feet. A surprised yelp escaped her lips, as the die bounced off her forehead.

     Anuya looked up. She could barely make out the bridge, and she spotted a broken plank. That explained why she had fallen. The walls were smooth. There was no way back up. Oh how she wished she had taken the opportunity during last year’s Faerie Festival to be painted Faerie—she would have had wings to fly back up. She wouldn’t even have needed the bridge, she thought mournfully.

     Sitting on the cold hard floor, Anuya examined the strange die. She remembered how she had thrown the die in frustration earlier, and how that seemed to have caused the pyramid to appear. What would it do now? Anuya took a deep breath, closed her eyes and rolled the die.

     Like before, the ground shook with a loud rumble. With her eyes still closed, Anuya felt pebbles pelting her face. Then, just as quickly as the rumbling had started, it stopped. The Aisha took a deep breath and opened her eyes.

     There, in front of her, was a golden door, shining brightly. The door frame was adorned with symbols, not unlike those on the mysterious die.

     Enthralled, Anuya stepped towards the die, clutching the die tightly in her paws. She reached out and brushed her right paw over the symbols on the door frame. With a soft click, the door glided open.

     Yet again, the Desert Aisha found herself stepping across the threshold of an unfamiliar space. As she entered the room, the darkness that had been swirling around her eased. It felt as though a weight she had not known she had been carrying was lifted off her shoulders. The chamber was filled with light. It looked as if the sunlight was streaming in from above, yet Anuya could not make out any windows. Anuya’s eyes traced the rays of light, until she spotted a tiny floating orb in the centre of the room.

     Anuya felt drawn towards the orb, as if she was being pulled towards it by an invisible string. Softly, she padded towards the orb. Mesmerised by the soft glow of the orb, Anuya reached towards it with both paws.

     *Clang*

     The die she had been holding fell towards the ground. A sharp hissing sounded in Anuya’s ears and she was violently pushed back from the orb.

     “What isss it that you ssseek?” A figure hissed.

     Still sprawled in the floor, Anuya stared in horror as a grotesque shadow swiftly glided towards her. Before she knew it, the shadow had coiled itself around her.

     It was a Dimensional Hissi.

     “I… I… I don’t know!” Anuya stammered, feeling the icy cold breath stinging her face.

     “I ssseee,” the Hissi hissed.

     “Then you mussst chooseeee.” The coil tightened around the Desert Aisha’s body.

     “Do you ssseek treasure, or knowledge or freedom?”

     Anuya gulped as the Hissi’s forked tongue tickled her ear.

     “You may choose one, and will have none of the otherss. Heed my warningsss,” the Hissi paused. “If you ssseek treasure, you will be bound to it. You will not know who you are.”

     With fear pulsating through her body, Anuya tried to regulate her breathing, with the intense grip the Hissi had on her.

     “If you want knowledge, the sssecretsss of life are in thisss pyramid. You will be one of them for all eternity, and your richesss are the wordsss.”

     Anuya winced, as the coil tightened even further.

     “If you pick freedom, the pyramid will ssset you free. You will remember nothing, and you will have nothing.”

     With a loud thud, Anuya slumped to the ground as the Dimensional Hissi released her.

     “Make your choice, or the die shall decide your fate,” the Hissi’s voice roared loudly. Anuya cowered in terror.

     Visions of riches flashed in her mind. Anuya had grown up with little. She thought of all the Things she would be able to afford. New furniture for her home, toys for her sister, her mother could retire…

     Anuya drew in a sharp breath as these visions were replaced with images of herself on a throne, with a rather haughty look. Servants were bowing to her. Anuya gasped, as she saw the face of one of the servants — it was her own mother! A chill went down her spine.

     Yet another vision filled her mind. This time it was a library, full of books with the strange symbols on her die. She could feel the hunger for adventure and uncovering secrets in her belly. Excitement filled her. As Anuya took a closer look, however, her excitement suddenly was replaced by dread. She had noticed two giant padlocks on the door, and a chain around her ankle.

     Before Anuya could cry out, there was yet another vision. She was at home. Her mother was in the kitchen, humming a cheerful tune. Wistful longing washed over Anuya. She would do anything to give her mother a hug now. Tears began to build, and Anuya saw that her house looked strangely bare.

     “Do you ssseek treasure, knowledge or freedom?” Anuya heard the hissing in her ears.

     “I choose freedom!” Anuya cried.

     “Ssso it shall be,” came the response.

     Everything went black.

     ***

     ***

     ***

     The sun was beating down relentlessly and beads of sweat were rolling down Anuya’s forehead. Her mouth felt like sandpaper, and she longed for a sip of water. Squinting into the distance, she hoped to see some form of shelter, or some form of relief.

     Anuya closed her eyes. She felt like something strange had just happened, but she could not figure out what it was. How strange.

     Anuya opened her eyes again, and spotted Coltzan’s Shrine in the distance. She heaved a sigh of relief. She had thought she had gotten lost, but with Coltzan’s Shrine serving as a landmark, she knew her way home.

     Two hours later, Anuya finally reached home. It was odd how quickly the day had passed. She had set out so early in the morning, made it to the shrine and gone back home. How could it be that the sun was already setting?

     Anuya reached into her pocket for her keys. Horrified, she felt a hole. Her keys! Her coins! She had brought along this month’s earnings as she had gotten paid the day before, and had forgotten to take it out. Now, it was all gone.

     “There you are, Anuya!” A warm voice welcomed her. Her mother threw her arms around her neck.

     “I had been so worried! Something evil was in the air, I could feel it!” Her mother sobbed.

     “What do you mean?” Anuya wrapped her arms around her mother.

     “I just…” her mother faltered. “I just felt like I was going to lose you today.”

     Anuya hugged her mother tighter and caught a glimpse of her own paw. A small black mark seemed to have been burned into her skin. It was a strange symbol. Why did it look so familiar?

     The End.