Photo by raouf bedrani on Unsplash
Grit stuck to my tongue after I licked my dry lips. Reaching up to brush the sleep from my eyes, I discover every inch of me is covered in granulated materials. Trying to focus past the glare at the endless horizon was a task in and of itself, not helping with my confusion or headache. Wasn’t I just … where? Where am I now?
“Where in the sand hills am I?”
“Dune,” says a flat voice above me, dropping a black rubbery pile beside me. “Put on the stillsuit, and remember to walk without a pattern. I’ll explain once we get to stone.”
“Safety.” I nodded, reaching for the suit. Most of it made sense, after all I watched all the movies and the TV show, and made it through three of the books.
The person snorted around the tubes, impressing me with that feat. “Yeah, that ain’t happening. Just safer from here on out, never safety.”
(words 157, first published 4/24/2023)