The Last Leg of Their Journey

Part Three of Steve, Sue/Alexandria and Jacob's first incredible journey was originallY! posted on March 9, 2006, so away we go:

Ultimately, our three characters (and they ARE characters) wound up in some very big trouble.

Steve and Jacob wound up floating in midair for what seemed like an eternity until Jacob yawned and the capillary disturbance dropped them into a free-fall of an indeterminate depth, through what they thought to be air. Gaining speed, what they knew as wind was blowing -- nay SCREAMING -- past their ears, a deafening roar that...

"Wait!" said Steve coming to the conclusion that he wasn't falling anymore, it only seemed like it. Jacob looked at him blankly.

"We're not dead!"

"Duh!" Jacob deadpanned and found a cigarette in his pocket. (He forgot he traded with a guy also held at the jail. He lit up and took a long, glorious drag off of it).

"Dude! This is soooo coooool!" Steve exaggerated. He thought for sure they were done for, but he'd never admit it. He looked off into the horizon and saw nothing. Not the icon diner or jail or even the shimmery gritty city off in the distance. There really was nothing to see except the Sahara Desert's Cousin everywhere. Sand for as far as their eyes could see and nothing else other than a figure running and stumbling and was it purposely somersaulting?

This figure kept running and what not toward the men, constantly moving like a horribly done spoof of Cirque du Soleil. The two men kept watch as the figure became more discernible in the heat waves rising up from the desert's floor. It was Susan/Alexandria stumbling and running. Tripping in the dusty sand. After an exhausting eternity (it seemed anyway, after all it was way too hot in the empty dusty desert) the three portal jumpers reunited.

Sue was a mess: hair dirty and matted, white sweater brownish from the desert, and her ankle boots were untied and flopping loosely now dust colored.

"Half of this desert is in my boots," she wheezed, "I've been running for hours."

"We're glad we found you," Steve gushed, like a boy in love with a supermodel.

While Sue was emptying the desert from her footwear, Jacob's cigarette flared like a fireworks sparkler just before burning out. Upon doing so, a strange orb enveloped them and they were brought back home.

"Let's not do THAT again," pouted Susan as she tied her laces, "I'll need to stay in the shower for a week." She did and all lived like they had before this story ever got written. THE END

Now, in dusting these pieces off I'm reminded that the contingent to rename their town (Hartsdale? I wasn't really ever paying attention all this time. The townsfolk are truly obnoxious sometimes and more than a little stuck up) well, that contingency/committee has still not resolved anything and almost half of the town are STILL fighting to rename at least their half to something more appropriate (Snobsdale perhaps?)four years later. Thankfully the motions to rename keep failing (like my computer keyboard).

At any rate, we'll definitely be seeing our three hapless heroes again in the near future when the re-recounting of their SECOND Trilogy gets reposted here on Fleeting History