doing something

[unbr8kable]

Who: some kids
Where: the dead zone
When: Day 335, after graduation

[After many a tiny finger food and many more tiny glasses of wine and one overblown and completely not sad at all!!! graduation ceremony, what better place to go than the dead zone? What better thing to do than climb up the giant, golden chain up to the crack in the sky? Sure it burns to the touch, but what's a little more pain on the pile--that's the point of all those tiny glasses of wine, right?

So never mind the slight sizzling sound, nor the uncomfortably familiar odor of burning flesh all the way up. There's a goal at the end; one that--in theory--will make this all worthwhile]

Comments

[crossmyheartandhope]

[A long couple of beats]

...why're they that color?

[unbr8kable]

...Maybe this's where blue watermelon flavor comes from.

[crossmyheartandhope]

One way to know for sure.

[unbr8kable]

[Plops a pair of teal-colored cherries, joined like the Pac-Man icon]

If you see any watermelon trees, say the word.

[crossmyheartandhope]

I mean.

[A beat. He points, a little unsteady, toward one of the trees behind her]

Ain't that one?

[unbr8kable]

[Peers over]

...Are you kidding me.

[crossmyheartandhope]

[Apparently not??]

[It is a wholeass watermelon]

[unbr8kable]

[..........well you can't just have skymelon and not check it out]

[crossmyheartandhope]

[Skymelon,,,]

[unbr8kable]

[Looks back to him, then wanders up to the tree, wide and squat and somehow studded with what are definitely watermelons, round and plump and hopefully securely attached from its branches]

...

[crossmyheartandhope]

[Hesitates, then follows after her, steps still decidedly unsteady]

[unbr8kable]

[Peeks under the canopy, and taps at one, just to see,]

[...And beyond the rest of the small orchard seems to be a clearing. Smells like fresh water?]

[crossmyheartandhope]

[The watermelon sounds the way a healthy watermelon ought to sound, the tap deep and resonant]

[...he peeks in after her, to get a better look]

[unbr8kable]

[...Watermelon,]

[...But also. Water? These random trees probably aren't going anywhere, so she reaches for his hand again, continuing on towards the clearing]

[crossmyheartandhope]

[He hesitates, then lets himself be led, stumbling only a little]

[unbr8kable]

[Here there is another courtyard, scattered with rose-shaped fountains that depress into the marble. Each outer petal has a lining of water running through, and every inner petal is another step deeper into the fountain; by the third step, one would be deep enough that they could take a bath in this fountain.

Nemesis looks around, and back at him]

...Guess this's it.

[crossmyheartandhope]

[He takes a shaky breath in - hesitates - nods]

...guess it's gotta be.

[unbr8kable]

You ready? Or...?

[crossmyheartandhope]

Yeah. Let's get it done.

[unbr8kable]

Okay. Then...okay. Whenever you're ready.

[crossmyheartandhope]

Are you?

Ready, I mean.

[unbr8kable]

'S just water, right?

[crossmyheartandhope]

...right.

But... it hurts, some. And you gotta hold onto who you are. Like... really, really hold on.

[unbr8kable]

And if you don't?

[crossmyheartandhope]

...dunno.