Desert Spice, Part 6 of 17

     In the Cinnamon Oasis a great distance from Alexi and Brandon, a concerned conversation took place. “Well you can’t expect them to cross the Meshullam Desert without bread, water and rest,” Kezia, the keeper of the Cinnamon Oasis, said. “And yes, the heat could kill them, but I know you, My King, you have appointed Silver Wing to watch over them.”

     “It will take them seven days before Imri can fly them to you,” The King said. “There can be no other way!”

     “It will be hard on them,” Kezia replied. “Today Odious Gresham, that filthy desert rat and his hideous body guard, Ordo, will be after them. I hope the two young people have the good sense to keep out of their way, or they will be chopped into pieces. Then we’ll have our work cut out for us.”

     “We shall see, we shall see,” The King said softly. Everyone in Kezia’s oasis called him My King, the Son of IAM.

     “Thy will be done, My King,” Kezia bowed.

 

     “Oh my aching back,” Alexi said, as she sat up and stretched. “Did you sleep well, Brandon?”

     “I think we were drugged, by God, and I’m furious that we did not get up and leave here after dark.”

     Suddenly, Silver Wing appeared a second time, still surrounded by a dazzling light of rainbow colors. “You mentioned My King again? And, indeed, you are correct about the drug,” he spoke in an awesome voice, loud and deep. “It was meant to be. You cannot cross the desert without rest. You have far to go and it will take days.”

     Silver Wing reached into his robe and pulled from it two smooth boards painted in shinning gold, ruby and sapphire colors, each with leather straps on the sides. “You will find these worthwhile during your journey.” Before they could ask what the elaborate boards were for, Silver Wing vanished.

     Brandon held his hand to his forehead to shield his eyes from the burning sun. “Who on earth is that man? He could have given us just a little more information, such as what journey he is referring to, and what direction we should go.”

     “Maybe we should head north like you said yesterday.” Alexi said, as she tried to smooth her tangled hair with her fingers. “I wish I had my purse,” she moaned.

     “Is that all you can think of at a time like this,” Brandon snapped. “Women! You can worry about the stupidest things in a time of crisis. However, you might be right about going north, though perhaps it makes no difference. And these lovely boards,” Brandon said sarcastically. “What good are they? We can’t eat or drink them.”

     “I suppose it does no good to grumble,” Alexi commented. “It will only sap our strength, and I dare say we will need that almost as soon as we take our first step away from these pitiful bushes, which I see are beginning to dry up.”

     “Such wisdom, Alexi, sometimes you surprise me.” Brandon laughed.

     “Now who’s being sarcastic? I’m dying for something to eat, but a bite of bread and a sip of water will have to do.”

     “Right again,” Brandon said, handing her a fistful of the bread. “Eat that and have a cap full of this water. Then we need to move on.”

Desert Spice, Part 5 of 17

     Yes, he did say that, but I think we should wake up and head out as soon as it’s dark.”

     “What if we don’t find another place like this before the sun comes up?” Alexi sighed.

     “The stranger said there were more; let’s hope we find them. If not, then we die. Now we’ll eat some of this bread and lay down, it will be dark in a couple of hours.”

     He broke off a quarter of the bread and allowed Alexi two more sips of water. He watched her eat as he nibbled at his own bread and thought about where he was supposed to be.

     Like Alexi, he’d left Santa Barbara early that morning, heading for San Francisco, where he planned to stay with Jennifer, a beautiful, though not too bright woman, who he’d been dating casually for nearly a year. He liked her well enough, but he loved the city, and she made a convenient companion for him when he was in town, and she also offered him free lodging when he came.

     Jennifer and Alexi were the kind of girls he enjoyed dating, but he had to admit that Alexi was smarter than Jennifer, but both dressed sexy, were beautiful and hot tempered. What he liked most about Jennifer was her declaration on their second date that she never wanted to get married. He had absolutely no interest in settling down for another ten years—that would be when he turned thirty-eight.

     His mother and father had been divorced for fifteen years. When he was ten, he’d heard them argue like never before, that was when his father stormed out of the house and never returned. Fortunately, his mother’s family had lots of money, and they had supported the two of them, until recently when Brandon returned from his tour with the Navy.

     “What are you thinking about Brandon?” Alexi said as she rubbed her blistered hands onto the grass under her bush.

     “I was just reminiscing about my life in California.”

     “Do you miss the Navy?”

     “Not really, but I know I could never live far from the ocean.”

     “Do you live in Santa Barbara,” Alexi asked?

     “Yes, my mother and I have a townhouse near the water,” he replied as he removed his shoes and shuffled his feet on the grass. “My mother’s family has money and a mansion in Montecito. We lived with them until I left the Navy and could support us.”

     “Did you like living with them?”

“     I don’t want to discuss my life right now, you’ve asked enough questions. Suddenly, I’m very tired. I wonder if that stranger put some sort of drug in the water. I can’t seem to keep my eyes open.”

     “I’m exhausted. I think I’ll just lay back and --------.” Alexi fell sound asleep before she finished her sentence, as did Brandon.

Desert Spice, Part 4 of 17,

    “You look like a tramp Alexi,” her mother hassled daily. “Your blouse is too sheer and too low, and if your skirt were any higher your navel would show. I haven’t brought you up to dress that way.”

    Regardless of their repeated nagging, she cared about her parents and knew they loved her. She was their only child, and they always said how much they liked having her live with them until or if she ever married. Now walking in the heat, Alexi wished she had not dressed so immodestly. What was she thinking, but she had been planning to spend the night with a girlfriend in Pismo Beach, and all her friends dressed this way.

    “Can you see the bush,” Brandon asked?

    “No. I was thinking about my family at home in Santa Barbara. So I wasn’t even looking. I’m so parched, I can barely talk.” She took a shallow breath and gave a little cough as if she had swallowed hot air. “Lord knows, I wish I’d been nicer to my parents.”

      “Did I hear my King’s name!” roared the voice that seemed to echo throughout the desert? 

    The dunes in front of them moved and for a moment the sun darkened, and then came a bright light with a cool gentle breeze that lingered. Alexi and Brandon stared up at a man on an enormous white stallion. Adorned in a white robe trimmed in gold braid, the light around him flashed like lightening as he sat high on the white horse.

     The man spoke, “You are in the Meshullam Desert. I will take you to the area you pointed to and you will be protected for the night. There you will find shelter, bread, water, and rest.”

    Within a blink of an eye, Alexi and Brandon found themselves at the base of two waist high bushes surrounded by a small patch of green grass. “Look,” Brandon said feeling the cool grass. “There’s a jug of water, and a loaf of bread.”

    “Who was the man on that fabulous, white horse?” she asked, forgetting about her thirst and the searing heat.

    “All I know is that there’s shelter, food, and water for us,” Brandon said as he took a sip of the refreshing water.

    “We didn’t even thank him.”

    “There wasn’t time. He disappeared the moment we got here.” Brandon handed her the jug of water.

    She began to take big gulps, tilting her head back to allow the cool liquid to rush down her throat. Brandon grabbed the jug from her hand, spilling a few precious drops. “Do you want to vomit all over yourself and waste water as well?” he shouted. “You have to drink slowly and only a little bit at a time. We may not have any more for quite a while.”

    He pulled his watch out of his pocket where he put it when the sun made it unbearably hot on his arm. After studying the compass on his watch for a minute he said, “If we head due north we might find a village somewhere. I think we should walk at night and rest during the day.”

    “Didn’t the stranger say we could have a good night’s sleep here,” Alexi asked. “If we’re going to walk at night, I need to rest first. I’m so tired.”

Desert Spice, Part 3 of 17

   He promptly broke off each three-inch heel. “With flat shoes you should be able to keep up with me.”

   “Where are we going?” she inquired.

   “Probably nowhere. I wish I could hold out more hope but that would be difficult in this desolate wasteland. Nevertheless, walking is better than waiting to die.”

   For the next two hours they lumbered from one undulating sand dune to another in the blazing sun. Then suddenly Brandon said, “look over there on the horizon, way over there.” 

   “What?” she asked impatiently. “I don’t see anything.”

   “There’s a dark spot right there at two o’clock.”

    “What do you mean at two o’clock? Who are you anyway?”

   “I was a Navy Seal for five years. I left the Navy last winter to pursue a career in medicine. Two o’clock means that if you’re looking at a watch it would be that time,” he stretched out his right arm to show her. “See.”

   “Ok, so you were a military man, are you a doctor now?”

   “Not quite yet.”

   “What were you doing pushing me off the road the way you did?”

   “I didn’t like how you looked at me when you sped past, and I wanted to show you that my Ferrari was faster than your Vet,” he said. “But you’re right. It’s my fault we’re here.”

   “I’ll take that as an apology.” She smiled meekly. “I guess I was going a little too fast, and you were in my way, but that seems so long ago right now. What are you pointing to?”

“It looks like there’s a bush over that way. We may find a little shelter and perhaps water.”

   “Well, I hope we can make it that far before I collapse,” she said, barely able to keep up with him. 

   As they made their way toward what Brandon thought could be a  place to avoid the sun, Alexi couldn’t stop thinking about how she’d left her house that morning. The day before, she had celebrated her twenty-first birthday at home where she still lived with her wealthy parents. They gave her everything she could ever want, but she always resented their parental authority, despite her thousand dollar a week allowance, which according to her rich girlfriends was very little. She had tried to move away from home several times, but her parents refused to pay for an apartment and said they would reduce her allowance by half if she moved out.

   Her father constantly lectured her about her taking responsibility for her actions, such as her speeding tickets, which she paid just in time to avoid jail. And if he wasn’t preaching about being accountable, her mother forever harped on the way she dressed.

Desert Spice, Part 2 of 17

     “I have to admit Miss, it is Miss, I presume. No man would have such a sharp tongue under his roof.” He laughed at the furry in her eyes and continued. “As to where we are, I’m at a loss to know our location, how we got here or why.”

            “You’re such a smart aleck. I’m surprised you don’t have any answers,” she replied haughtily, all the while thinking that despite his attitude, he was gorgeous. “And yes it’s miss. What’s your name?”

            “Well, it’s not blockhead or smart aleck,” he sneered and headed down from the top of the scorching sand dune.

            Alexi hated him already—his arrogance, his lack of fear and concern for her safety. Most men wanted to wait on her hand and foot, and would have begged to come to her aid. Nevertheless, she had an extremely self-sufficient mind-set and rarely needed anyone’s help. Now, however, for the first time since she had turned fourteen seven years before, she realized with aghast that she couldn’t, no didn’t want to, be left alone. All the same, rather than call him back she sat down on the sand to think about what to do.

            “Yeow, ouch, ooh, aha!” She jumped up, hollering, “It’s burning hot.” She began to cry as she stared at her blistered hands.

            The young man turned when he heard her scream, and then he felt sorry for her standing all alone on the blazing dune. Jumping up and down, her short skirt showed more of her splendid legs, and her dark curls sensuously fell from the clip that held most her hair off her pretty face.

            He laughed as he came up to her. “Is something the matter?”

            Tears rolled down her cheeks, “See,” she whimpered holding her palms out in front of him. “The sand is so hot; we can’t touch it. What are we going to do?”

            The fear in her dark brown eyes softened him but he didn’t want to admit it. “Do you really mean we?” he asked sarcastically.

            “Is there anyone else? Of course I mean you and me,” she gulped down her pride once more. “Please don’t leave me here alone.”

      “Well, if you put it that way, alright then. My name is Brandon, Brandon Summers, from Santa Barbara, California. Where are you from?”

   “Santa Barbara.”

      After trudging to the bottom of the sand dune, Brandon spoke, “We need to cover our heads. Take something off and rip it up, I have a pocket knife you can use. I’ll take my shirt; fortunately I have an undershirt on. Never could stand to go without one.”

       “Thank you for that information,” Alexi said. “And what do you expect me to tear up? My skirt’s too short and my top is practically nothing. I suppose I could take off my nylons,” she said, looking weary.

     “No, you should keep your legs covered if possible, “he said.

     “Can’t you share some of your shirt with me, or give me your t-shirt?”

     He laughed at her frustration. “Not my undershirt, but there’s enough of my good shirt to spare.” He took out his pocketknife and began to rip the shirt in half. “Now, let’s have a look at your shoes. Take off one at a time and rest your foot on me so you don’t touch the sand.”

Desert Spice - Part 1 or 17

 Desert Spice - Christian Fantasy:
 

Desert Spice By Priscilla McDaniel

  Alexi Vandermeer wanted it to be a dream, but she knew it was not, as she felt herself being hurled over the cliff and into the Pacific Ocean. The swirling waters flushed over her and her red Corvette!  Gurgling, choking, gasping, she tried to unfasten her seatbelt and set herself free.

      As she twisted and turned and wrestled with her safety strap, she noticed the man who had forced her off the road with his silver Ferrari dropping downward into the fathomless deep next to her. After what seemed an eternity of struggling to eject from her plummeting vessel, the raven darkness swept over her as she danced with death in her Corvette. But then suddenly she felt the rush of a petrifying force as she ascended out of her nightmare and into a dream of her family, her new car, and her birthday.

      Floating aimlessly, she felt frothy-white pillows of billowing clouds enfold her. Then as soon as she began to enjoy the soft cover of heavenly mist, she tumbled downward into a barren wilderness. She landed feet first onto a vast sea of sand, which nearly suffocated her with heat so intense that the sun’s rays, like obtrusive flames, danced off the rolling dunes.

    “I’m completely dry, and I should be soaking wet!” she screamed into the void.

     “Leave it to a woman to think about her clothes at a time like this.” The man from the silver Ferrari suddenly appeared next to her and spoke with disdain, though he could not help but admire Alexi’s shapely body in her short pink skirt and scanty halter top.

      Alexi glared at the tall, blond man. “You’re the one who ran me off the road! You’re entirely at fault,” she shouted angrily, her tongue sticking to the roof of her mouth. “You blockhead, I’m holding you responsible for getting me back home, but do you even know where we are?”

     “Looks to me like we’re in a desert; other than that I can’t say,” he replied calmly. “And if you’re going to call me names and order me around, you can help yourself. I’m leaving.” He flipped his hair from his forehead and walked away, thinking that this girl was entirely too beautiful for her own good.

       Alexi watched his lean body stroll off and panic swept over her. “No, don’t leave me!” she said, swallowing her pride. “Together we can survive.”

            “That’s more like it,” the stranger grinned as he turned back, staring into Alexi’s fiery brown eyes. “Now you’re thinking, Sis.”

            “Don’t call me Sis. My name’s Alexi, that’s Alexi Vandermeer.”

.

Final Part - Naja Haje Abyss

       With that the serpent let out a shrill scream, slithered off his step and into the pile of books. As soon as I put my foot onto the mound, the sharp sword began to roar hideously.

“Out! Out! I command you to leave.”

         I sprang back onto the step to miss its swing and said, “Jesus the Christ, The Son of Man has bid me come.”

With that the giant, all but his head, crumbled into the heap of books. Now that the beast couldn’t move the troll around, I had a chance to dive into the books without worrying about the sword touching me. I rummaged through the pile of discarded books, and except or the color they all looked alike. I opened one and it said, The Holy Bible.

“The Book of Truth,” I said. “This is what I’m looking for, but which one do I take?”

I pulled out a brown Bible and on the cover, stamped in gold was written ‘Trevor Bartlett’. I jumped up, thrilled to find what I believed to be my mission. I sat back down on the Bibles and remembered back twenty years before. I was nine years old when my mother and father gave me the Bible. I wasn’t much impressed by it—I never read it and it never left my room. I sat there and began to weep as I read the inscription inside.

To our only son, Trevor, may the Lord always be with you. Love Mom and Dad. I opened to John 14:6 where there was book mark. I read aloud, “Jesus said unto him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life: No man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

At hearing this, the troll let out a bestial scream. He cursed and began to meld with the dissolving sword, and then there was silence. I remember nothing more except clutching my Bible in my hand for fear of losing it.

When I woke it was morning, I was still holding my Bible close to me, as a fresh breeze blew my bedroom curtains to the side. What a thrill it was to be home, where I knew, without a doubt, I had found eternal life. Whether or not it was only a dream or if it actually happened, it did not matter, for I felt unbelievable peace. I thought about my friends and my life in a completely different way and knew I had to share with them what I had found.

There was a knock at my bedroom door. “Are you awake?” 

It was Arny, my lead waiter. “Arny, come in, come in. Oh boy, do I have something to tell you!”

“What happened to you, you were gone for three days? Then last night you showed up at the Bistro as if you had been drugged, and you would not let go of your book. Cook and I thought that luscious young lady you were waiting on had kidnapped you.” He reached out his hand and grinned. “We brought you home and put you in bed. It’s good to have you back.”

^{The End}

The Beginning