The Oak Hotel - Watty Awards 2013 Finalist

Chapter Thirty-five - The Lost Boardwalk

Chapter Thirty-five

The Lost Boardwalk

Traveling through this particular portal was unlike anything they'd experienced before. The total time they spent in transit felt like mere seconds, but the fabric of their intermingled consciousness was stretched to lengths greater than the distance between galaxies. It wasn't the duration of their travel, but rather the speed and transformation that shocked them.

When it was over, when physical reality took over again, they slid, tripped and rolled about five or six feet down the side of a densely packed sand dune. Coughing madly, trying to regain his balance, Lincoln found his way to a standing position first and helped Kayleigh up.

The wind was constant and dry, pushing against them with a dull, yet insistent force. Kayleigh reached down and brought up a handful of the sand.

"So strange," she said, running her thumb through the soft grit. "It looks like sand, but it’s more like powder."

Lincoln nodded, squinting in the direction of an amorphous dark area in the distance.

"What do you think that is?" he asked.

Kayleigh shuddered, trying to look through the semitransparent, sand-filled air. "Probably something we should avoid."

Lincoln looked straight up. There were no clouds, but the vast sky was illuminated by an unnatural, bruised purple glow. Although it was far from bright, it hurt his eyes to stare at it for too long.

"Everything about this place feels wrong," Kayleigh said softly, sidling up to Lincoln. She wanted to be close to him, afraid that some unseen force would soon tear them apart. She motioned toward the darkness ahead of them. "Should we check it out?"

Lincoln turned to the distant smudge and nodded. "Might as well."

The journey across the powdered dessert was uneventful. They soon discovered that wherever Hellward Kottabos was, the gravity was slightly weaker than that on Earth, or de'Na. Or Te'haera Thorn for that matter. It felt as if their movement was hastened along and neither liked the feeling.

Eventually, the dark area grew larger, taking on the solid edges of reality; the shape lengthened and the far left described a tall structure. Before long, they faced a wide, plank ramp leading upward onto an expansive, raised boardwalk.

A large sign above the walkway greeted them. Painted in dark reds, purples and blues were the words:

Welcome to The Lost Boardwalk

Halfway up the ramp, Kayleigh stopped.

"What?" Lincoln asked.

Kayleigh shook her head slowly, staring at the sign. "I don't know. The Lost Boardwalk? Does that sound familiar to you?"

"Like from a movie?" Lincoln asked.

"No, like from someplace real. I don’t know..."

Hesitantly, they made their way up.

Lincoln immediately compared the construction to the winding platforms of Ceca Hebona. Here, the main walkway ran straight from the entrance to a distant terminus, toward what appeared to be a tall building. To the left was an assorted run of booths, games of chance, rides, fast food vendors and other draws. To the right of the boardwalk ran a three-foot tall rail fence. There appeared to be another ramp leading down to the right some distance ahead.

"It's deserted," Kayleigh said softly.

Lincoln silently agreed as they walked cautiously down the center of the boardwalk. It was difficult to imagine that anyone had ever been there. And then Lincoln asked the most obvious question, "What is this place even doing here?"