Jayden Lerma, “All The Crumbling Temples”
Kat counted the stars on her sneakers. She hadn’t noticed how many there were. She barely realized the sun came up.
Was there a sun in the sky? Was there even a sky wherever this was? Impossible to tell. The grass-like material under her hand-me-down shoes stretched on for less than half a mile, or at least, the fog made it so Kat could only see that far.
Countless clouds acted as a blanket, separating the platform from the horizon. They were boring as clouds typically are, practically closing Kat’s eyes for her. She slumped against the bench that kept her company, as her mind begged for…something. She couldn’t pinpoint what. She also couldn’t tell if she was ‘at peace,’ or exhausted. Perhaps both.
Her friend, Lee, kicked the floor. The ground didn’t budge an inch, as if mocking the two college students. She gave him a sympathetic look, slumping against his side.
“When are we…” he trailed off, his eyes slowly closing. Kat jabbed an arm against his side. “Stay awake, idiot.” she mumbled, fixing her posture.
He winced, “Why?” following her lead, sitting up while burying his head in his hands. “Not like there’s anything to stay awake for,” he mumbled, their attention shifting to the wiser lady on the bench across from them, barely a walk away. A smile always painted her face, and her gray hair beamed in the sunlight, assuming the sun was anywhere near wherever Kat ended up.
She seemed pensive at first, but the two had met their fair share of personalities to differentiate ‘pensive’ from ‘content.’ Kat, personally, was annoyed; as she and her peer struggled to stay awake, their company had a grin glued to her face, admiring the gray fog like it was scripture.
At least, Kat assumed it was fog.
“What were you saying earlier?” Kat rubbed her eyes awake as she asked. “You think I remember?” His response poured gasoline on the fire in her stomach.
She couldn’t suppress the nausea that boiled at the bottom of her throat. Kat felt delirious every time she tried to recall anything of what happened before they got here. She lost track of how many tries.
Lee held a hand out for her, helping Kat find her footing. Eventually, she found balance, and resisted leaning on him. “Do you think she’d have any answers?” Kat couldn’t decide whether the mature lady would know better than her. Lee shrugged, “Worth an ask.”
Kat nodded, searching Lee’s eyes. The exhaustion in them overwhelmed her. “We’ll find a way out.” she managed to say. He smiled sweetly. “I hope so. I mean, a lifetime with you would be hell for anyone.” Kat grinned, kicking him in the shins, “I’m a delight.” she whispered threateningly. Lee recoiled, and put his hands up, surrendering.
She punched his arm lightly. “I win.” Lee shook his head, looking at the ground, “Fine, but the winner has to talk to the scary lady.” I wouldn’t say scary, Kat thought, but continued on with the half-baked plan. She put on an inviting smile as she walked up to her. “Hi there,” she awkwardly blurted out, “what’s your name?”
“Consuela,” she pronounced, as her gaze continued tracing the clouds. “call me Coco.” The woman held her hand out to Kat, and Kat took it. “Pleasure to meet you, Coco.” She followed her gaze.
“What are you looking at?” Kat could only hope the comment didn’t offend her. Moreover, she was genuinely curious. What was there to see? Coco looked up at her, “The clouds are wonderful, wouldn’t you agree?” her grip loosened on Kat’s young hands.
She tilted her head. “I’m not a huge fan of gray weather, but to each their own.” Her respectful tone must’ve been enough to balance out the not-so-respectful words.
“I don’t know what you mean.”
Kat’s headache began to return. The subject had to be changed, she just knew it. “Are you sure of where we are? Sure of what this is?” She gestured to the platform, painfully aware that her tone bordered on hopeless. Kat needed answers. She needed the pain in her stomach to be exterminated like the parasite it was.
Coco checked her watch. “I’m sure that we have minutes before they come back.”
Kat held her breath. She could tell from the corner of her eye that Lee was hit with a similar panic. “What do you–”
An alarming blare interrupted the question, as well flooding her thoughts. Its screech forced Kat to shove her palms over her ears. A volcano may as well’ve erupted in her brain. She could vaguely note that Coco had probably said ‘warning.’ Or maybe she mouthed it. Kat was busy attempting to prevent hearing loss.
The blaring quieted. Kat lowered her shaking hands, and immediately ran over to Lee. She gripped his arms. “What the–”
Naturally, she couldn’t finish her sentence without a sudden wind burst propelling Lee and her to the felt grass. Unsurprising at this point. The sharp blades of grass scratched her right arm relentlessly.
She let go of Lee, barely noticing the alarm’s fading volume. She turned her body and coughed dust, leaving her throat dry as sandpaper. She summoned the strength to lift her head enough to see some vehicle, yards away from the weak college students.
She rubbed her eyes desperately. Now with passable eyesight, she realized the ‘some vehicle’ was probably a shuttle bus. Kat groaned when she saw the speakers embedded on every side of it. She covered her ears, anticipating more agony against her hearing.
“We sincerely hope you’ve enjoyed The Peak. May we remind you, you’ve been given the highest honor of reaching your highest point! We’re over the moon for you!” Kat rolled her eyes, as she removed her hands. She brushed some dust off of her jeans, eventually able to stand. She helped Lee up from the ground. They had always helped each other.
The speaker droned on, its monotone voice measured, yet searing.
“…If you wish to, you may ride our safety bus down an unpredictable road. Of course, you could also choose to remain at your highest point. You all have been granted five minutes to make a decision. Thank you for your understanding.”
Its doors squeaked open, as Kat let out an exhale. No, she still didn’t recall the details, but at least there was a way out. She looked at Lee, making sure they were on the same page. She was confident that he too missed his bed. She couldn’t remember how many days it had been.
She stumbled alongside Lee, using him to ensure she wouldn’t fall on the prosthetic grass. Just as they approached the bus steps, they heard “You’ll regret it…”
Kat froze, holding Lee from reaching the steps to their freedom. She turned behind her to see the ‘wise’ lady, staring at the two of them. She wasn’t prepared for Coco’s comment. She almost forgot she was there. “What makes you say that?” she nudged Lee, silently asking him to join the conversation.
“The moment you leave, this place will feel invaluable. Don’t you want to stay here forever? The highest you’ll ever be? What’s not to like?” Coco’s voice trembled, as if she was arguing with herself as well.
Lee ripped his arm from Kat’s grip, and faced Coco.
“What if I prefer moving downwards over not moving at all?” Kat flinched as his voice raised over the shuttle’s engine, causing his words to tremble. “What if I never asked to reach this high? What if there’s more life to live?”
Coco averted eye contact, “That’s easy to say for someone with decades ahead of them.”
The three stood in silence. Kat couldn’t find compassion in Lee’s eyes. She couldn’t find Lee. This place had changed him from who Kat used to know. “Please,” she signaled “Please help me.” Lee’s patience ran out.
“I’m leaving,” he declared, “and Kathryn, if you stay, I can’t help you out of this one.” His words echoed in her mind as he boarded the bus.
Kat had a choice to make, and no friend to help her.
She glanced around the foggy scenery, which could’ve been a mural for all she knew. If it were real, how many stars would be behind it? If she stayed, would she ever see a star again? Would she ever feel the peace Coco implied? But if she left, would she ever be this high again?
Kat turned to the bus, then back to the lady, “Miss Coco, I’m glad you enjoyed The Peak.”