I’m hungry, thirsty, hot and filthy. My own smell is repulsive to my nose, and you’re sitting there
with a newspaper and a canteen of water.”
“So I am.” Klaus muttered, returning to his paper. “Speaking of thirst, what time is it?” Klaus
looked at Simon questioningly, then pulled out a pocket watch from his front pocket. “Five o’clock.
Tea time.” With that he conjured up a tea cloth from his rucksack, along with a set of china cups
and a packet of M&S Custard Creams. Simon stared as Klaus pulled out some teabags and poured
water into them from his canteen.
“How-?”
“Would you like some? I expect it’s quite a workout, but think of it as callisthenic.” Klaus
interrupted. He handed Simon a cup without waiting to hear an answer. Simon took the cup with
a shaking hand. Refreshment. Looping his finger through the bone handle he raised it to his lips.
A loud slurp was heard as Simon drew all liquids from inside the cup into his mouth, hydrating
himself. In moments the cup had flew from his hand. He recoiled when he saw his abductor
standing mere inches away from his face after his whacking of the cup onto the ground.
“You do not slurp from a teacup.” Klaus’ hard edged voice stomping on Simon’s eardrums.
“It is as fine as wine, as fine as silk and must be respected by any living creature, be it fungus,
be it flora, be it fauna or be it fish.” Klaus pointed a finger, and his tea stained breath invited
itself into Simon’s nostril. But Simon was blind to his senses. His only reaction was what his eyes
perceived. For on the ground where the cup had dropped, a pit was forming. The divot in the
dune had swelled in size and was slowly engulfing the cup, filling the insides up with gritty sand
where tea had once been. Klaus turned his head over his inconceivably leviathan deltoid to snag
a look at what Simon was so intrigued about. Klaus squinted, and then advanced crouching low
and wary. He stood on his toes, drawing out delicate grooves out in the sand. The cup was now
entirely engulfed and the edge of the dip of sand was nearing Klaus’ toes, but Klaus remained
undeterred and proceeded to try and find the piece of china by plunging his hand into the pit.
A breath was heard from Simon as he watched Klaus push his hand around. In the least, Simon
expected something to pop out of the ground and attempt to eat Klaus, or for Klaus to get trapped
and suffocate buried, allowing him to flee. But no such luck, it seems; Klaus’ tongue was sticking
out, one eye shut and grunting to the efforts of his search. Klaus smiled, apparently finding his
trove. Klaus’ smile turned into a frown. He jerked his body upward, hands on knees and veins
showing, bursting with strain. Simon realized that Klaus was stuck, and silently rejoiced in his
mind. Simon retreated quietly, warily keeping his hands up in case of an outburst from Klaus.
A panicked shout was heard from the New-Age Neanderthal as his feet slowly sank deeper into
the sand. Klaus was unaware of anything besides his quandary, even when someone who was
extremely vulnerable and easily manipulated within hands-reach.
And suddenly Klaus disappeared from view.
Along with a fairly large amount of sand.
Simon gasped as a gaping hole opened up in front of him, swallowing up Klaus and much of
the dune around him. A steady incline was closing in on Simon and he ran, one foot in front of the
next, but the slope of the hole dragged him in, closer and closer. This didn’t help in the slightest,
and Simon was desperate to find a savior to pull him out of his predicament. None came. Simon
screamed. Wind rushed between his limbs. He landed on something hard. Simon remained on the
surface, winded, in pain and paralyzed with shock. Slowly, Simon gathered his senses that were
scattered around him in shambles. He pieced them back together in a way that made life legible to
