large cavern. The opening of the cave was covered with spiky stalactites that were paired with
an infestation of thorny stalagmites emerging from the ground. The sand on the floor swirled
towards the end of the cavern acting like a guide. She unconsciously drifted forwards. It was
incredible, she thought to herself, the way barbs spat out of the walls of the cavern like a disease
but suddenly broke away to a smooth surface. She gently touched the sleek walls.
Swish, swash, dip.
The wall disintegrated into coils of sand and she staggered forwards as her fingers fell
through. She frowned, holding her coated fingers in the light. After her days in the desert she
knew what sand felt like, and she also knew that this strange substance did not belong to the
grainy ocean. Her eyes ran over the thick granules, her shallow breaths increasing as she realized
what she was holding.
“Gold!” She cried.
Alex’s eyes flew open in shock and he flashed to Ria’s side, wanting to examine the delicate,
powdered treasure. Neither of them saw Sükh’s eyes ablaze with a hunger, a shadow creeping into
his eyes.
Swish, swash, dip.
Alex probingly ran his hands all over the great cave. Wherever he touched, the earthy brown
melted into soft bronze sand, but at the core was the thicker texture of raw gold. It shone out,
luminous in the dark cavern. “This is incredible!” he cried, “do you think we’ve reached-“
“No!” Sükh hissed angrily. Ria’s head spun towards him. “If we were in the gold mines, we
would be basking in the light, but here we are in this hole in the mountain!” He slammed his hand
against the wall, forgetting that it would disintegrate; he landed on the dense earth, face-first. His
face turned dark, blending in with the lack of light at the back of the cavern. “Perhaps we can still
get what gold we want from these” desire flaring in his eyes like a cobra, his hands flew towards
the looming walls and scrambled all over, ripping apart the walls to get to their paragon heart.
“No.”
Confusion filled the darkness as the trio tried to pinpoint the source of the sound; it seemed to
be coming from… the Man! Sükh reared to his feet, his anger palpable. “What do you mean no? You
can speak English?” He approached the Man aggressively, Alex and Ria hesitantly trailing behind.
“The desert has heard the language,” the Man said simply. His eyes remained trained towards
the desert, his brush still moving lithely. Alex’s eyes narrowed on the archaic paper and flitted
back to the desert. He noticed the way the Man seemed to paint the sand before it even moved.
Another cavern appeared, but this time in his stomach, the seed of suspicion beginning to grow.
“Sükh,” he warned quietly, but Sükh ignored him, intent on getting the truth out of the Man.
Swish, swash, dip.
“Why do you say no, old man? Do you wish to keep this treasure hoard to yourself?” Sükh
accused heatedly. Alex and Ria looked at him, seeing a darkness they had not seen before. It was
like a poison, corroding Sükh’s thought, engulfing his mind with lust. The Man ignored him,
soaking his paintbrush in the cracked pot and dripping the luminous compound over the paper.
Sükh lost control, he roared at the Man “look at me when I speak to you!” The Man did not,
his concentration unwavering.
Swish, swash dip.
Sükh tensed. The poison burnt through all rationality. Alex and Ria flung themselves to stop
him, but it was too late. Sükh reached for the paintbrush.
