forgotten oasis (Part 1)

Forgotten Oasis (Part 1)

Written By McKay Wadsworth

Tyler, thank you.

Thank you, family.

Thanks for supporting me Emily.

Cover design © 2022 Kristin Tingey

-(Dear reader,

Thank you for taking the time to read Part 1 of my short story, "forgotten oasis." The entirety of the story is currently available on Amazon for only $0.99. If you wish to the complete story ,here is a link that you can access to read the short story in its entirety: https://amzn.to/3PXRNdW)

Enjoy your journey,

-McKay Wadsworth

I swallowed trying to relieve the burning dryness within my throat, but the itch of thirst persisted. Two long excruciating days had passed without a lick of water. Death only needed three days for my bones to be buried within the rolling hills of sand.

I pushed the hoverbike as hard as I could. I held tight on the throttle and the old girl pitched and swayed. The loud thoom of her engine would rise and fall as I shifted gears; I peaked at top speed and hovered over a large rock, well obscured within the sand, and the entire chassis shook and grumbled. Then the engine choked and coughed as I made my way upwards a steep sandy slope. Once I ascended over the rise, the engine relaxed and I came barreling down into a nosedive sliding down the dune's face; red dust kicked out behind me as I sped downward and emerged into a flat barren waste. Miles of the red rolling dunes of sand finally seemed to come to an end. The sand beneath my bike changed color from a dark red hue into a light beige as I entered a flat desert landscape. My garments were stained with the red sand; miles of riding the endless waves of sand had taken a toll on my white toned fabric. There were occasional crests of sand but now I could see the brown pointed peaks of the mountaintops in the distance that were earlier obscured to me due to the high rising dunes.

Layers of wraps and shawls protected me from the burning heat of the sun as I sped across the flat landscape. Not an inch of skin could be seen on my person. The sun was one of many enemies in this dry forgotten world. Any loose clothing that I had flapped behind me freely as I sped across the empty desert landscape. My sun-tinted goggles protruded out of my headwrap; dust and grime battered against the lenses.

Suddenly, small silhouettes of what looked to be a person and another object came into view through my tinted lenses. The mirage of heat obscured any details at this distance, but as I drew closer it was clear that it was a man. The figure quickly became much larger as I came speeding closer. I pulled gently on the brake; the blur of passing landscape slowed and whipping winds died down, causing the heat of glaring sun to catch up with me. The hoverbike's loud thoom receded back to a chugging pulse from the engine. I drifted slowly and came to an abrupt halt, staring down at the lone stranger who was dismounted from his hoverbike. The stranger didn't take any notice of me; he knelt in the sand covered in dirty gray robes making repairs on his damaged ride.

"Heard yah comin' over the rise," he said.

I responded, "Yah?"

"Yah." If yer wantin' to rob me, I ain't got much to tell yah straight. My bike's dead without charge. I have a couple of day's rations if yer interested, but that's about all I have of worth on me." He continued to work, not even turning to face me.