Tourist Trap

Chapter 21

Max landed in a heap on the ground, knocking the wind out of himself in the process. "Ow! That first step's a doozy." 

"Are you all right?" Sarah offered her hand out to him. 

"Well, hello there gorgeous," Max said as he kissed her hand. "You're looking much better." 

"I changed back to my normal self when I hit the ground, almost as if I got the rat knocked right out of me. I hope it's permanent this time."  

Max pulled himself to his feet and dusted off his shirt. "Well then, let's take a look around and see where we are, shall we?" 

A small dirt path stretched out ahead of them leading into an imposing snowcapped mountain range. There were large quantities of clouds surrounding the mountains, presumably because this was the location from which they originated. The city wall loomed behind them and the vegetation was sparse. There were a few trees scattered about, but mostly the landscape consisted of dirt and grass. 

"Looks like this should be a fairly straightforward operation," Max cracked his knuckles. "We'll just follow this little path into the mountains and hopefully it'll take us right to the cloud factory." 

"Sounds good to me," Sarah said. She grasped her forehead and winced. "God, my head is killing me. I almost feel like I'm hung over or something." 

"That's just crazy talk," Max said quickly. "Now come on, let's get moving. The fresh mountain air will do you good." 

He began marching down the path purposefully as Sarah followed slowly after while continuing to clutch her head. Before long they arrived at a huge ravine. The trail came to an abrupt stop at the edge. Two rainbows stretched across the ravine, one headed off to the left and the other to the right. Two different trails heading off in opposite directions were visible on the other side of the ravine right where the rainbows touched. 

"Hmm," Max stopped in his tracks. "I'm not sure what to do here." 

"It looks like those rainbows are serving as bridges across the ravine," Sarah said. 

"Bridges?" Max asked incredulously. "Unlikely. Everybody knows rainbows are just light. You can't walk on light, Sarah." 

"Well, do you see any other bridges around here?" she asked defensively. "Besides, they clearly connect to the trails on the other side." 

"Yeah, you may be right," Max said thoughtfully. "Uh, why don't you go first?" 

"You think I'm going to fall right through when I try to step on the rainbow, don't you?" 

"No, I'm just a firm believer in chivalry," Max tugged at his collar. "Ladies first, I always say." 

"Why don't we just toss a rock on one of the rainbows and see what happens," Sarah said sensibly. 

"Ah yes, the rock test," Max nodded. "I, of course, had already thought of that idea quite some time ago. I just wanted to see if you and I are on the same page. I've gotta know I can trust you not to fold on me mentally when push comes to shove." 

"Will you shut up and find a rock already?" Sarah said. "All your yapping isn't helping my headache." 

"Sorry, sorry," Max said. "Jeez, what's the matter? You on the rag or something?" 

"You better hope you find a rock before I do because I'll throw it at your head before I throw it on the rainbow." 

"Aha!" Max said quickly. "I found a suitable rock. Igneous, by the looks of it. Well, rock, 'tis a far nobler thing you do now than you've probably ever done before. Risking life and limb on our behalf... I just want to give you my sincere thanks."