Alice's Return to the Oasis Pt 2

There’s a saying that about how the tiniest action on the one side of the world could affect the other side beyond belief.

While this might or might not be the case, sometimes something small, done in the best of interests can have big good, or bad repercussions.

Alice didn’t know it yet and wouldn’t for a long while but, due to one singlemishap from a police officer involved with her kidnapping case, a single mistake down without any thought made it thatshe would one day have to face her true nightmare once again.

For the town the appearance of a long missing child was one of the biggest things to happen to it, a young cop gloried in the added attention.

He wasn’t meant to disclose any information about the case to anyone; he hadn’t meant to, he had thought the reporter only wanted to hear what had happened just for interest’s sake, it hadn’t helped that the reporter had been a somewhat attractive woman about his age as well.

It was only when a clear picture of the girl and her story, plus the details of the remains of the other child found appeared in several other newspapers over the country did he realise the grave mistake he had made.

It was too late by then, as the wrong set of eyes had already seen the girl who had seen their faces clearly, who was left for dead was in fact alive and well.

Alice was never aware of all this, as days started to cross into months she instead put all her thoughts and energy into healing.

Before too long the girl started to grow again, finally shaking her malnourished look although she was still a bit thin and short for her age, probably always would be.  

The kind couple who took her in managed to convince the local child protection agency that it was in the best interests of Alice to let them keep the little girl for the foreseeable future.

It wasn’t quite as hard as Lawrence first thought it would be to become her foster parents, which was not the solution he was seeking mind you. 

It was obvious their family was a stable environment in which to grow, a respected couple of the community, owned and ran the local medical centre.  All the Aperman’s wanted was to help her regain a normal lifestyle like she would have if her real parents hadn’t disappeared.  They were approved in record time, and the young girl gained a home.

Special effort was made to make life as easy to adjust to for the girl at first, they let her wonder about the house, let her have some control over her environment a bit as she recovered, then slowly they weaned her back into as close as a normal childhood as they could.

Alice herself never realised this, they were careful to keep her in the dark of all the inner workings around her. 

She took to normal kid activities with ease and obvious delight.  Because of her supressed memory in a way she had never known the delight in playing, exploring or even the simple imaginings of a child her age till that point in her life. 

She almost saw the world through fresh eye, like that of an infant in a way, only she had the metal capacity to understand it, to remember it and interact with it.  To the young girl she lived in a world where everything was still new, fresh and wonderful to experience, the only thing blemishing that gaze was those six months of darkness and abuse.

Fort was a little right in his assumption of the young girl.  There was something odd about her in a sense, albeit it just the way her mind processed and worked, and how she saw the world, but she wasn’t simple in the least.

Her mind had wired itself to repress the most harmful and dark of her memories in order to survive, in a way it still was still doing so, but very slowly and subtly, so slowly that her sleeping hours were haunted by nightmares, most ended with her crying slightly into her pillow in the dead of night.

Other then this in all appearances she was just a normal, albeit enthusiastic kid, she never acted otherwise or slowed what still plagued her mind.

But she did have her big secret.

Alice never let the memory of the mysterious naga fade like the rest; she still held it in her heart to see him again.  Despite his threats and appearance she didn’t make the link that he was in fact a predator who might prey on someone like her, nor did she never feel unease in his presence in the short amount of time she had known him.

Fortitude was her wonderful secret, in her heart her first friend and she wished deeply to see him again one day.

Four months and her eighth birthday later, she finally got her wish.

She was sitting outside early one morning, the sun yet to fully rise, watching Marcus and his friends play soccer out in the middle of the dirt road.  He still framed a somewhat disinterested approach when it came to the younger girl while around his friends and even at home, acting like she was beneath his interest.  He was in fact a little jealous of the added attention his foster sister got from his blood parents.  He wasn’t cruel per say but he was much more rough in his behaviour around her.

Alice on the other hand had started to develop a kind of small, childhood crush on the dark haired boy.  He was the only kid near her own age she had met and remotely gotten to know over the months.  The town was very recent and remote, most of the people who lived here were either very young couples, having wanted the romance of living out in the country and starting a family, while others were older folk who had spent most of their lives out in the wilderness and heat of the hot steppes that they lived in.

Most of the older folk had children much older than the two kids, late teens at the least who helped out with the ranches, having no time to spend with small children and their childish ways. 

The younger couples, though some had packed up and left when their ideas of the rough country had been crushed most had stayed and started raising children of their own.

There were a total of twelve children when Alice came, making a total of thirteen in the whole town, the next generation to take over when their parents could no longer work the land.

Eight of those children were still under the age of four, the remaining five older.  Alice had learned quickly that she was in-between each age group, the older kids thought she was too immature to hang out with while the younger ones were no fun at all. 

Marcus was eleven and hadn’t been born in the country, his parents had moved to the town after Mr Lawrence had gotten his medical degree.  It had been a lifelong dream of the couple to own their own centre out in a desolate town far from the major hospitals, wanting to be able to help those who couldn’t afford to drive to the big cities in an emergency. 

Marcus, a city boy had been against the idea, even now, three years after they moved he still held resentment for this town, even if he had gotten used to the new lifestyle.  He had inherited his mother’s looks and her natural dark hair colour hidden beneath the bright red dye she wore, Alice couldn’t tell if it was black or a really dark brown.  His eyes were a misty green sort of colour, almost grey like his father’s.

He had made friends with the only two boys in town, Jerome and Lucas, identical twins of about twelve years.  The two both had rather dark, tanned skin, light brown hair, the same piercing green eyes and pretty much the same personality.  The two had been born in the country, although in a different place.  They thrived in the heat, in the perk of the day they alone still stayed outdoors, sometimes mocking the other kids who couldn’t.  

They turned out to be tricksters, quick teasers and bullies to the new kid; they delighted in picking on Alice if she was around about how she had no parents or friends, not actually knowing all the facts behind why this was, quickly causing the girl to harbour a strong dislike of the two.

Unfortunately their attitude rubbed off on her foster brother when they were around, causing all three to gang up on her often although Marcus showed more sympathy towards her, he had some idea of what she had gone through. 

Alice always made sure to steer clear of the three when they were together though, learning instead to go off on her own to find fun.

The last, Coralline was a girl of about Marcu’s age.  She was also a city girl that moved there after her parents divorced and her mother remarried a rancher, and hadn’t taken to country life at all.  She had the air of a spoiled child who had always gotten her own way, then got faced with harsh reality. Her new stepfather was stern but fair man that didn’t tolerate her spoiled behaviour like her real father had; little could get her to like neither her new home nor her new family.

Alice didn’t like her all that much, when she was first allowed outside the older girl was the first to try and start a conversation with the younger Alice, having been surrounded by boys most of the time.  It became obvious though that their personalities didn’t match, Alice didn’t like her harsh complaints or snide remarks about other residents.

Alice almost constant questioning of everything annoyed Coralline and her constant smile had quickly gotten on her nerves.  At eight Alice had proven to be more of a tomboy and was very active and outgoing once she had healed enough to move, she had been trapped for a large chunk of her life in a tiny room and no memory of the rest.

Alice seemed determined to make up that time locked away.

Coralline was much more feminine, didn’t like to get her hands dirty and was happy to sit back in luxury given every chance she got.  The only blemish on her life was the divorce of her real parents that had led her from that comfortable lifestyle into this.

It became obvious that the two were vastly different opposites.  Perhaps if they had been older in meeting those opposites might have helped them become fast friends, at their current age though it only helped to alienate the younger girl, difference was something to be teased and ridiculed, it was only as adults that differences started to become something held in pride.

This meant Alice more often than not was alone during the day while her foster parents worked.  She was finding it awfully lonely.

She sighed, resting her head in her hands as the small group played two on two, mind wondering as her eyes drifted to the beckoning skyline. She wished she was allowed to play but knew they’d just say she was too little or young  to.

The surrounding area was flat for miles so she had a clear view of the harsh wilderness she had briefly gotten to know.

Her eyes wondered over the skyline, till they slowly fixed on a large outcropping of mountainous rock about two miles away, or so she had told.  It was the only feature that broke up the flat landscape.

Alice had been entranced by those rocks since the moment her eyes set sight on them.  It was from a different angle, and the rocks were differently shaped on this side but she was sure-

That was where her giant half snake friend lived.

It looked desolate and unforgiving, yet it held a charm to the younger people.  Often she had seen the older teens held out there, there were small cave systems they liked to explore, and a large watering hole.

She knew though that a secret little oasis was nestled somewhere within those rocks, those little springs held nothing to it.

From day one she wanted to head back there and see her friend again, but with the eyes of every adult on her she couldn’t risk it.  She saw Fort as her own special secret; she didn’t want anyone but herself to know about him.  She still couldn’t shake the feeling that something bad would happen if anyone saw him as well.

Now that she was feeling better and had started to acting like a normal child the interest in her had faded but, during that time she came to realise heading back there was going to be a little more difficult then she first thought.

She still remembered how hard it was to reach when she had been dumped, how the heat had beaten down on her and how very tired she had become. 

Alice did not want that to happen again, she didn’t want to know what would happen if she succumbed to the heat next time.

Without realising it she started to go into a list of things she might need for such a trip as she sat there, muttering low under her breath.

“I’ll need water, so I’ll need something to carry it in.  Well there are lots of big bottles inside.  I wnder how many of those I can carry in my hands?   Oh, but Mrs Aperman gave me that pretty new bag the otherday, I could carry them in that!”  Before she knew it she started to get rather excited about the idea.  In a rush she went back inside, heading into the kitchen.  Mr and Mrs Aperman kept hold of the bottles from every soft drink or waterbottle they ever purchased, keeping them in the cabinet under the sink.

Mrs Aperman was still there, making up lunch for the kids why her and her husband went to work.  She noticed Alice rushing by, looking excited and happy.  She smiled and watched her out the corner of her eye as she pulled out some bread to start making up some sandwiches for later.

Alice pulled out several empty 500lm bottles, looking them over and trying to figure out how many she would need.  Once she was satisfied she went off to get her new bag, a light green and white one and brought it back to the kitchen.

She sat the bag on the kitchen table, jumping on the balls of her heels as she tried to figure out what else she would need.

Maria was very curious about what the eight year old was doing by this point, pausing in her work to watch as Alice started carrying bottles to the sink, struggling to reach the tap.

“What are you doing there baby girl?”  She finally asked, coming over and turning on the tap for the girl.

“Thank you Mrs Aperman!”  Alice beamed at her, holding the lip of the bottle under the clear stream.

“I was thinking of exploring today, I was thinking about what I’d need, and I need water.”  She explained, capping the bottle clumsily before holding the next one in the same position.   Maria smiled at the cuteness of the innocent little girl.

“So where will you be heading off to then, this seems like an awful amount of water?”  She asked when Alice had filled her fourth bottle and gone onto the second to last.

“I was thinking of going to the big rocky place, like the older kids do.”  Alice was too fixated on the water to see Maria frown.

“That’s quite a long distance away for someone your age sweetie, you sure you’re up to that?”  She wasn’t thinking about her age as much as if her body was well enough to attempt that sort of walk, it was at least an hour and a half walk.

“I’m sure I can Mrs Aperman, it’s not that far.  But I make sure I have lots of water to, don’t want to be thirsty.”  She explained simply, capping the last bottle as Maria turned off the tap.  Maria was a touch uneasy about the girl walking that far.  Her limp had faded a while back and her skin had healed from its burn, but she still had her arm in that splint.  By this stage it was pretty much healed, the splint was used mostly to give support to the limb.  It was weak from how long it hadn’t been used, she was being encouraged to use it when she could but at her own pace so she wouldn’t force it.

She was close to saying now till Alice turned those bright eyes on her.

“Mrs Aperman.  What else do you think I need, I want to make sure I’m safe.”  She immediately melted at that gaze and the honestly in her voice.

“Well, I’d say you need sunscreen, maybe a hat.  And Lunch!  Can’t forget lunch now.  How about I make up something for you for you and you get the sunscreen, it’s in the bathroom under the sink.”  She relented easily, figuring the girl seemed like she was being pretty responsible.  She also rationalised that if her son could go out there unprepared, like he thought she didn’t know about, then the younger girl probably could as well if she prepared.

Alice’s smile brightened as she darted out the room and into the hall, slowing down to carefully scale the staircase, leaving the older woman smiling at her cheerfulness. 

When Alice came back into the room fifteen minutes later, the little yellow plastic bottle in hand Maria was just packing away several tightly wrapped sandwiches into the bag, along with the water bottles, frowning a bit.

“Hey sweetheart, this bag’s going to be really heavy, you sure you can carry all this?”  She asked when the little girl came over.  Alice nodded enthusiastically.

“I can, I’m big and strong.”  She giggled suddenly.

“What are you chuckling about over there?” 

“I was thinking about flexing my arm like the big silly man in town does when he says his strong, it’s too silly though.”  She giggled.

“Haha, your right, Clawford is a very silly person.”  Maria shook her head slightly, packing away the last few things into the bag.

“Alright, I think your all set up and ready then, now I want you back before its to late, before five pm I think, well before five pm if you can.”  Alice frowned.

“How can I tell when it’s late?”  Maria had to think a minute before getting up and rummaging through one of the drawers.   She came back with an old looking wrist watch, straps worn out, although it still worked.

“Now see these hands here?”  She bent down to show the youth, watching as she focused intently on the watch.

“It’s 9am right now, see the little hand is one the nine and the big one is one the 12.  When the big hand is on the six that’s half pass, and you’ll see that the little hand will be halfway between the 9 and the twelve.”  She saw the little girl nod after a bit, seeming to grasp it.

“So when the little hand’s on the 5 and the big one in on the 12, that’s five pm?”  Alice asked, touching the glass lens.  Maria nodded.

“That’s right Alice!  Now I want you to look at this watch when you get there, see how far that little hand has moved.  This is how long it will probably take you to get back.  So if it takes two hours to get there and say, if you stayed there to three in the afternoon that will be the best time for you to head back.  Understand?”  Alice thought she did, although she wasn’t quite sure.  She nodded after a little hesitation.

“I’d say your all set then.”  She smiled, standing up.

Maria tucked the watch into the front pocket of the bag before lifting it up and helping the girl put it on, concerned about the weight for a moment.

Alice staggered a little, but quickly regained her balance.

“That doesn’t hurt now does it, we may need to take a bottle or two out?”  After a bit Alice decided it might be best. 

After removing two of the six Alice was ready t head on her way, much as Maria was reluctant to let her go.  She gave the small girl a big hug at the porch, noticing her son playing further down the road.  Alice wrapped her arms briefly around her shoulders, sighing happily at the contact before starting on her way.

Maria stayed at the door as she watched the child walk away, waving when Alice turned and waved enthusiastically at her.

She couldn’t help but worry about the girl.  She looked so small and frail.

She forced herself to calm down as the girl turned from sight around one of the buildings.  She was only a kid, she needed her freedom.

“She needs some sun anyway, she spends way to much time indoors.”  She muttered to herself, turning back inside to finish up before she joined her husband in the clinic.

Alice trotted along, a big smile crossing her face.  At last she was finally looking for her friend, finally able to move about again.

She felt happier then she had been in ages.

Her shoes crunched with each step she took, defending her soft feet from the bite of the sharp stones and biting soil.  Her gait was light and carefree to begin with, energy brimming and spirit uplifted, this started to change after a while.

Soon she started to notice the weight on her back and the long aching walk, her body not used to the exercise.  She was a third of the way there when she had to stop and rest for a little, chest heaving slightly as she took a seat down in the shade of an old watering station.   The surrounding area, up to the rocks was cattle country, the animals were allowed to wonder free for miles, only driven in for medical checks or rounding them up for market.

She could see no cows in sight but old windmills, cattle stations and the skeletal remains of barns and houses were scattered about.  Before the town had started there were only a few stubborn homesteads that tried to keep alive.  When the town and a place of trade had been set up houses had been built closer to make it easier for people to work together, leaving the farms left behind to crumble away.

After a heavy drink from one of the water bottles she started off again, pausing long enough to see on her watch to see that about twenty minutes had passed, although she counted this as nearly a half hour as she hadn’t been taught that measurement.

Soon she fell into a weary drudge, mind going distant as she walked. She had no idea how much time had passed before she was engulfed in shadow, snapping her back into awareness.  Above her one of the rocky crags split the deep blue of the sky.

She stopped again to have another drink, sighing as the liquid revived her, even if it was a bit warm and not so nice anymore.

Once she was satisfied and rested a little more and, checking her watch and seeing that an hour had passed since last time did she start off again.  It was a lot easier now, with the shade surrounding her, as well as it being only a short walk now.  A great sense of de ja vu overcame her when she finally reached that first rock wall, resting her hand against the slightly warm, dusty stone.

“I heard the older kids say there’s a waterhole some where around here, I wonder where it is?”  She mused to herself, trailing her hand across the wall as she started walking alongside it.  After a little while she spotted a small trail of medium sized stones on the ground in a line.  She decided to follow it, stepping over some bigger stones as she went.  The stone trail had been made by older kids to make it easier to find the watering hole.

She heard the sound of water before she saw it.

Going over one last rock she saw a glittering water pool below her, small but deep enough to jump into without harm.

Slowly she edged around the rocks that overlooked it,, heading upwards up the stone wall instead of heading down to the water’s edge.  She climbed the rocks carefully and slowly, sweat started to bead up on her face at the unusual effort she was forcing on her inexperienced body now.

Alice thought maybe that there might be an opening in the rock she could use to find her way like last time, somewhere out of the way; otherwise someone else would have come across the naga before.

She wasn’t finding anything though, a few cracks between some rocks but nothing she could fit into.  Finally the rock face became gravely and unstable, forcing her to turn back.  It was by going backwards, stumbling over a couple of rather big rocks did she notice the hole disappearing into darkness.  It was sunk into the opposing rock face, loosely buried by stones and gravel, easily cleared away.

Excitement coursed through her as she made her way towards it, stumbling slightly on her way as the ground tried to roll away with her small body.

When she reached it she noticed that the hole was larger then the first one she had gone into but a lot steeper from her point of view.

Once more she hesitated, wondering if it was a good idea to go down into it.  This was the only tunnel she had come across though, she could see no more anywhere.

She hugged her weakened arm to her chest for a moment, unease settling in, before she slowly descended into the darkness.

Again  after a few feet she placed her left hand against the wall by her side, using it too keep herself steady and give her a rough sense of where she was going.

Looking behind her she strugged to keep in sight the sunlit hole growing smaller and smaller behind her.

Then the ground dropped out from beneath her feet.

She let out a small scream as she fell, hands instinctively grasping for anything to grab.  Luckily the drop was small, a few feet  before she slipped down onto the floor again, falling forward onto her hands and scraping them up badly.   It didn’t stop there, the ground was steep here, a loose while of fine gravel sliding out from under her hands as she tried to stand up.  She struggled to stay in place, but this was done in vain.  In moments the small girl was sliding forwards down the slope.  Alice cried out in alarm as she slid through the darkness, scrabbling for anything stable she could hang onto, scared she was going to crash into a wall.

Finally the floor started to even out, Alice could feel herself slowing down till, at last she stopped somewhere in the darkness.  She covered her head as loose gravel rained pass her, echoing off into silence. 

Alice stayed where she was for a long time, hearing only her breathing and hammering heart pounding away in her chest.  Finally, after she had calmed down a little she pulled herself to her feet, wobbling for a moment.  It was completely pitch black; she couldn’t even see her hand in front of her face.

“Where…am I?”  She wondered aloud, voice echoing from every direction.  It was cold in here and it was starting to make her scared, her mind bring up images of being locked away in that cold, dark and damp room all those months ago.

She wrapped her arms around herself, shivering and forcing back tears. 

“H-help- please…someone help me…”  She sobbed almost silently, shaking.

After a while she calmed down enough to collect her thoughts, pushing those memories to the back of her mind.  First she forced herself to take several deep breaths, forcing down her panic till she felt calm enough to think.   She raised her hands in front of her face, carefully treading forwards, carefully touching the ground in front of her to test and make sure there were no more holes to fall into.

After wondering around for what felt like forever she finally felt a stone wall against her fingertips.  She hugged herself to it’s aching cold surface, the cold shock of it helping to still the panic further.

Slowly she walked, making sure to keep the wall by her side, never leaving it for even a moment.  She remembered that last time she had been lost in the tunnels that staying close to the wall had eventually led her back into the sunlight, hoping that this time it would happen again.

Her hope paid off.

Slowly her surroundings got brighter and brighter, warmth starting to chase away the chill that had settled.

Finally, turning a corner she saw light ahead, a wide cave opening taking up her view.  With an excited gasp she rushed towards it, tripping slightly in her rush and the bag weighing her down.  Finally, with a tired and relieved grunt she stumbled out of the cave, slightly blinded by the bright sun.

She covered her eyes as they adjusted, blinking back tears of pain this time.

Slowly she raised her head, casting her gaze around.

Unlike last time when she had exited the tunnels there was no bright green oasis to greet her.  Instead she stood at the edge of a stony canyon, surrounded by ragged peaks of stone that stretched high above her head.  She was dead in the middle of the massive rocky outcrop.  At one stage in the far distant past the whole area had been made by some massive tectonic event.   The whole place was a varying field of steep limestone canyons, deep tunnels and ragged cliffs, intermeshed with the occasional small spring system, the fresh water bubbling up from far below.

Standing at the edge of the steep incline she could see a small shimmering stream below, bright blue.  She stood there only a moment before a wave of vertigo sent her back into the mouth of the cave.  There she sat, pulling her bag around and pulling out a half filled bottle and the watch.  Since last she checked it surprised her to see that it was almost 11:30, it had felt like hours had passed in the darkness.  Alice stared at it hard a moment, reassured that it still worked as the hands continued to move. 

She was tempted to eat her sandwiches now, hearing her tummy growl.  Instead she guzzled down what was left in the half filled bottle, sighing at the temporary full feeling this brought.   This brought enough relief to think clearly again, bring up her current, rather serious problem.  Alice knew she couldn’t go back through the tunnel, not without the risk of being lost forever in the cold darkness or falling down another hole.  There weren’t many places she could go from here either.  She could see to narrow ledges either side of her, both disappearing from sight as the rock curved away.  She had no idea which way was best to go, if either went anywhere.  She wanted to find the oasis but she also wanted to get home again, and she didn’t care much about falling down into anymore holes or going down that ledge.

It was becoming clear that she had to make a choice; else she would be stuck on that one place.

She had no idea where to go though, both sides looked good, she couldn’t decide.  She buried her head in her hands, unused shoulder sore from all the movements.

In the distance she could hear birds chirping and trilling, the sound making her small despite her predicament.  Slowly she looked up, smiling when she saw a bright green and red bird sitting on one of the crags.

She watched it for a while till it sudden flew off, disappearing somewhere to her left.  Alice remembered seeing a bird like it before, the first time she had found the oasis, moments before coming face to face with the naga resident of the place.

The memory brought a smile to her lips, and an idea of which direction to go.  Since the bird had flown off to her left she decided to take that path, not taking into account that the bird may have been flying away from the place.

After packing everything away again and pulling on the bag she once more started on her way.  It started off easily; the path started off wide enough to walk on comfortably away from the edge of the ravine.  It started to narrow steadily after about a hundred feet, soon she had to push herself against the stone cliff at her back to avoid falling.

Her breath was the only thing she was aware of as she edged, step by slow step, staring down into the distant stream below. A gasp of fear escaped her as part of the path crumbled away under her feet, leaving the small youth clinging for life at the rock behind her.  Alice froze, heart pounding as she watched the ledge continue to crumble slowly away, coming back to life and throwing herself sideways before it collapse completely behind her.   The path widened enough for her to gain enough purchase to stop herself tumbling sideways into the drop, but only just.  For several nerve wracking seconds she tittered on the edge, arms wide and wobbling on the balls of her feet, heart in her chest.  It was the heavy bag that saved her, giving enough weight at her back to help her stumble back to the safety of the wall then the ravine’s fatal drop.

She sobbed in relief, hugging the rock with all her strength, tears running down her cheeks.

Alice shakily looked back the way she had come, heart in her throat when she realised she couldn’t go back the way she had come, the only thing she could do now was continue forward.

The young eight year old continued onwards, fortunately the path widened again soon enough, allowing her some comfort again.

The path soon turned into the cliff, the ravine finally being left behind as both sides of her was taken up by the ragged stone cliffs, and then steadily the path widened and flattened out, opening up onto a wide ledge.

She stopped just as she walked onto it, unable to see what was past it, feeling exhausted and emotionally spent.  Limbs aching Alice slowly sunk to the ground, looking upwards into the sky, not really seeing anything at that moment.  She was so out of it she didn’t notice a mass of small birds descend to what was underneath the ledge she rested upon, but she did notice them take flight very soon after.

She stared in shock at the avian creatures flew off, calling in a semi alarmed fashion.

Shakily she got to her feet, slowly walking over the wide rock shelf, and gasped in delight.

Below her the familiar sight of a small, slightly circular green valley stretched below.  Close to a half dozen small water pools of varying sizes, all were surrounding a large lake dead in the middle.  There were only a few trees in the place, all looking like palm trees of some sort, the rest of the greenery was made up of small shrubs and bushes and many ground dwelling vines, all coated in thick moss.  Right below her was one of the pools, deep blue and clear.  All her weariness faded at the sight of the oasis.

Alice smiled in pure delight, relaxing visibly now she had found what she was looking for.  She sunk to her knees, sighing as she allowed herself to rest.  She wasn’t in such a rush now to find her friend, now she knew where to look she no longer felt pressed to keep moving onwards.  Alice could afford to rest a little first, maybe have some lunch.

She pulled her bag off and cradled it in her arms as she rummaged around inside, pulling out a fresh bottle of water and the tightly wrapped bundle of sandwiches.  She was delighted to see that the first sandwich was a ham and cheese one, white bread just as she liked it, cut into halves to make it easier for her to eat.  She nibbled happily on a half, eyes closed in contentment as she enjoyed the sharp contrast of the cheese, the saltiness of the ham and the buttery soft texture of the slightly sweetened bread.  She was so focused on her lunch that she didn’t notice the faint sound of scales sliding creeping slowly across stone, right towards her.

She hummed, almost purring when she finished the half, happy with how full that small amount had filled the growliness of her tummy.

She reached for the other half, eyes still closed when she felt something hard and very warm briefly brush the side of her hand.  Frowning slightly she opened her eyes, curious at the odd sensation.

And was greeted by shimmering red and black coils taking up most of her line of sight, the black tip of which was slowly wrapping around her waist so feather softly that she could barely feel it.  Looking up Alice’s soft periwinkle blue eyes met the large, deep molten dark amber depths of Fortitude’s.

They did not seem pleased.  Although Alice’s couldn’t have been more delighted to see that angry looking face, still easily a third of her size after all this time.

His tail tip finished its circle around her waist, tightening subtly that, although it didn’t hurt was tight enough so she couldn’t pull it off.

 Without a word he turned his attention to her bag, pulling it open and peering into it.  Alice watched him in confusion as he started to pull things out of it, looking at each item closely before placing it back.  Other then her water bottles, watch and sandwiches there wasn’t anything else in there, and after staring at the watch for longer then anything else he turned his attention back to her.

“What are you doing back here?”  He growled, releasing his tail but instead wrapping a massive hand around her waist, lifting her up to glare into her tiny face.

“Answer me!”  He snarled when he got no answer, finding the girl’s blank stare disconcerting.  That stare was no different then the first time he saw it, her eyes were still just as bright and clear.  She was heavier and a little bigger then last time, only barely noticeable then before, even her hair seemed fuller, although it had been cut and brushed cleaned since the last time. 

He curled back his lips in a huge, unnatural grin, baring teeth.

This however didn’t last long.

Alice surprised him then by reaching out with her left hand, brushing her soft fingertips against the tip of his nose, the only thing she could reach.

“I knew you were real, they said my mind was broken, but I knew they were wrong.”  She smiled, not noticing how stock still he had become, or the look of surprise in his eyes.  Alice looked down at the large clawed fingers wrapped around her waist and belly, waving her feet slightly when she saw how far off the ground Fort was holding her.

A soft growl rattled her body lightly, causing her to look back into his fine featured face.

“I missed you Mr Fort, I wanted to thank you for helping me.”  She said, drawing her arm back when she felt him shutter slightly, feeling his hand tighten slightly around her waist, almost enough to hurt.  He closed his eyes a moment, a huge sigh rattling in his chest before looking back at her, forcing himself not to react violently like the last time she had touched his face in a kind gesture, finding the contact very disturbing, yet there was something odd about it he rather liked.  With her gripped as she was in his hand he could seriously hurt the little girl if he didn’t control himself, and he still felt guilt about what he had done to her arm the last time he had met the girl.

“Why did you come back here?”  He asked again, voice strained but anger gone as he looked down in the familiar, trusting face.

“I told you silly, I wanted to thank you, and I wanted to see you again, you looked lonely last time.”  She replied, giggling at his slightly stupefied expression.

“Who says I’m lonely, how can a seven year old hatching possibly know that?”  He finally snapped, bring the girl closer as if his glare would gain strength, since it didn’t seem to work at all with this kid.

“I’m eight.”  He blinked.

“Pardon?” 

“I’m eight now silly, that’s this many fingers.”  This time she was able to raise both hands to show the right amount of digits.

“I’m a big girl now.”  Fort shook his head slowly.

“Fine, how can an eight year old believe they know anything about a monster then?”  Finally a smirk came to his features.

“And you believe being eight makes you a big person? Oh how sweetly naïve you are.”  He watched in amusement when Alice puffed her cheeks out.

“I am big!” She crossed her arms and pouted, causing the naga to laugh, before stretching himself up onto his tail, suspending the youth a couple of extra feet off the ground, causing her to squeal in surprise.

“Trust me girl, your not.”

Alice pouted a little more, a bit nervous about the extra height before she remembered the rest of his question.

“I just remember seeing you last time, after you fixed my arm, you sounded so sad and you live alone in this big place, I know I’d feel lonely.”  She muttered softly.

That was not the response the naga was expecting, he could only stare at her in blank surprise for a few moments.  Slowly he relaxed, carefully setting her back against the ground.

“Look little one, do yourself a favour and go back the way you came, go back to your kind and leave a old monster like myself alone, your not doing yourself any favours coming back here.”  He muttered, unwinding his large body away from the small child, starting to head over the cliff and into the oasis.

“But Mr Fort, I cant go-” But before she could finish speaking he was already out of sight, his red and black tail disappearing from sight.  He was gone so quick she almost didn’t see him go.

She rushed to her feet, grabbing her bag and quickly running to the edge, seeing the bright red and black coils of her friend weaving away through the underbrush.

“Mr Fort, wait!  I don’t know how to get home, I’m lost!”  She called out in alarm to him, feeling relief when she saw his tail still.

While he processed her words, able to hear her soft voice clearly with his sharp hearing, the girl turned her attention to the drop ahead of her.

She saw a narrow ledge below her, which she dropped her bag onto before trying t climb down on it, barely able to hold the water softened stone as she tried to climb into the valley.  Once her feet touched the stone she tried to find another stone ledge to step onto, noticing only a very small one to her right.  When he turned back he noticed her trying to climb down the cliff, her fear at being left alone had made her actions to get down rushed and reckless.

He saw this and quickly slithered back towards the cliff, knowing just what was going to happen  before she did.

What Alice didn’t know, as she took that last step was that the limestone she stood one was cracking and crumbling, moisture from the deep water pool below her weakening the stone.   Her weight, as light as it was turned out to be too much for that last step.

She heard the naga call out to her as the rock beneath her hands gave out, shattering the surrounding stone.  She tried to regain her grip, almost doing so before the tiny shone shelf she stood on then gave way as well in a small avalanche of falling rock.

Alice cried out as she fell, watching in a hazed rush as the water below seemed to rise up below her.

She managed to take one last deep breath and close her eyes before she hit the surface, the pain almost wrenching apart her lips.

She reached out for the surface, struggling to get back to the air.  Pain burned across her temple as a loose rock grazed across it, further confusing her.

She tried to force herself to swim towards the surface again, having no idea which way was up or down anymore. 

As her lungs burned for oxygen, her mind slowly shutting down did she remember something important.

Alice had never been taught how to swim.